wooowww it has been so long.
I'm so sorry, I've been massively massively busy since the start of school! I am hopefully going to be less busy in the next few months, which means hopefully more updates.
To TheGreatGodzilla: Talia is half-Korean, and her mother is an OC - and you're right, she was not the product of a marriage. At the moment, Spider-Man will not be joining the Team, but he may or may not pop up in the story every now and then ;) and thank you for all the advice and ideas! I appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Marvel.
NEW YORK CITY
August 3, 06:32
Talia yawned, her feet padding down the stairs with quiet taps as she stretched, cracking her back. She was used to being up at six, but she had to admit that those times were usually very late nights as opposed to early mornings.
Today, she'd actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep. She'd fallen asleep over her summer school homework - yes, she was a nerd - at around one in the morning. She'd woken up with a crick in her neck twenty minutes ago and had decided to head to Cave early instead of attempting to go back to sleep.
Rubbing her eyes, Talia headed over to the kitchen and turned on the espresso machine. As a general rule of thumb, she tried to limit her amount of caffeine. This morning, however, she was seriously craving some. As she watched the machine bubble, the brew streaming out into her mug, the elevator doors dinged in the background. Talia paid it no mind as she fixed her cup to her liking. She assumed it was Cap back from his morning run.
"Somebody's up early," a familiar voice said. Talia looked up from the coffee maker, her eyes widening with excitement when she saw the man across the room.
"Rhodey!" she cried, setting her coffee mug down hastily and leaping across the room. She threw her arms around the waist of the man, burying her face in his chest. Although she rarely addressed him as "Uncle" anymore, it was still how she thought of the man. Rhodey was her godfather, and he'd always been there for her, even when her father had had his rocky years.
"Hey, kiddo," Rhodey chuckled, touching the back of her head affectionately. Talia took a step back, and he knocked her baseball cap away from her face to see her better. Although Rhodes tried to see his best friend and goddaughter as often as possible, he'd been overseas recently and it had been six weeks since he'd last been at the compound. It felt impossible, but did Talia already look taller than the last time he'd seen her? He couldn't tell.
"You grow up too quickly," he grumbled with a dramatic sigh and a shake of his head.
"Sorry," Talia responded, rolling her eyes affectionately at the older man's chagrined tone. She paused, and then added with a regretful smile, "I can't really talk long…I gotta get to the Cave." This wasn't strictly true. She did have mandatory training later, but right now she was just going because Robin had texted her that some of them were hanging out beforehand. "I'm, uh, kinda part of a team now."
"So I hear." Rhodey arched an eyebrow at her in an unimpressed manner. "Tony tells me you blew up a building." Talia blinked innocently, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. Rhodey shook his head in exasperation, a small smile on his face. "You are so much like your father."
"I've been told," Talia replied impishly, smiling broadly. "Mostly by you." Rhodey grinned back. He ruffled Talia's hair.
"Go on," he told her. She hesitated, feeling a little bad about running off so quickly. Noticing this, Rhodey added, "Go – I'm jetlagged and want to sleep. God knows I don't need you around here making a ruckus and waking me up." Talia laughed, backing away.
"Yes, sir!"
MOUNT JUSTICE
August 3, 13:06
Beeps echoed throughout the otherwise quiet chamber of the mission room. Kid Flash and Aqualad were playing air hockey on a holographic game table in the center of the room. Artillery watched the game in amusement. She had more or less expected Aqualad to lose badly to Kid Flash, as she hadn't imagined air hockey would exist on Atlantis.
Contrary to Artillery's assumptions, however, the game was actually rather close. Still, Kid Flash was winning by one point, and he only needed one more to win the game.
The speedster swept his hand across the board, sending the puck flying back towards Aqualad's goal. The Atlantean moved his hand as well, attempting to block the projectile, but he was just a little too slow. The puck slipped past his hand and into the goal with a loud beep.
Another series of beeps signaled the end of the game, and Aqualad scowled slightly as he straightened up. Kid Flash smirked, propping his hand on his hip and taking a large bite of his banana. Before the speedster could gloat about his win, the Zeta-Tube powered up and announced the arrival of their missing teammate.
"Recognized: Superboy, B-Zero-Five." The golden glow of the transporter faded, and the clone stalked out of the machine. His hands were clenched into tight fists by his sides, and his shoulders and mouth were taut with anger.
"Hi, Superboy!" Miss Martian called out hopefully. The Kryptonian ignored her, stalking straight through the hockey table, which dissipated around him. Ignoring his obvious anger, Miss Martian continued. "How was Metropolis?"
Superboy didn't answer, continuing to stomp towards the hallway that led to the sleeping quarters. Someone behind the Team cleared their throat, pulling Artillery's attention away from Superboy.
A blonde woman with piercing blue eyes was walking towards the group of teenagers: it was Black Canary, who had volunteered to oversee the Team's combat training. With her was a tall, green-skinned man – Artillery could only assume that it was the Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian's uncle.
"Ready for training, everyone?" Black Canary asked, smiling at the group of assembled teenagers in a friendly manner.
"Black Canary," Miss Martian greeted. She caught sight of the man behind the heroine, and a broad smile spread across her face. "Uncle J'onn!" She cried, running over to the other alien. She threw her arms around him, hugging her uncle briefly. He looked down at her, a small smile on his face. When she pulled back, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"M'gann," he greeted his niece. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting." Miss Martian shifted her feet, a broad grin still stretched across her face as she answered her uncle.
"A few bumps," she admitted. "But – I'm learning!" The elder Martian nodded his head once, looking pleased.
"That's all I can ask," he reassured her. Artillery smiled, glancing around the room. Her eyes fell on Superboy, who was scowling even harder than before. Artillery's eyebrows wrinkled in concern as she gazed at the boy. When he saw her looking at him, he glared at her and swung around, ready to walk away again. Black Canary noticed this as well.
"Stick around," she called out after the angry boy. "Class is in session." Superboy halted, looking indignant as he crossed his arms over his chest. Black Canary walked away from the group and towards the center of the room. She tapped her foot against the floor, and it activated with a whir.
"I consider it an honor to be your teacher," Black Canary told the group seriously. "I'll throw a lot at you," she warned them, beginning to take off her jacket. Artillery noticed that the sleeve was ripped, and underneath the tear was a bandage. "Everything I've learned from my own mentors," she grunted as she strained her injury, instinctively raising a hand to cover her wound. "And my own bruises," she added with a pained grimace and a chuckle.
"What happened?" Miss Martian asked, her eyes wide with concern. Black Canary tossed her head, her blonde locks bouncing against her chin as she stared severely at the teenagers around her.
"The job," she replied simply. She tossed her jacket aside, propping her hands up on her hips. "Now," she began, casting her eyes around. "Combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting." She looked around the group, a small smile dancing across her face. "I'll need a sparring partner."
Instinctively, Artillery shrunk back to avoid being picked. She knew her strengths well – and hand-to-hand combat was certainly not one of them. She spent way too much time studying and not nearly enough time working out to be truly strong.
She was wiry enough from maneuvering the suit and doing other activities with heavy machinery in the lab, and she was fast, but she didn't have nearly enough muscle mass or experience to be a credible threat without her weapons.
She was curious to learn more, but still – she didn't really feel like getting her ass kicked in front of everyone on the first day. Luckily for Artillery, Kid Flash volunteered before Black Canary could pick anyone else.
"Right here!" the speedster called, his hand shooting up in the air. He was speaking around a mouthful of banana, and he took another large bite of the fruit before he continued. "After this," he continued, lowering his voice huskily. He tossed the peel towards a trash can. "Swish! I'll show you my moves."
Artillery shook her head in a mixture of amusement, amazement, and a little bit of disgust. She couldn't believe Kid Flash sometimes. Sure, she'd only known him for a short amount of time, but she could already tell he was an insatiable flirt. He called her "babe" frequently when talking to her, and it was even worse when he was around Miss Martian.
Still, she hadn't thought even he'd have the nerve to hit on an adult, let alone their teacher, let alone a Leaguer.
Smirking, Black Canary moved forward. She threw a powerful right hook at Kid Flash, and he stepped back, blocking the punch easily. Black Canary had clearly been expecting this, and the blonde whirled around swiftly. She dropped into a crouch, sweeping her leg out and knocking Kid Flash's legs out from underneath him.
The speedster yelped in surprise as fell, his back colliding with the floor with a loud thud. He grunted, grimacing as the impact spread throughout his back and shoulders. A circle surrounded his back, announcing his status as failure.
"Ow…" he grunted, coughing as the air was knocked out of his lungs. "Uh. Hurts so good?" Black Canary was standing again, looking with amusement at the younger boy. She offered him his hand as she helped him to his feet.
"Good block," she told him. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"
"Ooh, ooh!" Robin said, thrusting his hand up. "He hit on the teacher and got served?" Kid Flash's eyes widened, a pink flush spreading across his cheeks as he glared at his friend.
"Dude!" Kid Flash hissed.
"Yeah, Robin," Artillery said, her eyes glinting with amusement. Kid Flash was holding his shoulder, rubbing the spot he'd fallen hard on. "Chill – you're literally adding insult to injury." Robin snickered, and Black Canary cleared her throat, calling the attention back to herself. She didn't look amused.
"He allowed me to dictate the terms of –" she began, returning to her original philosophy that she'd started the lesson with. Before she could finish her sentence, Superboy interrupted her.
"Oh, please," the clone scoffed in disgust. Artillery turned to look at the older teenage boy. His arms were crossed firmly across his chest, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Black Canary coldly. "With my powers, the battle's always on my terms," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm a living weapon. And this is a waste of my time."
Black Canary turned to look at the elder hero, tilting her head to the side. She smirked slightly.
"Prove it," she replied simply, her hands still propped on her hips. Superboy's eyes narrowed at the challenge, and he stalked forward into the circle. Kid Flash backed away, still cradling the arm he'd fallen on.
As Artillery and the others watched, both Superboy and Black Canary fell into fighting stances. The blonde heroine let Superboy make the first move, but when he threw a punch, she was ready.
Black Canary side-stepped the blow quickly, grabbing onto Superboy's arm and slinging him across the room. He landed hard on his back a few yards away, with a thump that made Artillery wince. Robin started to cackle loudly, and it wasn't until Aqualad elbowed him that the younger boy muffled his giggles. Still, Artillery could see his shoulders shaking with laugher, and she bet Superboy could too.
Superboy scrambled to his feet, his face contorted into a sneer as he glared Black Canary down. She looked at him, nodding her head slowly.
"You're angry," she began. "Good. But don't react. Channel that anger into –" Before Black Canary could finish her lesson, Superboy charged at her, swinging his fist back into a punch. His wind-up was obvious from a mile away, and Black Canary flipped over the teenage boy before he could hit her.
Falling into a crouch behind him, Black Canary once again swept her leg out. Superboy's legs fell out from underneath him, and he hit the ground hard once more. Robin giggled again, but Artillery bit her lip in concern when she saw the enraged expression on Superboy's face.
Black Canary bent down, offering him her hand silently. He shook his head angrily, hitting her hand aside and scrambling to his feet himself.
"That's it!" he snapped. "I'm done." Black Canary didn't react to his anger, simply placing a hand on his shoulder gently.
"Training is mandatory," she reminded him. Superboy brushed off the elder heroine roughly once again. Black Canary let her hands fall to her side, her eyes narrowing at the clone. Before she could reprimand him, the holographic screen behind the pair flickered to life.
"Batman to the Cave," the Dark Knight announced himself. The other members of the Team moved to gather around Black Canary and Superboy. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary," Batman began. Another small screen flickered on at the corner, showing a still image of a humanoid android with red hair and pointed ears. "The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating, the powers and abilities of its opponents."
Artillery's eyes widened at that information as she watched a video of the android fighting the League. The machine easily caught hold of Superman as the Man of Steel flew at him, swinging the Kryptonian around an into another Leaguer. Artillery couldn't help but to admire the ingenuity of that design. The scientist in her was tempted to ask how the machine worked, but she doubted Batman would appreciate being interrupted.
"Arrow called in reinforcements," Batman continued. "Which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."
"Woah…" Kid Flash whispered, his voice sounding both horrified and awe-struck. The speedster shook his head slowly, struggling to comprehend that sentence. "One guy with the powers of the entire League?"
"In the end," Batman finished. "It took eight leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android."
"Who made it?" Artillery couldn't resist the question as she studied the robot carefully. She frowned, running through a mental list of mechanics who were enemies of the League.
"T. O. Morrow?" Robin suggested, frowning.
"Good guess, Robin," Batman complimented his protégé. Superboy glanced at Robin, his shoulders stiffening slightly when he heard Batman congratulate his partner. "But Red Tornado doesn't think so." Miss Martian's uncle turned his head, speaking for the first time since he'd greeted Miss Martian.
"The technology bears the symbol of Professor Ivo," the Martian Manhunter spoke up. Artillery's eyebrows rose.
"Professor Ivo?" she repeated incredulously. "But – he's dead!" Black Canary nodded grimly, glancing at the younger woman.
"So we all thought," she agreed. "Or hoped." Artillery's eyes widened at that news. She couldn't believe he'd flown under the radar for long enough to convince people he was dead. That in it of itself was impressive.
"To make certain this threat is permanently neutralized," Batman said. "We're sending two trucks carrying the andriods parts to two separate S.T.A.R. Lab Facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation." Artillery's eyes stretched wide: her inner nerd was fangirling. She wanted to look at that machine so badly. Maybe if she begged hard enough, they'd let her...
"Every precaution is being taken," Batman continued, snapping Artillery out of her reverie. "We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion, in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks."
"Yes!" Kid Flash sang, pumping his fist. "Road trip." Superboy was less enthused. He scoffed, shaking his head and glaring at Batman.
"So now we take out your trash," he muttered darkly. Batman stared back at the younger boy, his eyes narrowing icily.
"You had something better to do?" he asked rhetorically. Superboy's shoulders slumped and he scowled at the ground. Aqualad's handheld device beeped at the young Atlantean nodded.
"Coordinates received," he announced. "On our way." Following their leader, the rest of the Team rushed out of the mission room.
Aqualad led the Team down to the garage area of the Cave. Waiting for the teenagers were their motorcycles, generously donated by an anonymous benefactor that funded the League, and souped-up by Tony Stark himself.
Kid Flash whistled as he paused next to his bike. The motorcycles had been painted according to the color scheme of every heroes' costume, and also adapted to account for battles and the Team members' various powers: for example, Aqualad's bike handles were detachable water bearers, nearly identical to the ones he carried on his back when he was in costume.
"Babe," Kid Flash said, staring at Artillery adoringly. "Your dad rocks." He ran one of his gloved hands down the motorcycle, and then smirked at Robin. "I mean, the anonymous benefactor is pretty okay too but – oof!" Robin cut Kid Flash off by tossing his leather riding suit towards the speedster, hitting him in the face and effectively shutting him up.
"Shut up and change, Kid Mouth," Robin said warningly.
Artillery chuckled, grabbing her own leather suit and her GPS gauntlet-watches. She hooked her earpiece back up and spoke into it.
"J, get my suit ready to tail me," she told her A.I. as she walked into the bathroom. "We're going for a ride."
LITCHFIELD COUNTY
August 3, 20:08 EDT
Artillery and the rest of her teammates were concealed in the bushes, watching as S.T.A.R. Lab employees wearing HAZMAT suits loaded the pieces of the android into the trucks. Several members of the League stood around nearby, guarding the pieces to ensure that no one would try to steal them before they'd left.
Superman turned his head, glancing at the bushes the Team was hidden behind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Artillery could only assume he was using his X-Ray vision to see them. After a moment, the Man of Steel nodded, beckoning the Team forward.
Knowing that was their signal, Artillery pulled her helmet on over her head, carefully securing it in place. Placing her hands back on the handles of the bike, she revved her engine and peeled off smoothly.
Artillery was on the Team guarding the Manhattan truck, along with Superboy and Robin. Secretly, she was glad. The trip to Manhattan was roughly forty miles shorter than the trip to Boston, and Artillery wasn't really expecting this mission to be thrilling. Still, the sensation of gliding over the highway on her high-speed motorcycle was soothing.
As the small team of teenagers rode in silence, the sun began to set over the highway, casting pink and purple shadows over the trees and mountain tops. Artillery contented herself to watch the scenery pass by. If this mission offered nothing else, the view was nice.
"If dislike is the opposite of like," Robin ventured out of nowhere, pulling even with her and Superboy. Artillery glanced at the younger boy, already faintly amused. She could guess where his mind was going. "Is disaster the opposite of aster? See, instead of things going wrong, they go right." Artillery snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Unfortunately, that's not how the English language works," she teased Robin. "Nice thought, though." Robin grinned back, and then his eyes fell on Superboy. The clone was glowering at the ground in front of him, a harsh scowl sketched across his face.
"Uh, clearly someone's not feeling the aster," Robin said, catching Artillery's eye and nodding towards Superboy. Artillery raised an eyebrow, and Robin continued, "What's wrong?" the younger teen asked the clone.
"Canary," Superboy muttered, clenching his jaw. "I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" Artillery pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to point out that Superboy clearly needed some training, as he'd had his ass handed to him. She was guessing he wasn't going to appreciate her point of view this time around.
"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig," Robin replied more diplomatically. "Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman, and well, me." Superboy scoffed, shaking his head. He wrapped his hands around the handles of his bike and revved the engine, hard.
Artillery watched as the clone sped off, only slowing down again once he was a few dozen yards in front of his two teammates.
"Something tells me he's not in the mood to talk," Artillery muttered, glancing at Robin meaningfully. Robin shrugged, unbothered by the other teenager's brusque mannerism. Artillery glanced at the truck, and then back at Robin. "You think Batman would let me take a look at the android?" she asked hopefully. Robin laughed.
"Maybe," he replied, swerving around so that he was on her other side. He smirked at her. "I'll put in a good word for you." Artillery smiled, about to thank him, when her jaw dropped clean open.
"What the shit?" she explained, staring wide eyed as small, bright-green robot-monkeys flew towards the trucks from the side of the highway. They were cackling loudly, the high-pitched obnoxious laughter echoing even in the emptiness of the highway. Before she could say more, the comm. link in her ear crackled, and Aqualad's voice came through the radio.
"Robin, Artillery, Superboy! Our truck is under attack!"
"Kinda figured!" Robin responded, revving his engine. Artillery followed suit, the other two heroes pulling even with Superboy and closing in on the truck, which was now covered with small robots. Once again, Artillery was mildly impressed and amused by the ingenuity of the design. Superboy, however, did not share that sentiment.
"I hate monkeys," the clone grumbled. As Artillery watched, the truck began to swerve back and forth rapidly, making the girl wince.
"Robot-monkeys!" Robin crowed, laughing. "Totally Ivo's tweaked style." Artillery smirked, pressing a control on the front of her bike. The machine responded, and the front half of it split off, turning into a fighting drone.
"Sweet," Robin said, doing the same thing. He glanced over at Superboy. "Hey! Switch your ride to battle mode." Superboy shook his head once.
"No point," he responded. The clone leapt forward, latching his hands onto the side of the track and scrambling up quickly. Without its driver, the bike swerved back and forth dangerously, and then careened backwards, straight into Robin's ride.
"Or not!" the Boy Wonder shouted, leaping off just in time. He shot his grappling hook, also pulling himself up onto the trunk. Artillery gritted her teeth.
"JARVIS, take control of my bike," she called. Her A.I. responded immediately, and as soon as the autopilot had engaged, Artillery raised her hands. The GPS signals on her wrists beeped, and the suit came soaring down from the sky to attach itself to her wrists.
Lifting off her bike, Artillery powered her thrusters forward until she was floating next to the truck. Landing on the top of the vehicle, next to Superboy, Artillery thrust out her hand. Her gauntlet whirred as it fired to life, and she blasted two of the robot monkeys onto the ground.
Several of the monkeys scrambled up onto Artillery's shoulders, giggling manically as they did so. Parts of her suit began to spark dangerously as the monkeys clawed at the sensitive mechanics. One of them dug its hand into the arc reactor on her chest, and a buzz rang through the suit.
The robots all simultaneously activated their thrusters, and the combined strength of the number of monkeys on her managed to lift Artillery up against her will. Firing her own thrusters more powerfully in response, Artillery fought to remain steady in midair. Gritting her teeth, Artillery swung her head around, trying to see the number of robots on her.
"Miss, these robots are doing considerable damage to the suit," JARVIS warned, projecting the suit's schematics up on the screen. Artillery glanced at the HUD, scowling. Clenching her hands into fists, she pressed a small button on the side of the gauntlet to activate one of the suit's self-defense mechanisms.
A small electric charge swept over the entire suit of armor, effectively shocking the monkeys. One-by-one, the robots clattered to the pavement below Artillery, the annoying cackling fading slightly as they did.
As the robots dropped, Artillery's thrusters automatically stabilized so she stayed hovering in midair somewhat steadily. Firing them faster, Artillery sped after the still-moving trunk. Slightly in front of her, Superboy was also starting to bound after the vehicle from where he'd been deposited onto the ground by the robots.
The HUD screen flickered slightly as she flew, which made Artillery worry. Clearly, the monkeys had done more damage than she'd expected them to. Which although worrying, admittedly made Artillery even more curious about the design of the robots.
"JARVIS, analyze the robotics for later," Artillery ordered, the inner-nerd getting the better of her. She couldn't help but be fascinated by these robots – as irritating as they were, they were clearly also effective.
Her boots clunked loudly, metal against metal, as she landed on the top of the trunk once more. In one fluid motion, Robin flipped up next to her. Both heroes stared at the hole that had been cut into the roof of the truck.
More monkeys swarmed the roof, flying towards the heroes, their manic cackles still echoing through the air. Artillery aimed her laser, sweeping the beam across the robots and cutting them in half. Next to her, Robin was whirling two short staffs around, hitting the monkeys to the side and onto the asphalt of the road below them.
The trunk rocked dangerously, and Robin fell backwards. Even Artillery stumbled, putting one foot back to catch her balance in the heavy suit. Superboy had landed roughly, and the clone let out an angry yell as he began to rip the robots apart with his bare hands.
Suddenly, the vehicle lurched underneath their feet, even more dangerously than before. The truck swerved unsteadily, careening towards the ground rapidly.
"Robin, the driver!" Artillery shouted. Before she'd even finished her sentence, the Boy Wonder was moving. Artillery leapt down into the compartment of the truck, where one of the guards protecting the parts was still crouched in the corner, desperately trying to fend of the robots. She hooked her hands underneath his arms and shot upwards, pulling him free of the trunk just as it flipped over.
Artillery landed on the ground, depositing the guard and acknowledging his mumbled thanks with a nod. She watched, wincing as the truck violently rolled over, landing on Superboy as it came to a rest. And then, with a sigh, she watched as the robots soared off together – and several of them were holding the box containing the android's parts.
A loud scream made Artillery turn her head. Superboy was flipping the truck off of him. She watched in concern as the Kryptonian swiped a hand over his eyes, rubbing them furiously. Then he looked up, his jaw clenched in fury as he watched the robots make off with the parts. Letting loose another furious growl, Superboy leapt off, pursuing the robots in large bounds.
"Superboy!" Robin shouted after the clone.
"Aqualad to Robin." Their leader's voice sounded over the radio. "We've lost our cargo. Did you – "
"Gone," Robin interrupted with a groan. "And so is my partner."
"Aqualad to Superboy. Radio your position. We'll help you."
"I don't need help!" Was Superboy's angry response. "Don't want any!" Then the comm. line went dead, crackling to silence. Arillery exchanged a look with Robin, and then sighed, firing up her thrusters.
"I bet I can find him," she said to Aqualad over the radio. "As long as Robin's okay on his own."
"Do it," Aqualad responded tersely. He sounded irritated, but Artillery couldn't tell if it was because of Superboy going rogue or because of the mission as a whole. She didn't stick around to ask.
Nodding to Robin, Artillery shot through the skies in the general direction Superboy had bounded off in. Using JARVIS's satellite, Artillery was able to locate the clone after a few minutes.
"I got him," she told her teammates as she rose further in the air to avoid being seen by Superboy. "I'm following from a distance. Any progress?" Her response came almost immediately.
"The parts are converging on Gotham City," Robin told her. As Robin spoke, Artillery pulled up a map on her HUD screen. The display was still shakier than she would have liked, but it would do for the moment. Still, she'd have to have JARVIS run a full check on the suit as she flew.
"That's consistent with what I'm seeing," she reported to Robin, keeping one eye on Superboy the entire time. "I'm guessing Supes and I are gonna need back up."
"On our way," Robin reassured her."I took your bike – mine was pretty much wrecked – but don't worry, Kid Flash and I are going to meet you and Superboy there." Artillery sighed as she coasted downwards, breaking through the cloud cover to better see.
"This is definitely a disaster,"Robin muttered over the comm., mostly talking to himself. "Heavy on the dis."
Despite everything, Artillery laughed.
GOTHAM CITY
August 3, 21:21 EDT
Artillery had been following Superboy, who had been following the flying monkeys, for almost a half an hour now. She kept expecting Superboy to either tire out or get bored and come to reason, but he kept determinedly leaping after the robots, an angry yell ripping from his throat every now and then.
Flying high above the ground, Artillery could see the trajectory of the monkeys before Superboy could. The robots were flying towards a set of train tracks winding around the side of the mountain. As she watched, a cargo train came speeding around the mountain.
Anticipating the other robots' arrival, Artillery could see as more of the robotic monkeys slid the doors to one of the train cars open. The robots descended, flying into the car and the doors slid shut once more.
Artillery's HUD flickered again, making her grimace. She'd had JARVIS perform a virus scan on the flight over, and he'd found nothing. The damage was from the monkeys' attack, something physical they'd done, not something technical – which didn't really make sense to Artillery. The suit should be stronger and more impenetrable than that.
When the display returned to normal, she could see Superboy taking one more long bound onto the top of the car the monkeys had gone into. The clone paused on the roof of the car, his shoulders heaving. Whether it was from anger or exhaustion Artillery couldn't tell.
Deciding it was time to make her presence known, Artillery swooped around the tracks and landed on the car behind her teammate. The clone jumped when he heard her metal boots crunch against the roof. "Superboy," she called.
The Kryptonian turned around, confusion flashing across his face. The bewilderment quickly morphed into fury as he realized what Artillery's presence meant.
"What are you doing here?" the clone growled, his shoulders going taut with rage as his hands clenched into fists. Artillery instinctively raises her hands, not wanting to fight her teammate. "I said I didn't want help!" Superboy roared.
"I don't take orders well," Artillery quipped.
"Don't try to stop me," Superboy warned her, still trembling with rage.
"Who said I was going to try?" Artillery asked in an almost challenging manner. Superboy narrowed his eyes at the girl, and then knelt down, slamming his fist into the metal roof of the car. Wrapping his fingers around the dent he made, Superboy wrenched outwards, creating a large hole.
The clone dropped down first, and Artillery followed him, descending through the hole slowly with the help off her flight thrusters. At the other end of the small car stood an elder man. He was surrounded with the robot monkeys.
"Oh?" the man said, sounding almost surprised by the appearance of the two teenaged superheroes. "Hello." Superboy stared at the man across from him, and then he scoffed derisively.
"You?" he exclaimed. "You're Ivo? I'm whelmed." Artillery stepped forward, surveying the man across from the teenagers with greater apprehension that Superboy.
"You're one to talk," Ivo responded, not sounding offended at Superboy's unimpressed reaction. "Now, since when does the big, blue boy scout have a brat?" Superboy's hands clenched into fists once more, and he glared at the professor.
"He doesn't," the Kryptonian snapped back. Ivo chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Superboy's intense reaction.
"Eh. If you say so." Ivo turned his gaze towards Artillery. He regarded her suit of armor and laughed once again. "And you must be Tony Stark's," Ivo said curiously. Artillery smirked and flipped her faceplate up, tilting her head to the side as she observed the Professor.
"Guilty as charged," she replied. She tipped her head to the side. "Do you know him?" she asked conversationally. She took a purposefully step in front of Superboy, hoping that the Kryptonian would calm down if she kept Ivo's attention for long enough. She was also hoping to stall the Professor until backup arrived.
"In passing," Ivo replied. "Your father is a smart man – Talia, is it? – such a shame he turned away from manufacturing weapons." Artillery didn't respond, simply raising her chin calmly as she met Ivo's gaze. She knew a dig when she saw one. Ivo waited a moment, smiling sinisterly. "Well, Talia," he continued. "You seem like an intelligent girl – surely you appreciate the ingenuity behind my Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrations?" Artillery smirked.
"MONQI's," she said aloud. "Clever." Ivo grinned.
"I thought so!" he replied cheerfully. In contrast to their seemingly amicable conversation, the MONQIs flew forwards, attacking Superboy and Artillery. Both teenagers reacted quickly. Artillery fired her repulsers at several of the robots, and Superboy punched the rest. Within seconds, the androids were lying in pieces on the ground. Ivo sighed dramatically.
"Ah. And after all the trouble I went through finding an acronym for 'MONQI.'" The last two robots came flying towards the teenagers, and Superboy stepped forward. He grabbed them out of the air and smashed them into each other, destroying them instantaneously.
Artillery frowned, shaking her head ever-so-slightly. Something didn't feel right – those MONQIs had been destroyed way too easily. Compared to the fight they'd had to put up before, that had been nothing…
"Smart girl," Ivo said with a smirk, noticing the unease on Artillery's face. A deep voice spoke suddenly, echoing throughout the small train car.
"Access: Captain Atom." A glowing golden light appeared from the darkness behind Ivo, firing out and striking Superboy directly in the face. The clone flew backwards, smacking against the wall of the train car.
"Superboy!" Artillery cried out, whirling around. She flipped her face plate down once more, falling into a defensive stance. Ivo cackled as his robot stepped forward, the metallic creak of the andriod's limbs sounding loudly in the small space.
"Since Professor Ivo's magnificent MONQIs don't float your boat, maybe my amazing Amazo will better suit you." Ivo backed away, a dark smirk crossing his face. "Or better slay you." The mechanisms in Artillery's suit whirred as she shifted. Behind the young woman, Superboy was clambering to his feet.
"Give me your best shot," Superboy challenged, moving forward to stand even with Artillery. Behind Ivo, the MONQIs cackled manically. Ivo sneered, waving a hand dismissively.
"Please," the scientist drawled. "My android has the strength of Superman. What chance do you possibly have?" Next to Artillery, Superboy growled. He charged forward, launching a punch at the robot. Amazo blocked the punch quickly, moving his metal arms with incredible ease as Superboy threw a volley of blows towards the robot.
Artillery hovered in the back awkwardly, unsure what to do. She couldn't risk firing her repulsors or lasers or – any other type of blast, really. Not in such close quarters – the risk of hitting Superboy was too high. Her eyes trailed off her teammate and fell on Ivo.
"Oh, sorry," Ivo mused, watching Superboy fight Amazo. "Did that strike a nerve?" The Professor was smirking, and Artillery was momentarily shocked at his intelligence. He had seen all too quickly that Superboy would react badly to a reference to Superman. "Amazo," Ivo ordered. "Strike a few more."
Amazo kicked Superboy backwards. The boy fell to the ground. He shoved himself to his feet, staggering as he struggled to regain balance. Artillery made her move, planting herself between Amazo and Superboy. She raised her hand, her repulsers firing up.
"Access: Black Canary," Amazo announced, opening its mouth and letting a sonic cry loose. Artillery raised her arms for balance, struggling to remain standing straight. Behind her, Superboy cried out, covering his sensitive ears from the loud noise. "Access: Flash."
Amazo ran forwards, attacking Artillery head-on. The android hit the teenager twice in the head. Artillery's helmet protected her from too much damage, but the force still made her head spin. Using her moment of pain and distraction to its advantage, Amazo picked up Artillery – no easy feat when she was encased in the suit – and threw her aside and into the wall.
Artillery landed on her back, grunting in discomfort. Her HUD flickered again, momentarily making her entire display black. She scowled. Artillery couldn't believe Ivo's little MONQIs had caused her suit to be so damaged in such a short amount of time.
As Artillery rose to her feet, she could hear Ivo taunting Superboy. He kept referencing Superman, comparing Superboy unfavorably to the man he'd been cloned of. Without even looking, Artillery could tell that Superboy was falling for the taunts.
Crying out again, the clone ran forwards. Artillery winced as the robot became intangible, mimicking the Martian Manhunter's power, and then punched Superboy through the back of the car. Superboy went flying, and Amazo stepped out after him. Growling, Artillery moved to follow them, but Ivo called out to her.
"Talia Stark," Ivo called, stopping the girl in her tracks. She turned around slowly, cautiously, and Ivo smiled darkly at her. "Did you like my inventions?"
"They are impressive," Artillery responded grudgingly, unable to help herself. Ivo's smile seemed to widen.
"He thought you would think so," Ivo mused, making Artillery frown. Who the hell is "he?"
"What – " she began to ask. Before she could finish her question, JARVIS interrupted her, a note of urgency in his voice as he reminded her of the manner at hand.
"Miss, I believe Superboy requires assistance." Shaking her head, Artillery resolutely turned her back on Ivo, speeding out of the broken train car. Trying to convince herself that Ivo was simply playing games with her head, she hovered outside the train car, looking around for Superboy. As she did so, she could hear Ivo ordering his android to finish her and Superboy off.
Clenching her jaw, Artillery powered her thrusters up, anticipating the robot's next move and attempting to avoid it. Amazo leaped off the train platform after the heroine. Wrapping its metallic arms around her, Amazo and Artillery grappled in midair.
"Access: Black Canary," Amazo droned, unhinging its jaw to let loose another sonic cry. The soundwave was strong enough to unbalance Artillery, and she flipped head over heels in midair.
Eyes widening, Artillery threw her hands out to the side to stabilize herself. Once she was flying in control again, she faced Amazo, who was hovering a few feet away from her.
"JARVIS, kick it into high gear," Artillery ordered, throwing one of her hands out. Her repulsor fired up within seconds, sending a powerful blast at Amazo. "And find Superboy!" Artillery added belatedly, as she watched the shot head towards the robot.
"Access: Martian Manhunter." Amazo turned intangible, and the repulsor blast fired through the robot harmlessly, dispersing into nothing. Shaking her head in irritation, Artillery coasted through the night, avoiding Amazo's mimic of Superman's laser vision.
"How the hell can I fight something like this?" she muttered to herself. She pointed her own laser at Amazo, and the android once again turned intangible to avoid the attack. Artillery changed tactics, using her barely-functioning HUD to analyze the robot's inner workings. Within seconds, Artillery knew that she could take it apart – but only if she managed to get close enough without dying.
And that was a big if.
"Miss, it seems that Superboy has crash-landed in Gotham Academy," JARVIS told the girl. Artillery turned tail immediately, jetting off towards the school as fast as she could. Behind her, she could hear Amazo giving chase. Gritting her teeth, Artillery powered up her thrusters as fast as they would go, managing to keep herself just out of reach of the robot.
By the time Artillery reached the school, she was growing increasingly worried about her suit's functions. The HUD had been damaged, but now it seemed that other mechanisms of the suit were growing sluggish as well. Which didn't make sense. She had barely burned through a quarter of the suit's battery, so it wasn't a lack of power.
It didn't make sense – Artillery had no idea how the MONQIs had caused so much damage to her suit. It was almost as if they knew exactly how it worked, she mused to herself, exactly how to break it…
Artillery's train of thought was thrown off the tracks as Amazo grabbed onto her shoulder. The robot twirled her around to gain momentum before slinging her back into a wall of lockers. Artillery's suit made a considerable dent into the metal, and even with the armor, the impact made her ears ring.
An angry cry pierced its way through Artillery's spinning head, and the girl looked up. Superboy had made a reappearance, and he was once again taking on the android single-handedly. Artillery could see scratches on the Boy of Steel's face, which concerned her slightly. He was invulnerable – how strong was this robot?
Artillery pried herself out of the dent in the wall, shaking herself out and flying after the robot and her teammate. Amazo tossed Superboy through another wall, and she followed the battling opponents.
When she reached the gymnasium, where Superboy and Amazo were still dueling, she could see Ivo sitting on the bleachers. He was surrounded by his MONQIs, watching the brawl with amusement. Amazo kicked Superboy to the ground, and the clone fell still.
Setting her jaw, Artillery dropped down from the sky. She wrapped her arms around Amazo, lifting him up off of the ground just before he could bring his fists down on Superboy. At the same moment, a familiar flash of red and yellow zipped into the building, snatching Superboy off the ground and zipping him over to the other side of the room where Robin already stood.
"Martian Manhunter," Amazo announced from inside Artillery's vice grip. Suddenly, Artillery's arms closed around nothing, and the android slithered out from her grip. "Captain Atom." A glowing gold blast shot from Amazo's hand, hitting Artillery square in the chest from three feet away. The blow sent her spiraling backwards, and the display flickered dangerously once more.
"Miss, the suit seems to be malfunctioning," JARVIS said anxiously. Artillery scowled.
"I'm aware!" she cried back, struggling to regain control. "Stupid tin can!" she snarled, unsure if she was referring to Amazo or the suit of armor that surrounded her. The HUD flickered once more, and then went totally dark. Artillery shouted in anger, whirling around to glare at Ivo. "What did you do to my suit?"she demanded. Ivo laughed, the MONQIs cackling in harmony with the Professor.
"I did nothing, my dear," he responded amicably. His eyes glinted in a manic 'I-know-something-you-don't' manner, which infuriated Artillery. Snarling in frustration, Artillery pulled her helmet off, tossing it to the ground. This left her face and head dangerously unprotected, but she didn't have a choice.
Artillery landed on the ground, no longer trusting her armor to keep her afloat and battle-ready at the same time. She would only fly if she needed to. Amazo turned on the girl, raising his fists. He launched a blow at her, which she barely managed to dodge.
Using the armor to increase both the speed and armor of her punches, Artillery threw a volley of hits at the robot. Amazo barely moved an inch, and before long had gained the upper hand once more.
"Access: Red Tornado." The android put his hand out, summoning a twister that swept Artillery off her feet and sent her rolling across the ground. Amazo moved forward, raising his fists to execute a fatal blow to the girl's head.
Before he could, Kid Flash came zipping across the room once more. The speedster drew the attention away from his friend, attempting to attack the robot. Amazo simply turned around, catching Kid Flash in a bear hug.
"Superman," it announced, accessing the Man of Steel's super-strength and squeezing hard. Artillery stumbled to her feet, her mouth dropping open in horror as Kid Flash cried out in pain.
"Kid!" she shouted, lunging forward to help. Before she could, a quiet twangechoed throughout the room, familiar to Artillery as a bowstring being pulled back. An arrow flew directly towards Amazo's head. The robot turned, noticing the weapon.
"Martian Manhunter," it said, turning intangible. The arrow sailed harmlessly through the robot's head, and Kid Flash fell out of his arms. Artillery grabbed her friend by the arm, pulling the speedster away. He recovered quickly, catching his breath and then zipping off again to tackle Robin out of the way before Amazo could attack the Boy Wonder.
Artillery raised her hands again, firing another repulsor blast at the android. Even with its back turned, it saw the attack coming, turning intangible and letting the blasts sail through. Amazo turned around, unhinging its jaw and letting loose another sonic cry.
Artillery soared backwards, grunting as she hit the ground. Her vision was blurry from the blow, and she found herself momentarily paralyzed by the vertigo of her ringing ears.
She could barely make out Ivo's taunts from the bleachers above her head. He was lamenting about their poor abilities, mocking them. "You're all such poor copies of the originals," Ivo sighed.
"So everyone keeps saying," Superboy muttered. He tensed, coiling his muscles to prepare for a leap. "IT MAKES ME ANGRY!" The Boy of Steel leapt out of the crater he'd created with his hard landing, smashing into the bleachers opposite of him. Artillery managed to sit up, watching as Ivo barely dodged Superboy's fists.
"WANT TO SEE MY CHANNEL THAT ANGER?!"Superboy roared, rounding on Ivo. Artillery's lips twitched into a smile as she realized Superboy's idea. She stood up, wincing as she did so, but readying herself to help her teammate.
"Amazo!" Ivo cried, panicked. "Protect your master. Priority Alpha!" Ivo leaped away with surprising agility, diving to the ground. Amazo turned, mimicking Captain Atom's powers to attack Superboy.
Artillery took Amazo's momentary distraction to hit the robot in the back with a hard punch. Amazo turned around, raising its hand to fire at her when Kid Flash came speeding across the gymnasium.
"Anyone want to play keep-away?" Robin crowed, kicking Ivo in the back. Kid Flash changed course, speeding towards the Professor.
"Ooh! Me, me!" he cried out, zipping across the room. Amazo turned away from Artillery, stomping its foot and causing a shockwave to ripple across the ground. The force was great enough to knock Kid Flash away from Ivo. Artillery shifted position, aiming carefully as she fired a repulsor blast at Amazo again. At the same time, Robin threw a birdarang across the room.
"Martian Manhunter," Amazo announced, turning intangible. Superboy punched Amazo, putting his fist through the android's transparent head. "Superman." As Amazo accessed Superman's powers, it lost its intangibility, and its head formed once more around Superboy's fist.
Electricity crackled around Superboy's hand, and the android's head exploded. A wave of heat washed over Artillery, and she instinctively raised her arms to block her face. Coughing, she waved a hand to try and clear the smoke from the air. As soon as she did so, she raced over to the android's prone body.
"Help me dissemble it!" she shouted, already fiddling with the robot. Without JARVIS and her HUD, the job was admittedly a little harder, but still nothing she couldn't handle. Robin dropped to his knees next to her, helping her take it apart.
"Dude," Kid Flash said, walking over to the other teenagers with an incredulous expression on his face. He was cradling his hurt shoulder. "The guy has no head."
"Do not take any chances," a familiar voice called out. Artillery spared a quick glance in her teammates' direction to see Aqualad and Miss Martian entering the gym. The Martian girl immediately flew over to Superboy, helping him to his feet.
"Superboy!" she said in concern. She touched his shoulder gently, her eyes wide with worry. Artillery wondered if Superboy was aware of Miss Martian's crush - it was painfully obvious to the rest of them. "Are you alright?" Artillery's hands worked over the robot, but she heard Superboy's response.
"Fine," the clone replied, his voice considerably gentler than it had been for the entire day. He glanced at Robin, catching the younger boy's eye and smiling slightly. "Feeling the aster." Robin smirked, nodding at Superboy.
"Hey!" Kid Flash called suddenly, looking around the gym. "Where's Ivo?" Artillery's hands fell still, and she looked up. Her mouth fell open in shock as she looked around the destroyed gym.
It was empty except for the Team.
MOUNT JUSTICE
August 4, 01:06 EDT
The Team stood in front of several League members in the briefing room of the Cave. Batman, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and the Martian Manhunter were all present, listening to Aqualad brief them on what had happened.
"The Amazo android is in pieces again," Aqualad finished. "Safely being analyzed at the two separate S.T.A.R. Labs. But Ivo escaped, and since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the android." Artillery agreed with Aqualad – she thought it was even a stretch to say arguably.
The Professor was a genius – a very, very dangerousgenius.
"Capturing Ivo will be a League priority," Black Canary reassured the Team. Martian Manhunter nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at the Team, his pupil-less red eyes somewhat stern as he observed the teenagers in front of him.
"But we understand your mission encountered other complications." There was a moment of silence among the Team as the six teenagers traded looks. Before any of them could say anything, Batman stepped up.
"Complications come with the job," he reminded everyone. Artillery's shoulders relaxed. "Your ability to handle them has impressed the League." Batman's eyes were focused mostly on Superboy, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the clone.
"The – whole League?" Superboy asked, his voice torn between hopeful and fear of being disappointed. Batman inclined his head ever-so-slightly.
"Given time, yes," he told Superboy. His voice shifted slightly, from his normal stoic tone to gentler, more reassuring tenor. "Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." Superboy ducked his head, a small smile curving its way onto his lips. "Of course," Batman continued. "There's no shame in asking for help. That's why the League exists – because there are some problems even we cannot handle individually."
"Please!" Robin scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at his mentor. "If we needed help we'd never get the chance to ask!" Robin reached into his utility belt, pulling out the green arrow that had saved Kid Flash's life earlier that night. He brandished it at the League members, and Red Tornado and Green Arrow stepped closer to investigate.
"You were following us! Baby-sitting!" Batman took the arrow from his protégé as Robin continued to rant, and Green Arrow took in from the League's leader. "You still don't trust us!"
"We didn't follow you," Batman replied, cutting Robin's tirade short. Arrow reached into his quiver, pulling out one of his own weapons to compare to the one Robin had handed him. The difference was noticeable – GA's arrowhead was notched, and the other was completely smooth. Robin's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open.
"And…that's not your arrow," he realized, chagrined. Then his eyes widened hopefully. "But that means –"
"Speedy!" Kid Flash interrupted, a wide grin spreading across the speedster's face. Artillery tilted her head to the side, vaguely remembering that Speedy had turned down an offer to join the Team, a fact that had disappointed Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad.
"He has our backs," Aqualad added happily. Kid Flash zipped in front of Green Arrow, snatching the weapon from the Leaguer's hand.
"Souvenir!" he crowed, brandishing the arrow like a trophy. Artillery smiled slightly, mildly bemused. She'd never met this Speedy guy, but his presence seemed to bring her friends joy, and that was good enough for her.
Talia was in the science lab of the Cave, which was really a part of the medical bay. It was hardly ever used, even when the League had occupied the Cave. She was quickly changing that. Mostly she was just using it has a place to quickly repair her suit when needed - like right now.
Frowning, Talia pried at the chest piece of the suit, opening it up to look at the arc reactor. She'd quickly deduced that the only way the MONQIs could have caused so much damage to her suit in such a short amount of time was if they'd targeted the arc reactor. Sure enough, she could tell with a glance that the thing was fried.
Talia placed it on the table, connecting a few wires to it and hooking it up to the computer screen to analyze the inner workings of the arc reactor. She looked at the diagnostics on the screen, frowning again.
It appeared that the MONQIs had managed to deteriorate parts of the arc reactor so that the machine had begun to slowly shut down. Talia clicked a few buttons, running a full scan on the reactor to see how exactly it had happened.
As she waited for the results, someone cleared their throat behind her. Talia turned around, blinking. Superboy was standing in the doorway awkwardly. He ducked his head when she looked at him.
"I can – come back, if you're busy," Superboy suggested almost shyly. Talia smiled at him, shaking her head and beckoning him further into the room.
"Not at all," she reassured him, slightly confused by the clone's presence but not wanting to scare him away. "Just waiting for the test results. What's up?" Superboy took a seat across from Talia, looking at her seriously.
"I wanted to say thanks," he told her. "For following me. I – I was glad for the backup." Talia smiled at Superboy gently, somewhat touched that he'd come all the way down here to say that.
"Don't mention it," she replied easily, flipping her hair over her shoulders. "What are friends for, anyway?" Superboy smiled. His eyes fell on the computer screen behind her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. Talia turned around, looking at the holographic screen. The scan was almost complete.
"Oh," she replied. "Trying to figure out what's wrong with my suit. Those damn MONQIs did something to it, but I can't figure out how. This arc reactor is usually impenetrable." Superboy got to his feet, walking closer to the screen. He tilted his head to the side, pointing at one of the diagrams.
"It looks like they knew what they were doing," he mused. Talia turned her attention to what Superboy was pointing at and frowned. She shook her head, almost laughing.
"I'll say," she muttered. Suddenly, she froze, all the color draining out of her face. Wordlessly, she grabbed one of the tablets lying around and typed a few things in, drawing up the schematics JARVIS had taken of the MONQIs earlier in the mission. She flicked her wrist, tossing them up onto the screen. Superboy looked at her, frowning at her sudden change in demeanor. Talia shot to her feet, her heart pounding as she looked at the screen more closely.
"Talia?" Superboy asked, sounding concerned. Talia shook her head mutely, her eyes running over the piece of machinery displayed on the screen. Machinery that had not been there before – machinery that one of the MONQIs had inserted, causing the malfunction. Her eyes flicked again to the schematics, fervently wishing that the familiarity of them had changed. Ivo's words echoed in her head.
"That's impossible…" she whispered.
*wipes brow* WHEW. this took me forever to write.
TEN THOUSAND WORDS, GUYS. ENJOY.
i edited it kinda quickly because i was dying to get something posted. i hope you enjoy it!
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thanks for reading!