Die a Hero

by J. B. Fawling

Robin is the Boy Wonder, Batman's protegee, member of the "Junior Justice League" and kickass superhero. Dick Grayson is the adopted son of billionaire Bruce Wayne, brother to four younger siblings, math whiz-kid, community service volunteer and all-around Golden Child. It's everything he ever wanted to be. Too bad he's also a liar, a thief and a secret mercenary-in-training.

37. The Chips Fall

AN: I'm graduating from college today! It's been a crazy busy month and I've got a pretty long chapter to celebrate with! Thank you all for being patient, I know it's been a little while since the last update but I promise this chapter is worth the wait.

The POV changes might get a little confusing so it starts with Dick just before they go to the Iceberg lounge. It'll switch to Artemis's pov a few days later, then back to Dick, then Bruce, then Dick finishes the chapter out.

---

Dick Grayson

Wednesday, January 5th, 2013

---

"The Iceberg Lounge is a trap." Slade says when I make it to the address he sent me.

"What do you mean, it's a trap?"

"You're smart, Richard. Act like it." Slade snaps.

I scowl at the insult.

"Just get to the part where you tell me why it's a trap."

"After your mishap of a conversation with Bruce, he'll be keeping a much closer eye on Selina. Just in case. She's had weeks to organize this handoff. Choosing the Iceberg Lounge is completely out of character for her; she wants an audience and witnesses. That means we need the ability to cause a distraction. That's where you come in."

"You can deal with it on your own."

"My version of 'dealing with it' usually involves bullets. If Catwoman gets in my way, I will kill her."

"No!" I shout. Slade raises an eyebrow at me, unimpressed. "You can't do that!"

"I thought you hated her."

"That doesn't mean I want her… you can't…"

"Hence why you're here. We need to set up your disguise. Did you see Selina before you left the manor?"

She was helping Tim with his social studies homework in one of the sitting rooms when I left. They all think I'm still there, especially if Jason passed on the message that I want to be left alone in my room.

"Yeah."

"Good. Make sure she sees you again when she returns. She needs to see Renegade with injuries that Richard never had."

"Whoa, backup. What injuries?" I demand.

"Stage makeup. Although if you prefer otherwise, I'm happy to do it the other way."

"You need her to think you're beating the shit out of me?" A thought hits me and I feel idiotic for forgetting about it. "What if… he's on patrol tonight. What do we do if…"

"If Batman shows?" Slade asks seriously.

"What if sees me?"

"This voice modulator will change the pitch and intonation of your speech. In the extremely unlikely chance of an encounter, your priority will be to slip him, remove your disguise, and get back to the manor before he can return and see you missing."

"That's your plan?!" I demand. "What if he recognizes me anyway?! What if my mask falls off? What if he catches me and takes it off?! He's my dad, a couple bumps and bruises aren't going to cut it!"

"Then you had better make sure you don't get caught."

"No. Slade, I'm not going. This is insane!"

"How better to ensure the security of your identity?"

"What are you talking about?"

"In theory, it's a risk. But, once Selina sees Renegade and Richard as two separate people within minutes of each other, it'll make it impossible for her to connect the two of you. She is the biggest risk right now."

"That's not my problem. It was your idea to bring me to the museum in the first place." I shoot back. "I'm not going."

"I won't allow her to be a security risk." Slade says. "I'm offering you a chance to avoid my usual methods."

"I thought you agreed not to threaten people I care about. Unless you want to call off our deal."

"Why do you insist on being difficult?"

"I'm the one being difficult?! You just threatened to shoot my dad's girlfriend if I don't go with you to a bar full of supervillains and criminals who literally all want me dead."

"I didn't want to tell you this." Slade says, and I roll my eyes. Sure he didn't. "Batman discovered the garage's location."

My heart stops.

"Fortunately, it was empty at the time, but he is getting too close. We need to establish separation."

"You weren't expecting him to find it." I realize. "This isn't about Selina at all, is it? You need Batman to hear reports that Renegade was at the Iceberg the same night he knows I was home."

"I knew there was a brain in there somewhere." Slade sounds smug and it pisses me off.

"Is Batman going to be at the Iceberg? Don't lie to me!"

"It's likely that he's planning a stakeout." Slade answers. "As soon as he confirms your presence, your priority is to disappear and get back to the manor."

I take a deep breath. My hands are trembling.

"Slade, I can't do it. He's going to recognize me. If he finds out…"

"If Batman finds out that you're my apprentice, then your cover is blown. You know what happens then."

"No. Slade, no. Please, don't make me do this."

"You know how much I hate unnecessary risks. Batman is getting too close. This is not the only way, but it is by far the best way to ensure that your cover is safe. If you need to hear the alternatives, I'll tell you, but I warn you that you will not like any of them."

"I want to hear the plan. For the Iceberg."

"Catwoman has arranged for the deal to take place in Cobblepot's office. You'll stay outside, where you're visible to the bar's patrons."

"What if they try something?"

"If someone tries to hurt you?" Slade clarifies. I wince and he takes it as a nod. "Hurt them. Whatever force necessary to eliminate the threat. But I wouldn't worry. After all, you are under my protection."

"Your protection?" The words slip out incredulously before I can stop them.

"Don't sound so shocked. You're my apprentice. Nobody touches you."

"Except you." I mutter.

"Need I remind you that we are partners now?"

I take a breath, hands curling into fists. He's right. Dammit, he's right. And he's not going to let this go.

"So if I'm not there to fight with anyone, what am I supposed to do? Just stand there the entire time?"

"If the opportunity arises, I suggest you try and mingle. You may learn some things that your League would find valuable."

"And if people start asking me questions?"

"Tell them whatever you want. Make up any story you like, the point is to make you more visible."

"Any story?"

"I suggest you not reveal to that particular crowd that you're the same Boy Wonder who's sent most of them to Arkham, Blackgate or Gotham General, but other than that…"

---

The Iceberg Lounge

---

Everyone is staring at me. It sounds cliché, but literally every person in the room is watching me. I hold still, staring at a random spot on the dining room wall. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of my face and drips down my neck. It's a good thing Slade said I don't have to be a robot, because I couldn't pretend not to be scared right now if my life depended on it.

A treacherous and incredibly unhelpful voice in the back of my head reminds me that it is actually a matter of life and death. I've arrested a lot of the people in here, and beaten up almost everyone else.

I especially really don't like the way Harley is looking at me like I'm about to become her newest obsession. And why does she have a whiteboard?

The silence is broken by a glittery yellow waitress getting up from one of the booths and crossing the room on her way to the bar. The chatter starts up again, and soon everyone gets bored of staring at me. It feels kind of… anti-climactic. Slade said nobody would try anything, but I'm basically alone in enemy territory, completed surrounded and outnumbered. I hate this.

What would Slade do if I just left?

Everyone has gone back to ignoring me, except for Harley who doesn't count because I'm trying really hard to ignore her. One of the guys at the table closest to me waves me over.

"They're going to be a while. Come take a load off."

I stare at him. Is he serious? That has to be a trap, right? But Slade did tell me to try and mingle, so maybe I should? The guy looks familiar and it takes me a second to place him; he's one of the Joker's henchmen. Except right now he doesn't look like Chuckles, he just looks like a regular, friendly guy who's out for a beer with his friends.

"Come on, we don't bite!" The tallest guy at the table adds.

"At least, we won't bite you," The guy next to him winks, squeezing the taller man's arm. Clearly they're a couple, maybe even married by the matching rings on their hands.

"Is that a promise?"

"Don't mind them." Not-Chuckles shakes his head. "Come sit. They're going to be in there for a while and most of us have showered recently."

"Move over, fatass, give him the sightlines." The guy with a huge scar on his face shoves another guy to the side. "Here, kid. You can see the whole place."

The guy moves over without complaint and that decides it. These guys might be henchmen and criminal scum, but at least they seem like okay-ish people and they're not homophobes. Plus, I can definitely take them if I have to. Nobody is paying me any attention when I close the distance and sit in the empty chair, but as soon as I do, I feel even more on-edge. The scarred guy stares at me before he and Chuckles have a weird stare-off.

"Catwoman, huh?" The tall guy says, glancing at the closed door to Cobblepot's office. "Damn, if I was five years younger and not a flaming homo…"

"Chris, you bitch." His maybe-husband smacks his arm playfully. "Making eyes at other women right in front of me."

"Aright we get it. You're both twinks. Let's move on." The guy on my side interrupts. He's wearing way too much body spray, so I'm going to call him Axe. The scarred guy is Scar. Chuckles can be Not-Chuckles and I haven't decided about the others. A quick look around the bar shows it's mostly small-time Rogues and henchmen. Aside from Harley, Scarecrow is at a table in the back and I saw Killer Croc at the bar when we came in.

"Don't think we've given up on you, buddy." The shorter guy says good-naturedly.

"Wish you luck. Who knows, maybe I'd have better luck with guys than I've been having with the ladies," Axe answers and they raise their glasses in solidarity.

"Seems like your first problem is calling them, 'the ladies.'" Not-Chuckles points out, using his beer for emphasis. The guy in a blue shirt that I haven't come up with a nickname for laughs with him.

"Who asked you, Greg?" Axe sneers. "What do you know about ladies anyway? How'd it work out with that last bird, Tee-something. Tammy? Tracy?"

"Talia." Greg sighs wistfully. Alright, I guess Not-Chuckles is out. "And for the record, we split up. Mutually. Her dad wanted her back in Nepal. It wouldn't have worked long distance."

"Ugh, long distance." The tall guy nods. He looks up suddenly and I tense. "Matches, are you still with Gina?"

"Two years and counting," Scar grins proudly. I'm doing pretty badly with nicknames.

"Damn."

"Why?"

"Chris and I were redoing that new lair for Two-Face on the East Side and we brought this girl, Mary Berry, in to do the detailing for the yin-yang mosaics and let me tell you she is a ball of fire. Literally. I thought she was going to burn the place down the way she was burning through packs, 'specially with all the turpentine and C4, but god, she's the perfect woman for you. Didn't stop talking the whole time, and I know what a gossip you are."

I look over at the Chrisses and freeze. These guys work for Two-Face? Batman's been trying to track him for weeks, maybe they know what he's planning.

Matches bites down on the match between his teeth and says, "Huh."

"He's not even trying to deny it." Shorter Chris laughs.

I raise my head slowly and they all turn to look at me.

"Two… Face?" I ask slowly, letting the words slur together and listening to how weird my voice sounds with the modulator. I point at the Chrisses accusingly, lowering my eyebrows. Everyone understands the question.

"No, no. We don't work for Two-Face. Maybe they've picked up a job for him, but we're contractors. Set up lairs for just about everyone in Gotham." Taller Chris says. Damn, so much for intel on Two-Face.

"Except Mad Hatter." Shorter Chris grins.

"Never for Tetch," Taller Chris agrees darkly.

"I swear, one of these days I'll make you tell me what he ever did to you." Axe shakes his head.

"Three words. Anime body pillow. That's all you ever want to know." The shorter Chris answers before draining his glass.

Oof. That's way more information than I ever wanted to know. When Slade said I might find out valuable intel, I'm sure that didn't include finding out the Mad Hatter is a weeb. I manage not to react, but the Joker henchman Chuckles (who I just found out is a normal-seeming guy named Greg) recoils in horror and that about sums it up.

Matches trips over my chair on his way to the bar, and I don't really think about it until shouts erupt from the other room. Matches comes stumbling back into the dining room, looking as guilty as a drunk guy can possibly look.

"BLAKE!" Killer Croc roars, followed by the sound of breaking glass and shattering wood and a room full of criminals going crazy at the start of a barfight.

"Matches, what the hell did you do?" Greg laughs, watching everyone run out of the room to watch the fight. I look over at the door again, trying to figure out if I should stay at the table or go watch the fight. Slade couldn't care less what I do out here, but everyone's going to expect me to stay by the door.

"I didn't do nuthin."

"Killer Croc?" The taller Chris asks.

"And Catman." Matches slurs in response, sinking into his chair like he's trying to disappear.

"Seventy on Croc." The quiet guy says.

"Blake has his cloak?" The redhead asks. Matches nods, reaching into his grimy coat pocket for a matchbox. I can't laugh at the fact that this guy is literally a walking stereotype of the common criminal. He would fit in perfectly in an old 80's cops and robbers show.

Matches sticks the match in his mouth and chews it nervously. I resist the urge to make a joke about it, mostly because that's a horrible idea that will ruin my cover, when I get a tiny whiff of something. It smells a little like raisins, but if the raisins had been left to soak in dry-erase marker ink until they fermented. I sniff again, my eyes narrowing.

I know that smell. I know that smell. It's… it's….

My stomach plummets through the floor, taking my heart and my lungs with it. My whole body freezes, everything locking up at the same time and all I can do is stare.

It's a super potent anti-intoxicant chemical. Batman's own formula. The one that only Batman has access to, the one that Batman dries into pill form for nights when Bruce Wayne needs to be seen drinking.

A random grunt is sitting in the Iceberg Lounge, pretending to be plastered while chewing on a match soaked in anti-intoxicant that only Batman has access to. That means either this random grunt stole Batman's matches or… Matches is Batman.

For a second, I almost burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of the situation. I'm sitting five inches away from my dad in a place neither of us should be, both of us wearing ridiculous disguises and pretending to be someone else. Then the panic sets in. It's one thing to expect Batman to be staking out the bar from the roof across the street, but it's another to actually be right next to him. Slade promised he won't recognize me if I play my cards right. It might already be too late but there's way too much at stake not to try.

---

"Slade, Batman's here." I whisper into my com. "What am I supposed to do?! He just left, there's no way he's not going to try something."

"You know what to do. Assume he's following you. Lead him on a chase and slip away when you can get to the car."

"Slip away?! That won't work… it's Batman! Slade, it's Batman!"

"Did he try to make a scene in front of everyone?"

"No, he started a fight and cleared everyone out."

"Good. Then that means he was after information. If he left, he's likely pulling a costume change. Go outside, get him to follow you. I'll handle Catwoman."

"Handle… No! You can't!" I shout, before catching myself and lowering my voice again. "Please, you can't, please. Don't hurt her!"

"Relax. You know what to do. And you have my word, no one will be harmed tonight."

I take a deep breath. Before I can take more than a step, Slade adds, "Oh, and check yourself for any trackers."

Shit!

---

Slade lets go of my arm after pulling me through the door of his latest safehouse. My heart is pounding but I can barely feel it, let alone process whatever Slade just snapped at me. Batman didn't recognize me. I was a foot away from him the whole time and he didn't know it was me. He was trying to capture me and he didn't have a clue it was me. He knocked me off a roof. I didn't have my grappling hook, if he hadn't caught me, I—

"Renegade!" Slade shouts, hand grabbing my chin to pull me out of the whirling terror inside my head. "You need to go. Now."

"He got a hair sample, he's going to find out—"

"He also said you were at the cave running the test. He lied."

"But—"

"We will discuss it all later but right now, you don't have time. Get changed and go back to the manor, NOW."

My hands tremble.

"Babs, she's… she's going to get herself killed." I whisper, the flash of red hair in the dark replaying in my head. What was she thinking?!

A stinging pain erupts in my cheeks as Slade rips of the prosthetics. The fake cuts and bruises looked real when I put them on, and seeing the flesh-colored polymer against the floor makes me nauseous. Slade's hand closes around my neck and I freeze, terror flooding through my chest. But the hand never tightens, and nothing stops the air from filling into my lungs like when he strangled me at S.T.A.R. Labs. He just tugs the voice modulator out from under the collar of my suit and pulls his hand away.

"Richard." Slade says, voice softer. "Focus. I heard everything you said, and none of it was incriminating enough for him to put anything together as long as you stick to the plan. You need to go. Now."

He's right. Focus. I breathe in, counting for a few beats, then I let the air out. I just have to beat Bruce back to the manor, pretend I've been in my room the whole time, let him see that I don't have any of Renegade's cuts and bruises. He never has to know about any of this.

---

Turns out, I really didn't need to worry about beating Batman back to the manor. I snuck past the security cameras, took a shower to wash off the last remains of the dirt and sweat, and "casually" wandered down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. No sign of Bruce or Selina. Everyone else was already asleep, even Alfred. It was close to five by the time I finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion and Batman still wasn't back.

Even after he came back the next day, I still didn't see him. It's not until a few days later that I psych myself up enough to venture down to Batcave. He's suited up and heading for the Batwing.

"Uh, Batman? Where are you going?"

"I'm working a case with Superman." He says coldly. I swallow the lump in my throat and push ahead. If he recognized me at the Iceberg, he would have done something by now, right?

"What case?"

"I don't want you involved."

"What?" I step back. Secrets or not, that hurt. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You didn't." Batman sighs, stopping and actually turning around to look at me. The cowl hides most of his face, but it doesn't take a genius to see how stressed he looks. "I really didn't want to tell you about this, not because of anything you did or because I don't value your skills, but because I don't want you anywhere near him."

"Who? Joker?"

"Robin. I need you to promise me that you will not attempt to work this case. You will stay away and let me deal with it while I know that you're safe." He holds up a hand before I can get a word out. "I know that sometimes you hear that phrase as a call to action, but I'm completely serious. Robin, I'm asking you to trust me. Do I have your word?"

A shiver runs down my back. I haven't seen him this intense in a long time. Whatever this case is, I'll stay out of it. It has to be really, really bad for Batman to ask me like this.

"Okay. I promise."

"Thank you." Batman says.

"What's the case?" I ask quietly.

"Deathstroke is in Gotham." Batman says and I freeze. Nausea rises in my stomach, but there's no accusation, not even a hint of suspicion. He doesn't know. "Following recent events, he's been upgraded to a much more serious threat. The League is actively working to bring him to justice."

I take a step back.

"Dick, you promised."

"I… I'll stay away."

"Thank you."

I go back up to the manor, not sure if I'm relieved or horrified. The secret might be safe for now, but this is bad. This is really bad. Slade was right; Batman is getting too close. As horrible as that night was, Slade's plan at the Iceberg worked.

This time.

But Batman is just getting started. Slade will never let me go, especially not when he's been risking his own reputation by letting me pass secrets. Even if Batman finds out the truth, it won't change anything about our deal. Batman doesn't have a plan. He told me so himself, standing on top of the roof when he thought I was just another enemy. Slade is so far ahead of him it's so far past funny that it outstripped horrifying and circled all the way back to being funny again. If Batman finds out, I'll lose everything. I'll never see my family again. And I won't let that happen.

After S.T.A.R. Labs, I was ready to do anything to protect my family. But now that they're out of danger, being taken away from them is the worst thing I can imagine. I can't lose them. It'll kill me.

---

Artemis Crock

Mount Justice

Saturday, January 8th, 2013

---

"Recognized; Artemis B07." The zeta beam announced.

"Artemis, just in time!" Green Arrow grinned. Artemis looked at the group standing around the holocomputer and noticed her mentor was the only one smiling. The rest of the team was already there, but it was like walking into a standoff. Superboy and Zatanna stood in between Robin and Red Arrow. Neither of them looked particularly happy. Kid Flash and Miss Martian were on the other side of the ring, standing a little too close to each other. Aqualad looked upset about something, but sad upset, not angry. Red Tornado and Black Canary stood in the back, eyes scanning over the team.

Red Arrow nodded at Artemis in a casual greeting. Artemis blinked before she bumped up the weirdness to a ten and went to stand by Zatanna.

Choosing not to comment on the hyper-tense atmosphere, Green Arrow said, "Okay, people, listen up. Batman's got to handle a legal issue out in Metropolis, but he gave me a heads-up. Sportsmaster was spotted coming through Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans."

Artemis flinched as a picture of her father appeared onscreen.

"In costume? Nervy." Zatanna grinned, trying to make a joke. Artemis felt her throat go dry, hoping nobody was watching her freak out.

"In street clothes. Facial recognition picked him up." Green Arrow crossed his arms. "Find out what he's up to."

"All of us?" Superboy asked, pointing to the full team. "Seems like overkill for a shadow job."

"Think of it as… an abundance of caution." Green Arrow shrugged. "Extra stealth practice."

"Hopefully, the extra power won't be necessary." Canary cut in. "Besides, it's been a while since the full team was on a mission, and it will be helpful to have a simple mission to adjust to the larger roster."

"Larger roster?" Kid Flash asked. "You mean Roy?"

"In addition to Red Arrow, Captain Marvel has asked to join the team on some missions. He can't be here today, but he's looking forward to working with you again."

"Of course, if you guys really feel like it's overkill, you don't all have to go." Green Arrow said, sneaking a glance at Artemis. She swallowed, staring at the picture of her dad onscreen. Exhaling, she looked at her mentor and let her eyes narrow in determination. She was going. Sportsmaster had to be stopped.

"It will be good to have the whole team together." Aqualad said firmly.

---

Artemis looked around the bioship, trying to distract herself. The weird tension was definitely back, there was no way she was making it up. Miss Martian and Kid Flash sat in the back by the flight controls, both concentrating on flying the ship way more intently than they needed to. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were having a psychic conversation. In the front of the ship, Zatanna was arguing with Superboy. Neither of them looked too concerned, so Artemis didn't feel like calling them out on it. Especially not while the whole team was being so weird. Aqualad and Red Arrow discussed their intel on their other side, valiantly attempting to stay above the mysterious drama unfurling around them.

Robin was in the chair next to her, reading through files on his display screen. He looked… awful. She was used to seeing him confident and ready for anything, and Artemis felt antsy seeing the Boy Wonder so on-edge.

"You okay?" She asked him. Robin gave her an unconvincing smile.

"Are you?" He returned the question. Artemis thought about the image of her dad on screen and her stomach churned. What was she thinking, coming on this mission? The last thing in the world she wanted was to see her dad, let alone risk her teammates finding out the truth about her.

"It's going to be fine, Artemis." Robin told her encouragingly.

"You don't know that."

"Maybe not. But if it's going to go to hell no matter what we do, might as well relax and try our best, right?"

"That's optimistic."

"Hey, I try." He flashed her an empty grin.

"Did you talk to Red Arrow? We were sparring the other day, he said he wanted to talk."

"Nope." Robin answered, returning his eyes to his screen. "He knows where I am if he wants to talk. Not that I really want to. What about you guys? I know he's given you a lot of shit."

Artemis glanced over, but Red Arrow was still deep in conversation with Aqualad.

"Kind of? He seemed… like he was trying. I think he's finally realizing what a jerk he's been."

Robin deflated, not even trying to hide how exhausted he looked. Artemis could even see the bags under his eyes beneath his mask.

"I wish stuff was simpler, you know?" He mumbled. "I just want to help people. That's what it's supposed to be about, not all this mess."

"I know how you feel," Artemis wrapped an arm around her stomach, thinking about the fight with her mom, how her mom begged Batman and Green Arrow to help her. She felt her cheeks flushing and pulled herself out of her thoughts.

"We're five minutes out." Miss Martian announced, breaking through the quiet chatter.

"Good." Aqualad said, pulling up a map on everyone's screen, centered on a boat and jet ski rental shop. "A rental for a motorboat was just placed, full payment made in cash. Red Arrow, you are on Sportsmaster's tail by water. Miss Martian, stay on the ship and provide overhead surveillance. Maintain a cautious distance, Sportsmaster has proven himself adept at spotting camouflage in motion. Kid Flash, Robin, there is a road following the waterfront. You will pursue by motorbike. Artemis, Superboy and Zatanna, you three are backup. Stay alert and be ready for a confrontation. Understood?"

Everybody nodded.

"Excellent. Miss Martian, link us up."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Miss Martian protested. Everyone turned to look at her in confusion. Except Robin, who Artemis noticed was looking away with a frown.

"Is something the matter?" Aqualad asked in concern.

"There's too many of us." Miss Martian said. "I… I'm not comfortable supporting a mind link for eight people, especially since Red Arrow's mind is unfamiliar. I'm really sorry, I just don't want to risk us losing contact if I can't maintain it."

"It is alright. Does everyone have their comm links?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Radio in any updates. If there is a problem, let the rest of us know immediately."

---

"He stopped. Hold your positions." Red Arrow announced over the comms. "I'm moving in for a closer look."

From the bioship, Artemis looked down over the river. Her dad, no, Sportsmaster was climbing out of the boat and walking to shore. She pulled back and looked at M'gann.

"I'm going down. Something doesn't feel right."

Miss Martian nodded and immediately, the bioship began to descend.

"We'll come with you." Superboy stood up.

"No." Artemis shook her head. "If he spots any of us, chances are good that he'll try to get away. We need to be able to follow him no matter what."

"Alright." Superboy nodded.

"But if you need help, we're coming." Zatanna said. Artemis smiled gratefully at her teammates before nodding at Miss Martian.

"Aqualad, I'm coming down to help." Artemis radioed in.

"Acknowledged. Be cautious."

Artemis jumped through the newly-formed hole in the bioship's floor and dropped about fifteen feet to the ground, rolling when she touched down. She snuck behind a cluster of trees, peering around to see her dad checking his watch impatiently. Up ahead, she could barely make out the tip of Red Arrow's head from behind a rock. She scanned the waterline, looking for the threat.

Something wasn't right, but she couldn't see anything.

"Hey sis." A voice purred behind her. Artemis whipped around to see her older sister perched in a tree behind her. "Long time no 'reveal who you really are to all your friends.'"

Cheshire jumped at her, swinging her sword in a downward arc. Artemis fired an arrow that Cheshire knocked out of the way. Artemis brought up her bow to match the strike, her arms aching from the force of the hit. Artemis kicked her in the stomach, bringing the bow up and shifting her stance to redirect her sister's weight and throw her to the ground. Cheshire rolled to her feet and let herself slide along the ground instead of fighting the momentum.

"Nice move. Canary teach you that?" Cheshire grinned, raising her sword. Artemis brought up her bow and pulled back an arrow. "Bet you run out of arrows before I run out of sword. Unless you plan to use the pointy ones against your own sister."

"Why shouldn't I? You're working with Sportsmaster!"

"Not by choice!" Cheshire snarled. "Not my call."

"Then whose call is it?!"

"Spoilers, Artemis. You'll just have to find out the hard way." Cheshire raised her sword and charged. Artemis fired two arrows, knowing Cheshire would bat them out of the way. While the assassin swept the second arrow aside, Artemis jabbed a trick arrowhead into the tree behind her and raised her bow like she was going for an overhead strike. Cheshire raised her sword to meet it, but Artemis changed her grip and stuck her hand through the bow like a large, very weapon-y bracelet. She grabbed Cheshire's shoulder and pushed herself into the air, vaulting over the assassin's head. She landed easily and kicked Cheshire in the back, knocking her into the tree as the foam arrowhead exploded, encasing the assassin in a layer of high-density polyurethane.

"You little brat!" Cheshire shrieked, fighting for leverage to free herself. "Do you have any idea what this is going to do to my hair?!"

"Payback for all the gum you stuck in mine." Artemis muttered to herself, moving out of Cheshire's line of sight. "Artemis to Aqualad."

"What's your status?" Aqualad's voice rang in her ear.

"I found Cheshire." Artemis reported. "I handled her, but she's working with Sportsmaster. There might be others, and if they're on comms, he knows we're here."

"Acknowledged. Kid Flash, Zatanna, with Artemis. Everyone else, hold your positions."

"On my way!" Zatanna said.

"Me too." Kid Flash added.

"There's a train incoming." Superboy reported. "One of the doors just opened and—"

"It was a pickup. Sportsmaster just received it." Red Arrow finished over the com. "It's a briefcase, heavy locking mechanisms. I'm follow—"

Artemis couldn't hear his next words when an explosion rang out and Cheshire jumped at her, sword swinging through the air. She barely brought up her bow in time to block the blade, moving on pure instinct and adrenaline. She couldn't see anything beyond the cloud of black smoke.

"Sportsmaster is on the move!" Red Arrow shouted. "I'm in pursuit!"

Cheshire spun, her fist swinging around to connect with the side of Artemis' head. She yelped as her head rang from the force of the hit, but also at the burst of static from her comm link. A foot connected with Artemis' left knee and she went down, the old injury flaring up again. Cheshire's knee dug into her stomach and her sai pressed into her chin. She was pinned and her knee HURT from where Deathstroke had dislocated it.

"You've gotten better. I'm almost impressed."

"Like I care what you think! You're never going to win and you know it."

"Well, well, you've grown teeth. But those are big words from someone desperately trying to play a part she doesn't fit."

"You know what, Jade?" Artemis growled, ignoring the poison-tipped blade digging into her skin. "You're a shitty sister and you always have been. You don't care about anything or anyone, especially not yourself."

"Lashing out?" Cheshire sing-songed, her voice light. "Very mature, Artemis."

"Listen to me or don't. I don't care what you do. You left because you couldn't stand being around dad, and now here you are, letting him call the shots all over again. I feel sorry for you."

"For me?" She forgot to sound amused.

"Wake up, Jade! Dad always wanted you to be like him. You literally abandoned me so that you could get away from him and his shit, and now look at yourself! You're exactly what he wanted."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Cheshire spat, abandoning her usual act. "Dear old dad is not the one calling the shots here."

"Artemis! Keep her talking!" Kid Flash shouted in her ear. "I'm almost there!"

"Yeah, well you're not either." Artemis grinned. Then she processed the words. Keep her talking. How did Kid Flash know she was talking to… Oh. Oh no. No, no, no.

Her comm was on.

When Jade hit her in the head, she must have turned it on somehow.

And if her comm was on the whole time, then her whole team just heard everything. They knew everything. They knew she lied about being Green Arrow's niece, that she'd come on this mission to help track down her own dad, that her big sister was the one pointing a piece of steel at her neck. They were never going to trust her again.

A blur shot out of nowhere and slammed into Cheshire, tackling the assassin to the ground. Cheshire kicked him off, but before she could do more than climb to her feet, a voice rang out, "Dloh reh llits!"

Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around Cheshire and binding her tightly against a tree. Zatanna emerged from the darkness, her face set in a scowl.

"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Kid Flash held out his hand to help her up.

"Did you… please tell me you guys didn't hear that." Artemis hesitated. Zatanna looked guilty but Kid Flash just reached forward and grabbed her hand.

"It doesn't matter who your family is. You're our teammate. We trust you."

He pulled her to her feet and Artemis felt dizzy from the sudden rush of relief.

"Aww, how sweet. Your friends love you." Cheshire cooed. "Wait until they find out all the rest of your dirty little se—"

"Can you shut her up, please?!" Artemis begged Zatanna. The magician smirked and raised a hand.

"Gag reh!" She cried, making Cheshire's taunts faded away.

"Thank you." Artemis said. "For everything."

"That's what friends are for." Kid Flash smiled at her. An explosion rocked through the air, sending up a massive spray of water. The three of them jerked around.

"What happened?!" Artemis demanded.

"Sportsmaster spotted Red Arrow and Aqualad." Robin answered. "I'm still in pursuit."

"Superboy and I are still on the bioship, we have eyes on Sportsmaster too." Miss Martian added.

"What do we do?" Artemis asked.

"Miss Martian, Superboy, Robin, the three of you follow Sportsmaster. We must find out what's in that case. Artemis…" she could hear Aqualad hesitate and she felt her stomach sink. "What you said over your comms, is it true?"

Artemis winced. Her secret was out; now the whole team knew. Kid Flash squeezed her hand and Zatanna nodded at her in solidarity. Without taking her eyes off her sister, she answered. "It's true. We have Cheshire in custody."

"Then she is your call. If she's working with Sportsmaster, they may rendezvous and we will be able to find out what they're planning."

"…okay." Artemis managed.

"Once Cheshire has been handled, the three of you should join us at the bioship's coordinates."

"Got it." Kid Flash said for all three of them. The woods felt eerily quiet once Aqualad signed off. Artemis looked at her sister, then back at her teammates and made up her mind.

"You guys go. I'll meet up with you when I'm done."

"Be careful." Zatanna hugged her suddenly, squeezing tight.

"You too." Artemis squeezed back. Zatanna headed for the motorcycle lying on its side, picking it up and climbing on.

"I'll catch up." Kid Flash told her. Zatanna nodded and revved the engine before speeding off. "Artemis, are you okay?"

"You're seriously worried about me right now?"

"Well, yeah. Your sister just outed you in front of all of us, that's a lot to deal with."

"Don't you care? Aren't you mad?" Artemis asked, heart pounding.

"You can't pick your family." Wally answered. "I don't blame you for wanting it to stay secret. But you can't let them use you, Artemis. You don't have to be what they want you to be. You're incredible and you make a great superhero and I… I'm glad you're on the team."

"I don't want to be like them." Artemis whispered. Kid Flash took her hands, squeezing tightly.

"You're not."

Artemis stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Kid Flash moved with her and the next thing she knew his lips were on hers and they were kissing. She was kissing Kid Flash. She closed her eyes, feeling his hands wrap around her waist and pull her closer while her hand tangled in his hair.

Her heart pounded and she could feel his heart pulsing too. He tasted like electricity, the kiss making her mouth tingle, and when they pulled away, it felt like the world's best energy boost.

"I…" Artemis tried to say, but Wally just grinned.

"I should've done that a long time ago."

Artemis smiled, letting herself feel the joy coursing through her body and lifting her onto her toes like she was floating. Then she took a breath and looked over at Cheshire, where the assassin was still bound to the tree.

"Do you want me to stay?" Kid Flash asked. Artemis shook her head.

"I need to do this."

"Okay." He lowered his goggles, pointing to the abandoned motorcycle next to where Zatanna's had been. "I'll run. Use my bike when you're ready."

With a last look, he disappeared in a flash. Artemis checked that her comm link was off this time, took a breath to steady herself, then walked over to her sister. Jade looked amused and Artemis tightened her grip on her bow.

"I know you don't care about me." Artemis said, stepping forward. "When I was little, I thought you did. We were family, no matter how many times dad made us fight, no matter what kind of stuff you said to me when you were angry. And then mom got arrested and you left me. I used to hope you'd come back and take me with you; we could be together, just us against the world. But you never did, and I'm glad."

Artemis looked down at her bow, the one Ollie had given her about a month after she joined the team. He pretended it was a standard-issue piece of equipment, and Artemis had been too excited to call him out on the gift. After all, he'd even made sure it was her favorite color.

"I had to make my own choices. And this path hasn't been easy, but you know what I found out? That I'm not alone."

She looked Jade in the eyes through the holes in her mask but she couldn't read the expression on her face.

"I feel sorry for you, Jade, I really do. You threw yourself into the life because you didn't believe you deserved anything else. You push people away because you think you have to be alone. And as long as you think that, that's all you're ever going to be."

Artemis slung her bow over her shoulder and reached down for Cheshire's discarded sword.

"I know that if I arrest you, you won't even spend a night behind bars. You can call me weak or stupid or trusting or whatever you want, I know that you're going to do whatever you want to. What I do isn't going to change that."

Artemis walked around to the back of the tree, where the thick tangle of vines had erupted from the ground. She raised the sword, but hesitated.

"Jade, I don't know who you're working for, but… don't go back to dad. You owe yourself that much." Artemis said. The woods were quiet, only disturbed by the sound of the river rushing past. Artemis steeled herself, then she cut through the vines and released her sister.

She half expected Jade to immediately attack her again, or taunt her about her friends or make fun of her for the kiss, but the assassin just quietly retrieved her mask from the ground.

"You're wrong." Jade said quietly, staring down at the grinning face.

"Just go." Artemis turned away, climbing onto the bike Kid Flash left for her. She resisted the urge to look for as long as she could, and when she finally looked, the clearing was empty.

"I'm heading back to you." Artemis reported.

"I just sent you our coordinates," Superboy answered. "Robin just found the location."

"Uh, guys?" Robin said. "Remember how we thought the whole team was overkill? Well… Sportsmaster just went inside the warehouse and it looks like Klarion, the Brain and Ivo are having a tea-party."

---

Dick Grayson

---

"What, so your plan is to just sacrifice yourself?!" Miss Martian snaps. She and Superboy caught up to me on the roof of the warehouse and demanded to know what my plan was. I haven't talked to her since our… fight, and she seems as angry at me as she was then. I don't blame her.

But still, I've had worse plans. Way worse.

"We can't let them finish whatever freaky light show is going on down there!"

"You can't keep throwing yourself at a problem to protect the rest of us!" She looks furious. "You are not going down there!"

"Okay." I hold up my hands to stop her. "I won't. I'm sorry, M'gann. I really am."

"Then let us help you." She answers.

"We're doing this together." Superboy finally interrupts, watching us with suspicion in his eyes. "They're making some kind of weapon down there. If we interrupt, they'll just try again. We let them finish, and then we steal it so they can't use it."

"How long do you think it will take them to finish it?" Miss Martian asks. Before I can tell her I have no idea, Superboy stiffens.

"Get down!" Superboy practically throws himself over the side of the warehouse. Miss Martian and I follow, ducking for cover. I hear the footsteps climbing up the ladder and my eyes narrow.

"Sportsmaster." I whisper to my teammates.

"There's too many of them for the three of us." Miss Martian says. Red light is still flashing through the windows behind us, and I risk a quick look into the warehouse. Klarion is standing over the briefcase, red light pouring from his fingers. The harsh lighting makes Ivo's mad-scientist grin even creepier.

I duck back down, mind whirling.

"Whatever they're working on, it's inside that case. We're not going to have long, but we'll have an opening as soon as they finish. Remember how we played AMAZO?" I ask Superboy. "As soon as we grab the case, it's a game of keep-away. We have to keep it away from them until the team gets here and we have backup."

"This is a bad idea." Miss Martian shakes her head.

"Maybe, but it's the best we've got." I answer. "Unless you guys have a better plan?"

"Robin's right. The others will be here soon, we have to stop them from leaving with that case."

---

"All done." Ivo says, closing the briefcase. That's my cue.

I throw two explosive birdarangs at the far wall. They detonate with a huge boom, causing the villains to look over.

"I'll take that!" I shout from the other side of the room, swinging from my grappling line to swoop in between them and grab the handle of the case.

"NO!" Klarion shrieks, hands glowing red. A bolt of red lighting slices through my grappling line and knocks me out of the air. I twist over, watching Klarion's face twist with rage as the case zooms out of my grip and into Miss Martian's outstretched hand. Another burst of telekinesis pushes open the skylight and she takes off.

"Stop her." The Brain's mechanical voice commands, and Monsieur Mallah leaps at her with a roar. Superboy intercepts him, knocking the eight-hundred-pound gorilla back. I land on the ground and roll, retracting the remains of my grappling gun. One of Ivo's green MONQI's jumps at me and I grab it out of the air, holding a limb in each hand and pulling until the seams give and the robot shatters.

"You brats!" Klarion screeches, the sound ringing violently in my ears. "Give it back! It's mine!"

An explosion rocks the building, followed by a wave of water slamming against the walls.

"Miss Martian is clear with the case. Red Arrow is engaging Sportsmaster. Robin, Superboy, where are you?" Aqualad's voice sounds steady as ever over the comms.

"Inside!" I answer, dodging a wave of magical red spikes. Aqualad doesn't waste anytime blasting through the wall and shooting a massive jet of water at Klarion that blasts him into the wall. I grab a bolo and hurl it at Ivo, binding his arms to his chest. I charge forward, kicking him backwards over the table and onto the ground.

He's out cold. I tie his arms behind his back for good measure and turn back to the fight. Superboy is still taking on the giant gorilla and Klarion blasts energy bolts at Aqualad. Outside, I can hear Sportsmaster and Red Arrow fighting.

A burst of electricity drops me to my knees and I let out a shout. OW, of course the stupid Brain in a tin can has tasers built in.

"Robin!" Superboy shouts, and then the pain dissipates as he hurls the Mallah into the Brain, sending them both flying. Superboy grabs my arm and pulls me up. Aqualad's water bearers swing through the air, a torrent of water pinning Klarion to the wall and drenching him from head to toe. He looks like an angry wet cat, especially with the way his hair droops under its own weight. Next to him, Teekl lets out the miserable howl of an actual wet cat.

"You… you… you BRATS! YOU INSUFFERABLE CHILDREN! THIS ISN'T OVER!" Klarion shouts, stamping his feet and causing a swirling red portal to open under his feet. Together he, Mallah and the Brain disappear.

"Miss Martian, where are you?" Aqualad asks.

"I'm on the bioship and I've got the case. Coming your way now."

"Good." Aqualad sounds relieved. The rest of us look around the half-destroyed warehouse.

"Is it just me, or isn't that guy supposed to be in Belle Rev?" Zatanna asks, gesturing at the tied-up and unconscious Ivo.

"Yeah, he sure is."

---

"Excellent work today. I am very proud to call you all my teammates." Aqualad says. He puts a hand on Artemis's shoulder and smiles. She seems amazingly okay considering the fact that her older sister just tricked her into revealing her deepest secret to all of us, but maybe that's because she knows we've got her back.

"I just checked in with Superman. I'll take the chips up to the Watchtower." Red Arrow says, picking up the case. We lock eyes as he walks past and he nods at me. It's not exactly an apology, but I nod back anyway.

"The warden, Hugo Strange, has just been arrested. The state is sending an interim team to manage the prison, and the vetting process has begun to locate a permanent replacement." Aqualad smiles proudly, "Just one of the many victories we accomplished today."

"And once we know what those chips are, we'll be one step ahead of the bad guys." Kid Flash grins.

"It was about time something good happened," Superboy agrees, looking happier and more relaxed than I've seen him in months. Even Miss Martian looks happy as she drags Superboy over to the kitchen to help her pass out snacks.

We did good today. It feels good.

I really missed it.

"Are you alone?" Slade's voice is suddenly in my ear. My heart stops and the peaceful moment shatters. The team is still milling around the living room, hanging out and chatting like we used to do before things started falling apart. Zatanna looks at me curiously when I leave, but I wave at her casually and she waves back. I head for my room, making sure the door is locked behind me.

"This is a private line on a highly encrypted system. What are you doing?!" I spit into the comm.

"I have crucial information for you. Believe me, I would never contact you this way unless it was an emergency."

My stomach churns, but the fury in my chest wins out.

"Whatever you have to say, I don't care! I'm not doing anything for you after last time!"

"I appreciate that you're angry, but this is time sensitive and far too important for you to ignore. You don't need to do anything, just listen."

"Fine. You have one minute."

"I just got out of a meeting with the Light. They've begun the next phase of their plan."

"What?"

"I don't know the details, but they've completed their mind-control technology. It's a Trojan Horse, designed to get beyond the Justice League's defenses where their inside agent can use it to take control of the entire League. I don't know what they look like, but the Light received confirmation that the devices have just been brought to the Watchtower."

Holy shit. The chips.

"Why are you telling me this?!"

"You wanted information that could help your friends and the League. If you don't act now, they will all be put under the Light's complete and total control."

"What do you mean, act now? What am I supposed to do?!"

"Get the devices, make sure you have all of them, and get out of the Watchtower. I will find you and help you dispose of them."

"You want to destroy them?" I ask, stunned.

"The Light intends to destroy the very foundation of society, a society in which I happen to make a living. I have no desire to see Vandal Savage's version of the new world order."

My heart slams against my chest, my blood running cold at the thought of the Justice League under the Light's control.

"Who is it?"

"What?"

"The Light's inside agent, who is it?!"

"I don't know, Richard, but you don't have time to waste. Every second counts."

"Why should I trust you? I don't know if you remember, but the last time I went on a mission for you my dad knocked me off a building when you said he wouldn't even show!"

"This is what the Light has been working towards ever since its conception. Everything they have done has contributed to this project in one way or another. They've been acquiring the technology for the devices and placing their agents in position to strike. If you don't take the devices back, the League WILL fall. You and your teammates will be targeted as well."

"I…"

"You don't have time to ponder this one. If you're going to act, act now. Get the devices and get out of the Watchtower. Whatever you do, do NOT get caught."

---

Bruce Wayne

Metropolis Penitentiary

---

"See, I told you he'd show," Arthur Brown, a.k.a the Cluemaster, said to his attorney in a voice of smug superiority. The lawyer nodded and held out his hand. For the sake of not riling up the lawyer any more than he already was, Batman shook it.

"My client has been requesting a meeting for two weeks now. Is this complete disregard for others' time characteristic of all "super" heroes or just a personal flaw?" The lawyer asked stiffly. Batman chose to disregard that comment and sat across from them.

"The terms of appeal you sent are completely impractical. No matter what information you believe you can provide, there is no case for a complete termination of your sentence." Batman informed him.

"The information my client possesses is sufficiently pertinent to the Justice League and international security that his requests are not only reasonable, they are the bare minimum of the compensation to which he is entitled."

"Brown is not entitled to any compensation. He has seven years left on his sentence and three judges have already denied his request for an appeal."

"My client was framed." The lawyer shot back. Brown looked at Batman smugly, daring him to challenge the attorney's words. Batman was more than happy to.

"Brown was arrested for fraud, racketeering and aggravated assault. In addition to multiple drug possession charges and child endangerment." Batman answered, voice dipping into a furious growl at the reminder of the dangerously unstable environment Stephanie had grown up in.

"My client was framed." The lawyer repeated. "He has discovered some information that my team and I agree is sufficient evidence to get his sentence overturned and all charges dismissed."

"If you're so certain, then you can take it to court." Batman said, starting to stand up. "The League has no interest in making deals with convicted felons."

"The legal process, as you know, is long and arduous. My client has already suffered an undue burden under the false accusations for which he was charged. In an attempt to see justice done, something which you and your compatriots claim to uphold, with any manner of speed, my client is seeking to exchange this value information for an immediate pardon, a modest financial compensation, and restored custody of his daughter."

"Absolutely not." Batman said.

"My client's demands are absolutely reasonable." The lawyer produced a thick stack of papers from his briefcase and set it down on the table with an overly loud thud. "The following brief outlines the legal basis for my client's demands, including the damage calculations for his wrongful sentencing."

Batman felt his eye start to twitch and reached for the papers. Getting through the legal jargon was an arduous process, but the years he'd studied law at Harvard before dropping out to pursue his training abroad came in handy. With a dawning sense of dread, Batman read the papers and started to understand that this situation wasn't some kind of ploy. Arthur Brown truly believed he had information valuable enough to make his outrageous demands, and what was worse, a team of highly capable, bloodthirsty lawyers agreed with him.

"I'm trying to help you." Brown said impatiently, breaking through the sound of pages being turned.

"Arthur." His lawyer warned. "Your best course of action is to stay quiet."

"Then tell him that." Brown's hands flew out to the sides as far as the handcuffs would let him. The lawyer nodded and turned back to Batman.

"My client has chosen to offer you and the Justice League this information because he believes it to be of tremendous value to your cause. It has the potential to save a very large number of lives."

Batman took a breath, running through his options in his head, but it was obvious he needed to hear him out. Although he had the authority to act on behalf of the Justice League, he wouldn't make any decisions without consulting the other members. Not when it came to Brown.

"If your information is valuable enough, I will discuss the terms of the agreement with the other members of the League."

"A signature will be sufficient to approach a judge."

"I'm not signing anything until I've heard the information."

"My client will not divulge anything until we have a signed agreement."

"Tell him what it's about." Brown said. The lawyer smirked, looking Batman straight in the eyes.

"The identity of Deathstroke the Terminator's apprentice."

Dammit.

Brown was right. That was more than worth the League's attention.

"What proof do you have?"

"Five years' worth." Brown snarled, but he wasn't looking at Batman. He was lost in a vicious memory.

"No further information will be divulged unless you agree to my client's terms." The lawyer said, stopping Brown from saying anything else. Batman looked at the papers again and made a choice.

"Stephanie Brown's custody arrangements are not up for debate. Any changes to the current situation can only be made through a court of law following appropriate legal proceedings. Arthur Brown was declared an unsuitable guardian and stripped of custody due to concerns for the girl's safety."

"NO. He took my kid from me, I'm getting her back!" Brown snarled, and the lawyer held up a hand to stop him.

"If your information is accurate and verifiable, I am willing to negotiate on the other demands." Batman said. Brown's lawyer slid an agreement towards him.

"This document is an agreement that will provide suitable clearance for the district attorney's office to begin reviewing my client's case. If the information my client provides is verified, we will begin negotiations for my client's release and the aforementioned financial compensation package."

"I will not sign anything that puts a child in jeopardy." Batman stood firm, attempting to remain impartial when the fact remained that it was his daughter in question. Brown was an unfit guardian and Stephanie wasn't safe with him. Her safety was the most important thing.

"It's too fucking late for that." Brown snapped. His lawyer shot him a look and after an intense silent conversation, the lawyer turned back.

"We will agree to leave the current custody arrangement as is, provided that a judge reviews the case once the information my client can provide has been thoroughly examined. My client will reduce his demands to the reduction of his sentence and financial compensation as outlined in the brief."

Batman weighed his options carefully, but if Arthur Brown really knew Renegade's identity, he needed to hear it. Renegade was in extreme danger; risks of mercenary work aside, the abuse Deathstroke subjected him to was as horrifying as it was brutal. The encounter at the Iceberg Lounge had all but confirmed it. Even if he wasn't, Deathstroke had proven to be a menace on his own. Having a sidekick just made him that much more dangerous.

"If your information isn't exactly as useful or accurate as you claim, there's no deal."

"Oh it is." Brown answered before Batman signed the agreement. The lawyer cosigned and returned the paper to his briefcase before nodding at his client. "I had the pieces but they didn't all fit. There was too much missing. Then Parasite started running his mouth, he gave me the last clue I needed. Everything he said about his last job, and everything he didn't; bragging about how he met Deathstroke's brat, not a word about how the kid ruined his plans and turned him in to Interpol."

Batman's blood froze.

"What?" He growled.

"That's when I knew. You believe in coincidence? I sure as hell don't. I never used in my life, but the day you show up to bust me, the cops find a kilo of coke scattered around my apartment. Deathstroke set me up, I knew that the whole time, but I couldn't figure out why. Then Cain has a change of heart, and a banker drives himself and his wife off a cliff. Coincidence, sure maybe. But what happens to all the kids? Every one of 'em put into the system, through some act of god they all end up in the same place." Arthur Brown leaned forward. "Now here's the kicker. Wayne isn't a bad guy. That was the very last piece; the poor sonova bitch doesn't know. That's what makes it perfect. Deathstroke picks a brat, finds somewhere to public to stash him so he can't run, and surrounds him with easy targets to keep him in line."

"No." Batman growled, low voice reaching new depths. "That's impossible."

"Not impossible. How many kids in the world flew the trapeze for Haly's Circus?" Brown paused for effect while Batman's world crumbled for the second time, only this time there was no gunshot in a dark alley. Just a horrible truth unfurling as the world crumbled around him. "Wayne's oldest is working for Deathstroke. Little Richard Grayson is Renegade."

No. No. That wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

Batman was out of the room before he realized what he was doing, practically sprinting for the Batmobile while he opened the comm line. He barely even heard Brown and his lawyer shouting after him.

"Robin, come in! Robin! Robin, come in now!"

The line never connected. Batman practically threw himself into the Batmobile and stomped on the gas pedal, heading to the nearest Zeta beam.

"Batman!" The Flash sounded even more frantic than usual. "Where are you?! Something's wrong! The zeta beams are down and something's messing with our comms!"

"All Leaguers respond! The Watchtower is under attack. Robin has the chips and is on the run."

---

Dick Grayson

The Watchtower

---

Getting onto the Watchtower is as simple as hacking the zeta logs to not announce the activation sequence, deactivating the motion sensors, and waiting until the Leaguer on duty steps away from the computers. (Which only takes a minute, thanks Plastic Man)

I sneak past him and into the hallway, finding the nearest air duct. I've never been to the Watchtower before but I memorized the blueprints about twenty-four hours after finding out this place existed. I pull up the security feed and see Red Arrow exiting a room on the upper floor while Hawkman locks the door behind them. He doesn't have the case with him, so I'm willing to bet that's where the chips are.

Sure enough, the open case is lying on a table with a machine scanning across the chips to analyze them. There's nobody guarding it. I drop down from the ceiling and onto the floor in front of the case. I can hear voices outside, muffled and unhurried, so I have some time but not a lot.

I count the chips hurriedly, and there's only twenty-nine. My head snaps up in alarm. One's missing.

The voices outside sound a lot more ominous. What if the mole has already infected someone?

What if I'm too late?

Then it's even more important to get the rest of the chips out. If the mole infected someone, then there's two Leaguers who are working for the Light. Two Leaguers who will infect everyone else if I can't get rid of the chips. There's no time to waste. I grab the case and shoot my grappling hook at the ceiling vent as the door opens. An arrow whistles through the air and shoots clean through my line, and I dodge the next arrow aimed right at me.

The door closes behind him and that's all I have time to notice before Red Arrow rushes me, firing projectiles and forcing me to retreat.

"Red, stop! It's not what you think!" I hiss, diving behind the console for cover.

An arrow lodges in the wall behind me and starts beeping.

"Shit!"

I dive out of the way, sprinting across the room for cover before the arrow blows, taking a chunk of the room with it. The case is heavily armored and cushioned, so a blow like that won't hurt the chips. But me? That would have killed me.

"Roy, stop! Listen to me!" I raise my hands in the air, keeping the case in front of my body so he can't shoot it out of my hand. A wave of déjà vu hits, followed by nausea. It's just like Hizer. Except instead of Green Arrow trying to talk me down, Red Arrow just notches a very pointy arrow and lets it fly.

I use the case to slam it out of the way and then dive to the side. A second arrow embeds itself in the floor where I was standing the second before. The third arrow narrowly misses my head by the time the realization hits me; Red Arrow is fighting to kill. He's not trying to take me down or stop me, he's trying to do whatever it takes to get the case back.

Slade was right.

The Light has an inside man. It's Red Arrow.

I can't let him get the chips. But if I try to run, I won't make it to the air ducts without getting impaled by an arrow.

Red Arrow pulls back another explosive arrow and I charge him before he can fire. Slamming the case into his head stuns him long enough for me to wrench the bow out of his hand and throw it across the room. He locks eyes with me and the emptiness behind the mask stops me dead. There's nothing on his face, no expression at all.

His arms snap up and slam me to the ground, pinning me on my stomach with my arm pulled in a lock behind my back. Fire burns from my shoulder all the way to my wrist and I can't move or he'll break my arm. Turning my head as far as I can, I see his arm moving, something clenched in his hand.

It's one of the chips.

"No!" I snap my left elbow back as far as I can and somehow, it makes contact. The grip on my right arm loosens enough for me to roll out of the lock. He's on top of me again before I can move and the two of us grapple on the floor. It's like training exercises we used to do a million years ago, except those were fun. This is a fight to the death with someone bigger who doesn't even flinch when I land a blow.

He might be bigger, but I somehow manage to overpower him. I get the upper hand and lunge, pinning him in a lock while pressing on a major pressure point. I only need to hold it for five seconds to knock him out.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep," I mutter desperately, holding the grip tightly as Red Arrow thrashes. The chip is still clenched in his hand and if I let up for a second, he'll infect me.

It takes half a second for the world to fall apart around me. The door opens and the majority of the League is standing behind it.

"Roy, we heard explosions. What's-"

"Oh god."

"Robin, stop!"

In the distraction, Red Arrow's head snaps back, slamming into my nose. Pain erupts across my face and my head rings. I charge forward, fist raised like I'm going to punch him. Red Arrow moves to block the punch and I change direction, grabbing the chip out of his hand and ducking behind him. I grab the case from where it's lying on the ground, throw the last chip inside, and slam it shut. I pull a handful of smoke pellets out of my belt and throw them, filling the room with smoke while I shoot my grappling gun up to the vent.

I scramble through the air ducts, relying on pure memory to guide me back to the zeta bay. That's my only way out. And even that's sheer desperation.

"Robin, whatever you're doing, it ends now. The Watchtower is in complete lockdown. There is no way off the satellite. Stand down. NOW." Wonder Woman orders over the Watchtower's intercom system. Beads of sweat run down my back. I'm fucked. Oh, I fucked up so bad.

Hacking the motion sensors helped me get in, but it's useless now. Superman has thermal and x-ray vision; he can see exactly where I am in the vents. The only reason he hasn't smashed through them to grab me is that it'll disrupt oxygen flow to the rest of the Watchtower and risk suffocating anyone in the affected area.

I have to get to the zeta beams. The entire system is on lockdown, but I helped write the code for all the League's security. They're not going to believe me that Red Arrow is the mole, not after they thought they saw me trying to kill him. And as long as Red Arrow is on board, leaving the chips on the Watchtower is too dangerous.

And one chip is missing. That means someone is already infected and there's no way to know who. If I hand over myself and the chips, the Light might still win. Then this will all have been for nothing.

"Kid Flash, come in!" I say desperately into the comms. Wally's my only hope right now. "The chips are a trap. It's mind control tech, someone on the League is infected and I don't know who! Roy is the mole!"

No answer. Fuck, what do I do?!

"What's going on?" Slade demands over the comms, and I'm so relieved to have any amount of backup that I don't even care he hacked my comms again. "The whole system is on lockdown, what happened?"

"I'm trapped! You were right, the mole caught me stealing the chips, he tried to kill me. What do I do?!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the vents."

"Get to the zeta beams. I'll have Hardison override the controls to allow you to escape. You'll get one chance. I'll meet you on the other side with a car in case you're followed."

My heart is going crazy and my chest heaves, panic setting in while the air ducts close in around me.

"I can't do it!"

"Yes you can. You can do this. The entire League is counting on you, remember what's at stake."

The League is counting on me. If I don't get the chips off the Watchtower, Red Arrow will infect all of them. And my team. They'll all be under the Light's control. I won't let it happen.

"Okay. I can do this."

I make my way to the Monitor Womb, where the zeta-beams are dark and still. If Hardison can't activate them, I'm trapped. Plastic Man is still on Monitor Duty, but now Captain Atom is standing watch with him. Plastic Man by himself, I could definitely handle. If he's having an off day, I could probably take out Captain Atom too. But both of them together? Not a chance.

"One of the Javelins just activated! Robin's hacking the system!" The Flash shouts over the Watchtower's intercom. I hold my breath and hope Slade's favorite hacker knows what he's doing. "We need to keep the hangar closed!"

Plastic Man springs into action as he propels himself forward. Captain Atom grabs him by the ankle.

"Where are you going?" He demands gruffly.

"The hangar." Plastic Man snaps. "You heard Flash, we need to stop that ship from leaving the tower."

"We can't leave the zeta unguarded. It could be a ploy."

"For the love of Mary, look at that thing. The whole system's shut down, nobody's getting out that way."

"We can't leave it undefended."

"Fine, you can stay." Plastic Man tries springing forward again, and Captain Atom stops him again. "What is your problem?!"

"You stay. One blast from me and that Javelin's not going anywhere."

"Fine, go! But if he gets out 'cause you didn't have Plas to save the day, I'm throwing you under the bus to Superman."

"Ugh." Captain Atom rolls his eyes as he storms out. I take a breath, gripping the case even tighter. My back is starting to hurt from being stuck in the vent, but I'm so close. A whirring sound starts up about thirty seconds after Plastic Man starts humming to himself, pacing the room and pretending to box his own shadow. The zeta beam generator starts spinning, a yellow light beginning to glow.

"Huh?" Plastic Man turns, staring at the zeta-beam. "Oh no, no, turn off. You're supposed to be locked down, turn off!"

I drop down from the vent while Plastic Man panics. He hears it when I charge towards the zeta-beam and his eyes bulge out from his head.

"Hey! You, stop! Hey!" One hand goes to his comm and he shouts, "Robin's here! Monitor womb!"

One stretchy hand lunges out, but I'm ready. I launch an explosive Batarang that throws him back in a cloud of smoke. I charge into the zeta-beam just as the main doors open.

"Robin!" The Flash calls.

"Stop!" Superman shouts. The red and blue blurs are the last thing I see before the world disappears in a blaze of light. When it fades, I throw myself out of the phone box and slam the door behind me. If the zeta isn't deactivated in time, they're going to be right behind me.

"Robin! What are you doing?!" Batman roars over the comm link.

"It's not what it looks like!" I shout, sprinting down the street. I have to get to the meeting point without the League catching me. One of the chips is missing. Someone in the League is infected and there's no way to know who. "The chips were a trap! Roy tried to kill me, he was—"

"I think that's enough." Slade voice cuts me off with a click on the comms. I skid to a stop; my feet refuse to move even though the entire Justice League might be about to come barreling through the zeta-port behind me.

"Slade! Let me talk to him!"

"He and the League can track you as long as your comm is active and you're in uniform. You need to destroy the chips before they find you."

A van pulls up, cutting off the alley in front of me. It's a dead end behind me, nothing but a blue phone box. I'm trapped.

"Let me talk to him!"

"You're running out of time." The door to the van slides open, and Slade is waiting inside. "Get in."

I hesitate.

"Or I can deactivate the zeta-beam lock and allow the League to catch you right now and retrieve the chips." Slade raises an eyebrow. "You've just made an enormous sacrifice; do you really want it to go to waste?"

"Screw you." I spit, but I don't have a choice. I climb into the van. The door slams shut behind me and the van takes off. There's a wall separating the front cab from the back of the van so there's no way to see who's driving.

"Give me your comm." Slade says. I only hesitate for a second before I hand it over.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe. You can lie low there."

"Lie low? No, we're destroying the chips and then I'm going back to explain everything."

"Are you now?" Slade laughs. My heart starts pounding.

"Yes. They'll understand."

"I'm sure they would. But you misunderstand me. You're not going back."

"We had a deal."

"We did. And then you broke it."

The world slows to a stop. Time stands still.

Slade telling me about the chips was a drastic choice; if the Light ever finds out he did it, it'll ruin his reputation forever. A risk that big needs an even bigger payout. And what's a bigger payout than getting his apprentice for good?

I just betrayed the entire Justice League. They all saw me do it.

Bruce thinks I betrayed him and it won't take long for him to put the dots together and figure out I've been working for Slade. That I've been working for him for years. I can never go home.

And even though Wally knows the truth, I hurt M'gann so badly that it'll destroy any chance of them getting the team to understand what really happened. The team won't listen to me. Kaldur will never forgive me if he thinks I tried to kill his boyfriend.

My only other option is the circus, but that's the first place Bruce would expect me to run. Besides, Slade would burn Haly's to the ground in a second to get to me.

There aren't any choices left. By stealing the chips, I've dug myself into a hole I can't escape from.

"You can't do this."

Slade laughs in my face.

"Don't be so naïve. You knew this was coming."

"Let me out."

"No."

"Slade, let me out."

"If you so much as twitch towards the door, I will inject you with so much anesthetic you'll be out for a month. And, of course, I'll ensure the Light gets their chips back safe and sound."

"Like you're not going to give them back anyway." I spit with as much venom as I can.

"Oh no, I was quite sincere earlier. I fully intend to help you destroy them… so long as you behave yourself. It's a small price to pay, isn't it Richard? You singlehandedly saved the planet from a mind-controlled Justice League rampage, and all it cost was the facade you've been holding onto."

"You can't do this."

"You should be proud of what you've accomplished. Now sit down and behave yourself. It's a long way to the safe house."

This can't be happening. My fingers tighten around the case that just cost me everything.

"No!" I shout, lunging for the door handle.

Something sharp jabs into my arm and my body goes numb almost immediately. Slade catches me before I slam into the ground, pushing me onto the seat.

"I warned you." He says, voice wobbling in and out of my hearing. "I'll see you in a few days."

---

Vandal Savage

Secret Volcano Base

---

Vandal Savage stood in front of the zeta-generator, hands clasped behind his back. He was a picture of the victorious regent, the patient conqueror who had finally triumphed over his enemies after long and arduous centuries of slow progress. The day had finally come. Humanity would evolve with him as its new ruler.

The confirmation had come in mere seconds ago. The devices had been brought to into the Justice League's base and the mole was on his way. The mole, carefully selected among the junior heroes, abducted by Ra's al Ghul's most skilled assassins, carefully programmed by the most advanced psychic genetic hybrids, and implanted as one of the League's own. It was just one part of an extraordinarily complex plan that had taken decades to fully unfold, but the day had finally come.

"It won't be long now." Savage announced, triumphantly fanning his fingers out and tapping them together. The old habit was one of a very small number of weaknesses he allowed himself, but what better time to indulge than in this moment of triumph? His partners grinned, exchanging nods with each other like professionals.

Any moment now, the mole would infect the League with the mind-control chips, granting Savage complete and total control. The Light would move forward with their plans and the heroes would be powerless to stop them.

Batman himself would override the zeta-beam controls and transport Vandal Savage directly into the League's most protected sanctum, where he would rule. Any moment now.

Any moment.

Yes, at any time, Savage would see his plans come to fruition.

Any time now.

A true strategist knew the value of patience. Savage was nothing if not patient. He reminded himself of this fact even as he itched to check his watch. Immortals had no use for time. In fact, time was a distraction. In the face of the victory at hand, time was meaningless.

And the victory was at hand.

Any moment now.

"We do have confirmation that Red Arrow made it aboard the Watchtower, yes?" Queen Bee asked haughtily, irritation leaking through her regal demeanor.

"Confirmation was received at 22 hundred hours." The Brain rattled off.

"And the chips are present?" Luthor asked.

"My assassins confirmed that the children retrieved the case, and the League assumed custody of it." Ra's al Ghul frowned.

"So what's taking so long?" Klarion demanded, finally putting into words what they were all thinking.

"Patience is a virtue, my friend." Ra's reminded him. Before anyone else could respond, he added, "But it may not be remiss to check in on… the present situation."

"Agreed." Savage agreed.

The other members of the Light echoed the sentiment, and then there was a pause.

"So… whose mole had the passcode, again?" Klarion asked.

"Allow me," Luthor responded. In a few moments, a video appeared on each of their screens. The Justice League was assembled in the main room, Red Arrow among them, but there was no indication that any of them had been placed under the Light's control. Batman wasn't present, and Superman was speaking furiously to the assembled group.

"Is sound beyond your capabilities?" Queen Bee sniped. Luthor scowled, but the video began to play sound.

"We will find him. Whatever's going on, we're going to get to the bottom of it. Canary is with the team now to keep them at the Cave. They cannot be involved until we figure out what's happening. We'll fan out across every known city with a zeta drop. We're not sure where he ended up or what his plan is, but it is imperative that we find him first. Whether or not he has the chips, finding Robin is the priority. Do not hurt him but do whatever else it takes to bring him in."

Savage stared at the screen in front of him.

"I will rewind the feed." The Brain announced, scanning backwards and flipping through feeds until an image of the case appeared. Savage could only stare in furious confusion as Robin appeared, attacking Red Arrow over the case and fighting off the League members that tried to stop him before fleeing into the zeta-beam. With the case containing all the chips.

They all stared in horror.

"Whose mole was he?!" Luthor demanded.

"Not mine!" Queen Bee snapped. "al Ghul, you claimed the Bat was your purview!"

"Not even I would risk the Bat's wrath with such a thing. I made no efforts to control the boy."

"Then what the fuck just happened?!" Klarion demanded.

---

AN: Hehehehehe.

Poor Robin, he was just trying to help. Slade has the amazing ability to ruin just about everyone else's day to get what he wants. And he's been planning this trap for a long time, there was just no way he was going to let it happen on Dick's terms. Dick is about to have an absolutely miserable time and some other people are going to have to make some hard decisions. Get ready for angst, cause some of this stuff is going to hurt.

:)

Side note, I made a little mistake with the dates as to when Cluemaster figures everything out, but I have gone back and corrected it so hopefully you didn't notice or just ignored it, but it's fixed now. Thank you to the people who helped me figure that out.

Please leave me a review if you enjoyed this chapter. I can't wait to hear what you guys think about how the story is progressing, or what you think Slade is planning. It literally makes my day to hear from you guys and now that school is over, I'll have a lot more time to write. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by next week!

Okay, that's all. Thank you for reading!