"You should be proud," said Dick, "I was on the job for four years before Bruce let me watch the city myself."
"And then you helped Harley Quinn and let her escape," said Bruce.
"Yeah," chuckled Dick nervously.
Bruce, Dick, and Barbara were standing in the foyer of Wayne Manor, where Bruce and Dick stood beside several suitcases full of supplies and equipment. Alfred had done all the packing of course and was currently waiting outside in Bruce's limo. Barbara was leaning against a nearby wall, smiling at the two.
"Thanks, Boy Wonder," smiled Barbara, "I'll be sure to do my best to measure up to the responsibility."
"Yes you will," said Bruce, picking up one of the suitcases and glancing at Dick, "Let's go."
"If you have a run-in with Mad Stan," called Dick as he walked out with Bruce, "give him an extra slug for me!"
Barbara chuckled as Bruce and Dick walked out. They walked around to the back of the limo and loaded their suitcases into the trunk. Then they got in as Alfred began their drive to the airfield where Bruce kept his private jet.
"Remind me why we're not taking the Batplane again?" asked Dick.
"Jump City is a long flight," said Bruce, "There are too many opportunities for us to be spotted. I'd rather not broadcast that Batman has left Gotham."
"Right," said Dick, "You're still not going to tell me what we're doing in Jump City, are you?"
"It will be an educational experience for you," said Bruce, "That's all you should need to know."
Yeah, thought Dick, because who needs direct communication and clarity?
"Sorry, kid," shrugged Green Arrow, "You're just not ready."
"Not ready!?" cried Speedy, "I've been doing this for three years! My entire adult life!"
"And you've done a bang up job of it," said Green Arrow, "but this is Justice League business."
Green Arrow and Speedy were standing in what had been affectionately nicknamed the arrowcave. The Star City-based bunker was much more colorful than the batcave. Green Arrow memorabilia lined the walls and tables of the room, glowing green lights created a cool atmosphere, and there was even a small bar in the corner of the bunker.
Green Arrow and Speedy were both in their costumes. Green Arrow's consisted of a green tunic over green tights, red boots, red gloves, a green mask, and a green cap with a red feather. Speedy's followed the same design with a red tunic and tights, yellow boots, yellow gloves, a black mask, and a yellow cap with a red feather over his red hair. Both wore yellow quivers slung over their shoulders.
"Even if you were ready," said Green Arrow as he pressed a button on the wall, "There's just no room in the car."
A large vertical door rose to reveal a small garage. In the center of the garage was a bright yellow sports car with fins on the back that resembled the fletching of an arrow. The sleek vehicle boasted two seats: the driver's and shotgun.
"What do you mean there's no room!?" demanded Speedy incredulously.
"Three's a crowd, hun."
Green Arrow smirked as Speedy turned to see the woman who had just entered the bunker. The curvy woman had a head of bright blonde hair, black lipstick, a black leather jacket, black leather shorts with a black belt, fishnets that showed off her long legs, and a pair of black combat boots that pulled the look together.
"Oh come on!" whined Speedy, "You're sidelining me so you two can have date night?"
"Like I said," said Green Arrow, removing his quiver and loading it into the car, "Justice League business."
"Maybe next time," smiled Black Canary, hopping over the side and into the shotgun seat. Green Arrow got in beside her.
"He's always saying that," grumbled Speedy.
"Well keep working hard and maybe one day it'll be true."
Black Canary punctuated her sentence by grabbing the front of Speedy's hat and playfully yanking it down over his face, stretching out the fabric. Both she and Green Arrow chuckled as Speedy indignantly adjusted the hat.
"Keep the place clean while we're gone," said Green Arrow, pressing a button and opening the door out into the city.
Speedy watched as the arrowcar sped away. The door closed behind it shortly afterward. Speedy smiled to himself. He wasn't just whining for the sake of it. During the exchange he had managed to get a look at the arrow car's GPS. Green Arrow and Black Canary were headed to Jump City. That was right up the coast. Speedy could catch a train there no problem.
Hell yeah, thought Speedy, I won't be sitting out THIS time!
"Why don't you get out into the city?" suggested Diana.
"Get out?" asked Donna in perplexity.
Diana and Donna were walking side by side down the streets of Jump City. Though wearing a white pantsuit rather than her iconic Wonder Woman uniform, Diana's massive size still drew attention from pedestrians as they walked past. Donna, looking very much like Diana's younger sister by comparison in her jeans and T-shirt, was splitting her attention between Diana and the city around her.
"Yes," said Diana, "There are many sights to see here. The Heights Café, the Titans Tower Hotel, and Jump City Station are all great places to visit."
"And what will you be doing?" asked Donna.
"That I must discuss with my allies," said Diana, "but I will find you when we are done. Sound good?"
"Sounds good!" smiled Donna back.
Diana firmly pressed her hand down onto Donna's head and mussed her hair. Donna let out a quiet giggle before Diana activated her Sandals of Hermes and flew into the sky. Onlookers around them gasped and pointed in astonishment. Donna used this momentary distraction to move along before any of them thought to question her.
Donna decided to check out Jump City Station. Supposedly it was the largest train station on the entire west coast. Indeed it was bigger than any terminal Donna had seen before. The ceiling inside was many stories up with enormous arches holding up the building and multiple floors of stores and information centers. Donna couldn't even find where the trains came and went.
Donna wandered around until she found her way to a sign pointing to the boarding area. She made her way there and saw the fleet of enormous, metal, serpentine objects fixed to tracks on the ground. Donna was staring at these strange machines when someone walked directly into her.
"Hey!" shouted the man angrily, "Watch where you're going!"
"Pardon?" responded Donna politely, "I wasn't going anywhere."
"Smartass kid," grunted the man.
He went to push past Donna, but Donna didn't give way to his push. The result was the man colliding with Donna and stumbling back. Irritated, he went to shove even harder. This time Donna caught him by the wrist and squeezed until he cried out in pain.
"I do not want to fight," said Donna.
The man cried out as Donna twisted his arm downward and forced him to his knees. People all around were staring. Beads of sweat formed on the man's head. Donna couldn't figure out why he wouldn't yield.
"Hey, hey, hey," assured a red head, placing his hand on Donna's shoulder, "You trying to snap his arm off?"
"No," responded Donna plainly, "I'm waiting for him to yield."
"I yield!" cried out the man, "I yield! I yield!"
Donna released him as he rushed back to his feet, clutching his wrist and breathing heavily. After a moment of looking at Donna it terror, the man let out a small whimper and ran away. The red head watched and then turned to Donna.
"You're not from around here," he said, "Are you?"
"My name is Donna Troy. I am from the island of Themyscira."
"The island of Themy-" stuttered the red head, "Wait, like the place Wonder Woman is from?"
"Yes," nodded Donna, "She is my older sister."
"Older sis-" stammered the red head, "Let me guess: she brought you along on a trip for Justice League business?"
"Yes," said Donna, raising her eyebrows, "How did you know?"
"Come with me," whispered the man, ushering Donna away.
Once the two were out of sight in a corner of the station, the man introduced himself.
"My name is Ro- Speedy," he said, "I work with Green Arrow."
"Oh!"
Roy felt his heart rate quicken. He had almost told her his real name. Oliver would have been pretty unhappy with that. As it was, she would still know what Speedy's face looked like.
Roy had with him a rolling suitcase with all of his supplies and costume inside. He had intended to find a motel or somewhere to stay, but he hadn't expected to run into Justice League activity so quickly.
"Do you know anything else about what the League is doing here?" asked Roy quietly.
"No," said Donna, shaking her head, "Diana made it seem like it wouldn't take long though."
"Nevermind," whispered Roy, "I think I just found out."
Donna followed Roy's line of sight. He was looking at one of the many TV screens hanging in the station. This particular screen showed the news, which was showing live footage of an incident at an abandoned construction site. A large, silver humanoid figure was approaching individual machines and tearing them apart.
"That's our baddie," said Roy, "I'm going to change. Cover me!"
"Cover you?"
"Don't let anyone see me."
"I'm barely tall enough to obscure you."
"Well I'm not changing in a train station public bathroom!"
"Very well," conceded Donna, looking around nervously, "Hurry."
Roy quickly stripped down to his maroon boxer briefs, opened his suitcase, pulled out his costume, and began changing into it. Luckily they were in a corner away from most of the others in the station, plus attention was mostly drawn to the news story. Soon Roy had finished his change into Speedy.
"Alright," he said, "Any idea how to get to that construction site?"
"Wait," said Donna, "Now I must change!"
"Uh…" muttered Speedy, turning away and blushing, "Right."
Dick sighed as he threw himself backward onto the hotel bed. Bruce had left hours ago, insisting Dick stay behind and wait there until he heard more. Dick still had no idea what they were doing in Jump City, let alone what Bruce expected out of him.
That's when Dick caught something out of the corner of his eye. He looked out the window. Bruce and Dick were staying in the famous Titans Tower Hotel. The enormous T-shaped tower stood over the bay and provided a fantastic view of the city. One could see practically everything from there. Dick wasn't sure exactly what he had seen, but he raced to his suitcase and pulled out his binoculars to find out.
Dick looked out the window for any sign of anything unusual. He looked where he thought he had seen something earlier. He was looking at what appeared to be an abandoned construction site. He looked closer until he saw an explosion. Following the source, he saw some sort of humanoid robot floating over the construction site.
Dick hurriedly changed into his Robin uniform. Knowing he had to do something, Robin popped open the window, crawled out, and repelled down the side of the building. He hurriedly made it to the ground and withdrew his repelling equipment, not wanting to be traced back to his hotel room.
Robin didn't have his motorcycle, but he had other ways of quickly traversing urban environments. Robin swung from building to building on his grappling gun, occasionally landing on top of a bus or truck to ride it for a period. Within the half hour, Robin had arrived at his destination.
"Robin?" came a familiar voice.
"Speedy?" responded Robin, turning to the source of the voice.
Sure enough, Speedy was standing there. His bow was drawn and he was accompanied by a woman wearing blue spandex shorts with white stars and a red top with a golden eagle on it. Robin had worked with Speedy before. Their mentors, Batman and Green Arrow, had been on numerous team ups and their sidekicks periodically came along for the ride.
"What are you doing in Jump City?" asked Robin.
"Same as you and Wonder Girl here," explained Speedy, "Justice League business."
"Wonder Girl?"
There was a loud crash as dust flew up into the air all around them. Robin used his cape to shield his face from the dust. When it cleared a towering humanoid figure stood in a small crater. The robot was a dull steel grey in color and completely featureless other than a small glowing pair of eyes.
"Stand down!" ordered Wonder Girl, stepping confidently toward the being, "We don't want to fight!"
"Who is this exactly?" whispered Robin loudly to Speedy.
"Wonder Woman's little sister."
"You're kidding."
The android launched off the ground and raced at the trio. Wonder Girl leapt in the robot's path and caught it by both shoulders, holding it back as the internal servos whirred and whined trying to push past her strength.
"Does that look like a joke to you?" scoffed Speedy.
Wasting no further time, Speedy fired an arrow from his bow. Upon impact with the android the arrow released a blast that separated it and Wonder Girl. Wonder Girl covered her eyes from the light of the blast while the android quickly recovered and turned its sights on Speedy.
"Whoops," muttered the archer.
The android lunged at Speedy, who dove out of the way at the last second. He quickly fired an arrow connected to a long cable. The arrow opened into a grappling hook, hooked onto a girder, and reeled Speedy in, lifting him off the ground and flying him up and away from the robot.
Now the machine shifted its attention to Robin. Robin quickly threw a smoke bomb on the ground and raced away as fast as he could. The robot raced into the smoke, pausing for a moment as it assessed the situation. That pause was long enough for Wonder Girl to come at it from the side, sending it flying with a haymaker.
"Nice one!" cheered Robin as the robot crashed into a pile of dirt.
"Thanks!" smiled Wonder Girl.
The robot slowly rose from the rubble, dirt falling off its shoulders as it stood. Robin and Wonder Girl prepared for its next move, but the robot wasn't the one to make it. An arrow shot into the robot's head and bounced away harmlessly. The robot turned and looked up at Speedy.
"You want some, pal!?" shouted Speedy, "Come and get some!"
"No, wait-!" called out Robin, but the robot was already on the move.
It leapt high into the air and landed beside Speedy on the girder. Speedy drew another arrow but the robot knocked it aside, grabbed Speedy by the collar of his tunic, and flung him far into the air in the other direction. Speedy yelled out as he flew multiple stories into the air before beginning a deadly plummet straight to the ground.
Speedy's descent was halted when a hand gripped onto the back of his tights and boxers. Speedy's yell turned into a yelp as his clothes raced up and into his groin and butt. He looked nervously up over his shoulder to see who had caught him and looked right into the face of Supergirl.
"Got you!" she smiled.
Supergirl slowly flew to the ground where she dropped off Speedy beside the other two heroes. Speedy grumpily readjusted his tights. Wonder Girl covered her mouth and giggled at the sight. Speedy gritted his teeth as his cheeks turned red.
"Sorry about that," said Supergirl, "I just caught you by the easiest thing available."
"I didn't need your help," muttered Speedy quietly.
"What are you doing here?" Robin asked Supergirl.
"Well, robot attacks normally fall in Superman's wheelhouse," she explained, "but he's away on Justice League business."
"Justice League business?" wondered Wonder Girl aloud, "But Wonder Woman told me the Justice League was here…"
"I've got it!" declared Speedy, holding one of his arrows aloft.
The others all looked at him in confusion.
"A concentrated EMP arrow!" he explained, "All I have to do is hit our metal friend with this baby and it's lights out."
"How many of those do you have?" asked Robin.
"Just the one."
"Then let's make this count," said Robin, "Wonder Girl, you can go toe to toe with that thing. Hit him with everything you've got. I'll give you support and keep it distracted. Supergirl, you get Speedy to a vantage point where he has a clear shot."
"Got it," said Supergirl.
Speedy smacked her hand away as she reached for him.
"Not by my tights this time," he said sternly.
"I know, I know," said Supergirl, grabbing the back of his quiver.
Supergirl flew Speedy up into the sky. The robot watched them for a moment only to be blindsided by a full force tackle from Wonder Girl. She pinned the machine to the ground by the shoulders, holding it as it fought back. Wonder Girl grunted as she slowly felt the robot pushing back harder and harder. Finally, it gave a powerful shove that sent her flying back into the side of a bulldozer.
The robot took several steps toward Wonder Girl. Then a bolas whipped around it and pinned its arms to its side. It turned and looked at Robin, who had just thrown the weapon. The robot snapped the caples of the bolas as it threw its arms out. It looked at Robin for a moment before Wonder Girl came up from behind, putting the android into a full nelson.
"Now!" ordered Robin.
Supergirl was holding Speedy high in the air by his quiver, giving him a straight and uninterrupted shot at the robot. Speedy drew and fired the EMP arrow.
Only Supergirl could perceive what happened next. The arrow flew directly at its target. In the time it took the arrow to fly through the air, the android threw its arms forward, forcing its way out of the nelson with unprecedented strength. The arrow was several feet away by the time the android was free. The machine moved to the side just as the arrow flew by, dodging it. Then there was a flash of yellow lightning. A young redhead in a yellow and red spandex suit sprinted onto the scene. The lightning danced around his body as he moved. He was taking a dozen strides for every inch the robot moved. He raced behind the android, caught the EMP arrow out of the air, and stabbed it into the robot's neck.
The red eyes went dark as the android collapsed completely, lying motionless. Wonder Girl and Robin sighed with relief as Supergirl flew to the ground with Speedy. They all looked over the robot and the newly arrived hero.
"Thanks for the assist," said Robin.
"Hey, I know you!" realized Supergirl, "You're Kid Flash!"
"I go by Streak, actually," he replied, "I'm not exactly a kid."
"What are you doing outside Central City?" asked Supergirl.
"I saw a news alert that Robin, Speedy, and Supergirl were teaming up," he explained, "I didn't want to miss out on the fun, so I decided to swing by."
"Amazo…" whispered Speedy, kneeling beside the machine.
"What was that?" asked Robin.
"Amazo," repeated Speedy, "That's what it says on the robot."
"That says 4M4Z-0," corrected Supergirl.
"I know," sad Speedy, "but 'Amazo' rolls off the tongue easier."
"That was delightful!" declared Wonder Girl.
The others all turned to her, slightly surprised.
"That team up!" she clarified, "We should do this again! Oh, I know! Let's exchange telephone numbers and social media information!"
"I haven't made a Twitter for the Streak yet…"
"Sorry," frowned Supergirl, "I didn't bring my phone."
"Just memorize the numbers," said Robin.
"Memorize four different sets of phone numbers at a moment's notice?" scoffed Speedy.
Robin shrugged. Batman had put him through more rigorous memory tests as part of his training.
The four listed their phone numbers off to Wonder Girl, who programmed them into her phone and gleefully texted each of them so they would have her number. The phone was still new to Donna and she hadn't yet found anyone to text besides Diana, who wasn't terribly interested in texting.
"Well," said someone from behind the heroes, "That certainly didn't turn out as expected."
Robin turned to see who it was and held in a gasp. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Flash, and Martian Manhunter were all standing right there. None of them looked happy. Superman's arms were crossed and his brow was furrowed. Black Canary's hands were on her hips as she impatiently tapped her toe. Batman was still and expressionless, but Robin could tell he was furious.
"Uh, you're welcome?" offered the Streak.
"Kid Flash," said Flash sternly, "What happened here? What are you doing outside Central City?"
"I thought we agreed it was Streak…" muttered Kid Flash.
Batman approached Amazo and knelt beside it. After a moment he stood up and shook his head at the rest of the Justice League. There were several murmurs of disappointment.
"Hey, what gives?" demanded Speedy, "We just took care of a threat! Where were all of you?"
"Observing," said Batman, "Analyzing the device's attack patterns so that we could better determine how it works and how we can prevent similar attacks in the future."
"So you just let this thing loose to see what it could do!?" cried Supergirl, "What if someone got hurt?!"
"No one was in any danger," said Superman, "The attack was limited to this condemned block and we were ready to jump in at a moment's notice."
"How were we supposed to know that?" demanded Speedy.
"You weren't even supposed to be here!" admonished Green Arrow, "What part of 'official Justice League business' didn't you get, Speedy?"
"Hey!" protested Robin, "He was trying to save-"
"That's enough, Robin!" barked Batman.
Everyone went silent at the booming sound of Batman's voice. There were a few awkward glances exchanged between the young heroes and the members of the Justice League.
"None of you are to act independently on a serious threat again," ordered Batman, "You are to report the threat to us directly. And you are certainly not allowed to team up behind our backs. Is that understood?"
"But-" began Supergirl.
" Is that understood? " repeated Batman in a voice so sharp it seemed to cut the air.
Supergirl clamped her mouth shut and looked away sheepishly. The other young heroes looked to one another in longing. Moments ago they were a proud superhero team that saved the day. Now they all felt like a bunch of kids caught sneaking out after dark.
"Kid Flash," ordered Flash, "Get back to Central City. We'll talk about this later."
Kid Flash nodded and disappeared in a burst of yellow lightning. Flash did the same a moment later.
"Come on, Donna," beckoned Wonder Woman somberly, "Let's go."
The two Amazons walked off together. Supergirl slowly drifted to a frowning Superman before the two flew away. Speedy meekly walked up to Green Arrow and Black Canary, nervously twirling his thumbs. Martian Manhunter knelt beside Amazo, lifted it up, and flew off with the body.
All of the Justice League had left except for Batman, who continued to stare daggers into Robin.
"I thought I was helping," offered Robin quietly.
"I'll decide when it's time for you to help," said Batman, "You aren't ready to make that call."
"...got it."
"Let's go."
Batman and Robin walked away silently. They changed back into their civilian clothes, packed up their bags, checked out of the hotel, and left Jump City for Gotham. Neither Dick nor Bruce said a word to the other for the entire trip.
"Anything I can get you, Master Dick?" asked Alfred gently.
"No thanks, Alfred," responded Dick.
A moment or so passed as Alfred stood in the doorway, looking at Dick. Dick was in a T-shirt, jeans, and socks, lying flat on his back on his bed. He had been there for hours without moving or making a sound. Alfred had grown concerned.
"If I may, sir," added Alfred as he turned to leave, "Master Bruce may be harsh in his methods, but he's doing what he believes is best for you. He loves you, Master Dick."
"Please close the door, Alfred."
The butler nodded and obliged. Dick let out a long sigh. He couldn't get over it. He had led a team of superheroes. He had fought alongside the likes of Supergirl and Wonder Girl and kept pace with them. He finally felt like his own hero. Then he learned that it was all just a colossal screw up.
Dick heard his phone buzz on the nightstand by his bed. Wondering if it might be Barbara, he grabbed the phone to take a look. He wasn't excited for Barbara to hear about this, but maybe she'd be of some comfort too.
Unknown Number: Hi everyone! 3
That's not Barbara.
The text was followed by several more.
Unknown Number 2: This Wonder Girl?
Unknown Number 3: new phone who this
Dick quickly began adjusting his phone to account for the new numbers.
Wonder Girl: Yup! It's me! Just wanted to see how everyone was holding up.
Unknown Number 4: Guys the JL won't be happy about us texting.
Unknown Number 3: they said no team ups they said nothing about group texts
Unknown Number 3: this is kid flash btw
Unknown Number 2: Not streak?
Kid Flash: kid flash is catching on faster. I'm not going to fight it
Wonder Girl: I don't see anything wrong with us chatting. I thought maybe everyone could use the support after yesterday.
Unknown Number 4: You're not wrong
Unknown Number 2: Plus it's not like the JL will find out about us texting
Kid Flash: $10 says batman reads robins texts
Kid Flash: hi batman
Dick sighed. He felt the impulse to be insulted, but it wasn't a completely unreasonable suggestion.
Kid Flash: who is everyone?
Unknown Number 2: Speedy
Unknown Number 4: Supergirl
Kid Flash: I guess that makes that last number Robin
Wonder Girl: Does anyone want to share coping mechanisms? Personally, I like to work off my frustration in sparring matches.
Kid Flash: I'd be down the wrestle wonder girl
Speedy: Slow down there kid streak
Supergirl: I had a cat named Streak once. Well, Streaky.
Wonder Girl: Cute! :3
Supergirl: I normally just eat my feelings
Speedy: Not all of us have superhuman metabolisms
Kid Flash: sucks to suck
Dick lost his patience and began furiously typing into his phone.
For crying out loud, why is everyone being so calm about this!? We teamed up to save the day and the JL just shows up and undercuts us completely. We are heroes! Real superheroes! We should be out there teaming up and saving the day more often, not secretly texting each other from our mentors' shadows! I say screw what they say! We should form a team of young
Dick stared at his unsent text for a few seconds. Then he deleted it.
Kid Flash: so are we not going to talk about amazo or…
Supergirl: Superman is already taking care of it here in Metropolis
Speedy: Metropolis? But GA and BC are still here in Star City
Kid Flash: yeah flash is still here too
Wonder Girl: They must have already put their heads together and decided what to do
Supergirl: Not likely. Superman doesn't even talk to Batman anymore
Dick's eyes widened in realization. The Justice League was making a mistake. Not just in grounding the young heroes, but in how they were approaching this. Superman was looking into Amazo alone instead of working with the others. None of their mentors had properly communicated to them what the plan was in Jump City was. They were having serious communication issues and jeopardizing the mission in doing so. That meant that innocent lives may be on the line as well.
Robin: They're not communicating with each other or us properly. They're going to make a mistake. We have to fix this. Everyone find out what your mentor knows about Amazo and report back. We'll work from there.
Kid Flash: who died and made you captain?
Supergirl: No he's right. We need to take this into our own hands
Wonder Girl: But they said not to team up again! What if we get caught?
Speedy: I take greater risks than that every time I patrol Star City
Kid Flash: fine
Kid Flash: but i reserve the right fight for leadership later
Wonder Girl: Okay… This makes me nervous, but I trust you guys! 3
Dick put his phone away as he heard a knock at his door.
"Dick?" came Barbara's voice from the other side, "Alfred told me about Jump City. Can I come in?"
Dick realized something. He rushed over to the door and flung it open.
"Do you think you could get into Batman's mission files?" he asked suddenly.
Barbara was the best hacker Dick knew, even better than Bruce. Dick excitedly stared down her bewildered face. She had been expecting him to be in a much worse mood.
"Um… Maybe?" said Barbara, "Hypothetically, what would I be looking for?"
"There," sighed Kid Flash, "That's everyone."
Kid Flash had just raced across the country and brought Robin, Speedy, and Wonder Girl to meet Supergirl behind the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs. The three gradually shook off their motion sickness, having never experienced super speed before.
"You get used to it," shrugged Kid Flash, "or so I'm told."
The young heroes had all gathered their mentors' information on Amazo and shared it with one another. It turned out there was a lot that the Justice League hadn't told each other about. Most notably, Batman had kept secret his discovery that Amazo could copy powers and Superman kept secret the fact that it used Kryptonian technology to regenerate.
"Superman and Martian Manhunter are in there with it now," explained Supergirl.
"Shouldn't Superman know better?" asked Speedy, "He's the one who knows about the regeneration."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know about the power replication," said Robin, "He's prepared to fight a regenerating robot, not one that can replicate his and the Manhunter's powers."
"Well come on," said Speedy impatiently to Kid Flash, "Get us in there!"
In the blink of an eye Kid Flash entered and searched all of S.T.A.R. Labs, finding the room with Amazo and bringing each member of his team there before any of them knew what had happened. Next thing they knew, they were staring at Amazo standing over the defeated bodies of Superman and Martian Manhunter.
"Speedy," said Kid Flash, "I'm going to need to borrow that arrow again."
Speedy handed Kid Flash the EMP arrow. Kid Flash raced to Amazo and readied the arrow to stab it in the head. To Kid Flash's shock, Amazo dodged the superspeed attack. That's when Kid Flash realized that Amazo was moving as quickly as he was. Amazo threw a punch at the same speed Kid Flash was moving. He only barely dodged the blow before Amazo threw another punch from the other side. The punch was just about to land when Supergirl dove between the two, clutching onto the fist as it collided with her abdomen. The impact rang through her body and launched Kid Flash away, sending him flying into the far wall. Supergirl grunted and dug her heels in, gritting her teeth to hold in the pain.
"What was that!?" cried Speedy.
"He's fast," realized Kid Flash, "Too fast for even me."
"He must have copied Superman's speed," concluded Robin.
Amazo punched Supergirl directly in the face and sent her flying back towards her companions. She whizzed past them and flew through several walls of metal before her momentum was finally slowed enough that she stopped. She wearily got to her feet.
"His strength too," she groaned.
"I wonder what else he got," wondered Speedy aloud.
That's it! realized Robin.
If Amazo was copying strengths, he may also be copying weaknesses. Luckily, Batman kept detailed records on all the weaknesses of each member of the Justice League.
"We need fire," concluded Robin, remembering Martian Manhunter's weakness.
"On it," said Supergirl, unleashing her heat vision on Amazo.
Amazo's eyes blinked red before it released a beam of heat vision of its own, colliding with Supergirl's halfway as the two lasers burned brightly against each other.
"Kid Flash!" shouted Robin, "We're going to need aerosol cans and anything that can produce fire. Lighters, Bunsen burners, anything!"
Kid Flash zipped away and returned moments later with the exact materials.
"I've never done this before," he said, readying a lighter and an aerosol can and testing it with a burst of fire, "but there's a first time for everything."
"No," said Robin, "We're going to need to get close for this to work. It has to be someone who can take a punch."
"Understood," said Wonder Girl, grabbing the weapon and lunging at Amazo.
Amazo was still locked in a heat vision standoff with Supergirl when Wonder Girl arrived at its side. She unleashed a burst of flame directly at Amazo, causing the robot flinch away. As it did, the heat vision grazed the side of its shoulder and melted away part of the metal. Amazo flew up and into the air.
"I'm on it," said Supergirl, appearing immediately at Wonder Girl's side and taking the makeshift weapon.
Supergirl flew up to the ceiling where Amazo was, but before she could the android knocked the equipment out of her hands and clutched her head with both hands. Supergirl screamed in pain as Amazo unleashed a telepathic assault on her mind, courtesy of Martian Manhunter's powers.
"A psychic attack!" realized Speedy, "That must be how it beat Superman!"
"We have to do something!" cried Wonder Girl, "It's going to kill her!"
Robin knew of one solution. There were risks. He had no way of knowing for sure that it would work and it meant trusting a stranger with one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world. In that moment, Robin had to choose between keeping that secret and saving Supergirl's life.
"Kid Flash," he said, rushing to the speedsters side, "No time for questions. I need you to run to Gotham City and head to Crest Hill. Find the waterfall and look under it for an entrance to a cave. You'll know it when you see it. Find the vault labeled 39-C. The password is 533250. Get what's inside and bring it to me as quickly as you-"
Robin was nearly blinded by the burst of yellow lightning as Kid Flash sped off. Robin returned his attention to Supergirl and Amazo, who had burst through the roof and into the sky above them. The two were wrestling with one another in the air as Amazo pressed on with its psychic assault.
"Here," said Kid Flash, appearing beside Robin and handing him a small green rock, "We have GOT to talk about that later."
"Speedy," said Robin, "I need you to hit Amazo with an arrow tipped with this. Think you can do that?"
"Sure can," said Speedy, drawing an arrow.
He clicked a button on the side of the arrow, causing the arrowhead to ooze a stick white liquid. Robin handed Speedy the green rock, which he embedded in the sticky tip of the arrow. Then Speedy notched his arrow, aimed the bow into the sky, and fired. The arrows shot right up to Amazo, where it struck the leg and stuck on with the adhesive liquid, pressing the Kryptonite into Amazo's side as it did.
Both Amazo and Supergirl went limp as they began to fall back to the earth. The Kryptonite had immobilized both of them. Speedy quickly drew and fired another arrow. The arrow pierced the back of Supergirl's skirt as she passed the roof, pinning it there and stopping her fall. Amazo, on the other hand, continued the drop through the floor of the room and into the room below, where it lay motionless.
"Nice shot," noted Wonder Girl.
"Hey, uh…" whispered Kid Flash, appearing at Robin's side, "Are we going to talk about… That stuff I saw? Who you and the big guy really are?"
"Um…"
"Nnngh… Huh?" murmured Supergirl, waking up, "Wait, wha- What am I doing- Ah!"
Supergirl's panicked flailing upon waking up caused her skirt to tear away completely, leaving her to fall to the ground in just her leotard, tights, and boots. She regained her flight on the way down, but blushed when she realized how silly she looked.
"Now we're almost even for the wedgie," smiled Speedy.
"Oh you thought me catching you by the tights was bad?" frowned Supergirl, "Wait until I pull your undies through your body you little-"
"What in the world happened here?" said someone.
The heroes turned and saw that that someone was Flash, who had arrived on the scene with Green Arrow, Black Canary, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Robin assumed Flash had raced them there the same way Kid Flash had raced him and the others. Speedy looked away in embarrassment. Green Arrow and Black Canary had certainly heard the wedgie threat.
"Amazo happened," explained Kid Flash, "Turns out you Justice Leaguers have a thing or two to learn about teamwork! That robot had regenerating powers and the ability to copy the powers of others. If you all had known that, maybe we wouldn't have had to show up and save the day."
"Regeneration?" wondered Wonder Woman aloud, "Power mimicry? You're saying some of us knew this?"
"You went into my files," said Batman plainly, staring at Robin.
"I had to," defended Robin, "If we hadn't shown up, Amazo would've killed Superman and Manhunter!"
Batman ignored Robin and hopped down the hole in the floor to Amazo's side, where he began inspecting the body. Wonder Woman scowled at him.
"Well," said Green Arrow, sucking his teeth, "I suppose we owe you kids an apology for the other day."
"Agreed," nodded Flash, "You did good, Kid Flash."
"You too, Speedy," added Black Canary.
"I'm proud of you, sister," said Wonder Woman, placing a hand on Wonder Girl's shoulder.
"Oh… My head…" moaned Superman.
The group turned to see Superman and Martian Manhunter slowly get up from the ground, weakly looking about the room.
"You saved me," realized Superman as his eyes locked with Supergirl's, "Thank you."
Supergirl smiled.
"Also," added Superman, "What happened to your skirt?"
Supergirl turned away, red in the face.
"I should, uh, go change," she spat quickly, vanishing from the air as she sped off.
"We should get going too," said Green Arrow, "No way I'm doing clean up duty for this number. You coming, Speedy?"
"Yup!"
Martian Manhunter, Flash, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, and Superman all left shortly afterwards. Robin saw that Batman remained, still inspecting Amazo's body. Robin followed him down the hole in the floor to the room below. He reached his side just as Batman was finishing up and getting to his feet.
"You used my Kryptonite," he said, holding the small green rock in his hand.
"Yeah," said Robin, "Amazo copied Superman's weaknesses along with his strengths, so I figured-"
"Did you bring the Kryptonite with you?" asked Batman, spinning around to stare down Robin.
"I… No."
Robin found it impossible to lie to Batman's face.
"Then the only way you could have retrieved this during the fight," continued Batman, "would have been to send Kid Flash to retrieve it."
"Yes."
"He's seen the batcave."
"...yes."
"He knows who we are."
"..."
"This is the second time you've outed our identities on a whim, Robin."
"There was no other way!" defended Robin.
"There's always another way," said Batman coldly, walking past Robin, "You should know that by now."
Robin clenched his fists and looked at Amazo's defeated body. Moments ago it had symbolized Robin's triumph, leadership, and comradery with his new friends. Now it only symbolized Batman's continued disappointment in him, just like every other failure Batman made sure to remind Robin of. He didn't know how much more of this he could put up with.
Robin took a deep breath, sighed, and followed Batman out.
Barbara heard a knock at her door. She looked through the peephole and saw that it was Dick carrying a duffle bag. Barbara was confused. Dick hadn't given her any notice or anything. She opened the door and let him in.
"Thanks," he said.
"Yeah," said Barbara, "So what's up?"
"...I'm leaving Gotham," said Dick.
"Oh.
"Yeah," said Dick, "Speedy and the others are forming a team there. They want me to lead it."
"Wow."
"Yeah," said Dick, "and the thing is, I really want to."
"What did Bruce say?"
"He doesn't know yet," said Dick, "I left him a note. He can reach out if he has anything else to say."
"You're really pissed at him, aren't you?"
"Aren't you?"
"Of course," said Barbara, "but this hits a lot closer to you than it does to me."
"...you can come with you know," added Dick suddenly, "The team would definitely take you."
"Do you really want Batman to be the only vigilante in Gotham?"
"Good point," said Dick, almost smiling, "Then what does this mean for us?"
"You won't be afraid to visit, will you?" asked Barbara.
"Of course not."
"Then let's try to make it work," smiled Barbara, "We're smart. We can figure it out."
"I suppose so," said Dick, letting out a breathy chuckle.
"Hey," said Barbara gently, "come here."
Barbara pulled Dick in for a hug and squeezed him tight. Dick placed his hands on Barbara's back. Then he squeezed too. He leaned forward and rested his chin on top of her head, gently stroking her back. She looked up. He kissed her. She kissed back.
Soon the two were in a frenzy of tearing off their clothes and making their way to Barbara's twin bed. Barbara spun around and shoved Dick onto the bed, pouncing onto him and crawling up his body until their mouths met. The two enjoyed the rest of their night together.
Dick adjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder and knocked on the metal door. He stepped back in surprise when it automatically opened vertically. Dick walked in and looked around the room. It was enormous. A full kitchen complete with counters, dishwasher, and fridge stood directly to his right. A booth with several tables of its own stood on his left. A distance in front of him was an enormous infinity couch that could easily seat eight people. Beyond that was the far wall, which was entirely taken up by a window looking out at the skyline of Jump City.
"Impressive, isn't it?" asked a redhead who had suddenly appeared beside Dick.
Dick took a moment to look at the young man, who he immediately recognized as Kid Flash out of his costume. So Dick hadn't been the only one to show up in civvies.
"Oh good," said someone else from somewhere in the room, "We're all here then."
Dick looked over to see Speedy, Supergirl, and Wonder Girl walking down a set of stairs leading to an upper level. They were also all in their civilian clothes, but Dick recognized them all immediately. He was sure they recognized him too. Bruce wouldn't be happy about this. Then again, he probably wouldn't be happy about Dick's departure either. Dick had felt more in control and at ease leading the other young heroes than he ever had as Batman's sidekick. The time had come for him to move on, whether Batman liked it or not.
"You reserve this entire suite just for a meetup?" asked Dick.
"The suite?" chuckled Speedy, "Robin, we own the entire tower now."
"...excuse me?" said Dick, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say our new team received an anonymous donation from a very generous-"
"Oh my God," said Kid Flash, rolling his eyes, "You can just say Oliver Queen."
Everyone in the room stared silently at Kid Flash.
"What?" he shrugged, "Once I found out Batman and Robin were Bruce Wayne and his ward it seemed obvious who Green Arrow and Speedy were."
A vein pulsed on the side of Dick's head in anger. He had really hoped Kid Flash wouldn't out his identity so quickly like that. Maybe he had made the wrong call to trust him with it.
"Oh," said Kid Flash nervously, seeing irritation on both Dick and Roy's faces, "Right. I guess I should make this an even playing field."
Kid Flash offered Dick his hand.
"My name is Wally West," he said
"Supergirl?" asked Roy, "Do you have anything to share?"
"You can call me Kara," she smiled.
Donna let out a squeal of excitement.
"Look how much we all trust each other!" she smiled, "I just know we're going to make a great team!"
"We're going to need a name," noted Wally.
"Since we're based out of Titans Tower," said Kara, "how about the Titans?"
"Like the ancient deities!" chirped Donna.
"What do you think?" asked Roy, turning to Dick, "Team leader?"
Dick smiled.
"I'm telling you," said Oliver into the phone, "I had it covered."
"Ollie," sighed Laurel, "Just hang up already. You know you won't get anywhere with him."
"You're a real piece of work," said Oliver into the phone, "You know that?"
Oliver sighed as Laurel rested her head on his shoulder impatiently. The two were sitting on the couch next to one another in front of the TV. Oliver had paused their movie night to take a phone call, which Laurel wasn't terribly excited about. They had only just gotten Roy out of the house.
"Alright," sighed Oliver into the phone, "You ever going to tell them it was you?... Of course not. Alright. Good-bye, Bruce."
"Finally," groaned Laurel as Oliver hung up the phone.
"I'll never understand that guy," said Oliver, putting his arm around Laurel's shoulders, "You saw the way he talked to that kid. Now he turns around and buys him an entire hotel? And he doesn't even tell him?"
"This is Bruce we're talking about," said Laurel, snuggling up closer, "Stop trying to understand him."
"You're right," sighed Oliver, unpausing the movie, "All I know is he and that kid have a hell of a lot to work through."