Hey there, Super-friends! Back with another chapter! Main reason why I'm posting this on Superbowl weekend is because not everybody is watching the game. I don't, but I love the snacks and commercials, a lot of them are hilarious! Also, I get a lot of ideas and source material for my stories from other tv shows, movies and so forth. With the cold and flu season in full swing, the latest victim was my betta fish. Last Tuesday he was perfectly fine but the next day he got sick and was gone within hours. I do plan on getting another one at some point. This one's for you, Roscoe!
(that's his name by the way). I'm really going to miss him.
Anyway…here's the rest of the story…
Hall of Justice-1:30pm-Eastern Time
Supergirl stood in front of the large crowd that had gathered on the front lawn of the Metro Tower. By now, the large crowd of fans had come and gone. The sidekicks stood on the grass with their mentors alongside them. Among the group was Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, Kid Flash, Bumblebee and Stargirl. All of them focusing intently on what was being said. The young heroes were anxious to hear why they had been invited to the Hall of Justice by their mentors. Most of them had either worked alongside some members of the Justice League, or took on minor cases by themselves as a way of helping them gain more independence. But today was different, there was excitement flowing in the air on this warm Summer day.
Supergirl turned her attention towards the young heroes. She had practiced her speech prior to this and had watched Superman speak to the press many times before. Now this was it, the big day that she, and everyone else had been waiting for.
"Each of you bring something different to the table. Speed, stealth, strength…whatever. But we all have one thing in common. Each of us is willing to make the decisions a hero needs to make…even the risky ones. Anyway, since there's so many of us, we have an opportunity to put out more than just fires…both literally and figuratively. We can be more than just sidekicks, we can make a real difference but we're going to have to be organized." Supergirl spoke proudly, eyes wandering the many faces in the crowd.
Supergirl then motioned over to Mr. Terrific, who was standing to the right of her.
"Mr. Terrific will be here to keep an eye on things. He's the one who decides who's going where and when. I know a lot of you are used to your mentors making those decisions for you, but from now on, this will make things more coordinated." Supergirl explained, scanning the many faces in the crowd, trying to gauge their reaction.
At hearing this, Kid Flash and Robin both raised their eyebrows and looked at each other. Did they hear that right?!
"We're not kids anymore…well…some of us aren't." Supergirl sputtered, taking note of the few sidekicks that were still in their early teenage years.
A few members of the crowd laughed.
Artemis stood in the back end of the crowd, not far from Green Arrow. Batgirl walked up to her and it wasn't long before the blonde heroine noticed her.
"We sent Static to get you because you never gave us an answer." She explained hesitantly.
"C'mon, I don't belong here. Dealing with natural disasters, aliens and supervillains. I just help the little people….and in a big club like this, you tend to forget all about them. So, really I'm flattered to be asked and all…but…no thanks." Artemis replied, folding her arms in front of her chest.
Batgirl narrowed her eyes at Artemis, "Suit yourself." She said trying to hide her slight hint of anger and disappointment. She turned away for a moment, looking at the Metropolis skyline, then back at Artemis. "Those supervillains you don't chase…they tend to step on little people." Batgirl said as she walked off towards Nightwing and Robin.
Artemis stood there dumbfounded by the other heroine's statement. She quickly pushed her thoughts aside and listened to the rest of Supergirl's speech.
Having trained their proteges for quite some time, Batman, Superman, Black Canary and several other Justice league members decided to give the sidekicks an opportunity to work alongside the league! However, they would have their own team which would include other young people like themselves. After hearing the announcement, many of them warmed up to the idea of having a team of their own, and being given assignments that were different from what they were accustomed to.
Shortly after Supergirl's speech, the sidekicks had been allowed to talk to each other, some of them meeting for the first time. They had moved inside of the Hall of Justice, the sound of various conversations made for a pleasant atmosphere. However, the social occasion was interrupted a moment later when Mr. Terrific noticed an alert on one of the monitors.
"It's some sort of accident, the sensors are showing an enormous amount of heat." Mr. Terrific explained.
On the monitor was a map of the continental U.S. with a small red spot blinking on a section of Northern California.
"I could go over there and try to locate it." Static offered.
"That's the strange part, the heat's not dissipating it's moving north." Said Mr. Terrific, as he enlarged the map showing the red spot moving across the landscape.
He looked over at some of the sidekicks and their mentors. He spotted a girl in a black and yellow striped costume talking to Atom, Black Lightning, Stargirl and Rocket.
"Take Bumblebee, she might be able to help track down the source of the problem." Mr. Terrific suggested.
"Alright, and I could some muscle for crowd control." Said Static happily.
"Take Superboy as well," Mr. Terrific offered again.
Static then gave the older hero an odd look. Mr. Terrific just blinked, as if he wasn't bothered by Static's reaction.
"He's got to start sometime."
"Fine," Static sighed.
"Use a javelin, it's not possible for the computer to pinpoint on the exact location." Mr. Terrific explained.
"Bumblebee." Static called, getting her attention.
"Conner!" he shouted.
The younger brother of Superman turned around, his conversation with Batgirl cut short.
"About time," said Conner.
The trio then met up and walked down the hallway, talking quietly. Static took the lead with Superboy and Bumblebee following closely behind.
"Either of you been to San Francisco?" Static asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them a moment ago.
"Once, with Atom, we were investigating what had caused one of the dams to burst near some of the farms in Silicon Valley." Bumblebee explained.
"Is it anywhere near Star City?" Superboy asked, regarding San Francisco's location.
Static groaned, two questions crossed his mind. Should he have asked one of the older heroes to accompany them? Was going out like this such a good idea? The young hero pushed his thoughts aside when they arrived outside where a few javelins were parked. It wasn't long until Artemis ran up to them.
"You're not gonna leave me here at the country club." She insisted.
"You can go back the way you came." Said Static.
"Nuh-uh, no way am I getting on that subway again." Artemis replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ok, we'll drop you off after we're done." Static offered.
The trio was now a quartet due to Artemis pretty much inviting herself along for the ride. They took a moment to find a javelin that had a full tank of fuel and was ready for takeoff. Static, Superboy and Bumblebee had all ridden in one before with their mentors. Artemis however, had not and was taken aback by the size and sleek design of the dark teal air craft.
The small band of sidekicks boarded the javelin with Static taking the front seat as he entered San Francisco in the GPS and changed the settings to auto-pilot.
"So, you're gonna let me drive, right?" Superboy asked.
Bumblebee frowned, "Whoa! Does he even have a license to fly a javelin?!" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Why don't you lighten up, Wasp?" Superboy replied as he sat down beside her.
Bumblebee narrowed her eyes, "Bumblebee," she corrected him and turned away from him.
Superboy looked at her angrily and stuck out his tongue, but quickly stopped when he spotted Artemis watching. The young blonde winked at him and smiled. Superboy smirked and then proceeded to look out a nearby window.
After being cleared for takeoff, the engines started, and the javelin rolled down a small runway and took off within moments.
It didn't take long before the Hall of Justice and Metropolis were completely out of sight. After a couple hours of awkward silence, Artemis spoke up.
"So, your costume allows you shrink?" Artemis asked casually.
"Uh-huh, Atom helped with designing it…shrinking's not the only thing it can do either." Bumblebee explained smiling at Artemis.
"Really? Like what?" Artemis questioned, looking Bumblebee's suit up and down.
"With a name like Bumblebee, what do you think?" the other girl asked sarcastically.
It was obvious she wasn't exactly happy with Artemis tagging along. But why?
"I used to think this sort of thing only happened in comic books." Artemis barked back.
Bumblebee looked away, ending the conversation. Static and Superboy simply stayed out of it, the two of them knew better than to get involved.
Sometime later…
Northern California-12:45pm-Pacific Time
The javelin landed in a small, grassy field surrounded by a few trees. They weren't far from San Francisco, just a few miles outside the city in Sonoma county. Static, Bumblebee and Superboy ventured outside of the javelin to look around.
"Looks like we're late." Superboy pointed out noticing where an abandoned farm once stood. The house, barn and silo had burned to the ground, only the ashes left behind gave the hint that something had once stood there. Although the fire appeared to be recent due to a cloud of smoke rising into the sky.
"Well, let's go check it out, if you see something, let me know." Said Static.
"Got'cha!" Bumblebee replied.
"C'mon, let's keep moving." Static told the trio.
"Ok," Bumblebee replied and flew up into the air.
Superboy made a face when neither Static and Bumblebee weren't looking. Thus far, this whole trip was…well…boring! He let out a loud sigh and followed them, as if this afternoon couldn't get any duller.
Artemis casually stepped out of the javelin and leaned against one of its wheels. She held a bottle of water that she had brought with her and took a sip, enjoying the cool liquid as it ran down her dry throat. Artemis didn't really want to be on this trip, but for now she entertained herself by watching Static, Bumblebee and Superboy. Summers were usually warm in other parts of the country, the Bay Area however, was cooler. Today, it was in the 70s, ideal weather for the small group of heroes to investigate their surroundings.
Unbeknownst to the group of heroes, was a small group of security guards patrolling the area. Their outfits were dark blue with the STAR Labs logo on the right-hand side. The lead guard, a tall man with brown hair stood on a hill not too far from them. He removed the leash from the collar of the Doberman that was with him, the black and tan canine growling at the young heroes. Startled by the noise, Artemis spotted the dog and shouted out loud.
"Hey!"
Static, Bumblebee and Superboy stopped in their tracks and turned around. Next thing they knew, the large dog was bolting down the hill towards them! Static took evasive action and used his electricity to block the Doberman. Moments later, two more Dobermans and a German Shepherd ran up, trying in vain to get to Static's team.
"These dogs sure don't like out-of-towners." said Bumblebee, sounding nervous.
"It's crazy! There's no need for this." Static admitted, shocked.
"I'll handle it." Superboy offered, ready to defend his teammates if one of the dogs came too close.
"Conner! We came here to help, not to hurt anyone." Static pointed out.
"So, are you just gonna stand there and let them run out of watch dogs? If this fire is as bad as it looks, there's a lot of people out there that are gonna need our help." Said Artemis.
Having heard Artemis make a point, Static sent out a blast of electricity causing the dogs and their handlers to scatter and run off in different directions. Moments later, a gray Ford truck came down a nearby road and stopped not far from Static and the others. A tall muscular man with short brown hair and a beard stepped out of the driver's seat. Another security guard and a Black German shepherd walked up to him.
"I apologize for the circus, we've had people trespassing around here recently, so my team's been on edge," the chief security guard apologized.
He approached Static and his teammates, a half smile resting on his lips, hoping that any uneasy feelings on both sides would break up.
"I'm Burton Thompson. I'm flattered that the Justice League has decided to pay us a visit…but…I need to ask why."
"STAR Labs in San Francisco had some sort of accident." Static explained.
Burton held up his right hand, "A minor problem, fully under control," He assured the small band of sidekicks.
"Look, if it's all the same to you…" Static was cut off.
Burton narrowed his eyes as Static approached him. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was young people that didn't respect authority. Despite being proteges of the Justice League, to Burton, they were all still just a bunch of teenagers
"It's fully under control, if it's all the same to you." Burton insisted, throwing in a reassuring smile.
"Listen, we came a long way to help and..." Superboy spoke as he stood beside Static.
"You're help is not needed here, thank you for coming…now goodbye."Bruton said, fully dismissing the group, as he turned and walked away, followed by his team and their dogs.
Static and Superboy just stood there, shocked by the rude dismissal. Bumblebee and Artemis merely looked at each other. All four of them were obviously confused, was this trip just a waste of time?
A few hours after looking around the abandoned farm, Static contacted Mr. Terrific and reported what happened. "I'm tellin' you Terrific, it took all my strength not to split that guy's wig with a shock." Static explained.
"You did the right thing, but the problem's not under control, it's only getting worse." said Mr. Terrific who was on the monitor of the javelin's communication system.
By now it was evening, and the sun had started to set. Outside, the sounds of nocturnal wildlife such as owls, crickets and coyotes could be heard.
"Don't you get it?!" a female voice asked.
Static turned around to see Artemis walking up to him.
"They don't want anyone to know about the accident and they don't care how many acres of land this town has to lose to keep it quiet!" she said harshly.
Static's patience with Artemis was starting to wear thin. Why Green Arrow had picked her and Roy Harper as his proteges was beyond him. "This isn't your concern." He told Artemis.
She looked at him angrily, clenching her teeth before leaving in a huff.
Static and Mr. Terrific watched her leave, neither of them saying anything until Artemis was out of earshot range.
"She does have a point," Static agreed, having thought about it.
"Maybe the three of us should go back and…"
Mr. Terrific interrupted him.
"No, we can't just do whatever we want. We have to respect Thompson's wishes, no matter what we think of him."
Static nodded, he knew Mr. Terrific was right and as much as he wanted to prove Burton Thompson wrong, his team was told to stay out of it.
"Static, Artemis is gone!" Superboy exclaimed as he rushed on to the javelin.
"And so is the tracker." Bumblebee added, walking in a minute later.
Static narrowed his eyes, of the all the things Artemis had done so far this was the craziest stunt she could pull, especially with so many unknown variables.
Although it was rather dark in the country side of Sonoma County, the full moon did give off some light. Artemis made her way through a small patch of woodland, climbing over a log and taking note of her surroundings. She glanced at the tracker for a moment, which clicked, indicating where fires had been reported.
She looked up when she heard the sound of cars rushing around nearby. Making a left turn, she followed the noise and came to a stop near a road. Just a few feet down hill was a bus, several cars and trucks driving towards a bridge. Among the caravan was Burton's team from earlier.
"Move it! Move it!" one guard shouted, trying to get the cars and a few people on foot to get across the bridge.
"Hurry!" Burton yelled as he sat in the back of his truck, monitoring the progress.
Slowly, the caravan made its way across the bridge. Artemis watched from behind a large rock, making sure to stay well hidden.
The tracker clicked a few times, reporting the latest fire just a few miles Northwest of the bridge. Artemis looked away when she heard a loud popping noise and tires screeching. Skidding down the road was a large black van. The driver looked to be a security guard from Burton's team. The young man who appeared to be of Asian descent struggled to get control of the vehicle but wasn't having any success. The van turned to the right side of the bridge and hit a guard rail, causing it to snap. The driver gasped as the front end of the van started to tip over the edge of the bridge.
Artemis saw what was happening and wasted to no time. She bolted down the hill towards the bridge, grabbing an arrow from her quiver she released it, followed shortly by another. Both arrows had steel cables attached to them and landed on the remaining section of the broken guard rail.
The cables prevented the van from tipping over any further but not for long. The weight of the vehicle was too much and caused one of the cables to break. Artemis released one more arrow with a rope attached. Using her bow, she made a makeshift zipline and headed towards the van.
"C'mon!" she shouted to the driver, reaching out her hand for him to take.
Without needing to be told twice, the driver opened the door and grabbed Artemis' extended hand right before the cable snapped and the van fell into the dry riverbed below with a loud crash. Not long after, a small explosion and a burst of flames came from the wrecked vehicle.
Artemis pulled the van's driver to safety in the middle of the bridge. It didn't take long for Burton to spot the two of them.
"I told you to stay away!" he shouted angrily.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help." Said Artemis.
Burton narrowed his eyes as he came face to face with the teenage girl, at 6'2 he pretty much towered over her in height.
"I told you before, the situation is completely under con…" Burton stopped when he heard loud footsteps approaching. Both he and Artemis glanced up the road and within seconds a large figure walked up. The robot resembled a larger version of Red Tornado. He looked right at Artemis and Burton before lifting his right hand which started to ignite.
Burton's brown eyes widened at the sight. Artemis stood there with her mouth hanging open. It didn't take her long to realize this robot was the cause of the fires all along!
Several citizens that were on the opposite end of the bridge started yelling in fear and quickly tried to get to safer ground.
Burton and Artemis slowly backed away from the robot which then unleashed a torrent of flames that scorched the ground. Artemis pushed Burton out of the way, causing both to fall over and narrowly escape being burned. When they got up and looked around, the bridge was now split in two.
With its back turned to them, the robot walked off heading in the direction where it came from, leaving behind a trail of flames and scorched earth.
Using another arrow, Artemis aimed it at the other side of the bridge. She grabbed the rope attached to it and swung across, leaving Burton behind.
A somewhat angry Burton brushed the dust off his shirt and walked back to the caravan which had made it across and were now heading East.
Artemis ran as fast she could trying to keep up with the robot and stopped near the edge of a hill. She saw the robot walking by, several veins that ran around it glowed bright red, resembling streams of lava. Two groups of firefighters tried in vain to put out the blaze but were forced to abandon their trucks and hoses as the fire quickly spread. The firefighters, along with a small group of civilians and some livestock, panicked as they saw the fire creeping towards them.
Before the robot could go any further, Artemis released two arrows which hit the robot's right shoulder. Granted, it didn't do any damage but was enough to get his attention.
"What?" the machine bellowed.
The machine turned around and quickly spotted Artemis who'd been releasing her arrows nonstop.
The robot, now focused on Artemis, made its way towards her. Just as the blond heroine prepared about to run, a figure quickly grabbed her in time.
Static was using a metal disc that allowed him to fly and hover in the air. Artemis was shocked by what just happened but appreciated the save.
"Looks like I can't help butting in." said Static quipped.
"There's some people up ahead," Artemis explained, pointing East.
Both Superboy and Bumblebee flew past them towards the robot.
"I'll try to shut it down." Said Bumblebee who had now shrunk to a smaller size. This allowed her to get close to the robot without being noticed.
Superboy tried to keep him distracted by flying around in circles.
The machine was rather confused by these young heroes. What were they up to?
Bumblebee landed on the robot's left shoulder and attempted to find his power source, trying to shut it down, but the heat the machine gave off was causing her to sweat heavily.
Meanwhile, Static knocked down a large tree with a lightning strike using it as a makeshift bridge. The group of people looked at the now fallen tree, reluctant to cross.
"Go now!" Static ordered.
One person, a young man approached the tree and tapped it twice with his left foot. Seeing that it was safe, he signaled his family, neighbors and the fire crew to follow him. He ran across, followed shortly by his wife, daughter, an elderly couple and the fire crew. A pair of miniature horses also crossed the temporary bridge.
Relieved that the civilians were now safe, Static glanced over at his teammates, checking on their progress.
The robot had noticed Bumblebee and was now trying to swat her like a fly. She kept dodging but was hit by a small blast of heat, causing the electronics in her suit to short out. She groaned in pain as she collapsed on the ground, quickly returning to her normal size. Superboy rushed over to help the girl sit up.
"He saw me…" Bumblebee said as she panted from being exposed to the heat.
"Well there's always the low-tech way." Superboy pointed out.
He took off towards the robot and tried to pin him down. However, being up close caused him to sweat, loosening his grip on the metal. The robot, seemingly unbothered by Superboy and simply knocked him away. The young hero suddenly found himself colliding with a large rock. Superboy groaned as got to his feet before he bolted back to his teammates.
The area had been successfully evacuated...well, almost. Before Static could react, the robot released another large blaze. He attempted to block it using a blast of electricity but was once again, unsuccessful.
Bumblebee, Superboy and one of the firemen stood there with their mouths hanging open. There was nothing any of them could do.
Static cried out in pain as his costume was scorched. He crashed into the ground, his clothes smoking in several places.
"Static!" Artemis called out as she ran towards him.
She got down on her knees and checked for a pulse. He was unconscious but all right. Artemis narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Looking angrily at the robot that was now walking away, she prepared to fire an arrow but lowered her bow knowing it wouldn't do any good. Superboy came over shortly after to check Static's injuries.
Later…
The group was back at the javelin, with their team leader on a stretcher. With some help from the fire department, they managed to treat Static's injuries. His right arm was wrapped in bandage tape while his left wrist had a patch on it. There were a couple bruises on his forehead as well, and he was hooked to an IV drip.
"This wouldn't have happened if you had acted like you were part of the team!" Bumblebee said angrily, looking at Artemis.
"But I'm not, remember? So back off, Bug Girl!" Artemis growled out, clenching her fists.
The two heroines were inches from each other's faces, staring each other down.
"Hey!" Superboy shouted as he got between them.
"We've got an out of control robot out there but if you girls are too busy playing alpha female, I guess I'll deal with it myself." He boomed.
Shortly after the argument, Static came around.
"Guys…" he said, which alerted the trio.
"You need a plan, you need to find its weakness." He said weakly, sitting up.
"Those guys from STAR Labs, they should know something." Artemis pointed out.
"I thought you weren't on this Team," said Bumblebee.
"Take her, you'll need all the help you can get." Static told them before laying back on the stretcher.
"Ok, but I'm gonna be too busy to cover your sorry…" Bumblebee was cut off.
"I don't expect you to." Artemis snapped.
And with that, they left. Bumblebee now took the lead and the trio set out to find Burton's team. They returned to the abandoned farm and found several scientists from Star Labs investigating and taking notes.
"What are we up against?" Bumblebee asked one of the scientists.
Superboy folded his arms in front of his chest., "She asked you a question, " He said to the scientist, annoyed.
"Don't answer them…" Burton told the scientist, "That's classified info…" he stopped short when Superboy grabbed him by his shirt.
"I've just about had it with you guys!" He snapped, "Now are you going to explain this or what?!"
Burton looked at Superboy nervously, the half Kryptonian's eyes were now red, his heat vision flaring up from his anger.
"I'd speak up if I were you." Artemis suggested.
"Red Volcano was supposed to be reprogramed." Said the Scientist, Professor David Wilcox.
Superboy relaxed and loosened his grip on Burton.
Wilcox wiped the sweat off his eyebrows and adjusted his glasses. The right side of his face had a few small red patches, obviously minor burns. "There was a malfunction in his system." Professor Wilcox explained.
"But then he escaped, right? Is that what happened?" Artemis asked anxiously.
Professor Wilcox nodded. He went on to explain that Red Volcano was initially a replacement for Red Tornado should anything happen to him. However, a malfunction in his system caused Volcano to become confused with what was considered a threat and what wasn't. As a result, he escaped STAR Labs in San Francisco and headed to the countryside causing several wildfires in the process.
"We have EMP patches, but we couldn't get close enough to put them on Red Volcano." Wilcox explained as he pointed to a wooden crate in the back of Burton's truck.
"Where's his battery?" Bumblebee asked, regarding Red Volcano.
"Near the upper torso but it's too hot, you won't last long." Professor Wilcox warned.
"Let me worry about that," said Bumblebee.
A short time later the trio took what EMP patches Wilcox had and set off to find Red Volcano. Artemis always tried to keep a straight face when on the job, but being several feet above the ground with only Superboy holding her was terrifying at the moment.
"So what's the plan?" she asked, keeping he gaze off the ground.
"I place these EMP patches on Red Volcano, that should stop him." Bumblebee answered.
The trio then came to a stop near a vineyard.
"I gotta say that's not much of a plan, if you get too close the heat will fry you." Artemis pointed out.
"I know," said Bumblebee.
"But.." Artemis sputtered.
"If this doesn't work…contact the League, they'll know what to do next." Bumblebee explained.
She started to leave when Artemis called her, "Bumblebee."
Said girl turned around as Artemis walked up to her. The two heroines shook hands before Bumblebee shrunk and took off with Superboy.
"Try to distract him," Bumblebee told him.
"Got it," Superboy replied, he smiled and winked at her before going ahead.
He blocked Red Volcano causing the robot to stop in his tracks.
"Hey Brimstone breath!" He shouted.
Taken aback by the insult, Red Volcano immediately focused his attention on Superboy. He fired four blasts of flames only to miss him every time. Having superspeed helped, as it allowed Superboy to stay ahead of Red Volcano. Bumblebee flew towards the robot once more and tried to place a patch on him only for Volcano to notice and spike his temperature, preventing Bumblebee from getting any closer.
She yelled at feeling the intense heat and dropped the EMP patches. Volcano immediately knocked her away.
Bumblebee managed to get up and flew off, passing Superboy. The wings on her costume were damaged and she collapsed. Thanks to his quick thinking, Superboy managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
Angry that Static and now Bumblebee were hurt, Superboy grabbed one of the patches and rushed towards Red Volcano, only for the robot to shove him into some nearby trees. Having seen what just happened, Artemis grabbed three of the EMP patches and darted out Red Volcano's way. Using her bow, she tried to fire one of the patches at the robot, but it only bounced of his armor.
Artemis tried to outrun Red Volcano and tripped over a tree root in the process, causing her to stumble. She quickly got back up and tried to fire another patch only for it to bounce off Red Volcano again.
"Really?" he asked, looking at Artemis and saw that she wasn't giving up any time soon.
He continued to chase her through the vineyard, scorching several grapevines in the process.
Artemis hid behind a patch of vines, and stayed as quiet as possible. Red Volcano walked by still searching.
Getting an idea, Artemis split the last EMP patch in half and grabbed part of a grapevine.
Red Volcano continued walking around the vineyard, but he still couldn't find Artemis.
"Where are you, Meat Bag?!" he ground out.
Artemis broke into a sweat as she used the grapevine to tie the EMP patch to one of her arrows.
"Show yourself!" Red Volcano shouted.
Looking to the left he spotted a small figure behind a patch of grapevines.
"There!" He fired a blast of flames towards the grapevine, knowing the fire would force Artemis to run out into the open. Sure enough, she bolted. Red Volcano glanced at the now burning grapevine. All he saw on the ground was Artemis' scrunchy which was now burnt and prints from her shoes.
Red Volcano then heard something not too far away. "What?" he questioned.
When the smoke cleared, he froze when he saw Artemis standing on the roof of a barn with her bow and arrow in hand. While he was distracted, she managed to make it to the building, and found a latter to gain access to the top.
She looked right at Red Volcano. Sweat dripping from her forehead, without her scrunchy, Artemis' ponytail had fallen apart. Now her long blond hair fluttered freely in the breeze.
"Say good night, Dirt bag." She said before releasing her arrow.
Within seconds, the arrow hit Red Volcano in the chest. He yelled at feeling the shock from the electro-magnetic pulse.
Seconds later, Superboy flew up and knocked Red Volcano away. The Red Tornado look-a-like fell backwards from the impact, the red veins on his armor quickly went out. Superboy turned towards Artemis, watching her drop to her knees, panting heavily.
Watchtower-8:30pm-Eastern Time…
Because there wasn't a medical bay to treat Leaguers, the Team and their mentors had gone up to the Watchtower. After filing their report with Mr. Terrific and Supergirl, Superboy and Static were now outside the medical bay. Having been examined and given the ok to go, they waited patiently as Bumblebee was treated for her injuries.
Superboy frowned, "You sure she's gonna be ok?" he asked, sounding worried.
"She should be, Mr. Terrific's team, picked her up right after it happened so she wasn't hurt too bad." Static explained.
Just then Bumblebee stepped out of the exam room, she had a band aid over her right eyebrow and brace around her left leg. She smiled at her teammates and gave them a thumbs up.
The two grinned and Superboy gave her a thumbs up back before she left.
"At least she'll get a new costume out of it." He pointed out, seeing that she was now wearing civilian clothes which consisted of a black and yellow striped t-shirt, dark blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes.
Superboy turned to Static who was now in a spare costume and sitting in a motorized wheelchair until he was strong enough to walk again.
"So, aren't you gonna give me the 'you did good speech'?" the half Kryptonian asked.
Static raised an eyebrow at Superboy's question. Was he serious?!
"You're headstrong, unprofessional and reckless." Was his reply.
Superboy was stunned at hearing this. After all they had been through today and everything he did to help his teammates this was the thanks he got?
"If you ever jeopardize yourself and your teammates by running off without a game plan, I'll personally see to it that you are kicked off the team and I don't care who your brother and cousin are." Said Static.
He paused then smiled at Superboy, "And aside from that…you did good."
Superboy blinked in surprise but smiled back at Static before he started up his wheelchair and left. The half Kryptonian teen thought about everything that happened and what he had just been told.
"Huh…" he said to himself.
Meanwhile in the girl's locker room, Artemis had taken a shower and changed into a spare costume. She was glad to get the sweat and grime off. She did have a small band aid near her left eyebrow, it was a small cut that would likely heal in a couple of days.
Batgirl stood outside leaning against the wall her arms folded in front of her chest, "Well, if it isn't the Robot catcher." She said.
"I got a break, so did everyone else. Still think I don't belong here." Artemis admitted, lowering her head.
Batgirl blinked, "That's the point, someone like you will keep us honest." She said.
Artemis ran her right hand through her long silky hair.
"Geez, I don't know Bats, don't get me wrong, I love a good adventure as much as the next girl, but I don't think..." Artemis trailed off when she spotted Kid Flash sitting on a bench near some lockers putting on his boots. He looked up, smiling at Artemis and Batgirl.
Artemis' eyes widened. She didn't expect that reaction, but then again, word had quickly got around the Watchtower about her adventure with Static's team. They even learned it had been the main story on the evening news! In short, was going to be a conversation topic for a while.
Batgirl grinned at Artemis, "So, see you soon?" she asked.
Artemis smiled, "You just might." Was her reply.
She stood there and watched Kid Flash and Batgirl walking away. Taking a moment to think about her first day with the Team, the teen heroine changed her mind about turning down the League's invitation and decided to stay. For Artemis and her new friends, this was just the start of many more adventures that were just around the corner…
MORE TO COME…
And that's it for this chapter…Hope you enjoyed it! Next update will be on Saturday. There'll be more characters in later chapters as well as some more interesting adventures. I'm still working on filling the gaps in the outline for the sequel to this story, more on that later!
Ciao for now!