A/N: Time for another update! Enjoy and leave a reviw to let me know what you think!
[March 2014]
"Got you!" Red Arrows' hand snagged his partner's and he swung them safely onto the balcony of an apartment building. He steadied Connor and smiled. "You were close that time."
"You mean close to ending up as a smudge on the ground?" Connor asked, out of breath and voice shaking.
"I told you, you have to jump, then shoot the next arrow."
"Easy for you to say!"
Red Arrow chuckled. "Let's try again. remember, when you get closer to the buildings, use the suspension of the wires to jump, shoot to the next building, then land and slide."
"…" Connor's jaw hung open a little as he stared at Red Arrow. "I don't think I can do this."
"Sure you can! Your reaction times are good, you just need practice. And I'll be right behind you the whole time to catch you if you need it." He gave the teen an encouraging pat on the back. "Come on. Try it again."
Connor sighed. "Ok." He pulled a line-arrow from his quiver, then shot at the building across the threat from them downward at an angle. Once it hit, he hit the button on the side and heard it attach to the building behind them. Another unsure glance at Red Arrow, then he hooked his bow over the line and zipped down. The zipping part wasn't hard, in fact, it was fun. Butterflies fluttered around his stomach and adrenaline pumped through his muscles as he descended. When he got within twenty feet of the next building he used his body weight to pull down on the taut line and launch himself in the air. While in the air, he tilted around (with a semi-complicated acrobatic move Red Arrow had shown him) and shot another line arrow. The arrow hit the next building farther down the black, and he landed back on the first line. Now close to the building, Connor twisted his bow so that he slowed down, then pulled down again and jumped to the next line. When he landed safely he heard a victorious whoop behind him and a small smile spread over his lips.
The young vigilante repeated this pattern all down the block until he was close enough to the ground that he could fall safely to the ground. When he did, he rolled to his feet and quickly there himself into the closest shadow like he'd been taught. Connor waited with bated breath, a regular arrow nocked to his bow. A minute later, Red Arrow dropped to the ground; right where Connor had earlier. The older archer scanned the area for a moment, before landing right where Connor was hiding.
"Found you," he smiled.
Connor sighed and stood. "I'm going to hide from you one of these days," he said as he stepped out of the shadow.
"Uh-huh. Keep dreaming, kid. That was really good though. You made it all the way down the block and went straight for the shadows when you made it to the ground. You did really good."
"Good enough to patrol regularly?" Red Arrow didn't reply. "Oh, come on, Arrow! I can zip-line, I know the city layout, I can hold my own against you in a fight for like half an hour, I'm a good shot, I know who to differentiate between tricks arrows-"
"I know-"
"So what is it?!"
Red Arrow sighed. "It's not you."
"Is it… You know…?"
"No. It's not him either. It's just…"
"Just what?"
'It's just that I could never live with myself if something happened to you.' Roy bit his lip. Even though he'd only had Connor in his life for six months, he knew that if anything happened to the kid, it would leave a hole in his soul he might never recover from. 'What would I do without him helping me with dinner, or meditating with me when I've had a bad day? How could I possibly go on?!'
Connor watched him for a moment. "Red Arrow…what've you been training me for if you're not going to let me be a hero?"
Red Arrow opened his mouth, but before he answered something in one of his touches beeped. He took out the device and looked at it. "They're back!"
"Who?"
"The robbers." It'd been a month since the last bank robbery, and Red Arrow had been hoping that maybe they'd finally gotten tired of bank robberies.
"What bank are they heading for?!"
Red Arrow watched their signals, which had popped up when they entered the city limits, on his tracking device. "They're…not…"
"What'd you mean they're not?"
"They're not heading toward a major bank. Not one that I know of at least."
"So where are they going?"
"…Star City Harbor." Red Arrow shared a look with Connor. "Let's go get our bikes. We have some criminals to spy on."
— —
While the harbor was usually a constant source of annoyance and headaches for Red Arrow, with criminals' tendencies to hide their ill-gotten arms and goods in the nearly hundreds of possible places and the trafficking of guns and drugs that came through, sometimes he found it to be a good place. For instance, trailing and then setting up a spot to spy on the robbers was too easy in a place where small buildings and shipping containers provided tons of shadows and vantage points. Red Arrow helped Connor lay on the roof if a buying where they were able to watch the robbers with binoculars.
"—twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five- It must be the whole group," Connor whispered as he counted the assembled criminals. "There's so many…"
'More than I thought,' Red Arrow thought grimly.
"Why would they all be assembled in one place like this? They've never done this before."
"Not inside the city at least." Red Arrow frowned as he puzzled through everything. 'I feel like I'm missing something really obvious here.' The answer came to him when a figure emerged from the water at the far end of one of the docks. The vigilante narrowed his eyes at the back-armored figure that approached the robbers.
"Who's that?"
"Black Manta." Everything made so much more sense now. "I'm sneaking closer. If I'm seen, go back to the Arrow Cave-"
"But-"
"Listen! Go back to the Arrow Cave and radio for Aqualad. Tell him where I am and what's happening. Understand?"
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine. You need to follow my orders, Connor. You're still new and not equipped to deal with villains on Black Manta's level yet. Understand?"
"Fine. I understand."
"Stay here and keep watch. Remember what I said." Red Arrow slipped back to the ground, landing silently on the balls of his feet. He waited a moment to make sure he hadn't been seen, then crept closer to the meeting. Using the shadows for cover, the archer wove, ducked, and leaped his way closer and closer until he could make out the voices. When he could hear them clearly, Red Arrow crouched down and hid behind a shipping container. He only moved to pull an arrow silently from his quiver, then nocked it to the bowstring.
"—want a bigger cut," a man, one of the robbers, said.
"Your cut is more than generous considering the weapons I'm supplying you with," Black Manta replied.
"But we're doing all the heavy lifting! We got cops and vigilantes breathing down our backs all the time! If we get caught we're the ones going to prison!"
"I'm counting on that. But, if you're that concerned with having a bigger cut…there are always ways to do that." He raised a hand and several of his men raised their weapons (the same weapons that had been tormenting Red Arrow's city) right at several of the robbers.
"Whoa! Hey…let's not do anything rash."
"I thought not." Black Manta let his hand drop and the weapons followed suit. "But for your own rashness, I'll be increasing my cut by…15%."
"15-" The man only took half a step toward the villain before the weapons were pointed at him again. He quickly retracted by two steps and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Ok. Ok. 15% it is. We'll just…need a little bit of time to get the extra money together."
"I expect all of it, in full, in 48 hours. Or I'll increase your cuts by at least half. Am I understood?"
"Yeah. You got it, man."
'48 hours,' Red Arrow thought. 'In two days, all of the robbers and Black Manta will be at this pier exchanging money in the open.' It was as if the solution to his months' old case had been dropped into his lap. Albeit, in a very dangerous way. 'I could really get some merit points with the Star police if I include them.' But with Manta involved, raises the risks of people getting hurt were significantly increased. 'Which includes the police and the robbers. Even if they have given me months of sleepless nights and a couple of panic attacks…I can't let them get killed.' Red Arrow rolled away from his hiding spot, stopped for a moment to make sure he hadn't been spotted, then somersaulted forward and sprinted back toward Connor. He reached the teen and tapped his ankle to signal for him to join him. The two archers hurried back to Roy's bike and Connor got on behind him.
"What's happening?" he asked.
"I think we have a chance to close the case," Red Arrow replied.
"We do?!"
"Yes. I have a stop to make, then we need to get back to the Arrow Cave."
'I get to help him close a case,' Connor thought as he held tightly to Red Arrow's torso. 'That'll make me a real hero, right?' An excited buzz spread through his nerves. 'I'm going to be a real hero!'
Red Arrow stopped a block from the police station and got off the bike. "Stay here," he told Connor. "I'll be right back."
"Ok."
Red Arrow shot a grapple arrow up at the building, then scaled up to the first floor and began free-climbing from there. 'He should be here…' the vigilante thought as he shimmed his way to a specific window. He found Detective Rodgerson's office window and gently rapped his knuckle against it.
The detective jumped as he spun around. His hand snapped to his gun for a second before he studied Red Arrow critically for a few moments. Then he walked closer and slowly unlocked the window. "You're not going to win friends here by sneaking into people's offices at night," Rodgerson said.
"I'm not sneaking in, I did knock," Red Arrow replied. "And I won't come in if you don't want me to. I'll stay on the windowsill."
"What do you want, archer?"
"I know who's behind the bank robberies. They'll be meeting at Marshall Pier 4 along the Star City Harbor. They should have the weapons, as well as a good portion of the money they've stolen."
"How do you know this?"
"I had a very lucky night."
"Why are you telling me?'
"Because, whether you guys, believe it or not, I'm on your side."
"The guy in green said the same thing back in the day."
Red Arrow resisted the urge to flinch. He took a slow breath before continuing. "In case the lack of dead bodies the last couple of years wasn't a huge clue, I'm not him. I'm reaching out because I want to help the police keep this city safe. You have the chance to get those laser weapons off the streets and stop these bank robberies. We both know the city's economy could use stability."
Rodgerson studied him for a moment; his hand never left his gun. "What exactly are you proposing?"
"These robbers have a benefactor. The person supplying them with laser weapons. He's a dangerous villain. I plan is to get some hero backup and separate the robbers from the villain. If I can keep the robbers away from their lasers, I can force them toward an awaiting police ambush."
"So we get the robbers and your hero buddies get the big bad guy?"
"Exactly. At the very least they can keep him busy and drive him away."
It was silent for a few seconds as Rodgerson surveyed the vigilante with narrowed eyes. "Why should I trust you?"
"Because I only want to help. I swear it."
"…I'll see what I can do, but considering who my source is, I'm not sure how many volunteers I'll get."
"I'll take whatever help I can get. Two days, 10:30 pm, Marshall Pier 4."
"I got it."
"See you there, Detective." Red Arrow scurried back down the side of the building and took a long route back to his bike. Thankfully, Connor was still there, sitting on the back, waiting for him.
"How'd it go?" the teen asked as his mentor got on the bike in front.
"As well as it could have. Hopefully, we have some police back-up in a couple nights."
"Now to the Arrow Cave?"
"Yes. I have more back-up to find."
— —
"…You have certainly stumbled upon an interesting and concerning plot," Aqualad said. The video feed allowed Red Arrow to see him, Aquagirl, and Tempest as they walked about what the vigilante had seen and heard earlier that night.
"Yes," Aquagirl agreed. "We should thank you for bringing Black Manta's involvement to our attention."
"Can I count on you three and Aquaman to back me up in two nights?" Red Arrow asked.
"I am afraid our king is otherwise pre-occupied by Justice League business," Aqualad replied. "However, the three of us will certainly be there."
"We are not a likely match for Manta and his goons alone," Tempest pointed out. "Not without Aquaman's help."
"But we can keep him busy while Red Arrow chases the robbers into the awaiting police force."
'At least someone was listening to the plan,' Red Arrow thought with a small smile.
"Count on us being there, Red Arrow. We will meet you at the pier at 10pm in two nights' time."
"Thank you. I knew I could count on you guys."
"Would that be because Black Manta is one of our man adversaries, or because you're sleeping with our friend here?" Tempest asked as he tossed a casual arm over Aqualad's shoulders.
Aquagirl giggled while Aqualad cleared his throat and glanced at the ground. "We will be there. Aqualad, out," he managed as he quickly ended the call.
Red Arrow sighed as he spun round in his chair and made eye contact with Connor, who'd been sitting on the ground— out of sight of the camera, but close enough to hear both ends of the conversation— while the teen restrung their bows. "I'm…so sorry you had to hear that."
"Not as sorry as I am," Connor replied. "But…at least they're coming to help us."
"Yeah…about that-"
"No! Don't make me stay here and run comms!" Connor set the bows down and stood up. "Please, Roy. I've been working so hard and you even said I was ready to be on the streets."
"Yeah, chasing down course snatchers, not taking on members of the Light!"
"What's the Light?"
Roy shook his head. "That's…a long conversation for a different time. Regardless, I'm still not comfortable letting you fight a villain like Black Manta." And he couldn't keep Connor hidden from the League and Team if he was fighting along-side all three of Aquaman's proteges.
"Please, Roy? Like I said earlier tonight…if I can't do hero stuff, then what've you been training me for?"
Roy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around his chest. 'He's right. I hate to put him in danger but… I have been training him to be a hero.' And he had trained Connor on a long-distance weapon and fighting from the shadows. "Ok, ok. I'll think of something, but you have to do what I say, got it? It'll be your first big mission and takedown, so I want to make sure you're safe."
"Absolutely," Connor agreed. "Wherever you position me, whatever you tell me to do, I'll follow it. I promise."
"Good." Roy peeled his mask off and gave the teen a wry smile. "Guess this means you'll need to finally choose a name. I can't exactly be calling you Connor if we're working with other heroes."
"Uh… About that…" Connor slowly untied his mask and peeled off the front part Roy insisted he secure with spirit gum. "I- I've already thought of a name."
"Oh yeah, what is it?"
"Ok… Before I tell you, do you promise you won't freak out right away?"
'I get the feeling I'm not going to like whatever I hear next.' Roy took a deep breath and squeezed his hands into fists for a moment. "Ok."
"…I want to be called Green Arrow."
The name sent an automatic jolt of panic through Roy. He rested the urge to flinch. "…Why?"
"Because… I don't want to be my father. I want to be better. And I think that I can only do that by taking the name he used to terrorize and hurt people and reclaim it for something better. Like you did with Red Arrow."
"But with a name that will make the police start shooting at you the moment they hear it?"
"…I know it'll take time for people to get used to it…but I really want this, Roy. Please?"
Roy sighed. "You understand why I feel what I feel about that name right, Connor?"
"I do! I really do and…if it makes you too uncomfortable and you can't overcome that, then I'll drop it and think of a different name."
'…I really, really hate that name,' Roy thought as he wrapped his arms around his chest. 'But…what's the real harm? Ollie is thousands of miles away, locked up on another planet. And maybe I can use this to finally get it through Connor's head that he might be Ollie's son, but that doesn't mean he's anything like the man.' As much as Roy also hated the name, he knew that it wouldn't be healthy for him to allow it to control him for the rest of his life. "Alright. You can call yourself, Green Arrow."
"I can?!"
"Yes, but if the police shoot at you too much, I reserve the right to make you pick a new name."
"Deal." Connor smiled as he slowly stripped out of his suit. "Thanks, Roy. You're the best."
"…Thanks. Now get ready to go home. It's way past your bedtime, especially for a school night." He rubbed his neck again as he paced across a few feet of space. 'God, I really hope I don't regret this. Please don't let me regret this.'
— —
The next two days were filled with tension and anticipation for Roy. With the combined prospect of finally closing the bank robbery case and having Connor on the streets for his first, big takedown kept him incredibly pre-occupied. When the night arrived, Roy checked and doubled-checked Connor's quiver to make sure he had all the necessary arrows.
"I'm going to be fine, Red Arrow," Connor— Green Arrow said as he applied the spirit gum to the front of the mask, then tied the back. He pulled the hood up over his head. "You're a great archer and you've prepared me for this."
"I know."
Green Arrow knelt down next to his mentor and put one of his hands on his quiver. "It won't be like with R- your brother. I'll be careful and I won't leave my position."
Red Arrow sighed. "I know. I know. I'm just worried."
"Don't be. I'll be fine. You've more than prepared me to handle this."
"Ok." Red Arrow handed Green Arrow his quiver and stood up as the teen secured it around his body. "So…Green Arrow, are you ready?"
"I am." Green Arrow smiled and it sent a short spasm of fear through Red Arrow's body. With the mask and the hood hiding the teen's blonde hair, he didn't resemble his father as much. Even the shallow shadow cast over the younger archer's face slightly obscured his smile and made him look less related to Oliver.
"Good. Let's go." Red Arrow got on his bike and Green Arrow got on the back. The two archers were silent as they drove to their pier, both their hearts pounding in anticipation. When they reached the harbor, Red Arrow hid his bike and led his young partner to an excellent hiding spot on a shipping crate. "Ok, you're going to stay here. I'll try to keep all the robbers to one walkway, but if some getaway, this will be the only path open for them. You remember which arrows to use?"
"Of course."
"Good. Keep your comm set to channel two to talk to me. That's our private channel. I'll be on channel one with Aqualad, Aquagirl, and Tempest. Listen on that one only to keep updated on what's happening."
"Got it," Green Arrow nodded.
"Ok. Good luck."
"You too. And…you be careful too." Red Arrow wasn't the only one worried about losing his new partner.
"I will." Red Arrow quickly used the shipping containers and low-lying buildings to reach the meeting spot. He stopped by the water and waited for a few minutes; his eyes scanning the dark waters. Eventually, there were small ripples, then three figures merged silently. Against the darkness, Red Arrow could see the glowing tattoos on Aqualad's arms. He slipped off the building he was on and walked to meet them under a light near the pier.
"Greetings, Red Arrow," Aquagirl greeted with a wide smile.
"Hey." Almost on instinct, Red Arrow held out his hand and Aqualad took it. "Hey…"
"Hello, my love," Aqualad greeted so quietly, their two allies could barely hear.
"Yes, amazing surface archer," Tempest said with an air of indifference as he crossed his arms. "Wonderful to see you. Where are we kicking Black Manta's ass?"
"…Who taught you that word?"
"Your now retired Kid Flash."
'Figures,' Red Arrow thought. "Down at the next pier. Do you guys think you can handle Manta while I take care of the robbers?"
"Of course we can."
"Good. Hopefully, if this goes smoothly, Black Manta will realize he shouldn't be supplying bank robbers with laser weapons and I'll have those criminals in police custody."
"Then let us go," Aqualad said, inclining his head. "Lead the way."
Red Arrow led them to the pier where he'd first spotted the robbers and Manta. As they got closer, the vans the robbers and been using came into view, so the group split up. Aqualad and Aquagirl went left, while Tempest and Red Arrow went to the right. The two heroes scaled a stack of shipping crates and sat down to wait.
"Green Arrow to Red Arrow," Green Arrow said over his comms. "The police are set up with their ambush. We're all set back here."
'Good.' Black Manta walked down the pier toward the robbers and the archer took a deep breath. 'Showtime.' He pulled an arrow from his quiver at the same moment that Tempest raised his hands.
"We await your signal," Aqualad said over the comms.
"What're we waiting for, surface boy?" Tempest asked under his breath.
"Waiting for them to take out the money," Red Arrow replied. "I need them to have the money and the laser weapons in their hands when I chase them to the police."
"Fair enough."
They didn't have long to wait. As soon as the robbers saw Black Manta approaching, they started dragging black trunks of what Red Arrow assumed was cash from the backs of the vans.
"Now?"
"Now," Red Arrow said over the comms. He shot a glue arrow at the ground between Black Manta and the robbers. All the criminals froze as the four hears descended upon them. Two more glue arrows made sure that the ground between the two groups was uncrossable. Unfortunately, Red Arrow landed on the Manta side of the line and was immediately under fire from the laser weapons the man's goons carried. From the corner of his eye, lighting shocked over the goons as a wave crashed out of the harbor and over them.
"Go!" Aqualad hissed as he crated two swords with his water bearers. "We have Manta!" As if to prove his point, he attacked their adversary with ferocity.
Red Arrow nodded and quickly ran toward the robbers; he completed a flip to get over the glue barrier he'd created. He landed in a kneeling position, then pulled an arrow from his quiver and shot it. An electroshock arrow hit one of the robbers and the woman dropped the side of the black box she was carrying. Red Arrow kept up his barrage of arrows, not slowing down as the robbers retreated toward their vans. However, they quickly discovered arrows in the tires, preventing them from driving away. They fired the laser weapons at him, but Red Arrow ducked and weaved to avoid getting hit. However, he ended up turning in such a way that one of the robbers was able to shoot at his back.
Luckily, a wall of water was suddenly created, then frozen behind Red Arrow. The laser blast hit it and he turned around. Tempest gave him a nod before unfreezing the wall of water and swung his hands in the direction of the robbers. Water swept them off their feet and Red Arrow gave the Atlantean a nod before he began corralling them toward the path through the shipping containers.
"We have to go!" the man who had spoken to Black Manta two days before yelled at the larger group.
"Bring the loot!" another man yelled. "If we don't give Manta his cut, he'll kill us!"
"I'll kill you if I don't get mine!" one of the women yelled as they followed him.
'They're going have bigger problems than keeping their ill-gotten money,' Red Arrow thought as he followed the robbers. As he predicted might happen, some of them split off and went down the second path that led toward his young partner instead of toward the police. "Robbers coming toward you, GA," Red Arrow said over his comm.
"I got them!" Green Arrow replied. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed it downward. A minute later, he saw the first few robbers approaching. 'Just like I learned.' He shot his electroshock arrow at the first one, then shot a glue arrow at the ground for a group of three. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to shoot them all as they passed, so he jumped down from his spot into the fray. There were probably two dozen robbers, most of whom turned their laser weapons on him. Green Arrow ducked and swung his bow at the heads of the robbers. He took out two, then tripped another. A foam arrow stopped a laser weapon from decapitating him and he quickly shot a glue-arrow at some escaping robbers that had slipped past him. He quickly turned back and fired off two more electroshock arrows one after the other. While the arrows took out those two, Green Arrow hit started attacking the ones closest to him.
His feet and bow landed precise strikes on the robbers' chests, stomachs, and heads. They dropped around him like puppets as the young vigilante wove his way between them. Some of the robbers came at him with their hands or using their clogged weapons as makeshift clubs, but Green Arrow blocked them with ease. When one of the laser-guns hit his bow it sent a jolt down his arms, but he held on. In one fluid motion, he pushed the weapon up with his bow, then kicked the man in the stomach. Something hit him on the back, but he dropped and rolled, came up into a kneeling position, then shot a new arrow at the person's feet. There wasn't time to rest though because the archer had to somersault forward to avoid another blow and flipped back to his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground he fired net-arrows that trapped two groups of robbers against one of the shipping containers.
Only a few robbers were remaining, and those were easily taken out by a couple of electroshock arrows. When the last one dropped to the ground with a grunt and quiet buzz, Green Arrow froze for a moment with his bow still up. It was completely silent for a few moments before he slowly lowered the weapon. 'Did I…?' Green Arrow looked around and a slow smile crossed his face. 'I did! I took them all down by myself!' He did a quick headcount and excitement bubbled up in his stomach. '28! I took down 28 armed robbers all by myself! I knew I was ready!' Some of the robbers stirred and tried to get to their feet, so he quickly stowed his bow on his back and began zip-tying the hands of the robbers. 'I really did it! Just like a real hero!'
Meanwhile, Red Arrow used a grapple arrow to get himself onto a shipping container as he got closer to the police. 'I don't want to take the chance that they'll shoot me,' he thought as he fired arrows from his vantage spot. The glue arrows trapped the robbers in small groups of three, but some of them weren't in his range due to their proximity to the containers he was on. About twenty feet head he could see lights. 'The police,' he thought. 'Good.' He glanced down at the robbers and they were aiming their laser-guns at the officers. 'Not gonna happen.' Red Arrow took a deep breath, then leaped from the shipping containers. He rolled when he hit the ground and popped up; startling the robbers around him. He started firing off electroshock and foam arrows to either disarm the robbers or render as many of their weapons useless as he could. They mostly continued to flee toward the police, which prompted Red Arrow to hang back.
"Stop!" Detective Rodgerson shouted. "Star City police! Drop your weapons!"
The robbers all came to slow and independent stops as they realized their situation. There was a blockade of two dozen police officers, all armed behind police cars on one side; and the highly-trained vigilante behind them. Several of them immediately threw their hands in the air and got down on their knees. Others tried to climb the shipping containers, to no avail, as a means of escape; and still, others decided to take their chances against Red Arrow.
'Yeah, great odds,' Red Arrow thought as he pulled two arrows from his quiver. 'One against…..eight? Nine? Humph. I almost feel sorry for them.' He fired the first two arrows at the feet of the robbers. The glue got four of them, but the rest reached Red Arrow before he could draw another arrow. He immediately started whacking them with his bow in their head or chest. The robbers dropped around him in a matter of seconds. When Red Arrow turned around again he found himself face to face with the barrel of a police gun. He took half a step back and the gun dropped in the next second.
"Sorry," Detective Rodgerson said. "I promise I wasn't going to shoot you."
"Good to know." Red Arrow stepped away while the detective crouched down. He definitely didn't miss the way the man periodically checked the pulse of the dropped criminals before handcuffing them.
"Red Arrow?" Green Arrow said over the comm.
"Yeah?"
"I have 12 robbers here, all restrained and ready for the police."
'12?! And the kid took them all on alone?!' Pride welled in his chest, but Red Arrow simply nodded. "Good. I'll send some officers your way. Head back toward the pier, but stay in the shadows and make sure you're not seen."
"Got it!"
Red Arrow's hand dropped from his comm and he cleared his throat to get Detective Rodgerson's attention. "There are approximately 12 more robbers in the pathway between here and Pier 3."
"I'll send some officers over to take care of them."
"Good. Are you guys all set?"
"…Yeah. Go ahead, archer."
Red Arrow took off running for the pier, his hand flying toward his comm as he did. "Aqualad, how you guys hiding up?"
"We…are…ugh! We are…standing!" Aqualad grunted. "Manta's goons are all down, but Manta himself is proving tone a formidable opponent."
"The robbers are all taken care of, so I'm on my way to help!" Red Arrow's hand dropped and he sprinted toward his allies. He reached the pier within a few minutes and in time to see Black Manat knock Aquagirl and Tempest into the harbor. He turned toward Aqualad and Red Arrow fired off a stun grenade arrow. "Aqualad, eyes!" he shouted as he did. His boyfriend used his water bearers to create a wall of water between himself and the small explosion. When the boom sounded he dropped his arms and immediately created two swords. From the corners of his eyes, he saw Aquagirl and Tempest rise back onto the pier, both with their hands up and ready; and Red Arrow on the other side, two arrows nocked on his bowstring.
Black Manta carefully looked around at the four heroes who'd surrounded him. "It seems we are at a draw," he said.
"It seems to me that we have you surrounded," Aqualad replied evenly. "Surrender, Manta."
"To a lackey for a tyrant? Never!"
"Then we'll make you," Tempest warned.
"Our king is no tyrant," Aquagirl added.
"Why should we take the word of a terrorist like you?" Aqualad added.
Black Manta laughed. "Don't believe everything your king tells you, boy," he said with an obvious smile. "He hides far more than you realize. Even from his sidekicks."
"Don't call us sidekicks!" The four heroes attacked, but in the next moment smoke filled all their visions and they were forced into a small retreat.
Red Arrow instinctively held his breath to keep from breathing in the smoke. When it dissipated he surged forward, but Black Manat and even his unconscious goons were all gone. "Well…that was fun," he sighed.
"He got away," Tempest grumbled. "What will we tell Aquaman?"
"That we fought valiantly against his sworn enemy and prevented him from establishing a foothold on a surface city as well as cut off a route of funding for his organization," Aquagirl replied evenly.
'I like her,' Red Arrow thought with a smirk. He looked at Aqualad and the smirk turned into a frown when he saw the look on his boyfriend's face. "Aqualad? Aqualad!"
"Yes?" Aqualad asked suddenly.
"You ok? You look concerned."
"It is nothing…"
"Just what Manta said?" The non-answer was all the answer Red Arrow needed. "Manta is a villain. The sworn enemy of your mentor. He's just trying to get inside your head."
"He has said similar sentiments the last few encounters we have had. It is quite a commitment he is showing toward a simple ruse."
"Villains, lie, Kal. You know that. They manipulate you and try to get inside your head. Don't let him."
"He is right," Tempest agreed. "Red Arrow may just be a surface boy, but he is right. Manta knows he could get to the king by going through us, so he will say anything to throw you off your game. Do not let him."
"You know I'm right when Garth agrees with me," Red Arrow said.
Aqualad nodded. "You are both right," he conceded. He turned his full attention to Red Arrow. "You got all the bank robbers?"
"Every last one is currently in or about to be in police custody. There's actually more than I thought there would be, I think their confidence has grown in the last month."
"And you are not hurt?" Aqualad ran his fingertips down the archer's arm and Red Arrow gave him a smile.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
"Good." Aqualad stepped back. "We should go home."
"Of course. Thank you so much for your guys' help. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Of course!" Aquagirl replied. "And if you want to repay us…Garth and I will be free for a double-date in a couple weeks. Kal has told us all about the surface restaurants you have brought him to where they don't serve over-cooked fish."
"You mean raw stuff? Like sushi?"
"Yes."
Red Arrow smiled. "It's a date then. Have Kal text me when you guys are free and we'll all go out."
"Very good. Good-bye, Red Arrow."
"Bye, Aquagirl."
"Later, surface boy," Tempest said as he followed his girlfriend back toward the water.
"Bye." Red Arrow turned toward Aqualad and they held hands for a moment. "Thank you."
"Anytime my love," Aqualad replied. "I will be here for you. Always."
"I'm glad." Red Arrow leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before his boyfriend pulled away and followed his friends back down the pier. The archer waited until the three Atlanteans disappeared under the water, then turned away. When he was near the shipping containers, Green Arrow jumped down in front of him.
"Are you ok?" Green Arrow asked voice laced with concern. "I saw the smoke and I thought-"
"I'm fine. Manta was just running like the coward he is."
"Oh. Good. And…Aqualad and his friends?"
"They left, but they're fine too."
"Good."
"Are you ok?"
"I am. I barely even got hit."
"I'm still giving you a check-up when we get back. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Good. I want to double-check that the police are all set, then we can go home."
"Cool." Green Arrow practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he followed Red Arrow onto the shipping containers again. "I took down 12 bad guys."
"I know."
"Alone."
The tone, more than the word, made Red Arrow freeze for a moment. He suddenly remembered another time; with another young vigilante hoping for positive recognition after incapacitating a criminal for the first time. Another archer who had been eager to prove himself to his mentor. 'Except this time is different,' Red Arrow thought. 'I'm different.' He smiled at Green Arrow put his hand on the teen's shoulder. "You did good, GA. I'm proud of you."
Green Arrow felt heat creep into his cheeks. "Th-Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now come on, if we hurry we'll have time for some of that banana bread you made before bed tonight."
Green Arrow smiled as he followed his mentor toward the police.
