Disclaimer: Neither Young Justice nor anything of the Justice League series belong to me.


Hurt my leg and have been in pain. Could not focus enough to write. Better now.

Not sure why there are trolls on a small story like this, but there are one or two trolls leaving comments. Please ignore them. I know you are all better than cowards anonymously leaving comments.


Chapter 9: Meeting a Queen

Artemis did not know what to make of Batman in this world. On one hand, he was still intimidating as hell and the archer did not want to get on his bad side. On the other, she never saw Robin being so openly passionate about things with his mentor, especially in front of the Team. If she did not know any better, she thought this Batman felt more, grounded. Less mysterious almighty Batman, and more, mysterious almighty human Batman. Definitely different from the Dark Knight that appeared in her apartment after she had secretly helped the Team against Professor Ivo's android. At least, she had hoped it was secret. The fact that Batman tracked her down that same night really shook her faith in her sneaking abilities. And questioned the League of Shadow training for the first time.

"Tell me about the Green Arrow from your world." At Batman's sudden words, Artemis jumped in her seat. Calming her rapidly beating heart, the archer let out a quiet breath.

"Um. Well. I have absolutely no doubt that you already know he is..."

"Oliver Queen. Current CEO of Queen Industries. Though I've heard he is currently in talks about selling his company for a very hefty sum."

"Uh, yeah. Sounds like the Arrow I know."

"From the name you gave me, it doesn't sound like you two are related."

"No. My past is... My family situation is very complicated."

"How so?"

"Not at liberty to say." Artemis leaned back in her seat, putting some distance between her and Batman. To her surprise, the Caped Crusader did not push, or get angry, "Not going to ask?"

"If this relationship we are all trying to build is going to work, we all need to build some level of trust. I've been told that I can be... Difficult. Something I am working on."

"Did Wonder Woman tell you that?" At Artemis' words, the plane tilted slightly for a second before straightening out. The silence that followed was awkward but Artemis had to fight really hard not to laugh. Something must have slipped through because she could see Batman's shoulders tense. Hoping to distract the Dark Knight, Artemis threw out the first thing that came to mind, "So you dated your world's Zatanna huh? What was that like?"

The silence dragged on and just when Artemis was considering the pros and cons of pulling the eject lever to her right, Batman spoke up, "Zatanna and I did not date. We...have been good friends for a long time. We never took that extra step."

Surprised but welcoming the bizarre conversation she was having with Batman of all people, Artemis leaned forward, "Why not?"

"Timing. Difference in life philosophies. Too focused on the job. Things just did not go the way we wanted."

Artemis nodded her head slightly, "I guess...that's fair. It's just..."

"What?"

"I don't know. You two had a connection, liked each other well enough, and had things in common. Not sure what the issue was."

"She had her things to deal with, as did I. The duty I had was too important to-"

"Oh come on. Your duty? No offense Batman, but you're just human. Heck, even Superman with all his power needs love and affection and someone to unwind with and spend the future with. Why can't you have something like that?"

"Superman can get to Lois Lane at the drop of a hat and protect her from almost all harm. I can't guarantee I can protect myself, let alone someone else-"

"Why would you need to protect her? Isn't Zatanna a powerful magic user? I would think it's the other way around if you dated, she would probably be worried about you, with her having all sorts of magic enemies who would go after a non-magic human." Batman went silent again and Artemis somehow did not realize how she might have insulted Batman by saying he was weak and his hypothetical girlfriend was stronger. Maybe Wally was rubbing off on her more than the archer knew, "I mean, isn't it just plain selfish and stupid to deny another person's feelings because you think there is a possibility they might get hurt if they dated you? Sounds like to me you might just be scared of letting someone in and being intimate with them just to avoid the possibility you might lose them. Which is again, just plain childish, macho man stupidit-"

"We're here." The Batplane jerked to the right, throwing Artemis against her seat belt and cutting her off with a gasp. She glared at the back of Batman's seat before glancing out the side.

"Do you even know where Green Arrow is? If he's posing as a civilian right now, don't think he'd appreciate us just walking up to him."

"Star City is currently hosting Queen Perdita of Vlatava. The queen has more than her fair share of enemies these days, and I have no doubt Green Arrow will be shadowing her during her goodwill speech at Star City's museum." At the unasked question, Batman continued, "The museum discovered some of Vlatava's lost treasures. With the treasures and Queen Perdita there, it makes a very tempting target for all sorts of criminals."

"Queen Perdita..."

"You know her?"

Artemis struggled to remember where she had heard that name before. She snapped her fingers, "Oh. Queen Perdita. Yeah,Wally uh... Kid Flash saved her life back in my world. Turns out her uncle, someone calling himself Count Vertigo, tried to get her killed by using five ice villains. Including Mister Freeze." At the name of one of his old enemies, Batman scowled but let Artemis continue uninterrupted, "Kid Flash delivered a heart she needed for a transplant and almost failed because of the Count. He managed to outsmart Vertigo and even got him to confess his crimes in front of Perdita, resulting in the Count being exiled from Vlatava and losing his diplomatic immunity so he could be arrested on American soil."

Filing that piece of information away, and making an important note to dig up information on this Count Vertigo, Batman sighed, "It seems like we'll be changing up our plans a bit when we reach Star City Museum."

/0/

"People of Star City, I am honored to be here today and cannot begin tot express my gratitude, or the gratitude of Vlatava for the treasures your anthropologists have discovered. Furthermore, in the interest of better relations between Vlatava and the United States, it has been decided that half of these treasures will remain here in Star City Museum in good faith, to display the cultural beauty and history of my country." Queen Perdita, despite only being eleven years old, stood proudly and with such charisma, people saw past her age and saw her for the born leader she was. Her piercing green eyes were so clear and pure, it was no wonder the general populace of Vlatava adored her so. Men in plain black suits and sunglasses stood on either side of the young queen, keeping an eye on the crowd for any and all possible threats.

What these men did not account for, was a man dressed in silver and red with an uncanny ability for accuracy. Deadshot placed the large metal case down next to him, glancing over the edge of the rooftop he was perched on. Entering the combination, the case snapped open, revealing a yet to be assembled M24 sniper rife. Classic and simple, something he could throw away after the job was done and not feel bad about it. Screwing the barrel onto the main chamber, Deadshot adjusted the scope, placing the rifle on the edge of the roof and taking in the wind speed and direction.

Taking aim at Queen Perdita's head, the assassin shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing personal kid." He let out a low breath, remembering the funny line kids have been saying online, "One shot..." He took a deep breath, holding it to steady his body and hands before slowly squeezing the trigger. The killer almost sword when the rifle was sent flying to the side and out of his grip, an arrow protruding out of its main body.

"You know, on a nice day like this, a toy like that will really ruffle my feathers." Green Arrow glared down at Deadshot, another arrow notched and aiming at the assassin's chest.

"And here I thought Hawkgirl quit being hero."

"Cute. Now are we doing this the easy way, or the fun way?" Green Arrow shifted his body, getting a better line of sight on Deadshot, who hummed while tapping his finger against his chin.

"Gee, I don't know... Depends on what you consider...easy!" Deadshot pointed both his arms at Green Arrow, firing his wrist mounted machine guns at the hero. The archer dodged to the left, releasing the arrow he already had on his drawstring while diving for cover. Deadshot shot the arrow out of the air, making it explode and catching the attention of the crowd a few blocks down.

Cursing under his breath, Deadshot looked over the edge, watching the bodyguards take Queen Perdita away and the crowd dispersing in a panic. Glaring back towards Green Arrow, Deadshot kept his wrists pointed up, "You planned that you jerk."

Green Arrow shrugged, even though Deadshot could not see him, "I'm more than a pretty face you know."

"Don't make me laugh."

"Oh now you're just being hurtful." Green Arrow peeked around from his cover but ducked back immediately when he was met with a spray of gunfire, "You failed Deadshot. Why don't you make it easier on yourself and..." When a grenade landed right in front of him, Green Arrow swore, running out from cover and towards the edge of the roof he was on, "Now whose being unfair?" The archer jumped off the roof, spinning in midair to fire off a grappling arrow and attaching it to the side of the building as the roof exploded. He grunted, the cable going taut and suspending him roughly off the side of the building. He saw Deadshot running in the opposite direction and cursed, grabbing the cable and hauling himself up quickly.

The process took longer than Green Arrow wanted and the archer found himself scrambling after Deadshot, who was running across the roof of a building four rooftops away, "Just my luck..." Putting all those hours of cardio and parkour training to work, Ollie ran as fast as he could, silently cursing himself, Deadshot, and weird Star City landscaping.

Just as he felt like Deadshot would get away, he found himself pausing when metal rope wrapped around the assassin's body, firmly planting his arms to his sides and making him fall flat on his face with a scream. The metal cords hummed to life, electricity running through them and delivering a few volts up and down Deadshot's body and making the hired gun scream in pain for a few seconds before groaning quietly when the current stopped.

Dropping down next to Deadshot, Green Arrow peered around, glared really as he crossed his arms, "Okay Batman. Come on out. I recognize these from anywhere. If I'm not the one who did this, you're the only other person I know who uses it."

True to the archer's words, Batman stepped out of the shadows one of the larger buildings were casting. Green Arrow grit his teeth, "Nice of you to drop by. Can't say I appreciate it though. This is my city, not yours, not the Justice League's. I thought I made it pretty clear I didn't want to be part of your clubhouse, and I want to make it clear now that I don't want or need your help."

Batman said nothing, letting Green Arrow stew in his words and shuffle a bit uncomfortably under the Bat's stare for a few seconds. Finally, the archer snapped, "What?"

"First. Your answer about joining the League was clear. I just came to talk to you about it in person. Second, I'm not the one who caught him." Batman gestured towards Deadshot with his chin, making Green Arrow glare at the Dark Knight more.

"Oh yeah? Then who did?"

"I did." Ollie looked towards the new voice but squinted under his domino mask. The figure was standing on a higher rooftop and had the sun behind their back, giving him only a vague outline of long flowing hair and a young, athletic feminine body.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

The figure jumped down, making Green Arrow's eyes go wide as dinner plates under his mask and take three steps back. The blonde girl in front of him clearly copied not just his outfit, but his whole hero persona as well. She wore a green outfit and mask, along with a green compact bow, green quiver, and green arrows. Judging by how Batman said it was not him that took down Deadshot, this girl also had technology similar to his own arrows.

"You've got to be freaken kidding me." Green Arrow turned to Batman, waving his arms frantically, "What? I refuse to join your little super club and you try to replace me with...with...with what? A cheap knockoff?"

"Whoa, hey! Who the heck are you calling a cheap knockoff? I'll out shoot and out maneuver you any day, old man." Artemis placed a hand on her hip, glaring at her alternate mentor from under her mask.

"What did you call me?" Green Arrow looked back at Batman, "What did she just call me?!"

"Hard of hearing already? Maybe you should retire to your private island, old man. And let the younger, more exuberant heroes do the job."

Just as Green Arrow and Artemis were about to charge at one another, Batman stepped in between them, "Enough. Artemis." Batman glared at the younger archer, making her glare right back.

"What? He started it."

"And I'll finish it, you little-"

"Enough!" Batman resisted the urge to rub at his forehead, instead moving towards Deadshot and grabbing the hired gun, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall. This woke the assassin up, making the man grunt and struggle at his new predicament.

"Oh crap, not you again..."

"Yes, me again. I thought I told you to stay off my radar."

"I'm three cities away from Gotham, Batman. How much off the radar can I get?"

"No distance is far enough away from me. Stopping your criminal activities is the only way to get off my radar."

"We both know that's not going to happen."

"Do I have to repeat what I said before?" Batman lowered his voice so only Deadshot could hear him, "Floyd?"

"Please. After what happened last time, I moved everything and anything I had away. You don't scare me anymore."

"It's only a matter of time before I find out where you live again." At that threat, Deadshot went quiet, staring back at the Dark Knight before he finally shrugged.

"Whatever. I failed anyways and I doubt they would hire me again. Plus, I don't anything, just like last time. Anonymous source, anonymous down payment. From some company called Teseven. That's all I have."

Releasing Deadshot, Batman stabbed a device onto the brick wall. It beeped, making Deadshot cry out as he was magnetically locked onto the wall because of the metal cables around his arms and body.

"Teseven. Have you heard of it?" Batman looked at Green Arrow who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Some small tech company in the upper district. Mostly works on computer chips. Not that small but not that note worthy either."

"Clearly they're more than meets the eye."

"Probably a shell company." When both Green Arrow and Batman turned to stare at Artemis, the female archer rolled her eyes, "Come on. A tech company that is not small, but does not make much noise to draw media attention, paid a hired gun to kill Queen Perdita. If it wasn't some evil organization using a fake dummy company as cover, the company itself is probably run by some super villain using it as a cover."

Both adults were silent before Green Arrow turned to Batman, pointing his thumb at Artemis, "Seriously, who the hell is this, and what is going on?"

Batman grabbed his grappling gun from his waist, walking towards the edge of the building, "We'll discuss this on the way. First, we'll check on Queen Perdita before heading to Teseven."

"Roger that." Artemis took her place next to Batman, notching a grappling arrow. Both of them looked back at Green Arrow who had crossed his arms and was slightly pouting, "Are you coming or are you just going to stand there like a petulant child?"

Green Arrow glared at Artemis before slowly making his way towards them, notching his own grappling arrow as he grumbled under his breath, "I'll show you petulant child...outfit stealing...arrow stealing...bow stealing little blonde..."

The three shot their grappling hooks off, jumping off the roof and towards Queen Perdita's hotel.

/0/

"High score!" Wally pumped his fists into the air, the dancing rhythm game flashing with bright lights. It read Dance Dance Groove and had some hippie disco mascot break dancing on screen.

"Not fair, you used your powers!" Zatanna pushed her hair back away from her face, glaring at the redheaded speedster.

"Hey, you never said I couldn't. Plus, my reaction time is not something I can exactly control you know."

"I told you to pick a different game Z!" Robin called out from the side, a giant stuffed Superman doll in his arms, courtesy of Zatanna winning it for him in a claw game.

"Almost every game here requires fast reaction time!"

"Exactly!" Wally cackled, earning him a punch in the shoulder from the resident magician.

Aqualad was currently trying his best to get a giant Aquaman stuff doll from one of the claw games while M'gann watched with interest. Superboy was standing bored next to her, arms crossed and leaning back against the machine.

"Oh you almost got it that time!" M'gann jumped slightly, clapping her hands. The Martian was currently using her human disguise as Megan, only drawing attention from boys who found her quite beautiful. They all quickly turned away when they saw Conner glaring at them. A few brave souls still tried to approach her, only to be bodily blocked by the half-Kryptonian. Seeing the glare and the low growl up close sent them running.

"I feel this mechanism is rigged." Kaldur looked inside the claw machine in slight frustration, having already lost thirty dollars to the blasted machine.

"But Zatanna got one on her third try!" M'gann pressed her face against the glass, seeing a stuffed doll of her beloved uncle.

"She cheated M'gann." Superboy spoke up from besides her, his facing scrunching up at yet another Superman doll inside.

"Oh..." M'gann looked around before whispering to Kaldur, "Maybe you should try again with a little bit of help."

While Aqualad by no means, condoned cheating, he felt he earned that Aquaman doll by this point. Entering another five dollar bill, the claw machine whirred to life, the claw moving with expert precision before sinking down to grab the desired doll. Kaldur pretended not to see the Aquaman doll and the Martian Manhunter doll levitate up in the air, not by the claw, but by some unseen force which he had no idea what it was. Both dolls happened to float over to the drop box and fall into the winner slot, making the machine light up with a big 'winner' sign.

M'gann clapped again, "We did it!" Kaldur bent down, retrieving both dolls and handing the Martian Manhunter one to the girl.

"Indeed, we are victorious."

"Can we go now?" Conner sighed, looking around the way too loud, way too flashy, and way too crowded arcade the team was hanging out in.

"Oh come on Conner, this place is so big and so fun!" M'gann grabbed her boyfriend's hand and dragged him towards some shooting video game where the enemies looked suspiciously liked Hawk people.

Kaldur went to join Robin, who was watching Zatanna face off against Wally yet again. This time, the magician had enhanced herself with a little bit of magic and was matching the speedster move for move, "How is it going over here?"

The Boy Wonder shrugged, "Z is going to kick his butt."

"I heard that! And no she isn't!"

"Oh, you are so going to get butt kicked, West!" Zatanna's eyes glowed briefly, her moves picking up speed and making the young speedster cry out.

"Where is Wonder Woman?" Kaldur looked around, a bit of concern in his eyes when he did not see the Amazonian.

"She said she was going to save us a table for when the pizza is done. I told her I'd do it but she insisted I 'enjoy my youth with my friends'." Robin grinned at his old friend from under his sunglasses.

"I will go check if she is well, and to see if our food is ready." Robin waved at Aqualad as he left.

The Atlantian wandered the rather large food court area, holding the Aquaman doll to his side as he searched for Wonder Woman. His gaze was drawn to a group of men surrounding one of the big tables, and took a guess what was drawing them there. Quickly making his way over, he was saw Wonder Woman looking a bit out of her depth, smiling awkwardly at the men trying to hit on her. She seemed to be politely declining this way and that, but the gaggle of men around her was making it hard for her to be heard.

Reaching up to touch the personal comm unit in his ear, Aqualad spoke loud enough to be heard, "I could use some back up."

Robin immediately responded back, "Trouble?"

"In a matter of speaking."

"Whats up?" Wally spoke up next, slightly out of breath but clearly still dancing to whatever random song he and Zatanna were moving to.

"Wonder Woman seems to be...surrounded by men hoping to court her. It seems most unwelcome."

"We'll be there." Zatanna spoke up, having clearly grabbed Wally and pulled him off the dancing machine. Not ten seconds later, the whole team, minus one archer, was gathered together.

"How are we going to play this?" Wally was fanning himself with his shirt, staring at the ten or so men surrounding Wonder Woman.

"Follow my lead." Zatanna strut forward before anyone could say anything, making a B line for the group of men. The others looked at one another before shrugging, making their way towards the table.

Wonder Woman saw Zatanna coming and a relieved smile formed on her lips. When she saw the mischievous look on the magician's face, she looked confused but did not move to stop her.

"Mom!" Wonder Woman's eyebrows shot up when Zatanna called out to her, waving her hand high up in the air, "Thanks for saving a table for us!" Zatanna slipped past the men to sit next to Diana, slipping an arm around one of Wonder Woman's. The men around them gave Zatanna a surprised look, one or two backing off while the others did not really care because the Amazonian was certainly worth it.

"Did the pizza come yet, mom?" Robin slipped over the table and took a seat on the other side of Wonder Woman, laughing as he placed his arms behind his head and leaned back. Another man stepped back, two children being his limit while the others stood strong.

"Sorry we're late, we got lost in the mall, mom." M'gann had both her arms around Wally and Kaldur, sitting down on the other side of Diana, Robin, and Zatanna. Conner just silently sat down next to Wally without a word, crossing his arms and glaring at the men still around them.

The rest of the men all scattered, looking away or mumbling under their breaths about too many kids. The whole table laughed, Wonder Woman holding a hand over his mouth with the shake of her head, "I am not sure that was all necessary, but thank you for the rescue."

"Any time mom." Zatanna picked up a menu, looking at what else the arcade food court had besides pizza.

"What did we already order?" Wally had grabbed a menu too, eyes gliding across everything it had to offer.

"Six pizzas, eight orders of mozzarella sticks, and four plates of nachos. Cheese, cheese, and cheese." Zatanna responded back without looking up.

"A good start." Wally grinned, "We're totally going to order some shakes and fries. Every kind of wings too."

"You're going to eat this place out of business dude." Robin rolled his eyes before looking at Wonder Woman, "Any news?"

Diana smiled slightly, shaking her head, "Nothing. I'm sure if anything happens, Artemis will contact you all first."

"Yeah, like Batman will ever let that happen..."

"Enough about all that, we're here to have fun, and shop till we drop. Artemis will be fine." Zatanna reached over to flick her Boy Wonder on the nose, making the young Bat yelp. Giving the magician a playful glare, Robin reached over to give her earlobe a pinch. Zatanna ducked her head, her cheeks going red as she glared at her boyfriend.

"Can you two stop flirting." Wally moved over when M'gann got up, letting her sit next to Conner, "It's making me queasy."

"Like you can talk, Spitfire." At Zatanna's use of the word, Wally squawked angrily. Half the table erupted in playful banter and arguments, Aqualad doing his best to head things off here and there while Wonder Woman chuckled at their antics.

"Sounds like you're all having fun without me."

"Uncle Barry!" Wally stood up to give his uncle a big hug, making the older speedster laugh with joy, hugging the redhead back with gusto.

"Hey gang, sorry I'm late. Just got off of work five minutes ago. Hey Diana!" Barry waved at the Princess who waved back with a warm smile.

"Hello Barry, I hope you had an unexciting day at work?"

"Indeed I did!"

"Unexciting?" M'gann looked at Barry in confusion, making the man chuckle.

"Oh yeah, my day job is being a CSI. Excitement usually means something bad happened, so..."

"Oh! Well, then I am also glad you had a boring day Mister Allen!"

"Please, just call me Barry. Mister Allen makes me sound so old!"

M'gann giggled, liking how full of energy and kindness Flash was.

"With Uncle Barry here, we really need to order more food..." Wally was about to make his way towards the counter when Barry stopped him.

"No it's okay, I had a giant lunch before coming here. I'll be good for an hour or so. But I won't say no to more food if you have extra!"

"Please sir, join us. With all that we have order, there is plenty to go around." Kaldur moved over from his seat, making room for the older speedster who joined them with a grin and a nod. The Atlantian looked down when the buzzer on their table shook, indicating their food was ready. All the boys stood up to get the food, M'gann moving over to sit next to Zatanna so they could both talk with Wonder Woman.

"So mom." Wonder Woman shot Zatanna an amused look.

"How long are we going to keep that going?"

"I don't know, I'm kind of liking that idea. Never had a chance to know my mom, so..."

M'gann giggled, "We can be sisters!"

"Heck yeah we can." At that, both Zatanna and M'gann giggled together, Wonder Woman shaking her head with a smile.

"You both remind me a little of my own sisters on Themyscira."

"The Isle of Women?" Zatanna looked curiously at Diana, who nodded, "What's it like?"

"Beautiful. Pure. Simpler than out here."

"Sounds like a great place." M'gann smiled at the Amazon who nodded, smiling a bit sadly.

"It is a wonderful place like no other. But isolated, too distant from the rest of the world. It was why I could not stay, nor can I go back."

Both M'gann and Zatanna reached out, placing their hands over both of Wonder Woman's hands, making the Princess smile at both of them gratefully.

When the boys returned with all the food, it was to the sight of the three heroines laughing about one of the mistakes Kid Flash made during one of their missions, actually slipping on a banana and crashing into Superboy hard enough to knock the half-Kryptonian off his feet.

"Laughing at my expense? Oh woe me." Wally took a bite of his third slice of pizza all while he gave M'gann a hurt puppy dog look.

By this point, the whole Team was used to his tactics, M'gann only giggling with a sort of sorry smile, "Oops?"

The whole table erupted in laughter, Flash grinning as he ate his fifth slice of pizza, "You know, I'm glad you guys showed up. Hanging with you guys just feels so much...lighter than when the League hangs out, you know?"

"Well no surprise if Batman is there." Robin grumbled, taking a bit of a mozzarella stick.

"He's not so bad when you get to know him well." Wonder Woman smiled fondly at the young Bat, seeing the resemblance in how he brooded with a certain older Bat.

"Yeah, right."

"What did I say about broody Dick." Zatanna raised an eyebrow at her Boy Wonder, who just looked right back at her.

"Better than regular Wally?"

"Hey!"

"Well...yeah."

"Uh, hey!"

Both magician and Boy Wonder looked at the young speedster before promptly ignoring him in favor of each other.

"You're both going to so regret jabbing at me."

"So, any other plans after the mall?" Flash grinned at his other dimension nephew before turning to the address the rest of the table.

"None at the moment. After we finish shopping for supplies and other miscellaneous items, we should head back to the mansion to settle in. I believe some of us still need to catch up on our rest." Kaldur looked around the table, catching his team's eyes before looking back at Flash, "We still have plenty of time to...hang out during the rest of the week."

Barry nodded, "Fair enough. If you guys ever get bored of Gotham, come on over to Central City. I'll give you a personal tour of the city! They're even making a Flash Museum there! Almost finished and open to the public!"

"Uh..." Wally looked at his teammates, all of them looking unsure except M'gann, who spoke up for all of them before anyone could stop her.

"Oh that sounds like fun! We'll definitely be there!"

Wally laughed nervously, "Guess we will..."

"Cool! I'll make sure I get you guys VIP tickets!" Barry waved his hand animatedly in the air, M'gann clapping her hands in excitement. Wally slapped a hand onto his face.

"Sure hope Artemis is having a good time..."


DC Extra #4

"Drop the gun!"

"Screw you, telling me to drop my gun. Why don't you drop your self righteous hero complex and leave me alone?"

"Sir, please. You are clearly having some kind of...mental break down. If you will just drop your gun and come with us quietly, we can..."

"Hey, what did I just say? Screw you! Wait, why am I saying screw you? Why can't I say what I want to say? Huh. Some kind of profanity filter built into the fabric of this universe. Weird. Anyways." The spiky haired man belched, some drool hanging down his mouth as he glared at Robin, "Don't try that ninja crap with me, boy. I can see every move you'll make and have about six hundred lethal ways to counter attack, plus another hundred non-lethal ways to take you down. Don't test me." The man took out a flask, taking a big swig of the liquid inside before belching again.

"Oh... Rick maybe we shouldn't..."

"Shut up Morty. We're in this freaken mess because of you, you freaken dumb piece of crap! Oh Rick, what does this dimension high jacking device do? I don't know Morty, maybe read the god dang label before pressing it. Now look at us, stuck in some weird pocket dimension with my idiot grandson, and seven losers dressed in stupid freaken costumes." Rick shot a blue beam from his laser gun, almost hitting M'gann out of the air despite her being invisible, "Girl, what did I just say? Don't test me. I can see you, I can see him, I can see all you dang kids. Now back up, or I swear to non-existent god that I will violently end you all and turn this mother hugging universe from rated teen to rated mother hugging mature."

"What the hell is this guy talking about?" Artemis looked at Kid Flash who shook his head.

"Do I look like I speak crazy?"

"Hey! Screw you Kid Doesn't-Last-A-Minute-In-Bed! I'm not crazy, I'm just smarter than all you kids combined mother hugger. Dang it, this profanity filter is pissing me off."

"Come on Rick, they're heroes. I'm pretty sure that's Robin." Morty waved slightly at said Boy Wonder, trying to give the fellow teens in front of him a sorry smile.

"Screw heroes, screw Batman and Robin, Morty. They're just part of over bloated franchises that can't decide what storyline to follow and what characters to kill or keep alive. I'll be saving the kid years of therapy and resentment by just putting him out of his misery!"

"Oh come on Rick..."

"Don't you 'come on Rick' me, Morty!"

"Nrut sih nug otni seisiad!" Zatanna's mystical voice called out, drawing Rick's attention.

"What the fudge." When Rick's laser gun turned into daisies, he cursed, throwing the flowers to the side and crouching down when Robin came in for a kick. He threw a metal ball at the Boy Wonder, capturing Robin in a giant net. When Superboy lunged for him, Rick pulled out a slim sliver canister, opening it up and revealing a glowing green rock. The half-Kryptonian cried out in pain, falling flat on his face.

"Kryptonite? What the hell?" Kid Flash zipped towards Rick but the mad scientist's cybernetic eye tracked the speedster easily.

Rick jumped, pointing his hand at the ground and firing orange liquid all over the ground. Wally found his feet sticking to the orange substance like a fly to a fly trap, the speedster falling over with a scream and getting his legs completely stuck in the goo.

When Zatanna pointed her hands at Rick and attempted to conjure another spell, Rick threw another contraption from his coat, a metal spider-like robot extending out and wrapping around the magician's mouth, silencing her. Aqualad strode forward, his water-bearers creating maces made from water and attempting to bash Rick down. In response, the scientist ducked, holding his palm up towards the Atlantian and blowing some red dust into Aqualad's face. Aqualad coughed, waving the dust away but it was too late. He grabbed at his throat, wheezing as he fell to the floor, rapidly dehydrating.

"No!" M'gann thrust her hands towards Rick, lifting him up into the air using here telekinesis. Sensing a foreign entity touching his body, an automated response kicked in. An orb of blue energy formed on Rick's chest before firing off, hitting M'gann even if she was intangible, shocking her and making her cry out in pain before dropping to the ground.

"Oh crap!" Artemis notched three arrows, firing them towards Rick who just scoffed, drawing a thick metal cylinder and pressing a button. Two blades of orange energy shot out of the sides, making a double bladed energy sword which Rick used to swipe the arrows out of the air before he lunged at the archer, slamming her stomach with one of the energy blades and sending several volts of electricity through her body. Done taking all of them down, Rick retracted the energy blades and put the metal cylinder back in his coat, taking out his flask and taking a sip.

"And that, is how easy it is to kick their butts. What do you say about your heroes now, Morty?"

Said Morty sighed, burying his face into his hands.


Crossover: Rick and Morty (TV Show)