Their first unofficial mission as a Team had gone south far quicker than any of them would have guessed. Blood rushed to Aqualad's head as he was hung by ankles, Kid Flash and Robin pressed into his sides and webbing wrapped around all three of them like a sticky cocoon. Bruises & scratches decorated their flesh, making all three look like patchwork dolls as consciousness returned to them. The atlantean's hearing returned first, evident by the obnoxiously loud ticking clock upon the wall and the complaints of his companions that echoed in his ears.
"…We need to get out of this" Robin's voice reverberated across Aqualad's chest from where his face was smushed up against it.
"Aqualad is still out of it, I think" Kid Flash replied, warm breath tickling at his neck.
"Man, I'm glad the others aren't here to see this"
"Seriously? That's what you're worried about? Dude, you need to sort out your priorities!"
"Nngh!" Aqualad groaned as he came too and everything came rushing back to him. The 'team bonding' mission, the League of Shadows assassins and the target whom they'd been trying to protect. "What—? Where—where am I?"
"Aqualad?" Robin asked, voice muffled.
"You're awake?" Kid Flash added.
"Mm" He hummed in acknowledgement, blinking repeatedly to clear the dots dancing across his vision.
"Good, but we have some bad news and some even worse news!"
Aqualad blinked as he took note of the speedster's tone and tilted his head down towards the ground where he found himself looking upon a scene that made his mouth feel like it was filled with cotton. Down below, Hook stood grinning beneath the dim lighting of the offices and off to the side, Black Spider held Selena hostage.
"So…" Black Spider mused, "You three junior-grade good guys thought you could stop us?"
"Please let me go!" Selena's pleas fell on deaf ears.
"Yeah, what were you thinking? This is Hook and the Black Spider you got here!" Hook leered, "We're good at what we do—we're professionals"
"Yeah, professional" Kid Flash scoffed, "Hitmen for the League of Shadows sent to kill an innocent woman!"
"I wouldn't go throwing around names of deadly groups like that if you know what's good for you, kid!" Black Spider retorted, holding Selena close.
"Why're you after her?" Robin demanded in turn, as he struggled to move enough to free his face from his Aqualad's chest. "Why is Selena Gonzalez being targeted?"
"You're not in any position to ask questions, but we are! How'd you know we'd be here?"
"He asked you a question!" Hook threatened, prosthetic brushing dangerously close to the atlantean's exposed jugular.
"Like you, we do not have to answer any questions" Aqualad rebuked, turning his head away from the hook as he felt Robin's fingers scurry about. He just hoped that the detective was going to use some of that famed Bat-techniques to get them out of their tight spot.
"Yeah, but you're going to 'cause your screwed up and got caught! Face it, you guys never even had a chance against us!"
"What? We came here to stop you from hurting her, we did that!" Robin smirked.
"Ha! Are you brats kidding me? You stopped us? Yeah right! For only, like, five minutes!" Black Spider chortled, "Y'see what's happening here, right? You lost!"
"Then why do I still have my utility belt?"
"Wait—your what now?"
"You never took away my utility belt—y'know, the thing that lets us escape? NOW!" At his call, all three sidekicks ripped themselves free of the webbing and surged towards the assassins with a not-really-there, half-baked plan in mind, much like their foray at Cadmus.
"Dude! Have I ever told you how much I love that belt?" Kid Flash cackled as he raced away and moved to separate Selena from Black Spider.
"What can I say?" Robin grinned, "It's the one accessory that goes with everything!"
Scattering like leaves on the wind, the three sidekicks split apart in their attempts to dodge the wayward webbing and hook sent their way. Chunks of the wall behind them flew as it exploded upon impact with the prosthetic, splotches of white hung from every surface that it touched and above it all, Selena's pleas rang like church bells in their ears. Whilst Aqualad tried to corral the three of them into some sort of working team, Kid Flash zipped ahead to take on Hook with all the bravado of a teenage sidekick, only to find himself gagged by Black Spider. When Robin tried to intervene, his own attacks went wide as well. It seemed for all their training and skill, it was nothing in comparison to the well-oiled machine of the League of Shadows assassins.
"…This is certainly not a team bonding exercise!" Aqualad sighed as he slotted himself between the younger two sidekicks now glued to the wall, and Hook. Manipulating the water from the drinking fountain behind the albino, the atlantean was able to pull up a shield to deflect the weapon, just in time and much to the relief of his peers. He was pretty sure, he'd never seen Kid Flash so thankful for atlantean sorcery before—even with his disbeliefs in the craft. "We need to have a plan of attack if we want to save this woman!" He spun to face the pair as he ripped them free, "One that involves all three of us!"
"If you've got one, I'm all ears!" Kid Flash replied, yanking the gag from his mouth with a disgruntled expression.
"Robin! We need a diversion! Kid Flash, the woman!"
"Right!" Robin nodded as he plucked a handful of explosives from his utility belt and thrust them towards the aforementioned assassins.
"Hey there! Did ya miss me?" Kid Flash grinned as he swept through like a human tornado and took Selena off of her feet as he passed.
"Why're they doing this?" Selena wept, "Why're they after me?"
"Lady, you must've done something to really tick them off!"
"Take the girl and go! Get her to safety!" Aqualad commanded as he alternated between blasting the villains with water and electricity, "She's the one they're after!"
"Not gonna happen!" Kid Flash rebuked, tightening his grip around the girl as he skidded to a stop just beyond the atlantean. "We tried that when we first got here, remember? These guys totally kicked our asses down the street and back! We're in this together! I'm staying!"
"Are you guys done being mushy?" Robin heaved a put-upon sigh as he danced around attacks meant to harm.
"Uuf!" That brief interlude cost him. So focused on his conversation with the speedster, Aqualad failed to see the hook headed for his temple. Thankfully, he had someone watching his back because when Robin happened to spare a glance over towards the pair, he spotted the moment that would end everything before it even began.
"Look out!" Suddenly spinning on his heel, the little detective shot towards Aqualad, shoving him out of the way just as the prosthetic was launched across the room. Robin could feel the scratch of the serrated metal graze against his back and he was silently glad for the cape he wore, that provided at least a little protection against the weapon.
"Thanks" Aqualad grunted as Robin, using him as a pole, twirled back around to face Black Spider which left Hook to the atlantean.
Aqualad didn't even have to think twice as his hand shot out to grab ahold of the chunky linked chain which attached the hook to the prosthetic and yanked. Though, this didn't seem to dissuade the assassin, if anything, it only riled him up more. "Very clever, blondie! Like no one's ever tried that move before!"" Hook chortled as he flipped through the air and righted himself in time to meet the oncoming fist with his steel-toed boots instead. Aqualad was getting really tired of being thrown about by the amputee, particularly when he felt his head connect with the wall behind him. And then Kid Flash was there using his momentum to knock the hooked villain away, sparing his comrade from his earlier fate. At least until he spared a glance over his shoulder to where he'd left Selena in the back corner of the room, only to find Black Spider giddily making his way over to her.
"Uh oh! Forgot about you for a nanosecond…" Kid Flash cursed under his breath as he retreated the way he had come and grabbed his prize just before the arachnid could take her away. "Please no need to thank…what?"
"KID FLASH! DOWN!" Robin called as he tossed a handful of batarangs at the speedster's back, just as said ginger pressed himself and Selena close to the wall, shielding her from the heat that bloomed across his back. The force of the blast was strong enough to toss Hook across the room and away from the pair which he had been menacingly leering over only moments before. It took a moment or two for the lingering smoke to dissipate and when it did, the sidekicks were greeted to the sight of a rather pissed off pair of assassins.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Robin hissed as he and Kid Flash made sure to keep Selena at their backs.
"Agreed, perhaps we need to steal away—" Aqualad agreed, crouched low.
"—I'm afraid that's not gonna happen!" Black Spider interjected as he webbed up the only door, making that way out completely useless.
"You guys interfered in something that had nothing to do with you!" Hook snarled as he clambered to his feet—and with a small nod towards the arachnid—fired off his weapon with an intent to kill that was not there a second ago. "And now you're going to pay for it—!"
"—With your lives!" Black Spider ended as he grabbed ahold of the flying appendage with his webs and redirected back towards the huddled sidekicks. The serrated blade barely had to touch anything and yet it still cut through everything.
"Uh…" Kid Flash audibly swallowed. "This isn't good"
"Take the girl! Regroup on the floor below!" Aqualad ordered, quickly taking the lead as he stepped forward and hefting waterborne maces, smashed a hole straight through the tiled floor at their feet. Not unlike the same way Desmond had done at Cadmus only days earlier.
"But—"
"—Go!" Robin retorted, all but shoving his friend through the newly-formed hole. "We'll meet you down there!"
"I don't understand! What's happening? Who are those people?!"" Selena cried as she gripped tight to Kid Flash's shoulders, hair flapping in the breeze created by the speedster as he ran. Occasionally he had to pause in between pants to spit out strands of long hair which had become stuck in his mouth, but for the most part the ginger simply raced through the twisting halls in search of an exit. At least until he had to dodge out of the way of the giant hook which suddenly descended from the ceiling above them.
"Oh crud" The ginger skidded to a halt mere centimetres from the hook's edge and Selena—who had grown nauseous from all the moving about at hyperspeed—pushed herself out of his arms so that she could gag and retch up the bile that had climbed up her throat. "Ugh"
"KF!" Robin's voice sounded faint over his shoulder.
"Here!" He called back, spinning on his heel to wave down his two compatriots whilst he held back Selena's hair.
"Ew" The avian greeted, nose turned up in disgust as Selena's retching seemed to come to an end. Not that the sidekicks had much room to talk; all three of them were layered in a sheen of sweat, coated partially by a layer of dust that had been collected at some point during their fight. Straggly bits of web clung to their suits and an odd sensation of stickiness lay upon the surfaces were the web had once been, like glue.
"We need to find the quickest way out of the building" Kid Flash replied as the CEO tried to regain some semblance of dignity.
"They will not stop coming after Ms Gonzalez and they will be looking for us outside where it's easier to pick us off" Aqualad mused aloud as he shared contemplative looks with the others. "We need to go stealth if we want to turn the tables on them and end this"
"What do you suggest then?" Robin fingered his utility belt, nervous about staying still for so long with enemies on their tail.
"Disperse" Aqualad nodded, "Hide and wait for my signal"
"…Should you really be concerned with food at a time like this?" Selena hissed, careful to keep her voice low so that the rampaging villains just around the corner didn't find them.
"I didn't get to finish my sandwi—" Kid Flash replied, his voice muffled as he stuck his head in the fridge only to find half a bottle of coffee creamer and a barely expired carton of milk. "—Nevermind, it's a metabolism thing"
"Why're we just sitting here? Shouldn't we be running or calling the police?" She pestered
"Aqualad's got a plan. We sit tight 'til he puts it into effect"" He dug into the back of the fridge in search of something—anything to consume. "So you really have no idea why these guys targeted you?"
"I just run this company, why would they target me?" She spared a glance over her shoulder at the fight with nervousness gleaming in her eyes.
"You ever heard of Cadmus?" He shot over his shoulder as he moved onto raiding the cupboards.
"The research facility?" She puzzled, "We have a vested business interest—but so does a hundred other companies! Are you saying that Cadmus is trying to kill me for doing business with them?!"
"No, but someone doesn't like who Cadmus is doing business with and apparently, you are one of them" Kid Flash replied absently as he discovered several shelves full of brightly-coloured energy drinks. "Geez! What? D'you own stock in energy drinks or something?"
"Yes…we're a parent company" Selena nodded slowly as the ginger popped the lid off of several bottles and downed them in one go. Though her brows pinched in irritation at the blatant stealing of the company's product, she made no complaints about the one handed to her to sip on. "We own them"
"Right, stupid question"
Hunkered down behind one of the empty desks that bordered the office kitchenette, Robin could only listen with rapt attention as the League of Shadows assassins made their move. Busting through the ceiling with all the grace of a kryptonian in a glass shop, the pair landed upon the floor with a thundering oompf and jeering taunts that reverberated throughout the room.
From his hiding spot, the crimson bird watched with narrowed gaze and pricked ears as the light of the refrigerator illuminated the dimly-lit kitchenette where his friend rummaged for something to recharge himself. Peering slightly around the edge of the desk to doublecheck the enemy hadn't spotted the commotion—making sure to keep to the shadows as much as possible—he silently cursed Raven's sticky fingers that always seemed to be able to find the speedster's hidden snacks and the speedster's fast-paced metabolism that seemed to devour everything he consumed. Now was not a time to be running low on energy.
"How d'you want to approach this?" Robin turned to the atlantean at his side as he bit back the disappointment as to how this mission had gone for them. This was supposed to be their training exercise to work out the kinks between the veteran sidekicks, but as soon as their mentors were gone they were left flailing. If Batman had been there, he would've had all of their heads on a platter for their gross misconduct.
"I can take Hook, but Black Spider is fast and can strike at multiple targets from a distance with his webbing" Aqualad replied, pulling Robin from his thoughts. "D'you think you and Kid can take him out?"
"On it. Gimme five seconds, then make your move" Robin nodded as he faded back into the dark.
It barely took all of those five seconds to fill Kid Flash in on the plan before Robin was back in the shadows and following Aqualad's stunted banter & impromptu waterfall to the Black Spider's blindspot. Across the way he noted Kid Flash joining the fight with a teasing grin and terrible pun accompanied by a handful of energy drinks that were used as projectiles to distract the assassin.
"Hey BS!" Kid Flash called as he tossed the shaken energy drinks (much to Selena's chagrin) at the violet assassin. "It looks like you could use an energy shot!"
"That ain't gonna stop me, brat!" Black Spider smirked as he easily barred the projectiles with a wall of webbing. For a split second the arachnid left himself open to attack, and that was all the time that Robin needed.
"Yeah" He laughed, "But I'm betting this does!"
"No! What're you doing?! The pressure—!"" Black Spider cried, trying to yank his outstretched wrist away from the bird before he could damage the cuff which regulated his webbing. But alas.
FLOOOMM!
"Dude! Nice!" Kid Flash high-fived the smirking detective as the arachnid became entrapped in his own webbing and a rather sopping wet Hook (thanks to Aqualad) was then tossed onto the pile for safe keeping until the authorities got there. Grins were borne across all three of their expressions as they basked in the delight of a job well done. At least until Aqualad noticed something—someone—that was missing.
"Where's…the girl?" Aqualad panted, slightly winded from their ordeal as he turned towards the kitchenette where she had been hidden only moments before.
"Wait—what?" Kid Flash exclaimed as he tried to find any trace of the girl he had protected for most of the night, but there was no one there. "What the hell! Where'd she go?"
10 July 2010
Mount Justice, Happy Harbour
"…Police say it is too early to tell if the disappearance of Farano Enterprises' CEO Selena Gonzalez, is in anyway connected to what happened at their corporate headquarters late last night; although it is a good possibility. As the two men captured on the premises and allegedly responsible for the property damage, have escaped from custody during their transport to a maximum holding facility…" The newscast prattled throughout the Cave as Aqualad, Robin & Kid Flash watched the screens with rapt attentions. It had been late—almost early morning—when they had returned and honestly, it was a miracle that none of their mentors had taken note of the incident yet. Although there was still time for that; but for now they were more worried about the missing woman they were supposed to—failed to—protect.
"We looked everywhere for her!" Kid Flash reiterated for the umpteenth time, though it did little to abate the guilt "She was pretty scared, she probably just ran away and is hiding out somewhere"
"We checked her premises and those of her family" Retorted Aqualad, "She is nowhere to be found"
"How could I not have seen it?!" Robin beat himself up as he paced irritably. "When we were back in that building, Black Spider said '…the minute you get outside, we'll know where you are' They had others outside! They're the League of Shadows! Of course, they had others outside! We just never saw them, but they were there!"
"So, you mean Selena is…?" Kid Flash murmured as he worried his lower lip.
"Gone"
