To WitchLove: Yeah, I also hate Stane...part of the reason I made him the main villain XD. Deadpool may appear sort of cameo-style, because I do love him, but he probably won't be a main character.
To Bvh: Thanks! Here is the chapter, sorry for the wait.
To Guest: Yeah, I'm not sure about the whole Talia/Dick thing either. Here's the thing: I have so many AUs that feature Talia (like, SO many), and since her personality/character is based off her experiences, she's slightly different in all of them. There is a version of Talia paired with a version of Dick, but I'm not sure how compatible the YJ versions are, so I'm a little hesitant. My decision isn't completely final yet, but I do think I see them more as very close friends with a slightly flirtatious relationship? Like they're not completely platonic, but I don't really see them ever dating.
hack yasss it's zee zee time!
Disclaimer: I only own Talia.
MOUNT JUSTICE
October 10, 16:58 EDT
Artillery narrowed her eyes, holding her fists up in front of her face as she shifted backwards. Her cheekbone was smarting from where her opponent had laid a hit to her just seconds before, and she was preparing for his next attack.
The blow came swiftly, and Artillery held her wrist up to block. The nanites formed over her wrist instinctively, and Superboy's fist collided with the hard metal. The clone scowled at her playfully, and then smirked.
"Oh, boy," Artillery muttered. They weren't supposed to use powers when they sparred, but Artillery still had trouble controlling hers at times.
Before the mutant knew what was happening, Superboy had grabbed her around the waist and slung her to the ground. Her back hit the ground hard. She managed to roll over back onto her knees with a grunt before the computer could count the hit as a "fail" for her. Artillery stood up and glared at Superboy.
"No fair! You used super-strength on purpose." Superboy put his hands on his hips, grinning back at her.
"You used your nanites!"
"It was an accident!" Artillery was laughing at this point as she playfully shoved Superboy in the chest. As expected, the clone didn't budge. Behind them, Black Canary chuckled.
"Good work, everyone," the heroine said approvingly. "In fact, it's been a very productive week." As their teacher walked into the center of the floor, Robin and Artemis and Aqualad and Miss Martian stopped sparring as well, turning to face Black Canary. Artemis smirked.
"Yeah, for everyone except Kid Malingerer," the archer said, shooting a pointed look at the speedster. The redhead was wearing civvies, leaning back in a reclining armchair and drinking pineapple juice at the edge of the mission room. Artillery chuckled as an indignant expression crossed Wally's face.
"Hey! Arm broken in combat against the Injustice League here," he said, waving his arm pointedly. "Besides, Spidey's not here either."
"Pete's on his way," Artillery responded. "He's at academic decathlon practice." She snorted. "Nerd." Robin gave Artillery an amused look.
"Lia, you're fifteen and trying to get a PhD."
"Okay, but still."
Black Canary laughed fondly. Over the past week, she'd gotten used to the Team's witty banter with one another. It amused her.
"I've really enjoyed being your, uh, den mother this week," the heroine said genuinely. She had never had a protégé but working with the teens certainly was making her more open to the idea.
Across the room, the Zeta-Tube powered up. "Recognized: Zatara, One-One." The magician stepped into the mission room, and the Team turned towards him in surprise. They hadn't expected a visitor. The Leaguer was fiddling with a control on the computer, and the Zeta-Tube powered up again.
"Recognized: Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-Three. Authorization: Zatara, One-One." Artillery frowned. Zatanna Zatara?
The light from the Zeta-Tube faded, and Artillery's mouth dropped open as Zatanna stepped out. Artillery laughed, breaking from the group to run over to the other girl. "Zee?!" Zatanna grinned. She threw her arms around the other girl.
"Talia!" she said happily. "It's so good to see you."
"How do you two know each other?" Miss Martian asked curiously. Artillery turned back to face her friends, glancing at the girl beside her.
"I went to Zatanna's school for like…five months?" Artillery said, glancing at Zatanna thoughtfully. The Zataras lived in New York City, and Talia had attended the Catholic school Zatanna went to before being kicked out. Apparently, it was bad form to correct the teachers in the middle of a lecture.
"Long enough for Talia to make an...impression," Zatanna said, giving the elder girl a sideways glance and a grin. Zatanna had been in some advanced classes, so the two girls had shared some classes despite being a year apart. They shared a similar rebellious nature and had quickly bonded.
Towards the end of Talia's time at the school, it had seemed like their friendship was progressing towards a relationship. When Talia had been expelled, not seeing each other every day kind of put a halt to that. Artillery grinned back at Zatanna.
"Anyways," Artillery said. She waved a hand at her friends. "Zatanna, this is M'gann, Wally, Robin, Kaldur, and Conner." She looked over her shoulder at the Zeta-Tube. "Peter's on his way." Robin stepped forward, smiling at Zatanna.
"Are you joining the Team?" he asked.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Zatara said, cutting in before his daughter could answer. Zatanna rolled her eyes a tiny bit, and Artillery's mouth quirked into a smile. "This is strictly a visit. Though I am sorry we missed the training," Zatara added, turning towards Black Canary. "It's something from which Zatanna could benefit."
Artillery felt the now familiar tug of Miss Martian's mental link, and she instinctively looked towards the alien girl. 'Do the rest of you get the impression that we're still on probation with Zatara?' Miss Martian asked, frowning slightly at the Leaguer.
'Not just Zatara,' Superboy added, motioning towards Captain Marvel across the room. The others followed his gaze. 'I mean, why is Marvel still hanging around?' Wally stared at Superboy incredulously.
'Because we like having him around!' Wally insisted. Artemis turned towards Wally, the expression on her face a mix between irritated and smug.
'You like having him around,' she corrected the speedster. ''Cause he waits on you hand and foot!' Wally turned towards Artemis, smirking.
'And your point is…?' Artemis sighed, shaking her head.
"Recognized: Spider-Man, B-Zero-Nine." Peter entered the Cave, still wearing his civvies. He looked around at his friends, immediately recognizing they were talking over the mental link.
'Hey guys,' Peter said cheerfully as he entered the Cave, hands casually tucked in his pockets. 'What are we talking about?' Superboy glanced towards Peter.
'The Leaguers not trusting us.' Peter's eyes went wide.
'Oh boy, if we're talking about being in trouble.' Peter shook his head. 'Man, are Lia and I on thin ice with Cap.' Artillery pursed her lips, looking at the ground slightly. She and Peter had caught the Team up with what they'd done basically as soon as it had happened, so all their friends were aware of the android they'd created.
'Not just Cap,' Artillery added, her tone slightly dejected. 'Wanda's still a bit upset with me, too.' Aqualad sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms.
'It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor.'
'Yeah,' Robin added. 'At least he trusted us!' Superboy scowled, his expression darkening at the mention of the android.
'If you ignore the fact that we shouldn't have trusted him!' The clone pointed out, throwing his hands in the air. 'That machine nearly got – all of us killed!' Zatanna leaned around Artillery, watching Superboy's gesticulations. She had noticed the Team's various gestures and expressions for the last several minutes, but now she was positive she knew what was happening.
"Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Zatanna asked, putting her hands on her hips. The other members of the Team turned towards her sheepishly. Artillery's lips twitched – perhaps they hadn't been being discreet. Like, at all.
"I can't decide if that's cool," Zatanna went on. "Or…really rude." Zatara and Black Canary overheard Zatanna's comment and turned towards the Team expectantly. Superboy sighed.
"Alright, fine. We were talking about Tornado. It's been weeks since his attack, and the League hasn't told us anything!" Black Canary frowned.
"The League is searching for Tornado," she responded. "As well as the other androids that invaded the Cave, and their creator T. O. Morrow. Batman's made tracking them down our highest priority." Artillery put her hand on her hip.
"So, we're just supposed to sit here until that happens?" she asked. Robin nodded, stepping up next to his friend.
"Yeah, you've found none of the above!" Black Canary's eyes narrowed.
"Not yet," she said, a clear warning in her voice for them to drop it. "But Tornado is Justice League. The Team is not to pursue this." The Team members exchanged looks; their silence mutinous. Zatara cleared his throat, trying to gloss over the situation.
"Why don't you take Zatanna on a, uh…" the magician trailed off as he cast his eyes around the mission room. Zatanna had disappeared. "A tour of the Cave?" Artillery looked around, frowning.
"She's right there," Peter said, pointing to Zatanna. The girl was cuddled up against Wolf, stroking the animal's soft fur lovingly. Wolf whimpered, climbing to his feet and rushing over to Captain Marvel, who had just entered carrying Wally's nachos. The large dog pranced around, trying to get to the food in Captain Marvel's hand.
"Oh, we're going on a tour?" the leaguer asked excitedly, overhearing the tail-end of the conversation. "Cool!"
"Um, actually," Superboy said, nodding at Wolf still trying to get to Wally's nachos. "I was kind of hoping you'd take Wolf outside – he needs the exercise. Uh, we'll join you in a few." Captain Marvel nodded; a smile stretched across his face.
"Sure, sure! I can do that!" The Leaguer turned, beckoning to the enhanced animal. "Come on Wolf!" The white dog pranced alongside Captain Marvel as the two dashed off down the hallway. Wally's mouth dropped open and he stared after them in dismay.
"Aw, what about my nachos?!" Superboy rolled his eyes, grabbing Wally by the front of his shirt and yanking him down the hallway. The speedster yelped.
Aqualad and Superboy led the Team through the Cave. Zatanna tagged along, and every now and then one of the members would point something out or tell a story. Miss Martian pointed to the kitchen. "Zatanna, do you like baki – where did she go?"
"Right here!" The dark-haired girl caught up with the others. Robin glanced at her and did a double take.
"When did you –" he said, motioning to her clothes. Zatanna was now wearing a purple tank-top and a pair of white slacks instead of her school uniform. She'd only been gone for a few seconds, and she hadn't been carrying a bag or any clothes. "How did you –"
"We're not really taking a tour, are we?" Zatanna asked, ignoring Robin's questions. Superboy and Aqualad paused, turning around to face the others.
"No," Superboy said, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at Aqualad. "We're hunting down that robot." His statement had a slight challenge to it, like he was daring Aqualad to say no. Instead, the Atlantean nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, we are."
"Oh, wow, out loud and everything," Zatanna teased, waggling her eyebrows playfully. Artemis frowned slightly, nodding at Zatanna.
"What about new girl?" the archer pointed out. If Zatanna ratted on them, they were done. Sure, the League would find out eventually, but it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, and if Black Canary found out before the Team had even left it was completely over.
"She won't tell," Artillery reassured her teammates. She knew Zatanna well-enough to know that the girl would appreciate a little mischief. Zatanna grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I can't tell," she responded, locking eyes with Artillery. Zatanna's lips turned up, her grin turning rebellious. "Not if you kidnap me." Artemis laughed.
"Oh, she's going to fit in great." Zatanna grinned, flipping her hair in mock-arrogance. Artillery laughed, throwing an arm around Zatanna's shoulders. The younger girl leaned into Artillery's touch subtlety.
The action didn't go unnoticed by Peter. The mutate cocked his head, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he watched Artillery carefully. He would definitely be grilling her later.
"Dude." Wally elbowed the other teen. The two boys were the only ones - besides Zatanna - still in civvies. "Let's go." Peter nodded.
"Right."
As Wally and Peter disappeared to change into their uniforms, the remaining members of the Team and Zatanna boarded the BioShop. Sensing the presence of an extra person, the BioShip automatically conjured up another seat to accommodate Zatanna, shifting the other seats slightly so it was symmetrical.
"Cool," the girl said, a grin flickering across her face as she took a seat. Spider-Man and Kid Flash boarded the BioShip as well, and Miss Martian took off. They had only been cruising for a few moments when the transmission line opened.
"M'gann," Black Canary said, sounding confused and a little bit suspicious. "The BioShip wasn't authorized for departure."
"We're kidnapping Zatanna!" Miss Martian replied cheerfully, before quickly adding, "To, uh, show her Happy Harbor!"
"…roger that," Black Canary said, still sounding doubtful. "Um, have fun."
Robin peered through the window of the BioShip, frowning slightly. Miss Martian was taking them out of Happy Harbor, but in no particular direction. "Where are we going?" he asked. "Batman is the world's greatest detective, and he's searched for Tornado and Morrow in every logical location." Spider-Man scratched his head.
"So," the teenager ventured thoughtfully. "If we're gonna find them, we need to look somewhere illogical." Robin nodded in agreement.
"A truly dumb idea." As if on cue, everyone in the BioShip turned towards Kid Flash.
The speedster blinked, looking around and taking in everyone's eyes on him. Shaking his head, the speedster grinned.
"As a matter of fact…"
BELLE REVE
October 10, 18:35 CDT
"Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break," Miss Martian said. She bent forward, placing her hands on the table as she glared at Professor Ivo. The prisoner's hands were free, but he had an inhibitor collar fixed around his neck in case he got too aggressive. "He's given us five minutes with you."
"Spill, Ivo!" Superboy barked, crossing his arms over his chest. "How do we find T.O. Morrow and his Reds?"
"Now, why in the world would I know how to find Ivo?" Professor Ivo asked, leaning back in his chair. He seemed irritated, as if the Team's presence was an inconvenience to him.
"Because," Kid Flash said coldly, stepping forward. "And here's a truly dumb idea. You're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to and where?" Ivo chuckled, clasping his hands together.
"Ah. I see your point," he conceded. "Why in the world would I tell you how to find Morrow?"
"He knows," Aqualad said, his pale grey eyes narrowed. The Team leader stepped forward, nodding at Miss Martian. "Do what you must." The alien girl nodded, closing her eyes briefly to concentrate. When she reopened them, they glowed a pale green. Ivo laughed scornfully at Miss Martian's attempt.
"Oh please. As if I've never faced a telepath before." Miss Martian groaned, the glow fading from her eyes. She glanced at Aqualad, wondering what to do next.
Seeing that the Team was unnerved, Ivo chose that time to poke at some sore wounds. His eyes fell on Artillery, standing towards the back of the group. He smirked.
"Honestly, if you're looking for my 'biggest competitor' in the 'evil android game,' I can tell you exactly where to find Tony Stark." The half-Korean girl twitched, her fingers clenching into fists. Beside her, Spider-Man stiffened as well. His fingers wrapped around Artillery's elbow, both to hold her back and anchor himself.
Noticing their reactions, Ivo laughed. "How many people did Ultron kill, again?"
Artillery didn't answer, her jaw clenching slightly as she pointedly looked away. Her nostrils flared as she fought to contain her anger, and Spider-Man stared straight forward, the eyeslits of his mask narrowed.
Zatanna rose to her feet from where she'd been leaning against a table. She watched Artillery in concern, her lips and eyebrows pressed together. The Team stayed silent, waiting for Artillery's reaction, and Ivo continued his taunts.
"Or perhaps you're more interested in the whereabouts of Dr. Young," Ivo said, smirking at Artillery. Her head snapped back forward, and she glared back at him.
"Shut up," Artillery hissed, taking a step forward. Spider-Man tightened his grip on her elbow, and she focused on not wrenching her arm away from him.
'Talia. He's just trying to get under your skin,' Aqualad said to Artillery over the mental link. His voice was sympathetic, but it was also a warning. Artillery frowned.
'Yeah, well. It's working."
"If you're looking for big competitors, maybe you should look among yourselves," the villain continued, motioning to Artillery and Spider-Man. "You have yet to see how much of a hero your Vision truly is."
"Shut up or I swear to god – "
"Trulb tuo S'worrom eurt noitacol!" Ivo straightened up, a blank expression crossing his face.
"Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone National Park one hundred meters south of Old Faithful," he said robotically, the long sentence coming out in a single breath. He gasped for air as he finished, looking confused.
The rest of the Team stared as well; shock evident across their face as they stared at Zatanna who had uttered the spell. The girl straightened up, a satisfied smile crossing her face. She glanced at Artillery instinctively. The other girl's anger had vanished, replaced by abject shock and amazement.
"Wait!" Ivo said, removing his hands from where he'd clapped them across his mouth. "What – what just happened?" Aqualad schooled his expression, shaking his head. He nodded at Zatanna gratefully.
"We got what we came for," he said, turning to leave. The Team exited the interrogation room, and the guards standing outside went in to collect Ivo. The professor could be heard babbling in confusion all the way down the hall.
"Hey," Zatanna whispered, catching up to Artillery. The older girl turned to face the magician. "Are you okay?"
"That was incred – what? Oh yeah." Artillery glanced at the ground. "I'm fine. Thanks." She shot Zatanna a warm smile, and the younger girl grinned back. Watching Ivo rile up and insult Artillery and her family had made Zatanna inexplicably irritated. She had felt the incessant need to protect, and – though she was slightly loath to admit it to herself – impress the elder girl.
"No problem," Zatanna responded, trying not to let any of that show. Artillery grinned again.
"Seriously, that shit is so cool. You have got to explain it to me sometime. Anytime I ask Strange he either acts like he's too busy to tell me or I'm too stupid to understand." Zatanna laughed.
"Anytime." There was a moment of silence as the conversation lapsed to a halt, and Zatanna looked at Artillery worryingly again. She was a little tempted to ask what Ivo had meant about Artillery's mom - as far as Zatanna knew, Dr. Young had passed away in a car crash years ago. Before Zatanna could dwell on this longer, Artillery spoke up again.
"Um, Zatanna. I kinda already said this, but -" Artillery stopped walking, and turned to face Zatanna. The younger girl had grown since they'd last seen each other, and now she was Artillery's height, maybe even a little taller. "Thanks. For shutting him up." Zatanna smiled, putting her hand over Artillery's and giving the older girl's hand a soft squeeze.
"Anytime," she repeated quietly.
"Black out all external communication," Aqualad ordered as the Team drew closer to their destination. "Soon, Canary and Zatara – Batman too, I imagine – will know of our visit with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time." Artillery sighed.
"I guess that's one good thing about JARVIS being gone," she murmured, mostly to herself. She couldn't lie, she missed the AI's guidance, but at least he couldn't narc on them. Spider-Man reached out, placing a comforting hand on Artillery's shoulder. Artillery leaned her head against Spider-Man's wrist, twisting to shoot her friend a smile. Robin turned towards Zatanna.
"Look," he said. "I'm trying to be all…nonchalant here –"
"Why?" Zatanna asked, turning towards him with a grin. "Be as chalant as you like." Spider-Man's mouth dropped open and he stared at Zatanna and Robin in mock-horror.
"Oh my god, there's two of them." Everyone laughed.
"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers," Artemis said, knowing what Robin was trying to say. She thought for a moment, trying to think of examples. "Could you…teleport us to Tornado? Or Morrow to a cell? Or his bots to surrender?" Zatanna laughed.
"Or create peace on Earth for all time?" she asked rhetorically. She laughed, not unkindly, and shook her head regretfully. "Zatara couldn't even do all that," she said. "And I'm nowhere near on my dad's level. I need to know a spell cold," she explained. "Or else have time to prep it."
Zatanna glanced around. Most of the Team was hanging on to her every word with great interest. Besides their brief experience with Doctor Fate and Kent Nelson, they'd never really spent much time with a magic user before. Zatanna continued.
"Plus, all magic requires energy which usually has to come from within." Zatanna examined her own hand thoughtfully and shook her head again. "I just can't make the impossible happen at will."
"What's our ETA to Yellowstone?" Superboy suddenly burst out. It was clear that the clone hadn't been listening to the Zatanna's explanation. His shoulders were drawn tight with anger. "I'm way past ready to shove Tornado into a trash compacter," he spat out.
"Damn, Con, chill out," Artillery muttered. Superboy turned his angry look on her and she scowled back. Superboy's temper didn't intimidate her.
"Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Aqualad asked more gently. Superboy whipped around.
"Aren't you?!" Despite the anger blazing in Superboy's eyes, Aqualad didn't flinch. The Atlantean shook his head.
"I am not convinced," he responded calmly. "And even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming." Artillery frowned.
"Well, that's not true," she hazarded, her tone slightly too defensive. She didn't want anyone getting even close to the implication that her father had intended Ultron's outcome, even though she knew that hadn't been Aqualad's point. "He's an AI. He's got his own brain, and he can make his own decisions. It's possible it was his own decision."
"Either way," Aqualad said, looking from Artillery back to Superboy. "Certainly, he deserves a chance to prove he's more than the weapon others designed him to be."
Superboy lowered his head, his shoulders slumping with shame as Aqualad's point registered. The clone turned back to quietly face the front, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself once again.
Silence reigned over the BioShip for only a few moments before Miss Martian spoke. "Approaching Yellowstone now." She brought the BioShip down into descent, landing it in camouflage mode among the trees.
The seatbelts on the seats retracted automatically and the Team stood up.
"Stealth mode," Aqualad ordered, tapping the A insignia on his belt to change the colors of his uniform. Kid Flash, Spider-Man, and Artemis followed suit, and Miss Martian shifted her uniform to her black jumpsuit.
Zatanna walked with the Team to the BioShip's hold, standing at the edge of the gangplank. Aqualad cleared his throat slightly, stepping up to the young magician. "I recommend you stay here," he told her. Zatanna turned around, putting a hand on her hip as she stared the Atlantean down.
"Is that an order?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
"No," Aqualad said, shaking his head. "You must do as you see fit." Zatanna grinned.
"Good!" She closed her eyes to focus. "Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool!" She chanted, waving her hands around her body. Purplish-grey smoke enveloped Zatanna's body, wrapping around the girl and then vanishing to reveal a brand-new outfit.
She was now dressed in a magician's outfit, similar to that of her father's with a vest, bowtie, blazer and gloves. She grinned at the Team, putting her hand on her hip as if to model for them.
"Looks good on you," Artillery told Zatanna flirtatiously, instinctively slipping into the banter she and Shuri often engaged in. It was the same sort of flirty back-and-forth that she and Zatanna had shared back when they'd first met. Still, after the words left Artillery's mouth, she froze.
What if Zatanna didn't like her like that anymore? Was she overstepping a boundary?
Before Artillery's anxiety could run its mouth too much, Zatanna assuaged her worries.
"Thanks," Zatanna responded, flashing Artillery a wide grin.
"~Someone has a cr – ush!~" Spider-Man whisper-sang into her ear as Zatanna turned away. Artillery jutted her elbow backwards, catching her friend right in his solar plexus. "Ow! Hey!"
"Sorry, didn't see you," Artillery replied cavalierly, shooting a smirk at her friend. He wrinkled his nose underneath his mask.
The Team took off through the woods, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. Once they'd almost broken from the cover of the trees, Robin began scanning the ground. He looked at his computer, frowning.
"Ivo was right. Something's down there." Aqualad nodded, taking the lead into the clearing. The other members of the Team followed their leader, but they hadn't made it more than a hundred meters when the wind picked up out of nowhere.
The gusts sped up even more, blowing the Team back into the ground and pinning them there. Artillery turned her head, squinting against the harsh wind and dust that had been whipping up. Her eyes stung, both from the conditions and emotion as she looked up, her eyes falling on Red Tornado.
He was attacking them again.
Or…not? Artillery looked at the storms around her, confused. They were arrayed in a particular pattern…
The android floated above them; his waist surrounded by a twister. He spread his arms slowly, and more crimson storms surrounded the Team. Miss Martian looked up.
"Why, Tornado?" she shouted. "Why are you doing this?" She glanced at the Team members. 'Message received?' she asked the others. Superboy nodded.
"Who cares why?" he yelled, turning back towards Red Tornado. "Nail him!"
The Team launched into an attack, fighting against the gales to attack their former supervisor. Artillery let the suit form around her and took to the air as the nanites rippled across her skin.
"Superboy, maneuver seven!" Aqualad shouted. The clone turned, bending his knees slightly and holding his hands out. The Atlantean jumped onto the clone's hands, and Superboy threw the other boy upwards.
Aqualad sailed through the air, pulling his fist back to strike Tornado. Before he could land his blow, Red Tornado whipped his hand back and whacked Aqualad out of the air. The Atlantean flew into Superboy, and both boys went sprawling across the ground.
Artillery flew forwards, gaining altitude as she approached Tornado's height. Spider-Man started running forwards, directly underneath his friend.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Gimme a lift." Artillery held her arm out obediently and Spider-Man shot his web, attaching it to the armor. As Artillery soared through the air, Spider-Man flicked off from the web to gain momentum.
The mutate shot his next web at Tornado's chest, pulling himself up to the robot and sticking to him. Artillery coasted to the left, hovering opposite Spider-Man. She raised her hand, trying to remain inconspicuous to any watching eyes.
'Ready?' she asked Spider-Man. The boy grimaced beneath his mask.
'Do it.' Artillery fired a repulsor shot at Red Tornado. The android whipped up a twister, spinning the blast back to hit both Spider-Man and Artillery. Both teenagers fell back, the blast strong enough to knock them both off balance. Spider-Man went crashing to the ground, and Red Tornado sent another twister at Artillery to finish the job.
The mutant hit the ground hard and went rolling across the clearing. She came to a halt with a groan, laying still as pain radiated through her body. She could faintly hear the rest of her teammates "attacking" Red Tornado and letting him overpower them.
They were acting, obeying the message Tornado had relayed to them when he appeared – "PLAY DEAD."
The Team lay still as the winds whipped around them, waiting for further instruction from Tornado. Instead, there was a distant rumbling noise from behind them. Even facing the other direction, Artillery could sense the presence of another machine – another android. She closed her eyes, focusing. It wasn't one of the Reds that had attacked them. It was a completely new machine.
"Quite the performance, brother," the new android said. His tone sent a chill down Artillery's spine. "But we both know that's all it was." Shit. "I have all your memories, Tornado. Plus, a next-gen processor. I know your next move before you do."
Realizing that the gig was up, the Team members rose back to their feet. They observed the situation warily. Tornado's "brother" was larger than he was, more menacing looking. As the Team got to their feet, he levitated the rock that Tornado had written the message on behind him.
"Blowing a message in the sand?" he mocked. He clenched his hands into fists, and the slate of stone exploded, sending a shower of boulders down onto the Team.
Aqualad and Superboy reacted immediately, jumping up to destroy the ones closest to them. Artillery threw her hands out instinctively, and an energy shield exploded from her fingertips, surrounding the Team.
The rocks hit the shield harmlessly and crashed to the ground. Artillery blinked.
"Since when can you do that?" Robin asked in surprise. Artillery had only ever produced weapons and tools made out of her nanites. She shook her head in surprise.
"I don't – it's a new concept my dad's working on," she said, her voice colored with surprise. She glanced at her hand, frowning. A wave of resentment washed through her. How much more would I know about my powers if I'd always had access to them? Just as immediately, she felt bad. Her mom had only been trying to do what she had thought was best.
Shaking off her thoughts, Artillery let the shield fall. This time she felt the energy return to her and her nanites, and she released with amazement that it was her physical energy. Her adrenaline had been what had produced the shield in corporeal form.
She sometimes forgot how combined she was with her nanites and armor. They were an extension of her body, but she didn't know when she'd stop being surprised at how intrinsic the bond was.
'Red Tornado's getting away!' Zatanna said suddenly. Spider-Man cast his eyes to the sky, the pupils of his mask going wide as he saw the android leaving. The mutate frowned.
'He's abandoning us?' Spider-Man asked in surprise. Miss Martian shook her head.
'I don't believe that.' The Martian said firmly, flying towards the Red. Artillery formed the armor around her once more, taking off after her teammate. Kid Flash sped off in a blur, racing up the pillar that the android was standing upon.
"You stand no chance against me, humans," the villain said disparagingly, whacking Kid Flash back to the ground. The speedster fell with a loud yell of pain, tumbling back to Earth.
"We're not human!" Miss Martian and Superboy shouted at the same time, charging at the android. Artillery flew slightly behind them
"Apologies," he droned, raising his hands and clenching his fists. Rock rose behind him, ripping free from the rest of the ground under his control. "I suppose the properly inclusive term is…meatbags."The rocks formed into two hands, and they clapped together around Miss Martian and Superboy.
Artillery coasted hard to avoid being hit by the rock and powered up her thrusters again. She put her arms out to form a battering ram, aiming for the android's chest.
"And you –" the android twister to avoid her hit and grabbed Artillery out of the air, wrapping a hand around her leg. She scowled beneath her helmet, increasing the power of her thrusters by ten percent. "Your father's technology is impressive," he admitted, looking at the suit. "You are not a machine, and perhaps you're not quite human either. Just a poor in-between."
"Hate to break it to you, tin-can," Artillery said, increasing her thrusters more and spiraling out of the Red's grasp. She flipped in midair, steadying herself as she floated opposite from him. "But some evil monologuing from you isn't going to make me have an identity crisis. Best quit well you're ahead."
"Very well." Artillery spun around at the sound of an ominous rumble and was met with a boulder to the face. She grunted in pain as the rock collided with her, pinning her to the ground. As her back hit the soil, she continued to sink back, the rock pushing her into the earth.
Artillery grit her teeth, trying to stop the panic rising in her throat. She took a deep breath, channeling the energy of her fear into powering up her unibeam. The energy, again appearing in a translucent blue form, exploded the boulder and the layers of earth above and Artillery rose from the ground. She was panting.
"Okay, maybe spas do it better, but I think mud baths suck," she announced, catching her breath. Robin and Spider-Man launched a duel attack at the Red. Robin threw a birdarang and Spider-Man shot a web grenade at the android.
The webs wrapped around the robot's arm, pinning them to his sides. The Red remained still as Robin's birdarang struck him. It exploded, but when the smoke cleared all it had done was destroy the webs holding Red.
"Tornado's memory files and my superior processing speed allow me to anticipate your every move," he announced, brushing webs from his arms.
"Ekoms emoceb a dlofdnilb!" Zatanna chanted, raising her hand. The clearing wisps of smoke still surrounding the android solidified and whipped around his eyes, effectively blinding him. "Tornado never knew my moves," she said triumphantly. Artillery grinned.
"Freaking sweet," she said, casting a grin at Zatanna. The magician smiled back.
"Thanks," she said, laughing. The look she was giving Artillery warmed her.
Before Artillery could dwell on that, the android had ripped free of his blindfold. His eyes were literally blazing as he raised his head up to the sky. Behind him, the stone mountain rumbled and then exploded, spewing lava and smoke for the first time in decades.
"That's…not good," Spider-Man said, staring at the now-active volcano with wide-eyes.
'He's activating a stage-two eruption!' Kid Flash announced. 'If it gets to stage three, kiss the hemisphere good-bye!'
'Hit him from all sides!' Aqualad ordered, taking out his water bearers. Spider-Man nodded, shooting two webs to pull him up to the Red's level.
'Okay, yeah. But that's, like, way easier said than done.'
Artillery took a deep breath, rising back into the air. She flew through the smoke and heat, coasting downwards to pick up Spider-Man as the mutate dodged crevices appearing in the ground. The mutate hung on to his friend as she carried him over the treacherous terrain, placing him carefully down on a solid piece of ground.
'Don't touch the lava,' she said, eyeing the molten rock next to her. Spider-Man shot her a look.
'Thanks, genius. Had no idea.' She flipped him off, rising back into the air.
"M'gann!" Superboy's frantic scream caught Artillery's attention, and she turned around. The android was holding Miss Martian by the cape, standing in an island of rock among the lave. The Martian girl was unconscious, the heat sapping her strength.
Artillery began flying in tight circles around the android, trying to disorient him enough to get close. T.O. Morrow was nothing if not a good inventor, however, and the android's bionic brain was able to track her movements. Red pulled his fist back and hit Artillery squarely in the chest. She spiraled backwards, activating her flight stabilizers to avoid hitting lava.
"Ekoms dna srorrim. Etaerc Dik Hsalf dna Nam-Redips snoisulli!" Zatanna said, reciting another spell from where she stood next to Kid Flash and Spider-Man. There was a puff of smoke, and a dozen more Kid Flashes and Spider-Men appeared, all mimicking the motions of the real teen. Zatanna laughed as they took off, clearly pleased by her performance. "I – I use a scaled down version when I want to sneak out of the house!"
The android saw the army of illusions coming towards him, and he began to throw rocks at them. The illusions disappeared in puff of smoke whenever he hit one of them, but the real Kid Flash and Spider-Man remained unharmed.
Spider-Man flipped through the air, landing on the Red's back and wrapping his arms around his throat. The mutate's distraction gave Kid Flash enough time to snatch Miss Martian from Red's grasp and run her to a safe distance from the lava.
Red shook Spider-Man off and the mutate fell to the ground. The android clenched his fist, and the section of rock that Spider-Man was sitting on rose into the air, sending him flying backwards.
'I gotcha,' Artillery said, matching the rock's speed and tackling her friend off of it into the open air before it could collide with a solid wall of rock. She coasted around, regrouping with the rest of the Team. 'Did you really just try to choke a robot?' She asked her friend incredulously. 'They don't breathe!'
'I saw Cap do it once!' Spider-Man replied defensively.
'Cap was frozen for seventy years! The guy barely knows what robots are!'
Artillery and Spider-Man landed on the ground next to the others. Aqualad clenched his water-bearers in his hands, stalking forwards slowly. Behind him, a large stream of water rose into the air, hitting the android and pushing him backwards off his island and into the lava.
"Nice hit!" Robin said admiringly, looking at Aqualad. The Atlantean shook his head, looking surprised.
"The hit was not mine," he said. Spider-Man turned, his eyes falling on one of the robots that had attacked them in the Cave. He pointed at it.
"Look!" he shouted.
The Team watched in shock as the all the Reds – including Tornado – began to attack their brother, keeping him pinned down in the lava. Still, the newest android was the strongest, and he kept fighting back. The Reds rose above the lava once more, the metal melting off of them slowly.
Red Tornado descended from the air, slamming his feet into his brother's chest. The blow caused Red Volcano to sink back beneath the lava, Red Tornado falling up to his knees. The combined strength of the three original Reds was enough to pin Red Volcano beneath the lava.
"Tornado's going to be destroyed!" Artillery shouted.
Superboy raced forwards, pausing at the edge of the lava pit. He grabbed Tornado's arm, tugging the android out of the molten rock and back to solid ground with the Team. The android's legs were gone below the knee.
The volcano rumbled above them. Though the android was gone, the eruption he'd set in place was still very much active.
"Tornado, listen!" Kid Flash shouted. "We're on the verge of a stage-three super volcano eruption! There's no turning back from that! We have to vent pressure, fast, but the ash cloud will bring on a worldwide nuclear winter if you don't divert it!" Red Tornado nodded in understanding.
Kid Flash turned towards Robin. "Triangulate around the pressure locus," he told his friend. Robin nodded.
"Right!" He pulled up his wrist-computer, typing in a command. Three locations popped up on the screen, clearly marked. "There, there, and there!" Artemis glanced at the screen and nodded, committing the targets to memory.
She knocked an arrow against her bow, aiming carefully and shooting. The arrow split into three separate explosives, hitting the locations Robin had marked and exploding. There was a loud rumble and thick, black smoke poured out of the volcano. It rose towards the sky in an ominously dense layer, too dark to see through.
Red Tornado's melted legs flickered with electricity as he summoned a twister to take him into the sky. He rose up into the air, above the cloud of ash. Once he was at the correct altitude, the android created a huge twister.
The red storm spun out from around his waist, growing bigger and bigger to encompass the entire cloud of soot. The wind funneled the ash upwards and into space. Wisps of red wind floated across the air as Red Tornado dispersed the smoke, and the lava began to slowly cool back into rock. Kid Flash released a sigh of relief.
"Yes!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist victoriously.
Red Tornado descended from the sky slowly, collapsing to the ground. The Team rushed over to him, and Artillery looked at the android.
"Let's get him to the lab," she said, examining the damage. It seemed largely superficial, nothing that would stop Red Tornado from functioning even if she didn't fix him. "I bet there'll be spare parts there." The rest of the Team nodded in agreement, and Superboy and Aqualad helped lift Red Tornado up and carry him back to the laboratory.
It was way bigger than Artillery had expected, although she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. T.O. Morrow would want a large space to do his work. She looked around in mild-amazement at the cavernous lab, slightly jealous. Maybe she'd take this now that Morrow was gone.
Mildly wondering what the ethics were behind that thought, she let the armor melt back under her skin. Artillery pointed at a table in the center of the room. "Put him there."
Artillery walked over to the side table and opened a tool box. She grabbed what she needed and walked back over to Red Tornado. She carefully popped open his face plate, running her eyes over the mechanics until she found the voice box. She reconnected a few wires and welded them together with her nanites, and then stepped back.
"There, that should do it."
"Yes," Red Tornado responded affirmatively. "I can speak again." He lowered his face plate back down automatically but didn't move. Aqualad stepped up to the Leaguer.
"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet," the Atlantean said.
"The planet would have survived," Red Tornado corrected. "It is humanity that was saved." He turned to look at the Team. "Though not by me. My sister and brother were the true heroes of this day." Aqualad put his hand on the android's shoulder.
"My point is this," he said. "You were never the mole, never a traitor."
"No," Tornado replied succinctly. "I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow."
Kid Flash was zipping around the lab, looking for anything of importance. He came across a bin of spare parts and began to sift through it. The speedster tugged out a robot hand, admiring it with a grin. "Cool! Souvenir!" he announced.
Spider-Man walked over, looking into the container with curiosity. There was a bunch of different parts, including legs. He turned back around, pointing to the box excitedly. "Hey, we can use this stuff to rebuild Tornado! Better than before, too!"
"I do not believe I should be repaired," Tornado replied. Artillery frowned, pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest. She was gearing up to get in a long-winded conversation with Tornado about the intersection of machinery and mortality, but before she could Superboy turned around.
"Why'd you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?" he asked. Despite seeing that Tornado wasn't a traitor, the clone was still quite stiff towards the android. Even now, his tone was aggressive.
"I was the pragmatic choice," Red Tornado responded promptly. "I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second life to live."
"But you do have advanced AI programming designed to learn, adapt, evolve!" Kid Flash said excitedly. The rest of the Team began to catch on, and Miss Martian whacked herself on the head with a smile.
"Hello, Megan!" she said, grinning at their den-mother. "You wanted to become more human!"
"And you couldn't do that with the League," Artemis added. "They're stiffs!" Robin laughed, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head in amusement.
"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman. Trust me."
"Then the Cave was not only a proving ground for us," Aqualad said, turning back to Red Tornado. "But for you as well."
"I do not know if these statements are accurate," Red Tornado replied. The android paused, and then continued, "But perhaps, they are true. And…if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to…care about you all."
Artillery couldn't help but smile slightly. That was...kinda sweet.
"See?" Superboy said. "Practically a meatbag already." Artillery cracked a grin, placing her hand on her hip. She exchanged a glance with Spider-Man.
"Hey, Red. If you ever want an android friend, I know a guy. Knowing people with similar backgrounds to you makes you very meatbag-like." Red Tornado nodded slowly, looking forwards.
"Which reminds me…" the android was silent for a moment, and then turned back towards the Team. "Artillery, if you would be so kind as to reattach my legs." He nodded towards the foot that Robin was carrying, and Artillery's heart lifted. "I have…business to attend to."
"So!" Robin piped up as the Team drew closer to Mount Justice in the BioShip. Red Tornado had departed on his own, again referring to his mysterious "business." Robin leaned towards Zatanna. "Good kidnapping?" The magician laughed.
"Actually, yeah!" she said. She glanced around, and her eyes locked with Artillery's again. Zatanna smiled. "Best ever." Artillery smiled back.
"Let's make it happen again?" she asked hopefully. Zatanna winced.
"Um…if my dad doesn't ground me for life." The BioShip began its descent, returning to the hangar of the Cave. Zatanna looked out the window, biting her lip nervously. She sighed.
"Hey, if you want," Artillery said, leaning forwards. "I'll totally smuggle you over the border. Your dad will never know where you've gone. I'll fake ransom and everything." Zatanna laughed, her blue eyes glowing warmly at Artillery's joke.
"Tempting," she admitted jokingly. She stood up from her seat. "I guess I'd better get going." The Team followed Zatanna back towards the mission room. Black Canary and Zatara stood in the middle of the room. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.
Captain Marvel was standing at the edge of the mission room, dripping wet and dejected-looking. He perked up when he saw the Team. "There you guys are!"
Both Black Canary and Zatara whipped around. The magician glared at the Team. "Zatanna. We are leaving."
His tone left no room for argument, and the Leaguer whipped around. Zatanna lowered her head with a sigh, following her father towards the Zeta-Tube. She turned to wave good-bye to the Team.
'Bye, Zatanna!' Miss Martian chirped over the mental link. 'It was so nice to meet you. If you're ever not grounded, come back and hang out with us!' Zatanna huffed a laughter, stepping into the Zeta-Tube as her dad authorized her.
'Thanks, I'd love to,' she said, smiling again.
"Recognized: Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-Three. Authorization: Zatara, One-One." As soon as the machine powered down, Zatara stepped in, still glaring daggers at the Team. "Recognized: Zatara, One-One."
As the computer's voice died down, Black Canary turned to face the Team, her hands on her hips. Her angry expression told the Team in no uncertain terms that they were in a lot of trouble. Artillery sucked in her breath.
"Oh, boy."
THE X-MANSION
October 11, 00:16 EDT
Talia crept back into the mansion as quietly as she could, easing the heavy oak door shut slowly to avoid making noise. She was only sixteen minutes past curfew, so it was possible that the teachers hadn't noticed she was missing yet. Still, she wasn't really in the mood to be yelled at yet again.
"Busted." Talia froze, Logan's amused voice stopping her in her tracks. She turned around slowly. Logan was standing in the living room entrance, watching Talia. The younger mutant sighed.
"Okay, fine. I know I wasn't cleared for a mission, but I'm not even twenty minutes late!" Logan chuckled, shaking his head in fond amusement.
"Alright, Rescue. I'll let it slide this once." Talia breathed a sigh of relief, doing a silent fist-pump at her small victory. Logan pointed towards Talia's room sternly. "Get to bed now and don't let it happen again."
Talia murmured a quick thank-you before disappearing into her room. Once she had closed and locked the door, she unzipped her flight-suit and tossed the kevlar-jumpsuit into the corner of the room. She changed into a pair of comfy shorts and an oversized t-shirt and replaced her contacts with her glasses. Instead of going to sleep, she sat cross-legged on her made bed and opened her laptop.
She put on a movie and turned the volume down low for some background noise as she pulled up her notes on Vision. Chewing on her bottom lip, Talia tracked the android's progress.
It had only been a week since he had been created, and Vision had so-far shown no murderous tendencies or ideologies. Understanding the Avengers' concern, however, Vision had freely volunteered "check-ups" where either Tony, Bruce or Talia would observe his behavior and track it.
So far, there was nothing to be concerned of. Thor was confident that Vision wasn't evil, as he had been able to wield the hammer. Steve and Wanda were less convinced.
Talia's phone buzzed, catching her attention. She grabbed it, and to her surprise, there was a text message from Zatanna on the screen.
Zatanna: hey! hope you guys didn't get chewed out too bad. :)
A smile crossed Talia's face, and she quickly tapped out a reply, closing her laptop and setting it aside. Talia flopped down against her pillows, readjusting her glasses when they jostled with her movement.
Talia: not too bad. but i am now convinced that bc is scarier than the big bad bat. rly don't want to piss her off again.
Talia: you still have your phone? your dad seemed pissed.
Zatanna: oh he is. i'm TOTALLY grounded "until further notice." but he's too overprotective to let me go anywhere without my phone, so.
Talia laughed. Her fingers hovered over the screen, but before she could respond another text from Zatanna lit up on her phone.
Zatanna: also...when i'm finally not grounded again, you wanna grab lunch some time? pick up where we left off?
Talia's heart skipped a beat and a huge smile spread across her face. Grinning, she wrote Zatanna back.
Talia: asking me out over text? pretty lame, zee.
Zatanna: hm, maybe ~I~ just wanted to catch-up. u specified date - your the lame one.
Talia: *you're.
Zatanna: YOU'RE annoying. taking that as a yes btw. ;)
Talia: hmmmm if you say so. mwah mwah my darling.
hmmm ngl i don't really think i did zee and lia's relationship justice in writing with the way it is in my head...hope it's still semi-okay?
i implied this in a couple places but the two of them were basically starting to date when talia got "asked to leave" the school. they didn't really see each other so they fell out of touch a little bit and it ended up not really going anywhere. i don't really see either of them being awkward about it tho, so this is the result.
and yeah i think ultron is - especially rn - a pretty big deal for talia. i think tony kept her pretty sheltered from his public image to protect her and i think when ultron happened she was shocked to see how many people blamed her father. it's still kinda a "big area" for her, and i think given she's just created vision she's pretty sensitive abt it.
also if anyone's curious...my ship name for talia and zatanna is iron magic cuz of tony and dr. strange lol. if anyone wants to suggest another one go right ahead lol.
and i just wanted to give a quick update here: i'm about to be super busy with the start of school, athletics, and applications, so i'm not sure how regularly i'll be able to update. just a heads-up.
please leave a review. lmk what you thought of this chap, the story, zatanna and talia's relationship...etc! i would love some feedback! pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?
thank you for reading!