AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews! :) Just to be clear, I am basing this story on the TV series only! It is too complicated to go through all of the time stamps for the episodes and the comic series and compare/work around them. Sorry! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.
Season 1, Episode 9: "Bereft"
Kid Flash
Bialya
September 4, 08:03 EEST
He couldn't go on much longer.
Kid Flash came to a neat stop, sending sand flying. Everything hurt. He put the mystery girl down and bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He felt the girl watching him and he lifted his head to meet her gaze,
"Sorry. Running on empty – don't think I've eaten in a while."
Kid Flash straightened up to check his stash, disappointment flooding through him when he found it empty,
"Been out here over 24 hours, or my cupboards wouldn't be bare."
The words had barely left his mouth when something suddenly dropped from above. It landed right in front of them, sending sand billowing up in the air. Kid Flash shielded his eyes, and as the dust began to settle he was able to discern the figure of a shirtless teenage boy. There was something vaguely familiar about his appearance, but before he could identify what it was, the teenager gave a feral roar and rushed at him. He extended his arm and backhanded Kid Flash, sending him flying into the ledge of a cliff. His back collided with the solid rock and he let out a grunt of pain,
"UGH!"
The force of the blow left the side of his face numb, and his back was throbbing from its impact with the cliff. With the wind knocked out of him, Kid Flash watched helplessly as the boy attacked the mystery girl. She flipped backwards and expertly shot three arrows at him. The boy fought onward, undeterred. She rolled away to dodge a punch, and the boy roared in inexplicable fury. Despite his discomfort, Kid Flash watched the mystery archer appreciatively,
Beautiful and talented?
Wally West
Central City
September 6, 11:01 CDT
Wally West avoided meeting his lab partner's gaze, but he could still feel him staring at his swollen, purple cheekbone. His left eye reduced to a slit from Superboy's punch, and despite his best efforts to hide the bruise, even a concealer developed by the Justice League was ineffective.
"Psst!" Wally's lab partner suddenly hissed under his breath.
Wally ignored him, staring intently at his chemistry teacher as she gave instructions for the day's experiment.
"Use the cylinders to measure out equal amounts of oil and water –"
"Psssst!" He whispered again, more urgently.
"– which do we expect to sit on top?"
Wally, still ignoring his partner's whispering, shot his hand in the air,
"Yes, Mr. West?"
"The oil."
"Why?"
"Because the oil's molecules are less dense than water's molecules."
"Very good! Now, after you shake the flask, use the clamp to attach the separating funnel –"
"West!" His lab partner hissed.
Wally sighed and reluctantly turned to face his lab partner, a skinny blonde boy with enormous glasses,
"What?" Wally whispered back exasperatedly.
" – and then pour in the mixture –"
"What happened to your face?!"
" – let it settle, and –"
"It's nothing," Wally hissed back, "don't –"
"Mr. West!" His teacher said sharply, "is there something else you'd like to share with the class?"
"No, mam," Wally said hurriedly.
"Then please settle down," she cleared her throat, "as I was saying, after it has –"
Wally's lab partner nudged him under the table,
"Were you in a fight?!"
Wally pretended not to hear him, but his partner was persistent,
"Who beat you up?"
Wally clenched his jaw,
"No one!"
"– underneath the separating funnel. Then I want you to –"
"Then what happened?!"
Wally sighed,
"Look, I really don't want to –"
"Mr. West!" His teacher's voice rang across the room, "I said that's enough. If I need to speak to you again I will put you in detention!" She glared at him for a moment before clearing her throat,
"Now, I want you to fill three different beakers. One with –"
Wally suddenly felt the spine of his lab partner's notebook collide with his elbow. He glanced down and saw a note scribbled in the margin of the paper:
What happened?
Wally sighed and picked up his pencil inconspicuously:
LET IT GO!
His partner read the note quickly and kicked him under the table. Wincing, Wally grudgingly picked up his pencil again:
Ran into glass door at my uncles – hit it so hard the whole thing shattered & I bruised my cheekbone
It took his partner a few seconds to read the note, and then a few more to comprehend what it said, but when he finally understood he released a snort of laughter into the otherwise silent classroom.
"That's it!" His teacher exclaimed, "Both of you – detention after school!"
Artemis
Bialya
September 4, 08:04 EEST
Even as she prepared to release her third arrow, Artemis knew it would do no good. The boy just kept coming. He was relentless – But so was she.
She could feel Kid Flash watching her as she rolled away to avoid being punched, and her stomach did a somersault that had nothing to do with her acrobatics. As the boy roared in fury, Artemis heard a faint whistling. Before she could recognize the threat, the missile had already exploded. The impact threw her backwards and she braced herself for the fall.
"AAH!"
Landing hard on her elbows and forearms, Artemis felt the sand sting her exposed skin. The heat from the missile radiated over her back, but she was far enough away to avoid any serious burns. Whiplash from her fall made her smack her forehead against the hard ground, and she lost consciousness for a few seconds. She woke up as two tanks rolled forward and the boy jumped out to attack them. Getting to her feet, Artemis addressed Kid Flash,
"Whose side is he on?!"
"Wanna stick around and find out?" He asked rhetorically before picking her up bridal style and sprinting in the opposite direction.
Artemis Crock
Gotham City
September 6, 09:10 EST
The only sound filling the empty hallways was the rhythmic clicks of Artemis's boots on the freshly waxed floors. This place was huge. She glanced at a map of Gotham Academy that she had received in the mail along with her acceptance letter, and found that she had walked straight past the main office. Artemis backtracked and scanned the doors until she found the right one. Turning the handle, a gust of cold air blew her hair off her shoulders as she walked inside,
"Hello?"
A small bespectacled woman peered at her from behind a computer,
"Hello, dear. How can I help you?"
"I'm here to register," Artemis answered, "I'm starting at the Academy this year."
"Freshman?" The woman asked, her eyes drifting to the computer screen.
"No. I – I was just awarded a scholarship," Artemis mumbled.
The woman's gaze flickered back to Artemis,
"Do you have your transfer forms?"
Artemis rummaged through her backpack for a moment before procuring several official-looking documents and handing them to the woman. She took the papers, but her eyes lingered on Artemis,
"What happened to you?"
Artemis followed her gaze and found her staring at her bruised forearms and swollen elbows.
"Oh… I rolled out of bed the other night," she gave a short laugh, "I woke up as I was falling and tried to stop myself, but I still landed pretty hard on my elbows."
"That must have been some fall!" The woman said as she flipped through the forms, "Were you in a bunk bed?"
"Uh, yeah," Artemis lied, "yeah, me and my sister share a room, so…"
"Oh, is your sister also a student at the Academy?"
"No. No, she decided to pursue… other studies," Artemis answered slowly, looking away.
"Oh, that's nice," the woman said absently as she glanced up and smiled at her, "Everything seems to be in order here. Congratulations on receiving the Wayne Foundation Scholarship, it's a very substantial grant... Are you friends with his ward?"
"Who?"
The woman raised her eyebrows,
"Bruce Wayne's ward, Richard Grayson."
"Oh – no. No, I don't know him."
"He's starting as a freshman this year, you might run into him… I see you previously attended Gotham North. You'll find that the Academy has a very different atmosphere, but a student liaison will be assigned to help you adjust."
"Oh, I don't need a –" Artemis began, but the woman interrupted,
"It's protocol," she smiled softly, "Welcome to Gotham Academy, Miss Crock."
Robin
Bialya
September 4, 19:02 EEST
"Enough! Open fire!"
This was all just too weird.
The last thing Robin remembered was patrolling in Gotham with Batman – in March. Now he was in Bialya being shot at by the Biyalian Republic Army – in September.
What was going on? He couldn't find the pieces to put this story together, but he didn't have time to dwell on that now – he wasn't sure how much longer he could dodge these bullets. He was outnumbered, dehydrated, and his head was pounding.
Just as he started to plan an escape, there was a gust of wind and clouds of dust were kicked up as Kid Flash came rushing to his aid, relieving the soldiers of their weapons,
"I'll hold that! Thanks!"
Distracted by the sudden appearance of his best friend, Robin mistakenly allowed a soldier to get past his defenses. He tried to duck as a fist came flying towards his face, but he wasn't quick enough. The soldier's knuckles collided painfully with the side of his neck, and Robin's head was whipped to the side. He felt a burning a sensation run down his arm from his shoulder, but it disappeared seconds later, leaving a throbbing ache in his neck.
Determined to correct his mistake, Robin smacked the soldier's hand away and pushed him back before turning around and kicking him in squarely the gut. He watched him fall backwards until he sensed other soldiers approaching. Robin turned around, procuring a birdarang and poising himself for action, but before he could throw it, the soldiers were thrown backwards by some invisible force.
Perplexed, he turned around, looking for the source. He noticed a disturbance in the air a few feet away, and watched in awe as a female version of Martian Manhunter materialized before his eyes.
This was all just too weird.
Dick Grayson
Gotham City
September 6, 09:27 EST
Dick Grayson casually sauntered through the halls of the Wayne Foundation tower, greeting the various employees as he made his way to the elevator. He whistled tunelessly as the doors closed and watched the arrow move sideways as the elevator made its ascent.
A soft ding announced its arrival on the seventeenth floor and Dick ambled out, completely at ease amongst all the smartly dressed businessmen and women. He walked through the maze-like hallways until he came to a handsome mahogany door with an engraved plaque reading BRUCE WAYNE.
Turning the brass handle, he hitched on a charming smile to greet Bruce's secretary,
"Good morning!"
"Richard!" she exclaimed, "I didn't know you were stopping by today."
Dick shrugged, approaching the desk and resting his elbows on the edge,
"I got a little stir-crazy in the Manor so I decided to take a walk. You know, get some fresh air – stretch my legs… Is Bruce around?"
The secretary smiled at him,
"Mr. Wayne is in a meeting, but I can let him know you're here if –"
"I don't want to bother him," Dick interrupted, "do you know when he'll be done?"
"It could be a while… He's meeting with a representative from Star Labs about helping them rebuild their Philadelphia branch."
Dick grinned sheepishly,
"I probably should have called first…"
The secretary laughed,
"Take a seat, I'll have someone bring you some coffee."
Dick turned towards the waiting room and the secretary gasped,
"What's that on your neck?" She asked, craning her head to get a better look.
Dick's hand instinctively went to hide the maroon welt on his neck as he turned back around,
"What – this?"
The secretary nodded.
"Oh… I was helping our landscapers with some yard work the other day and I got bit by a spider," he shrugged, "It itches like crazy so I've been scratching it nonstop the past few days."
The secretary pursed her lips,
"I hope it's not serious. My sister was bit by a spider when she was vacationing in Australia and she had to spend a night in the hospital."
Dick shrugged unconcernedly as the secretary's phone started to ring,
"I'm sure I'll be fine. But you seem busy, and –" he waved a hand towards the conference room, "this meeting could take hours, so I think I'll just wait for Bruce back at home."
"Are you sure?" The secretary asked, one hand hovering above the phone receiver, "I can have someone get you a cup of coffee and –"
"We've got coffee at the manor, and our butler makes the best cappuccinos," he smiled at her, "but thank you for offering."
"Anytime, Richard. I'll let Mr. Wayne know you stopped by," she smiled back before finally picking up the phone, "Wayne Foundation, how may I help you?"
AN: I did some research before I wrote Robin's part – after he was punched he experienced something called a "Burner" or a "Stinger," an injury to nerves in the upper arm! ALSO, the next two episodes don't feature a mission with Robin, Artemis, or KF. I'm thinking of doing a chapter for "Targets" with a special guest, but I haven't decided yet – what do you all think? Should I do a chapter featuring Red Arrow? Let me know! :)