Chapter Six — Drop-Zone
"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy."
Excitement flooded through Arleys veins as she sat in the Mount Justice meeting chamber; Batman and Red Tornado stood in front of her and the others, debriefing them on their very first team mission. Wally, in the chair next to her picked at a bag of chips he had gotten from the kitchen as he stared unblinkingly at the monitors.
"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman said in front of an island map, "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neurosteroid, a strength enhancing drug sold under the street name venom. Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is still operating at full capacity, but all shipments have been inexplicably cut off, that's where this team comes in." Batman turned to the six teen heroes, "This is a covert recon mission only," he stressed with a pointed finger, "Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will."
Two points on the map displayed on the monitor appeared, "This plan required two drop zones," Batman told them.
"Who's in charge?" Dick wondered, his dark glasses settled a top the bridge of his nose and his forearms pressed against the edge of the meeting chambers long oval table. Batman and Red Tornado shared a look before glancing back at the six young heroes.
"Work that our between yourselves," Batman told them and Dick, with a faint smirk, nodded.
...
Several hours later and with a fully charged ring Arley and the others sat in Miss Martians bioship as they soared South over the Caribbean ocean towards the mostly tropical, jungle island nation of Santa Prisca. High above the clouds, Arley, seated at the very front of the bioship, between Kid Flash and Robin, focused on the star Beta Ara, the brightest star in the Ara constellation, as she cleared her mind and readied herself for the mission.
Kilowog and John both always liked to go over the battle plan before touchdown so that there would be no room for mistakes, Hal liked to get into the zone by thinking about what he was going to do after the mission— he liked to say he couldn't die if he had plans with Carol or John or her or someone else post-mission —and Guy had tended to listen to one of the many angry the punk rock songs he'd grown up listening too while on his way into a fight, getting pumped up and ready to kick ass.
Arley however, as she stared at the bright star in the night sky did none of those things, instead the youngest Lantern just thought of her and her friends on the bioship post-mission, alive and unharmed, victorious.
If bad things always happened when you thought of them, why couldn't good things happen when you thought them?
"Drop zone A in thirty," Miss Martian said, her voice serious; Arley jerked away from the night sky and turned to the green girl, her eyes, as Aqualad stood up, flickered to the Atlantean boy. Aqualad, as his seat melted back into the bioship's floor pressed the upside down horseshoe found on his belt causing his usual uniform to bleed back and grey.
"Ready," Aqualad said turning to Miss Martian.
"Putting bioship in camouflage mode," she replied. As the six of them got closer to the Central American island a hole in the floor of the bioship opened up and Aqualad, as the alien space craft kept forward, dove out of hole and into the ocean waters; the bioship only seemed to stop right before the islands beach began.
Arley, from her spot at the front of the ship could see Aqualad jump from the oceans waters and onto the sand and run the short distance to the Islands security sensors. Arley looked up, away from Aqualads dotted figure as his voice echoed throughout the Martian ship,
"Heat and motion sensors are patched, data is now on a continuous loop, move in." And the bioship did, moving to the second pair of coordinates Batman had given the teens the Miss Martian flew the bioship far into the islands jungle.
"Drop zone B," Miss Martian announced as she pulled the camouflaged ship to a halt. Arley and the Martian girl, as did Superboy, Kid Flash and Robin, stood; their seats, as Aqualads had when he stood, melted into the floor. Though unlike when Aqualad had stood two lines appeared from the bioships ceiling.
Robin and Kid Flash hooked the belts of their uniforms to the lines, Kid Flash with an excited smile pressed the lighting bolt symbol on his chest, and much like Aqualad's uniform, his too began to bleed black. The speedster turned to Arley and then Miss Martian, he pivoted back and forth between the two girls.
"How cool is this?" He asked.
"Very," Arley said, her own smile playing on her lips; there was something infectious about Kid Flash's smile, when he smiled Arley couldn't help but beam back, pearly white teeth and pretty pink gums and all.
Miss Martian, closing her eyes willed the uniform she had on to change; her ankle boots darkened and lengthen up her leg, her skirt split into pants that padded itself at her knee and while the sleeves of her her white shirt lengthened it also darkened to a pitch black, blending into once piece with her pants, even her cape seemed to change to a darker blue then it had already been.
The Martian girl set her hands on her hips and Kid Flash blinked dumbly at the girl in front of him; Arley, knowing the speedsters gaze was solely on the alien girl rolled her own eyes.
"That works too," Kid Flash told Miss Martian before looking at Superboy who stood a few feet away from the alien teen, "Hey Supey, you know it's not too late to put on the new stealth tech."
"To capes, no tights, no offence," the clone boy said. Superboy, wearing one of the Superman-themed shirts Arley and Kid had helped him buy that day at the Central City mall and a pair of cargo pants he had tucked into the boots he had also gotten that same day crossed his arms over his chest.
"It totally works for you," Miss Martian said, her cheek rested on her curled fingers while she looked dreamily at the clone, only for her eyes to snap open in realization a second later, "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes," she covered with a thumbs up. Arley bit her lip and swallowed back a giggle.
The Martian girl's brown eyes flickered to Arley's hazel ones—Miss Martian looked liked all she had wanted at that moment was for the ground beneath them to open up and swallow her whole —and then green girl, flicking her capes hood up over her face, turned invisible.
"Come on," Arley said mirthfully, taking pity on the alien girl, "We should get going, we don't want Aqualad showing up to the factory alone."
A hole, the same kind that Aqualad had jumped out of and into the ocean waters appeared, and Arley and Miss Martian— who was still invisible —were the first two to jump; using their abilities the two girls floated gently to the ground. Miss Martian dropped her invisibility and shared a smile with Arley. Kid Flash and Robin, both of whom were hooked to the lines that had appeared from the bioships ceiling jumped down after them; the four of the quickly scattered when they saw Superboy unceremoniously dropping down directly onto where they were standing.
"Knew I didn't need a line," Superboy said as he stood from the small crater he had created.
Arley and Kid Flash, both of whom had jumped to the left together pushed themselves up off the jungle dirt and got to their feet.
"And yet creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert," Robin hissed.
"Aqualad, drop B is a go," Miss Martian said into her communicator as she and the other four teens huddled together to look at the map that appeared over Robins gauntlet.
"Head for the factory, I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."
"Roger that," Robin said into his own communicator.
The map disappeared and Robin led Arley and the three other teens headed deeper into the hot and muggy jungle forest. Arley and Miss Martian took turns weaving in between the branches of golden shower trees and epiphytes, the two girls, as Robin led them past a waterfall flew over the mountain edge giving the three boys move room to walk only to begin walking themselves once neither of them could hear the rushing sound of water anymore.
Superboy, who had been trailing just a step behind Miss Martian paused, "Did you hear that?" The clone boy asked.
"No?" Arley blinked, she looked around their area only to see nothing around them except for trees and other tropical-based fauna; the only thing she could hear was the cicadas buzzing around them.
"Wait," Kid wondered, "Is this a super hearing thing?"
"You do have great ears," Miss Martian sighed. Kid, obviously missing the swoon in Miss Martians voice, turned to where Robin had been,
"Okay Rob, now what?" The four heroes turned only to find the youngest team member gone. Kid Flash's shoulders dropped, "Man I hate it when he dose that," the speedster hissed.
"Superboy, Kid," Aqualad's voice cut in through the communicators, "Switch to infrared, see if you're being tracked." Kid, flicking his goggled over his eyes reached back behind him and locked his fingers around Arley's wrist, he pulled her behind a large rock before peaking over it.
"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming," Kid said. Superboy and Miss Martian crouched behind a fallen log.
"Two squads," Superboy corrected, "But they'll meet each other before they find us." As soon as the words were out of the clones mouth gunfire ricocheted through the air, Miss Martian covered her mouth with her and Kid Flash pressed the button on the side of his goggles turning off the infrared.
"No super hearing required now," Arley mused.
"Swing wide, stay clear," Aqualad advised as Kid crept from behind the rock and to the log where Superboy and Miss Martian were, Arley slink slowly behind him.
"Yeah-yeah just as soon as I find Rob," Kid said, Arley's eyes widened.
"Kid—" she hissed, she reached out to grab his wrist only for the red headed boy to be gone by the time she had moved, "Nortz," she swore, she looked to Superboy and Miss Martian. "Come on we have to make sure he doesn't get hurt looking for Robin-Aqualad," Arley spoke into her communicator, "You heard?"
"Be careful," Aqualad said, "I'll be to your location shortly." With a hum Arley jumped over the log she and her two alien teammates had been crouched behind. Flying, Arley lead Miss Martian and Superboy in the direction Kid Flash had run off in, only to turn sharply when the boys muddy footprints turned into a skid down the side of the hill they'd been on.
Superboy, standing— balancing his weight on his hind leg —slid down the hill while Arley and Miss Martian flew down the steep incline. Superboy, as Kid dodged bullet after bullet, attacked the biggest man in the clearing. Arley, dropping down onto the ground, reached behind her to the cloaked man she had jumped behind and tossed the man over her head and into the wide trunk of a tree, knocking him out.
Robin dropped from the sky. Knocking one criminal out and the gun away from another, only to hit that man hard enough to send him flying the masked boy turned to his teammates,
"What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert? Why didn't you follow my lead and vanish into the jungle?"
Arley as she sidestepped an on coming punch from a thug brought her knee up into the mans gut; she tossed him forward and grabbed a second caped man who ran at her. Arley locked her left elbow in with his and rolled over his back, locking her right elbow with the mans Arley pushed herself forward, she bent her knees as she lifted the man over her own back and threw him in the same direction as the man who had tried to punch her; both men dropped to the jungle ground in a heap.
"That's what you were doing?" Kid wondered as he beat away a large thug twice his side, "Way to fill us in, we're not mind readers you know." Usinger her teletakneis, Miss Martian, behind Kid Flash, shot two capped men into a tree. Arley paused to look at the three.
"Er, I'm not anyway," Kid corrected as he turned to looked at the green girl.
"You told me I could only read the bad guys minds," Miss Martian said only for her eyes to widen, "Green Lantern—"
Two strong arms wrapped themselves around Arley, lifting the girl off the ground. Arley, before Robin could pull out two birdarangs, threw her head back into the mans nose; dropping her the man stumbled back. Arley's elbow jutted out into the mans throat hard enough to send him timbering back and when she spun on her heel and slammed the knuckles of her fist, square against his face, the man fell like a falling timbering tree.
Kid Flash looked at Arley impressed, his brows raised behind his mask and his green eyes sparkled under the South American moonlight. "Nice."
Arley's cheeks heated and her teeth peaked out from behind her pink lips. It was odd for Arley— being in love with her best friend that is —because for every note of praise Wally sung her way Arley wanted nothing more then to puff out her chest and beam at the deserved compliment, only to instead— because it had been Wally who had complemented her —turn into a blushing pile of goo.
"Thanks."
Robin turned and Arley looked away from Kid to where the masked boy had turned and caught sight of whipping red cape running away. Robin pulled his arm back, a birdarang in hand only for Aqualad to drop down from the tree and grab the man by the front of his shirt; the dark skinned boys tattoos glows bright and electricity coursed through his arm, zapping the man unconscious.
"You took your time," Arley snorted at the gilled boy as Superboy emerged from the jungle brush. Aqualad with a quirked brow looked at Arley and the others,
"There was traffic," he told her dryly, the boy looked at the unconscious criminals, "We should tie them up, we can figure out what to do from there." Arley nodded. A large green hand appeared from the girls ring as Robin pulled out rope from his utility belt; Arley separated the criminals at the base of two large trees, she set the men in red capes down against one tree and the everyday looking criminals at the base of the other.
Once all the men were tied up Robin stepped back, "I recognize those uniforms," the boys said looking at the men in red capes, "They belong to the Cult of the Kobra."
"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's venom operation," Aqualad said.
"So either Batman doesn't know," Arley snorted because Batman knew everything, much to Hals chagrin, "Or the cult aren't the ones who set up shop here."
"Exactly," Robin said, "And since there's clearly no loved lost between the cultists and those goons I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out, it would explain for why normal supply lines have been cut off."
"Cool, Kobra wanted super cultists, mystery solved, Radio Bats and we'll be home in time—"
"These cultists aren't on venom," Robin cut Kid off, "Kobra's hoarding the stuff, we don't leave," Robin said with a note of finality in his voice. "Not until I know why."
"Until you know why?" Kid scoffed, the read head bent at the hips.
"This team needs a leader," Robin said.
"And it's you?" Kid rolled his eyes, "Dude you're a thirteen year old kid who ducked out on us without a word." Robin laughed,
"And you're a mature fifteen?" Arley looked at Aqualad, "You blew out cover first chance you got."
"What about you?" The Green Lantern wondered, "Do you want to be leader?" Aqualad turning to Arley blinked at the girl as her eyes flickered back to the two bickering boys in front of them.
"Me? Why not you, you have the most experience out of all of us, if anyone should be leader—" Arley cut the boy off with a shake of her head.
"I'd be terrible," she said, "I can compartmentalize and push down and ignore my feelings to an extent, but I've seen what it takes to lead," Arley frowned, "You need to lead with with your brain when you're in charge."
"And you don't?" Aqualad asked,
"I do what I need to on a mission to make it work," Arley murmured, past missions flashed though her mind, "Even if those choices aren't technically the right ones."
Arley had been taught— had been raised —to be a soldier. She'd been taught to follow orders and, sure while there were times orders had to be forgone, Arley knew— had, had it drilled into her over her nearly year long bootcamp experience —that Green Lanterns always finish the mission they were given.
No matter what; no matter if the cost was their life.
"I don't know if I could lead," Aqualad said earnestly.
Arley opened her mouth to tell the slightly older boy that of course he could— that he had the makings of a leader; that unlike her he was more than just a soldier —only for one of the goons Robin had tied up— the largest of all the men, the one with the mask —to start laughing. Arley and the others moved forward,
"Such cleaver ninos," the man laughed, "But you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, I can get you into the factory via my secret entrance."
Miss Martian moved from where she stood with Superboy and crouched down in front of the man, her finger on her temple.
"There is a secrete entrance but he's also hiding something." The alien girls eyes glowed a florescent white only for her groan a second later,
"Ah, ah, ah chica," the man tisked, "Bane is not that easy." He spoke in the third person, Arley pressed her lips together because no one trustworthy— or sane —ever spoke in the third person. Miss Martian closed her eyes and dropped her hand.
"He's mentally reciting futball scores en Espanol," Miss Martian told the group of young heroes dryly as she turned to them, "This could take a while."
"It's not complicated," Bane shrugged, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Arley's eyes narrowed because the enemy turned allies pacts she'd witness in the past never seemed to stop one party from stabbing the other in the back, ever. She turned to the heroes around her.
"I don't trust him as far as I could throw him with a dead ring," she voiced.
"What other options do we have?" Aqualad asked, "Robin is right we need to find out why the Cult of Kobra want then venom." Superboy nodded in support and Arley looked to Kid Flash,
"Thoughts?"
"We'll keep an eye on him," Kid said and Miss Martian with a wave of her hand released Bane from his rope binds. Arley narrowed her eyes at the man; enemy of my enemy is my friend situations never worked out, never ever. The masked man smiled, it was the kind of smile that made Arley's gut curl, the kind that would have set even Kilowog on edge.
"Come on ninos," The man smiled as he bobbed his head left, "It's this way."
...
Bane had led the six young heroes to a cliff overlooking what had once been his factory, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad looked over the cliffs edge, Arley and Superboy and Miss Martian watched Bane and every little twitch the man made as he stood behind the three young male heroes.
Banes dark eyes scanned the mountainside behind the three male sidekicks.
"Look at all that product," Robin hissed as he looked through his binoculars. "A buy is going down, but if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects then—"
"We need to identify that buyer," Aqualad said.
"Just what I was thinking," Kid added, Robin snorted.
"Yeah," the boy said getting to his feet, "You're the thinker."
Arley side eyed the younger boy only to look back at Bane as the muscular man moved. She knew the masked man was just waiting for the right moment to betray them, she could feel it in her gut.
"Sarcasm? Dude a real leader would focus on getting answers." Bane lifted the large boulder that had been leaning against the mountainside over his head and to the side showing the team a dimly lit passageway. With a wave of his hand the man smiled again; all the hair on the back of Arley's neck stood up.
"Answers are this way," Bane said before stepping into the secret passageway, leading the team forward. Kid who had moved to stand next to Arley rested his hands on hips.
"So now he's our leader," Kid muttered sarcastically. Arley sucked in a deep breath of air.
"This is such a bad idea," she muttered back before being the first one to follow after the masked criminal goon.
Bane lead them down a long mine shaft passageway only to come to a stop two miles down, where he pressed his thumb against the scanner next to the large metal door that stood at the very end of the secrete passageway. Several things clicked inside the heavy metal door before the red light that glowed above the finger scanner turned green and the door itself slowly and quietly opened.
On the other side of the secrete passageway was a locker room; Bane slowly opened the locker room door and Robin, crouching down by the large mans feet peaked out with him.
"All clear," the Boy Wonder hissed before darting out a head of Bane and Arley and the rest of their team. By the time the masked criminal and five other heroes as crept out of the locker room Robin was no where in sight. The criminal leading the five remaining teens scowled.
"Has that little fool already been caught?" Bane hissed.
"No," Aqualad sighed, "He just dose that." Kid slid his goggles down over his eyes,
"Stay put, I'll get out Intel and be back before Boy Wonder," the speedster said, and just as Arley had been too slow to stop him in the forest Aqualad grasped at the air Kid Flash had once stood only to find the space empty. Bane turned to Aqualad.
"Great chain of command."
"Callete," Arley hissed, Arley could see one of the mans brows raise behind his mask as the fabric shifted, "Nadie te preguntó." Because no one had asked him.
Bane said nothing in response and Arley looked in the direction Kid had gone before looking at Aqualad. Aqualad though didn't speak looked at the girl with pleading eyes; the girls lips pressed together and she nodded, she wasn't going to disappear on the Atlantean boy too. The corners of Aqualad's lips curled up into the ghost of a smile
Bane continued to lead the four remaining young heroes to the factories loading docks.
"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad observed as he, Arley, Miss Martian and Superboy crouched behind a large shipping container, Bane stood behind three stacked ones.
"Yeah but it looks like they're only taking the new product off the line," Arley said. "They're not touching this," she motioned for the old venom they were hidden behind.
"Maybe freshness counts?" Miss Martian guessed with a shrug, Superboys head jerked up.
"Helicopters are coming," Aqualad turned to Miss Martian, his sea foam green eyes hard and his face blank and void of any readable emotion.
"Turn invisible and see who gets out of the helicopter, hopefully it's our buyer," Aqualad said to the Martian girl. The alien girl nodded and began to stand only for Superboy to catch her hand; the alien girls face heated up.
"What if they see her?" He asked Arley couldn't help but smile; she did however swallow back a laugh.
"She'll be invisible Supes," Arley's gaze flickered to Aqualad, "She'll also have me watching her back," Arley looked back to Superboy, "No one will be watching the factory roof, they'll be too busy making sure whoever comes out of the helicopter doesn't try anything meaning I'll be practically invisible."
Arley was better at fighting, at— out of all the Lanterns for the sector Arley was the best at being able to take a hit and still remain standing, even without her rings healing —being able out last her opponent, but she was, after her childhood, also good at keeping her head down and blending in; with all there terrible homes her case worker had kept pawning her off too it had been a skill Arley had needed to learn young.
"You'll be careful?" Aqualad wondered, Arley grinned roguishly at the boy.
"Course I will boss-man."
"I'm not your leader," Aqualad replied to which Arley snorted at,
"Of course you are," she told him, "You just told Miss Martian to spy on the enemy and in case you forgot only a leader gives orders."
Aqualad's shoulder shook silently as Arley and Miss Martian got their feet; Miss Martian, turning invisible shot out toward the factories tarmac and Arley keeping close to the factory walls, flew quickly and quietly to the roof where she laid belly down against the metal roof, half behind a large vent, her eyes locked on the lowering helicopter.
Though the helicopters whirling died down it didn't stop, and the machine whined as the doors opened; a man— a blonde man wearing a mask —stepped out of the helicopter and Arley's brows shot up because it wasn't just some strange and mysterious bad guy who had come to buy the fresh batch of venom from the Cult of Kobra, but Sportsmaster, an assassin, who though had been extremely active after she had first returned to Earth from Oa, had become extremely quite over the past few years. Hal had always thought the man had just died because no one quits high profile assassinations and million dollar museum break-ins cold turkey and yet there he was, on the Santa Prisca tarmac alive and well.
Arley saw Sportsmaster reach into whatever case the red headed woman standing next to the cloaked man was holding and pull out something tiny but bright purple.
"Aqualad?" Arley pressed the communicator in her ear only to hear static, "Fuck," she swore, she looked down at her ring. She wouldn't be able to call Kid or Aqualad on it if the communications were jammed but she could call Hal or John and they could tell Batman everything from the Cult of Kobra to Sportsmasters sudden appearance, and yet she didn't; if only because she heard gunfire coming from the factory.
The large hulking monster that had been standing behind the man in the red cape turned and in a single leap Arley hadn't been expecting the monster crashed through the high glass windows just under Arley. Arley zipped down into the factory, the men from the tarmac and Sportsmaster appeared in the loading doc doorway.
"Destroy them!" The capped man said and the monster, roaring lunged at Superboy.
Arley and Aqualad both formed shields with their ring and water bearers; Arley looked to Aqualad and the boy brought his second water bearer up from his back and began to shoot at the Kobra cultists; Arley simply rushed forward, her shield still raised.
The cultist she had rushed at, seeing his bullets weren't working lifted the gun like a club over his head only for Arley to drop her shield and kick the gun out of his hand once it was half way down over her, the gun clattered across the room and Arley grabbed the cultists wrist with one hand and then the inside of his elbow with her other, she bent the mans wrists— a loud scream ripped from the mans throat —only for him to grunt as she kneed him in his stomach with one leg and then in the back with another, only to then lift the man and toss him at one of the cultists shooting at Aqualad.
Sportsmaster threw something— a javelin —in the air at nothing only for it to explode and Miss Martian to appear like a shooting star as she went down over the large vats of venom.
Arley formed a crowbar using her ring and swung it at a second cultists gun sending the metal weapon into the air and across the warehouse from them. Her crowbar vanished and Arley punched the man in the stomach with her left hand and then with her right hit him clean across the face sending him sprawled out at her feet. A bullet whizzed past Arley's head, and then a second, the girl created a glowing green dome around her much like a turtles shell
"Miss Martian the radio's are jammed link us up!" Aqualad yelled loudly over the popping of gunfire. Arley blinked as a loud ringing echoed through her head; bullets, as her concentration lapsed, began to crack her shield.
"Everyone online?" Miss Martians voice rang through Arley's mind.
"Yeah," Superboy sighed, more cracks splintered in Arley's dome and the Lantern began to move back towards where Aqualad and Kid were taking cover.
"You know it beautiful," Kid Flash's flirted; Arley grit her teeth as a bullet broke through her shield, it dropped though, before it hit her body. The hole in shield scabbed over only to crack as another bullet hit it.
"Good we need to regroup," Aqualad said.
"Busy now," Robin sung, he was outside, Arley knew that because Robin knew he was outside. The Lantern groaned as she tried to pull her mind away from her teammates and their thoughts and back onto her construct. Being linked up to five different people was different then simply being in a battle, her mind was smaller— and yet it wasn't because for every piece of her mind one of her teammates took up Arley also took up space in their heads —her mind was split.
The Corps had taught Arley how to protect herself against an unwanted psionic attacks, not how to fight while maintaining a mind-link.
"Robin now!" Aqualad snapped; Arley grit her teeth.
"I'm gonna need some help," she thought as more cracks in her shield appeared, "Soon," she stressed. She could feel worry— Kid Flash's worry was suffocating, it was like someone had shoved a cotton ball down her throat, Miss Martians was a frightful stutter in her heart and Aqualad's worry tugged at her gut— spike through her.
"Strategic retreat," Aqualad ordered, "Kid, clear a path, Superboy you're the closest to Lantern." The clone boy grunted in response as he batted away the large monster that had crashed through the factory glass and into a pile of large wooden crates; though the monster was quick to begin pushing the crates off.
Dropping her shield and sending out a long whip like construct as Superboy jumped back away from the monster he had been battling and in behind her; the Man of Steels clone wrapped the girl in a hug and crouched down low; bullets the cultists had fired before Arley had swiped them away with her construct bounced off Superboys body and feel brokenly to the factory floor
Superboy let Arley go and moved back from her. Arley and Superboy ran after their teammates, back the way Bane had lead them; the monster Superboy had been fighting chased after them and Superboy as Arley hesitated leaving the loading docks before him threw the monster into a group of cultists chasing them. Without a lingering look the two continued on after the other four heroes, back into the locker room and into the secrete passageway; Superboy slammed the heavy metal door Bane had used his fingerprint to open shut behind them.
That didn't stop the monster through; the large green thing— that like the Cadmus scientist Desmond had once been human —barreled through the door, cultists with guns follow after it, Arley held a shield up between herself, the team and the bullets but just like at the loading dock Arley could still feel everything her teammates felt, she could hear their thoughts beating in the back of her mind— her concentration was only half there —and so cracks appeared in her construct as she and the team ran.
"Superboy the beams!" Aqualad ordered, wordlessly the clone boy started taking out the wooden beams of the tunnel and the rocks above Arley and the others begin to cave in as the passageways walls shake.
When the dust had settled the only light the team had as lanterns that had once lined the passageways walls gave out dead was Arley's bright green construct; the wall had changed to a brightly glowing ball, a glowing green replica of the sun. Green bounced off everything as Arley melted into the wall next to Kid Flash whose hands were on his knees; the boys padded shoulder pressed firmly and purposefully against Arleys.
He was there, she was there and they were alive,
"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Robin lamented.
"You do have much experience," Aqualad said, "But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined, you two do not need to talk, but this team is new, and a leader must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."
"Oh so I'm supposed to hold everybody's hand!" Robin exploded, turning from the caved in path and to the team, Arley jerked up, her back straightened at the boys raised voice.
"Of course not," Arley said as she stood tall, her tone is harsher then Aqualad's, firmer, though not unkind. "Leaders, team leaders, they don't hold everyone's hand, but they do make sure the people they're charged with leading are clear on the plan before running off into battle."
Robin's shoulders sagged.
"You're right, who am I kidding," Robin scoffed, he waved his hand in Aqualad's direction, Arley could taste the boys resign through the mind-link, they all could "You should lead us Kaldur, you're the only one that can."
"Please, Kid scoffed, "I can run—"
"—Wally," Arley rolled her head and looked at her friend, "Come on, Rob's right and you know it, Kaldur's the best pick."
"We all do," Robin nodded.
"Hello Megan," Miss Martian grinned, "It's obvious!"
"Could have told you," Superboy said, Kid placed his an arm around Arley's shoulder and another on his hip, the speedster grinned.
"Okay." Aqualad grinned, it was a small and humble grin and Arley felt an echo of warmth flood her body. Aqualad stepped forward, closer to Robin and placed a hand on the younger boys shoulders.
"Then I accept the burden, until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders," the Atlantean said. "You were born to lead this team, maybe not now, but soon." Aqualad turned to the four other teens, "Alright, our first priority stopping that shipment from leaving this island."
"Funny, I had the same thought," Robin snickered.
And though the masked boy doesn't say exactly what he had done to Sportsmasters helicopter Arley and the other's know. The six of them began to take off down the tunnel, the small glowing bright orb coming from Arley's ring being the only light source as they ran.
"Sportsmaster's the supplier-slash-buyer," Robin told them after he filled Arley, Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian just what he and Kid Flash had found when they had split from the group.
"How?" Arley wondered, "No way he has enough juice to get the blockbuster formula or get a cult to do his dirty work, he's been laying low the past six years."
As low as an assassin could lay and perhaps Hal was right— no one can cut crime out cold turkey —but no matter how many low level crimes Sportsmaster had committed over the past six years it still didn't leave the blonde criminal with enough juice— with enough power or money —to hire a cult or a corrupt Cadmus scientist to make, or at least send him the blockbuster formula.
"And neither of them have the chops to bond blockbuster and venom," Kid said, "That took some major nerdage."
"I believe the expression is, this is just the tip of the iceberg," Aqualad said as he and the others came to a stop. Bane, as Arley and the other stopped running pushed off the secrete passageways entrance and blocked the six heroes from escape.
"Halt ninos," Bane said, several empty canisters and one of bright of green liquid— venom, Batman had shown Arley and the others the neurosteriod during the mission briefing —fell from the mans hands and onto the ground, and bombs lining the passageways entrance beeped above them "I'm feeling explosive."
"You betrayed us—" Aqualad gasped
"—Called it," Arley muttered, Kid, from the corner of her eye shot Arley a look. Arley's eyes narrowed and her fists out in front of her, ready to fight.
"—Why?"
"I want my factory back—" Bane said.
"Kid You'll need a running start," Aqualad said through the mind link. Kid began to inch back into the tunnel.
"—So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying, if the latter, the Justice League would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks, and when the smoke cleared Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect." Bane raised his hand to show the bombs triggers; he brought his thumb down only for the pad of his finger to meet the rest of his hand. The bombs above Arley and the others remained unblown.
"With what?" Kid wondered leaning against a tree, the trigger in his hand, "This trigger thingy?" Bane swung only to miss Kid Flash because Miss Martians hand had shot out and lifted the man into the air, Arley laughed, she grinned at the sight. At that moment Bane looked more marionette then man.
"Finally," Superboy all but seemed to purr— Arley felt the clones excrement thrum through her —he readied himself under where Bane was floating, his arm pulled back, "Drop him."
Miss Martian did. The masked man, wide eyed fell into the Kryptonian's fist; Superboy punched the muscled man into the ground hard enough for the rocky Earth to crater around the criminals unconscious body.
Arley nodded appreciatively at the sight, her gaze traveled to Aqualad, "So boss man, what's the plan?"
...
Kid Flash, out running each and every bullet shot his way ran out onto the factories tarmac; he jumped over a box and knocked a cultist who had been crouching behind it out.
"Take the shipment!" The cult leader order Sportsmaster as the followers around them began to wildly aim their guns in any direction they thought Kid Flash to be in. Superboy fell from the sky, in front of the Helicopter and the monster that the Cult had created, and Arley flew from the jungle brush and at the cult leaders right hand Shimmer. Somewhere behind her, invisible to the naked eye was Miss Martian.
"Wanna go again?" The clone asked; the monster roared, it took two steps forward only to be shot back by Aqualad. Superboy smirked, "Sorry, not the plan!"
The lithe red headed woman sidestepped Arley and the dark haired teen drifted to the ground. Kobra the cult Leader, as Robin who had appeared, smirked at the young boy, dropped his robes.
"I know you hate getting your hands dirty," Robin said impishly to the villain.
"True, but even a God must stoop to conquer."
Shimmer— the cultist lackey —jumped forward and kicked Arley clean across the face, the Lantern stumbled back; Shimmer lunged at the dark haired girl, Arley dodged a jab and she stumbled back and ducked in time to dodge another kick. Arley's left hand shot out and hit the older female in the side of her face, Arley's right fist uppercut the red headed female in the stomach causing the older half-bald female to double over momentarily.
"What's wrong boy?" Kobra taunted Robin, from behind Arley "You look disconcerted."
Arley could hear Superboy grunt out in pain but the Lantern didn't dare look away from her own fight.
Shimmer stumbled back before moving forward, hitting Arley twice in the stomach; the cultist grabbed Arley by the sides of her head and brought the girls head to meet her pointed knee; Arley fell backwards, she managed to back spring up only for Shimmer to hit her again.
Arley, slightly disoriented from the beating and the adrenaline rushing through her veins, managed to block the older girls cross; Shimmer brought her leg up to kick Arley only for the Lantern to grab it, Arley swung the girl into the side of the factory hard enough to dent the wall.
The monster Aqualad had been battling off, in a burst of bright light, fell to the ground with a yell. Arley doped the unconscious criminal to the grassy ground.
"Thanks for the workout, but I got to fly," Sportsmaster told Superboy as he tossed Miss Martian, who he had had captive in his arms, forward and into the clone. The helicopter, as planned, lifted off the ground and Miss Martian pressed the trigger she and the other heroes had confiscated from Bane blowing up the helicopters back roader sending it spiraling down into the factory; Sportsmaster not in it.
Kobra pressed his foot against Robins chest, "I am plagued my mosquitoes," the cult leader snarled. Arley moved forward, Superboy and Miss Martian moved towards her and Aqualad and Kid appeared on her other side.
"Good," Robin grunted, "Cause this mosquito's mighty concerted over your pain." Robin, spinning his legs and flipping out from under the cult leader jumped back and in front of Arley. Kobra glowered at the six teens, and moved backwards into the forest.
"Another time then," the man said and in a Batman and Robin styled fashion, he disappeared into the shadows before the Boy Wonder could jump forward and capture him leaving the six teens and dozens of knocked out cultists behind with the burning factory.
Arley moved to sit down, she leaned her head against Kid Flash's calf and the speedster ran a glove through the girls hair as a high pitched whimpered moan vibrated through her throat. The Lantern ring healed its hosts as quickly as it could and while Arley doubted there was any actual damage— much less an actual mark on her —everywhere the cultist Shimmer had hit still ached.
Robin turned to Aqualad.
"We picked the right guy to lead." A mischievous grin curled around the boys lips, "Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!" Robin busted out laughed as he looked forward at the burning building. Aqualads shoulders slumped; Arley supposed that when blowing up the factory had made it's way into the plan the Atlantean teen should have had realized that someone— that he —was going to have to explain it to the Dark Knight.
...
The next day, just as the sun was rising Batman met the team in the hanger; each of the teens had changed into civilian clothing on the bioship and Arley, in her black running shorts and her baby pink narwhal tee-shirt stared blankly at the caped crusader as he walked up and down the line of young heroes.
The pads of Wally's fingers pressed into Arley's palm, the mind-link was no longer up but Arley knew the speedster as well as the back of her hand; mind-link or not she could all but taste his anxiousness.
"A simple recon mission, observe and report, you'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes." Batman breathed, "Until then, good job." Simultaneously the six teens heads shot left and looked at the Dark Knight. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, how you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success," Batman said turning his back and walking out, "And who you choose who leads determines character."
Arley's lip quirked up, Batman never complemented Hal or Guy.
