A/N: Okay, Rebirth of the Red Ribbon Army is back! Thank you to those who have read,favorite, followed, or reviewed this story! This chapter will be part of the Young Justice series, but nothing too dramatic. For those who haven't seen the episode Targets, a few spoilers ahead, and those who have seen it, you know what happened in the episode so you should know if any parts have been skipped due to being irrelevant. Now time for the story!
Disclaimer- I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Young Justice
Chapter 5
Mount Justice, September 7, 5:30 EDT
Early in the morning, the members of the Team were hanging around their base. It had been 3 days since their mission in Bialya, where they encountered the telepath Psimon and lost 6 months of their memories. Although they managed to get their memories back, gained a new friend, and improved the relationship between Superboy and Miss Martian, the Team still felt like they failed since they hadn't figured out how Sphere was transported to Earth. It was clear the Biaylans had acquired Sphere from some alien planet and that their scientists were experimenting on her, but whatever brought her to Biayla wasn't a Zeta platform despite the signs of zeta radiation. When the Team got back and reported back to Batman, they were ordered to take it easy so that they could recall any memories they may not have gained back and recover both physically and mentally.
Although the protégé assured the Leaguers that they were fine, the Dark Knight insisted (or rather, ordered) that the Team take some time to relax. Now, they were all in the Cave, fully recovered and ready for a new assignment. Problem was, there didn't seem to be anything going on. Right now, Miss Martian was in the kitchen cooking, Artemis was checking her arrows, Aqualad was practicing his fighting skills, Superboy was tinkering with a broken motorcycle, and Robin and Kid Flash were… inspecting Sphere.
"What do you think it is?" Robin wondered.
"An extraterrestrial ball used to play catch," Kid Flash suggested.
"Don't think so," Robin said. He then brought out his 3-D scanner and held it at Sphere. "Whatever it is, there hasn't been anything like it on Earth."
"Do you think it can talk?" the speedster questioned.
"It hasn't said anything to us since we brought it here," Robin reasoned.
"Sure she has, you two just haven't been listening," Superboy commented. The alien object then made its engine-like beeping noise before backing away from the heroes-in-training. The sidekicks looked at each other with anxiety before moving closer to the Sphere. The Kryptonian clone, seeing his friend's discomfort, stopped what he was doing, walked over to his teammates, and picked them up by their costumes.
"Whoa, what's your problem?" Kid Flash questioned the clone.
"If you two were listening, you would know that she doesn't like being forcefully examined, kinda like before we met here," the Genomorph replied before dropping them as Sphere rolled behind him. He petted her to comfort her.
"Sorry SB, we just wanted to know what it was," Robin said.
"She is my friend, that's all you need to know," Superboy answered.
"Superboy is correct," the Team leader added as he came over to his friends. "This Sphere was imprisoned and experimented against it's…uh, her will, just like he was. Now she has been rescued and given a chance at freedom after helping to save one of us. I believe she has proven to be trustworthy."
"Then maybe we should give it—I mean, her—some space," Artemis suggested.
"Yeah, and now, Superboy has his own alien companion, like me!" Miss Martian commented.
"Hey, you could always be my alien companion, babe," Wally flirted with her.
Before anyone could respond to his comment, the team heard their boss summoning them through the cave's loudspeaker. "Team, report to the mission room!" Batman announced. The teens immediately stopped everything they were doing and made their way to the mission room. The six slowly walked down the hall, each expressing their own emotions.
"Alright! A mission, finally!" Kid Flash exclaimed. "It's about time, right?"
"Tell me about it!" Robin agreed. "This whole 'waiting to recover' thing has been depressing, but now, maybe things will get real pressing!"
"With the amount of waiting they made us do, this better be a good mission!" Superboy said.
"I'm sure the League just wanted us to be at full capacity," the Martian girl soothed as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort him.
"Yeah, but it's not like we suffered any serious injuries," the archer stated. "We just lost 6 months of our memories. We got them back and came back here in one piece."
"In any case, we should be glad we get a chance to make up for our less than adequate performance in Bialya," Aqualad said. "I hope we can restore their faith in us."
"I'm sure we can," M'gann responded, trying to stay optimistic.
The six teenage heroes entered the mission room where their supervisor and mission giver were in. Greeted by the neutral expressions of Batman and Red Tornado, it was hard to tell what kind of mission they would be receiving. Each team member exchanged looks as they waited for the debriefing; after a moment of silence, the Kryptonian clone got impatient and demanded, "What are we standing around for?! Do you have a mission for us or not?!" The Dark Knight glared at the Boy of Steel, which made his teammates cringe. Aqualad then held out his hand to keep his team in place before stepping forward toward the Leaguers.
"Apologies, Batman, but we were expecting to be given a mission," Kaldur explained. "I believe that is why you summoned us."
"I did summon you for a mission, but all of you need to be here for the debriefing," Batman spoke.
"But we're all here already," Kid Flash said. "Who else are we waiting for?" At that moment, the Zeta tube opened up and started glowing.
"Him," Batman replied.
"Recognized, Red Arrow, B06," the computer announced as Green Arrow's ex-apprentice walked through the tube and entered Mount Justice. His expression was far from happy at being called to the junior Justice League's clubhouse while his closest friends were glad to see him.
"Speedy, I mean, Red Arrow! What's up?" Kid Flash greeted.
"It's good to see you, my friend," Aqualad said.
"So what brings you to the cave? Ready to join the team?" Robin inquired.
"No," Red Arrow replied sternly. "I was called here'cause your boss said he had something important to share with you, and told me that I needed to hear it, too."
"You do," the Dark Knight assured. He then brought up three screens, each with an image of three beings none of the team members knew of. The first screen was of a boy about 11 to 12 years old. He had spiky, gold hair and teal eyes, and he wore a navy blue bodysuit under a gold battle jacket with shoulder pads. He also had white gloves and boots, a red headband tied around his head, and a red staff in a sheath tied to his back. The second image was of a male teenager with the same spiky, gold hair and teal eyes as the first boy. His bodysuit was black while his battle jacket and shoulder pads were red. His gloves and boots were red, as was the cape. The teen also wore a necklace with a star on it. Underneath the cape was a sheathed sword strapped to the teenager's back. The third image was of a full grown man. His hair was a red-orange mohawk while his eyes were icy blue. His clothes consisted of a dark undersuit with a lime green vest, green boots, and green wrist guards.All three of them had a strange device placed over their right eye and ear that was colored blue, red, and green, respectively, and a red symbol in the shape of a triple arrow with small lines under it and a U-turn shape at the bottom. "About a month ago, the Watchtower detected an enormous power surge in Tokyo. I pretty sure the five of you remember being sent to investigate that area." He looked at the Team when he said that.
"Yeah, we found nothing but a large crater and traces of unknown energy signatures similar to Zeta radiation and another unknown source," Robin said. "It was untraceable." Aside from Artemis and Red Arrow, the team members had looks of disappointment at one of their dead end missions.
"We still had fun going there, right?" M'gann asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"A week after, these two made an appearance in Tokyo," Batman continued to explain as he pointed to the Demi Saiyans. "They began defending the city from any trouble and another week later, they were joined by this man. The three have been a team for weeks."
"Any idea who they are?" Aqualad inquired.
"The boy is known as the Saiyan Kid, the teen is the Saiyan Prince, and the man is called the Super Ranger," Red Tornado supplied.
"I remember hearing about these two," Kid Flash spoke up. "They were at the incident in Star Labs about two weeks ago."
"What happened at Star Labs?" Miss Martian asked.
"A couple of big guys broke in and stole some tech and these guys showed up," Wally explained. "Flash and I tried to stop them but they fled."
"What did the thieves look like?" Connor questioned.
"Didn't actually get a good look at their faces since they left in a hurry," the Speedster replied. "It was weird; the way they moved was fast, even for me!"
"Well, maybe you were having a slow day," Artemis suggested.
"I'm serious, those four at Star Labs were there for a second, and then the next, they disappeared like… in a flash," Wally said.
"It is strange to hear that there's anyone capable of outrunning a speedster," Kaldur mused.
"We encountered these two before," Robin suddenly recalled as he pointed to the Saiyans on the screen. His mentor nodded.
"Yes we have, in Gotham, two weeks ago," the Dark Knight confirmed.
Flashback – August 24th 2011, 21:36
Nighttime in Gotham City, the streets were quiet, which was unusual since the criminal underworld in this place was most active at night. In a dark alley, the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder were fighting for their lives against Deathstroke and his new partner; but it wasn't the Terminator that was overtaking Gotham's hero, it was the new guy. The one taking on the Batman was a middle-aged man with small, beady eyes, a pointed nose, a small thin mustache, and black hair in the form of a long ponytail. He wore a blue Chinese men's longcoat with the Kanji symbol "kill" on the chest area.
This new mercenary was clearly anything but new to the art of assassination; he managed to counter all of Batman's blows with ease, none of the Batarangs could injure him, and the explosive devices had no affect on him. This merc's skills in martial arts were far beyond even the Dark Knight's. While the mercenary's body was unscathed, Batman's suit had numerous red dots on it from the pressure point attacks he had suffered. His protégé wasn't having any better luck against the one-eyed assassin; both of Gotham defenders were badly bruised and at the mercy of their enemies. The mercenary had his hand in the form of a gun pointed at the Dark Knight while Deathstroke used his lance to pin Robin to the wall. The new merc's finger started glowing as it was aimed at the Dark Knight's chest, specifically where his heart was located.
"I have to commend you for you persistence," Tao spoke. "Not many of my victims have survived an encounter with me for this long, only a certain monkey-tailed brat and his son. But that matters little to me since you're about to die now."
Acting quick, Robin tossed a small grenade at Deathstroke's face; the assassin flinched back, allowing the sidekick to jump at Tao and attempt to kick him in the head. One second he was about to strike the immortal mercenary in the head; then the next, his target disappeared and he was struck hard in the chest by the person he tried to sneak attack. "Stay out of this, child, this is adult business!" Tao said. Robin tried to get up again but he was stomped on by the Terminator.
"Stay down, boy. We're only here for Batman, so don't make me add another name to the list," Slade warned.
Batman attempted to fight one last time as he threw an explosive at Tao. The merc easily caught it and it exploded in his face. The Dark Knight rushed to attack the old assassin with his remaining strength but was elbow bashed back to the wall by an annoyed Tao. "Heroes never know when to quit," he muttered as he aimed his glowing finger at Batman. "But this will be over after you hear the bang!"
"Bang!" a voice said, but it wasn't Tao's. A small blue beam zoomed toward Tao's hand and collided with it, redirecting the merc's attack away from the Caped Crusader. Another blast struck Deathstroke in the chest, knocking him away from the Boy Wonder. Tao grasped his hand in pain as he looked upward; he spotted two Demi Saiyans in armor glowering down at him and Deathstroke, who got back up. "Did you really think you could hide from us while killing people, Tao?"the Prince questioned.
"Saiyans!"Tao growled.
"Say- what?!" Slade asked.
Trunks and Gohan looked toward the downed heroes to examine their conditions. "Those heroes don't look so good," Gohan commented from his observation. "Batman's got multiple bruises and the Boy Wonder seems to be unconscious. Their life forces are low but stable."
"Tao's still full of energy," Trunks noted. "That other assassin is not as strong as us or Tao, but his Ki is greater than most of the average martial artists in our world."
"Let's just get this over with so that when we capture Tao, we can question him about his comrades," the Saiyan Kid suggested.
"I'll take Tao, you take his new partner," the Saiyan Prince said.
"Sounds like a plan," Gohan agreed.
The Saiyans jumped down to the ground. Trunks brought out his sword and charged at Mercenary Tao while Gohan took on Deathstroke. Trunks swung his sword at Tao, who pulled out a capsule that transformed into a blade that he used to counter the Saiyan Prince's strike, and Gohan brought out his Power Pole and engaged Deathstroke in a bo staff battle. The Terminator swung his staff with superior skill in combat, but the Son of Goku's small size and better agility, reflexes, and speed put him on par with his opponent. Slade struck at Gohan numerous times while the Saiyan blocked with his pole; eventually, the assassin thrust his lance forward and the hybrid blocked it by turning his pole horizontally. Abruptly, electricity sparked from Deathstroke's staff and zapped Gohan, causing him to drop the Power Pole. "Not bad, kid, but you'll have to do better," Slade said.
"No problem!" the Saiyan Kid assured. The assassin then jabbed his lance at the half Saiyan, but the boy quickly grabbed it and punched the Terminator multiple times before palm striking him into unconsciousness. "How's that for better?"
The saiyan and the cyborg clashed with their swords; every swing created a small shockwave, and as they clashed, the blade of Tao's weapon slowly started to crack from Trunks' stronger sword density and superior strength. Eventually, Tao's blade snapped in half, leaving him unarmed. The mercenary backed away and channeled most of his Ki into his index finger. "Take this, Saiyan! Super Dodon Wave!" He fired a massive energy ray at the son of Vegeta, but Trunks simply smacked it into the atmosphere with his hand. "Dammit, even with my cyber enhancements, I'm still no match for these half-alien freaks!" he thought.
Tao then jumped to the side, barely dodging an attack from the Saiyan Kid. Both Demi Saiyans charged at the assassin. Tao managed to block a few of their attacks before being double kicked onto his back. Tao slowly stood up as the saiyans then stood together and held up their fingers; golden specs of light formed on their index fingers and started to expand by the second. Tao's eyes grew wide when he realized what the half-breeds were about to do. "Those positions, it can't be," he muttered in shock.
"Double," Gohan spoke.
"Dodon," Trunks said.
"Pa!" they shouted at the same time. Two yellow beams of light shot out from their fingers and merged together as it flew toward the mercenary. The superheated blast struck Tao in the chest, knocking him flat on his back. Smoke came off his clothes as he groaned in pain. The killer stood up again, ripped off his chang pao, and glared at his enemies. His chest was singed and blood slid down from his lip. "How dare you brats use my own technique on me!" he growled.
"You're outmatched, Tao," Trunks stated. "Give up, it's over!"
"I don't think so, Saiyan!" Tao said. "As long as I'm still breathing, it's not over!"
"That can change in an instant," the Saiyan Prince warned as he held up his hand while channeling Ki into it.
"What's Zero up to? What do you guys hope to gain from this world?!" Gohan questioned.
"You don't actually expect me to tell you that, now do you, boy?" Tao replied.
"You might as well since whatever he's planning isn't going to work," Trunks retorted. "He's got no research in this world, no lab for experiments, no data on the Z Fighters or their DNA, and his Androids are weak! Plus, he's about to be short one henchman!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Tao said. "Although my new partner and I have been defeated, we will not be arrested or imprisoned. We'll have to flee for now."
"What makes you think we'll let you slip away?!"the Saiyan Kid asked. "Even if you flew away, we'd still be able to track your energy signal!"
Tao smirked confidently at the boy's words. "You may be able to sense my energy, but can you sense this...?" he countered as he raised his right hand into the air. "DARK NIMBUS!" Instantly, a large black cloud zoomed toward the mercenary and stopped right beside his hand. The saiyans stared at the cloud with wide eyes.
"Is that a somersaulting cloud?!" the Saiyan Kid asked.
"Why is it black?!" the Saiyan Prince questioned.
"This is just a little gift I got from your father's cat mentor," Tao explained. "This cloud is specifically different from the normal flying nimbus in that only the pure evil can ride it!" The Mercenary Tao jumped onto his somersaulting cloud, which made the saiyans flinch. "Something's coming for you, Saiyans, something big! And no matter what, Dr. Zero will complete his goal! For now, aloha!"
"Do you really think that cloud is gonna allow you to escape us?!" Trunks asked. "Think again!"
"We can easily outspeed a flying nimbus!" Gohan stated. "You won't get far on that thing!"
Tao smirked again; the Demi Saiyans were confused by the merc's confidence. "True, I doubt my nimbus will be able to fly faster than a Saiyan," Tao admitted. "But I have something to make up for that!" He then placed his hands beside his face; the saiyans stared in shock as they recognized the technique stance Tao was using. "Did you really think after training that Tri-clops for so long that I wouldn't pick up on at least one of his techniques?!" The saiyans jumped to stop the assassin, but they weren't quick enough. "Solar Flare!" Tao unleashed a bright blinding light; the sun technique nailed the Demi Saiyans right in the pupils, causing them to shut their eyes in pain. When they could finally reopen them, they saw that Tao had not only disappeared, but he took Deathstroke with him.
"I knew it was a mistake to come without our scouters!" Trunks growled. "I can't believe we let him use that move on us!"
"We can worry about that later. For now, let's check on those two," Gohan decided as he pointed to the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. "They don't look so well, and their life forces are a bit low."
Trunks then aimed his hand toward the Gotham heroes; he fired two Ki blasts, one at Batman and one at Robin. Their bodies emitted yellow flames for a moment before diminishing. "There, I've stabilized their life forces, but they've still got room to recover," the Saiyan Prince said. The Demi Saiyans went over to the heroes to pick them up; Trunks took Batman and Gohan took Robin. Batman's sidekick opened his eyes for a second to see the Saiyan Kid picking him up before passing out again. Flashback ends.
"The next thing I knew, we woke up in the very same alley, but our injuries were gone," Robin finished. "Almost like the fight never happened."
"And these guys were there?!" Wally exclaimed, to which his friend nodded.
"What about the old man who tried to kill you guys?" Superboy inquired.
Batman pressed a button on a remote, and another screen came up; this one had an image of the Mercenary Tao. "This man is known as Tao," he explained. "He's an incredible martial artist and a dangerous assassin, capable of killing people in ways that were considered impossible."
"Sounds like he would fit perfectly in the League of Shadows," Artemis remarked.
"Actually, this Mercenary Tao happens to be a new member of the Shadows," Tornado revealed. This made the teens' eyes widen a bit. "He's been assigned to perform a few tasks for the Shadows, including his attempt to kill Batman."
"But these guys stopped them," Red Arrow pointed out."So does that make them good or bad?"
"That's what I want the seven of you to find out," Batman said. "The Team will track down these rogue heroes and bring them in for questioning, hopefully without using force. And maybe they can tell us if they know anything about these three…" He pressed another button and revealed another screen with Androids 13, 14, and 19. "Two of these three were the thieves that robbed Star Labs. It's clear that these new threats are dangerous and we must act fast, that is, if the Team is up for it?" All of the protégés on the Team nodded eagerly, but Red Arrow shook his head.
"No thanks, this kind of thing is meant for the junior Justice League," the archer said.
"Why, don't think you can handle it?" Artemis asked.
"I've got better things to do than play some children's spy game," Roy answered, which made the Team glare at him.
"Look dude, just because you don't think this will prove that we're ready to be real heroes doesn't mean that you have to keep expressing that to us!" Kid Flash said. "This is what we do now, get used to it!"
"We've done just as much hero work as you, maybe even more!" Superboy stated as he got in Red Arrow's face. "We have a much better chance at becoming Earth's heroes than some sidekick gone rogue!"
"I doubt that," Roy said.
Superboy looked like he was about to punch the archer before Miss Martian put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Aqualad then walked up to his friend to address him. "The Team has accomplished a lot of things that would be comparable to what the League is capable of. Rescuing Superboy, defeating Twister, destroying Amazo, finding Sphere, and more. We even successfully protected Dr. Roquette, an assignment that you presented to us.You may not think what we do here is real work, but we deserve respect for pulling off a few missions that no hero, even you, could do alone. And now, my friend, all we ask is for you to offer a little assistance in this new mission."
Green Arrow's ex-sidekick didn't reply for a moment, then he sighed and responded, "Maybe…I'll consider it."
"One more thing, this is also a test to see how the Team can handle future threats," Batman added. "Just know you'll only get one chance, and if you fail, the League will have to take over."
The Team nodded again. "We won't let you down, sir," Kaldur assured.
"It's yourselves you shouldn't let down," Batman said. The protégés and solo hero left the mission room while the heroes of the League stayed behind. Afterward, the young heroes dispersed to do their own thing. Red Arrow pulled Aqualad aside to ask him something.
"Do you really think your team will be able to bring those rogue heroes for questioning?" the archer asked.
"Although we do not know what these individuals are capable of, I believe my team and I can handle it," the leader answered. "It would be best if we did not make this the League's problem."
Red Arrow nodded. "Are you gonna be here later? I may need your team's Intel on something,"
"Another solo mission?" Kaldur inquired.
"Yeah, have you heard about the peace summit between the leaders of North and South Rhelasia happening in Taipei?" Arrow asked and Kaldur nodded. "Well, there's supposed to be a mystery arbitrator that will get both sides to compromise, and I need to make sure nothing happens to that negotiator so that there will be peace."
Tokyo, September 7, 20:25 NST, Secret Capsule Laboratory
The Demi Saiyans were busy tinkering with a few machines they scavenged from the junkyard, trying to convert them into Capsule Corporation vehicles like aircrafts, submarines, and automobiles. The lavender-haired teen had suggested that they build a few of his grandfather's inventions with the hopes of helping this world like they did in their own. While they worked, their TV was on and they were watching the news. The news report from Taipei about the peace summit came on. "We have just witnessed an assassination attempt live! Thankfully, no one was hurt, including our mysterious Arbitrator… Lex Luthor?!" the reporter, Cat Grant, exclaimed.
"Why would someone want to kill the Arbitrator?" Gohan wondered.
"Someone clearly doesn't want the people of Rhelasia to come together in peace," Trunks answered. "So the real question is, who hired the hit man to kill this Lex Luthor?"
"Hit woman," Ranger corrected as he stepped into the lab. "The Assassin who tried to kill Mr. Luthor is a member of the League of Shadows named Cheshire."
"What's the League of Shadows?" Gohan inquired.
"The Shadows are a group of trained assassins," Ranger explained. "Most of its members are simple fighters, but the best in the League are individuals that have made names for themselves, like this Cheshire and the Shadows' leader, the Demon Head, Ra's al Ghul. Based on the attempted assassination, it seems to me that this Lex Luthor and Ra's are competitors in business."
"What makes this Lex Luthor such a threat to a group of assassins?" Trunks asked.
"Lex Luthor is the head of Lex Corp., a company that provides advanced technology, mostly illegal weapons used for war," Ranger supplied. "While Mr. Luthor provides superior weapons to win in battle, Ra's provides highly trained killers that can be hired to take out enemies of the clients. With the two sides both providing strong means to win wars, it's clear that they're trying to get ahead of the other in the business race, similar to the competition in the past between the Capsule Corporation and the Red Ribbon Army."
"So now, Lex Luthor will profit from this peace treaty if he can get the two Rhelasian leaders to agree on signing it, and they'll be under his guidance," Trunks speculated, and the Android nodded in response.
"Two sides that can profit from war… seems like it would be better for both businesses if the Shadows and Luthor worked together," Gohan suggested. "That way, they could both supply better soldiers and weapons for an even greater profit."
Super Ranger and Trunks looked at each other and thought about his words for a moment. "That does seem like a better way to improve both their businesses," 16 agreed.
"But if Lex and Ra's were working together, why would a Shadow assassin try to kill him?" Trunks questioned.
"Maybe Ra's wants Mr. Luthor dead so that he can take over his company," Gohan suggested.
"Maybe this assassin is doing this job against the leader's orders," Ranger said. "Perhaps one of the Rhelasian leaders hired Cheshire to kill Luthor so that would be no peace."
"Or maybe... Lex hired the Shadows to try and kill him in order to hide the fact that he's actually working with the Shadows," Trunks put in. "If there's anything I've learned, it's that nothing is what it seems to be."
"That would explain why Red Arrow was able to stop one of the Shadows best assassins," 16 said.
"I just remembered something: Tao had another assassin for a partner!" Gohan exclaimed. "What if that assassin we met in Gotham was a member of the League of Shadows?"
"Based on the description you gave about that assassin, he was most likely the infamous terminator, Deathstroke," Super Ranger stated. "And he is indeed a member of the Shadows."
"Does that mean Tao has joined the League of Shadows?" the son of Goku asked. "Could Dr. Zero and his goons be involved with this?!"
"Well, whatever the case, this crisis sounds worth investigating," the son of Vegeta said. "I'll head over to Taipei, blend in, and see how this peace summit goes."
"I'm going with you!" Saiyan Kid declared.
"Don't worry, Gohan, I can handle it," the Saiyan Prince assured his partner. "Besides, the two of you should stay here and keep an eye on Tokyo, make sure Zero and his flunkies don't trying anything if they suddenly resurface. Just be sure to call me if you see them or if you need help and I'll be sure to do the same." Trunks then picked up his sword, strapped it to his back, put on his jacket, placed his scouter in his pocket, and exited the Capsule Laboratory.
Taipei, September 7, 20:40 NST
The peace summit was currently being held. However, it didn't look like peace was going to be achieved as General Li and Prime Minister Tseng were at each other's throats. Red Arrow, Lex's personal assistant, and many other people were standing behind the Rhelasian leaders and the Arbitrator who was calmly trying to keep the peace, despite the fact that he could be assassinated at any moment. Numerous photographers and other spectators were witnessing the summit, and among them was a teenager with spiky, gold hair tied in a ponytail, teal eyes, and a black tank top, black pants, yellow boots, a blue jacket with a double C logo on the right shoulder. He was watching the summit go on while attentively looking around for anything suspicious.
"The unification is unthinkable!" the General yelled.
"Our people no longer have anything in common!" the Prime Minister shouted.
"Gentlemen, this is mere rederic," Lex said. "Despite your differences, you both still share the appreciation for many things… such as, the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony."
A young woman wearing face paint and a Chinese dress started walking toward the Rhelasian leader while carrying a food cart; she managed to get to the crowd before she was halted by Aquaman's protégé in a civilian jacket. "That is far enough… Cheshire," he stated, making the crowd, including the half Saiyan, to turn around in surprise. Red Arrow quickly pulled out an arrow from his quiver and aimed it at the assassin. Cheshire smirked as she pressed the button on the cart and pushed it toward the people; the Atlantean quickly used his powers to bend the water in the glasses of the leaders and used it to create a liquid barrier. The archer fired an arrow at the cart just before the barrier closed up, detonating it and knocked Cheshire backward. The explosion stretched to the windows as it pushed against the water shield, and the sidekick struggled to keep up the water wall. His jacket was ripped to shreds as his strength was fading when he was swiftly hit by a yellow ball of light, giving him the strength to hold his barrier.
When the explosion stopped, the Atlantean released the shield while trying to catch his breath, and the cat assassin laid on the ground. She groaned as she stood up to face the young heroes before her. Aqualad ripped off his jacket as Red Arrow brought out another arrow. "It's over, Cheshire!" the archer declared.
"You would think so," she replied with a smirk. A helicopter suddenly flew beside the broken window; inside it were Sportsmaster, Mercenary Tao, and multiple minor shadow assassins. The bodyguards of General Li and Prime Minister Tseng rushed to fight as the assassins entered the building.
"Think we can take all three of them?" Red Arrow asked his friend.
"If it was just Sportsmaster and Cheshire, then yes," Kaldur answered. "But I don't think we can take them both along with the mercenary who managed to defeat Batman."
"Then why don't you leave him to me!" Trunks spoke from behind them as he put on his scouter; the Saiyan Prince then pulled out his sword and charged at the old assassin. Tao brought his capsule sword out and opened it to grab his weapon which he used to counter the Saiyan's strike. "Tao!" Trunks stated.
"Saiyan!" Tao exclaimed as he began clashing with the Z Fighter.
"That man looks like the Saiyan Prince," Aqualad realized. "Why is he here?"
"Questions later; for now, let those two duke it out!" Red Arrow instructed as he readied his bow. "Aqualad, you take Sportsmaster! Cheshire's mine!"
"So territorial and only our third date," Cheshire teased. The half-Atlantean ran toward the female assassin as the archer fired an arrow at her; she deflected it with her sai, allowing Kaldur to flip over her and proceed to battle Sportsmaster, who was easily knocking aside the bodyguards. He was then bashed in the mask by Aqualad's water mace. The team leader swung again but the assassin blocked it with the armor on his left arm. Sportsmaster brought out a javelin and attempted to jab the protégé but he quickly dodged the strike.
The ex-sidekick fired arrows continuously at the cat assassin but she easily deflected them with her sais. "You called one of your little sidekick friends, but didn't you tell me they weren't in your league?" she asked the archer. Hearing this comment distracted Aqualad from his fight, giving Sportsmaster the chance to knock him to the ground. The assassin then brought his own mace smashed it on the ground, barely missing Aqualad when he rolled to the side to evade the attack. Assassins and bodyguards continued fight while Lex Luthor watched attentively; his eyes landed on the sword duel between the Super Saiyan and the Master Assassin.
Trunks swung his blade at Tao, who blocked it with his own. Tao then jumped over the Saiyan and tried to slash him from behind, but the half-breed easily ducked under the attack and elbow bashed the mercenary in the jaw. Tao backflipped away and fired a blast at the Demi Saiyan. Trunks deflected it and countered with his own energy attack that Tao dodged. The two charged at each other again and clashed swords. "I see you've made some new friends, Tao," Trunks said. "And now you're doing the League of Shadows' dirty work. I didn't think you'd stoop to being someone's lapdog!"
"I'm no one's lapdog, brat!" Tao growled. "And if I manage to complete this job, I'll be paid handsomely. Plus, as a bonus, it'll get support for Dr. Zero."
Trunks glared at the merc as he swung his sword again. "What's Zero's plan?! Why is he working with the Shadows?!" he questioned his opponent.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Saiyan," Tao answered before he kicked Trunks away and fired a yellow beam at him; the Saiyan quickly dodged it before he realized that it was headed right for the head of Lex Corp. The son of Vegeta phased in front of the beam and deflected it with his Brave Sword. He then aimed his hand at the assassin and fired a kiai that blew Tao into the wall. Tao freed himself and pointed his blade at the half-Saiyan. "All you need to know, Saiyan, is that Zero plans something big, and this world has everything he needs to create the perfect soldiers for his army, and when the time is right, that army will destroy you and that despicable son of Goku!" The two swordsmen rushed at each other again and resumed fighting.
Red Arrow was barely keeping up with Cheshire. After getting in a few hits on him, she backed away and threw razor disks at him, but the archer easily deflected them with his bow. With Aqualad, the half-Atlantean was evading numerous strikes from Sportsmaster, who was using his fencing skills to gain the upper hand in the fight. Aqualad then shifted his water weapons into dual swords and took a defensive stance. "Not bad, lad," Sportsmaster complimented the sidekick while holding his rapier to his face. "Better than your team did in Santa Prisca… or Bialya."
"How did you—?" Aqualad started to ask before he was interrupted.
"Let's just say I have an inside source. Very inside," the assassin answered.
Aqualad stood his ground as his best friend stood behind him with an arrow aimed at Sportsmaster. He then looked up and saw the automatic sprinkling, which gave him an idea. "Aqualad, let's end this!" he declared as he launched an arrow at the sprinkler. The arrow crashed into one of the sprinklers, creating a smoke cloud that set the other sprinklers off. The room was immediately filled with water, giving the Atlantean more power. Kaldur used the water to create a giant eel that took out all of the assassins aside from Cheshire, Sportsmaster, and Tao. The three regrouped and Cheshire put on her mask and threw a grenade at the eel, causing it to evaporate from the explosion. The room was filled with smoke, preventing the heroes and the civilians from seeing anything. A minor assassin suddenly leaped out of the smoke, attempting to strike the Rhelasian leaders with two swords.
"Mercy," Luthor ordered, and his assistant lifted her right arm; it shifted into a laser blaster that she used to shoot down the assassin. The young heroes turned to the hole in building but the Shadows had already escaped. The Rhelasians stared at the Android in astonishment as she concealed her weapon. "Gives new meaning to the 'Arms Race,' doesn't she?" Lex asked while smiling. The General and the Prime Minister sighed in relief and shook Luthor's hands in gratitude.
"That technology is most impressive, Luthor," Li stated.
"We owe you our lives, sir," Tseng said.
Red Arrow and Aqualad glanced at the leaders and the arbitrator. "They owe him their lives?" Red Arrow scoffed.
"Yes, quite an accomplishment for Lex Luthor," Cat Grant reported. "Under his leadership, North and South Rhelasia are both signing a treaty, which could eventually lead to reunification." Many people were taking pictures as Li and Tseng were signing the treaty.
"Maybe my suspicions on him were wrong," Trunks muttered as he walked over to the entrance and looked outside. "There's no sign of them, dammit!" he thought before he glanced at Mercy. "Another Android. Thought I'd seen enough of those back in my world." He then sensed Red Arrow and Aqualad behind him with their weapons at his back. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"You're the Say Prince guy from Tokyo, right?" the archer questioned. "What are you doing here?!"
"It's the Saiyan Prince," Trunks corrected him. "And I came here to stop Tao from preventing this treaty from being signed."
"What exactly is your business with the Mercenary Tao?" Aqualad inquired.
"He's an enemy of mine, and I need to question him on the whereabouts and schemes of his master," the son of Vegeta replied. "He's involved in something dangerous."
"And you think you have the right to go after him by playing hero?!" Red Arrow asked. "You're just some teen trying to be in the same league as the big guys!"
"Look who's talking! I heard how you believe your friends weren't good enough to be in your league, yet you needed one of them to handle some big guy so you could get some alone time with your girlfriend!" the Saiyan accused.
"She's not my girlfriend, and that's the least of your problems because you're gonna have to come with us for questioning!" Arrow said.
"I don't think so, pal. Since I've lost Tao, I've gotta regroup with my crew and pick up on his trail again," Trunks argued.
"I don't care, you're coming with us one way or another!" the archer declared.
"Or what? You gonna arrest me?" the Demi Saiyan asked mockingly.
"We do not wish to use unnecessary force," Aqualad told him. "But if you do not comply, then it will be necessary."
"Like I said before, I need to track down Tao and his boss as soon as possible," Trunks repeated. "So I've got to go now, maybe some other time."
Red Arrow tightened his grip on his bow. "And just how do you think you're gonna get away from us?!" he questioned the Z Fighter. "You gonna drop from this window and fly away?"
The Saiyan Prince smirked before saying, "Thanks for the idea." He then jumped out the window, which shocked the young heroes; they glanced outside and saw the half-breed ascend into the sky. Red Arrow shot an arrow at the Saiyan, but he held up his arm to block it, letting it hit his jacket, before tossing the arrow aside. "Nice shot," he said before he disappeared from their sight. The two heroes looked at each other before glancing at the Rhelasian leaders and Lex Luthor, who were smiling in front of the cameras and standing side by side.
"I can't believe we just did a solid for Lex Luthor," the Archer said in disbelief.
"Not for Luthor, for peace," the Atlantean corrected his friend. "Beyond that, if Ra's or the Shadows wanted to sabotage the summit, the signing of the treaty renders their contract moot." The two heroes exited the summit and entered the street. "It's over."
"Is it? I heard what Sportsmaster said. Do you really think there's a mole on your team feeding him Intel?" Arrow questioned.
"I cannot rule out the possibility," the team leader admitted. "I will investigate…quietly."
"Not tell them?" Arrow asked.
"I do not want the union unraveling over baseless suspicions, and if there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him… or her off," Kaldur explained.
"Good luck with that." Roy saluted him before turning to leave.
"One moment, my friend. Tonight, you could've called Green Arrow or the Justice League for help," Aqualad pointed out. "Instead, your first instinct was to contact the cave."
"You're right, the team deserves…has… my respect," Red Arrow admitted. "I'm still getting used to this solo hero stuff, but if you need me, I'll be there."
"Then perhaps you'll consider helping the team track down the Saiyan Prince and his allies?" Aqualad inquired.
Red Arrow held up a cell phone, with the screen having a blinking dot under the word tracking. "Sure thing," he said while smiling. The two young heroes shook hands.
Tokyo, September 7, 21:35 NST, Secret Capsule Laboratory
The Saiyan Prince landed by his secret base and went inside. He was greeted by his fellow Saiyan friend, who was preparing dinner with Android 16. The son of Goku noticed his partner coming and greeted him. "Hey Prince, how'd the summit go?"
"I saw Tao there, but he got away," Trunks replied in frustration.
"Well, at least the summit was a success, right?" Gohan tried to cheer him up.
"Yeah, but now Tao and his friends are still out there, they've teamed up with some dangerous criminals, we still don't know what Zero's planning, and worse, this world's heroes are out to get us!" Trunks exclaimed.
"It matters little," Ranger said. "We're not meant to interfere with the affairs of this world. We just need to find Zero and stop him."
"Yeah, I guess," Trunks agreed.
"Don't worry, Trunks, we'll find them," Gohan assured his friend. "They can't hide forever."
Trunks smiled at his partner before saying, "I'm going to train inside the gravity chamber, call me when dinner's ready or if anything happens." He then picked up the capsule for the chamber before taking off his jacket and tossing it aside, completely unaware of the tracking device that was on it and active…
The next morning, Metropolis
The head of Lex Corp. was in his tower pouring drinks into two glasses while talking. "That went well," Lex said to the guest in his office. "Both Li and Tseng were quite impressed with Mercy's… equipment, and are literally buying into the peace. Our plan to ensure the eventual reunification of Rhelasia under Lex Corp's political guidance is a success." He handed the 2nd glass to his guest, who turned out to be Ra's al Ghul, and the two clinked their glasses together.
"And thus another corner of the world… sees the light," the Demon's head said as he smiled.
"I have to say, your new recruit's assassination skills are quite impressive," Luthor commented. "He may be beyond most of your followers."
"Yes, Tao's ways of killing are different from our own, but they are effective," Ra's agreed. "He may be on our side now, but I believe he's only complying because of his boss's orders. He seems to be incredibly dangerous, as are the rest of his allies and the enemies he has trying to track him down. Have you managed to learn anything more about our new friends?"
"Nothing yet, Dr. Raichi wishes to keep things about his colleagues to himself until he's one with the light," Luthor told him. "Or, as we've had them believe, the Injustice League."
"We'll just have to keep testing them with missions until we're sure they'll be useful to our cause," the Assassin leader decided. "Have you given them their next assignment yet?"
"Not yet, but it'll be worth the wait to see how they'll fare against alien heroes," Lex said. "According to Raichi, they have experience in this kind of thing."
Unknown Location
"So, how did the mission go?" Raichi inquired to Tao as he entered their lair.
"A complete success according to Luthor and Ra's," the mercenary answered, "but a waste of time to me. I, an assassin, was restricted from killing anyone!"
"The greatest assassins are the one who do what they can without killing," Zero said. "Because that means when they cut loose, there's no one who can stop them."
"Except the Saiyans, by which one of them managed to find me at the summit," Tao scoffed "This is what the great Mercenary Tao has been reduced to: some lowly organization's lapdog who runs with his tail between his legs."
"You're no one's lapdog," Zero assured. "None of us are. Luthor and his little group may think that they're using us, but we're using them to gain every resource, every power, everything necessary to achieve our goal. And when the Red Ribbon Army is finally reborn and ready to attack, no one, not the Light, not the Justice League, not even those Saiyans, will be able to stop us!" Suddenly, the cell phone started to ring, meaning that Lex Luthor was trying to contact them. "But for now, we comply with their demands." The Android Zero then vanished as Tao picked up the phone and answered it.
"Tell Raichi to send some of his men to Metropolis again, it's time for your next assignment," Luthor spoke. "Meet me at Lex Corp. in my office, there's a specific item that you'll need for this particular mission." Tao nodded before closing the cell phone and looking toward Raichi, who nodded to him. The merc then left to inform 13, 14, and 19 of their next assignment in the Man of Steel's city.
A/N: Done with this chapter! Now to move on to the next, where the Team will encounter the Demi Saiyans thanks to the tracker Red Arrow put on the Saiyan Prince. (Oops, spoilers!) Will they be able to bring them in or not? Who knows… aside from me! What's Zero's plan? Gonna have to wait a long time before I tell you that! What's Luthor's next assignment for them? You'll find out in the next chapter, just stay tuned for the next chapter of Rebirth of the Red Ribbon Army! Thanks to those who favorite, followed, and reviewed this story, keep 'em coming! Until next time, TTFN, AntiHero out!