Bonds – Part 1

- - - September 26th - - -

At quarter past ten, the team had assembled on the edge of the forest that covered Mount Justice's western flank.

Mary was carrying a box full of spoons and a backpack filled with miscellaneous equipment. A small whistle hung around her neck. The six team members, Wolf and Captain Marvel were watching her expectantly. Only Sphere had stayed behind in the cave.

Would teens in the 21st century still like the same games as pupils in the 1930s?

"We are going to prepare for a perfectly likely mission scenario today", Mary announced. "Aqualad has kindly allowed me to make up the rules, so I beg you to give me your full attention. "

They nodded. Wolf gently wagged his tail.

"If you don't mind, I would like to leave Wolf out of this exercise – he is allowed to wander around freely, but should better not take any sides."

In response to her request, the white beast laid down in the grass, stretching his slender body lazily. Mary nodded, then turned her attention back towards the six teens.

"Your assignment, of course, is to save the world. Today's menace is a great magician."

She pulled a pointy black cardboard hat out of her backpack and handed it to Captain Marvel, who immediately placed it on his head, beaming with delight.

"Let's call him Count Nefarious. His dark magic has granted him unspeakable powers, including flight, speed, strength, courage and a great constitution."

"No wisdom?", Wally chimed in.

"Oh, he was wise to begin with! That's how he was able to uncover the Tomb of Terrors, a secret site which opens only once in a century, and holds a treasure chest full of mystical artefacts."

She raised the box full of spoons for all to see. "Each of these spoon-shaped artefacts is charged with tremendous thaumatic energies. It is said that if ten of them are combined with a mystic binding, their power will allow its wielder to shape the world to his or her liking." She held up a red ribbon, symbolising the binding. "If Count Nefarious combines them, he will be able to take vengeance on humanity for past offences and complete is malicious plan of – let's see – blotting out the sun? No, Wotan just attempted that. How about stopping time on Earth?"

"There is a watchmaker in Gotham who tried that a while ago", Artemis replied.

"All right… Maybe turning people into plants?"

"Sounds like Poison Ivy's dream world", Robin chimed in. "She did try to inject a serum with a similar effect into the Gotham water main a few months ago..."

How did anyone survive in that city?

"What about... chicken? Okay, so Count Nefarious wants to turn all humans into chicken - to take revenge for being taunted as a kid, I suppose. If he ever succeeds in binding ten spoons together, you have failed your mission, and will spend the rest of your lives clucking and pecking for corn."

Wally and the Captain sniggered, Robin grinned widely. Artemis and Conner still seemed unconvinced, Megan slightly confused. Kaldur nodded at her encouragingly.

"However", she continued, "if you manage to perform your own binding, with a blue ribbon, and then touch the Count with the resulting bundle, you will be able to drain away his mystic powers, thereby saving the world. Any questions so far?"

"Do we have to hold our bound spoons to drain him, or can we throw them at him?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Once ten of them are bound, you are allowed to throw them, and touching his costume will suffice, but he could block them with his magical cape."

She handed a red ribbon to Captain Marvel, then a blue one to Kaldur.

"As the only team member trained in sorcery, Aqualad is the only one in your group who can perform the binding. These ribbons are purely symbolic, they cannot be stolen or destroyed until you choose to use them."

She raised the spoon box again. "Back to the Tomb of Terrors. The treasure chest is guarded be an invincible genie – that would be me – who only releases one spoon at a time, and only once every five minutes, for mysterious cosmic reasons. No fighting is allowed within the Tomb."

She marked a rectangular shape around herself with sticks. "You must enter from this side, and leave in the opposite direction. The first person who enters is the one who receives the next spoon. Now, as I said, these artefacts are charged with thaumatic energy. Count Nefarious is skilled enough to carry them at ease. The team, however, can only move them in pairs. That means that two people, touching each other, are necessary to transport a single spoon. Wolf does not count, even if he should follow you into the forest. If you ever find yourself in possession of a spoon without a partner, you must stop moving immediately and wait until another team mate finds you. You cannot just drop a spoon, the artefacts are far too dangerous to leave them lying around. You can also not hide them in your costume, you must hold them in your hands. A single team member can never hold two spoons."

She raised a hand to stifle the team's protests. "Unless a complete set is already bound, or unless the loose spoons are safely stored in a box of holding."

She handed an empty ice cream container to Count Nefarious and another to Aqualad. "You can keep as many spoons as you want within this box, without risking a magical interference. You can either carry the box with you, or hide it wherever you want, within a certain perimeter – Wally, I'll ask you to mark a suitable area when I'm done with the introductions. The rules for carrying the box are the same as carrying the individual spoons: The team's box can only be moved by two team members working together, while Count Nefarious can lift his own box easily. Any questions so far?"

"How many spoons exist in total?", Megan asked.

"Nineteen."

"How do we steal them from the Count?", Robin wanted to know.

"Yes, that's the second part: Interactions. There are a lot of maple trees around us, right? You all know the plant?"

She pointed out the five-lobed leaves to Megan, Conner and Kaldur.

"Now, the mystic maple trees in the Forest of the Tomb are highly poisonous, causing a temporary paralysis to anyone who touches them. You can handle the plants safely if you wear these magical gloves." She handed out a number of latex gloves from the medbay. "If their leaves touch your head or torso, you have to stand still for exactly ten seconds, counting the time out loud. If your arms or legs are hit, you cannot move the affected limbs for the same amount of time. Your costumes offer no protection, except once again for Count Nefarious' magical cape. If Megan or the Count are fully paralysed in flight, they must land immediately, and start counting down from ten as soon as they touch the ground. Anyone who wakes up from a full poison paralysis is immune against the plant's effect for another ten seconds, which means you cannot paralyse anyone twice in a row.

A paralysed person cannot protect their spoons. If someone with a box of holding is caught like this, the attackers may remove as many spoons as they can carry, but cannot steal the box itself, as these are magically bound to their respective team or owner."

She pointed at the whistle around her neck. "Those are the basic rules of your mission. If something unexpected happens and the training must be interrupted, I will blow this whistle. In that case, everyone is to stop moving and I would ask Megan to establish a mind link with all of us – including Captain Marvel – so that we can resolve whatever issue has arisen. Does that sound reasonable?"

Everyone nodded.

"I would propose that the Tomb opens in twenty minutes, so that you have a little time to prepare. Are there any questions from your side, before we start?"

"How large should the perimeter be?", Wally inquired.

"I would actually leave that up to your experience", Mary answered. "Maybe a bit bigger than the one at area 42, but not excessively, given that most of your team does not have super speed…" She handed him a bag of cloth strips as markers from her deflated backpack.

"Any other questions?"

Megan shook her head, Conner frowned and Robin grinned mischievously. Aqualad raised an eyebrow, while Wally snatched up the markers enthusiastically. Obviously, the team was already engaged in a lively telepathic conversation. Upon a silent signal, they all moved deeper into the forest, out of the Tomb's line of sight.

Mary turned back towards Captain Marvel, who was still proudly wearing the pointed hat of Count Nefarious.

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you very much for agreeing to all this."

"Are you kidding? This is going to be awesome!"

'We have nineteen minutes', Aqualad announced through the mind link. 'What do we need to prepare?'

Robin had already disappeared.

'I also need to get back to the cave', Artemis mumbled.

'No, you don't', Kaldur replied firmly. 'Wally will gather any supplies we need from our headquarter, that's much more efficient. Robin, if you are on your way there, get back here now.'

The youngest team member reappeared from the shrubbery. 'What, you want me to just sit here?'

'No, I want you to survey the terrain surrounding the Tomb without being noticed by the Count. We need your stealth.'

'Ah.' Robin's cheeks coloured slightly. 'On it, boss.'

'Megan, you're our eyes in the sky', Kaldur continued. 'We can choose the terrain. Please let us know if there are any features Wally should include or leave out of his perimeter markings.'

'On my way', the Martian replied, rising up into the air.

Kaldur caught the speedster's arm. 'No, don't leave yet, Wally. Perimeter comes second, supplies first. Everyone, what do we need from the cave? Artemis?'

'As many trick arrows as we have.' She showed a blunt arrow with a ringed shaft to Wally. 'I'll fill the capsules at the tip with chopped-up maple leaves. They open on impact.'

'Good. Your archery will be our best chance at paralysing the Captain – I mean the Count – once he is airborne. Robin, what were you after?'

'Decoys. We got a few old spoons with a slightly different marking in the kitchen, and I'm sure there are similar ice cream containers, too. Even if there aren't any empty ones lying around, Wally can always finish off a new one.'

'I like that plan!', the speedster chimed up.

'Good thinking', Aqualad agreed. 'What else?'

'What about these paint traps you used in Alaska?' Wally enquired. 'We could fill those with maple dust just like Artemis' arrows.'

'No, dust won't work', Artemis interjected, already ripping apart green leaves between her fingers. 'The fresh leaves get rather sticky when you tear them, and I don't think the dried ones from last fall still count as poisonous, or the entire forest floor would be paralysing. We'd better hack the fresh ones up and mix them with water, to get a liquid to fill in your traps and my arrows. I have a knife here, but I think this would be faster with an actual chopping board, or maybe we should use scissors instead? And we will need a few water bottles.'

'There are some beautiful spots for a maple trap straight north of the Tomb', Robin reported.

'Good, setting up traps will be your task once Wally returns', Aqualad decided. 'Make sure to inform all of us of their locations, and hide them well to make sure none of them fall into our enemy's hands. Wally, do your supply run now. Meanwhile, Conner and I will survey the area from the ground. You all heard that the six of us cannot carry more than three spoons in total, unless we put them into our box of holding. That means we must be able to defend that box, or hide it well. Choosing the right spot for either is a priority. Conner, I would like you to check the higher ground. Let us know if there are any crevices or caves within the mountain side that could provide us with an advantage. I will survey the coast.'

'If we can mix the maple with water', Megan added, 'I think I have another idea how to use that...'

Team 0 : 0 Nefarious

Mary blew her whistle. "This is ridiculous. Nobody is getting a spoon as long as the paralysed bodies pile up at the entrance to the Tomb. Wally, please mark a twenty foot non-paralysis zone around me. Within this area, the genie's ancient magic counteracts the poisonous plants' effects. You can enter from all sides, but you may not linger here too long. Okay, everybody take a few steps back now, and let's try again."

Team 0 : 3 Nefarious

'He keeps stealing our spoons as soon as we get them', Artemis complained.

Conner growled. 'None of our powers are useful. I can't fight while holding someone's hand.'

'Two people per spoon is a ridiculous rule', Wally agreed. 'My speed, Robin's stealth, Megan's camouflage – none of that works with two people.'

'I understand that this is supposed to be a team-building exercise', Megan commented, 'but how do we make this work?'

'We get creative', Kaldur replied calmly. 'Robin, Wally, you're good at unconventional ideas. What have you got?'

Team 1 : 3 Nefarious

"What do you mean, the five minutes have not yet passed, you can't hand out another spoon yet?", Captain Marvel asked Mary. "But I watched the Tomb, Wally was the only one who dashed by since I've last been here. He was alone, he couldn't have gotten... Oh, of course! A girl that can fly doesn't weigh much, right?"

He was already in the air before Mary could reply.

Team 2 : 4 Nefarious

'We got the second spoon', Robin announced. Riding on Superboy's shoulders strangely reminded him of his time at the circus. Conner's speed was no match for Wally's, but the bare strength behind his leaping strides made him the team's second fastest runner.

Unfortunately, he barely bothered dodging branches. Or trees.

'Kaldur, what's our destination? Where do we make our stand?'

If they didn't find a way to protect their spoons soon, they would loose the game in exactly twenty minutes.

'As much as I love carrying an invisible Megan around', Wally added, 'I also can't keep dodging the Count forever.'

'Bring all artefacts to me', Kaldur replied. 'I'm in the water.'

'In the water?', Megan echoed.

Wally laughed out loud. 'So that's why you wanted to include the lagoon in the perimeter!'

'Neat', Robin admitted. Captain Marvel had many powers, but even he would have trouble fighting an Atlantean in his element.

'I should be able to hold the Count off here', their leader confirmed. Through the mind link, they could feel him ready his water-bearers. 'But I still need at least one of you to join me, so that we can move the spoons to the box at the bottom of the lagoon.'

'I have two breather stones', Robin offered, still clinging to Superboy's back.

'Me too', Artemis added. Reflecting on their last two near-lethal missions, that didn't surprise him.

'I can grow gills', Megan added.

'Wait, really?'

'Don't stop running, Wally! He's right behind us!'

'Here is the plan. Wally, lead the Count to Artemis, so that she can paralyse him. That should leave you enough time to drop Megan off by the lagoon, where she and I place our first spoon in the box of holding. Wally, you double back to support Robin and Conner, making sure they also reach the shore to secure our second spoon with the breather stones, while I provide cover. Meanwhile, Artemis heads back to her sniper position near the Tomb. Once both spoons are safely under water, we focus on stealing more from the Count. Agreed?'

'Agreed!' Robin answered hastily, narrowly avoiding a pine branch.

'Got him!', Artemis yelled out. 'Wally, go!'

Mary listened as Robin's eerie cackle echoed through the forest. For a second, she caught a glimpse of the Captain's white cape, then all she heard was Conner crashing through the undergrowth.

She leaned back against a tree, gently patting the white wolf beside her.

This was working out even better than she'd hoped.

Team 3 – Nefarious 3

'Everyone in position for the next assault?' Kaldur asked.

'No!', Artemis cried out in desperation, still straining to reattach her bow's synthetic sinew. 'He unstrung my bow and stole my quiver!'

She felt a well-known wave of helplessness wash over her. She was nothing without her weapons. The others were counting on her, but she was letting them down.

'Did he destroy the arrows?' Robin asked.

'I see them', Conner answered in her stead. 'High up in a maple tree at the western end of the perimeter. Look intact to me.'

So all hope was not lost. 'Give me ten minutes, I am sure I can get them back…'

It would be a slow climb through the paralysing leaves.

'Nonsense', Kaldur replied. 'Robin, keep distracting the Count. Megan, you got a line of sight to that tree? Good, drop the quiver with your telekinesis. Wally, catch them, please.'

Seconds later, the speedster appeared in front of her with her arrows in his arms, a wide smile on his lips.

"We're a team, remember?"

Team 5 – Nefarious 4

Captain Marvel stopped briefly before leaving the non-paralysis zone, his fifth spoon rattling in the plastic box at his belt. Where would the next attack come from? They had already used hidden traps, maple-filled arrows, leaf-covered batarangs, and Conner had even attacked him with a six-foot tree branch…

This was even better than capture the flag!

He straightened his wizard's hat, then deliberately stepped across the divide.

Something round and red was hurled towards him. He spun around and caught the missile in the air.

A maple-filled water balloon.

They had actually brought water balloons to the forest.

A menacing grin spread across his face.

This was the best training sessions ever.

Team 4 – Nefarious 6

'I'm down!' Artemis cried out. 'Ten.'

'Wally? Status?'

'He got me too. Eight.'

'Me too', Megan added. 'I'm so sorry. Seven.'

'Five', Conner growled.

Kaldur clenched his teeth. He had formed a shimmering sphere of water around him in a desperate attempt to protect their box of holding. The enemy had dropped a cape-load full of maple leaves into the lagoon and it took far too much of his concentration to keep up the magic current that repelled them and washed them back ashore. He could already see his opponent approach with a second load of leaves.

'I'm dismantling our arsenal', Robin announced. 'This totally backfired.'

'Good', Kaldur confirmed. 'Everyone, as soon as the paralysis wears off, follow Robin's example. Destroy all remaining balloons, by any means. We cannot risk any more of them to fall into enemy hands.'

Why on Earth was Captain Marvel so skilled in a water balloon fight?

Team 7 – Nefarious 8

Captain Marvel landed just outside the Tomb, inside the non-paralysis zone. Two more spoons, and he would win the game. He strode towards Mary with a confident smile.

A green figure shimmered into view before him.

Megan was floating three feet above the ground. All her clothes had turned black, a long tattered cape billowed around her. She was wearing a pointy witch hat, and pointed a gnarled stick of wood in his direction. He could only stare at the unexpected apparition.

"Count Nefarious!" Her voice echoed across the clearing. "I challenge thee to a duel of magic!"

A cloud of dust and dried leaves rose around her.

"Surrender your artefacts to me, or perish!"

He levitated himself until he once more towered above her. A distraction so skilfully performed did deserve some recognition.

"Who dares oppose the invincible Count Nefarious?"

She raised her chin haughtily. "You stand before the Magnificent Megana, the mightiest witch of the Red Planet!"

The bits of forest floor accumulated behind her in the shape of two dark raven's wings.

This was far too good to pass up on.

He spread his arms in a theatrical gesture, unable to hide his glee. "Join me, Megana, in my quest for power! Deflect your former loyalties, and I shall spare you from my curse, so that you may witness my reign over a planet of poultry!"

Her dark wings grew further, until they almost engulfed them both.

"Never", she proclaimed with a thunderous voice, levelling her wand at his heart.

At the same moment, Conner tackled him from behind.

Instead of shaking off the attack, Captain Marvel shot forwards, grabbing Megan around the waist, and propelling both off them out of the non-paralysis zone. He turned mid-flight, slamming Superboy into a maple branch, then flipped around to drop Megan into the same branch beside him.

"Ten", they started their countdown.

"You are no match for the invincible Count Nefarious, Magana", he boasted.

"Nine."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Robin and Wally sprint away from the Tomb, no doubt carrying yet another spoon with them.

Totally worth it.

Team 10 – Nefarious 9

This was it. The decisive moment. The last spoon.

Their ruse had worked. The Count had followed Wally and Artemis on their wild dash into the forest, only to discover when he caught them that they were carrying nothing but a decoy kitchen spoon, while Conner and Megan were secretly transporting the real genie's gift.

Wally just hoped their diversion had delayed the Count long enough for the real envoy to reach the lagoon.

"Two – one – zero!"

Still holding the blond archer in his arms, Wally burst into motion the instant their paralysis wore off.

'Heading to the lagoon now', he informed the others.

Man, he was tired. He would really have to step up his arm workouts if he wanted to keep carrying pretty women around like this on future missions. Not that he'd mind that particular task...

Twelve seconds later, they skittered to a halt at the edge of the water.

The Count had been faster.

Megan was lying motionlessly on the forest floor at Captain Marvel's feet, maple twigs in her hair, moaning "Ten."

Conner sat a few feet apart from her, still holding on to the last spoon. Aqualad had risen out of the lagoon, the box of holding under his left arm, a glowing water-bearer in his right. Robin was nowhere to be seen. Neither Kaldur nor Conner were allowed to move without a partner.

The Count, however, could easily pluck the last spoon from Conner's hand and win the game.

Taking in the scene, Wally set down Artemis, getting ready to run to Conner's aid.

And everything happened at once.

The Count, noticing Wally's and Artemis' arrival, threw something round in their direction.

"Nine", said Megan.

'Kaldur, now!', Robin yelled through the mind link.

Aqualad swung his water-bearer forward. A blast of maple-filled water rose from the lagoon, soaring towards the Count.

The round projectile was approaching Wally and Artemis too fast, the archer would be unable to dodge it. Wally reached out in super speed to gently nudge the object out of its trajectory, in order to protect Artemis.

Only too late did he notice that it was not a water balloon, but one of their own hyper-sensitive maple-filled paint mines. Which exploded right in their faces.

At the same time, the Count jumped to the left, towards Conner, to dodge Kaldur's water blast. He would have made it, but Kaldur flicked his wrist and the maple water changed direction mid-flight, slamming straight into the Count.

And then splashing downwards.

Where Robin was suddenly standing protectively above Conner, shielding them with Captain Marvel's white cape! How had he managed to steal that?

"Ten", said Wally, Artemis, Captain Marvel, Conner and Kaldur, at the same time as Megan mumbled "Eight."

"Legs", Conner specified, handing Robin the spoon while he sat down. Robin's stunt with the cape had protected him from most of the blast, but the water had still splashed onto his calves.

"Mine too", Aqualad admitted, sitting at the edge of the maple-stained lagoon. He must have lost his hold of the repelling currents.

He and Conner were about twelve meters apart.

"Nine", the freshly paralysed choir intoned, almost drowning out Megan's "Seven."

Wally's brain was spinning on super speed, but he could not see a solution.

Robin was the only one able to move, yet he could not carry a spoon alone, without a partner.

Wally, Artemis and Megan were fully paralysed, just like the Count.

Conner and Kaldur were paralysed from the waist down. Neither of them was able to help Robin unite his single spoon with their other nine.

In a few seconds, the Count would recover. He would grab Robin's spoon and complete his own binding. There was nothing Megan could accomplish with her two-second head start to stop him, as he would be immune to a second paralysis for a while.

They were all out of tricks by now, and Captain Marvel's set of powers was just too extensive.

"Eight", they said, in synch with Megan's "Six".

Robin turned towards Superboy. "Throw me", he demanded.

Conner blinked, then opened his arms.

"Seven", they chanted, watching with gaping mouths as Robin curled up into a ball. Superboy, still sitting on the ground, carefully placed his hands on the other's waist and shoulder.

"Six", they whispered, as Conner drew back his muscular arms, effortlessly lifting his team mate.

"Five", they gasped, as he throwing the Boy Wonder high into the air, towards the lagoon.

And Robin flew.

"Four."

Still curled into a ball, Robin spun around his axis once, then spread his arms to better control his trajectory, somersaulting once more, then landing on his feet within reach of Kaldur's outstretched hands.

"Three", they sighed, while Megan breathed. "One."

Kaldur grabbed Robin's spoon, already tying the others together with his 'magical' blue ribbon.

"Two", they cried, as Megan yelled "Zero!"

And Kaldur threw the complete set of spoons back towards his enemy and his fallen companions.

"One", they howled, as the Count rose up straight into the path the incoming projectile, levitated by Megan's telekinesis.

"Zero", Captain Marvel said, as the combined ribbon-bound artefact hit his chest.

He slowly reached up to his head to remove the pointy cardboard hat of Count Nefarious.

"That", he said, "was amazing."

And the team erupted into cheers.

Author's note:

You have no idea how much I wanted to write this scene. I still don't know why, but the image of the team and Captain Marvel hunting spoons outside Mount Justice just wouldn't let me go. I would have never thought it would take me more than twenty chapters before I found a way to build it in. Also, the chapter is far from perfect - I'm not good with action scenes, and the general paralysis and ten-second-countdown in the last scene does seem a bit forced... Still, this is the best I came up with. I hope it brought you a little bit of joy!

As always, reviews are more than welcome.