Sylvia Wayne "Wildcat"

Mt. Justice

August 8th, 2010

"Hello, Megan. We should hit the beach every day." M'gann said, excited about it finally being warm enough outside to do this. She had a boogie board in hand and a yellow bikini with shorts on. She mimicked mine for all but the color, black.

"First, a moment of silence for our absent comrade." Robin said as he bowed his head. He just looked odd with his towel hanging from the back of his neck like a scarf.

"Poor Wally." M'gann looked down at the ground, but I had to hold back a laugh. All I needed to do was rub it in Kid Mouth's face when he got back from school, after we've already finished the Beach Day. We all just dropped our stuff and ran in, Robin immediately splashing M'gann and I as Superboy waited on the beach. Out of nowhere, he got this smirk.

"Oh no you don't!" I squealed with laughed, trying to move away from the others. But it was too late, he jumped high into the air and came crashing down into the water, curled up for a cannonball. The splash was near impossible to avoid. M'gann and I just laughed as our hair dripped with cold seawater.

After a bit, I grilled hotdogs for everyone, being sure to toast the buns and add the right amount of condiments for Superboy, M'gann and Kaldur. Rob and I ditched the buns since we still had to avoid carbs the most of the day to be at the top of our game with Batman. After Lunch, the Volleyball game commenced, and since there was an odd number of people, I volunteered to be referee and keep score. I just kept thinking about how Wally was in gym right about now, probably getting his butt kicked in dodgeball since he had to play down how fast he really was.

The day went on as I laid out to tan, but was sucked back into the fun as we started to bury Superboy. He just took a nap as Kaldur kept a bucket full of water so we could pack it all down tight. The small mountain of sand made it at least four feet high when Supey finally woke up, laughing at what we did. It was nice to see him actually being a teenager for once. But our beach day soon came to a close, with the sun beginning to set. As the sky grew orange, M'gann used her telekinesis to take a photo of all five of us with the water in the background. After that, we all went inside and got cleaned up, the request for us to suit up echoing over the intercom of the Cave. When I emerged into the mission room with my cowl up and my hair in a ponytail braid, Green Arrow, Batman, Red Tornado, and someone new were standing in the center of the holopad.

Recognized:

Kid Flash B03.

"The wall-man is here! Now let's get this party star-" I couldn't help but laugh as Wally walked in, clad in his bathingsuit and carrying all of his beach stuff, then proceeded to trip, faceplanting in front of everyone, his beach ball bouncing past Batman, who was not amused. "-ted." He said in defeat, the sunglasses on his face crooked and falling into the sunscreen on his nose.

"Wall-man, huh? I love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?" The new girl asked, a mischievous look plastered to her face. I recognized the midriff uniform and compound bow. This was the girl from our Battle with Amazo. They found her.

"Uh, who's this?" Wally asked, wiping the sunscreen from his nose.

"Artemis, your new teammate." She smiled, making herself look entitled as the Leaguers stayed quiet, letting her handle her own introduction.

"Kid Flash. Never heard of you." Wally smiled, putting his hands on his hips, the blonde girl just narrowing her look at the half dressed speedster. I was doing my best to hold back laughter.

"Um, she's my new protege." Green Arrow informed, stepping forward to put a hand on her shoulder.

"What happened to your old one?" Wally asked, and almost as if on cue, the computer announced a Zeta arrival.

Recognized:

Speedy B07.

"Well, for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow." He walked in, his new uniform looking a lot better on him that the old english robin hood suit.

"How original." I muttered under my breath, Superboy chuckling quietly as he was the only one who heard.

"Roy. You look-" Green Arrow was smiling, approving of what Speedy had done, but he wasn't having it.

"Replaceable." He said, looking right at Artemis and her green bow.

"It's not like that. You told me you were going solo." Green Arrow explained. I figured he and Batman found her, taking her in to make sure she stayed out of trouble from trying to strike out on her own. G.A. was the obvious choice for her mentor.

"So why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow?" Roy snapped, glaring at the petite but built girl. She just pursed her lips.

"Yes, she can." Artemis stepped up to him, closing in on his personal space and she got on her tip toes, almosts purposefully trying to get on his nerves. I was beginning to like this girl.

"Who are you?" Wally raised his voice, completely confused about where this girl came from and why he had never heard about her before.

"I'm his niece." "She's my niece." Artemis and Green Arrow both spoke at exactly the same time. I figured this wouldn't be the time to bring up how I knew her considering they were lying about who she was.

"Another niece?" Robin questioned, crossing his arms and he took in the whole situation.

"But she is not your replacement. We have always wanted you on the team, and we have no quota on archers." Aqualad stepped forward, trying to welcome Red Arrow, but the redhead just stepped back, facing the rest of the tea,.

"And if we did, you know who we'd pick." Wally tried to make Red Arrow feel better about the situation, but I elbowed him in the ribs.

"But the more long range fighters we can get, the better our chances." I said angrily, looking right at Wally, but this time, he was ignoring me.

"Whatever, baywatch. I'm here to stay." Artemis glared at Wally, knowing she didn't have anything to prove to him.

"I like her." I smiled, looking at Robin. He and M'gann seemed to be on the same page that I was.

"You came to us for a reason." Aqualad got us back on track, getting my hopes up for a mission.

"Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette." Red Arrow said gruffly. Robin and I immediately looked to each other in shock. We knew who this woman was, even met her at a presentation at Wayne Tech.

"Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert At royal university in star city!" robin got excited as he used his holocomputer to pull up the majority of her files and display them at a much larger scare for everyone else.

"Vanished two weeks ago." I said darkly, looking at the police report.

"Abducted two weeks ago by the League of Shadows." Red Arrow corrected. After these last few moments, I realized he was just as serious and angry as he was the last time I saw him at the Hall of Justice.

"Whoa. You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin asked, but I just rolled my eyes.

"Hard-core." Wally and Rob fist bumped each other, but Row walked closer to the holocomputer to display something.

"I already rescued her." He lifted a device as it uploaded the information he brought with him. "Only one problem. The shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon. Doc calls it the fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots, nanotech infiltrators capable of disintegrating anything in their path, concrete, steel, flesh, bone." He explained as we all looked at the diagrams and models of the nanotech. "But its true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and tech." He finished. Artemis looked up at the ceiling like she was thinking.

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking." She counted off on her fingers. "Yeah. Sounds like the Shadows." She just looked back gravely, like there was an underlying meaning to the tone of her voice. Wally was just getting angrier with her, his hands on her hips.

"Like you know anything about the Shadows."Wally smirked, thinking she was lying, but she just gave him the snide look. "Who are you?!" He raised his voice, whipping his arms behind him as he struggled to figure this girl out.

"Keep going the way you're going and he might pop a vessel." I smirked and I stood next to Artemis. She was the kind of person I wanted in battle with me. She was quick and knew how to use it to get under people's skins as a tactic. Red Arrow just glared at me, continuing his briefing for us.

"Roquette's working on a virus to render the fog inert." He spoke harshly, hoping we were understanding him so far, the blonde archer already putting him on edge.

"But if the Shadows know she can do that…" Robin was pulling on more puzzle pieces as he always did. He was always the detective side of Batman, while I was the fear and the Attack dog… well in my case, cat.

"They'll target her. Right now, she's off the grid. I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab." Red explained, showing an image of Happy Harbor High School where M'gann and Superboy were going to attend in just a few weeks.

"You left her alone?" Not realizing that he was making the former protege seem incompetent.

"She's safe enough for now." Red snapped, his inner fiery ginger bleeding through in his speech.

"Then let's you and I keep her that way." Green Arrow was trying so hard to get Red back on track, but I was starting to think that Roy was doing just fine on his own, single handedly rescuing Roquette from the League of Shadows.

"You and I? Don't you wanna take your new protege?" Red just looked at the Blonde girl with disdain.

"You brought this to the team. It's their mission, which means it's hers now, too." Green Arrow defended, Batman finally stepping in and putting a hand on G.A.'s shoulder, giving him one look that said it all: Back down. Green Arrow just took a step back, looking at his former protege.

"Then my job's done." He just walked away, leaving us with a mission in our laps.

Recognized:

Speedy-

"That's Red Arrow B07. Update." He interrupted the computer before it teleported him away. Wally just glared at Artemis, but she held her ground.

Happy Harbor High School

I felt a wave roll through my mind like in Santa Prisca. We were all in the school, everyone in the lab with Roquette minus Miss Martian, Superboy and I. The three of us were on the roof, keeping an eye out for Shadows.

Everyone online? I heard M'gann in my mind. Superboy and I looked to her and nodded.

"Ohh. This is weird." I head Artemis say. It was odd not being in the same room with the people I was listening to.

And distracting. Roquette commented. Coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer With less ram than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen-think in my skull? Her complaining wasn't helping us at all either.

Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you? Kid Flash genuinely asked, but it was just the wrong time to mentally open up his big mouth.

Pot, kettle. Have you met? Artemis mocked him, finally irritating me as well.

Hey, hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the Team. Wally snapped at her, and he wasn't even correct.

That is so not on me. Artemis raised her voice as I took a big whiff of the air around me, checking for foreign bodies.

Fate of the world at stake. Dr. Roquette was losing focus.

Now, now children, let's try to get along, shall we? I chided them with sarchasm.

She started it. Kid tried to defend himself, but I just sighed, leaping off the roof to sweep the perimeter. Miss Martian and Superboy followed suit.

How 'bout I just help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter. Artemis backed down, aggravated with Kid Mouth.

Good idea. Aqualad agreed, ready for the squabbling to end.

You might cut her some slack. It was her arrow saved your butt against Amazo. Robin finally told KF.

That's actually true. I laughed into the link.

What? No, that was Speedy's... I mean Red Arrow's arrow, right? Kid was desperate to believe his own truth.

Not so much. Robin shut down the misguided belief.

I mean the arrow was green. I reminded him, walking to the door to greet Artemis.

Well, still not giving her the satisfaction. Kid was forgetting that everyone on the Team was in the psychic link.

You know I can still hear you. Artemis reminded him as she made her way to us outside.

I couldn't get the Justice League. Roquette complained once again. I kept getting set off by the sounds of animals. I was much more used to an urban setting.

The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon. Can you track it? Aqualad asked with a hint of hope to stopping it.

My utility fog is not a weapon. It's science, brilliant science, And of course I can track it, but I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'assassinate me' written in neon. She wasn't to keen on putting herself in danger. But if she was safe anywhere, it was here.

We will protect you. Aqualad promised in a serious tone.

Tracking the fog now. She suddenly said into the link. Superboy and I both whipped our heads around to the sound of birds taking off. I stayed as he jumped up onto the building, landing over by the opening in the fence guarded by M'gann and Artemis.

Mmm… That boy. I heard come from the new archer. I physically cringed.

Oh my god you didn't just… I face palmed before getting back to my patrol.

He can hear you. M'gann snapped. We can all hear you. She was very defensive of Superboy, but he was a little too thick skulled to realize it.

Oh, I know. Artemis seemed to be enjoying herself too much to care.

Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located the fog. Reconfigure the Bioship so that Robin and Superboy can pursue. Aqualad ordered as I finally caught a scent.

Ready. M'gann prepared the Bioship. The second I heard it take off, I used the noise to cover the sound of my jumping over the fence. I leapt into a tree and swung from branch to branch, balancing my weight and palming the bark to ensure I didn't make a sound, not even rustle the leaves. I was getting closer and closer to the scent.

You embarrassed Superboy. M'gann said as I was trying to focus, the source I was tracking kept moving.

Didn't hear him say that. Artemis was completely nonchalant

Must you challenge everyone? M'gann no longer seemed angry, so much as curious to the archer's behavior.

Where I come from, that's how you survive. Artemis replied as I growled into the link.

Will you two shut up for a second? I'm tracking someone. I snarled, aggravated that they were now the two arguing. Heading into the school. I reported, making my way through the hallways of the massive high school. The scent detoured to the pool but came back out again and continued toward Roquette and the others. I was just about to get to them, but I realized There was another scent leading into the pool but didn't come back. It was Wally's. I sprinted back as fast as I could.

M'gann, Kid, Wildcat, Artemis. We are under attack in the computer lab. Aqualad said into the link. But I ignored him, finding Wally face down, floating in the pool.

On our way. M'gann replied as I dove in, swimming for Kid before dragging him out of the water. My uniform was soaked as I sloshed down to him. I put my ear to his mouth and couldn't hear him breathing. There was a heartbeat, but it was slowing. My training took over as I put my hands on his chest, pumping as his lips were turning blue.

"One, two, three…" I counted before going down to give him air. My lips connected with his as I huffed air into his water damaged lungs. I started pumping again, giving him air every three pumps. "Come on Wally," I was becoming less and less optimistic, my eyes watering. But finally, after I puffed air into his mouth once again, his body shuttered as shot up, allowing him to sputtered water out of his mouth. "You're alive." I breathed, leaning back onto my hands.

"Did… you just... give me mouth to mouth?" He asked as he caught his breath, a small smirk growing on his face. I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh shut up." I said, helping him up before we ran off to Roquette and the others. The assassin threw a smoke bomb the second we arrived, I dove straight through, my claws out. I made contact before the smoke cleared.

"Gone." Kid Flash said

"She's getting away! You're letting her get away!" Dr. Roquette was freaking out, but Aqualad just looked at her like he really wanted her to realize what we were doing for her.

"This is all your fault! You were on perimeter! How'd that Shadow get in?!" Kid Flash yelled at Artemis, but I stepped in between the two of them.

"KF, it's my fault. I was tracking the shadow, I doubled back and went to help you instead. Or I could have left you to drown in that pool and fought an assassin that still could have escaped." I said, immediately calming him down.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." He started to blush, looking at the floor as his embarrassment got the better of him.

"Focus, everyone. The shadows will be back." Aqualad ordered, keeping close to the Doctor.

"Robin to Aqualad. We're over Philadelphia. We've located the shadows' next target, Star Labs. We're too late. It's destroyed, totally destroyed. The fog decimated it. This is bad. Star Labs is cutting-edge science, and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy. What's our next move?" Robin asked with a shocked and angry tone.

"Rescan for that fog. Find it. We're moving the Doctor." Aqualad ordered. Everyone packed up and we got moving.

Stop it, both of you. Aqualad said from outside.

What? Artemis and Kid asked at nearly the exact same time.

I can hear you glaring. Aqualad said before he commenced with his part of the plan. Out of nowhere, the doors burst open and an assassin I recognized and Black Spider swung in. I leapt forward and mimicked his stance. Before I could attack, he jumped to the ceiling. Kid Flash threw a metal garbage can as the Shadow dropped. I got close enough and engaged him in hand to hand combat.

"Don't stop working." Artemis ordered the fake Roquette as Kid and I fought Spider. She was firing arrows and some weird shadow with a retractable hook. I noticed the female shadow fire a mini crossbow, but a bookcase blocked the shot.

"Martian's here. It's now or never." The woman ordered. I left Kid with Spider to attack the female.

"Ready for more?" I asked, ejecting my claws and preparing to attack. I lunged, attempting to swipe at the pre-existing gashed I gave her before. But she threw a shuriken after shuriken at me, the same kind she knocked out Aqualad with at the school. I thought I dodged them all when I went to grab her, but she tackled me. She grabbed my jaw and jammed a shuriken into the only unprotected area of my costume. She threw my near limp body to the floor as my vision grew dark.

"We've been duped!" Is the last thing I heard the woman say as she realized that the Roquette here was Miss Martian. Everything faded to black. I started coming to after someone tripped over me.

"I got mine!" I heard M'gann celebrating.

"Great. Uh, little help?" Wally said. I just barely was able to move my head, seeing him tied up on the red webbing of Black Spider, who was passed out on the floor. I watched as M'gann freed Kid Flash.

"Hey, where'd Wildcat go?" I heard M'gann ask Kid. I could barely move and my vision was blurry. I couldn't feel my mouth.

"Over… here…" I said, the majority of my body behind the desk. Kid and M'gann rushed over to me and helped me up. KF just started laughing.

"You're drooling." He said, M'gann whipping the saliva and blood off my face.

"Never speak… of this… to anyone…" I said coldly and He scooped me up into his arms and ran for Aqualad and Roquette, Miss Martian tailing behind us. I was so numb that I couldn't feel his arms on my back and legs.

"Artemis, where's the assassin?" I heard Aqualad ask, Roquette supporting him. The assassin must have gotten him aswell, but I was faring much worse than he was.

"She, uh… she got away." Artemis sighed, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"Oh, from you? Oh, big surprise. Notice we got ours." Kid said as M'gann hovered over head with Black Spider and Hook in her telekinetic grasp. "Cool. Souvenir." Kid celebrated as he managed to bend down and grab the assassin's mask and setting it on my stomach as I fought to keep my mouth closed.

"Her mask? Did you see her, her face?" Aqualad asked as he pulled the darts out of his stomach. He was already walking on his own.

"It was dark." Artemis turned her back to everyone, suddenly sounding not so big and bad anymore.

"It is fine. Robin and Superboy neutralized the fog, and Dr. Roquette is safe. Thanks in no small part to you. Welcome to the team." She turned back around and smiled. Aqualad shook her hand.

"I've always wanted a sister. Here on Earth, I mean. I have 12 back on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same." M'gann smiled putting a hand on Artemis's shoulder.

"I... wouldn't know. But thanks." Artemis smiled as she lied. I heard her heart beat falter, but I just let it go. She probably has a good reason.

"Ow. Yeah. Welcome." Wally said as M'gann elbowed him.

"I'd shake... you're hand... or something but…" I said with a crookedly numb smile as I began to feel a sensation in my cheeks and fingers, making the Team laugh a bit. We all waited together, waiting for the proper authorities to take Hook and Black Spider into custody. After a while, Kid took me back to the Medical Bay in the mountain, having Red Tornado aid in filtering the toxin out of my bloodstream with a series of IV fluids. Once it was all over and I could stand, I pulled off my cowl, stretching out my stiff muscles. Wally went to walk out of the room, but stopped in the door.

"Thanks, you know, for saving me." He went to leave but I spoke up.

"I'd do it again if I had to." He turned around and faced me in the doorway. Neither of us had anything to say, well, anything we knew how to say. We just stood there, locked in eye contact, green meeting green. Nothing changed, no smiled or irritated demeanors, we just stood there, completely serene.

Author's note: Hi! I know I keep leaving these at the ends of chapters, but if you've made it this far, please review! It would really help to hear some feedback.