Chapter 13
A/N: I know I'm horrible, but what can I say? Cliffies are fun! Anyways, as usual I own nothing, blah, blah blah.
Telepathy
'Bee speaking
/comm-link/
Infinity Island, August 7
A guard stood out on the beach when a red-feathered arrow hit his chest and electrocuted him. Speedy raced past the unconscious guard towards the manor on the small island. Shooting a grappling hook, he climbed up the walls and ran onto the plaza hiding in the shadows. Aiming an arrow for the camera, he fired; once it landed a small pulse was emitted putting it onto a continuous loop. Firing two more arrows, he shot down the guards.
In a secure room, a young woman sat on a computer typing away.
"We're losing patience: complete the project, or forfeit your life," a voice threatened over the intercom.
"I'm working as fast as I can," she replied.
There was a knock at the door a guard moved to open it, but it was slammed down on top of him. The other guard went to attack the ex-protégé, but was quickly taken out by a series of quick hits with the bow and a solid punch to the face.
"Dr. Roquette?" Speedy asked.
"Tell me you're the advance guy?"
"The only guy," he replied notching an explosive arrow towards the wall.
"You couldn't bring back-up? What? Were there budget cuts?" she scoffed.
The bells began ringing, and Roy let the arrow fly, making the wall explode. "Now or never Doc."
"I can't leave this," she said motioning to a cylindrical object next to her.
"I take it, or I take you!" he growled.
"Right take me."
He shot a line to the beach, grabbed the doctor and slid down just as the guards ran in and started shooting. Dropping down, they ran towards the water where Roy uncovered a boat. Pushing it out they swung in and he started to drive.
"What do you call this? The Arrow Boat?"
"I call it a rental now get down!" he snapped pressing a button on the controls that activated a series of bombs he placed around the beach. The beach exploded behind them, and he glanced back to make sure they weren't being pursued. "We're clear."
"Great, now only one problem…"
Back on the island an older man with red robe exposing a scar on his chest, grey hair, and a scar on his faced looked down at another man with a silver helmet that had one single red eye in the middle. "Well?"
"She finished. We're good to go."
-.-
Mt. Justice August 8
M'gann ran out onto the cave's secluded cove staring out towards the water with a boogie-board and in a yellow bikini that did not match her green skin what so ever. "Hello Megan! We should hit the beach every day!" she said turning back to her teammates. They guys were in basic swim trunks, but 'Bee had a wet suit for surfing and to cover his scars.
"First, a moment of silence for absent comrades," Robin said.
"Poor Erica and Wally," she sighed. They had just attended the funerals of Erica's parents yesterday, and the poor cousins were extremely depressed, as were their closest friends. Now, on top of it, their school year started today.
-.-
Central City
Wally and Erica sat next to each other for their first class. the normally hyperactive speedster looked like he'd rather die than be there and his usually energetic cousin was dressed darkly and abnormally quiet.
"Welcome class, to the first day of the school year."
-.-
Robin and Megan were splashing each other as Kaldur stood off to the side watching. Superboy cannonballed between them, soaking them; further out Bumblebee sat on a surfboard looking for another wave, preferring to spend some time to himself. After a bit, they came in for hot dogs.
"'BEE! HOT DOGS!" M'gann called.
Paddling back in he laid his board down and shook out his hair. Sitting down he grabbed a few and began eating.
Robin noticed something peeking out of 'Bee's wet suit, looking over he quickly pulled down the zipper to see symmetrical black markins starting just below his hairline and expanding across his back. "Dude, Prime let you get tattoos?"
Bumblebee shook his head as he haistily rezipped his suit.
"They aren't tattoos?"
'Bee nodded.
"I did not know you had tattoos similar to my own my friend," Kaldur said. "Are yours also of similar origin?"
'Bee shook his head, since he failed to bring his phone and his modulator out to the beach he looked around and grabbed a stick. "I was born with them."
"Sweet, you know, they kinda remind me of that one guy's tattoos from that movie…what was it…Divergent!" Robin grinned before he was hit in the head by a beach ball. They guys turned to see the Marian girl standing next to a volleyball net. Going over, they got into teams: Superboy and Bumblebee vs Miss Martian, Aqualad, and Robin.
After playing ball for a while, Megan and Kaldur were trying to bury Superboy in sand, while 'Bee was out trying—and failing—to ditch Robin so he could go back to being an antisocial surfer for a while.
-.-
In gym, Erica hurled a dodgeball at her cousin, hitting him smack in the face, before he was pelted by a series of others from her and the rest of her team.
The bell finally rang and the two cousins sprinted out of the school as fast as they possibly could.
-.-
"Recognized: Kid Flash—B03, Emerald Lantern—B02," the computer announced as they Zetaed in. Wally was dressed in full out beach gear as Erica was already in her Lantern uniform, except, it was black.
"We are here! So let's get this party star—!" he was cut off as he tripped and fell. The beach ball bounced between an unamused Batman and Optimus as he noticed that the rest of the team was in uniform. "—ed."
"Wall-man huh? Love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?" a girl with ridiculously long golden hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and dressed in a two-piece green uniform holding a bow with arrows strapped to her back.
"Who's this?" he asked getting up.
"Artemis, your new teammate," she replied smugly.
"Kid Flash, never heard of you," he said. "And this is my cousin: Emerald Lantern."
"Not much emerald," the new girl muttered.
"She's my new protégé," Green Arrow stated.
"What happened to your old one!"
"Recognized: Speedy—B05."
"Well for starters he doesn't go by Speedy anymore," the ex-sidekick stated. "Call me Red Arrow."
"Roy," GA said in shock. "You look…"
"Replaceable."
"It's not like that; you told me you were going solo," his former mentor answered.
"Why waste time finding a sub? Can she eve use that bow?"
"Yes, she can," Artemis growled defensively.
"Who are you?!" Wally snarled.
"She's/I'm my/his niece," they said.
"Another niece?" Robin scoffed.
"But she's not your replacement," Aqualad stated. "We've always wanted you on the team; and we have no quota on archers."
"And if we did, you know who we'd pick!" Wally reassured.
"Whatever Baywatch, I'm here to stay," she snickered.
"You came to us for a reason: why?" Emerald spoke up from where she stood quietly between her two best friends.
"Yea, a reason named: Dr. Sterling Roquette."
"Nanorobotics and Claytronics expert from Starr City. Went missing two weeks ago," Robin said pulling up her file.
"Abducted two weeks ago, by the League of Shadows."
"You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin asked.
"Hardcore," KF agreed.
"Already did. But not before they already coerced her into creating a weapon," he said pulling up a file he brought. "She calls it: The Fog. It's comprised of millions of microscopic nanobots, capable of dissolving anything in its path: concrete, steel…flesh. But its true purpose isn't mere destruction, it's theft. The Fog eats and stores raw data from any computer system, then delivers the stolen intel to the Shadows. Providing access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and tech."
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking; yea, sounds like the Shadows," Artemis groaned.
"And how would you know?" Kid scoffed as she just smirked. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Roquette's working on an antivirus to render the Fog inert," Roy stated.
"If the Shadows know she can do that, they'll try to kill her."
"Right. Currently, I have her of the grid. I stashed her at the local high school computer lab."
"Not exactly what I call off the grid."
"You left her alone?" GA gasped.
"She's safe enough for now!" he retorted.
"Then let us keep her that way."
"Us? As in you and me? Or you, me, and her?" he sneered.
Arrow began to step towards his old apprentice when a dark clad hand stopped him. "You brought this to the team; this is their mission now, meaning it's now hers too."
0"Than my job's done," he scoffed going towards the Zeta Beam.
"Recognized: Speedy—B05."
"That's Red Arrow—B05, update!" he corrected as he teleported out.
-.-
The team was stationed regularly throughout and around the high school. Miss Martian, Bumblebee, and Superboy guarded the outside, inside with the doctor the others stood on guard.
"Miss Martian, link us up. I do not want the Shadows to intercept our comms," Aqualad ordered.
"Everyone online?"
"Ugh, this is so weird," the archer commented.
"And distracting. Coding an algorithm for a counter virus on a computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. But now I have to hear teen think in my skull?!"
"Lady, do you always complain this much when someone tries to help you?" KF asked.
"Pot, Kettle, have you met?"
"Hey! I don't not want to hear attitude from the one who drove Red Arrow off the team!"
"That is so not my fault!"
"Fate of the world at stake!"
"She started it!" Kid whined.
"Enough!" Bumblebee commanded. "End it now or I'll come in there and end it for you."
"How about I just go help them outside?" Artemis suggested starting to leave. "I need to get out of this depressing atmosphere that gloomy girl is giving off."
"What was that?" 'Bee growled darkly. The archer didn't respond due to the fear that he would carry out his threat. "Thought so."
"Cut her some slack, it was her arrow that saved you from Amazo," Robin mentioned.
"No! that was Speedy—er, Red Arrow's arrow…right?" Wally exclaimed.
"Sorry dude," the Boy Wonder shrugged before slowing moving over to Emerald. "How ya doing?" he whispered.
"As fine as I can be, I guess," she shrugged, her uniform making her almost invisible in the darkness.
"If you need someone to talk to I'm here," he offered.
"Thanks," she nodded.
Wally didn't notice the small exchange between his best friend and his cousin. "Well, I'm still not giving her the satisfaction!"
"She can still hear you," Emerald reminded.
"Wow, gloomy girl speaks."
"I couldn't get the Justice League!"
"The virus will not be of much use if we cannot track the weapon," 'Bee stated trying to put things back on track.
"My Utility Fog is not a weapon! It's science, brilliant science! And of course I can track it, but I have to go online. Might as well write a sign saying, 'assassinate me' in neon."
Aqualad placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder for reassurance. "We will protect you."
"Tracking Fog now."
-.-
Philadelphia
"Roquette has surfaced to track us," the cyclops guy said over a communication to his boss, "but that link's a two-way street. Sending her location now."
/…Who do we have near…Happy Harbor, Rhode Island?/
-.-
Happy Harbor
In the back Superboy and 'Bee were standing watch when they both heard rustling in the bushes. "You hear that?" the clone whispered getting a silent nod from his partner. Turning around the pair jumped over the school, landing next to Miss M and Artemis before they went separate directions to check the sides.
As they began going around again the new girl found herself looking both over. "Mmmm, those boys."
Superboy stopped and glanced back as 'Bee just opted to ignore the comment and continue his patrol. "They can hear you!" M'gann glared. "We can all hear you."
"I know."
"Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located the Fog. Reconfigure the Bioship so Bumblebee, Robin, and Superboy can pursue," Aqualad ordered.
The ship landed and the three boys ran inside before the ship took to the air and took off. Once they were gone, the two girls went back to their positions in front of the doors. "You embarrassed Superboy!" Megan growled.
"Didn't hear him say that. And what about Bumblebee? Didn't embarrass him as you put it?" the archer sneered.
"Must you challenge everyone?!"
"Where I come from, that's how you survive."
As they argued neither saw the person silently hop over the fence and run around a corner.
Inside Emerald leaned against the wall in the room before her ring flashed. "We've got company."
"Oh, so little miss gloomy finally decided to come out of her little depressed shell."
"Leave her alone!" Wally snarled. Turning his head, he saw a shadow retreat. Sprinting down the hall he saw it go into the pool. Racing in, he slipped on a bunch of small marble-like balls, falling flat on his back. looking up, he saw a foot coming down at him before everything went dark. The attacker pushed him into the pool before continuing to make her way to the good doctor's room.
The door opened slightly and a shrunken flew out, jumping in the way, Aqualad took one to the shoulder as the assassin sent three more, but they were blocked by his arm. "That had to hurt," the assassin said as she ran in.
"Atlantian skin is quite dense," he said making swords with his water-bearers, deflecting her blows.
"But my shrunken are quite poisonous," she sneered before getting sent flying back.
"Jellyfish toxin, I'm largely immune," he retorted. "M'gann, Kid, Artemis, we're under attack in the computer lab!"
"On our way!" Artemis said as she and Miss Martian made their way to the lab. Stopping, Miss M whipped around to help KF.
"Come with me!" Emerald said grabbing onto the doctor's arm.
Seeing them about to leave, she sent one of her daggers at Roquette. Emerald whipped around and created a shield, keeping the knife from reaching its target. "Almost," she said headbutting Aqualad, sending him to the ground. She was about to hurl another knife when an arrow knocked it out of her hand.
"Don't move," Artemis threatened.
"This gig is getting interesting," she chuckled as Aqualad got back up and Emerald exchanged her shield for a baseball bat. Artemis fired several arrows, which the assassin pulled out a belt, whipped it to it stiffened into a sword, slicing through the arrows. Hearing something, she saw that the Martian and speedster were behind her. "Maybe a little too interesting." Pulling something out, she slammed it onto the ground and smoke billowed up. jumping through, KF rolled to his feet and crashed against the archer before ripping himself off in disdain.
"Gone!" he growled.
"She's getting away! You're letting her get away!" Roquette snapped.
"This is all your fault!" Wally snarled. "You were on perimeter, how'd she get in!"
"That's not fair, I was outside too," Megan reminded.
"Being distracted by her!" he growled. "Besides I can't be mad at you. You gave me mouth-to-mouth."
"We heard that!"
"Dang it!"
"I didn't do well in my first battle, and I know you couldn't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for very long," she reassured.
"Focus everyone!" Aqualad said. "The Shadows will be back."
-.-
Philadelphia
Bumblebee drove the ship over to the target only to have him and the others stare in shock as it collapsed. "Robin to Aqualad, we've reached Philadelphia and have located their next target: Starr Labs. We're too late, it's destroyed, completely destroyed, the Fog decimated it," Robin informed.
"This is not good. Starr Labs is the head of Earth's cutting-edge science and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy," he frowned behind his mask. "Orders sir?"
/Rescan for that fog, find it, we're moving the doctor/
"Rodger that, Bumblebee out."
-.-
Happy Harbor
Kid Flash sat on a bookshelf as Artemis paced in the back glaring at each other.
"Stop it," Emerald said.
"Stop what?"
"We can hear you glaring."
Aqualad ran near a tree with Emerald next to him. "Miss Martian, Emerald, make a wide perimeter sweep."
The Lantern nodded and flew off leaving the Atlanian alone.
The moment she left red webbing shot down and yanked him up into the tree. He was hurled into the side of a van parked nearby, making a large dent in its structure. As Aqualad got up, a man in a violet and black uniform hopped out of the tree in front of him, as he got up to fight, another with white hair, and a metal arm flew down from behind, slamming his hooked-hand on the back of his head, knocking him out cold.
"The Martian and Lantern could return any second, and I am not keen on evening their odds, we end Roquette, now!" Cheshire said rushing past them into the building.
The spider-guy came in through the front door, getting off his perch Kid Flash began to figure out how to get him off the ceiling and not get shot by his webbing, Artemis was about to help, when the glass shattered behind her, and the metal-handed man fell through the roof.
"Don't stop working!"
Up in a skylight, Cheshire sat with a crossbow, aiming for the good doctor. The arrow would've hit had a desk not been levitated in the way. "Martian's here! Now or never boys!" she snapped hopping in as the spider-assassin pulled the desk out of the way, swinging it towards the speedster. Roquette began running and the assassin leapt on her with a knife raised, only to balk as her skin turned green and her head did a one-eighty to look at her. "We've been duped!"
-.-
In the window of an internet café, Aqualad peered outside to see if either the team or the assassins were coming. Roquette sat at a computer typing away as the Black Lantern leaned on the wall behind her. "I've almost got it!"
-.-
Philadelphia
"Next target's a Wayne Tech facility," Robin frowned. "In theory, its systems could be used to hack…" He trailed off as Superboy just looked at him confused and 'Bee just smirked slightly behind his mask.
"Hack the what?"
"The Base," 'Bee lied. "The government got some of the tech we have from there."
Robin tossed him a grateful glance before continuing. "It doesn't matter though; Wayne Tower operates on a twenty-four-hour work-force! We'll never evacuate the building in time!"
-.-
Happy Harbor
"You'll never find Dr. Roquette!" Miss Martian declared transforming back into herself.
"Never's such a long time," Cheshire said smoothly. "Pursuing target! Keep them busy!"
"Pursuing their leader! Take the rest down!" Artemis said giving chase.
"You're so not the boss of me!"
"Just do it!"
"I do not like being played," the assassin snarled as she activated the heat sensors on her mask, picking up the residue left by Aqualad as he went to the secondary location. She began to run down the street as Artemis turned around the van. Notching an arrow, she fired, Cheshire whipped around, slicing the projectile out of the air with her blade. "I was hoping it'd be you!" She leapt onto the roof, and the archer fallowed, as she landed on one and arrow sprouted from the chimey next to her, releasing a gas, making her cough and pass out. Artemis landed next to her, aiming another arrow should she decide to move. A leg swept out and swiped her feet from under her, and behind her mask, Cheshire was grinning. "Mask has built in filters." Artemis jumped up, attempting to kick her, but she just had her arm grabbed and yanked viciously behind her back. "Better luck next time kid!" Elbowing the teen's back, she fell to the ground, down for the count.
"We've got company!" Emerald said as her ring flashed again.
"Uploading now! And BTW: you said you'd protect me!" Roquette replied.
A ball rolled down the hall, releasing smoke, Aqualad looked down the hall as Emerald watched any other places she could enter just in case it was a trick. Several darts flew out, hitting Aqualad. "Let's test the limits of your jellyfish immunity, shall we?" Cheshire sneered. Aqualad pulled out the darts swinging his own swords at the assassin as Emerald made a large shield to protect herself and the doctor like she was ordered to do. The pair's spar was quickly ended, when the assassin landed a powerful kick to the Atlantian's face, knocking him out cold.
At that point, Emerald dropped her shield and swung a baseball bat spiked with nails towards Cheshire.
-.-
Philadelphia
"It's downloading!" Robin said as the back of the Bioship opened.
Superboy looked down and saw the side of a van opening, revealing a man releasing the fog. "Don't need it!" he said jumping down.
"That hot-headed fragging slagger! He's dead when I'm done with him—that's if the fog doesn't kill him first!" Bumblebee cursed as he released one of his teammates was throwing themselves towards the very substance they were trying to eradicate.
A red laser-beam shot out of the cyclops' eye, knocking the clone out of the air, he released the fog and it flew towards the building.
"No!" Robin shouted as he hopped down. Putting the ship into a hover, 'Bee jumped down, fallowing his younger teammate into the building.
"You two can't be in here!" a guard protested as they ran in. "UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY!"
"Wayne Tech override RG4!" Robin called and the doors opened back up, allowing the young heroes through.
-.-
Happy Harbor
"Kid, we need to end this, now!" M'gann said.
"It's like you read my mind beautiful," he smirked as the webbing latched onto his shoulder. Spinning, he yanked the assassin towards him, jumped in the air, kicking him in the face, knocking him out once he got close enough.
Hook-man hurled his extendable appendage at the Martian girl, using her telekinesis, she turned it around, making it hit him in the face, bring him down as well. "YES! I GOT MINE!" she cheered.
"Great…" Wally said from where he sat tied up. "Little help?"
-.-
Philadelphia
Robin and Bumblebee ran into the cafeteria where they fallowed the fog to. Sticking out his hand, the Cybertronian began to try to control the billions of microscopic bots, as Robin accessed the computer muttering in frustration.
"Hurry up!"
"I'm going as fast as I can! Why don't you shut down the bots so we can worry less when the virus will get downloaded!" Robin snapped.
"Already tried, but tell me: do you know how hard it is to control at least a billion separate drones all at once! Because it is not as easy as I make it look!"
-.-
Happy Harbor
Cheshire ducked under the deadly baseball bat, barely saving herself from getting skewered by one of the nails. Pulling out a knife, she lunged at the Lantern, only to have herself get thrown into a wall by the shield that was not there a split-second beforehand. A sound came off the computer, and she saw that they had indeed completed a virus and it had already been sent, thus ending her mission.
"Guess I'm done here, who knows, the Shadows may have use for you yet Doctor," she smiled as she ran out. Emerald didn't bother in pursuing because taking care of Aqualad was more important at the moment.
-.-
Philadelphia
Robin grinned as he got the virus file, uploading it, the fog began to turn red and fall to the ground, mostly covering his rather annoyed friend. "The infiltrators have been outfiltrated!" he said pumping his fist in the air.
"And now they're infiltrating my armor," 'Bee growled shaking out his hair and armor seams, allowing some of the nanites to fall out, but not all of them. "It'll take me months to get rid of all of this!"
"'Bee, you're such a pessimist tonight," Robin said smacking his arm.
"Sorry to disappoint you by not being my positive self."
Outside, Superboy walked against the red beam being fired at him from the man who released the fog. Slowly getting close, he reached out and grabbed the eye, making it short-circuit, have a mild electrocution, blasting him back into the van, knocking him out cold. Looking up he was Robin and 'Bee looking at him; Robin was smirking and he couldn't read his other teammate's expression, but by the way he was shaking his head, he could see 'Bee was mildly amused.
-.-
Happy Harbor
Cheshire was blasted back as the four arrows that landed at her feet exploded, knocking her mask off. "Don't move!" Artemis commanded.
Standing up, she smiled and turned around, revealing a woman who looked a lot like the young archer. "Wow, I'm completely at your mercy," she sneered.
"You…"
"I suppose now you bring me to justice, let your new friends interrogate me, I wonder if your position's secure enough to survive them learning everything I know," she threatened. The new member lowered her bow, and she smiled. "Didn't think so, so like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear." Smoke rolled out from behind her, engulphed her, and just like that, she was gone.
"Where's the assassin," Aqualad asked as he leaned heavily on Emerald's shoulder.
"She got away."
"From you?! Why am I not surprised?!" Wally snarled as he arrived with M'gann holding theirs behind him. "Notice, we got ours." Looking down, he saw the mask the leader was wearing and picked it up. "Cool! Souvenir!"
"Did you see her face?" Emerald asked as she ripped out the darts still attached to Aqualad's frame.
"It was dark!"
"It is fine; Robin, Bumblebee, and Superboy neutralized the fog, captured the one releasing it, and the Doctor is safe. Thanks in no small part to you," Aqualad said, wincing as another dart got yanked out. "Welcome to the team."
"I've always wanted sisters, don't get me wrong, I have plenty on Mars, but it's just not the same as with you and Emerald," M'gann said hugging her.
"I wouldn't know, thanks," she said.
Emerald elbowed her cousin. "Yea welcome," he grumbled and they shook hands.
"Thanks for treating me normally," Emerald said. "Ever since my parents died, everyone's been treating me like I'll break any minute."
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Artemis said feeling horrible for all the things she said about her.
"Don't sweat it," she said, smiling for the first time in a while.
-.-
Gotham City
Artemis exited the Zeta Port, sensing something, she whipped out an arrow and aimed it down the alley where Red Arrow stepped out. "Nice move, almost made me believe you were Green Arrow's niece," he snickered. "But we both know you're not. While I may not be sure on why GA, Bats, and Prime have a good reason for lying, let me make one thing clear: if you hurt my friends, you will regret it!" After making his threat, he turned and disappeared back into the shadows.
-.-
Infinity Island
"Report."
"Masters, before Obo's capture he transmitted the Starr Labs data you requested, but the Wayne intel, still eludes us."
"Once again, the young heroes interfered; fortunately we have an operative, on the inside."
