November 25, 6:32pm
Robin huffed as she watched the bustling city from down below. It was two hours since she and her brothers started their patrol, and so far nothing has happened yet. Red Hood, turns to face his sister, a playful smile on his face.
"What? You're telling me you actually want someone to commit a crime?" Red Hood asks.
"Of course not," Robin rolled her eyes behind her mask. "Just annoyed that Batman doesn't want to even tell any of us what their meeting is about."
Red Hood lowers his binoculars, turning to face his sister, lips pursed. "I bet Shadow knows, he doesn't seem to have a problem with it."
"Hmm," Robin stares back out into the city. "You think the League is planning to recruit more heroes?"
"Maybe, but you know for a fact that Bat doesn't want us to be part of the League," Red Hood says, looking through his binoculars once more. "But I don't want to be part anyway, it places the spotlight on you and makes you do their dirty work. At least by just being recognized, we still get our own freedom without having the whole world look at you."
"That's true," Robin sighed. "How's Red Arrow, by the way? You still in contact with him?"
"Of course, our monthly stakeouts are as strong as ever, though he seems a bit preoccupied nowadays, keeps talking to Canary about the possible mole," he tells her.
"He's been more on edge about this mole thing," Robin frowns, turning to face her brother once more. "How about you? Do you believe him that there's a mole?"
"I hope not," Red Hood says. "I don't know what I would do when I find out there's a mole on the team."
"Yeah," the Girl Wonder says, thinking about it. "You know some things been bothering me about that whole mole thing. We already established that Sportsmaster might just be tricking us to doubt one another but why tell Red Arrow? Why not Aqualad, the leader and a member of the team? Why choose someone who isn't even a part of it?"
Red Hood lowers his binoculars, turning to face her, a grim frown on his face. "What are you trying to imply? That… that there's something between Red Arrow and Sportsmaster?"
"I don't want to say that," Robin argues. "Red Arrow is like a brother to me as much as you are to him but… is there something we aren't seeing? Something doesn't add up and I bet you Batman also noticed that."
"If you're trying to imply that Red Arrow is the mole, then I'm done," Red Hood growls, taking out his grappling hook and leaving her.
"Hood!" she yells out but when her brother doesn't return she just groans in anger. "Fine! Be like that then! Leave just like what he did in the Hall of Justice!"
Robin growls, getting up and kicking the ledge of the building in anger. She presses her comm, connecting it with the Batcave. Her other brother connects them in an instant, already expecting her to contact him.
"Do I even want to know?" she hears Red Bat ask.
"All I did is ask one question about Red Arrow and he gets all mad at me and leaves!" she yells. "I swear, when it comes to me questioning his friends, he gets all defensive and mad but when it comes to my friends, he's the total opposite!"
"What did you even tell him?" her second oldest brother asks.
Robin purses her lips, looking at the city below. "I'll tell you about it when I'm done with patrol, knowing Hood, he's going to go on a rampage and forget about patrol."
Red Bat hums at this, agreeing with her. "Batman isn't back yet from the League meeting and seeing that Shadow is covering both Gotham and Bludhaven, the meeting is going to belong."
"Ugh, can we not talk about that meeting? It's what made Red Hood and I talk about Red Arrow," she rolls her eyes before it catches a familiar person walking on the streets. "Gotta go, seems like tonight would be as boring as I thought it was going to be."
Looking around, she sees the street completely empty and leaps off the building, grappling to the streets below. She approaches the hooded figure, a playful smirk on her face.
"Artemis?"
The blond let out a screech, turning around to see the Girl Wonder, standing there with a large smile. "Robin?!"
"What are you doing here in Gotham City? Visiting your cousin?" she asks, rocking on the balls of her feet.
"Cousin? O-OH! Yeah! My cousin! I was just heading back to Star City after visiting my cousin!" she tries to cover up, eyes wide with shock before anger slowly starts slipping through. "Wait a minute! You can't just approach me here in the streets! Especially since I'm not in costume!"
Robin chuckles. "Then come on," she doesn't wait for a reply and shoots a grapple into one of the buildings, launches herself to the rooftop.
She sits there, laughing quietly when she hears Artemis yelling that she doesn't have a grapple, and laughs even harder when she hears the archer cursing as she climbs up the fire escape of the building.
The archer throws herself on top of the rooftop, sweating and very angry at the Girl Wonder. "I hate you."
Robin laughs, "And yet you still came! C'mon, let's have a chat while I'm on the lookout."
Artemis huffs in anger but joins her nonetheless, taking a seat beside the thirteen-year-old. "What do you even want to talk about? My mother is waiting for me at home so I can't stay for long."
Robin doesn't say anything, eyes downcast. "Has Green Arrow told you anything about Red Arrow?"
The archer frowns, looking at the hero beside her. "No, why? Is this about the whole mole thing because Sportsmaster can't be trusted, he's just trying to manipulate us to doubt one another!"
"I know he can't be trusted," Robin turns to face her. "But I was thinking that… have you ever met Red Arrow before? Before you started working with your uncle?"
Artemis looked a bit conflicted, knowing it would be suspicious if she denied it since Red Arrow was the adopted son and first partner of Green Arrow and for her cover-up being she's Green Arrow's niece wouldn't make sense if she hadn't met Red Arrow before. But if she said yes, she would be cornered to answer questions she wouldn't even know the answers to.
"No," the archer finally says, turning away. "My mother only introduced me to Green Arrow this year, after Speedy became a solo hero and changed his name to Red Arrow."
Robin nods at this, knowing Artemis' true story and background but just wanted to know if the blond archer has met with Red Arrow before or outside of the Team.
"Why're you asking?" Artemis asks, slightly wary and on guard.
Robin questions if she should tell her suspicions of Red Arrow to Artemis but in the end, she did. If Artemis was indeed the mole, which she highly doubts, she would need assurance that she trusted her, that someone on the team won't question her loyalties.
"I got into a fight with Red Hood a while ago," the Girl Wonder says. "I'm not sure if you know but Red Arrow is like a brother to Kid Flash and me… but Red Hood and Red Arrow, they're basically inseparable… I was talking to Hood about how I found it weird that Sportsmaster told the possibility of a mole to Red Arrow and not Aqualad."
"Why tell someone who's not part of the team when the leader is right there?" Robin asks, eyes trailing to look out to the city.
"Aqualad was preoccupied," Artemis says but Robin shakes her head.
"But still, why involve someone who disassociated himself from the Team and League as a whole?" the Girl Wonder tells her. "You can't deny the fact that ever since the whole mole thing, Red Arrow has started talking to Green Arrow again, he even started visiting the Cave and talking to Batman about it."
Artemis eyes the Girl Wonder, trying to process what she's saying. "You… You're doubting Red Arrow?"
Robin huffs, "I don't want to say I do but… I don't believe there's a mole on the team. I trust each and every one of you with my life, the… the training simulation says that we would die alongside one another without hesitation. I've fought alongside everyone and I don't believe there's a mole."
Artemis stares at the Girl Wonder, eyes transfixed. "I don't think there's a mole too but what you're saying with Red Arrow and Sportsmaster…"
"Is something we don't have proof to or anything to back up my suspicions," Robin shakes her head. "I trust you and everyone else… but we should be prepared if there is a mole. Sportsmaster is planning something we don't know nor understand but Artemis," she turns to face the archer a grim frown on her face. "I want you to still trust in Red Arrow despite what I told you, even when he looks like he's making you out to be the mole, there's something larger at play and Red Arrow doesn't seem to realize it yet."
Artemis purses her lips, "Fine but I won't promise that I won't get mad at him when he starts pushing too hard."
"I won't doubt it," Robin chuckles. "You should go now, your mom might get worried. I'll go patrol the rest of the city, I don't think anything's going to happen here tonight."
"Good luck with dealing with Red Hood, I heard he has quite the temper," Artemis says, getting up.
"Knowing him, he's busting a drug cartel on the other side of the city so don't get too shocked if you find that on the news," Robin chuckles before grappling away.