Hey, guys! Just a heads up, this is a rather short chapter, but the next one will make up for it. Like always, I do not own YJ.

Special thanks to SQUALO KING and ComparedDread12! They are so awesome and supportive of the story. They've even helped inspire chapters that will come further down the road.

Mind link

Inner thoughts

Unison

The Caribbean Sea| 20:08 ECT, July 22nd, 2010

As I gaze at the sea stretching out in front of us, I allow my mind to go blank. I haven't spoken to the team much since the Mister Twister fiasco. Not that I wanted to avoid the team, but Robin, Wally, and Kaldur somehow found out about the Roy situation that ensued the same night. Speedy might have told one of them but I'm not sure who. Thankfully, no one blames me, and if anything, Kaldur feels incredibly guilty about the events. He even went on to apologize to my dad although it wasn't his fault.

Robin assured me that no one except the four of us knows about the situation, which I'm thankful for. However, Wally is still upset with the fact he isn't allowed near the apartment. He claims to be the innocent redhead of the group; thus, a rule change is overdue. Both Kaldur and Robin shot that idea down before my dad could even get a word in. Speaking about my dad, ever since then, he's decided to keep me home for a while until things cooled down. Thankfully, the Hawks haven't found out. Something I know Green Arrow is thankful about considering my mom's temper.

Still, that's in the past, and what I need to focus on is the present. Right now, we're heading to Santa Prisca to investigate the disappearance of Bane and his goons. The regular drug supply from the island has stopped shipment for some time now, confusing the Bat. So, he's sending our team to investigate the issue. The only problem we're facing is a missing leader.

When the mission was first assigned, Batman made it clear that we should decide on a leader, but no one is in agreement on who it should be. With no definite leader, the mission has become complicated in the worst way. Only time will tell if we will be able to sort it out in time.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca," Miss Martian says, interrupting my train of thought. "Drop Zone A in 30."

Aqualad stands from his seat and pushes the A on his uniform to convert the colors to stealth mode. Once we see the island over the horizon, Miss M changes the BioShip to camouflage mode and creates an opening for Kaldur. Aqualad drops through the hole and sinks into the water. Moments later, we hear his voice over the comms.

"Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move-in."

We fly by Aqualad's position and move to drop zone B. When M'gann announces our arrival, we rise to our feet as the chair simultaneously vanishes from their places. Both Robin and Kid Flash attach themselves to a line so they can descend from the BioShip. Kid Flash uses this time to change his uniform to stealth mode and demonstrating it to Miss M as the rest of us prepare for the drop.

I give the team another moment before gathering their attention. "Is everyone ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Good, let's go," I order the team, signaling for Rob and KF to drop. After M'gann drops, I look towards Superboy. "Go ahead; I'll be right behind you."

The Kryptonian nods as he jumps through the hole. I soon follow and grab the teen before he can hit the ground. Gently, I ease us onto the jungle floor before smacking the boy on the head.

"You may not need a line, but I will force you to wear one next time if you pull a stunt like that again."

"What did I do?"

"You were about to make a loud sound that goes against the covert part of the mission. Unless you want to get caught, I suggest working on your landing from here on out." I growl at the boy as I press my comm. "Aqualad, Drop B is a go."

"Head to the factory. I'll track your GPS and meet you ASAP."

"Roger that," Robin replies as he brings up a Holo-map on his glove.

"Robin, take the lead of the pack," I motion to the boy. "SB will cover our six, and the rest of us will remain in the middle. Stay within the formation and don't separate under any circumstances."

"C'mon, War," Robin snickers. "We know what to do." I send a glare at the boy, warning him not to test my patience. I hear him gulp before making another comment. "But, um, thanks for the reminder."

"Let's go," I command, and we take off in the direction of the factory.

For the most part, the entire team is quiet as we travel. I pay a lot of attention to where I'm walking since I don't want to snag my wings on a low-hanging branch. My mother always told me the best way to get caught is to leave evidence behind, so to avoid future problems, I keep my wings close to my body. I can't absorb them into my body at the moment since I need to be ready to take off at any second. Speaking of taking off, Aqualad should be joining us soon.

"Aqualad, what's your eta," I ask, pressing my comm.

"Eta 5 minutes."

"Roger that," I confirm before calling to the boy wonder. "Robin, what's our position?"

"We're a mile out from the factory."

"Good, once Aqualad joins us, we should be able to quicken our pace."

"Great," Kid Flash exclaims in a whisper. "Because this is taking too long."

"Patience is key, Kid."

"Y'know what I mean, War. At this pace, we'll never get there."

"And that's why you can't keep a girl, minute man."

"HEY!"

"SH!" Robbin shushes his best friend behind his grin. "Be quiet, KF."

"But-"

"Did you hear that?" Superboy interrupts, freezing to the spot. I ignore KF's response in favor of listening to our surroundings. Paying close attention, I can hear multiple footsteps in the distance, but it's too difficult to distinguish.

"Yeah, I can hear them, but there's too much noise to make out how many."

"So," Kid Flash slowly comments. "This is a super hearing thing."

"No, it's an everyday life thing," I snark at the red-head, poking him hard on the forehead. "Yes, it's a super hearing thing!"

"Sheesh, sorry! So what now?"

"Now we- where's Robin?"

"Huh? He's right behind me," KF said, but after turning 360 degrees, he still can't see the youngest of our group and groans in annoyance. "Man, I hate it when he does that."

"Same," I agree before calling Aqualad. "Rob ditched us, and we have incoming."

"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared, see if you're being tracked."

The two boys move into position to scope out the area while Miss M and I cover them. After a moment of silence, Kid finally spots them. "Got a squad of armed bozos incoming."

"Two squads," SB corrects the speedster. "But they'll meet each other before they find us."

Seconds later, gunfire sounds in the distance, alerting us of the fight between the two parties.

"No super-hearing required now."

"Swing wide, steer clear."

"Yeah, yeah, just as soon as I find Rob."

"No, Kid-" Before I can finish my statement, Kid Flash runs off. "...Let's follow him..."

"But, Aqualad said to steer clear."

"I know Miss M, but KF is going to slip and fall any second now, and we have to save him."

"She's right," SB adds, still squinting at the field in front of him. Most likely, he's still using his infrared vision to keep track of Kid Flash. "He just fell, and he's sliding in their direction."

I facepalm as I run in KF's direction. "Take everyone out! Don't allow any of them to escape!"

"Got it!"

"Okay!"

Together, the three of us run towards the gunshot in time to save Kid blunder from harm. At the same time that I knock out two of the assailants, Robin finally appears from the trees to join the fight.

"What's wrong with you guys? Remember covert? Why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?"

As he and KF start arguing about Robins disappearance, the rest of us finish off the criminals. One of the armed thugs tries to escape, but Aqualad comes in to finish him off by electrocuting him. "I believe he is the last one."

"Pretty much," I respond to the Atlantean. "We took out the rest."

"Very well, let's tie them to the trees. Remove any communicators and weapons from them."

"You heard the man, get a move on!"

Within ten minutes, we have the entire group of criminals tied to the trees. We confiscate the weapons along with their communicators to destroy them. Then after a headcount, we report back to Aqualad.

"There's about 20 goons in total."

"Yeah, but they have different uniforms," KF points out to the men in red and those with darker clothes. "So, who are we dealing with."

"I recognize those uniforms," Robin speaks up. "They belong to the Cult of the Kobra."

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa's Prisca's Venom operation," Aqualad remarks to Robin.

"Agreed, and since there's no love lost between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting they came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."

"We get it," KF groans. "Kobra wanted super cultist. Radio Bats, and we'll be home in time for-"

"These cultists aren't on Venom! Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave. Not until I know why."

"Until you know why?"

"This team needs a leader!"

Soon an argument develops between the two friends, 'causing me to groan before finally succumbing to a facepalm. "Great, now I'm going to have a headache hearing them argue."

"Perhaps, Robin is right," Aqualad tells me. "Thus far, we have encountered several obstacles due to not having a leader."

"Agreed, but our fabulous leader doesn't seem to want the position."

"Who is that? From what I've noticed, quite a few wish to become the leader."

I remain silent as I look at Aqualad with a stare of disbelief. After a moment, the Atlanteans' eyes widen with realization; however, I cut him off before he speaks. "Listen, you already have a military background, experience, and a level head when it comes to situations like this. I don't think there is a better leader in our group than you."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I don't think so."

"Why not? You are strong, versatile, experienced, and quite commanding. With the various education you've endured with the Thanagarians during your youth and the Green Lanterns in the latter years, I believe you qualify as an acceptable leader."

"Although your words flatter me, I'd have to refuse. I'm not the leader type. I'm more of a soldier or a righthand to the big guy. Something my mom trained me to be."

"Right hand? Is that what you said?"

"Yeah, a right hand. For example, if you become the leader, I would be your right hand. I'd make sure the rest of the team stay's in line, or gather the information you need. If you need a job done, then you'd turn to me."

"Meaning, you would stop those two if I asked?" Aqualad jokingly inquires as he points to our younger friends.

Looking up to him, I take a step closer and speak. "Darling, you don't even have to ask."

Marching to the two idiots, I grab both their heads and smash them together. I don't put enough force behind it to cause an injury, but there's plenty of strength to hurt the duo and halt the argument. As the two fall onto their butts, they look up to stare at me in horror and shock.

"Knock it off," I growl in a low voice as my wings stretch out slightly. "Stop arguing in front of the enemy... it's embarrassing!"

"Sorry, War," KF apologized, but Robin glares instead.

"Why'd you hit us?"

"Because, Robin, you won't listen otherwise. Now stop arguing so we can move on. Unless you want to go home?"

"Wait, you think we should stay?" Kid asked, standing up to face me. "What happened to calling Bat's?"

"The thing is, Rob has a point, Kid Flash. Batman asked us to figure out why the shipments have stopped, so we need to figure that part out before heading back. Thus far, we only know Kobra is involved, but not the reason behind their involvement. The mission is far from over."

"Such a clever Pajarito," Bane laughs, catching the team's attention. "It's true you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

Miss Martian steps up from the group to gather our missing intel from the villain. Kneeling in front of Bane, M'gann's eyes begin to glow green as she attempts to read his mind. "There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something."

"Ah, ah, ah chica," Bane counters with a grin. "Bane is not that easy."

Slowly, Miss Martian grows frustrated before losing all of her concentration with a groan. "He's mentally reciting fùtbol scores en Español. This could take a while."

"Eh, don't bother Miss M," I comment, putting a hand on her shoulder as I squat beside her. "He's dealt with the League plenty of time, including your uncle J'onn. He knows how to get past telepaths, so it's pointless to keep going."

"Haha, you must be the true leader of the group, Pajarito."

"No, pero sì entiendo que confiar en usted es lo mismo que confiar en una serpiente."

The amusement in Bane's eyes vanishes the moment I speak Spanish. Now glaring at me, he becomes rigid and firm. "Very well, Parajirto. I see you are not one to play games, but neither are these men you will have to meet. So, let's make un trato."

"Fine, name it."

"Te llevarè a mi fàbrica y, en cambio, ayudaras a sacar la basura."

"Superboy, watch them for me," I call out to the boy as my eyes never waver from Banes'. Rising from my position, I walk to the other side of the clearing with Aqualad. Robin and Kid Flash follow us, but Miss Martian remains by Superboy's side. Finally, once we're out of earshot, I relay the story to Aqualad. "He wants our help taking out the cult, in return, he'll help us get inside."

"This is beyond what Batman ordered," Aqualad points out. "We are not to interfere."

"We should radio Bat's like I said," KF cuts into the conversation, but Robin pushes him to the side to speak up.

"No, this is perfect! We can sneak in and set up a trap to take the entire Cult out."

"Dude, that isn't the assignment."

"Neither is running away."

"Really? A pun right now, out of all times."

"Both of you shut up," I snarl at the two. "Keep this up, and neither of you will have a say in what happens next." The two remain quiet, and I redirect my attention to Aqualad. "I don't think we can trust him, but we need to get into the factory. There seems to be something wicked going on behind the scenes. Using Bane is the best way to figure out what."

"True; however, I do not wish to give away our involvement."

"Then?"

"Once we have the information, we call in Batman for further instructions."

"Fine with me," I tell the Atlantean. Returning to the last two members of our group, I slowly start releasing Bane. "You're coming with us. If you hold up your end of the bargain, we'll help." As Bane and I stand, I instantly charge my mace, bringing it up to his neck. "If you betray us, you'll regret it."

"Pajarito, why so scared?" Bane smirks. "It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"That's what you all say."

Turning around and placing my mace at my hip, I nod to Aqualad. He nods in return, giving me the go head to move. I motion for Bane to take the lead as I follow right behind him.

As we follow Bane, we notice he's leading us diagonally from the factory. Considering how the terrain is becoming steeper the further we walk, I'm assuming we're traveling up a hill of some sort. Apparently, I'm correct since we come to stand on a cliff.

"WarHawk, what do you see?" Aqualad inquires. I move to the front of the group to get a better look at the factory. It's clear that even with Bane gone, the factory is still operating. What's worse is the amount of product moving to the forefront of the factory. I mention all of this to the older teen.

"So a buy is going down," Robin concludes. "But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then-"

"Then we need to identify the buyer."

"Just what I was thinking," KF agrees with Aqualad.

"Yeah, you're the thinker," Robin snickers to himself.

"Sarcasm?" Kid questions, clearly annoyed with Robins attitude. "Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers."

Suddenly, we hear a sound go off next to us, making all of us turn towards Bane. The man himself is smirking as he introduces us to his secret tunnel. "Answers are this way."

Bane doesn't wait for anyone to speak as he walks down the passageway.

"So, now el Luchador is our leader," KF snarks, only to get smacked upside his head by an irritated Robin.

The rest of us silently follow Bane until we reach a metal door. Bane unlocks the door with his fingerprint. As Bane props the door open, I look over his shoulder to see it leading us straight to the factory floor. Robin sneaks past the two of us to get a clear view of the area.

"All clear," he whispers to the rest of us. Bane is the first to run out from the entrance, and the rest of us follow him. As we reach an area covered with crates, we all notice Robin is missing.

"Has that little fool already been captured?" Bane angrily inquires. The entire team sighs in response, but only Aqualad speaks up for the group.

"No, he just does that."

"Stay put," Kid orders. "I'll get our intel and be back before Boy Wonder."

Kid Flash races off to God knows where as Aqualad tries to call out for him to come back. It's no use as Kid disappears into the distance, leaving us with a rather smug Bane.

"Great chain of command."

"Shut up," I snap at the man, turning to an exasperated Kaldur'ahm. "What now?"

"Investigate. That's it."

Looking over the crates, I note how I can't see anything. Too many things are in our way for me to get a clear visual.

"We might need to move to a better location. From here, I can't see anything."

"Alright," Aqualad nods. "Everyone, stay behind me."

Together, the team plus Bane move closer to the commotion out front. At this point, I no longer need to be the lookout due to how close we are to the action. From every direction, cultists are moving to and fro with cargo.

"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad observes in shock.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new products off the line," Supey points out. "They're not touching this Venom."

"Maybe freshness counts," Miss M offers with an awkward smile.

"Or the shipment can have a different kind of Venom," I think out loud to the group. "They could have tampered with it creating something new."

"That could be true, but we won't know for sure unless we get our hands on a sample," Aqualad mused. "Hopefully, Kid or Robin will figure that part out."

"War," SB calls for my attention. "Do you hear that?"

Taking a moment to focus, I hear the spin of blades in the distance. "Helicopter..."

"Eta is probably seven minutes tops."

"No doubt. It might be the buyer."

"Then let's move to a higher vantage point," Kaldur orders. "Bane, can you lead us to that walkway."

Looking above us, I notice the catwalk in question before looking to Bane. The man silently agrees, motioning us to follow. Quietly, the team follows him up to the catwalk without encountering a single cultist. Once we crouch down on the center of the walkway, Aqualad orders M'gann to assume camouflage mode to scope out the buyer and send him a telepathic image. Aqualad closes his eye once Miss Martian takes off in the direction of the helicopter, but seconds later his eyes open wide in shock.

"Sportsmaster," Aqualad says, confused that the man is here. "He is the buyer?"

"That doesn't make sense," I comment to the boy. "He's a mercenary, not a drug king... Why in the world would he want the Venom?

"I don't know, but now is the best time to call the League," Aqualad claims, moving to contact the JL. After a moment of failed attempts to contact the others, he lets loose a frustrated growl. "It's no use. The comms jammed. We need a plan."

"I have a suggestion," Bane smugly adds before jumping down below. The busy factory floor becomes chaotic as Bane fights anyone within arm's length.

"What is he-"

Hearing a roar, I look up and notice a humanoid monster approaching us. I extend both my wings to push the boys out the way before leaping into the air. As the monster breaks into the building, I have my mace in hand and strike him on the head. He crashes on the floor of the factory, breaking everything on his way down. I swoop down below to strike again, but gunfire stops me as I fly to cover. Swinging back around, I unleash the chains on my mace and spin it to deflect the attacks. Flying in as close as I dare to, I take down many of the guards before diving behind a set of crates, recalling the chain to my weapon. Looking to the other side, I catch sight of Kaldur and hurry towards him.

"Aqualad!" I call out as I swoop forward to grab him. Taking hold of the teen, I fly us to a part of the catwalk that hasn't been destroyed.

"Thank you for the save."

"Anytime, but now what? The team is all over the place, and communications are down."

"M'gann," Aqualad whispers to himself as his eyes widen. "Miss Martian can link us up." Looking over the railing, he looks for each of our members before looking back at me. "I can't locate Robin or Bane."

I hold a finger up to the Atlantean as I concentrate. Closing my eyes, I focus on my hearing to pinpoint the last member of our team. It's difficult with the volume of commotion arising in the background, but I finally locate the teen who disappeared a while ago.

"I hear him," I inform the teen, opening my eyes to look at him. "I- I think he's outside with Kobra...?"

"That won't do," Aqualad groans before closing his eyes. "Miss Martian, radio is jammed. Link us up!"

Within moments I feel pressure behind my eyes similar to the Mister Twister fiasco. Unlike before, I'm no longer caught off guard as I allow Miss Martian to enter my mind.

Miss M: Everyone online?

Superboy: Yeah.

Warhawk: Yes, ma'am!

Kid Flash: You know it, beautiful.

Aqualad: Good, we need to regroup.

Robin: Busy now!

Aqualad: Robin, now!

We hear a grunt in recognition, and I nod to Aqualad when I hear one of Robin's smoke grenades going off in the distance.

Aqualad: WarHawk, drop me to the factory floor. Kid and I will clear a path to the exit. War, swing back to help Superboy get rid of the beast. Move!

At once, the team jumps into action. As soon as I drop off Aqualad, I fly towards Superboy. He sees me coming and ducks as I slam my mace into the monster. I fly back to the boy and grab him by the hand before the monster can chase after us. Flying to the secret passageway, I land, and the two of us run inside to join the rest of the team. We have no time to rest as the cult is still hot on our trail. Running through the tunnels, Aqualad looks back to see the men behind us. "Superboy, the support beams!"

The boy knocks three of them down, causing the tunnel to cave in, separating us from the enemy. After another minute of running, we finally come to a resting place in the cave. I electrify my mace, allowing some light to penetrate the dark cavern.

"Who's alive?" I ask as I stick the end of my mace to the fallen rocks.

"We're all here," Aqualad states after taking a headcount. "However, it seems as if Bane did not make it."

"No one cares about him. When we find him, I'll beat the crap out of him."

"Is no one paying attention to the mission," Robin disrupts our conversation to ask us, frustrated about the turn-in events. "The mission was a bust. How can my first mission as leader go so wrong?"

"Ugh, because that's the problem, Robin. You aren't the leader! No one said you are, but you trying to force your way into the position anyhow. Tell me, how can one lead with no followers?"

"It's not my fault no one here listens to me!"

"How can we when you berate and abandon us at every turn!" I screamed at the boy, but Aqualad places a hand on my shoulder to stop me from going any further.

"WarHawk does make a valid point. You have more experience than most of us, but perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are clearly defined. You two do not need to talk, but this team is new, and a leader needs to be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play part in an unknown plan."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?" Robin inquires, throwing his hands into the air.

"Robin," I speak up once again. "No one is asking you to hold their hand. Believe it or not, each one of us is capable of handling our own. A leader needs to trust their teammates, not look down or belittle them."

"I wasn't trying to look down on anyone."

"I know, but you did. You tend to do things on your own, and although it works out most of the time, there are times we need to stick together."

Robin lets out another sigh, but this one is in defeat. After a minute of contemplation, Robin finally looks up to face us with a small yet sincere smile. "You're right, and I'm sorry, guys. Still, I know who our leader should be. It has to be Kaldur. He's the only one who can."

"What?!" Kid Flash asked in shock. "No way, it should be WarHawk!"

"Wally, come on. You know he's the one, we all do."

"Well," M'gann shyly speaks up from her place. "I think it should be WarHawk."

Without a word, all of us turn to Superboy, who shrugs his shoulders, "I was going to say Kaldur."

Now the votes are in, Aqualad and I face each other, but with a smile on our faces. A chuckle leaves the older teen while I try to conceal a giggle in return.

"What's the saying, out of the frying pan..."

"And into the fire," Kal finishes the phrase for me. "So, do we agree on what should happen?"

"Well, considering we've had this discussion about half an hour ago, I assume so."

Turning to face the group, Aqualad speaks, "I will accept the role as the leader while WarHawk will become my second-in-command. Until the day comes that Robin is ready to lead the team and lift the burden from our shoulders."

"Is everyone in agreement?" I ask the group, looking at each face, waiting for confirmation. Once I receive a smile or nod, I turn back to Aqualad. "Alright, leader, what's first?"

"Our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island."

Sometime later, after hashing out the plan, we race out of the cave to begin our countermeasures. As we run to our next destination, there are still some things that plague our minds.

"Sportsmaster's the supplier-slash-buyer," Robin brings up as we come near to the end of the mine. "But it still doesn't track. He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work."

"And neither of them have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom," KF agrees with the boy wonder. "That took some major nerdage."

"I believe the expression is the tip of the iceberg," Aqualad states as our team comes to a halt. From outside the cave stands Bane with a trigger in his hand. Above us lays about more than a dozen bombs, and around Bane, vials of empty Venom. It seems like his disappearance was a part of his plan all along.

"Halt niños," Bane commands, showing us the trigger in his left hand. "I'm feeling explosive."

"Terrible timing for a pun," I say out loud before tuning into the mind link.

WarHawk: Miss Martian is the mind link still up.

Miss Martain: Yes.

Aqualad: Good, Kid, you'll need a running start.

"You betrayed us," Aqualad pretends to sound shocked as Kid prepares to sprint to our foe. "Why?"

"I want my factory back," Bane replies, falling for the bait. "So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying. If the latter, the Justice League would certainly come to avenge their sidekicks. And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effects."

Without Bane knowing, Kid Flash speeds by to take hold of the trigger before Bane can push the button to the explosives. Soon, Bane realizes his mistake when he notices Kid Flash on the other side of him leaning on a tree with the trigger in hand. He doesn't have time to attack when Miss Martain steps forward to lift the man into the air with her powers. Superboy and I aren't too far behind her.

"Te advertì que no los engañaras, Bane," I purred to the bulky man. I charge my mace as a grin comes onto my face. "But don't worry, my friend, I won't be the one to hurt you." Hope briefly crosses Bane's face until he sees me hand my mace to Superboy. "However, you should worry about him since he has a stronger hit than mine," I warn him as I motion to Supey how to swing the mace. "He might leave a bruise."

"Finally," SB grins, dropping into his fighting stance, mace at the ready. "Drop him."

As soon as Bane falls within reach, Supey swings the mace as if he's holding a bat. The sound that ensues once Supey slams my mace to Bane's face is satisfying to hear. I couldn't hide the broad smile on my face as Supey returns my mace.

"Nice swing!"

"Thanks."

"So, how far do you think he flew," KF asked me as he comes to stand by my side. "Do we catch him?"

"I'll go after him," I announce as I spread my wings. "Just have some rope ready when I get back."

Flying into the sky, I quickly find the supervillain, who finally begins his descent to the ground. I catch the man and land back beside the team, where Robin and Supey are waiting for me. I hand over the criminal at the same time Aqualad nears me.

"We've decided to use the bombs for the helicopter to ensure none of the shipment makes it off the Island. Miss Martian will place the device while the rest of us continue as planned."

"Great! Then we have no time to lose."

As the team finished their task, all of us set off to the factory. Miss Martian and I separate from the group as we fly in the opposite direction to the factory. Once we near the factory, Miss Martian uses her camouflage mode to blend in with the surroundings. I, on the other hand, fly just above the trees to my target.

When we're a couple of feet from the factory, the two of us split up and head to our designated areas. I take a sharp turn and swing by just in time to help Kid Flash take out the remaining armed thugs. Next, I go about destroying their weapons and including anything on the perimeter of the factory. Finally, as I fly through the sky, I notice the chopper head into the air before exploding. Sportsmaster leaps from the helicopter, and I try to pursue him, but he throws a spear in my direction. I avoid the spear, but I forget about the explosion that follows. I land into the trees below me, and by the time I poke my hear over the jungle, Sportsmaster is long gone.

WarHawk: I lost Sportsmaster.

Aqualad: Forget him, circle back to us.

WarHawk: On my way.

Flying back to the group, I make it in time to corner Kobra. Nonetheless, he also escapes into the jungle without a trace. All that's left is a burning building and unconscious thugs all around us, not to mention Bane and his men that remain tied to the trees within the jungle.

"So, considering this is our first official mission, I say it went pretty well!"

"WarHawk, everything is on fire," Kaldur says in a monotone voice, unimpressed by my assessment. "The building and all of the information inside is on fire..."

"But at least you're the leader!"

"She's right," Robin pipes up. "We picked the right guy to lead. Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman."

As the preteen walks away from us, cackling in delight, I shake my head in fake disgust. However, I'm also glad the weight of the mission report is on Aqualad. Not to be rude, but I rather he takes the heat than myself.

"Man, that's cold, Rob," I mutter, walking away until Kaldur grabs me by the bicep.

"You are not going to get away from this that easily, WarHawk."

"Huh?" I try playing dumb. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You are the second-in-command; thus, you must relay all of this to Batman with me."

"NOAN!"

So, now that we have a good foundation for the team, the next chapter will be a filler. Feel free to skip it, but it will deal with a personal look into Alizeh's life. Speedy might make an appearance but I'm not too sure. In any case, I'm glad for the feedback I'm receiving from the story. I hope you'll like the next chapter as well!