Chapter 18: Black Gold

A camera started rolling.

The scene it revealed was not a pretty sight.

A crowd of people huddled on the scuffed tiles of an emptied-out room. Harsh fluorescent light glared off pale laminate walls, leaching away all but the strongest colours. For a moment it looked like a piece of old film. Unnatural. Unreal.

Whoever was behind the camera began a slow pan across, focus blurring and resharpening, capturing details with an air of twisted satisfaction. The featureless room gave no clues to location but dark hair and eyes marked many of the captives as Southeast Asian. Workers; hard muscled and suntanned beneath the washed-out glow, possibly in construction based on the matched sets of coveralls and heavy boots. The occasional safety vest stood out with neon intensity amid the mass of T-shirts and toughened blue cloth. Though well-maintained, the clothes had seen wear - oily stains dotted the fabric, white-ish powder crusted on in ribbony lines. Sweat made dark patches of collars and armpits.

If the clothing had seen better days, the men inside were worse. Frightened eyes peered from within shadowed circles, scrapes and blooming bruises scattered across a handful of mouths and cheekbones. Arms and shoulders were twisted at uncomfortable angles, pinned behind their backs by cruelly tightened restrains. Many sat stiffly, holding themselves as upright as their bindings would allow, expressions deliberately blank despite the rigid muscles beneath. Others had slumped forward, hopeless gazes directed to their knees. A few had crumpled, folding into their colleagues sides or pressing foreheads prayer-like to the floor, sheltered and supported by the bodies of their peers. Nervous glances to camera. Sharp, shallow breaths. Twitches rippled through the group, eyes darting to track every movement like animals in a cage. Exhausted. Afraid.

The cause was obvious. Figures in dark jumpsuits prowled the edges of the room, faces concealed beneath formless black hoods. Straps of leather and metal held the fabric tight against their bodies, gloves and boots standing out in bloody, eerie red. They said nothing; no orders, no shouting, not even a whispered threat. There was no need. The assortment of heavy weapons aimed at the prisoners spoke loudly enough.

Another person stepped into frame. A peak-shouldered vest set them apart from the other captors; scarlet bright against the dark cloth beneath. Their hands were unburdened by weapons; thick bands of red-etched dark metal clinching their gloves at the wrist. Similar straps looped over their shoulders, holding something unseen behind their back.

The leader.

"This is the Zijilker offshore rig." His voice was muffled by the mask and an accent, crackling faintly with audio-static, but the message was clear. "You know who we are. For years you have ignored us, but now you will listen."

He shifted to the side - allowing the camera to focus on the frightened huddle of prisoners - before moving back into the centre. "Our demands." Each word was enunciated precisely as he leaned towards the lens. "You will transfer ownership of this rig and its profits to the local governments. You will end all current and future probing in this region." His face twisted beneath the mask. "No longer will your corporations," he spat the word like poison, "exploit the resources and environments of our nations."

A pause.

"You have fourteen days," anger hid itself behind a calm that was somehow more dangerous. "Attempt to re-take the rig and we will use force. Seek military aid and we will use force. Delay and we will use force." Behind them one of the hostages stirred, moaning loud enough to reach the speakers. The speech stopped. Everyone froze as one of the captors peeled away from the wall, surrounding prisoners trying urgently to quieten their companion as he approached. He rammed the man with his gun-butt, glaring a warning at the others before stalking back to his post. Silence fell.

The leader turned to the camera once more.

"If you value the health of your workers you will not keep us waiting."


Batman paused the footage.

"They call themselves the Black Dragons. An extremist group operating throughout the East and South China Sea." The Dark Knight gestured to the image on Mission Room's display. "Five days ago this video was sent to the rig owner, Petroil's headquarters in Houston and The Hague."

A bleak hush followed as the Team processed the news, gathered in a loose half-circle around their supervisor. Miss Martian's fingers pressed against her mouth, stare fixed on the place where the worker had been struck, Superboy's arms folded stiff and tight beside her. Zatanna's lips were pursed, nostrils flared beneath wide eyes. Schooled neutrality on Aqualad's face was betrayed by the flat, angry line of his mouth; an expression mirrored by Robin a few feet away. To his right, Kid Flash scowled openly at the screen. At the edge of the group Phantom bit the inside of his cheek, features drawn in anxious furrows as his toe pressed into the floor.

Behind them Wolf snuffled, supremely unconcerned by either the briefing or by Sphere rolling lazy circles around where he slept.

Which still left one. Artemis tilted her head, brow creasing with careful scepticism. "And we're sure this is real? They didn't, you know," the archer gestured hopefully as she peered at the screen, "get some people into work clothes or something and put them in a room as a fake-out?"

"Best-case as that would have been, no. The rig has been unreachable through both regular and emergency channels since the message arrived, and Petroil's Human Resources team has positively identified several captives as employees assigned to the current roster. The footage is genuine." The Dark Knight's fingers tapped across the holo-board, opening a collection of smaller windows. A handful of images; enlarged crops of the video stills, slightly grainy even with enhancement. Red boxes highlighted the clearest faces in each, additional windows lining up matches to licence photos and employee profiles. A longer list of names materialised to one side, red text burning on the entries of the known hostages. Others greyed themselves out as their supervisor continued, "Attempts have been made to individually confirm all workers on the Zijilker project but so far responses have only been received from on-shore employees." Batman's eyes moved up and down the list before turning back, grim. "Forty-eight workers are currently registered as on rotation on the rig. The Black Dragons are refusing to release control until their demands are met."

"Alright," Kid Flash frowned. "So, hostage situation. But where do we factor in? Don't get me wrong," he raised his palms quickly at the Dark Knight's look, "I want to help these people, it's just… this seems like the kind of thing governments and police would be all over."

Their supervisor inclined his head. "Usually, yes. But the situation is complicated." A few more clicks brought up a map, zooming in on a cluster of islands to the west of the Philippines. "The Zijilker oil rig is a fixed tower operation on a shallow ridge near the Spratly Islands." The map pulled back out, surrounding nations changing colour as lines marked out overlapping maritime boundaries. "The archipelago and surrounding waters are heavily contested due to conflicting territory claims. At least five nations hold military, political or economic sway over different areas. The entire region is a diplomatic deadlock."

"And no-one wants to tip the balance," Robin concluded. With a flick of his wrist he opened his own holo-board, scrolling rapidly through conflict reports and treaty records. "Guess that explains the lack of military intervention. And how the rig was exposed enough to be a target at all."

An approving nod from the Dark Knight. "Exactly. Even if any of the nations were willing to concede to terrorism, the Black Dragon's demands aren't achievable. There is no 'local government', and signing it over to any one risks setting a precedent for future conflicts. That the rig can exist at all without upsetting the balance took a near-unheard-of level of negotiation." He paused, looking to Robin again, "The same is true for military intervention. No-one wants to set a precedent, and a joint taskforce would take longer than we have to arrange. And, unfortunately," a frustrated breath through the nose, "the nature of the resource and strategic value of the region makes external military involvement unlikely to be accepted."

"Hence the League," Kaldur nodded his understanding. "As an independent not-for-profit operating under UN charter you would be able to mobilise quickly, without accusations of greater political or financial motive." The Atlantean thought for a moment. "But why bring this to the Team specifically?"

Batman spared their leader a small, proud glance before sobering. "Two reasons. First, the Justice League is too visible. This is a delicate situation - we cannot risk adding media pressure, or giving the Black Dragons' message access to legitimate platforms. A full press embargo is already in effect for this reason. Second," his voice and face hardened further as a second video was opened, "is this. After the rig failed to respond to communications, a coastguard vessel was granted permission for an investigative run. The boat was repelled on approach, by some kind of… unidentified seismic weapon, according to personnel reports. The next day, Petroil received another message."

He hit play.

If the first video was quiet, this one was loud. Panicked murmurs swirled in the background, rising to a fever pitch, cries and shouts of protest spiking and choking off as the leader leaned into the camera once more, black mask almost swallowing the screen.

"You were warned."

A red-gloved hand reached towards the camera - the etchings on their wristbands pulsed with scarlet light - turning it as they stepped to the side. Behind them, a pair of Dragons were forcing one of the workers to his knees.

"No boats. No military."

More pleas in the background. The man was shaking. His blue coveralls were pulling open, a faded grey shirt poking through the zip. Oily fingerprints marked the collar. Short dark hair was plastered to his neck, the rest slicking into damp spikes. He struggled.

"Eleven days. Delay and there will be more. Seek help and there will be more. Approach the rig in any way - there will be more. Do not disappoint us."

The Dragons' hands were clamped around the prisoner's arms, pushing downward. His mouth moved - begging, praying, it wasn't clear. The whites of his eyes were stark against a bloodless face, wide enough to form a full ring around the edges. His irises were black against them, blown out under the lights, pupils huge with panic. Sweat beaded in the lines of his forehead, trickling along the ridge of his eyebrow.

"Their suffering is on your heads."

There was an oddly familiar mechanical noise. The Dragons leapt aside. For a moment everything seemed frozen; the man struggling to rise, the helpless distress on the other captives' faces.

A dark shape flew through the air.

Red light crackled.

Batman stopped the recording a second after the scream.

"I won't ask you to watch the rest." The mission room was silent. "But you understand our concerns. We now know the Dragons are willing - eager even - to follow through with their threats at any perceived provocation. There's no reason to believe they won't do so again.

"On its own that's not insurmountable. Several of the League's members would be able carry out to a rapid strike - contain the situation before the Dragons could respond. However," they could almost feel it coming, "there's another problem."

He began framing back through the footage. It was painful to watch; agony on the man's face twisting in reverse, red lightning pulling back into bolts, then shards, then vanishing altogether. On the next frame a dark red disk with a familiar triangle marking hung suspended in the air.

Several people breathed in sharply.

"Hold up-"

"Wait-" No-one knew who spoke first. "Is that-"

An angry grinding noise behind them; Sphere had left Wolf, drawn over by the sounds from the console. She pushed through the line to stop beside Superboy, faceplate fixed on the screen as she issued a series of harsh metallic beeps.

"Apokoliptan," Conner scowled in agreement. "But how'd they get it? Intergang?"

"We suspect so, yes. Of the known traffickers of New Gods' technology, they're most likely to sell on the black market. That's where we believe it was acquired."

Stirring at the edge of the group.

"You have a question, Phantom?"

The ghost startled. "Uh, no, not really - sorry, it's…" he tried to wave it off with a small, tight shrug. Heads turned as Batman waited expectantly. "Just…" an uncomfortable breath, "how does something like this happen? They say they've been around for years, right? But suddenly they come out of nowhere, cutting deals with what, illegal black-market alien-tech-dealers, to take a whole oil rig hostage? How come they didn't get stopped before this?"

The rest considered. "You know, he's got a point," Zatanna muttered over Wally's huff.

A weary noise from their supervisor. "The truth is no one expected them to become a threat. You're correct," he inclined his head towards the newcomer, "the Black Dragons have existed in some capacity for several years now, but for most of that time as self-proclaimed activist group. Confrontational and aggressive, with a particular grudge against bad environmental practices and Western corporations in specific, but largely just a nuisance. Petty vandalism, roadblocks, trespassing, publicity stunts... Not legal, exactly, but not particularly destructive. Until recently, local authorities were able to keep things under control - that's why they didn't get coverage outside the region."

"So, what changed?" Artemis asked the obvious question.

"We're not sure. They've been vocally against the rig as far back as exploratory probing, but it's only in the last six months that things became concerning. In the last three, dangerous." The Dark Knight paused. "It could be that they've gotten desperate. It could be new management - their handful of publicly-known supporters have been pulling away, even though they won't say why."

Kid Flash made a thoughtful sound. "Black-market Apokoliptan tech'… that's some serious guap for an eco-terrorist group. You think they got a sponsor?"

"It's possible, yes. They may also have traded stolen goods - one warehouse reported several barrels of refined oil missing from stocks after a recent Dragons' raid."

The archer snorted. "So they're hypocrites."

"They're dangerous extremists," Batman's eyebrows lifted beneath the cowl. "Did you expect anything different?"

"What is our objective?" Aqualad pulled them back on topic.

The room's focus sharpened as their supervisor drew himself up. "Obviously, the safety of the hostages is our foremost concern. The problem is, we don't know enough. We don't know how many hostiles there are. We don't know what other weaponry they might have. What we do know is that they can cause a large amount of damage very quickly, and are willing to do so at even a hint of threat."

His eyes swept over each of them. "This is a covert recon and rescue mission. You have the Bioship. You also have the New Genesphere - one of our best available counters against Apokoliptan technology." Sphere beeped firmly in affirmation. "The Team is to board the rig and report on the situation; find out exactly what we're dealing with, locate and secure the hostages if possible. Unless unavoidable, do not engage the enemy. Aquaman and Martian Manhunter are on standby in the area. Once recon is complete, you are to hand the intelligence, and the situation over to them. They will handle the return of the workers, and the press."

Several Team members exclaimed in process.

"Please understand," from the contours of the mask, Batman may have closed his eyes. "The League has no desire to take credit from the Team. However-"

"Our covert unit works best with the element of surprise," Kaldur's acknowledgement was diplomatic, if not entirely pleased. "Publicity would only hurt our effectiveness."

"Plus, it wouldn't look good for the League to be seen relying on 'sidekicks'," Conner's mutter was a little more mutinous.

The Atlantean gave a resigned nod. "This way, everyone benefits."

Murmurs and grumbles continued for a moment before slowly dying down, falling reluctantly in line with their leader. At the edge of the group, Phantom released a quiet, relieved breath.

The Dark Knight's gaze swept them once more. "Any questions?"

Silence.

"Alright. Manhunter and Aquaman are already waiting. Gear up and move out."


The Bioship flew low over the ocean, camouflaged skin blending with the waves. They'd made contact at the archipelago before departure, but even at a steady cruising speed they'd been travelling over water for over half an hour. Anything resembling dry land had been left behind somewhere around the 15-minute mark; endless water spreading out in all directions. The horizon was a featureless, unbroken line around them, darkening sky stretching in a perfect half-sphere, disturbed only by scatters of wispy cloud. Below them the sea rolled, swelling into slow peaks and troughs, the occasional white-cap foaming where cross-winds disturbed the surface.

Inside the cockpit most eyes were fixed on the communications array, watching as signals dropped away. A few minutes earlier, M'gann confirmed the shore had passed completely out of telepathic range. Radio-comms were down to local circuits and emergency lines. Wireless and telephone networks miles from existence. Somewhere above them was the Watchtower - its satellite link holding steady at four bars - but with any responding heroes well-beyond the horizon the connection offered little comfort.

At the back of the ship, Sphere vibrated quietly.

The Zijilker rig loomed out of the twilight. Metal towers speared the ocean, interlocked girders rising from the seabed to support a two-tiered deck fused from roughly rectangular sections. A strip of walkway wrapped around the right hand side of the lower level, a few windows dotted sporadically around the enclosed sections of the top floor. The rest was featureless metal, ribbed and treated for protection against the salt winds. Most of the upper deck opened to the sky, guarded by handrails and barriers, housing the machinery of the operation. A helipad and pulley system spread out past the floor below, suspended perilously over the waves.

It blazed against the sky. Below-deck floodlights were cranked to full brightness, drowning the sea in blinding glare for yards in each direction, burning white along the tops of the waves. Air-safety beacons dotted the cranes and drill towers, stretching up towards the early stars. Darkness pooled across the platforms beneath, windows and walkways black and empty, support towers making twisted shadows on the water.

Miss Martian's voice sounded from the pilot's chair. "Beginning approach now."

The atmosphere in the cockpit sharpened.

M'gann pulled them into a steady dive, dropping as close to the water as wake turbulence would allow. Even camouflaged, the ship would still cast a shadow. Floodlights pierced through the bridge windows, throwing harsh beams across the consoles. Around the seats the Team winced, screwing up their faces or lifting hands to shield their eyes.

Phantom tensed, half-rising from his chair, free hand hovering over the nearest panel. "No offence," green eyes were anxious slits, "but is camouflage going to hold in light like this?" His fingers vanished in patches, hesitating less than an inch above the surface.

On the other side of the bridge, Wally made a dismissive sound.

"It will be fine." Aqualad was a steady silhouette near the front. "We only need to get beneath the deck. Then we will be covered."

A few more moments passed before the glare began to subside. There was a collective sigh as they passed to the other side of the spotlights, Miss Martian winding their way carefully between the shaded support pillars towards the thick crossbeams at the underside of the rig floor. The Bioship's forewings deformed as they drew near, ends reshaping to wrap firmly around the struts. The bridge swayed and tilted, internal configuration shifting around them as it settled to hang, crablike, against the tower.

Harness buckles clicked quietly as Kaldur came to his feet.

"Are we secure?"

M'gann's fingers brushed the surface of the control orbs. "We should be. She's holding strong, and this far up we'll be hidden from the water. Staying camouflaged just in case."

"Good." The rest of the Team stood as he turned to address them. "From here on we are in enemy territory. Radio silence until we know what we are dealing with - we cannot risk the Black Dragons intercepting our comms." His gaze moved briefly to the pilot's chair. "Miss Martian…?"

"Of course." The telepath's eyes flashed green. "Is everyone online?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"I'm here M'gann."

"Loud and clear Miss M'."

"I'm always online for you."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I'm here."

"Me too."

"Yeah." Phantom winced, catching himself before continuing mentally, "Sorry. Here." Nervous embarrassment thrummed beneath the thought. "Still getting used to that."

Wally snorted.

"Alright." Kaldur spared the ghost a quick reassuring glance. "Parameter review before we begin. What do we know?"

A dim glow flickered into being; Robin activated his computer's holo-screen. A model of the rig hovered above his wrist. "Downloaded the blueprint before we left. As for what we know: forty-eight workers were registered on the rig at the time of capture. More shore-staff have been reached since, but until we know more we've got to assume everyone on the off-shore list is a hostage."

"And the likelihood that all are being held in the same place?"

"High but not guaranteed." The Boy Wonder flicked his fingers over two rooms on the north side of model's lower floor. "The rig has communal spaces big enough for the whole crew - the mess hall, here," he pointed, "and a rec' area, here. Videos were probably shot in one of those. But whether they keep everyone there full-time or move them to other quarters for guarding…"

"And if they moved them?"

"Could be in the sleeping quarters - here," his finger shifted to the southwest corner. "Unlikely though - lot of risk moving a crowd that size if there isn't a good reason."

"Understood. We will prioritise those areas when searching for prisoners." Aqualad nodded, eyes never leaving the holo-model. "How much have we confirmed about the Black Dragons?"

A frustrated noise from the young detective. "Less than we'd like. Got their public history, the demands and their warning - not that it helps a lot right now. As for what we'll be dealing with up top… video footage showed four hostiles, maybe five if there's a separate cameraman. Coastguard also reported being repelled by three - gunmen plus their 'mystery weapon'. Assuming all of the sightings were different people, that makes at least eight on the rig."

"Eight people to take down forty-eight?" Kid Flash's brow wrinkled. "I'm not liking those numbers. Gonna bet there's a few more waiting up there."

"I mean," Zatanna mused, "they do have Apokoliptan weapons…"

There was a rustle as Artemis checked her quiver straps. "What's the chance that some of these 'hostages' are actually collaborators?"

"Inside job would make it easier…" Wally nodded thoughtfully.

A noncommittal shrug from the Boy Wonder. "Could be. We won't know until we know. Although," he gave a bleak, humourless smile, "I doubt they'd be feeling too traught about it since the 'warning'."

Kaldur cleared his throat firmly. "Right now this is pure speculation. Be on your guards yes, but unless clear evidence is found we must assume all are innocent until proven guilty. The mission is delicate enough without conspiracy theories." A moment passed as the others quietened. His eyes moved back to Robin. "What information do we have on their weapons?"

"Only what the videos and reports can tell us." The detective's nose scrunched in dissatisfaction. "Which is less than whelming but…" he collapsed the model briefly to pull up some video stills. "We know there are at least two pieces of Apokoliptan tech: the seismic disruptor used to attack the coastguard-"

"-and one of those pain-disk launcher things." Wally made a face.

"Leader had wristbands in the video…" Superboy frowned, "so probably whips too."

A sharp, disapproving beep sounded from Sphere's position.

Artemis eyed the alien ball speculatively. "Sphere can interact with Apokoliptan tech, right?" Another beep, this time of confirmation. "Could she scan above deck - get a proper read on what's up there?"

Robin paused. "She could…"

"But there is a risk," Aqualad continued. "Such connections go both ways. The scan could be detected."

"Or hurt her." Conner interjected. "We don't know what else they have up there."

Sphere rattled her plates in a way that made it clear she felt she was being babied.

"Sorry girl." Superboy patted one of her ridges consolingly. "Gotta play this safe."

She grumbled at him.

The archer pulled her eyes back to the group. "Okay. That option's out. What's our plan?"

Heads turned to Kaldur.

"It is as Batman said: our primary problem is information. The hostages must be our first priority but right now there is too much uncertainty - too many unknowns for us to be sure our plans will not put them at greater risk."

"Alright. So. Recon it is."

"Yes. Phantom." The ghost twitched, straightening to attention at the Atlantean's words. Unlike the rest of them, his suit had been stealth-mode grey since leaving the mountain. "You will conduct the initial sweep. Head above deck unseen and report back. From there we will determine what - if any - action should be taken."

"'If any'," Zatanna echoed wryly, raising an eyebrow to Conner and Artemis.

An over-quick nod. "Sure. Can do. You want a close look at the sleeping and communal spaces, right?" - Aqualad made an affirmative motion - "Anything else I should focus on?"

"Any detail may be of use but… tactical data especially. Numbers. What weapons they carry, Apokoliptan or otherwise. Other equipment. Patrols, meeting points, guard posts, chains of command, any other routines you notice. Miss Martian can join you to assist if needed-"

"- but my camouflage isn't as foolproof," M'gann gave an apologetic smile. "So…"

Kaldur acknowledged her with a small nod. "Anything you can tell us about the condition of the hostages would also be helpful."

"Not going to be too much for you, is it Casper?" Wally's question fell slightly to the wrong side of teasing.

Phantom's jitters stilled as he sent Kid Flash a flat look. "It's recon. I think I'll manage." He lifted from the floor. "Anything else?"

"Think you're good to go." Robin re-opened the holo-model, marking a green dot with a few deft keystrokes. He gave the spectre a reassuring glance, "We'll be following you from down here if we need something, or the plan has to change on the fly." The glance turned questioning. "You ready?"

Phantom nodded. Then he flew upward and disappeared.

A few seconds passed before the ghost's voice sounded in their heads. "Okay. On the rig now. Lower deck."

"Directly above us, right?" The Boy Wonder tweaked the beacon's position on the model.

"Yeah." There was a tightness to the words. "Walkway's beside me."

Robin studied the blueprint. Miss Martian had brought them in on the rig's eastern side, inside the ring of floodlights but still near the platform edge. If he'd aligned them right, Phantom should be on the lower deck's only open section; an observation space that served as a junction between the external walkway, lower floor corridors and stairways to the deck above.

"Alright. If you're facing north right now you should be seeing the walkway and a wall. Ocean's on your right." The mental equivalent of a nod from the ghost. "Door in the wall will take you to the living areas; corridor goes through and links back up with the walkway 'round the side. On your left you've got stairs to the upper deck, then the other door, taking you along the engine rooms. Engine room corridor joins up with the others too, eventually. We need to canvas all of it so take your pick."

"Right." Phantom thought for a moment. "Engine rooms probably weren't high on their list so let's start there. Make sure there isn't anything before- How do you want me to run this?" he asked suddenly. "I can follow the corridors if you want, or I could use my powers - phase through the walls and sweep the place grid-style. Which…?"

Kaldur made the call. "Follow the corridors. We need to know what we will be facing ourselves, and you will be easier to track without risking disorientation. Grid-search at the end if more information is required."

Silence.

"Hey, P', you still there?"

"…I'm here." He sounded rattled. "Sorry - patrol came past. Needed to move."

Kid Flash's brow quirked. "You do realise you're invisible, intangible and talking via mindlink, right?"

"I know that." A bite of impatience touched the reply. "Doesn't mean it's a good idea to let people walk through you."

"The patrol," Aqualad had more pressing concerns. "What can you tell us about them?"

There was a sense of second-hand motion as the ghost shifted focus. "Um, okay. There's two of them. Got the hoods on so can't tell you much about how they look. Probably not leaders though - no vests."

"And their weapons?"

"They've got guns." Phantom swallowed. "One's carrying, other has it strapped to their back. Pretty sure I saw knives on their belts as well."

"Tell us about the guns."

A flicker of uncertainty. "Bigger than handguns, smaller than rifles. Probably autos or semi-autos - you can see the magazines. Don't know enough about makes or models to say more. Sorry."

Down on the bridge, Artemis rolled her shoulders. "Grunts with guns, huh?" She adjusted the pouches on her belt. "That's do-able."

"Yes." Kaldur's mouth made a grim line. "But if that were all there was, we would not be here." His attention moved back up to the ghost. "Were there any signs of…?"

"No tech' that stood out as alien, no."

"Understood." A small blessing, their leader supposed. Desirable - and dangerous - as they might be, Apokoliptan weapons were too rare and expensive to make a fully equipped crew likely. As for how far that luck would hold… "Keep sweeping. Report anything that seems suspicious."

"Roger that." Above them, Phantom began to move. "Going left to the engine rooms now." He stopped almost immediately. "There's another guard here. End of the corridor, at the corner. Got eyes directly on the entrance. Probably watching the other hall as well."

Aqualad frowned at the model. The corridor Phantom was in travelled directly past the engine rooms, taking a hard right around the hollow of the drill well. A guard at the corner could cover both.

"Equipment?"

"Looks the same as last time. Gun, knife…" they felt the ghost inch closer, "got a radio too."

A jittery pause followed. It seemed almost like Phantom was holding his breath.

"Everything okay up there, P'?"

"What?" The spirit seemed unnerved. "Oh." An exhale. "Yeah, sorry, it's just… I know he can't see me but-"

"Disconcerting, right?" They'd all had moments like that; frozen, stock-still and hoping, in shadows and around corners. The feeling never fully faded, no matter how good the cover or track-record.

"Pretty much."

"Well," Robin marked a red dot on his map, "let's try to keep the dis dialled down until the search is done, alright? The good thing," he changed topics, "is you're probably right. No way they'd only leave one guard if there was anything major." A shrug. "Still gotta check though."

"Yeah. Okay. On it."

Quiet lay thick on the bridge as the ghost backtracked, beginning a careful sweep of the southern rooms. Kid Flash tapped a foot. It was eerie, trapped below, waiting for the next report. Even with the Boy Wonder's blueprint they were effectively blind, depending entirely on the newcomer's eyes and ears to tell them what awaited on deck. Phantom seemed to sense it too, because he kept up a near-continuous stream of nervous information - his position, the area and contents, a hesitant handful of personal observations - each time pausing for direction before moving to the next space. In other circumstances it would have been excessive, frustrating even, but in the current circumstances too much was infinitely better than too little.

The first two engine rooms were cleared; Phantom reporting silent machines and parts aside from the generators powering the rig's essential functions. No obvious signs of tampering - the Boy Wonder made a note to have them checked for sabotage before operations resumed. Between the first pair of engine rooms and the next came the main controls - and with it a new guard; same uniform and equipment as the others, this one sitting bored but alert at the controller's chair. Another red dot was marked.

Robin's voice sounded over the mindlink again as the ghost headed for the external door. "Outside should be an easy sweep. It's an emergency platform: fire escapes to some life-rafts. Won't take long."

A loaded silence from Phantom.

"Rob'… There aren't any life-rafts here."

"What?" the detective frowned, fingers hovering over the model. "There should be, they're right here on the blueprint-"

"I know-" the ghost cut back across, "I can see where they're supposed to go but…"

"But the Dragons must have ditched them," Kid Flash's hand met his forehead with an audible 'smack'. He dragged it down his face. "Perfect."

Phantom bristled slightly.

"… Well," Miss Martian hoisted a strained smile. "I guess that means we'll just have to do a good enough job that we won't…" her cheer cracked, "need them. Right?"

Aqualad rubbed a tired hand beneath his eye. "You are correct. We should not have planned to use them in any case - now we must simply take extra precautions." He sighed, face tilting upwards to stare through the roof towards the ghost's position. "Continue sweeping. Report any other discrepancies you find."

"Got it."

They continued. The Team's eyes were drawn to the blueprint, watching Robin update the green dot as Phantom swept clockwise through the rig above. Two more engine rooms on the southern wall, machines untouched and silent outside of life-support functions. A nervous moment as he passed back through the guarded corridor. A storage bay, empty except for toolkits and replacement parts. A janitor's closet.

Stillness settled over the group as the spirit moved toward the door near the other end of the hall.

"Sleeping quarters are coming up on your left."

A possibility hung in the air.

"Be ready," Kaldur was the one to acknowledge it. "The hostages may be inside."

"I know, Aqualad. I'll be careful."

"For your own sake as well. Regardless of what we find, our hands are tied until we have a full assessment of the rig. Considering the nature of the videos you should expect them to be in some distress. Best to be prepared."

"Uh… Understood. Thanks." There was a space. Then, "Going in now."

Several long breaths passed.

"There's no-one here." Guilty relief saturated the edge of his thoughts. He fell into apprehensive silence, continuing to poke between the rooms. "I'm seeing some recording equipment. Couple of camcorders and a stand."

"Probably what was used to shoot the videos."

"Probably- wait," they felt him freeze. "More Dragons."

"I thought you said it was empty?"

"There's a… lounge-thing in the back corner. Can't really see it from the other rooms. Got three of them."

"Doing what?"

"They're… nothing." An incredulous note entered the ghost's voice. "They're just sitting around, hoods off and all." His tone turned disgusted. "Treating themselves to a nice break after a hard day of terrorising innocent people, I guess."

"Not for much longer. You said their hoods were off?"

"Yeah."

Kaldur and Robin exchanged a glance. With a few quick keystrokes the Boy Wonder closed the model, opening a search window in its place.

"Local law enforcement agencies gave the League database access for this mission. Describe them - let's see if we get any hits."

"Um, okay. Like I said, there's three guys. Adults but not old - probably somewhere in their twenties. They're…" he thought for a moment, "Asian, but I couldn't tell you where from. Dark hair. Left to right we've got a muscled-up dude with a crew cut, a tall bald guy with a beard, and a kind of average one with a ponytail. Crew-cut's messing with a knife, ponytail's doing something with his gun and baldy is… napping, maybe." Something sour washed over them. "Stinks like cigarettes in here."

Robin synced his computer to the ship, calling up the display on the console. "Still pretty vague. Anything more specific to ID them? Scars, ink…?"

"No luck on tattoos, sorry - not on their heads anyway and the suit covers the rest up. Crew-cut and ponytail have taken hits to the face before-"

"-can't say I blame anyone there-"

"Crew-cut's nose is crooked and he's got a scar over his left eyebrow. Ponytail took his on the chin - split goes all the way up to his lip. If baldy's got anything, the beard's hiding it. Has got a bruise on his right cheek though."

A worried glance around the bridge. "Some of the workers must have attempted to resist capture."

Conner's mouth flattened. "Yeah, well, let's hope none of the Dragons tried for payback."

The Boy Wonder made a noise at the back of his throat. "Let's hope. Any chance of something more specific, P'? Dark hair and brawler scars aren't exactly uncommon in local circles."

"Uh…" They felt Phantom make a face. "Not really, unless Batman trained you to be a sketch artist as well."

Artemis snorted.

There was a significant silence from Miss Martian.

"M'gann?"

"Everything alright, Miss M?"

She blinked. "Oh, yes. I was just thinking." She tilted her head, peering upwards through the ship's roof. "I can transmit a telepathic image to another person. Maybe…"

Understanding flashed in Zatanna's eyes. "You think you could get it to go the other way?"

"I'm not sure but… it might be possible."

Artemis hummed. "Could work. Worth a shot?"

"Alright, so," a flutter of nervousness coloured Phantom's thoughts, "theoretically… what exactly would we be doing to make this work?"

"Well… for the first option you could try concentrating just on what you see. Let it fill your mind and I'll see if I can lift it from your surface thoughts. Think of it like a more focussed version of what we're doing now."

The ghost considered. "Seems manageable. But I'm hearing an option two…?"

She hesitated. "Um. So, this might be a bit…"

"Just tell me."

"I could try to enter your mind," M'gann thought quickly, as though hearing the words fast would make them more palatable. "I wouldn't go through your memories but I could pull the image directly from the visual part of your brain."

Phantom was quiet for a moment. "That sounds… Kinda invasive," he settled on eventually.

Across the bridge, Wally's eyebrows jumped. "Coming from the guy who can supposedly take over other people's bodies."

'The guy' in question let out a breath. "Alright, fine - fair." They felt him shake his head. "Let's try the first option. If it doesn't work, then… I guess we can see what's behind lucky door number two."

M'gann lifted from the ground, floating across the floor to better align with Phantom's position on the rig above. It wouldn't make much difference, practically speaking, but telepathy was 'in the mind' in more ways than one. Especially for something like this.

"Let's get started then." - a stiff nod echoed down from the ghost - "I need you to concentrate - let go of anything you don't need to think about and focus just on what's in front of you. Can you do that?"

"No pressure… Okay," he added after a few seconds, "I think I've got it."

"Great." Miss Martian's hair stirred as her eyes glowed brighter. "Then let's see if I can…" They felt the mindlink shift as M'gann's attention moved away, pulling up towards the spirit. "I.." She frowned. A vague smear, almost like motion sickness. "It's blurry. I can't…"

Phantom winced. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. We can try again. Maybe… try not to think as much about what you're seeing. Just look."

"Worth a shot, I guess." There was a sense of breathing. Stillness. "When you're ready."

"Right." The telepath's brow creased as she raised a hand to her temple. "It's clearer - I'm getting impressions, but…" she slumped. "No. Sorry."

They felt the ghost give a frustrated sigh. "Figures. So…" A frisson of unease ran down the link. "Option two?"

"Is that - are you comfortable with…?"

"Not really, but if you need these pictures…"

"Um…" M'gann cast her eyes around the group.

It was Kaldur who spoke. "If you are willing."

"Let's just do it before I change my mind."

"Alright then." Miss Martian nodded to herself. Her thoughts flickered back up towards the rig. "It'll help if you relax. Breathe. Focus. First-time always feels a bit… strange, but don't fight it okay? I'll try to be in and out as quickly as I can."

Apprehension laced the reply. "I'll do my best."

"…On three?"

"Yep. Fine."

"Okay. One. Two…" The third word faded out as the mindlink dimmed, the telepath's eyes shifting from green to white as her focus narrowed. Her brow creased, uncertain echoes rippling through the thread that remained. "C'mon," she muttered aloud. The frown deepened.

Something pushed back.

"Ah!" M'gann faltered in the air, dropping nearly a foot before catching herself. Acrid green flooded the Team's minds as the link snapped back into place, bringing with it a piercing spike of cold.

They screwed their faces tight, hands lifting to their heads.

The Martian uncurled. "…Ow."

Phantom's grimace echoed down the link. "Ugh… I- what? That felt a lot like…" They felt him whip his head back and forward. "You okay down there?"

"Uh, yeah, just…" Miss Martian massaged her temples, willing the ache away. To her right, Conner's palms were pressed to his forehead. "Brainfreeze."

A bitten-back curse. "Frost core. Crud. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." The reassurance felt a little forced over the tail end of the throb. "At least we'll know for next time, right?"

Over by the window, Artemis was rubbing her nose. A scowl was visible beneath the hand covering Wally's eyes.

Kaldur decided to step in. "Interesting as it has been, perhaps you should continue this experiment another time. Mission going well, we will have other opportunities to identify the captors. Right now the hostages are still waiting. Still in danger."

With a sigh, M'gann let her feet drop back to the floor. "You're right, Aqualad. It would be nice if it worked but… it's a distraction." She gave a wan smile, brushing a strand of hair back into place. "Hostages first."

A nod from the ghost's end of the link. "Seconded. I did not like the feel of that - last thing I want to do is have my powers slip up somewhere these guys could see. Next time let's keep it for when people aren't in danger."

Robin flexed his jaw as he returned to the blueprint, chasing the last shards of ice from his back teeth. 'Next time', he decided, they were giving Phantom a camera.

They continued.

His sweep of the room completed, the ghost headed back to the corridor outside. A wave of impressions flickered down the link. Harsh shadows from an emergency light. A long, narrow stretch of grey wall. Two distant red figures.

A small frown wrinkled M'gann's forehead. She floated to sit cross-legged, closing her eyes for a slow, controlled breath.

"Still there?" When Phantom's voice sounded in their heads again it was clear and without interference.

"Yes. Just needed to refocus."

"Okay." A pause. "I'm in the north corridor now. Got two guards on a door near the end."

"Probably the rec' space." What else it suggested, Robin didn't say. He didn't need to. "That, some lockers and a wash area should be all that's down there. Coming up on your left are a first-aid station, bathroom, kitchen, mess hall and a path that joins up with the walkway outside. Clear them and we can move to the upper deck."

"Got it." The spirit headed left to resume the sweep.

The bathrooms were empty, cubicles neat but dry from days of disuse. In the first-aid room things were much the same, Phantom pushing a slight twinge from the back of the thoughts as he finished cataloguing the space.

The galley and meal hall brought a different sight.

"Ugh," the ghost made a disgusted noise as he swept through the rooms. "Looks like they decided to spice up the terrorism by being bad houseguests. I've seen school cafeterias cleaner than this."

"Maybe they can count cleaning it towards community service." Zatanna's words pulled a huff of laughter from the Boy Wonder.

Then he frowned.

"There's no-one else in there with you, right P'?"

Realisation sent the spirit quiet for a moment.

"No. No-one else here. Not even guards."

The Team contemplated that.

"Well," Kid Flash followed Robin's eyes to the last of the blueprint's three marked rooms. "Guess now we know."

"Third time's the charm." There was no humour to the Bird's quip.

A sense of anticipation gathered on the bridge.

Aqualad took a breath. "It is likely. But the plan does not change. We cannot act until we know the situation above deck. Which means we must search every room."

The young detective nodded. "This floor's nearly done. You've got the corridor connecting to the outside walkway and north emergency rafts, then the main rec' space, lockers and showers, and you're back where you started. Upper floor's the main deck - oil derrick and machinery, couple of tool and storage rooms, command-bridge, helipad - shouldn't take too long to canvas." He flicked a glance upwards past the ceiling. "Got all of that, P'?"

"Got enough of it, yeah," came the tense reply. "Heading back through the corridor… all clear." There was a long pause. "Outside the rec' room now. Door's guarded so…" Unease coiled beneath the words.

Kaldur and Robin exchanged a look.

"Wait." The Atlantean spoke.

The ghost pulled up short. "What?"

"It is just…" he gestured the Boy Wonder to continue.

"At this point, we know the hostages have to be in there. Nowhere else on the rig is practical for a group that size. And we've seen the Dragons hurting them to punish other people - maybe to keep them under control too. It's-"

"It is a difficult thing to witness, even with time to prepare." Aqualad took over as the young detective faltered. "Especially when you are unable to act."

Around the bridge other Team members made unhappy noises of agreement.

Robin picked the thread back up. "Whether you go in now or later, they'll have to sit tight until we've got a plan. And we need you as whelmed as possible for the rest of the sweep." His lips turned down at the corners, voice softening slightly. "First time can really get to you, and - no offence P' but this isn't your regular gig."

"I…" Phantom hesitated. "Alright." He sounded torn, "Let's… I'll check the rest first. Once we've got enough, I'll go make sure they're okay."

"Acknowledged. Try not to rush. Right now, information is the best help we can give."

With reluctance, the ghost turned east down the hall.

Clearing the lockers and wash space was a quiet affair; empty rooms, ribbon-lines of dry mud and oil marking where water had been, belongings scattered from what looked like a raid. Phantom checked in again near the stairs where he'd first started, making a hairpin turn to follow the path that wrapped around the lower floor's outside. Anxiety tightened his thoughts as he shadowed the guards along the exposed rail, timing their patrols back and forth at the Boy Wonder's request. Robin marked a pair of moving red dots on the map.

The second emergency escape point brought predictably bad news; more empty raft-bays, more jettisoned lifeboats that wouldn't be there to fall back on.

He finished the sweep by taking the other door back in, carefully checking the connecting hall for signs of surveillance. There was a conflicted moment in the main passage as he hovered outside the rec' room door. Then he pressed past it up to the main deck.

A sense of foreboding washed over them as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Everything alright up there?" Robin's fingers were poised over the keyboard.

"Uh, yeah, just… have you ever cut through a construction yard after dark?" - the Boy Wonder's affirmatory noise was echoed by Artemis - "Well now imagine it's full of people who want to kill you."

A small wave of snorts rippled across the bridge.

The young detective rolled his eyes. "So long as your brand of Heebie Jeebies hasn't shown up we'll be fine." Wally's own eyeroll at the suggestion was significantly less playful.

The spirit shook his head. "No, but let's not jinx it."

They pushed forward.

As Robin had anticipated, the upper deck took less time. Whether because of the wide openness of the dragways and drill floors, the ghost's steadily increasing practice, or the growing sense of urgency they couldn't say. Tall shadows from the crane towers loomed over Phantom's thoughts as he scoured the main section; picking his way through the pipes, carefully inspecting the tool rooms, packing spaces and assistant's office. Two sentries and patrols were marked; a guard at the northeast and southwest corners and a pair of Dragons sweeping the edges of the platform between them.

"Huh," the ghost slowed as he approached the raised command section.

"What?"

"I think they've moved the oil drums around. Got some barrels sitting out in the middle of the helipad."

"Maybe they're trying to stop boarders."

He inched closer. "Maybe but… I don't think so. They've got some marks scratched into them but doesn't look like anything else has been done."

Artemis' eyebrows jumped. "Looks to me like someone's taking a 'finder's fee'." She tossed her head contemptuously. "Guess 'exploiting resources and environments' is okay when they do it."

Zatanna's mouth twisted. "We knew they had to be getting their money from somewhere…"

"Yeah," Wally made a disgusted noise, "because funding black market violence is so much better."

Sphere rumbled her displeasure as Conner scowled.

Aqualad's voice was firm. "Either way, we will not let it happen." His attention moved back to the rig. "You are nearly done. Check the bridge."

Phantom headed toward the building that overlooked the platform.

A hiss ran through his thoughts at the window. "Found the boss."

Kaldur stood straighter. "Describe them."

The ghost slipped cautiously inside. "Recognise the costume from videos. Got the red vest. Hood's up."

"Apokoliptan tech?"

"Yeah, I see it. Big mechanical backpack-thing - black metal, red markings, square sort of strap across the chest. Looks pretty similar to what was in the footage."

"Could be the disk-launcher…" Superboy frowned.

"Or the disruptor-thing - wait," Kid Flash sent the New Genisphere a questioning look, "do you need two separate devices for those or can one do both?"

Sphere issued a series of inscrutable beeps, flexing her plates in the robotic equivalent of a shrug.

"Helpful. Thanks."

Conner ignored both of them. "Wrist-bands?"

They felt Phantom hold his breath as he crept forward. "…No. Just regular gloves. Sorry."

It made sense, Kaldur realised, in a sick sort of way. Geo-disruptors carved wide swarths of destruction; best used for demolition, to entrap or repel, ill-suited to confined spaces. The whips and disks, meanwhile, were engineered to cause pain.

To cause fear.

He pushed the thought aside. "And the rest of the room?" Armed as the leader was, the element of surprise would be their biggest advantage.

"It's empty - or, well," the ghost corrected, "there's no-one else here anyway. Plenty of furniture: got some workbenches along the walls, computers, filing cabinets, stuff like that. Walls facing the rig and helipad are mostly windows - you can see almost everything," a flicker of thought, "although I guess you could get past them by staying low. Anyway, the main desk is right in the middle. Boss is there, sort of - he's moved the chair over to the cupboard, got his back up against it. Guess…" he trailed off.

"What it is?"

An uncertain note entered his voice. "Thought I heard something, but…" he shook himself, "never mind, sorry. It's nothing. Probably trying to make sure no-one sneaks up behind him." A pause. "Anything else?"

Aqualad flicked a brief, questioning glance around the bridge. No response.

"That is enough for now. Thank you."

Which really only left one room.

"Right." Phantom's thoughts were halting. "So. If there's nothing else you want me to check, then… I guess we should go make sure they're okay."

"Go."

Tension thickened the air in the Bioship as the ghost made his way back below deck. From how quickly he moved, Kaldur suspected Phantom might be phasing through walls to get in position faster. Even so it was enough time for worry to take hold, silent glances flitting around the bridge before all eyes turned to focus on Robin's model.

There was a moment of trepidation as Phantom hovered outside the door, reporting once more the two guards stationed in front of it.

"Okay," he steeled himself. "Heading in now."

Quiet settled across the space as they waited. It stretched. Just long enough for fears to start whispering in; thoughts of worst-case scenarios, of what the ghost could be seeing that would keep him from immediately reporting back.

"…They're alright."Relief was a was a shudder around the bridge, loose at the edges of Phantom's thoughts. "No permanent injuries that I can see anyway." It sharpened into concern as he continued, "They are pretty beat-up though. Scared too. And we have a problem."

"What problem?" the young detective's gaze was hawklike on the blueprint.

"Three more guards on the inside. They're watching the hostages and-"

"-and they have the weapons."

The spectre grimaced. "Yeah. Got another metal backpack, plus wristbands on the other two. Regular big guns on top of that."

A series of strained looks passed between the Team.

"Figures." The Boy Wonder jabbed the model in resigned frustration. "Out here the hostages are the best leverage they've got. Guess they're not playing around with the threat."

Artemis' eyes were hard. "What's the bet they've got a radio to outside, just waiting for things to go wrong?"

"With hostages on the line?" Zatanna gave a humourless smile. "I wouldn't be betting the other way."

Behind Conner, Sphere's vibrations had stilled, poised as though waiting.

"So, whips and disks. Now what?"

Kid Flash flicked a look to the alien ball. "I guess that answers one question."

"Phantom." Aqualad's attention shifted back to the rig.

"Yes?" They could hear the stiff stillness in his voice.

"Headcount. How many civilians are there?"

The ghost lapsed back into silence as he scanned the room. "Forty-six… Forty-seven. I'm seeing forty-seven."

Robin frowned. "Forty-seven? You sure? Not forty-eight?"

"No," the confirmation didn't sound entirely certain. "I-" his thoughts broke away into the careful double-check of a re-count. "…No. Definitely forty-seven. Why?"

"Pretty sure staff logs said forty-eight." Wally raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should re-re-count. You know, make sure you've got your facts straight?"

"I could," a hint of irritation touched the reply, "but it won't make another guy magically appear. There's forty-seven. Either the log's off or someone's missing."

"Is that possible…" Miss Martian wondered. Her eyes turned to the Boy Wonder. "Could the records be wrong?"

"It's not impossible…" Robin' sounded doubtful, "but it's not likely either. We have info placing all members of the current shift on rig since it started, and as of last League contact only on-shore staff have responded to calls. Once you're out here you're here until transport comes to collect you, and there weren't any early return requests recorded. So unless someone managed to skip out and fool every roll call since, they've got to be onboard."

"Wait," Kid Flash's expression turned incredulous, "are you seriously saying we've lost a hostage?"

"I don't know." Frustration creased the young detective's face. "All I know is that the numbers aren't lining up."

A tired breath from Phantom. "Okay. What do you want me to do? I can go search again if there's anywhere you want me to check."

"No." Aqualad's response surprised them. They turned to see their leader pinching the bridge of his nose. "If we have miscounted, then they will be safe with the others. If they have hidden and not been caught, they will be found be once the Dragons are removed. If they have somehow escaped then a search can be launched once the rest are secure. If they have been taken from the rig, we will need to interrogate the Dragons to locate them. Which means we must detain them first. And if the record is wrong then they are already on-shore. Already safe."

"Alright. Then…?"

"Tell me about the hostages. How they are faring. Would we be able to move them if needed?"

"They're…" the ghost faltered, "they're scared. Not that I blame them. Quiet too… like, really quiet, sort of grouped together. Got some bruises, some cuts and scrapes - pretty shaken-up looking. Don't know if the Dragons have been feeding them. Wouldn't say it's right-away-or-else but I wouldn't want to leave them here much longer. As for moving…" he stopped for a moment. "Their arms are tied. Not cuffs either - cables, looks pretty uncomfortable. Can't get a good look at their backs or feet so I don't know if there's more ties or if they're tied to anything, but it's not going to help either way." Something heavy touched his thoughts. "They're… they look really, really tired. Don't think they'd do too well if you asked them to move fast."

"Understood," an unhappy furrow lined Kaldur's forehead. "If there is nothing more, you should return to the ship."

He hesitated. "You don't want me to stay up here with them? Just in case?"

"We need to plan. That includes you."

"Besides," Wally stretched his shoulders impatiently, "they've lasted this long without a sitter. What are you gonna do, be their imaginary friend?"

The mental equivalent of a sigh. "On my way."

The Team began to move, gathering in a ring at the centre of the ship. Robin skirted around to the front console, holding his arm so Aqualad could better see the model hovering over his wrist.

Zatanna and M'gann shifted as Phantom phased through the wall and back into visibility, the ghost stepping self-consciously into the opening they made in the circle.

"So," the Boy Wonder turned to their leader. "What's the plan?"

The Atlantean was silent for a moment. "The mission was clear. Gather information, determine the situation, then hand over to the League. Our reconnaissance is complete."

Robin tilted his head as the rest of the Team shifted. "I'm hearing a 'but'…?"

The crease between Kaldur's eyebrows reappeared. "Batman also instructed us to secure the hostages if possible. I do not believe they are secure."

"With three guys on the inside watching their every move?" Artemis hummed. "Definitely not."

Kid Flash's lips pursed. "Can't Manhunter and Aquaman handle them?"

"In theory," the Boy Wonder studied the model, "yes. In practice…" a glance to Aqualad and Miss Martian.

The Atlantean sighed. "It would take time. And they would need to board the rig first. The risk…" M'gann nodded her agreement with a frown.

"Yeah, okay," the speedster ran a hand down his face, "that's not a chance they'd want to take."

Conner's eyebrows lifted. "So what are we doing, then?"

"What is our response time?" Kaldur's question was directed to the young detective. "Were we to signal from the rig…?"

"For Manhunter and Aquaman? About an hour. Maybe a bit less if they push it." The Boy Wonder paused, considering. "Longer if they're escorting service-craft."

"Understood." Aqualad closed his eyes. A few breaths passed before he opened them again. "The safety of the hostages must be our first priority. We have no need to engage the Dragons openly, but the guards in the room are a threat. Both to the workers and to the League's rescue mission. We must find a way to remove them, without alerting the rest of the rig."

"And without being seen," Robin added. "Official line is we don't exist, remember?"

"Yes."

"Alright then." Zatanna's gaze passed around the bridge. "Options?"

"Miss Martian" - she stood straighter at Kaldur's words - "your telepathy. Could you enter their minds - influence them remotely?"

A flicker of discomfort crossed Superboy's face as M'gann hesitated. "I could," she faltered, "but altering behaviour is… delicate. It's not as simple as making someone think something, or forget something. The more complex the behaviour… and with three of them?" she shook her head. "There's no guarantee it would work. Especially without them noticing."

"What about you, Zee?" Artemis suggested. "Could you use magic - tell them to walk out, like what you did with Ivo?"

The sorceress frowned. "Maybe… but they'd need to hear the spell. And besides, Ivo knew something was making him talk when he wasn't supposed to. I could get them out, sure, but once it wore off they'd just raise the alarm and walk right back in."

The Bird gave a glum nod, still focused on the blueprint. A glance up. "P?" - the ghost startled - "What about your powers? Any chance you could body-snatch these guys, walk them out yourself?"

"Uh," Phantom seemed to shrink as attention turned his way, "Overshadowing? It's kind of a ghost-per-person deal… and I wouldn't want to play around with one duplicate right now, let alone trying for two." And apologetic grimace. "Sorry."

"Figures," Wally muttered. Then raised his voice. "Much as I love the theorizing, we're still stuck at square one here. We got any way to lure these guys out?"

"Maybe we could try a diversion?" M'gann lifted a hand to her chin. "Trip a fire alarm or make a mess somewhere else so they have to go look?"

The Boy Wonder rotated the model thoughtfully. "Might work... only," a frustrated noise, "they've got things too well covered. Odds are they'd close ranks around the room and send one of the others around the rig to check instead." He shot the red guard-markers an irritated look. "If they're smart, the guards on the hostages will be the last to move on something like that."

Artemis rubbed her temples. "Alright, so then what? It's not like these guys are just going to up and walk out by themselves."

"Actually…" Robin's eyes were drawn to the lower deck of the blueprint. To the pair of dots moving back and forward along the exposed outer walkway. "What if they did?"


Balmy humidity from a tropical night swirled to fill the Bioship as the rear door opened. Below them the waves rolled with a dull crash, sea spray carrying in the sharp smell of salt. And other things. A tang of metal and rust. The cloying, slightly dizzying scent of diesel. Somewhere above a seabird called, sound echoing out to the dark horizon. Around the base of the towers the water shimmered with an iridescent film of oil.

Kaldur wrinkled his nose.

Plates clinked as Sphere unfolded herself, reconfiguring into Supercycle mode.

They climbed aboard, greyed-out stealth suits vanishing into the ripples of reflected shadow.

All except one. Phantom floated beside them, waiting.

Aqualad gave him a nod. "Go."

They felt a gust of wind as the ghost vanished, flying upwards towards the floor.

"… I'm in position."

"Good. Then we are on our way."

Sphere's wheels lifted away from the ship with a slight shudder. The door folded closed, sounds of lapping water and the muted rush of the sea following them upward as they rose silently between the towers. Vibrations rolled through the Supercycle's chassis, engines purring softly as Conner guided her into position beneath the walkway.

A muffled thud of footsteps approached from above.

The Team held their breaths.

Robin pushed himself higher, leaning out to peer at the platform's edge.

"P', status?"

"All quiet here. Hostages are… still the same, which is okay, I guess. No reaction from the guards. Not yet, anyway."

Kaldur's expression was intent. "Acknowledged. Hold where you are, but be ready. Just in case."

They felt the ghost swallow. "Yessir."

The footsteps passed above them again. Waves foamed on the metal below.

"Superboy."

The Kryptonian squinted upward, eyes unfocusing as he scanned outside the visible spectrum.

"Clear. They're walking away."

There was a flicker of shadow as Robin and Miss Martian pulled themselves up over the rails. She stayed floating as he placed his feet carefully on the boards, the two stalking the guards noiselessly along the deck. Step by step they gained ground. Nearly close enough to touch.

A wordless nod passed between them.

The Boy Wonder sprang.

He landed on the shorter man's back, one hand clamping over his mouth, legs pinning the Dragon's arms to his sides as an escrima stick jabbed quickly into the key nerve clusters of his neck and shoulders. The guard began to topple backward. Robin slid off and to the ground, shouldering the man's weight with a restrained grunt to keep him from falling heavily to the floor. The other guard barely had time to look before crumpling forward, M'gann's eyes glowing green as he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

She caught him telepathically before he could hit the deck, lowering the sleeping body softly to the boards.

Both paused, waiting for a response from the rig.

Quiet.

Robin lay his target on the ground beside hers. "How's it looking, P'?"

"No change in here. You're good for now."

"Roger that. Aqualad, Zee," his attention turned below deck, "we've got your guys."

A muffled metallic sound whispered along the rail as the Atlantean and magician climbed carefully up to join them.

More footsteps approached along the upper deck.

"Quickly." Aqualad closed the distance to Robin a few short steps. He and the young detective seized the unconscious guard under the arms, Zatanna and M'gann doing the same for their captive as they hauled the men up against the walkway's inner wall.

The footsteps paused above them. They froze, hardly daring to breathe.

Zatanna lifted a hand to her mouth. "S'ti tsuj a drib!" they heard her whisper into her fingers.

An insubstantial shape blurred upwards towards the sky, seabird's shrieking cry piercing the night around them.

There was a startled exclamation, followed by annoyed muttering from above. Then the footsteps resumed.

A collective sigh was released. Robin mouthed a thank you to the sorceress.

"P'?"

"Still good." The ghost's thoughts jittered, reacting to the adrenaline in theirs, "You?"

"We are fine," Kaldur took a calculated step away from the wall. "Moving to the next phase now."

The Atlantean ran a clinical eye over their captives, sizing up their uniforms. As far as he could see, both were identical in make and equipment. The taller, he thought, seemed closer in fit. With a nod to the others he pulled the unconscious guard from the wall and set about stripping the body, laying out clothes, tools and weapons with military efficiency. Miss Martian and Zatanna studied the items as he set them down before turning their attention to the remaining guard, Robin keeping a sharp eye on the walkways as they worked. The sorceress muttered a few experimental phrases under her breath before settling on a spell, glamour charm shimmering into existence around her. M'gann pinched the fabric between two fingers, clothes and body blurring into a taller, darker shape.

Two new guards watched as Aqualad shrugged off his water-bearers, swiftly pulling the stolen suit over his own. He pushed back a wince as it chafed against his webbing. Gloved fingers collected the water-pack stiffly from the floor, flipping it upside-down to keep the hilts from protruding over his shoulders. With relief he noted how the shoulder straps disappeared against the darkness of the cloth, adjusting its position to ensure he could still grasp the handles. Weapon-belts followed shortly after, concealing his own beneath strips of leather and metal. Kaldur gave the hood a reluctant grimace before tugging it into place, resisting the impulse to shake his head at the stifling feel of the cloth. He supposed it could have been worse, for something that must have seen several days of wear. Still, he resolved not to breathe too heavily if he could help it.

At a gesture from Robin, they stepped back into the shadows of the wall.

The three 'Dragons' appraised each other as footsteps passed overhead again.

"What do you think?" No matter how many times they experienced it, it still felt slightly off to hear Miss Martian's 'voice' coming from a different form.

"Looks fine." The Boy Wonder broke away from his sentry duties, pulling cuffs and tape from his belt to restrain the real guards. Bound and gagged under the moonlight in their underwear, they seemed far less of a threat. "It only needs to hold up long enough for the handover." A glance to M'gann and Zatanna, "Probably don't want them getting too close anyway."

"Good. Then we should proceed."

A quiet purr drew closer as Superboy guided the Supercycle towards the deck. Up on the walkway, Aqualad and the others hefted the guards, waves below shimmering a warning as they lowered their captives carefully over the side. Kid Flash and Artemis reached to catch the Dragons, Sphere rocking slightly as she took on the extra weight. The archer gave a muted huff as they dropped the bodies to the Cycle's floor. Job done, the pair hoisted themselves noiselessly up to join the others.

Still below, Conner gave their captives a look of resigned distaste. From the rhythm of Sphere's vibrations, she wasn't much happier to be on babysitting duty. Kaldur sent an apologetic nod over the rail. The Supercycle disappeared, dropping back down into the gloom beneath the rig.

"Alright." Aqualad turned to the crew on deck. "Does everyone know their positions?"

A sharp flurry of nods.

"Good." His attention shifted towards the rig. "Phantom: Zatanna, Miss Martian and I are coming to you. Kid Flash, Robin, Artemis, Superboy: keep watch. Report if anything changes."

The Team began to separate. Robin and Kid Flash padded south towards the stairs, splitting apart as the Boy Wonder grappled to the upper deck, the speedster's stealth-suit vanishing into the darkness of the stairwell. Artemis accompanied the rest as they moved northward to the side-door, stopping beneath a shadowy tangle of pipes on the floor above. She gave them calculating look before turning her gaze to Aqualad.

He nodded, locking his fingers into a stirrup to launch the archer up over the rail.

After a few seconds, her voice sounded in their heads. "I'm in place." The same message echoed down from Robin and Kid Flash a beat later.

A moment of wordless understanding passed between the remaining three.

They headed for the door.

The sound of the sea faded as they slipped into the exit-passage, M'gann tugging the handle closed behind them.

Aqualad glanced back to her and the sorceress. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"As I'll ever be."

He took a breath. "Very well." His thoughts shifted to address the Team. "We are on approach. Phantom, Superboy - be ready. We may need you."

Miss Martian and Zatanna moved to flank him as they stepped out into the main hall.

The guards on the door stirred at the sound of their footsteps, turning to look them up and down. Kaldur pushed back a twinge of unease, cataloguing their equipment in return. Gun, knife, radio. Same as the ones outside. Nothing Apokoliptan. With luck there would be no need to use them.

"Raeh siht noitasrevncon ni ruoy nwo eugnot," the sorceress passed off her spell with a cough and cleared throat as they came within earshot. He felt it press against his ears, rolling down the corridor to take hold.

They stopped outside the hostage room.

The taller Dragon shifted his weight. "You're back early." Relief flickered through the Atlantean; Zatanna's magic had worked. Some part of him registered a disconnect; a mismatch between the sound of their voices and the words his mind was hearing. He was briefly grateful for the masks covering their faces. Had their mouths been exposed it might have been more obvious.

The guard was still waiting on a response.

He shrugged noncommittally, willing his body language to seem unconcerned.

The other Dragon tilted their head, making a curious noise at the back of their throat. "Next change isn't for two hours. You like watching spineless traitors that much?"

The twinge of unease came back stronger as the others tensed behind him. Bad news. Their observations hadn't lasted enough to catch a handover. They'd gambled on enough time passing for an early change to seem unsuspicious.

Still… "Leader wanted us back," Aqualad kept his voice as at-ease as he could. It was not unrecoverable. Something he had noticed on other missions; a surprising number of people would fall in line if you acted like it was what they were supposed to do.

A glance passed between the two men.

"We didn't hear anything."

The Atlantean swallowed the dry itch in his throat, giving another shrug. "It is what we were told."

There was a breath as the Dragons considered.

"Eh?" The shorter changed tack, leaning to peer around at M'gann. "Your leg's feeling better then?" A mirthless rasp of laughter. "Guess the little bastard didn't kick as hard as we thought."

Kaldur bit his tongue against a ripple of anger as Miss Martian stiffened. He willed the others to stay calm, feeling a similar wave roll through the link from Zatanna.

M'gann shifted her weight, scuffing a heel against the ground. "Good enough," her low mutter could have passed for irritation or embarrassment.

The two guards looked at each other for a worrying moment. Then Aqualad's friend spoke.

"I'm checking this first."

'No.' Kaldur's stomach lurched. Their ruse wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, not in a crew this size.

He decided to try for annoyance. "You're going to disturb the boss because you missed a call?"

The man paused. Then, slowly, his hand began to drop, lowering back to his belt. Aqualad supressed a sigh of relief.

There was the click of a button.

Soft static hissed from the radio on the shorter guard's belt. On his own, Kaldur's stolen radio did the same.

Behind him came only incriminating silence.

A frozen pause.

"Battery fault…?" the telepath tried, but the men were already reacting; the first ripping the radio towards his mouth as the other went for his gun.

'Too late.' Aqualad sprang into action, surging forward to clamp one hand around the wrist carrying the radio, the other reaching for the Dragon's mouth. "We are discovered." The guard managed a strangled shout; Kaldur heard it echo down the line, followed by a screech of feedback as the device clattered to the ground. "Phantom: Guards. Superboy: Have Sphere jam all technology in range. Now." He kept his momentum going, using it to spin the man into a sleeper hold, bracing his back against the wall as the guard struggled. In his peripherals he caught the brief scuffle of M'gann and Zatanna subduing his shorter partner. The man went limp.

They dropped the Dragons to the ground, tensing to scan the hallway. All around the rig they could hear the commotion spreading; echoes of shouts and sharp cracks of gunfire rattling through the corridors. The trio put their backs to the door, hands raised in preparation, dreading the moment they might hear similar sounds from inside.

At the far end of the hall the dorm door burst open, three more Dragons spilling out into the mess.

Kaldur saw them stop to take in the scene in front of them; their comrades sprawled on the ground, the three imposters standing in their place. They went for their weapons. The Atlantean drew his water bearers, preparing to form a shield as they charged forward-

At the rear of the group, the tallest man stumbled. Then swung his weapon around, gun butt arching to club his companions across the back of the head.

They crumpled to the floor.

M'gann faltered for a stunned second - halfway-expecting a trap - before recovering her composure, telepathically hauling the guard forward by the front of his shirt.

"Wait!" The Dragon managed to pull his hood off, eyes glowing green under the mask. "It's me," Phantom streamed out of the man like smoke. His host wobbled, tawny-brown eyes blinking sluggishly open. A grey-gloved fist swiftly closed them again. "I heard shooting," the ghost spun to face them. "Are you okay?"

Aqualad blinked. "We are fine. The hosta-"

The exterior door slammed against the panelling, tremor rippling down the hall as two new guards stormed inside. A red-and-grey blur followed, Kid Flash tackling the pair into the wall.

Wally attempted a suave lean as the men slid to the ground. "These guys bothering you?"

The girls spared him a fond eyeroll before turning their attention to their leader. Outside they felt more than heard Superboy leap up to join the fray on deck.

Kaldur gave the speedster a nod. His focus moved back to the ghost. "The hostages?"

"They're okay." Phantom twitched, head turning as another shout sounded from above.

"Their guards?"

"Knocked out - no powers," he added quickly, "and I stayed invisible." His brow furrowed. "Might have freaked them out a bit to see, though."

The Atlantean closed his eyes, thinking. He tugged the hood off - no use for it now - listening to the noise around the rig. "Team, status?"

"Nearly done." A single gunshot rang out over Artemis' report. "Handling the last few mooks now."

"Understood." Kaldur turned to Kid Flash. "Make sure no-one comes down. M'gann, Zatanna and I will check the hostages."

Wally made a terse motion, shifting to monitor the hall.

Kaldur took a breath. Best to seem calm. There was no need to cause further anxiety; no help in creating panic. M'gann and Zatanna moved to stand beside him as he reached for the door.

"Wait," Robin's voice stopped the Atlantean's hand on the handles. "Our cover, remember?" His thoughts flickered, distracted by something on deck, before continuing, "Kaldur could be here with Aquaman but it's supposed to be just him and Manhunter handling this."

"Yes…" Aqualad made a face. It was not ideal but Phantom's report had not indicated any major emergencies inside. If needed he could go in alone.

A flicker at the corner of his eye. M'gann's disguise shifted, blurring upwards into something taller.

"I can cover Uncle J'onn," her voice was a near-perfect imitation of her mentor's.

To his other side, Zatanna was muttering, making adjustments to her spell. The glamour billowed outwards, Dragon guise taking on the approximate proportions of Kaldur's king.

"You'll have to talk," there was something profoundly uncanny about hearing the sorceress whisper from the shape. "Can't do the voice, sorry."

"Alright." Aqualad shook himself. The others moved closer to his shoulders as he put his hands back to the doors. "Then we are going in." He pushed them open.

A hush of hastily-stifled whispers answered.

Frozen silence thickened the air as the Atlantean slowly swept the room. All hostiles incapacitated. Exactly how Phantom had knocked the guards out wasn't clear; the three men crumpled at their posts by the corners and door, Apokoliptan weapons dull aside from the angry sparking of shorted systems. In the centre the workers had gathered into a defensive huddle, close-packed and weary under the lights.

Kaldur allowed himself a moment of relief. As shaken as they were, none of the men seemed in need of urgent medical attention. Battered, yes, uncomfortably tied and more than a little drained - the Black Dragons clearly had low standards for what constituted a 'live' hostage - but for the most part holding strong. Whether it was the nature of the camera or a deliberate choice by whoever cut the footage he wasn't sure; either way, they looked far less grey and thin in person than they seemed on the video. A few had slumped, staring dispiritedly at their knees, but the eyes that locked onto him were clear and sharp. Despite the ghost's report, some part of him had been expecting much worse.

A wave of barely-contained flinches rolled through the group as he stepped into the space, terrified eyes skating across his uncovered face before shivering away, unable to hold contact. The Atlantean stopped, belatedly remembering he was still wearing the rest of the stolen suit. Unlike other League members, neither he nor his mentor wore easily-identifiable headpieces. He suddenly became conscious of Zatanna and M'gann's larger, still-disguised forms at his shoulders. Flanked by them, he must seem like a threat.

He drew his water-bearers - the men stiffened and pulled closer at the glowing blades - cutting away the overshirt to reveal the markings on his arms and insignia at his belt.

"I am Aqualad." He felt the attention of the room focus in on him as he continued, "The Justice League sent us to help." A new wave of whispers broke out; their names repeated, voices rising to a murmur as glances flicked from his chest to his arms to the others. He watched the realisation start to sink in; a few more men folded forward, delivering shaky exclamations to their knees. The Atlantean recognised a handful of words - Zatanna's translation spell had only extended to the corridor outside. A thought. "Can you understand me?"

"Dạ- ah, yes," a tired-eyed man with a sun-weathered face spoke from the second row. A thin red scratch cut across his cheek. "Yes, we understand you." There was a veiled confusion beneath the nod he sent the Atlantean's way, mirrored in the faces of the workers around him. For a moment Kaldur saw how it must look to them; two adult League members hanging back silently while a protégé took command.

He paused. Then turned, making a deferential motion towards Zatanna before moving to secure the doors. "Start freeing them. Check for injuries. I will follow." Understanding rippled from the girls, the pair swinging into motion behind him.

There was a green blur as Miss Martian shapeshifted again, shedding the rest of her Dragon disguise in favour of her uncle's form. "We apologise for the delay," he heard her offer in Manhunter's voice.

"No," the same man answered, words carrying over the relived sounds people of being untied, "we are happy you came."

Aqualad's attention moved to the rest of the rig, peering through the door to share a nod with Wally before closing it against any sounds of future fighting. "Team," so far there was no sign that conflict had spilled back to the lower floor, "progress report."

"Finished with the main deck," Robin supplied. "About to start moving on the bridge."

"Good. We will join you once we finish here. Update if anything changes."

Job completed, Kaldur returned to help the others. To his left, M'gann attacked the cables telekinetically, ripping apart any knots she couldn't work free. To his right Zatanna had lifted a knife from one of the fallen Dragons, blade concealing her illusion's lack of strength.

The Atlantean followed her lead, setting to work in the middle of the front row. Clammy arms slid precariously under his grip, heat-flushed and sweat-soaked as he carefully adjusted the thinness of his blades. The tightness of the cables offered little room for error. He winced internally at the red-and-white weals left behind, men stretching cramped arms with murmurs of thanks.

A little way into the second row he encountered a familiar face. Kaldur recognised the shadowed eyes and scratched cheek of the workers' de facto spokesperson, following the man's gaze as it moved worriedly over the rest of the group. 'There are still so many…'

An idea occurred. "What is your name?" he asked, leaning around to begin work on the bindings.

"Lap," the man stopped with a hiss as the ropes came free, rubbing the angry banding on his arms. Blue coverall sleeves fell to hide them as he shook out his wrists, giving Aqualad a grateful nod. "Tran Hu Lap."

The Atlantean nodded in return. "Here," he pulled the knife from the remains of his stolen belt, offering it to Lap hilt-first. "We will be faster with your help." Lap hesitated before taking it firmly, expression resolute.

"Thank you." Aqualad moved to stand.

"Wait," Lap's hand caught his arm before he could go further. "Nano. Our colleague," he continued at their blank looks, voice growing urgent, "Nano Santo Pineda. They took him. Do you know where?"

Kaldur stilled, feeling the girls freeze alongside him at the words. Lap's eyes were still on his face, along with an increasing number of others. Waiting for his response.

"Zatanna, could you look here please?"

The illusion's mask turned toward him, head tilting quizzically. He held contact for a moment before breaking off with another obedient motion, turning back to Lap.

"We have not seen him." He straightened, thoughts shifting to address the rest of the Team. "The Black Dragons have taken the last hostage. Have you-"

"Don't worry." Artemis' voice was grim. "We found him. But you're not going to like it."

The situation sharpened. "Where are you?"

"Outside the bridge," Robin answered. "Boss is the last one left." A humourless huff. "You can probably guess the complication."

This time the look the trio shared was genuine.

"Hold position. We are on our way." He swept the room quickly, willing his face to stay composed as the others came to their feet. "M'gann - the guards." Her disguise raised a hand, levitating the unconscious men over to herself. She pulled the remaining knives from their belts, passing them over to the freed workers. On Kaldur's other side, Zatanna did the same with her own.

The Atlantean raised his voice, projecting around the space. "A transport ship is coming. Please stay in this room until everyone is accounted for." He found Lap's eyes again. "Keep untying the others. We will search for your friend."

A nod.

The second the doors closed, Kaldur was running.

He threw off the remains of the stolen suit as he went, Zatanna's heels clacking against the floor as the glamour dissolved around her. Kid Flash and Phantom accompanied them - the speedster keeping pace at a jog - before racing ahead to reinforce the others.

M'gann was still in Manhunter form as they broke onto the upper deck.

"Situation report?"

"Leader's the only hostile. Main bridge room, at the desk in the centre. Eyes to the windows and doors. He's holding the hostage in front of him. There's a knife. Got something in his other hand too but it's hard to see what. Gear looks the same as the others, plus the vest and Apokoliptan tech. Get the feeling he knows we're out here, but I don't think he's spotted anyone."

"Acknowledged," Aqualad made some quick decisions, dodging between the heavy metal piping on the most direct route to the raised platform. "Miss Martian and I will engage - try to negotiate surrender." Practice allowed him to spot the hints of his Teammates' uniforms in the shadows as he drew near; a tiny, familiar motion pulling his eye to where Robin perched in the deep darkness below the main tower. Phantom was nowhere to be seen. "Standby and be ready to move if he will not release the hostage."

The darkness rippled in answer.

A flutter of gold betrayed Artemis' position higher up one of the cranes, sea breeze pulling strands of her ponytail into the halo of nearby warning lights. "Door and windows are blocking my shot. Get me an opening and I can back you up."

He sent the archer a gesture of understanding, striding towards the last ascent.

They took the stairs two at a time. No response came from inside as they crossed the exposed final stretch in full view of the windows. The leader had to know they were coming.

Kaldur kicked the door open hard enough that the hinges cracked.

Sharp breaths filled the room as the echo faded.

The Atlantean moved carefully over the threshold, very aware of his empty hands - he'd chosen to keep his water-bearers sheathed, to leave himself vulnerable in hopes of avoiding a fight. Miss Martian ghosted in after him, coming to a stop by his shoulder. "Be on your guard." Watching eyes made his skin prickle as he appraised their surroundings. For the most part the room was surprisingly untouched; a single chair toppled by the opening door, neat benches lining the walls, topped with the blank screens of powered-down monitors. A disturbance at the centre - tall cupboard doors hung crookedly open, papers scattered wildly, chairs overturned from something being dragged.

The first person he saw was the hostage. Nano. Young compared to the other workers; high, wide cheekbones, dark curls in sweat-soaked disarray. His eyes were huge with panic, tendons in his neck standing out in sharp relief. Breaths came in shallow gasps through a crude cloth gag tied across his mouth. His clothes were crumpled, crushed from their time in the cupboard, pulled out of place by the restraints…

And by the blood-red gloves that pinned his chest between them and the leader like a shield. One dug painfully into his stomach, something hard concealed within the fist. The other snaked up under his arm, holding the wicked point of a knife against his throat. The owner of the hands loomed behind him, Black Dragon's mask twisting into a snarl.

They stepped closer.

The leader made a warning noise, pulling the blade dangerously near.

Aqualad stopped, raising his empty palms in a placating gesture. 'Do not provoke.' Their cover. With a flicker of his eyes, he motioned for M'gann to speak first.

"Enough. It is over." Familiarity let him hear the high tightness at the back of 'Manhunter's words.

A gritting of teeth. "No."

Kaldur took a levelling breath. "It is." One of their case studies - Black Canary and Captain Atom had given a primer on negotiations. For now they held the advantage but it was no guarantee; things could still turn disastrous if not handled with the proper respect. "The hostages are free. Your men are incapacitated. You cannot win this."

A glare from behind the mask. "Says you."

"It is true." The glare switched focus, back to M'gann. Aqualad used the distraction to appraise the Leader, trying to identify the object in his other hand. Slightly larger than palm-sized, dull red and shiny black, an uneven ridge visible over the top of his fingers. Unlikely a weapon from how he was holding it - possibly a trigger or switch. One final card.

In his arms, the hostage struggled.

Kaldur shifted his attention to the man, allowing his voice to soften. "Nano, yes?" A tiny sliver of a nod, more with the eyes than the head. Nano's Adam's apple bobbed dangerously close to the blade. "Stay calm. We are here to help."

The hold tightened with a scoff. "Big words."

Aqualad turned to address the leader. "What do you hope to achieve here?"

His mask tilted in a humourless smile. "To make a point."

Another breath. "And you have." From the corner of his eye he saw Miss Martian's hand twitch, ears picking up a faint scrape somewhere above and behind him. 'The window.' He kept talking, holding the focus on himself. "You said you would not be ignored. Well now you are not. The Justice League is here. The company is watching. Governments are watching. You have our attention."

He jerked his chin angrily, shake rattling through Nano's shoulders. "But not to listen!"

The Atlantean made a soothing motion, every nerve alert to the danger. "Then this is your chance. You cannot achieve your demands," he delivered the words as gently as he could. "But if you come with us now, you will be questioned. Have the opportunity to make your case. To be heard."

It didn't work. Nano was pulled closer, knife curving upwards under his chin.

A demand. "You will let us free."

"Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis." He felt the telepath tense at his shift back to the mindlink. "The device looks to be Apokoliptan. Is Sphere's jamming signal still in effect?"

"Yeah, still going."

"Good," he gave the closed fist a grim look. "If needed, prioritise the knife and the hostage. We will take the risk."

"We cannot do that." M'gann was speaking in Manhunter's voice.

The blade flashed a warning. "You will!"

"No." Kaldur's voice was firm. "And it will not help you." One last attempt. "Right now you have the chance to be heard. A heroic surrender, on your terms. You need the support of the people to achieve your goals. You will not get it by hurting him."

Nano made a pleading noise through the gag.

The leader stiffened. "You deserve it!" A more violent shake, jerking his head back and forth. "Traitors, all of them. Selling their lives, their countries to the enemy!" A furious snarl. "You brought this on yourselves."

Aqualad swallowed tightly, feeling the situation devolve. His voice was forced calm. "All they did was accept a job."

"M'gann? Artemis?"

"Ready."

"Standing by."

"They should have known better." It came through clenched teeth. A drop of red beaded on Nano's neck, beginning a slow roll down. He started to shiver, dark eyes locked on their faces. Kaldur shifted his weight.

"What other choice would you have them make?!" 'Manhunter's voice pitched up slightly at the end.

"Better ones!" The Dragon exploded. "Better no job at all!" His breath came harsh, knife-arm rigid. "The trade would have atoned their betrayal. Now they will be examples - so others can know what will happen if they choose wrong!"

The blade glittered.

"M'gann, now!"

Her hands moved with her mind, batting the knife away with one motion, the other ripping Nano forward, out of the leader's grasp. At the same time, the Dragon's free hand crushed down on the device. It fell to the ground as he was pulled off-balance, skittering across the laminate with a plastic clatter.

He gave a mirthless laugh, steadying himself on the desk edge. "You lose."

Aqualad shook his head. "No. All your alien technology has been-"

There was a distant sound. It rumbled through the rig, tremors rolling up through the Atlantean's bare feet. The floor dropped out from under them, titling into a vertigo-inducing roll.

Everyone staggered.

Kaldur regained his footing, lunging to seize the man by his shirt-front. "What did you do?!"

Another hollow, teeth-bared laugh, lifting his chin to stare Aqualad in the face. "Made a point."

Beside them, a flash of sliver - the knife, embedded point-first in the table a few feet away. Red-gloved hands slammed into the Atlantean's chest, shoving him back, reaching-

A blunt-tipped arrow streaked over Aqualad's shoulder to strike the leader in the jaw, sending him crumpled to the ground.

At M'gann's feet, Nano was gasping as she worked the bindings free.

Kaldur felt the floor shift again as he approached. He crouched, laying a cautious hand on the man's shoulder. "Do you know what they did?" Nano shook his head mutely, eyes wild at the edges. Shock, or something close to it. The Atlantean gave the shoulder a comforting squeeze, gathering the cables from the ground. "Stay here. We will take care of it." He received a shaky nod before striding back to the Dragons' leader, lashing his arms to the table-leg with a tight set of knots. Poetic justice, they might have called it on another day.

Miss Martian discreetly lifted Artemis' arrow from the floor, tucking it inside her cape as they hurried outside.

It was a stale sort of victory that met them there, the rest of the Team sliding down from their hiding places to gather at the foot of the stairs.

The deck pitched a third time, rolling like a boat in rough seas. Of the Teammates with their feet on the ground, only Robin didn't stumble.

"Uh… what's happening?"

"I felt-"

"The rig - it…"

"What did they do?" the detective's voice cut through the rest.

"We do not know." Kaldur and M'gann shared a glance. "The device - it must have been a trigger."

"But how?" confusion twisted Superboy's face. "Sphere's taking out all Apokoliptan tech. You said-"

The Atlantean grimaced. "We miscalculated."

A low, creaking groan echoed around the rig. Above them, the crane tower swayed ominously.

This time the Boy Wonder put out a hand to steady himself. "Well, whatever it was, it's not good."

Miss Martian frowned, hand going to her temple. "Sphere...?" All eyes went her way as she continued, "She's saying… something about the water…"

The water.

They turned, sprinting for the stairs to the lower deck.

Metal rang as they hit the walkway rail, peering out over the edge. Below them the sea was thick with froth, dark wisps of vapour hovering over the waves. Shapes rippled beneath the surface.

Robin let out a sharp exclamation, pulling the rig's full model onto his holo-screen. "They must have hit the support towers."

Aqualad thought about that; the metal beams spearing down into the ocean floor, spreading the load between them, keeping the full weight of the structure suspended above the currents. If even a few were to fail…

"How bad?"

"Not sure," the detective's mouth was a taught line, mask-lenses stretched wide above it. "Without knowing the damage, how many…"

Kaldur's eyes moved from the model to the water below. The distance seemed to stretch indefinitely, dips between the breaks rolling like ripples. A dangerous fall even by itself. Not to mention potential debris.

Just for a moment, he considered that he might be insane.

There was a crunching snap beneath them, spray kicking up, blowing into their faces as the walkway bucked dangerously.

The Atlantean gave himself no more time to think before vaulting over the rail.

Gravity took hold with a sick swoop, wind whipping his skin and eyes as he plunged towards the ocean, hands going to his weapons. One wrapped the stale pack-water around his neck - protection against the film of oil - the other sending a blade arching out ahead to break the surface of the sea. The waves met him like a thunderclap, driving the air from his lungs as his gills took over. Bubbles clouded his vision. He twisted to right himself-

And found devastation. Sand and sediment churned the water, murky billows cutting visibility to a scant few metres. Flashes of light shimmered in the gloom, jagged shards of metal and burning-out embers swirling in a rough cauldron of foam. The towers were bars of hazy shadow, mangled silhouettes through the fog.

Every piece of Kaldur's training wanted him to stay clear. A drumming tattoo at the base of his skull, warning of unstable wrecks, of hidden obstacles and poor sight-lines.

He moved forward anyway, keeping to the outer edges as much as possible, hugging the most solid parts of the structure. Each tower was actually four - a square of thick vertical bars linked by crossbeams, anchored to the seafloor by heavy concrete slabs. His heart sank. More than half were damaged; at least one column blown apart, shattered into pieces or torn in peeling curves, their neighbours buckling and crumpling like foil. Masses of splintered struts rained steel needles into the sea.

'Explosives. Rigged below the waterline.' Evenly spaced too - destruction spread throughout the base of the rig rather than clustered in one place. A hidden blessing, the Atlantean supposed; if all support had gone from a single side or corner, the whole structure could have toppled. 'Perhaps that was their aim - to prolong collapse just long enough for their own escape.'

The next tower he passed was completely broken; beams sheared clean through, blunt ends grinding in and out of alignment like ragged teeth. He pictured the floor above swaying with the movement.

His circuit had brought him back around close to where he had started. Aqualad steeled himself, pushing past the floodlit ring into the darker waters near the rig's centre. 'The drill pipe.' Not structurally critical but were it to rupture they would have a different catastrophe on their hands. Up close the pipe was wide - Kaldur thought he would be able to swim inside it. If not for the contents. Hairline cracks oozed ribbons of oily sludge into the sea. Fracture-damage from the detonation shockwaves, maybe. Apart from that it seemed untouched. 'If the rig falls…' This far beneath he could feel the weight bearing down, pressure compacting the wounded tower-beams. For each that gave out the others would have to take the load, bringing them closer to their own failure points.

A shadow above him. The Atlantean threw himself sideways, spreading webbed toes for an extra burst of speed as a beam fragment the size of his forearm crashed into the water. Bubbles grazed up mere inches from where he had been.

He took the hint, swimming for the clear waters beyond the rig's edge.

A flick of his weapons cleared away the oil-film where he broke the surface. High on the walkway above the Team peered down, pale ovals of faces barely visible through the floodlight glare.

He ran through the situation in his head. The Boy Wonder swore.

"How bad?"

"Well, it could be worse" - the forced jauntiness in Robin's voice set Kaldur's teeth on edge - "we could already be in the water."

A chill that had nothing to do with the sea gripped him. "Will it hold?"

There was a discouragingly long silence. "Permanently? No. For now? Depends."

"How long do we have?"

"Hard to tell. Might be settling after the shocks but- any currents down there?"

Aqualad moved his legs in a slow circle, trying to feel past the aftershock turbulence. Below him a tug; a slow eastward undertow, pushing sand up against the concrete bases. In other circumstances he would consider it a nonissue but... "Yes. Low force. Steady direction."

Spray misted across the water again as a gust stirred up a breaker. From above, the Team watched Kaldur dive under it, pale dot of his hair disappearing beneath the water. The rig shuddered and swayed as it hit the towers.

A frustrated noise escaped the back of Robin's throat, lost in the creaking from below. Around him he could see the sentiment reflected; Superboy and Kid Flash rising to the balls of their feet, eyes fruitlessly searching the rig and water for a clear path, a patch of solid ground where they could put their powers to use. Every few seconds Artemis drew a new arrow from her quiver, turning it over before putting it back.

Aqualad resurfaced. "Can we evacuate the rig?"

"With what?" the archer jammed a foam arrow into place, frenzied into stillness. "Life-rafts were ditched, remember?"

Wally took off suddenly, rapid footsteps reverberating down the walkway into the rig. "No fallbacks," he reappeared from the other door, "just checked."

"Miss Martian - the Bioship?"

"She could…" M'gann chewed her lip, brow furrowing. "But with this many people? She can't stretch far enough to fit everyone at once."

"Plus, our cover. How do we explain an alien ship already being out here?"

"I care less about our cover than their safety." The Atlantean's voice was firm. "Could she and Sphere start moving groups?"

"Yeah but bigger problem," the Boy Wonder interjected again, this time with a grimace. A map flickered up, briefly replacing the rig on his display. "Transport's still at least forty minutes out. Ship and Sphere can close the distance faster but…" Their minds filled the blank. Anyone left behind would be completely stranded.

Kaldur dived under the next wave like it had personally offended him. "Very well. Then we must ensure the rig stays stable until help can arrive. What are our options?"

"Well," Miss Martian's expression cleared, "she might not be able to carry everyone herself, but maybe…" she reached out a hand, eyes glowing green as she made contact. Beneath them the Bioship released from the tower, flying up to press against the underside of the rig. Superboy called over the rail for Sphere to copy.

The floor steadied underfoot.

"Uh," the telepath frowned in sympathetic strain. "Heavy…" She shook her head, looking back to the others. "She can brace but I don't think they'll be able to hold it if it falls."

"It's still a buffer." The Team startled as Phantom materialised by Robin's shoulder - they'd half-forgotten the ghost in all the confusion. His eyes were fixed on the model. "Keeps the load from shifting too much at the weak points."

"Yeah - right. Right." The Boy Wonder dipped his chip sharply, staring at the support-circles he'd marked out. Wally nodded with him, too focussed to realise who he was agreeing with. Another cloud of spray spun up over the rail. "Could still use something more solid."

On his other side, Zatanna was muttering. "Etativel- no… Esiar dna-" her lips pursed, eyebrows pulling together. "No, no… Tfil," a pause. "Tfil eht…" She nodded to herself, taking a breath, planting her boots on the shivering floor. "Tfil eht mroftalp dna riap- ugh," the sorceress stumbled as though struck. Robin's arm shot out in alarm as she wobbled, pulling the witch against his side before she could fall. "Guess not," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Zatanna?" Artemis reached for her, concerned.

"I'm okay." She got her feet back under her, pushing away from the detective to brace against the walkway rail. Several more breaths. "Thought I might be able to repair the damage." A rueful smile came over her shoulder as she pushed her hair back. "Should have figured it was too much, even with Sphere and Ship to help." The sorceress shook her head, patting her cheeks to refocus. She straightened. "Still, I guess even if repair's out…" They felt the power gather as she inhaled. "Ecrofnier tahw llits sdnats!" The air shimmered, insubstantial ribbons of magic wrapping around the undamaged beams. "That should help a little, at least."

Aqualad rose with the next swell, letting it carry him closer to the rig. "Will it be enough to hold?"

"I don't know. It won't fix the damage but if I did it right it should keep the rest from breaking as fast."

"How long?"

Robin frowned, finger poking at the changes on the model. "Not sure. It's bought us some time but-"

"But," Zatanna took over, "spells this vague? They're hard to predict. If I'd had more prep-time to tailor it, I might be able to give an estimate …"

"It is fine." Another wave lifted the Atlantean, close enough to hear the echoing whine from Sphere's servos. They were straining. He thought he saw the shadowed splinters of a crack starting to spread along the lower deck floor. 'We must do more.' Something more solid, more grounded. His eyes swept the horizon - searching for what, he was not sure. A piece of salvage, anything that could be used as a brace…

Backsplash sent water towards his face. Kaldur flicked the hilts again, blue glow keeping the taint of oil away from his gills. Then stopped. He looked at the ring they made in the sea. Back to the towers.

It was ambitious. Perhaps beyond his reach.

'Try anyway.'

He dived with the next breaker, riding it back beneath the rig, kicking to drive himself deeper underwater. The Atlantean spread the influence of his water-bearers wide, spinning a thick column to carry himself above the surface. It rained back into the waves as he released his hold, leaving only a compressed platform to stand on; he could not afford to worry about keeping his gills clear. He took a breath, plunging the hilts down into the platform, pouring power through the sigils in his arms into the sea below.

Thick serpents of water erupted from the waves, encircling the worst of the damaged towers, wrapping around them like a compression sleeve. A creaking crunch echoed from the structure in return.

"Robin: status report. Will this be enough to hold them?" Aqualad caught a flash of green and blue in the periphery - Miss Martian flying below deck to survey his work.

"…Yeah." The Boy Wonder evaluated. "Yeah, I think it will." A careful pause. "Can you, though?"

Kaldur closed his eyes. Already he could feel his arms straining. Were it Queen Mera, Garth, Tula, even Topo… But a sorcerer he was not. He had chosen to leave his place at the Conservatory, to prioritise his military training, to accompany his King to the surface world. A major magical working, on this scale… "If I must, I will."

A bolt of thought from Phantom. "What if you didn't have to?"

Holding the supports steady was taking most of Aqualad's attention. He spared what little he could, listening to the ghost run his idea through the mindlink.

"That might just-"

"Do you think it will-"

"Worth a shot, right?"

His neck was tense. "Do it."

It felt like a long few seconds before a cool ripple arrived at his shoulder.

"Ready?" Phantom's voice echoed, eyes shifting from green to a solid, ethereal blue. Light through glaciers.

He jerked his chin towards the pillars in affirmation.

A crackle of frost in the air. Kaldur tasted snow, the temperature dropping fast enough to smart his skin. Sharp snaps and squeals sounded as ice overtook the water-snake, spreading down below the surface to lock the support in place.

With relief, Aqualad relaxed his hold on the column. "Robin?"

"It's working. So long as it doesn't melt…"

Condensation billowed around the tower like steam.

"It shouldn't," the ghost spoke. "Well," a hesitation, "it will eventually but it'll hang around longer than the regular stuff."

"How long do we need?" Kaldur directed the question to the detective, turning his focus to the remaining supports.

"Thirty minutes, give or take."

Phantom nodded. "You've got at least that."

"Good." He made eye-contact with the ghost, motioning to the next pillar.

They continued. Now that he was spread less thin, Aqualad could give more attention to each column, ensuring the next was sound before the spirit fixed it in place.

"Dloc dniw wolb!" Unseasonal artic wind raced over the sea, freezing the third before Phantom could reach it.

Up on deck, the Boy Wonder raised his eyebrows at the sorceress.

She grinned at him, "I've been practicing that one."

"Knew there was a reason we kept you around."

The smile widened into a smirk. "And here I thought I was just a pretty face."

He flicked her a smirk of his own. "It's a bonus." Then they were back to business. "How's it looking down there Miss M'?"

Images flickered through their minds are she relayed the information up.

"Okay…" Robin mapped the columns onto his model. "Focus on the west corner - got some load-bearing points in bad shape."

Ice creaked as the pair moved to comply.

"Where next?"

The Boy Wonder ran some calculations. "Still got some damage throughout but I think…" he peered at the model more closely. "Yeah. I think that's enough. We're stable for now."

A sigh of relief was breathed along the rail.

"Alright. I can help Aqualad get back up on deck-"

"Wait, not yet."

"…Is there a problem?" their leader asked warily.

"Not exactly but… right now Ship and Sphere are helping keep things up. So's Zee. We're all going to have to be out of sight before the transport arrives."

Kaldur closed his eyes, stepping off the water platform and onto a slab of ice Phantom helpfully extended from the tower, grateful for the brief reprieve despite the numbing cold underfoot. "Then we must ensure it can hold without the added support."

"Exactly."

"What do you propose?"

The detective pondered for a moment. "Let them down one at a time. Pile on extra ice as needed. Sound okay?"

The Atlantean nodded, sending the ghost a thankful glance before calling the platform back into being. "Proceed. We will monitor."

Sphere and the Bioship began to drop slowly, inching their way out from under the load. Tiny tremors ran through the deck, the towers accepting the weight with a gritty moan. A hairline fracture appeared in the top of one column. Phantom refroze it quickly.

They waited.

"Okay, good. Zee's going to start releasing the magic on the beams. Be ready."

There was a glassy splintering sound as the spell dissipated. Kaldur's first column began to crack, crumbling apart. Above them a strut came loose, plummeting down like a missile - M'gann seized it telepathically, flinging it away from the boys and out into the sea as Aqualad wrapped a new, bigger serpent around the old one, Phantom layering it thickly with ice.

They made a quick circuit of the rest, pouring fresh seams of frost along fault lines, spinning a handful of new bracers where others were beginning to strain.

A second passed.

Then another.

"We're clear. Come back up."

Kaldur let himself sag forward, stretching his back, before turning to his partner with raised eyebrows. Phantom offered a timid grin in return, rubbing the side of his neck. He held out hand.

The Atlantean took it, letting the ghost get an arm around his shoulders, a lightheaded weightlessness overtaking him as they lifted towards the deck.

Miss Martian touched down as they phased through the floor.

"Cool, so," Kid Flash pushed his googles up, running a hand through his hair. "Let's never do that again."

Aqualad closed his eyes against the others' sounds of agreement, taking in the cleaner salt breeze that blew at the walkway's height. The planks were steady beneath him now, although he fancied they were no longer entirely level.

He straightened, calling their attention with a flicker of thought. "The crisis has been averted. But the mission still remains." His eyes turned to the Boy Wonder. "We need to prepare for handover. Including a cover story."

The young detective hummed agreement, model fizzling away as he shook out his arms, pressing his earpiece experimentally. "Still too far out for radio contact." He quirked an eyebrow at the Martian. "Any chance of telepathic contact yet?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. Soon maybe, especially if Uncle J'onn is reaching out too."

He rolled his shoulders. "Guess that gives us some time to get the details straightened out. Transport ship has to stop before it gets too close to the rig anyway - Manhunter and Aquaman head out in front to meet us, we debrief and handover, they decide what they want to tell the response units…" The Boy Wonder peered over the edge at the iced-covered supports. "Not sure how we're going to explain that, though."

A series of glances passed around the group.

Zatanna gave the pillars a speculative look. "How about we give it to Kaldur? I mean," she nodded towards his surprised pause, "you do have a reason to be out here and you did create the supports to start with."

Aqualad pushed back a knee-jerk instinct to protest the credit, slowly turning the suggestion over in his mind. As excuses went it was more than plausible. The exact nature and limitations of his people's powers were not widely-understood above the surface. And even below, "The Conservatory of Sorcery teaches cryo-manipulation at advanced levels." He had seen it himself; watched Lori and Tula fling spears at targets to hone their accuracy, shape delicate sculptures of kelp and coral to practice their fine control. "My own studies did not proceed that far, but…"

"Hey, there we go," Wally clapped his shoulder cheerfully. "Barely even lying at all."

Artemis flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "Creative use of the truth works for me. Better than - well what's the alternative," an eyeroll, "we try selling them on the world's first and smallest summer blizzard?" She threw the Atlantean a sly glance, "If your modesty can handle it, that is."

Kaldur directed an overly-patient sigh toward the both of them. He supposed it was to be expected; they had gone from disaster to safe so fast that even he was a little giddy.

"Okay," Robin was doing a bad job of hiding a grin, "that should be enough of a starting point to work from, at least. Hash out the details when they get here."

"I will let them know."

"So," Miss Martian tilted her face towards the starry sky, "what now?"

"Now… I suppose it's time we make with the clean-up."

There was a collective grimace. Then a nod from their leader.

"Move out."


Compared to everything else the final preparations seemed almost mundane. They swept slowly through the rig, bringing the mostly-unconscious Dragon guards to be cuffed in a neat line along the railing, checking for last-minute traps. All except Aqualad and a freshly-disguised M'gann; the rest of the Team making themselves scarce as he and 'Manhunter' helped Nano down from the bridge to the main room, disappearing back inside to reassure the other workers. There was some dragging of bodies, some lifting of machinery where it had toppled to obscure emergency paths.

Sphere rose above the platform, helpfully rotating to tip her two 'captives' out at their feet.

At the end of the line, Wally hefted Kaldur's commandeered Dragon-suit mask, turning it over with a look of increasing discontent before dropping it to the ground, darting away into the structure. He returned with something red in his hands, holding the leader's vest up for their inspection.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Halloween costume?"

"Souvenir."

"Wasn't he tied to a table?"

"Yeah, and?" the speedster gave a magnificent shrug. "He still is."

A tired wrinkle from the Atlantean. "Were you seen?"

"Nope. Guy was out of it. Besides," Kid Flash shrugged the item on experimentally, colour eye-watering against his stealth-suit, "you know me: moves like a shadow."

The archer and the detective shared a look.

"Sure thing, mister 'ninja-boyfriend'."

He shot a wink her way. "You know it."

She flapped a hand at him, turning back down the rail. "Play dress-up later. Come help me check they're secure."

The redhead waggled his eyebrows at her. "Is that an invitation, babe?"

An exasperated noise was the only answer.

Salt wind blew in from the east. There was a creak from the boards as Conner perked up, moving across the walkway to squint at the horizon.

"Transport's incoming."

M'gann's thoughts shifted. "I just had contact from Uncle J'onn."

Sphere lowered herself, bringing her deck in line with the rail.

The Team began to gather.

"Then it is time we disappear."


"A covert recon and rescue mission." Batman sounded more resigned than annoyed. They weren't sure if that made it worse. "Unless unavoidable, do not engage the enemy."

The Team shifted in their seats.

Kaldur - having extricated himself from the charade on deck - stood to address the projection of their supervisor on the Bioship's display. "We had reason to believe the hostages would be in greater danger without our intervention. And even had we not, the bombs-"

"Could have been uncovered by a wider and more thorough sweep."

Phantom wilted where he sat.

"That's not fair!" Robin protested.

"Isn't it?" the Dark Knight's expression was unrelenting. His eyes moved across the group. "In the field, hyper-focus can be as dangerous as no focus at all. You cannot afford to get so caught up with what's directly in front of you that you fail to notice a bigger threat approaching from behind." The younger detective sank back into his chair as his mentor continued, "I expect the same thing happened with the hostages. Between Phantom and Miss Martian's abilities, you could have incapacitated the guards and secured the door from the inside. But you became fixated on removing them from the room."

There was a long, mortified silence on the bridge. Zatanna pressed disbelieving hands to her face.

Their supervisor let it linger a few more seconds before moving on. "That being said," a breath, "this was a sensitive and volatile situation. And you kept it contained, without major injury to civilians, and without sacrificing your cover. Given the circumstances, you performed adequately."

Given the circumstances. By Batman's standards that was dangerously close to praise

Through the rotated windows they caught a flash of colour; the transport rising on a swell into the floodlights beside the rig.

"Okay so," Artemis cautiously stretched her back. Her chin lifted towards the screen, "what happens from here?"

White mask-lenses flickered in the archer's direction. "With the rig secure and handover complete, your work is finished. From now on Aquaman and Martian Manhunter will act as primary liaisons. They will escort the rescue ship back to port. They will handle the authorities and the media coverage. Aqualad" - the Atlantean straightened to attention - "you will need to accompany them to maintain appearances." A nod. "The ship's on-board medical team is already checking over the workers' injuries. Arrangements are in place for emergency airlift to Manila if necessary, although based on initial reports it's unlikely to be used." The Dark Knight turned, attention called to something off-screen, before resuming, "Once on-shore, the League will continue to support the interrogation of the captured Black Dragons members," he tilted his head in a brief gesture of acknowledgement, "and investigation of their suppliers. As for the rig itself…" the Team tensed at the sigh, "a structural and mechanical assessment will need to be conducted before operations can resume. While not the result of your actions today, this incident has reignited old debates about the appropriateness and viability of the Zijilker project. If the damage proves too extensive, or repairs too expensive, it may be decommissioned."

Silence fell in frown-lines as they processed the news. Uneasy glances flittered across the space.

"But, then," M'gann hesitated, "if the rig shuts down… wouldn't that mean the Dragons won? That the mission failed?"

Batman considered her for a moment. "Perhaps, in one way of thinking. But things are rarely that black and white. You're not here to score points against your enemies. You're here to prevent harm. To help the people who need it. And you did." He looked up from the Martian, shifting to address the Team as a whole. "Take the win."

They blinked.

Their supervisor was already moving on. "Full report and debrief at Mount Justice once all persons are confirmed on-shore." His gaze swept the group, homing in on two members, "Aqualad, you and Miss Martian should also debrief with Black Canary regarding the hostage negotiation. These situations can be challenging." The pair nodded. "Are there any questions before then?"

A ripple of shrugs moved through the Bioship. At the back, Sphere beeped ambivalently.

It was Kaldur who answered. "None that cannot wait."

"Then we'll talk more on your return. Batman out."

The screen went dark.

Zatanna lowered her hands, resting elbows on her knees with a crooked smile. "Sounds so easy when he says it."

A laugh from the Boy Wonder. "Always does."

There was a less happy movement from the seat behind. He turned. "You alright P'?"

The ghost grimaced. "Yeah, I just - I feel so stupid." He made a frustrated noise, covering his own face with a hand. "Of course I could've just knocked the guys out, why didn't I think of that?"

"None of us did," Aqualad countered steadily. "And you are new to this Team. New especially to how we operate on missions. No one here is expected to solve every problem singlehanded." His hand made a conciliatory motion. "And any one of us could have realised. But in the moment, we all fell into the same trap."

Phantom acknowledged him with a small shrug, shoulders still slumped, unconvinced.

"You did fine," M'gann piped up from the pilot's seat. "Everyone slips a little starting out. Believe me," the corner of her mouth quirked ruefully; an echo of old embarrassment. She let a smile wash it away. "I made much bigger mistakes my first time."

He stilled, catching a tiny piece of the smile and shining it shyly back. She counted it as a success.

In front of him, Zatanna stretched. "And anyway," she leaned back, "it wasn't like there were no benefits to what we picked." She sent the Atlantean a lazy grin. "If you want to act like I'm your boss some more, I won't say no."

It earned her a dry look. "I believe the phrase is: don't push it."

Robin snickered. "Besides," the detective flopped artlessly against the side of his own chair, peering over his shoulder at the spirit, "you can't feel too bad. After all, was your ice that ended up being the saving throw for the mission."

A quiet chorus of agreement.

Phantom coughed, thumbing his collar as he glanced away. "I'm just happy it worked." His ears were green. "Don't think anyone wanted a surprise swim-class today."

"Hear, hear," mumbled the archer.

Aqualad nodded in time with her, hand lifting to his own neck. Despite his best attempts he could still feel a grimy smear of oil on his gills.

"In any case, this mission would not have progressed the same without your assistance."

Artemis kicked the back of Wally's chair.

"Yeah, yeah," the speedster offered impatiently, "you did alright. You know," he seemed compelled to add, "for a rookie."

The ghost straightened just enough to roll his eyes at him.

Kaldur's earpiece buzzed. He came to attention as he pressed it, listening to the chatter from above.

The Boy Wonder raised an eyebrow. "Enter Aqualad, stage right?"

An amused hum. "Something of the sort." He sent a nod around the bridge, "I will meet you back at the Cave for debrief." The Atlantean headed towards the rear of the ship, Sphere rolling obligingly aside to clear a path to the hatch.

On impulse, he paused beside the ghost. Green eyes watched him questioningly.

"I know it has been said before but," there was a sense of tradition as Aqualad extended a hand. After a moment, Phantom shook it. "Welcome to the Team."


Oh hey, would you look at that! And it's only been… oh goodness how long since the last update? Whoops.

Please accept this episode-length chapter as an apology. At over 40 pages long and comprising nearly 25% of YJ:DW's total length at the time of this release, I hope you will find it sufficient.

And so we have our first mission! This one's a bit filler-y (part of why it took such a while to come together) but from here the real meat of Arc II starts rolling so hang on.

For anyone wondering, the Black Dragons aren't my creation - they're a loose interpretation of the Black Dragon Society that appears as one-off bit villains for DC's Power Company. Were they mostly Easter Eggs that let me establish a status quo and ice over an oil rig? Maybe. Easter Eggs are fun.

I also just want to give a quick shoutout to the fandom and IRL friends who helped out with a beta-check on some parts of the chapter I was a bit worried about. Thanks guys!

And now, housekeeping:

This chapter has some concept art which you can find here:
threewaysdivided . tumblr post / 677069427341131776

A few people have asked about Danny's powers in the last chapter. There's a detailed answer on my blog for anyone interested:
threewaysdivided . tumblr post / 620141157148672000
The short version is that Danny's powers are somewhat vaguely defined and a bit inconsistent, so to keep things strategically interesting and not story-breaking we'll mostly be sticking to the ones that came up in the training session. (Plus, since this is a fanfic I know that most of you already know this stuff in detail and don't need to sit through a wiki-recitation.) As for Word of God additions made by Butch Hartman post-series, I tend to take a "Death of the Author" approach so anything that isn't present in the actual canon of either show will be ignored unless I personally think it's interesting and relevant to the story I'm telling.

On a slightly sadder note, having now familiarised myself with the plot of YJ Outsiders, I've made the decision to fully break YJ:DW away from the continuity of YJ canon post the end of Season 1 (including later reveals/retcons).
Long explanation here: threewaysdivided . tumblr post / 612297182277746688
Elaborated in breakdown posts here: threewaysdivided . tumblr post / 669594338309898240
The short of it is that I narratively disagree with the majority of the writing choices, it effectively guts and in places directly contradicts the themes, mysteries, personal arcs and plot points set up by the first season, destroys my ability to believe in the cast as friends or even valued colleagues, actively undoes everything they worked to achieve, and I find the people the Season 1 characters are supposed to become to be a mix of hypocritical, unlikeable, unbearably tragic or completely hollow.

If you enjoy the revival then more power to you - I'm glad it brings you joy, and I don't mean for this to diminish that (I think I even envy you a little). But this was my experience and, for me, the idea of dooming these kids to that fate is just… deeply depressing. Deathly Weapons will continue and I'm happy to talk about how elements of the broader DCU might fit into the DW-verse but, personally, at least as far as canon is concerned… I think this is it. I think Young Justice is over.

But the fic' must go on! I have at least 8 more missions planned, along with character moments, which means there'll be content to come for a while yet.

So, if you'll have me, come along. I'll tell you a story. Even if the eventual heat-death of the universe is starting to become a legitimate threat to my writing speed.

I can be found on Tumblr (threewaysdivided) between chapters so feel free to come visit - my ask box is open any time.

See you in the next one.

-3WD


POSTSCRIPT: WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME

As you may be aware, FFN has been showing some serious site functionality problems of late in terms of page-breaking ads, loss of email notifications for updates/reviews/PMs, clunky firewalls and captcha blocks, profile security issues and other concerns. (I actually had to change browsers just to access my account and post this). There's been some pretty convincing arguments that the site may not remain up (or at least, not in a functionally useable state) for much longer.

I have an account on Archive of Our Own - username ThreeWaysDivided - where all current chapters of YJ:DW (as well as the Defining Moment oneshot) are being cross-posted. I'll be continuing to post both there and here until such time as FFN stops being usable but if things go down you'll be able to find my writing on AO3.

As mentioned, I also have a Tumblr under the same handle. If you have any questions you want answered, you're probably best asking me there since the broken email system means PMs and reviews don't trigger alerts like they used to.

In the meantime, you may want to consider saving backup copies of your FFN-exclusive favourite stories, as well as making backups of your own works for any writers who write directly into the FFN draft system. There are a number of browser-based and downloadable apps that you can use to quickly download stories from the site (I use the aptly named FanFictionDownloader). You can also print/save to PDF any review pages you want to keep since most story downloaders don't capture those.

Take care of yourselves out there.