"We have a mission!" Robin announced happily, swinging down from the vents and in front of his teammates. "Well, he's really sending us as security but still! It's a mission!"
"Sweet!" Kid Flash cheered while Superboy grunted in acknowledgement. Kaldur nodded while M'gann and Artemis high-fived.
The team got the run-down with Batman, soaking everything in despite their jittery excitement. They didn't want to mess this mission , they were to escort a truck full of kryptonite (something neither Superboy and Superman were happy about) just outside of a small town just two hours away from the Mountain where old friends of the League resided. They had to stay until the jewels were safely secured inside the other trucks and report back after.
"Alright," Kid stretched his legs, getting himself psyched up. "You guys ready?"
"Ready," Robin smirked, mounting his motorcycle.
"Yep," M'gann hovered over them, a smile on her face.
"Yeah," Artemis went to her own vehicle, adjusting her quiver.
"Yes," Ladur nodded, going to his own.
"Ready," Superboy snapped on his gloves before heading to his motorcycle.
The team started after the large truck when it started and M'gann went to follow when she stopped and turned around. She looked around, confusion filling her. She felt like someone was here, watching them and waiting. She shook her head when the feeling disappeared and quickly made to follow her teammates, who casted her a glance at her hesitation. The feeling wasn't a bad one anyway. It felt more like a parent or guardian watching them.
"You okay?" Artemis asked, her blonde hair whipping behind her.
"Yes," M'gann smiled reassuringly, floating lower to speak with the girl. "I was just lost in thought for a moment. It's nothing, really."
"If you say so."
Superboy glanced back at the two females, creasing his eyebrows together when he caught something behind them. His eyes widened and he quickly swerved his motorcycle arounds, "Ms. M! Artemis! Move!"
The two girls turned and shouted in surprise when robot birds swooped down with razor-sharp talons. The things were even shooting lasers from their eyes. They quickly moved, giving the super enough room to reach up and grab the leg of one of them, throwing it at another and watching it explode.
"Nice, SB!" Robin called, swiveling around and driving backwards so he could fight the robots. "Keep them away from the truck!"
The team destroyed many of them but they just seemed to keep coming, like an endless supply. Suddenly, the truck screeched to a halt when the entire road was barricaded with large boulders. Robin, Artemis, Kaldur, and Superboy halted their vehicles while Wally skidded to a stop and M'gann slowed down to hover near them. Their destination, the town where the kryptonite was supposed to be taken, was just over the boulders and they could see small trucks where the inhabitants were waiting for the exchange.
The battle lasted until two hours and the heroes without powers (Robin and Artemis) could feel their strength waning. M'gann was throwing robots into each other but was soon surrounded, desperately trying not to get clawed badly by their deadly-sharp talons. Kaldur was destroying robots with his whips but even he was slowing. Superboy breathed heavily for a moment before something under the truck caught his eye.
A robot had climbed under the truck, sticking itself to the bottom. It's back opened, revealing a timer, and Superboy's body was moving before his brain even caught up, "Bomb! Get down!" He crouched down while his teammates went behind their motorcycles as a means of shelter.
"SB!" Wally and Robin shouted when they heard the super cry out in pain. They had forgotten that the truck was filled with kryptonite.
Said boy was down on the ground, kryptonite stuck going down his left arm from his shoulder to his elbow. He glanced up when a figure swooped down in front of him, vision a bit blurry. Suddenly, he found Core in front of him with a grin on his face.
"Damn, Baby Blue," Core whistled, looking around at the wreckage. "This all looks… Horrible," There was a waver in his voice, worry showing through.
"How- How are y-"
"Sh," Core knelt in front of him, taking a small pack out of a pouch on his belt. "I'm going to remove the kryptonite so you can breathe a little easier, okay?" He continued when the boy nodded, "Then, your teammates will come down here. I can't move you away from here without them seeing me but, thankfully, there isn't much blocking you from them. Okay, I'm going to start."
Core pulled out a white rag and tweezers and cleaned the area where the kryptonite was. Superboy winced every now and then as the jewels were extracted from his arm and he vaguely wondered how long this all took. Where was his team? Just as he thought that, he heard M'gann and Wally call out, "Superboy!"
"Don't say anything real quick," Core spoke, voice dropping down to a whisper. "I'm almost done," He pulled out the last shard, dropping it down beside him, and leaned back. He quickly pulled off one of his gloves, using some of the super's blood to go around the wound, "So they don't know I'm here." He looked up when he spotted some movement and stood, "I'll see you back at the mountain, Superboy," Core grinned and, when the clone blinked, he was gone.
"Superboy," Kid Flash ran next to him, studying him. "Thank God you're okay… Ish. Let's get you out of here. The people said that they can collect the kryptonite. Ms. Martian called her Bioship over so we'll get you out of here soon."
Before the super could respond, his vision turned black and he slumped forward, finally succumbing to the pain.
When Superboy came to, he could vaguely hear people talking just outside his room with his super-hearing.
"Will he be okay?" It was Black Canary.
"He had fifteen puncture wounds from kryptonite all down his left arm," Batman responded, voice emotionless, and Canary gasped. "When the team brought him in, they weren't there and Robin said that no one had removed them. They were gone."
"So, you're saying someone removed them without their knowledge? We have to find out who did it."
"I have an idea," Batman seemed annoyed as he continued. "It's his careful handiwork."
"You think it was Core?" The woman seemed surprised, "No offense, Batman, but why would he show up on this mission when he's been gone for three weeks, moreover help Superboy out of all of the children?"
"I don't know but we'll have to find out. It's the way he is, though. Talk to the team, find out anything new."
"Right," Canary sighed and Batman's footsteps retreated from the area. The door opened and the woman walked in, blinking in surprise when she saw the super stir (Superboy having closed his eyes again when he heard her come near). "Hey, Superboy," She said softly, taking a seat next to the boy. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," The clone answered honestly, though he looked distracted as he glanced around the room. He was looking for Core. Somehow, he felt that the man was somewhere in the room watching over him.
"Your team's on the living room worried about you," Canary spoke, thinking that's who the super was searching for. "I'll send them in. Try and get more rest before you get up, okay?" She said and Superboy nodded reluctantly, leaning his head back against his pillow.