To Guest: Here's the update! I'm glad you like the addition of Peter :)
To Natalie: I'm not sure, to be honest - I haven't had time to catch up on the comics. But Season 3 is pretty good so far, in my books!
Disclaimer: I don't own YJ or Marvel
TW just in case: (mention of) panic attacks again.
The sun was insanely bright.
Talia groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Even closed, the bright light burned against her lids. Why did I leave my shades open? She thought to herself with another groan. She instinctively reached for her pillow to pull over her eyes, but when she stretched her hands out her fingers touched only sand.
Talia gasped, her eyes flying open as she sat up, suddenly awake. The movement made her head spin, and she bent forward to once more cover her eyes against the bright sunlight. Her head was pounding. Also, she had no idea where she was or what she was doing there. She frowned, trying to think whilst also keeping her eyes closed.
Headache, nausea, lack of memories…was she hungover?
"Did I drink last night?" she muttered to herself, placing a hand on her forehead. She cracked her eyes open ever-so-slightly, slowly adjusting to the bright light.
She tried to remember, but as far as she knew, all she'd done last night was research for her dissertation. She didn't remember drinking, or even leaving her room. And she wasn't sure why she would have been drinking – Talia didn't make a habit of it, and she only ever did if she was at a party. She knew it was bad, but she couldn't really help it: parties spiked her anxiety, and on the rare occasion she was at one, drinking was the only way she could stop herself from having a full-blown meltdown.
Talia stood up slowly, wincing as she did so. Only her head hurt, but the pain radiated throughout her body with every movement. She sighed, looking around at the endless sand around her and then glancing downwards. Her eyes widened when she realized what she was wearing.
Holding her arm out, Talia examined her outfit with confusion. She was wearing a flight suit, similar to the one her father sometimes wore underneath the Iron Man armor. It was mostly black, with silver accents. Her boots and gloves were also black, and there was a utility belt running around her hips. Talia would have been more preoccupied with the suit, except she realized quickly that she had an arc reactor set into her chest.
"What the hell…" Talia muttered. She tapped the glowing device gently, her eyes wide. Instinctively, Talia reached up to her earpiece to as JARVIS what the hell was going on, but she found that she didn't have her headset with her. Which was odd. And disconcerting.
Talia swallowed hard, her anxiety rising. She had no idea where she was, how she got there, or why she was there. But she had a very bad feeling about it.
Talia had been taken hostage before, when she was much younger. And although she remembered the situation clearly, she hadn't been scared. The person who had kidnapped her had been Obadiah Stane, and since it was just before she'd found out he'd betrayed her father, Talia still thought that "Uncle Obie" was her friend. She hadn't known that she'd been in danger until after her father – in his first appearance as Iron Man – had found her.
Ever since then (and before too, but especially after), Tony had been careful. He knew that on some level, Talia was a target just from being his daughter, and he took care to make sure that she was safe. But as Talia looked around, she couldn't help but wonder if her luck had finally run out.
Taking a deep breath, Talia closed her eyes. She did some breathing exercises that her therapist had shown her, focusing on slowing her heartrate so that she could think more clearly. She knew it wouldn't help to have a panic attack.
After a few moments of breathing in and out slowly, Talia cracked her eyes open again, feeling slightly calmer. She considered her options. She knew that she was technically supposed to stay in one place – people had a better chance of finding her that way. But something didn't feel right…frowning, Talia fingered her utility belt. She opened up the compartments of it, searching through.
In it, she found flash drives, scrap pieces of machinery, a Taser – now, that was cool – a few different types of explosives and weapons, a few tools, and a tracking device. Frowning, Talia pulled out the tracker, turning it on.
As soon as the device powered up, Talia could tell that JARVIS had been disabled on the tracker as well. Which was odd – Talia had no idea why she'd disable JARVIS. But then, she also had no idea what she was doing in the middle of a desert.
There was a blinking blip on the tracker a few miles away. Talia considered the blip, wondering what it was and why it was there. Her eyes scanned the screen thoughtfully, and then widened when they landed on the date and time at the bottom of the screen.
"September?" Talia exclaimed out loud, shaking her head in abject disbelief. She pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning in frustration. Well, no wonder she was confused. She was missing six months of memory.
Memory loss - that did explain some things. Talia glanced down at her outfit with a small smile, realizing what this meant. At some point in the last six months, her dad must have changed his mind and given Talia permission to start fighting crime – maybe she was even an Avenger now.
Pretty cool.
Talia looked up again, thinking things over. She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully, glancing back on the blinking blip on the tracking device. She considered. After a moment of thinking, she shrugged, and began walking in the direction of the blip on the screen.
There had to be reason she'd put something there, and it seemed like her best bet at figuring what the hell was going on.
As she walked, Talia continued to poke at the arc reactor, trying to get it to work. She could tell on a quick examination that the arc reactor was actually in her chest. Without JARVIS, she didn't know much, but she could only guess that it was powering her heart. There wasn't really another reason that she'd have it inside of her.
And, although that was disconcerting, Talia felt fine. And she couldn't help but wonder if the arc reactor could summon the suit to her – or maybe even was the suit. She and her dad had been working on a nano-tech armor that was housed inside a portable arc reactor, and she was guessing in six months they could have made great leaps with it.
But as Talia fidgeted gently with the piece of tech, nothing happened. She couldn't get the suit to appear, and she couldn't ask JARVIS for help because she didn't have him.
Talia frowned, realizing for the first time how dependent she was on the AI.
But, hey – you tend to get used to someone hanging over your shoulder, chattering advice and schematics to you whether that be flying through the skies or working on math homework.
Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Talia opened up the software of the tracking device. Her fingers hovered over the "reset" button that would help her reboot JARVIS. She aimed her finger, ready to click on it, when a fragment of memory came rushing back.
"Guess I should shut off JARVIS and Karen, then. The AIs are good, but still hackable."
Talia frowned. She remembered herself saying that, but she couldn't remember the context, who she was with, or who she'd been talking to. But – Karen. That was the name that Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, had dubbed his AI. Which meant that he must be with her!
Smiling to herself, Talia re-opened the tracker. She began typing in a few lines of code, attempting to lock on to the signal from Peter's suit to track him down. Maybe the two of them could puzzle this out together. She had finally started attempting to get to know the boy about a month ago, and he was quite clever.
Talia was so engrossed in her tracking that she failed to notice the rapidly approaching Humvee until it was nearly on top of her. Talia looked up warily, hearing the rumble of an engine suddenly stop short. Talia hesitated, wondering if these people were allies or foes.
The doors to the Humvee flew open, and a bunch of armed soldiers leapt out of the car. The soldiers surrounded Talia, pointing their guns at her. Guess that answers that question, Talia thought to herself, grimacing. Talia took a deep breath, glancing down at the arc reactor and wishing she knew how to use it. After all, without the suit, she wasn't exactly bulletproof.
The soldiers around her began to speak in a language Talia didn't recognize: she was pretty sure it was Arabic, but she wasn't positive. As they spoke, Talia's nerves grew. Based on the guns, they clearly weren't in a friendly mood, and Talia really wasn't in the mood to die. After a few moments of chatter in the unfamiliar language, one of the soldiers turned towards Talia. He addressed her in English.
"You are Talia Stark," he said, a pleased smile crossing his face. It wasn't a question, and Talia wasn't sure how to respond. She licked her dry lips nervously. The soldier surveyed her for another moment and then nodded, motioning to one of his allies with his hand. Talia yelped as someone grabbed her by the back of her neck. She struggled against the person's grip, her eyes widening in horror as she saw a third soldier approaching with a syringe.
"No," she panted, squirming in their grip. They ignored her, and the needle pressed against the exposed skin of her neck. Talia winced as the medicine entered her bloodstream with the prick of the needle. She grit her teeth, shaking her head and struggling in vain to stay awake as her head clouded over.
The medication did quick work with her, and before long Talia was falling limp. As her eyes slipped shut and she fell limp against the soldier's grip, one of the others beckoned the man holding Talia forward.
"Let's move out," he said in Arabic, heading back towards the Humvee. The solider nodded his head, shouldering the limp teenage girl and walking towards the vehicle. Talia's unconscious body lolled against the back seat of the car, her head bouncing against the door as the Humvee picked up speed again.
Unbeknownst to the soldiers was the presence of two teenage boys, crouched behind the cover of a rock on the cliff above.
When Robin woke up with a pounding headache, he had no idea where he was or how he got there. The sun was already high in the sky, and the air was hot and dry. The bright sunlight did nothing to help his confusion.
Robin staggered to his feet, groaning. He propped his hand against the stone wall of the cliff next to him. He ignored for the moment that he had no idea where he was or what was happening, instead just focusing on making it a few more steps without passing out.
Once he had succeeded in that goal, Robin straightened up with a grimace. He looked around his surroundings, confused. As his eyes scanned the horizon, he noticed a splotch of color against the tan sand and rock about twenty-five yards to his right, up on the ledge of a cliff. Frowning, Robin headed over.
When he reached the splotch of color, he realized that the black-and-red spot was actually a person. The figure looked male, and he was wearing a bodysuit that covered his entire body, including a mask that covered his whole face. He had the emblem of a spider on his chest.
Robin tilted his head to the side, moving closer still. He was pretty sure that this guy was one of the new heroes that had popped up around New York City – Queens, if he was remembering correctly.
Batman kept up to date on all the new superheroes and super villains, and Robin sometimes liked to look through his mentor's files. Frowning, Robin leaned over the guy for a closer look. The suit looked to be mostly the same, but Robin had recalled blue and red…
As Robin bent down, the other hero suddenly flipped backwards. He had seemed totally unresponsive just a moment ago, but the next thing Robin knew, the guy was upside down on the cliff face about fifteen feet above Robin's head. He was sticking to the side of the wall, staring down at Robin. The white pupils of his suit were wide.
"Woah," Robin said, raising his hands and stepping back. "Sorry." The other guy stared at Robin, surprised.
"You're Robin!" the guy replied, sounding a little bit awestruck. He slowly climbed down the cliff, lowering himself back onto his feet and regarding Robin with surprise. Robin couldn't help but smirk as he nodded. Being recognized never really got old.
"Yeah," Robin replied. "Who are you?"
"Peter," the other guy said promptly. Robin raised an eyebrow, and the boy froze, glancing down at what he was wearing. "Shit. I mean – Spider-Man." Robin couldn't help but to smile at Spider-Man's dismayed tone.
"New to this?" he asked the other boy. The other boy shifted his feet, ducking his head and nodding in a sheepish manner. Despite his name, Robin could tell from Spider-Man's voice and mannerisms that he was still a teenager – a little older than Robin himself, maybe. But not by much.
"So, um…" Spider-Man looked around. "What's going on? Why are we here – where are we?" Robin shrugged, opening his mouth to admit that he had no clue either. Before he could speak, the hum of an approaching engine caught the two boys' attention. Spider-Man seemed to anticipate the car even before Robin did, and he tugged Robin down behind the cover of a nearby rock.
Robin and Spider-Man crouched behind a rock, watching as the Humvee went by. Next to Robin, Spider-Man stiffened, and it only took Robin a second to realize why. Looking at the car more closely, Robin could just make out Talia Stark's unconscious form. Robin swallowed hard, his eyes narrowing in concern. He wasn't sure what Talia Stark was doing there – wherever they were, being kidnapped by Bialyan soldiers, but it certainly didn't leave him feeling good.
"That was Talia Stark," Spider-Man said quietly, looking at Robin. He didn't know Talia super well yet, but the two of them were on the way to becoming friends, and he was concerned. Robin nodded, his lips pressed together in concern.
"I know," he replied. Although he'd never met Talia while in uniform, he knew her fairly well as Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark had known each other a long time, both as business partners and as friends. "I wonder what they want with her." Spider-Man frowned underneath his mask.
"Nothing good, I'm guessing," he said darkly. He paused. "Uh, who are those guys, anyways?" Robin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He had recognized the uniforms almost immediately, but something about them wasn't sitting right with him.
"Those were Bialyan Republican Army uniforms," he responded. He shook his head, pulling up a map on his holographic computer display to check their location. "But what are Bialyans doing in –" Robin cut himself off, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized were they were. "Bialya!" Spider-Man arched an eyebrow, looking at Robin's map for himself. Sure enough, the Boy Wonder was right.
"Better question – what the heck are we doing in Bialya?" Robin nodded, his eyes falling on yet another piece of disconcerting information.
"Even better question – what are we doing in September? What happened to March?" Spider-Man frowned, momentarily speechless. He had no idea what was going on, but all he knew was that Aunt May was going to kill him.
"Maybe we should call for help," Robin muttered, raising a hand to his comm. Spider-Man nodded in agreement, briefly wondering if he had his phone with him. Before he could look, Robin was speaking again, "Actually, never mind – I just remembered Batman ordering me to maintain radio silence." Spider-Man sighed. He was guessing disobeying an order from Batman was a very bad idea.
"Okay then. Now what?" Robin stood up, and Spider-Man followed the younger boy. He leapt off of the rock they had been standing on, flipping through the air with impressive ease. He landed in a crouch on the ground, and Spider-Man leapt down after him. As he landed, the mutate noticed a scrap of fabric on the rock in front of them.
"What's that?" Spider-Man asked, pointing at it. Robin walked over and knelt down, picking up the scrap of fabric and examining it. Once the Boy Wonder had smoothed out the wrinkles of the fabric, Spider-Man recognized it immediately.
It was Superman's shield – but the red symbol was printed against a black background instead of a blue one, without the typical yellow accents. Spider-Man frowned, glancing at Robin, but the other boy seemed at a loss for words as well. Frowning, Robin tucked the scrap into his utility belt.
"Now what?" Spider-Man asked, turning towards Robin expectantly. The other boy seemed more comfortable with the situation, if just as confused, and Spider-Man was more than willing to be a follower instead of a leader. He wasn't sure how much experience he'd gained in the six months that he couldn't remember, but with the memories Spider-Man currently had, he was still in the midst of proving himself as more than "a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
Robin didn't answer immediately. He was consulting with his holographic computer again, looking at a blinking blip on the map. He touched it with his finger, indicating to Spider-Man the location.
"I put a GPS tracker here for some reason," the Boy Wonder responded, frowning at the marker. "But I can't remember why."
"Seems to be a theme of today," Spider-Man said with a shake of his head and a sigh. Robin cracked a grin, standing back up. He looked over the horizon of the desert, confirmed the location on his tracker and then started walking.
"Come on," he called, glancing at the other boy. "We better get moving – this thing is miles away."
Spider-Man and Robin had been walking for most of the day, and Spider-Man had never been more grateful for his enhanced strength and thus enhanced endurance. The sand provided zero traction, so just walking at a normal pace was much more difficult. Not to mention that it was hot.
He was very impressed with Robin's ability to keep moving despite the boy's lack of powers, although Spider-Man doubted he should be surprised. The guy was trained by Batman, after all.
"I wish I could remember why I put a GPS tracker down," Robin muttered as the two boys jogged up the sand dunes. No sooner than the words had left Robin's mouth that did a large…something placed between the dunes come into view. Robin and Spider-Man instinctively dropped to the ground, crouching behind a mound of sand for cover. "Huh," Robin said. "I'm guessing that's why."
"Yeah, no kidding," Spider-Man hissed back. "But what is that thing?" Robin peeked up from behind the dune, frowning.
"One way to find out," he muttered back, propelling himself upward and over the dune. Spider-Man followed the younger boy quickly, landing just behind Robin as a several soldiers appeared suddenly from where they'd been concealed underneath the sand. Spider-Man's eyes widened.
One of the soldiers shouted something in another language, and they began to rush towards Robin and Spider-Man. The Boy Wonder frowned, throwing down a smoke bomb. The soldiers immediately began to cough and hack as the place flooded with dark, thick smoke.
Spider-Man's mask thankfully filtered most of the smoke out, and he was able to see enough to web up one of the guys' guns before knocking him out. Sensing another of the soldiers sneaking up behind him, Spider-Man shot out his web over his shoulder, pulling the guy forward harshly so he face-planted into the ground hard enough to knock him out.
It was clear at first that the soldiers were going somewhat easy on the two boys. Despite their guns, none of them were firing shots at either of the young heroes. At least, they didn't until Spider-Man and Robin had taken out about half the brigade within minutes.
One of the Bialyans shouted out. He was clearly annoyed at his lack of success, and willing to take more desperate measures. The other soldiers responded to his order, beginning to shoot at Robin and Spider-Man immediately. Spider-Man instinctively raised his hand to shoot a web to pull him away, before realizing that he was in the desert without any assistance from skyscrapers as a quick-getaway.
Before Spider-Man could panic, his eyes caught a blur speeding in from behind the sand dunes. A disembodied voice, sounding like a teenage boy, spoke as the blur swept around the clearing, taking guns from the soldiers and tossing them aside. Spider-Man blinked in surprise and awe, and one of the soldiers took the opportunity to punch him in the face.
Spider-Man groaned, stumbling off-balance briefly. He quickly righted himself and then punched back, sending the guy flying backwards and into the sand. Spinning around, Spider-Man shot a web into another guy's chest, and then planted his feet. Hanging onto the web, he twirled around, throwing the guy like a hammer into one of his other adversaries. Both of the soldiers collapsed in a heap.
Within minutes, Spider-Man and the other people who had arrived managed to take out the soldiers easily. Once the last guy had been knocked down, thanks to an arrow shot by a blonde girl wearing green Kevlar, Robin walked over to the redhead boy dressed in black.
"KF!" he greeted the other boy enthusiastically. The two boys high-fived. "Man, it's good to see a familiar face." The redhead grinned, clearly also happy to see his friend.
"Hey, Rob!" he greeted the younger boy. He glanced around at the unconscious soldiers before looking back to Robin and sobering up. "Memory loss?" Robin nodded, the eyes of his domino mask very wide.
"Six months!" he replied, shaking his head incredulously. He motioned to Spider-Man behind him. "This guy too." Everyone's eyes fell on Spider-Man, and he lifted his hand sheepishly, a small grin on his face underneath his mask.
"Uh, hey." Spider-Man was trying to act nonchalant, but in reality he was a little shell-shocked. He put together that the redhead Robin had called 'KF' was Kid Flash, the Flash's partner. He didn't recognize the green-clad archer girl, or the green-skinned redhead, but he could make an educated guess that they were affiliated with Green Arrow and the Martian Manhunter respectively, based on their outfits and abilities.
What the heck was he doing with a bunch of Justice Leaguer's partners?
"Let's hog-tie these creeps and compare notes," Robin said, nodding at the soldiers strewn around them. The group of five teenagers made quick work of dragging the soldiers from where they'd been knocked out into a pile. Robin produced some rope from his utility belt, and they tied the Bialyans into a circle. As they worked, Miss Martian – as she'd introduced herself – filled the others in on what she remembered.
"So we're a team?" Robin asked, propping his hands on his hips as he absorbed Miss Martian's information. The Martian nodded.
"Yup! Plus Superboy," she replied. She glanced at Spider-Man sheepishly. "Um, at least the four of us are," she said, motioning to herself, Robin, Artemis, and Kid Flash. She smiled apologetically at Spider-Man. "I don't remember you, sorry." Spider-Man shrugged, not really offended, but admittedly more confused. If he wasn't part of the team, then what the hell was he doing here with them?
"Superboy," Robin said thoughtfully. He held up the scrap of fabric that he and Spider-Man had stumbled upon earlier that day, showing it to the others. "Then this must be his!" Miss Martian's eyes widened, and she grinned, grabbing it from Robin.
"Yes!" she replied, excitement coloring her voice. She frowned at it, looking back at Robin. "Did you see him?" The archer – Artemis – frowned for a moment, thinking. After a few seconds she nodded, her eyes widening with realization.
"I think we did!" she exclaimed, looking at Kid Flash. The speedster scowled, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought.
"Feral boy?" he asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully. He scoffed, shaking his head. "Some teammate. He attacked us!" Artemis rolled her eyes, shoving Kid Flash gently.
"He didn't know who we were," she reminded the speedster. She shook her head, pointing at herself. "I don't know who we are!" Robin frowned, cupping his chin. He recalled his earlier fragment of a memory from that day, looking up at the others.
"I remember Batman ordering radio silence," Robin said, glancing at Spider-Man. "Our team must work for him!" Kid Flash smirked, stepping forward.
"How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" he asked, tapping his chest pointedly. As he did so, he hit the lightning bolt emblem on his chest, and his suit changed from black to bright yellow and red. Kid Flash's eyes stretched wide, and he hit the emblem again. "Wow," he said, as his suit changed back to black. "This is so cool!"
Spider-Man frowned as the others began to tap their suits, trying to change their colors. The tech was oddly familiar…frowning, Spider-Man tapped his own emblem, testing his theory. Sure enough, his suit changed from black and red to the familiar blue and red. Realization dawning on him, Spider-Man looked up.
"That's Mr. Stark's tech!" Spider-Man exclaimed. He frowned. "Um, you know – Iron Man." Spider-Man scratched his head, confused. "But why do you guys have it? Mr. Stark's an Avenger, not a Leaguer." True, the League and the Avengers sometimes collaborated, but Mr. Stark didn't have much reason to share tech with the League - they had their own resources. Kid Flash's mouth dropped open, bypassing Spider-Man's question to react to his statement.
"Tony Stark made my suit?" the ginger asked, his voice pitching high in excitement. He tapped the emblem again, his grin widening even further. "Sweet!" Artemis scowled, knocking Kid Flash's hand away from his chest.
"We look ridiculous!" she said. Kid Flash ignored her, raising his hand to touch his suit one more time, changing it back to the black stealth-tech. Artemis rolled her eyes, irritated at the ginger's antics. "Quit touching yourself!" she snapped at him. Spider-Man was ignored their exchange. He was distracted, thinking.
"Talia Stark is here," he added, looking at others. He motioned to Robin. "We saw her earlier today – the Bialyans have her." Miss Martian frowned, placing a finger on her lips as she thought.
"I don't remember a Talia," Miss Martian mused, the name unfamiliar in her mouth. "It could be a coincidence." Spider-Man frowned, feeling doubtful. He pointed to Kid Flash.
"He's wearing her father's tech," he pointed out. "And if she's here and I'm here, we were working together. If Kid Flash has Mr. Stark's tech, then all of us must be working together." Miss Martian nodded slowly, shrugging. Robin spoke up.
"Even if Talia's with us, with us," Robin said, motioning to the group of them pointedly. "We need to help her. I can imagine what the Bialyans want her for, and it's nothing good. She may not be as experienced as her father, but she's plenty smart enough to do whatever they want her to if she's under enough duress." Spider-Man frowned, unconvinced.
"Talia doesn't break that easy," he said, crossing his arms. Still, he was concerned. If Talia didn't do what they wanted, maybe they'd just kill her…Robin seemed to be reaching the same conclusion, because the two of them looked at each other with similar dark expressions.
Artemis sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. "We need our memories back!" She said. The others mumbled in agreement, and Miss Martian shifted uncomfortably, frowning. After a moment of careful deliberation, she nodded to herself, raising her hands to her head and focusing.
Spider-Man started, surprised. Suddenly, he and the others weren't standing in the desert clearing under the night sky anymore. They were standing on a platform, surrounded by floating images that looked like fractured glass. Miss Martian's voice filled the "room."
"I've brought you into my mind," she said as she appeared in front of them. She wasn't there in a physical form, instead she looked like a glowing pillar of light. But her voice was loud and clear. "To share what I've remember so far." She appeared in front of them in her normal humanoid form as she finished speaking. "But I need your help," she continued. "Together our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine."
"You want to paw through our private thoughts?" Artemis asked, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest. It was clear that the archer felt uncomfortable with this prospect. Miss Martian noticed her teammate's discomfort and raised her hands.
"I have no wish to intrude!" she assured the others hastily, her eyes wide and sincere. "But –"
"You need to hack our minds to figure out what happened to us," Robin finished, a smile on his face. He propped his hands on his hips, shrugging easily. "Got it. Go!" Spider-Man nodded.
"Sure," he agreed, shrugging. He didn't really have much to hide – sure, he had a secret identity, but he'd already introduced himself to Robin as Peter. Besides, if they were working for the League he knew they could be trusted, even if he wasn't actually working with them. Kid Flash smirked at Miss Martian.
"My mind's all yours," Kid Flash said with a flirtatious grin at the girl. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you." Robin smirked, rolling his eyes beneath his domino mask.
"Or underwhelm you," Robin snickered, shooting a look at his friend. The speedster protested, but Robin didn't reply. The Boy Wonder paused, frowning as he seemed to consider something. "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"
Artemis shifted her feet, clearly still uncomfortable by the prospect of the invasion of privacy. Noticing this, Kid Flash walked over, taking Artemis's hand in his own. She looked up at him, clearly surprised. Kid Flash smiled comfortingly, giving Artemis a reassuring squeeze with his hand. The blonde looked down, a small smile on her face. She nodded her head, looking back up at Miss Martian.
"Last six months only," she acquiesced. "And only what you need!" Miss Martian nodded her head, reassuring the blonde that she wouldn't intrude more than she had to. Taking a deep breath to concentrate, Miss Martian closed her eyes and stretched her hands out.
Spider-Man's eyes widened in awe as four glowing hands came out of the Martian girl's head, each one attaching itself to the head of the other four teens. Spider-Man grimaced in surprise at the odd tugging sensation in his brain as he opened his mind to her telepathy.
"Just in time for your next mission," Batman was telling someone. He glanced to the side, and Spider-Man and Artillery came into view. Batman nodded towards the two teenagers, waving them forwards. "But first…meet your new teammate." Everyone turned towards Spider-Man, and the teenager shifted his weight, raising his hand in a quick wave.
"Uh, hey, everyone," he said. "I'm Spider-Man." Next to the boy, Artillery smiled, glancing at her friend delightedly.
"There was a power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman continued, turning towards the Team. "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site…what landed there. Bialya is a rogue state, ruled by Queen Bee."
Batman changed the picture on the holographic computer, displaying an image of a beautiful but imperious-looking woman. "It is not a member of the League's UN charter. All communications are subject to intervention. Maintain radio silence at all times."
"Guess I should shut off JARVIS and Karen, then," Artillery commented, glancing at Spider-Man. "The AIs are good, but still hackable." Batman nodded, and Artillery set to work, disabling the two AIs that advised the teenagers.
The scenery of the memory shifted, changing to the desert landscape of Bialya that had become familiar over the last few hours. Still, Batman's voice echoed in the memory, reminding the teenagers of their mission details.
"You'll land in Qurac," Batman said. "On Bialya's border, two klicks from the hot zone."
"All clear," Robin announced, standing up from where he was crouched in the sand. Spider-Man turned, looking at the BioShip. Superboy was bringing down the computer-like machine that they'd found at the clearing – it must have been them who had set it up. The heavy computer was strapped to Superboy's back, and he carried it like it weighed nothing.
"Set up here," an unfamiliar voice ordered Superboy, who lowered the machine down onto the spot they'd found it at. Superboy placed it down and began to turn it on, fiddling with the knobs at the side of the machine. Artillery and Robin each began to work at it, typing on the computers at either end of the machine.
"We'll be up and running in no time," Robin said confidently. Kid Flash leaned over Robin's shoulder, and Spider-Man looked on over Artillery's.
"Jackpot!" Kid Flash crowed, staring at the results on Robin's screen. "This place is lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation." Spider-Man frowned, pointing at something else on Artillery's results.
"What's that?" he asked his friend. Artillery had noticed it as well. She observed the odd readings, recalling Batman's words from earlier. She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of her teammates.
"I'm detecting non-terrestrial trace elements," she called out. She frowned. "Hang on, let me get a lock on where they're coming from…" Artillery's fingers sped over the keys for another moment and then she nodded. "From the tent," she announced, meaning the suspicious looking tent that the Team had scouted earlier that night. Miss Martian walked over, raising her hand.
"I'll check it out in camouflage mode," she volunteered.
"Good idea," the unfamiliar voice said again. Superboy frowned, his eyes narrowing in concern. He looked at the Martian, a hint of worry on his face.
"Be careful," he cautioned the girl, making Miss Martian smile. A new person came into the memory, putting a face to the unfamiliar voice that had been speaking before.
"And maintain telepathic contact," he ordered Miss Martian, giving the green-skinned girl a nod of approval. It was clear he was in charge: the team leader. Miss Martian nodded her head, pulling her blue hood over her head and vanishing from sight.
"I will, Aqualad."
All at once, the Team members came out of the memory. Spider-Man glanced at his new teammates to see that their eyes were wide with horror as well.
"Aqualad!" they exclaimed at once, now remembering their absent leader. Spider-Man frowned, trying in vain to remember where Aqualad might be. He glanced at the others, but no one else seemed to have a clue either.
"Where is he?" Robin asked, turning towards Miss Martian. "What happened next?" Miss Martian shook her head, her eyes wide with distress and confusion.
"I don't know," she replied, sounding concerned as well. "That's the last thing I – we – remember." Kid Flash and Artemis both glanced down, quickly realizing that they were holding hands. Both of them pulled away from each other, looking a mixture of embarrassed and disgusted.
"We landed twenty-four hours ago," Kid Flash said, rubbing the back of his neck to try and cover up his awkward interaction with Artemis. "If he's been wandering the desert that long, well…" The speedster grimaced, shaking his head gravely. "That's not good for a guy with gills." Robin frowned, pulling his holographic computer back up.
"Now that I know to look for him," he murmured to himself as he typed on the keyboard. He glanced at the blip on his map, frowning with concern. "He's close! But he's not moving." Robin glanced at the map again. "This way!" he said, turning and leading the Team west.
The others followed Robin, moving as quickly as they could to reach their ailing friend. It only took them about fifteen minutes to find their leader, but it was immediately clear that he was in bad shape. Aqualad was unconscious, mumbling in a language Spider-Man didn't recognize: likely Atlantean.
Miss Martian knelt down by the Atlantean, supporting his head and checking his pulse. Her lips pursed in concern as she examined the older boy.
"I can't restore his memories in this condition," she said fretfully, placing a hand on his forehead gently. Aqualad didn't acknowledge her touch or the Team's presence. He kept mumbling to himself, whispering the same words over and over.
"He needs immediate re-hydration!" Robin replied urgently, checking Aqualad's vitals on his holo-computer. "Call the BioShip." Miss Martian shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed together in concern.
"It's out of range," she explained. She thought for a moment, and then turned around to look at their resident speedster hopefully. "But you can get him there fast!" Kid Flash shook his head regretfully as he surveyed Aqualad.
"He's too heavy," he explained with a sigh. "And I'm too low of fuel." The speedster did sound somewhat out of breath, even just from standing around. "Right now, I couldn't even carry her," he said, motioning to Artemis. Artemis rolled her eyes, shoving the speedster. She glanced at Miss Martian.
"Why not just levitate him back?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Miss Martian shook her head, gently lowering Aqualad back down onto the sand. She stood up, facing the other teenagers.
"I can't," she replied. "I have to find Superboy." Seeing the incredulous looks on her friends' faces, she continued hastily, "Six months ago, he didn't exist – he has no memories! Just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him." Kid Flash stared at the Martian, shocked at her refusal.
"Superboy is indestructible!" he pointed out. "Just ask those tanks! It's Aqualad who needs your help – like now!" Miss Martian frowned, unconvinced. She was about to say something when suddenly she cried out, doubling over in pain as she gripped her head.
"Woah!" Spider-Man said, startled. He touched her shoulder gently. "Um, you okay?"
"No!" she shouted, her eyes opening wide with horror. Spider-Man recoiled, taking a step back in surprise. "Superboy's in pain!" Before anyone could respond to that statement, or try to reason with the Martian girl further, Miss Martian had taken off into the night sky and was flying away. Spider-Man watched her go, sighing. It was clear that she had a bit of a one-track mind when it came to Superboy.
"M'gann, wait!" Artemis shouted futilely after their friend. The other girl ignored Artemis's call, not even looking back over her shoulder. Robin cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting after the Martian as well.
"We still don't know what erased our memories!" he yelled, his voice echoing out over the sand. "It could happen again!" Miss Martian still didn't respond or return. After a moment of tense silence, Robin sighed. He turned back around to look at each other as Spider-Man knelt next to Aqualad, feeling the older boy's pulse.
"So what now?" he asked, looking at the others. Robin glanced at his holographic computer, typing something in. Another blip came up on the screen and he pointed to it with a sigh.
"Well, that's the BioShip," he said. "Let's try to get Kaldur back there."
After some quick searching around the area, the Team managed to find some rubble and sticks to fashion a crude stretcher. They shifted Aqualad's unconcious body onto it, and Spider-Man carefully secured the Atlantean with some webs around the waist to ensure that he wouldn't fall. Robin and Artemis led the way, and Spider-Man and Kid Flash pulled Aqualad behind them, the bottom of the stretcher dragging through the sand.
They made relatively good time as they walked. Spider-Man had enhanced strength, so combined with Kid Flash's assistance, Aqualad wasn't too heavy. Still, the Team moved as quickly as they could. Aqualad needed medical attention as soon as possible.
They hadn't been moving long when an all-too-familiar tingle shot up Spider-Man's spine, making his head buzz. He froze, glancing around suspiciously. He didn't see anyone, but he knew that they were close.
"Guys," he hissed. "Someone's coming." The others looked towards him in surprise, and Spider-Man glanced around for a place to hide. He pointed to a large rock. "Quick, over there!" The Team ducked behind the shelter just as some blips on Robin's radar came into view. Robin frowned at the radar, his eyes wide as he looked back at Spider-Man.
"How'd you know?" he asked Spider-Man, surprised. The other boy shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't sure how his Spidey-Sense worked, just that it did. His friend Shuri had a lot of theories, but none that she'd managed to prove thus far.
"I just do," he replied quietly, glancing around. "I don't really know how it works." Aqualad began to mumble in Atlantean again, gasping in between words. He sounded like he was in pain. Artemis shushed the leader gently, placing a hand on his forehead.
"Sh, Kaldur," she whispered. "Quiet now." Robin peeked out from behind the rock they were concealed behind. The Boy Wonder's masked eyes scanned the number of soldiers, and he grit his teeth.
"We can't risk a fire fight with Aquald KO'd like this," he muttered, concerned. Kid Flash sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's not just him," the speedster said regretfully. He shook his head, exhausted. "I'm way out of juice." Artemis nodded her head, glancing back at her quiver to check out her ammo situation.
"And I'm almost out of arrows!" she agreed. Spider-Man opened his mouth to agree, but then jumped when he realized Robin was nowhere to be seen. He spun around, looking for the Boy Wonder in vain.
"What the hell?" he whisper-shouted, turning back to look at the other two with wide eyes. Artemis looked shocked as well, but Kid Flash just sighed and lowered his head into his hands.
"I forgot how much I hate it when he does the ninja thing," the speedster said with a shake of his head. He glanced back at Artemis, a small frown flickering onto his face. "Hey," he said suddenly, like he was just remembering something. "You never said why your dad would want you to kill me." He made a slashing motion across his throat as he spoke, and Artemis shrugged, looking away. Spider-Man's eyes widened. That was...interesting.
"I got confused," she said defensively. She thumbed the edge of her bow. "By, uh, some old movie I saw the other night. About a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend…because he's from a rival ninja clan." Spider-Man raised his eyebrows underneath his mask, and Kid Flash smirked.
"So, I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?" Artemis glared at the speedster, her grey eyes icy at Kid Flash's suggestive tone.
"Hey, amnesia, remember?" she snapped back, shaking her head. "I completely forgot how truly annoying you are." Kid Flash rolled his eyes, glaring right back at the archer.
"Oh, cause you're the goddess of congeniality." Spider-Man couldn't help but smile underneath his mask at their argument. Before the two could continue sniping at each other, Spider-Man was alerted to the reappearance of Robin by his Spidey-Sense. He spun around – sure enough, Robin was ducking back behind the rock.
"Yeesh,"the Boy Wonder said, shaking his head. "Get a room!" Robin glanced at Spider-Man curiously. The guy hadn't noticed Robin disappearing, but he'd noticed him reappearing. And he seemed to have an innate sense of when danger was coming…which was interesting. Kid Flash turned to glare at his friend.
"Dude! Where were you?" Robin smirked evilly, breaking from his train of thought and glancing over his shoulder.
"Breaking radio silence," he responded. As if on cue, a creepy giggle that sounded very much like the Boy Wonder began to play. It echoed around the desert, bouncing off the tall cliffs and empty sand. Spider-Man's eyes widened, and he glanced at Robin in surprise.
"Dude," he said, shaking his head. "That's freaky." Robin shrugged, grinning. Suddenly, the giggles cut short and there was a loud boom, followed up an explosion of smoke and the startled coughs of soldiers. Robin nodded.
"That's our cue," he said, beckoning his friends. "Let's go!"
For the second time that day, Talia woke up with no idea where she was. This time, however, she was lying on an uncomfortable cot instead of the sand. Sitting up slowly, she struggled to get her bearings. She recalled what had happened earlier that day, and grimaced. Talia rubbed the side of her neck, which was still sore from the needle.
Talia cast her eyes around warily, her heart hammering in her chest. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd been kidnapped. Groaning, Talia cradled her head in her hands, trying to think.
She'd been kidnapped for one of two reasons: either someone wanted an upper hand on her father, or they wanted her to build something. Both were possible, but the first one was slightly more probable. No one actually knew that Talia had the same capabilities as an inventor that he father did, they just assumed. Talia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and struggling to focus. She needed to get out of here.
Once again, Talia's eyes fell on the arc reactor in her chest. Her irritation spiked as she stared at the glowing blue device in an accusatory manner. After all, if she'd just known how to work the damn thing, she wouldn't be in this situation.
"Come on," Talia muttered, glaring at the arc reactor on her chest. "Why won't you work?" Growling in frustration, Talia rolled her eyes. "What, am I supposed to will the armor in existence?" Talia paused, something occurring to her. Taking a deep breath, Talia mulled that over.
Actually, it wasn't a terrible idea. Talia knew that she was missing some memory. Maybe in that time she was missing, Shuri had helped make this suit…Talia knew that Shuri had invented vibranium suits for her brother that responded to his mental commands. Maybe this one did the same.
Talia closed her eyes, imagining the armor over her body. She wasn't really expecting anything to happen; she was grasping at straws at this point, but it was worth a try. To her surprise, Talia felt a slight prickle over her body, and when she opened her eyes, she realized that it had actually worked.
Lifting her hands in front of her face, Talia stared the armor in surprise. It was sleeker, less segmented and even more aerodynamic than the one her father had created for her. It felt far lighter and more comfortable too – almost like it was a part of Talia herself.
Grinning, Talia raised her hand. It was far past time to get out of wherever the hell she was. Readying her repulsors, Talia fired a blast at the door, easily destroying it. She stepped out of the room. Immediately, alarms began to blare and armed soldiers poured out of surrounding rooms, aiming their guns at her. Imagining the helmet forming over her face, Talia stepped farther into gunfire.
The bullets peppered her suit, bouncing off harmlessly as she walked through the hallways, knocking soldiers aside as she did so. She walked out of the hallway and into the main room of wherever she was being held - actually, it looked like a tent of some kind.
Stepping into the main room, Talia could see a bunch of scientists in lab coats running experiments. Talia's eyes swept the room, and she frowned, realizing what – or rather who – the scientists were running experiments on.
One was a teenage boy, not much older than Talia herself, and the other was a spherical machine: a seemingly sentient machine. Both the boy and the machine were expressing their pain – the boy was shouting, and the machine was spinning around rapidly, whirring loudly and plaintively. Talia watched, horrified, and in her moment of distraction, one of the scientists jabbed her in the back with an electric current.
Talia cried out in pain and shock as the armor dissolved around her – to her surprise, it descended underneath her skin. She whirled around, looking at the scientist who had shocked her.
"That's impossible," she muttered, mostly to herself. The armor was protected against EMPs and most other things that disabled normal machines. The scientist smirked.
"Not anymore, thanks to an old friend of your father's," the man said. Talia frowned, but she didn't have time to mull over what he meant. One of the other scientists grabbed her, pulling her backwards away from their experimentations. Another of the scientists turned a dial on the machine, and the electric currents shocking the boy and the spherical machine picked up.
"You're hurting them!" Talia shouted, looking from the spherical machine to the boy in distress. She struggled against the scientists holding her back, stretching a hand out helplessly towards the sphere. Talia shook her head, anger overwhelming her. "No," she muttered to herself. "That's not right."
To Talia's surprise, as her anger built, the apparatus shocking the machine in front of her began to spark and crackle. Talia's eyes widened with shock, and the cracking noise vanished. It took Talia a moment to realize it was responding to her, to her anger. Frowning, Talia focused harder, curling her fingers and glaring at the machine in front of her until the bonds bent underneath her gaze.
Under her command, the machine shattered, sparking uselessly as the sphere broke out of its bonds, rolling onto the floor with a series of happy beeps. Talia blinked in surprise, exhaustion suddenly crashing over her as she went limp in the scientist's arms.
The sphere whirred, springing up over Talia's head and crashing into the machine that was holding the boy captive. With an angry yell, the boy tore through the remainders of his bonds and launched himself forward at his captors. Before he could attack, however, the boy froze, his gaze going blank.
Talia groaned, unable to fight back as the scientist dragged her backwards, exhausted from doing whatever she'd just done - broken a machine with her mind? The sphere she'd helped free saw what was happening and whirred angrily, zipping over and hitting the scientist in the back of the legs hard enough that he let go of Talia.
The girl toppled to the floor, hitting the dusty ground with an "ooph." As she did so, soldiers began to stream in, both from behind Talia where she'd been being held, and from outside the tent.
Closing her eyes briefly to concentrate, Talia focused on reforming the armor around herself. It was much slower this time, but as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, she managed to protect herself from being shot.
Bullets pinged off the metal of the armor. Instinctively, without thinking, Talia swept her arms out like she was shooing something away. A sonic wave dispersed from the arc reactor and repulsors of her armor, knocking several of the soldiers off their feet.
Behind the helmet, Talia blinked in surprise. She hadn't known she could do that, but apparently her muscle memory was still intact, even if her brain's memory wasn't. This was proven again, when a soldier crept up on her holding the same type of weapon that had taken out Talia's suit earlier.
Not falling for the same trick twice, Talia flicked her wrist outwards, as if she was tossing something underhand. From the underside of the armor's forearm, several little wires sprouted out and attached themselves to the soldier's chest. Talia clenched her hand into a fist, sending an electric charge through the wires and making her foe collapse.
Movement behind Talia made the girl whirl around. The boy from earlier was standing in front of her, his arm stretched out. Wary, Talia raised her hand, ready to blast the guy into oblivion if he took another step. His eyes stretched wide when he saw Talia ready to attack and he raised his hands carefully in a clear sign of surrender.
"Woah," he said, his palms flat and facing her. He took a slow step back, as if to prove he didn't mean any harm. "Artillery, it's me. It's Superboy." Talia raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Artillery? Really?
"Uh-huh," she replied. She doubted he was with her kidnappers, given that they'd been torturing him, but she was still suspicious. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Superboy nodded slowly.
"You're missing memory, too," he said, realizing slowly. "Okay, got it. But I'm your friend. And we're here with other friends, too. One of them can restore your memory, as soon as she's done taking care of the guy who took it." He motioned backwards to a very pale man with an exposed brain staring at an empty space in front of him. Talia scowled, letting her eyes flick off of Superboy for half of a second.
"There's no one there," she replied dubiously, after sparing a quick glance over her shoulder. Superboy glanced back, and then sighed.
"She's in camouflage mode right now." Talia arched an eyebrow, incredulous. Superboy muttered a curse under his breath, but before he could finish arguing with Talia, a green twister began to spiral through the room. Talia cried out, sliding backwards against the ground in the strong wind. Superboy's eyes went wide, and he spun around. "M'gann," he muttered, turning away from Talia and leaping into the twister.
"What the actual hell is happening?" Talia muttered, trying to fight against the strong winds buffeting her. She planted her feet in the ground, beginning to slide backwards despite the heavy suit.
Responding to her situation, the nanites of the suit formed claw-like tendrils on the sides of each boot, digging into the ground and holding Talia in place. Raising her hands against the wind, Talia grit her teeth, trying to see what was happening through the swirling dust.
The twister picked up in intensity, the wind blowing so hard that the nanites of the suit began to creak ominously. Talia winced as they did so, pain flashing through her as if part of her own body was breaking. Instinctively retracting the tendrils that kept her rooted to the ground, Talia found herself helpless against the twister as it thrashed her back and forth. She flew backwards, tearing through the thin fabric of the tent and landing hard on the sand.
The armor took most of the impact, but Talia was jostled against the hard metal as she landed, and she winced. Almost as suddenly as it had started, the winds from the twister died down and the storm vanished completely.
Talia pushed herself up, retracting the helmet and rubbing the back of her head with a wince. As she sat up, the sphere rolled over to Talia. It beeped in a concerned manner. Grimacing, Talia stood up slowly. She exhaled, patting the sphere on the top absent-mindedly. It hummed underneath her touch, like it was happy.
"I'm good, thanks," she muttered. She cast her eyes over the clearing. Rubble from the tent's implosion was surrounding her in the sand, and she could see Superboy a little way away. He was cradling a green-skinned girl in his arms. Talia was willing to bet that was the "friend" that was going to help her. She looked like a Martian.
Sighing, Talia headed over to the other two teenagers. She wasn't positive she trusted Superboy, but she knew that she didn't really have another choice. As Talia approached, she could see the two teenagers leaning closer to one another. Talia put her hands on her hips.
"'Scuse me," she called out, smirking when the two teenagers jerked apart to stare at Talia. The two looked a mixture of surprised, embarrassed, and annoyed. Talia briefly wondered if it had been very rude to interrupt them, and then decided that there were more pressing matters than their hormones.
Still, Talia chose not to comment on their obvious near-kiss, seeing how flustered the two were. "If you guys are you say you are, I'd kind of like my memories back." The green-skinned girl nodded, clambering to her feet.
"Hello, Megan!" she said. "Of course." She approached Talia hesitantly, and Talia set her jaw, preparing herself for the feeling of telepathy. She'd felt the effects of the Scarlet Witch's telepathy once when she was younger, back before Wanda had become an Avenger. It hadn't been pleasant and had kind of left a bad taste in her mouth. Still, Talia knew that this was necessary.
The Martian placed her hands on either side of Talia's forehead, her fingertips a gentle weight against Talia's temples. Talia closed her eyes as the other girl's began to glow white. Talia's eyebrows creased slightly in discomfort. She felt a tugging sensation, as though her brain was being parted. Slowly, she began to remember.
Talia stood up from her lab table, jamming her baseball cap onto her head. "JARVIS," she said, her eyes fiery. "Prep my suit. We're going to Cadmus."
"Weapon designation: Superboy," Talia announced, looking up at Superman's clone inside of his pod. She glanced at the other teenagers in surprise, waiting for one of the proteges to speak.
Standing in front of her new friends' mentors from the Justice League, as well as her father, Talia lifted her chin defiantly. "We will continue to do this with or without your 'blessing.' So you might as well give it."
Talia stood in the mission room of the Cave, turning around as Batman introduced Miss Martian. Talia grinned at the other girl, walking over to meet her.
The Team was blown back by a lightning bolt from Mister Twister, knocking all of them unconscious, completely at Twister's mercy.
"Miss, may I ask what you're doing with that Extremis vial?" JARVIS asked disapprovingly as Artillery piloted the suit out of a factory.
"Later, J."
Talia had successfully re-engineered the Extremis virus. She grinned, admiring her work as she looked at the vial in her hands. But her success was short-lived, as she was forced to destroy it only hours later.
Laying on her back in the destroyed lab, the Extremis rushed through Talia's veins, fixing her internal injuries and stabilizing her until help arrived. In surgery, Dr. Cho and her team removed the chip blocking Talia's powers. Immediately, her body began to manipulate the technology present in the arc reactor, binding the power source to her body in order to keep her heart beating, pumping blood through her veins. The nanites from the suit flowed into her blood stream, into her bones.
She was part of the machine now. The machine was part of her.
"You're a mutant, Talia." Professor Xavier's eyes were sad and sincere as he spoke, recalling Talia's mother, his former student,"Your mother was a mutant. One of the first X-Men."
"Artillery," Batman's voice sounded over the comm. in the girl's ear. Talia paused in the hallways of her new school, listening to the Leaguer. "Report to the Cave as soon as possible. Bring your friend."
Spider-Man slid into the Zeta-Tube, eyeing the machine suspiciously. Artillery grinned at his concerned expression.
"There was a power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman announced, turning towards the Team.
Artillery blinked her eyes open, watching as the glow faded from Miss Martian's eyes. Miss Martian lowered her hands and stepped back, looking at Artillery expectantly. Artillery grinned at her friend, nodding to confirm that it had worked.
"Thanks," Artillery said, rubbing her temples gently. "That's much better." Miss Martian giggled, clearly pleased at the successful way the mission had ended. Sure, it had gone to shit in the middle, but they'd managed to pull it together in the end.
"We should get back to the others," Miss Martian said. Artillery nodded in agreement. The sphere next to her whirred incessantly, rolling around in place. Superboy looked at the machine fondly, a small smile stretched across his face.
"Can I keep it?" he asked eagerly, grinning. Artillery snorted at the Boy of Steel's eager question. She glanced at the machine next to her, smiling as well. She'd kinda grown attached to it as well.
"I vote yes," she replied, putting her hands on her hips. "But given that M'gann's the one who'll have to live with it..." Artillery motioned towards the Martian. The other girl sighed, and then laughed. She nodded her head, gently patting the sphere on the top. "Sweet," Artillery said, powering up her flight thrusters. "Let's get going."
Artillery purposefully didn't offer Superboy a ride, instead letting Miss Martian wrap an arm around Superboy's shoulders. The girl blushed as she touched his bare skin, looking away as she rose into the sky with Superboy. Artillery let the helmet form over her face to hide her smirk as she rose into the air after them.
The three young heroes flew across the desert, Miss Martian leading the way back to the BioShip where the rest of their teammates were waiting. The sphere rolled beneath the three teens, beeping happily as it followed them. Artillery couldn't help but admire the machinery of the sphere. It was sleek, and clearly well-made enough that sand either didn't get through the cracks, or didn't bother the machine.
Either way, it was impressive.
'Hey everybody!' Miss Martian cheerful voice rang through Artillery's head, making her start slightly. The Martian had re-established the mental link without saying anything. 'I've got Superboy and Artillery! They're back to normal and we're on our way!'
'Awesome -" Spider-Man began, only to be cut off by Aqualad.
'Who are you?' Aqualad's shocked voice rang through the mental link, his surprise evident. 'And how did you get inside my head?'
'Hello, Megan!' Miss Martian exclaimed, slapping herself on the forehead as she laughed. 'Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something!'
'Aw, man!' Kid Flash cried suddenly. 'Me too! I didn't get a souvenir from the mission!' Artillery snorted, glancing down at the sphere rolling happily beneath the three teenagers.
'I think we got the souvenir thing covered,' she replied, amused. The rolling sphere beeped as though it had heard Artillery's response, and the girl laughed again. Flipping over and spiraling in midair, Artillery flipped her face plate up and smirked at Miss Martian challengingly.
"Race ya!"
The pale-skinned telepath was reporting to his superiors. He stood in front of the panel of screens, his head hanging low. The telepath was ashamed by his defeat: the Martian was vastly inexperienced compared to himself, and his defeat was embarressing.
He couldn't bring himself to look at his superiors. Even if he had, he wouldn't be able to see the looks on their faces, whether they be approving or disapproving. The screens in front of him displayed no faces, just vague shimmery shapes of glowing light. The person on the center screen spoke.
"Psimon. What has happened?"
"The Martian girl escaped with all three," the telepath – Psimon – replied guiltily. "The sphere, the Superboy, and Talia Stark." He lowered his head, expecting the harshest of reprimands, but to his surprise received none.
"That hardly matters," one of the screens said, a cool female voice. "What matters is the successful test of our new partner's delivery system." An image appeared behind Psimon, and he turned to look at it. A video displayed a portal opening, with the sphere falling through onto the sand. "More tech will come," the woman continued, sounding pleased. "Tech that will put the sphere, and perhaps even the Superboy to shame." Psimon frowned, unconvinced.
"And what of the girl?"
"L-8?" The woman asked, turning the question over to one of her colleagues. Admittedly, Talia Stark had proven herself in the time that they'd been watching her, but the rest of them still cared very little about the girl. But their partner was adamant of her usefulness. He chuckled darkly before responding.
"Talia Stark's escape is not a problem," the man, L-8, replied. "Indeed, tonight she showed greater potential than even I had ever hoped for her." Another video appeared on the screen behind Psimon, replaying Talia's powers as the girl managed to free the sphere using just her mind. The camera caught Talia's expression as she sagged against her captor's grip, exhaustion and bewilderment evident on her face.
"I had no idea she was capable of this," L-8 continued. "But it does seem that young Talia has inherited her mother's mutation." The surprise and awe in his voice was unmistakable, but it was underlain with a dark glee, a promise to exploit the power he saw before him.
"Then her escape was a happy mistake," said another of the blurry lights. It was another man's voice. "She clearly has not developed her powers thus far. Let her continue to learn." There was a sigh in response to this, and yet another of the screens spoke now. He sounded slightly displeased, and slightly bored.
"And you will continue to toy with her, I presume?" L-8 chuckled at this question.
"I assure you, I do not do it purely for my enjoyment," L-8 replied. "I believe Talia Stark will continue to play right into my hands."
dun dun duh...
anyways! there's bereft for you guys :)
if anyone's curious about timeline, i just wanted to mention that i've adjusted it slightly. so peter and talia are 15 and sophomores in high school. the events of "spider-man: homecoming" took place in the spring/early summer of their freshmen year in high school, like may-ish.
and...let me know in a review if you can guess who "L-8" is! GUESS GUESS!
it won't be a secret for long lol.
but seriously, drop me a review, let me know what you think. i love love LOVE hearing from you guys. it inspires me to write more knowing that people are enjoying it.
and if you're not enjoying it...let me know what i can fix! i'm here largely to learn how to become a better writer. constructive criticism is welcomed!
just talk to me? please? :) XD