FOUR BOYS: The Path We Seek
Chapter 21: Back to Back
"Then I accept the burden, until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon."
...Smokey Mountains...
The Bio-ship was now flying over the snowy mountain terrain.
"A-are you sure it's here?" Artemis asked looking at the place "I mean are you absolutely positive?" The place looked absolutely deserted and cold...
R was looking over information on his computer but to prove it to her he brought up the footage of Water and Chesire getting into the plane with a mug shot next to it.
"This is the security footage from the ash field national airport, facial recognition confirms that's Cheshire and Water." He turned to Artemis clearly annoyed, "I can also recognize my own teammate."
Artemis suddenly felt a bit stupid, "Oh."
"What was Water carrying, a case, that seems suspicious." L suggested, pointing at the screen.
R nodded, "...Agreed. Let's keep an eye out on what he carries." he turned to L and S, "Guys... Be careful." They nodded clearly understanding the weight of thos words.
'Sure top mission priority was getting Water back, but that did not meant they didn't need to focus on the possibility of ruining yet another plan of their masters.
"Ren do you think there is something important about that case?" L asked cautiously.
"Remember the injustice league?" R said.
"And their giant evil plants, uh yeah" L replied.
"The league put them in prison but.."
S intervened, "Their allies still scheme and whatever it is in that containment case, it seems important...We should take it back to the League" Renegade looked at his teammates, they had never been so participant in missions.
'It was much better now, much better this way. Communicating and planning instead of going in blindly. They were getting much better.'
"Approaching the jet" Miss Martian announced but their eyes widened when they saw the plane crash. 'R shuddered, memories of the helicopter incident resurfaced.
...
"Looks like there were no survivors." S said.
They had gotten out of the Bio-ship to canvas the area looking over the crashed plane.
Superboy tosses aside a part of the plane's wing "Where are the bodies?"
"Here's one!" a voice came from above and they all looked up to see cheshire "And it is stunning" Artemis smiled at her seeing her sister was alive.
Suddenly they heard it, R frowned of course his friend would not come alone. It was never that easy...
"I am flora, not fauna. I am foliage, not trees. What am i?" They turned to see The Riddler as he snapped his fingers and small pillars came out of the ground and created a dome around the area they were in "Come on you can get this I am shrubbery not trees , What am I? I…"
"Ambush" Renegade muttered 'just as he had expected.'
"We knew you would come along to your goodbye party! You see we are tired of your interference kiddies, and..." the turned to L, S and R. "This is your endgame boys, ordered from above and executed by master strategist moi!"
"Gosh it's freezing in here." L said ignoring the crazy villain laughing above the cliff.
"Do you see him?-" R said trying not to think on the imposing weather conditions, he flinched.
Suddlenly a something impacted just where R stood seconds ago. The other of course had gotten away thanks to his senses. He backflipped out of the zone efficiently. Stancing ready for battle. He knew it had to be...
"Water!"
Their 'leader' stood tall and menacing, after he had jumped from the mountain in to where they were, landing with an impact on the snow. He ignored the other and seemed to focus on his frie- his traitor teammates.
"You will be coming back, willingly or not." He announced, waiting for the others decision.
"Actually you'll be coming with us, pal." L supplied.
The atlantean clutched his water bearers, "I see you've chosen... then prepare yourselves."
R nodded to everybody, the team leapted into action L ran and knocked a soldier off his feet while R battled against W in order to keep him busy meanwhile the others took care of the soldiers. He flipped avoiding a powerful slash too close for his liking, 'was he getting slower?' "Superboy the pylons" he shouted.
Superboy threw a soldier off his shoulders "Working on it" he moved behind a broken part of the plane
Artemis fired an arrow at Cheshire, it knocked her off her feet but she recovered and got out two swords for each hand as artemis fired another arrow and she ran at her "It's like old times, dad pinning us against each other" Artemis ignored her as she blocked the slashes with her bow.
Some soldiers tried firing at Miss Martian while she flew above them, L rushed by knocking them all off their feet as the martian did the same with the soldiers on the cliff side. She used her telekinesis to pull away a weapon from another soldiers hands because he tried to keep hold of it when it was taken away he ended up falling down the cliff.
R jumped up and kicked a soldier away on a cliff as Water ran over to attack him, he was merciless sure enough R started moving with much more difficulty. One misstep had him loosing his footing as a source of electricity cut through him making him scream in pain.
Miss Martian levitated a rock to knock the soldier away as Superboy landed next to one fo the pylons and used his heat lasers to destroy it.
R tried to contain his voice, 'Water wasn't stopping why wasn't he stopping!' Currents of electricity cursed through his body making fall to the snowy ground, his vision swimming.
S turned to see what was happening, getting the pylon task done he ran and punched Water with great force making the atlantean fly into the mountain.
"Ren you okay?" He said as he stanced infront of the boy.
The young raven haired nodded coughing a bit. "Pass on?" He offered with a slightly painful but easy smile.
Superboy nodded confidently, Water got out from the smog the impact had created and he looked pissed.
S threw himself to the 'new leader' as they both engaged into battle. As Renegade had said, Water's skills had gotten fiercer, dangerous and efficient. Still his training with Canary had come in handy as always. He had managed to stand up against the atlantean controlling his force, assessing his surroundings and managing to pin the leader to one of the cliffs walls, because of the force of strength Superboy was sending into the cliff as well as Water's attacks the walls started collapsing right above where Cheshire and Artemis were right so when some of the landslide was coming their way Jade yelled "Artemis!" and pushed her out of the way.
Artemis gave her a confused look "Ok fine we're sisters I don't actually want you dead" she then leaped away so when Artemis got up she was gone.
Roy ran up to her he held the case they had seen Water carry, attaining the case: done
Defeating the soldiers: done
Defeating Riddler and Shimmer: On it
The archers nodded to each other and went for them. They stopped as they watched Riddler and Shimmer cover themselves as some smoke bombs exploded under them.
Shimmer was coughing as a lasso came through the smoke and tied her up. Before they knew, R came out of the smoke with great speed and force and punched her into the cliff side. He turned to the archers and nodded they took care of Riddler. Soon enough they had him tide up.
"No, No I am not the straight Jacket type I am strictly Belle Reve not Arkham" He fell to the ground. Red Arrow and Miss Martian looked bemused at the villain as they kept guard on him. Artemis surveyed the battle arena, Cheshire was not around but they had gotten the case back... she turned to R which looked worriedly to the left.
CRACKS*
The sound of shedding rocks was heard and then the cliff walls to the left began falling.
Defeating Riddler: complete.
Taking Water back: On it.
"Miss Martian, Red Arrow, Artemis, take then to the closest PD-"
"What about that?-" Red Arrow pointed to the ruckus scene.
"Water is our unfinished business, we will handle him meanwhile."
"Are you sure, Ren-" Miss Martain started worriedly making him remember his mother's calm and soft words.
"Yes." He said, L zoomed next to R side a silent thought through their head before nodding to each other and the speedster carried the raven haired down.
-.-.-.-.-.
Both metahumans panted atlantean vrs kryptonian, the cold air and smog made it difficult for them to see and fight. Taking their breathe meanwhile the smog covered them
S growled. He stanced again focusing on hearing his surroundings. Sure enough the others had probably finish rounding everything up which meant R and L would get here any moment.
He was angered, he wanted to end this part himself.
"So this is what you meant when you said you'd protect him? Don't make me laugh Water!" He called.
Water frowned. "I don't know what you mean by it. As a leader my priority is to accomplish every mission therefore sacrificing everything for the sake of it-"
"Are you listening to yourself? You are willing to sacrifice us for the 'masters' that made us go through all this?! They don't care as long as we complete what they need."
"...Yes I know." Water said.
S huffed, "Water the-the league they are not bad... remember they helped us, they helped R back then. They can help you if you come with us-"
"SB LOOKOUT!" the shout of R alerted him just in time to dodge the slash of the water bearers. He frowned towards te atlantean.
"What are you doing here? What happened with the others?" He said, still not taking his eyes away from his adversary.
"All taken care of." L summarized.
"Leave its dangerous here, I'll handle Water." S said with a clipping tone.
"We are supposed to be a team." L shouted.
The atlantean charged once again to his friend. "Yes we are a team and you still chose to ally yourselves with the enemy."
"We were all in to that idea Water, remember? Wasn't it you that said-Woah!" L was cut off by a sudden attack, making him fall into the snow.
The laughing assassin appeared from the mist, Cheshire started fighting L swiftly.
"You again." L glared.
"Indeed. Did you miss me? Where's the archer boy I have some pending things with him."
R and S double teamed, they needed to end this now. R felts his body heavier everytime, S had noticed as well having to deflect some of the atlantean's blows.
"Ren." He warned and as much as he hated it, he knew Superboy was right. Right now he was a liability so he retrieved farther and tried a different approach, one he had just learned. Communicating.
"Tell me do you really want to return to the Light?" He shouted, the slight glare he received from the leader confirmed he was indeed listening.
S delivered a hard punch throwing him again into the mountain.
"Do you want to live as a tool?" R snarled.
"I'll be damned if I let anybody control me ever again!" He shouted advancing toward the still fallen atlantean, ignoring S warning call.
Before Water could stand R produced his escrima sticks joining them in on bolting spear flowing with electricity as he brought it down. "Get a grip Water!" W intercepted it with his hand trying to control the current and losing. He groaned as he felt his vision swimming. Suddenly a scream cut through...
L ran circles around the assassin, she was fairly skilled and had managed to land some well placed blows to his still hurting ribs. Still, she was no match to superspeed and there was no way she did not know that.
"So you know this is pointless, you are clearly outnumbered and when the others come you'll join the gang of the prisoners." L teased.
"Well you see. There is just one more mission I need to complete-" She kicked his legs out "-just-" L fell and she strattled him "-now." She lowered her face whispering to the speedsters ears. "Broken Speed." He couldn't move. 'why?'
Next thing he knew, Cheshire was running away looking up at the cracking sound his eyes widened in horror.
"W, R, LOOK OUT-agh!" He fell grabbing his side, there was no way he could make it in time.
That distracted the young raven haired, Water kicked him from above him making him land a bit farther. He got up and noticed why there had been a warning in the first place...
Renegade looked above tiredly there was no way he could move out of the way, he watched the avalanche crumbling and falling above them, thankfully S and L were far away.
"Ren, Water!" S screamed he would not get there in time.
The rocks of snow fell heavily creating a blast when in collided to the ground. The strong sound of explosion making everything on it way crumble into pieces. The heavy snow and mist covering everything with coldness.
/
Nobody moved, Nobody heard anything, nobody saw anything either.
"No..." L said as he picked himself off with difficulty, he moved onto the mess, "R! W! Gu-guys are you alright?! R DUDE TALK TO ME."
S had already started moving huge piles of rocks away looking for what he hope it wouldn't be neither R or W crushed bodies.
R coughed weakly his vision swimming 'what had happened.' He felt a weight above him. 'Right the side of the cliff had come falling down on him.' 'But why was it too light? Or not as heavy as it should be?'
He looked above to see Water had pushed and shielded him from the avalanche. Grey eyes opened to see the astonished raven haired, Waters jaw was clenched and his fists dug into the snow, before leaning sideways and collapsing.
R was startled into action, "Water! Water!" He touched blood as he checked on his teammate, he checked from head to toe and there was what he found... a giant piece had landed on top of one of Water's legs. R cringed he looked around the mist was still clearing but he heard it, L's and S's distant shouts.
'How, why Water... why had he done that- Water- Kald "KALDUR-AHM!" to his surprise he was not the only one who had shouted the atlantean's name L looked at his battered teammates. There was no time for questions though and both R and L understood.
"Guys! I-Im fine but Water, he needs help!" He said trying to keep his anxiety to minimum.
...
When the others descended with the Bioship they were surprised at the scene. They state they were all in. Of course they had been trained as weapons to fight as a team against The League.. but now that they fought against each other was this the results? They were amazing and powerful, deadly.
Red Arrow and Artemis laid out the stretcher to place Water in it as Superboy lifted the heavy weight of the rock.
L held R and both supported each other into the bioship.
There was silence inside the bioship Miss Martian tried not to cry. Yes the mission was successful, but as always their were be complications/ consequences.
R looked at the pained face of the atlantean, L buzzed in place and S glared at the floor. Water had managed to push R out of the way the enough for him not to be crushed but in the act the older's legs had been crushed beneath the heavy boulder.
'Why was is always others trying to protect him. Why was he always causing pain and confusion to others. His new friends were hurting and worried, his teammates were worn out and angry, the League would be so as well after finding out what he had done to located W.'
R closed his eyes tightly and they remained close. L looked at him.
"How did you know his name?"
"... one of the master's told me before we headed to retrieve The Fog."
"Did he tell you, yours? or mine?" L asked.
The other shook his head. L sighed, 'he hated being that way, questioning R, fearing the other would keep some things from them, trusting wasn't easy but they were all getting there.'
L sat straight in the chair trying not to sever his wound anymore. Artemis looked at him slightly annoyed but equally as worried.
"I thought you could heal fast." She supplied hoping not to sound 'to interested.'
The speedster huffed, "Well a bullet wound is not something I can brush of easily-" his eyes widened 'he was stupid.' "I, I mean that's not what, I mean, I'm still sorry for sparring I shouldn't have done that without being totally healed." He laughed awkwardly flinching at the pain that surged from it. Artemis eyes softened.
R appreciated L trying to play it off in favor of not making him feel worse, he truly did.