December 23; 5:13am
Instead of a jog, her last lap around the area became a slow walk, her eyes trained on the snow-covered floor. She continues to walk past the train carts before her feet slow down and halt to a stop, the same as her first jog around the place and at the same place she would always slow down at. She looks up to see the train cart with the poster plastered on the cart.
'The Flying Graysons.'
She can still remember the rush of adrenaline, all the energy from those nights. Her excitement and pure joy for every performance. She can still hear the sound of Haly introducing them for every performance. She's snapped out of her thoughts when she hears her ear-comm go off, only one person being able to contact her now.
"Yeah?" she says, answering the call.
"So… where are you?" Wally asks.
"Confidential mission from Batman," she answers, continuing on her walk.
"Wow, you know what I'm doing? Making a bologna sandwich," she hears Wally say, obviously knowing her too much to know that she was lying. "Kind of like you just did. I talked to Red Tornado. You guys are not on a mission. Not an official one anyway."
Robin should have known that he would have asked where the rest of them went but she knew that the speedster wouldn't ask her brothers. He would have asked her instead and waited for her to tell him when she wants to and not from someone else. "A friend, Jack Haly," she relents.
"The circus guy? From your old Flying Grayson days?"
"Yeah. He's implicated in this global crime spree. Someone on the show is dirty but I need to prove Jack's clean or he might lose the circus."
"Then why not bring me along?" Wally asks, sounding a bit hurt at the prospect of being left behind. "I know your backstory. I know what that circus means to you. It's where you grew up… It's where you lost your-"
"I left you behind because you know my backstory," she quickly cuts him off. "I didn't want my best friend questioning my objectivity."
"Dixie, that's what best friends are for."
"I gotta go, we have morning training."
"Wait, Dix-"
Robin sighs, staring at the snow falling from the sky. She hears someone walk up beside her but she doesn't pay them much attention, instead continues to gaze at the falling snow.
"I just got off a conversation with your brother," Red Arrow tells her. "Let's just say he and the others now know about your headache yesterday and aren't happy about you hiding that and about what happened last night, both the show and the mission. Doesn't help that you've been rejecting all their calls since last night."
Robin purses her lips at this, expecting this. "They're overreacting, they'll get over it once this is all over."
Red Arrow only seems to hum at this. "How's the headache? You feeling better?"
"They must have been serious about it being a 24-hour bug, I feel perfectly fine."
"That's good. Hope none of us catch it during tonight's performance, don't want something like last night happening again."
"Yeah right," Robin elbowed him at his side, a playful smirk on her face. "Are the others awake yet? We have rehearsals in ten minutes."
"They'll be out any minute," Red Arrow answers her, receiving a nod. "They're just preparing their equipment."
"Which reminds me. Haly said the nets for the trapeze came early this morning, they already set it up," Robin tells him.
"Even greater news," Red Arrow joked.
Robin rolled her eyes at this, before walking ahead towards the tent. "Hope you guys stretched cause morning training is brutal," she tells him as she walks away.
"Some heads up would have been great! Did you even stretch?"
"Duh, why do you think I was already outside? I just came back from my jog."
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December 22; 7:43pm
Once the team made it back backstage, Robin didn't bother to sit down for a breather. After Interpol arriving first thing in the morning after news broke about the break-in, she knew Haly wasn't going to just sit around and take any chances for Interpol to show up again and she was right because as soon as he ended the show and left the curtains, Haly was already telling them to pack up and they were leaving in two hours.
"But we just finished," Artemis huffed.
"Welcome to the circus life," Robin couldn't help but comment. Soon all of them were helping with the packing, helping place all the equipment in the cargo train.
"Is it just me or did those two also get the 24-hour bug?" Red Arrow asked as he, Artemis, and Robin were throwing the bags in the cargo. Robin and Artemis looked up and passed Superboy and Miss Martian were the fire-breather and the strongman coughing and panting as they helped pack up.
"Something isn't adding up," Robin frowns, turning back to things she was packing. "This 24-hour flu, it's not the normal flu. How could it just appear out of nowhere and disappear in under an hour? And only in the circus? If it was truly the flu, the cities that the circus has been would have reported something like this. It spreads too fast for it not to."
"What? Another mission then?" Red Arrow commented. "Let's first solve this case before diving into another one."
Robin hummed but she knew this couldn't be a coincidence, this scenario felt familiar. She didn't have time to ponder on it anymore since Haly came marching and getting on the train, looking frustrated and annoyed. "All aboard. Everyone. Now."
"Someone's in a hurry," Red Arrow comments, earning a frown from Robin.
"C'mon, there are still things to pack, let's hurry."
Once everything was packed and everyone was inside, the train left almost immediately, something Red Arrow couldn't help but point out again, receiving a jab to the side from Robin.
Entering their shared cargo, Artemis, Robin, and Miss Martian sat down to rest for a while but Artemis kept looking at Miss Martian, a frown on her face. "Are you okay? You look pale- well, faint to put in better terms."
"I- I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," Miss Martian tried to wave off but she looked like she was going to collapse any moment now.
Robin frowned at this, could it be that Miss Martian was standing too close to the two sick men, or could she have gotten it from Robin? They were sleeping close to one another last night. "You go lay down, I'll call the others."
Robin turned and left the room, quickly walking to the room besiderarely their's and knocking. Superboy answers the door and looks confused at seeing her, obviously thinking that if Robin wanted to tell them something, Miss Martian could have just set up a mind-link. "Dawn's sick with the 24-hour flu," she tells him.
Soon, Red Arrow and Superboy join her with the other teammates, Superboy sitting beside his sick girlfriend.
"You look better," Artemis couldn't help but say to Robin, looking like she was also finding the situation odd.
"I feel better," Robin turns to Miss Martian, a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, M- Dawn. I hope you didn't catch it from me."
"I feel so silly," Miss Martian murmurs. "Who knew a martian could be vulnerable to a human virus?"
"Uh, HG Wells?" Robin couldn't help but joke but suddenly realized something, everything clicking into place. "Look, when did you first feel sick?"
"Just after boarding the train. It came on suddenly."
"Same with me the other night," Robin frowned, only thinking of one person possible to do such a thing. "I remember Ray rubbed my head for good luck right before we went on."
"Ray? The roustabout?" Superboy surprisingly asked. "He touched her before we boarded. Guy must be a walking Petri dish."
That was enough confirmation for her to know who their culprit and thief were. "Maybe," she said before turning to run out the room, nearly crashing into the train wall on her way out.
"Danna! You're looking refreshed," Haly said, pushing out a huge trunk down the hallway.
"Thanks," Robin smiled. "Uh, Jack, how long has Ray been working for you?"
"I picked him up at the start of the European tour," Haly answers. "Poor lad's down with the same flu as the rest of them."
"We'll check on him," Artemis says from behind Robin, already knowing that Robin was thinking of something. "It's the least we can do."
"If you insist," Haly smiles as Red Arrow, Superboy, and Artemis turn to walk to the other cargo where 'Ray' was at. She turns to see Miss Martian out of bed, going out of the room to follow the others.
"You should stay in bed," Robin tells her.
"As a friend of mine once said, I'll manage," Miss Martian smiled before turning to follow the others.
Robin turns to Haly, smiling before waving, rushing to follow the others. Entering Ray's room, it was obvious no one was inside, the bed empty and made.
"Guess he wasn't that sick," Superboy comments.
Red Arrow frowns, looking at the crate near Ray's bed labeled as elephant feeds. "Does this circus have an elephant I don't know about?"
"Not on foreign tours," Robin answers.
Red Arrow's frown deepens at this and he turns to open the crate and look inside. "Empty- no wait, ash."
"From the warehouse fire in Bruges."
"Uh guys," Artemis says, catching everyone's attention, "I found Ray." She lifts a mask and Robin wished she really would have questioned things more.
"Split up! Search the whole train."
They quickly head off to different areas of the train and as Robin was passing the train cabins, she hears a muffled yell. Kicking down the door with no hesitation, she sees Haly tied up inside the room. She quickly goes over to him and removes the fabric tied around his mouth. "Who did this to you?"
"Yar! Ray the roustabout! Right after the train left Bruges."
Robin turns and runs out of the room, completely forgetting to help Haly out. If Parasite did get M'gann's powers, it meant the person he was talking to earlier was him and not Haly. The others needed to know.
"M'gann," Robin tried but forgot that Miss Martian was sick or out of distance. She quickly reaches for her ear-comms and contacts the martian. "Dawn, come in."
"Uh, Danna?"
"I tried to reach you the other way."
"I think the flu's knocked out my other way."
"That clinches it," she presses the comm, connecting it to the others. "Dane, Dean, Diane, come in. We're chasing someone who's stolen Dawn's act. Her whole shtick if you catch what I mean."
Robin continued to run through the train cargo, searching for any place where Parasite could be. "Where the heck is everybody?" she mutters as she opens another empty room.
"I got him," Superboy suddenly informs them in the comm. "But he's onto me. Exiting the dining car now. He's going topside."
Robin didn't waste a moment and ran out of the cargo she was in and jumped on top of the roof of the train.
"That won't work on me, clown," she hears Superboy say as she lands on the roof.
"That's no clown. He's the Parasite, the guy who once stole Superman's powers," Robin tells him.
"As if you kids are who you claim to be," Parasite scoffed before showing his true face.
Behind Parasite, Robin sees Superboy ready to attack. "Stay out of his reach! There's no flu going around, the weakness comes when he makes visible contact and feeds off the powers and abilities of others."
"I have been a bit of a glutton today. Chowed down on the skills of nearly every loser in this troupe but oh my, the pièce de résistance was Dawn Danger, or whatever her real name is. Thought I'd munch on her trapeze skills. Imagine my surprise when she tasted like Martian Manhunter instead. She made a lovely appetizer but guess who I want for my entree?"
Before she could yell out to warn the clone, Parasite had already used Miss Martian's powers to grab Superboy and pull the clone towards him, holding up their teammate by his throat.
"Now that's the full-body Kryptonian flavor I love," Parasite smiled.
"Crap," Robin hissed under her breath before speaking out loud to Artemis and Red Arrow. "Everyone, stay well! Subdue but keep your distance."
Red Arrow and Artemis aim their arrows at Parasite, already having found an open shot but to all of their surprise Parasite's eyes glow and red lasers come out of his eyes and hit both archer's bows. Both archers quickly let go as their bows burn, leaving nothing.
"What?!" Robin hissed, glancing at Miss Martian who looked equally shocked and confused. A chill suddenly went wracked Robin, her minding flashing to what happened last night, how Superboy glared at the buildings and instantly knew where Parasite had gone, it was like he had x-ray vision.
"You know, I almost never say this, but I'm sated," Parasite grins, dropping Superboy's limp body to the train roof. "Hate to eat and run."
Parasite launches himself off the ground, flying in the air as the large cargo he was carrying earlier floats behind him. Gritting her teeth Robin didn't think about it too much and jumped and caught the crate catching Parasite in momentary shock. She threw her body on top of the crate and jumped to try and tackle Parasite. When she tackles him, her hand quickly finds something in his pocket and she quickly takes it and closes her fist around it. Parasite suddenly hits her off him, sending her crashing down to the train.
Robin manages to land on the roof but she's too delirious and falls off the side of the train but Miss Martian manages to grab her arm but because of her weakened state, the Martian has a hard time holding onto her. Robin takes a chance and looks down and because of her luck, the train is crossing a mountain ridge. If she were to fall it would mean instant death without her grappling hook.
But lucky for her and Miss Martian, Red Arrow and Artemis quickly rush over to help. The three of them manage to lift Robin off the side and back onto the roof, Robin and Miss Martian winded from that.
"Conner?" Miss Martian asks, turning to her boyfriend who's delirious and dizzy. She rushes over to help him stand, her face scrunched in concern. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine," Superboy brushes her off, eyes shut tight.
"You're drained," Robin frowns, getting up off the ground.
"Parasite took even more power than you have," she said, playing her part of acting oblivious to the other possible reason. She couldn't be sure yet, she'll have to do some research until she's sure but for now, she continues to act like she hasn't noticed the clone's two new powers. "Heat vision?"
"I have the genetic potential for it," Superboy simply said. "Must have been enough for him."
Thinking about Parasite again and how he managed to get away, Robin couldn't help but groan angrily, walking past the couple and jumping back to the cargo train. She slides the door open as her teammates trail after her.
"We're going after him, suit up," she orders them. Robin looks down at her hands and sees the flash drive she manages to pickpocket from Parasite.
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When everyone is gathered, all changed into their uniforms, Robin shows them the drive. "It's not a complete debacle, I picked Parasite's pocket, got this flash drive."
She plugs it in her holo-glove, turning it on, and starts running through the files. "Looks like Parasite's working for Intergang. Everything he's stolen, they're all pieces for something. They're putting together a weapon that generates…" Robin trails off, her eyes wide with shock at what she analyzes. "Black holes," she says breathlessly.
Without having to think about it too much, throwing away all caution in the wind, she immediately sends this information to Interpol and the Batcave, hoping Tim or Alfred was there to see it. This was bigger than she thought this mission would be and if the team failed to subdue Parasite… they would at least have backup arriving soon.
"Oh come one," Red Arrow said, not wanting to believe that someone was crazy enough to make such a machine. "To build that you need a particle accelerator."
"Like the large Bozon collider in Geneva?" Robin frowns.
"The circus' next stop," Red Arrow realizes. "But now that Parasite can fly he's got a big head start on us."
"I'm sorry," Miss Martian apologizes.
"Not your fault," Robin quickly says but her eyes trail to Superboy who just looks away. "But the thing could wipe out entire cities, we need to hurry."
"You and I need to hurry," Red Arrow says, pulling out his extra bow from the overhead cabin. "Without powers, the others will hold us back."
"Hey, you're not the only one with a back-up bow," Artemis remarks, pulling out a collapsible crossbow.
Beside her Superboy punches the wall, looking angry at the prospect of being left behind. "And my powers are back," he growls.
"How-"
"I'm still-"
"I guess Kryptonians recover faster than humans or Martians," the clone says but Robin doesn't miss the way he's gripping his left arm.
At this Miss Martian looks at her teammate. "Don't even think about leaving me behind," she challenges them with a smirk.
Despite all the tension Robin's been feeling, that of Parasite and the black hole generator, the circus possibly closing down, and Superboy's secret, Robin couldn't help but start laughing. Red Arrow, who seemed annoyed at the prospect of the other three, quickly relaxes, turning to stare at exasperatedly.
"We're going to stop someone who's about to make a black hole generator and you're laughing?" Red Arrow shakes his head but there's a smile on his face. "Don't think you're off the hook just yet, I can't wait to tell your brother about you nearly falling off a mountain."