SANTA PRISCA
JUNE 23RD 1:16 EST
Honeybee lagged behind the others just a few steps behind where they were following Bane, and Superboy walked in step with her. The jungle around them was hushed, the quiet hiss of the bugs and the wind rustling the leaves their only company as they silently made their way to wherever it was Bane intended to bring them. A tense silence had overtaken the Team and most of it came from the lingering frustration Kid Flash and Robin still had rolling off of them. The jungle seemed to know that whisper was the best noise that could be stood and was just like them, waiting for the loud pop of noise that was bound to come.
Honeybee crossed her arms as she walked. It was always risky to bring in a third party on a mission half-way through and Bane was not exactly winning any awards from her in the trust department. Most of the others seemed to feel the same as her, with their shifty glances the man's way. Maybe some of the quiet was not just the aftermath of a fight but waiting for the explosion of Bane's intent as well.
Superboy walked next to her with a huff and a prepared gruffy expression directed at Bane. Honeybee for once found his barely contained irritation and aggression warranted. This was a large gamble, one she hoped paid off.
Bane lead them for what felt like forever. He did not bother once to address them again or look over his shoulder, seeming rather sure that they would follow him. Robin followed him closest and Honeybee could see from the hunch of his shoulder that all his attention was now fully on Bane, and only a death or explosion would turn his head now.
Bane stopped eventually at the edge of a cliffside and Honeybee narrowed her eyes as Bane pointed silently down to the valley below. Honeybee stepped forward to look over the edge and found a fork-lift packed with crates, a helipad already filled with crates it's intended place to leave their cargo. Robin pulled out a small pair of binoculars from his utility belt and Kid Flash slipped on his goggles to get a better look at what was happening below them.
"Look at all that product," Robin said. "A buy is certainly going down. But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects –"
"Then we need to identify that buyer," Aqualad interrupted. His eyes shone with determination.
"Just what I was thinking," Kid Flash said. He stood up and replaced his googles on top of his head. Robin rolled his eyes beneath his mask and stood. He replaced his binoculars in his belt and turned back to Kid Flash.
"Yeah, you're the thinker," Robin said.
"Sarcasm?" Kid Flash said. "Dude, a real leader focus on getting answers."
Robin was primed to say something else and Honeybee pinched the bridge of her nose. Not this again. Bane stepped away from them again and reached for a large rock near them. With a grunt, Bane pushed away a rock, revealing the entry to an old mine shaft. Superboy and Miss Martian shared a confused glance, and Honeybee tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Answers are this way," Bane said tauntingly. He seemed to be taking pleasure in the fact he knew something they didn't. He began the trek down the tunnel expecting them to once again wordlessly follow him.
"Well," Kid Flash drawled, "now El Luchador is our leader." Robin frowned at him and stalked froward and slapped the back of his best friend's head as he passed. Kid Flash frowned and looked back at where Honeybee, Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian stood. Aqualad nodded and stepped forward to follow the others, and Superboy and Miss Martian took this as a sign to follow along. Honeybee did likewise and stepped into the dusty mineshaft.
Honeybee waved at the smell of old wood that propped up the tunnel. The musty, dingy scent was not a pleasant one and was setting the already on edge teen ill at ease.
At the end of the hall, they reached a metal door, and Bane placed his thumb on a scanner pad. The door opened after recognizing the touch and the door hissed softly as it opened. Robin peeked from behind the doorway and looked around, before nodding and turning back to the rest of them swiftly.
"All clear," Robin said, and darted into the dark room. Honeybee followed with the others and looked around herself. The room was shrouded in darkness and Honeybee blinked as she adjusted the low light. A few lights were scattered around, providing just enough for the vision field to not be completely invisible. The took cover behind a large crate, and Honeybee was not surprised to see Robin had once again gone missing.
"Has that little fool already been captured?" Bane asked in annoyance. Aqualad sighed and shook his head.
"No," Aqualad said, resignation covering his features. "He just does that."
Honeybee looked around quickly and saw a stairway that traveled to the higher levels of the complex. Most likely there was some kind of command center or at least somewhere they stored their information. She narrowed her eyes and looked up to see it led to a catwalk that ran directly above them, before she smiled to herself.
"I know where he's headed," Honeybee said. Kid Flash shook his head and pulled his googles over his eyes.
"That's great," Kid Flash said, "but I know I can get the intel before the Boy Wonder."
"No, wait –" Aqualad reached out for the boy, but with a blur of dark color he was gone. Bane scoffed and looked down at Aqualad with a smirk.
"Great chain of command," Bane commented. Aqualad sighed in exasperation for what must have been the fortieth time that night. Honeybee shared a look with Superboy and Miss Martian, and she was almost certain that they were bound to fall apart somewhere before they left this warehouse.
Aqualad motioned for them to move forward, and he led the remaining three teen heroes to another cover behind an assembly line not on for production. This allowed them a better view, and Honeybee could see more clearly Cobra agents pulling new product off the assembly line and placing it into a large shipment. The shipment was almost as large as a small house and it made Honeybee's stomach twist uneasily.
"That's a massive shipment," Aqualad noted with a bit of shock. Superboy narrowed his eyes from his position.
"Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line," Superboy said. "They're not touching this Venom."
A forklift zipped nearby with a buzzing sound.
"Maybe freshness counts?" Miss Martian said. Superboy looked in another direction, out where there seemed to be an opening to the outside.
"Helicopter incoming," Superboy said. Honeybee turned up where Superboy was looking, and she could see the faint light of an incoming helicopter. Aqualad turned to Miss Martian and Honeybee could see a tall figure walking to the open door as the helicopter landed.
"Miss Martian get close and see what you can find with your camouflage," Aqualad said. There was an authority to his voice that was undeniable. "The rest of us will retreat to the catwalk for better cover."
Miss Martian nodded and disappeared, a swish of wind telling Honeybee she had left to do as Aqualad asked. The others quickly made them up towards the catwalk. The Cultists and others were too busy with the transaction seeming to happen soon and the shipment to notice them as they darted between open spaces to get to the catwalk. Honeybee kneeled down once they reached the catwalk as an extra precaution.
Honeybee kept a close eye between the bars of the railing, and she knew without looking that Bane and Superboy were doing the same in other directions. It was the same as when they were down on the floor, people in a hurry to finish this to keep from being caught. Aqualad shut his eyes, seeming to get a message from Miss Martian the rest were not privy too.
"Sportsmaster?!" Aqualad said. His eyes popped open again. "Is he the buyer?"
Honeybee looked up at Aqualad for a moment. Sportsmaster? He was a mercenary, and one of the most dangerous. If he was the buyer, let alone involved, then this was going to become even more complicated than it already was. Not to mention more dangerous.
Aqualad reached a hand to his comn.
"Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read?" Aqualad said urgently. Silence. Aqualad huffed and removed his hand. "I can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid. Comns are jammed." He scowled. "We need a plan now." Bane's lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"I have a suggestion," Bane said. Bane waited not a second more and jumped over the rail and into the warehouse below. He gave a war cry and rammed into two Cultists below, throwing one to the side and yanking the other's arm.
"What is he –" Aqualad said, but then came another battle cry. Blockbuster charged at the window that sat behind them. He crashed into it and the catwalk collapsed beneath their feet. Superboy and Aqualad landed in a crouch next to the rubble, and Honeybee swung her lasso forward. The string swing around a vent tunnel and Honeybee used the line to careen on top of a crate.
She pulled the lasso, which took the section frown, dropping a thick pout of steam onto the warehouse floor. Honeybee saw two Kobra agents take aim towards her and began to shoot at her. Honeybee frowned and dodged the bullets as they came her away, one coming too close to her shoulder for comfort.
Honeybee jumped forward and reached for two stingers in her utility belt. One landed on each of their guns and yellow electricity enveloped it, sending a spark up the arms of the gunmen. They dropped their weapons in surprise and they clattered to the ground, the sound like music to Honeybee's ears. She kicked them out of range of the goons and thrust forward with one punch aimed at them. The punch hit one in the face, the surprise of her movement catching him off guard.
The other one recovered from the shock and sent a kick at her head. Honeybee dodged with a crouch and then flipped backwards, her foot hitting the goon square in his jaw. The kick unbalanced him, and as soon as Honeybee was back on her feet, she aimed her elbow at his head, which sent him to ground. The connection with the concrete finally knocked him out, and Honeybee turned quickly, regathering her lasso from where she had thrust it down during the fight.
A tall agent came at her, much faster than her. He managed to land a punch to her jaw, which sent her flying back into the crate she just laned on. Honeybee groaned as she fell to the ground, a few splinters from the crate raining down on her. Honeybee felt at where she had been hit and did not find it painful enough that it was broken, but it would still leave a nasty bruise that would be hard to explain away tomorrow.
Honeybee returned to her feet and took another stinger in her hand and launched it, this time the device hitting the man's shoulder. Honeybee knew that would leave a nasty cut, but she could tell it was deep enough not to leave permanent damage. The electricity activated and electrocuted him, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Everyone online?" Miss Martian said in Honeybee's head, and the pain from the other day was but now a tickle as the Martian entered her head.
"Yeah," Superboy responded, none too pleased. Honeybee felt movement behind her and dodged a punch thrown her way. She reached back and grabbed the arm the punch was connected to, and pulled it forward, turning to send a kick to their chest and landing them on the ground.
"I hear you Miss M," Honeybee thought.
"You know it beautiful," Kid Flash chimed in.
"Good, we need to regroup," Aqualad said. Honeybee tended to agree. She herself was almost running with enemies, and she could see her teammates were dealing with heavy hitters like Sportsmaster and Blockbuster. With no strategy, this will end badly.
"Busy now!" Robin brushed off. Honeybee clenched her fist in anger, and used it to hit a goon at her feet as he reached for a gun left on the ground.
"Robin, now!" Aqualad chastised harshly. Aqualad continued use of his water-bearers and knocked aside various Kobra agents and Cultists still fighting. "Strategic retreat. Kid Flash, clear a path!"
Kid Flash raced forward and knocked out guards blocking the exit back into the mine. Aqualad used his bearers to knock any he missed, and Honeybee and Superboy raced after the two. Robin swung over with a grappling line and entered the mine, and Miss Martian flew behind them as they entered for cover.
"Superboy! The support beans!" Aqualad said. Superboy nodded and knocked out a few of the wooden posts holding up the mine from collapsing. It effectively left their path impossible to follow, but Superboy mismeasured the time he would need to get out of the way. Rock began to cave down on Superboy before realized what was happening.
"Superboy!" Honeybee called. Miss Martian reached forward and took Superboy by the back of his collar to pull him out of way. They kept going for a short while despite the light lining the mine going offline because of the cave-in. They finally stopped once they were sure they were far enough away they were certain that no one had followed them.
Aqualad turned on a light to let them see, and Honeybee's eyes once again tried to adjust to her surroundings. Robin hunched in on himself.
"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Robin asked softly. Aqualad stepped closer to the boy with a soft look.
"You do have the most experience. But perhaps this is exactly what has left you unprepared," Aqualad said. "With Batman, your roles are clearly defined. Today, the only one who understood those roles were Honeybee, and only because of how you worked closely in the past. You do not need to talk to them, but this team is new. The orders must be clearly defined, explicit. A leader cannot vanish and expect others to play part in an unknown plan."
Robin pulled away from Aqualad, glaring at all his teammates.
"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hand?" Robin said.
"Robin, no one's asking you to do that," Honeybee said. Aqualad nodded.
"Honeybee is right," Aqualad said. "All of us are very different people, who work in very different ways. Until such time we can work in a similar way to how you wanted us today, we must be clear, explicit, and organized in our strategy." Robin kept glaring for a moment that passed tersely, but then he sighed and recognition flashed in his features.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" Robin said. "You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can."
Kid Flash made an indignant sound. "Oh, please. I can run circles—"
"Wally, come on," Robin says. "You know he's the one, we all do."
Miss Martian smiled and hit her head against her temple.
"Hello, Megan!" she said. "It's so obvious!"
"Coulda told ya," Superboy said. For once, Superboy actually smiled, showing his approval.
"Is it even a question?" Honeybee said. Kid Flash held out with a frown but then shrugged as surrender.
"Okay."
Aqualad stepped forward, his face painting into a mask of solider.
"Then I accept the burden," Aqualad said solemnly. Then the expression broke and his lips turned in a soft smile. "Until you are ready to lift off my shoulders. You were born to lead this Team. Maybe not now. But soon." Robin has finally regained his smile and he nods, relinquishing the role of leader for now. Aqualad turned to address the whole Team.
"Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island," Aqualad said. Robin smirked.
"Funny, I just had the same thought."
Hey, Dorothea, do you ever stop and think about me?
When we were younger down in the park
Honey, making a lark of the misery
GOTHAM CITY
JUNE 23RD 2010 1: 17 EST
The rest of the mission had gone off without a hitch, while mostly, considering that the whole warehouse had blown up which was not apart of their covert mandate. But still, Honeybee considered it a success for their first mission as a Team. Kaldur was a natural leader and lead the Team flawlessly from the moment he accepted the burden until they returned to the Cave. The coordination he managed to come up with in the moment was something Betty found amazing. She knew under Kaldur's command, things would be picking up considerably for them as a Team.
Betty stuffed her hands in her hoodie pocket and relished in the feeling of cleanliness that came after a shower. Arriving in the wee hours of the morning, Betty had come back home and fallen asleep in the civilian clothes she returned home in. When she awoken an hour ago by Jason demanding she wake up because I'm hungry and all we have at home is bologna and I am not earing bologna three meals in a row please Betty, she had elected a shower was in order. She had take one at the Cave, but it felt nice to wash off all of the last bits of a mission at home.
Jason had been deposited in front of the TV with a bowl of mac and cheese Betty had managed to scrounge up. Betty supposed maybe she should try and explain to Jason not to enter someone's apartment when the only one there is sleeping and different kinds of boundaries, such as not standing over someone's bed and waking them up suddenly. But Betty had not seen Jason's mother or father arrive with groceries, and when she last visited his apartment two days ago it was down to just bologna, bread, and a half-gallon of orange juice. So a box of Kraft mac'n'cheese and a wake up call was not that big a deal, considering.
Betty leaned over the back of the couch, landing her head on top of Jason's.
"Wordgirl?" Betty asked. Jason shrugged and waved her off of him.
"You have, like, five working channels," Jason said. "Is was this or The View."
"Ah," Betty said. She walked over to the kitchen island, where she had left a bowl for herself after her shower. Betty had only left Jason here for five minutes while she showered, so her food was not too cold. Betty plopped down next to him and watched as the young cartoon superhero fought with Mister Big on the television.
"Do you think Wordgirl could Wonder Woman in a fight?" Betty thought aloud. She knew the answer, she did know Wonder Woman, but Jason was ten and she wondered what he would have to say. He was Wonder Woman's number one fan after all.
"Uh, no," Jason said. "That's ridiculous." He scoffed. "Super vocabulary against the Lasso of Truth? No competition."
"Seem pretty sure there," Betty said. She took a bite of her food and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I think she could take her."
Jason looked up at her in scrutiny. "Do you need to go to Arkham? That's some crazy shit you're saying."
"Stop cursing!" Betty admonished lightly. "And no, just trying to annoy you." Jason stuck out his tongue and pushed her shoulder. "Real mature Jason."
"I'm ten," Jason said. "It's not my job to be mature."
The door cut off Betty before she could say anything else, and both turned in confusion. No one was supposed to be coming over, and Aunt Melody had not forgotten her keys. Betty would have received a text from her by now. Betty put her bowl down and went to open the door, and she frowned upon seeing the woman on the other side.
"Is Jason here?" she asked. Betty narrowed her eyes and opened the door wider so she could see Jason on the couch.
"Yes, Mrs. Todd, he is," Betty said. "He's just eating lunch with me." Mrs. Todd nodded and looked over Betty's shoulder to see Jason. To her credit, Betty would say she looked relieved to see her son.
"Uh, thanks for feeding him," Mrs. Todd said. "I-I'm going grocery shopping tonight, and –"
Betty waved her off. She had heard this explanation from Mrs. Todd far too many times for her liking. Maybe they would have food and money for food if she did not disappear for days at a time. Still, she could see Mrs. Todd was genuine in her thanks for giving him food. The love she had for Jason was complicated and hypocritical and perhaps not the healthiest, but Betty could see love if she looked in the cracks of Catherine Todd long enough.
Mrs. Todd cleared her throat. "Jason, uh, why don't you come home? I'm sure Betty could use some alone time."
"It's really no problem, Mrs. Todd," Betty supplied quickly. Mrs. Todd shook her head.
"No, uh, you've done enough, as it is," Mrs. Todd said. She looked at Jason more sternly now.
"Jason, we need to go home," Mrs. Todd said. Jason crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Mom, I'm fine h—"
"Now, Jason." Jason blinked at the forcefulness of her tone. "There's something we need to talk about. Alone."
Jason slowly stood and Betty stared at the two of them for a long moment. Mrs. Todd hardly made Jason come back over once she came back. Betty was Jason's friend and was not in danger here, Betty made sure of that by keeping her secrets as close to her chest as possible. Jason passed Betty and Betty gave him a soft smile.
"I'll see you later Jason," Betty said. "This debate is not over."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Just can't admit your wrong can you?"
Betty laughed and gave him a final wave. "Bye Jason, see ya later."
Jason smiled once more, and then Betty shut the door. Betty tried her best to ignore the sinking feelings she felt as it shut. It was the same feeling of dread she had last night when she saw Sportsmaster. That something bad was going to happen, and that unless their was something done it was going to fall apart.
Betty's phone buzzed in the pocket of her pajama shorts.
From: unknown number
honeybee?
This is the right number right
If this is the wrong number I'm going to kill west
Betty's brow raised to her hairline. Honeybee? Wh-what? Why would an unknown number being calling her by her hero name? Had – had the secret got out? Had –
To: unknown number
Who is this?
From: unknown number
SB.
SB? Superboy! Betty inputted the number in her phone and smiled. Wally had probably given him her phone number. Wally had gotten the number from Robin after Honeybee's first team up with Kid Flash, and it seemed that Wally had made the executive decision to hand it out to Superboy. Betty didn't even know he had a phone number.
To: K-Dude
Way to freak a girl out my dude
From: K-Dude
I only know you as HB. What was I supposed to say?
To: K-Dude
A phone call, first? Instead of a cryptic text message with my code name supey
From: K-Dude
Fair point, I guess.
So, uh, how are you doing?
Betty smiled at the message. Superboy may have been fed information, but it seemed some intricacies of interaction alluded him. She could see him now, hunched over his phone with a scowl and raised brow.
To: K-Dude
I'm okay. How's your post-mission day going?
From: K-Dude
I'm alright.
Betty walked back to her room and laid down on her bed and curled her blanket around herself. She was tired despite her sleeping for seven hours before Jason decided to wake her up. She was used to patrol, and she supposed it may take some time to build some stamina for such long continuous missions. Oh God, she had not been on a true, all-night stake-out in a while. The first one of those as part of the Team was going to be hell.
From: K-Dude
So what exactly was up with you and R yesterday?
To: K-Dude
?
Huh?
From: K-Dude
Kald said you guys worked together a lot before
And you like knew what he was thinking
It's just weird
Betty often forgot how young Superboy was, and how little of her life pre-Team he knew. Biologically, he was older than her. But chronologically, she was older by years. A near decade and a half. The superhero community, especially ones with the League, may have secrets, but Waspia was so public. She had not realized that he knew the facts, but the emotion was not known to him.
To: K-Dude
Before my mentor died, we worked with R and B a lot
LIKE A LOT
So it's just kinda? Sixth sense? Idk
It takes me a second to get it but after a minute I get what he wants from me
From: K-Dude
Well, that's pretty cool, I guess.
Being that close to someone you don't have to speak.
To: K-Dude
Well, technically, with Meg we don't have to talk
From: K-Dude
You know what I meant, HB.
Betty did. Superman's distance from Superboy was a shadow overhanging him, it fueled a lot of Superboy's anger and pain. Superboy wanted to work not just with them, but Superman. To know Superman well enough to predict him, to know him, to be guided. Betty could understand that. How she wished for Waspia, for her mother, to come back and guide her. It did not take a minute to understand Waspia, to understand Sarah Bryons. It was the thing Betty could do as easy as she breathed. She missed her.
How painful must it be for Superboy? To have that relationship just within arm's reach but cut off from him before he could have it? As painful as it was to remember it sometimes, she had least had her mother for a short time.
To: K-Dude
Yeah supe. I do.
It's never too late to come back to my side
The stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo
And if you're ever tired of being known for who you know
You know that you'll always know me, Dorothea
Chapter Bible Verse:
"Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins." – 1 Peter 4:8
Two chapters in two days? What is this? I just really dislike leaving episodes undone, even if for pacing reasons I have to split it up. This prob won't be the norm.
I did not go into the conclusion of the episode, as it happened exactly the same as in canon, and I am not going to cover material we all know if I do not have new information or a new spin to put it on. So, that's why we cut to Jason and Betty.
I'm sure it's been obvious since day one who exactly Jason was, but I still felt weird when I realized I never said his last name? It just never came up before this chapter. And I talked a little about who Waspia was to Betty outside of hero life, and we'll explore why her internal monologue refers to her the way she does.
The next chapter will take longer than this one, because cowboy like me is still in rotation. I think the schedule may flip to two for this and one for cowboy. This story has more information per chapter and I often split into two chapters the information. But cowboy like me will be next up, if any of y'all are reading that too!
Review Replies:
MsRosePetal: The Bible verses are a personal thing I add to each chapter, and it has nothing to do with the specifics of the story. I am a Christian, and I feel called by the Lord to add these to my chapters, as a means of spreading His word and love through any way I can. These are included in cowboy like me as well, as these are the two fics I started after I was called to do this. I read Twilight during a really formative time in my life, and as problematic as it is, it honestly was one of the books that inspired me to be a writer. And I'm glad you liked the chapter! These are not my best chapters, but I enjoyed writing them in it's own ways even if I'm ready for Schooled and some cool-down time. Thanks for leaving a review and have a blessed day!
Questions, comments, or concerns? Let me know! Have a blessed day!
-PrincessChess