A/N: Hello my lovely readers! Alright, this chapter is out before Falcon because I found this chapter in my documents nearly complete so I completed it and decided "Hey? Why not just post it already?" So I did. Here you guys go!

Review my good readers! It gives me great pleasure to read what you guys have to say!

Young Justice is not mine.


MOUNT JUSTICE
July 22, 19:38 EDT

Standing with his arms crossed, Strike listened intently as Batman filled them in. This was going to be the Team's first official mission and Strike was more than ready. A sidelong glance at his partner revealed that Robin was just as excited as Strike was, though the thin line his mouth was set in deterred anyone who couldn't read him from knowing just how excited he was.

"Isla Santa Prisca. This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid. A strength enhancing drug sold under the street name, Venom. Infrared heat signatures indicate that their factory is operating at full capacity but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this Team comes in." Batman turned around, facing the young heroes lined up before him, "This is a covert, recon mission only. Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will." Facing the screen, Batman pulled up different blueprints and maps of the island, "For this plan, there will be two drop zones."

"So who's in charge?" Robin asked, stepping forward. Strike quirked an unnoticed brow at the hidden excitement lacing the other boy's voice.

Sharing a glance with Red Tornado, Batman simply said, "Work that out between you."

CARIBBEAN SEA
July 22, 20:08 ECT

The Bio-Ship soared through the air, its occupants sitting in a relative silence. Strike, as well as the rest of the Team, was on edge, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Seeing as this was their first mission, it also mean this was their first opportunity to actually prove themselves to Batman, and the League, that this Team thing was a good idea.

From the corner of his eye, Strike noted the smirk that was plastered on Robin's face. Robin was most likely deducing who the likely candidates for leader are, and he was most likely ranking himself as number one.

Using the logic, which Batman had basically engrained into Strike's brain via a lot of mental training, Strike was quick to eliminate Superboy and Miss Martian as leaders. The reasoning? They were both too naïve, untrained. Through in Superboy's anger and Miss Martian's kindness and you can tell they aren't leader material, not yet at least.

The next candidate wiped off the leader roster was Kid Flash. Sure, he had experience, being the Flash's partner for about two years. However, he was impulsive, brash. Qualities you did not want a leader to have.

That left three people: Robin, Strike and Aqualad.

Going down the list, Robin seemed the likely candidate, seeing as he had the most experience under his belt. Not only that, but working with the Batman for so long, Robin had picked up Batman's natural leadership qualities. Also going for him was his brains. Robin was smart, arguably the smartest out of the whole Team, however, due to the fact he was only thirteen, he was rather immature.

On the other hand, there was Aqualad. From his quite demeanor, he didn't seem like much. However, when you actually took time to analyze the guy, he just screamed leader. From his training in Atlantis and with King Orin, Aqualad's personality had become one of a calm, cool and collected nature, something of which you wanted in a leader.

Analyzing himself, Strike came to the conclusion that there was no way he could be leader. Yea, he had some experience, but he was pretty much in the same boat as Robin. He was immature. Strike had absolutely no problem owning up to that fact. Hey, he's thirteen for crying out loud.

Even though he couldn't be leader, that didn't mean he couldn't mess with Robin. After all, Strike had already come to the conclusion the leader most likely (in fact he could guarantee it) will be Aqualad.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Miss Martian announced. Shifting his gaze up and out the window, Strike could make out the small mountain peak peeking out from a sea of clouds. As the Bio-Ship flew closer, the island increased in size as the moonlight basked the island in an eerie glow, "Drop Zone A in thirty."

Aqualad stood up, his seat instantly dissolving back into the Bio-Ship. Tapping his Atlantean symbol, the once red top shifted into a dark gray while his pants changed from navy to black, "Ready."

With the island drawing closer and closer, Miss Martian put the Bio-Ship into camouflage mode. The ship slowly descended, underbelly of the Bio-Ship nearly skimming the water, before Aqualad jumped out, disappearing deep into the black waters.

The ship went silent once more as the rest of the Team awaited Aqualad's signal. Not even a minute later, his voice came through over the comms.

"Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data's now on a continuous loop. Move in."

With Aqualad's signal, the Bio-Ship flew further inland until it stopped, hovering in the mid air.

"Drop zone B." Miss Martian informed. Seatbelts and chairs disappeared as the remaining members stood up. With a concentrated look, cables dropped down from the ceiling, hanging in front of the teens.

Snagging the cable in front of him, Strike hooked it to his belt before turning around. On his left, Kid Flash tapped his lightning bolt symbol. Instantaneously his mustard and ketchup costume shifted into a dark gray better suited for stealth.

"How cool is this?" Kid Flash faced Miss Martian, flirty tone lacing his voice.

Miss Martian nodded, "Very impressive." She closed her brown eyes, concentrating. A few seconds later, her once purple and white costume, complete with a skirt, shifted into a more feminine, stealth version of the Martian Manhunter's.

"Uh," Kid Flash gawked, sporting a love sick grin, "That works too."

Robin and Strike shared a glance, barely suppressing their snickers as they watched their love sick friend stare longingly at the Martian.

Kid Flash shot them a glare before turning back towards Superboy, "Hey Supes! Still time to put on the new stealth tech!"

Crossing his arms, Superboy monotonously replied, "No capes. No tights. No offense."

"It's okay, Supes," Strike casted the clone a glance, "Not everyone looks good in tights."

Superboy growled at the young teen, evidently not enjoying/getting Strike's joke while Robin and Kid Flash began to crack up. This made Superboy angrier and just before he could tackle the bat, Strike made the smart decision to jump out of the Bio-Ship, landing with a soft thud on the muddy ground.

Strike's gaze shifted up as he watched the cable retract back into the Bio-Ship. His eyes roamed over the two shadows as the figures of his best friends came into view. With soft thuds, they also landed on the muddy ground, feet sinking ever so slightly into the wet earth.

Not even two seconds after Miss Martian landed and de-camoflauged, the four teens each dove separate directions, all landed in various items of foliage, to avoid being crushed by the Superboy. Frowning, Strike picked himself up off the ground, as well as pulling trigs and leaves out of his hair.

As the smoke dissipated, Superboy smirked to himself smugly, "Knew I didn't need a line."

"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert!" Robin scolded from his place on the ground.

Ignoring the others, Miss Martian carried on with the mission, "Aqualad, drop B is a go."

"Head for the factory," Aqualad reported back from his end, "I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."

After pinpointing the Team's location, Robin replied, "Roger that." Closing his map, the group of teens took off, racing into the dark rainforest.

The constant rushing of the waterfall and the various cries of the native animals shrouded the silent teens as they maneuvered through a rocky cliff. Leaping from rock to rock with ease, Strike kept pace with Robin as he led the way.

Pulling up his wrist computer, Robin scanned the area in front of the Team. A few seconds later, he slowed to a stop, elbowing Strike. Glancing over, Strike quirked an unseen eyebrow. In response, Robin showed the other boy his map. Strike's eyes narrowed as he read what the map said. Mines were detected. And from the looks of it, there were lots of them.

Strike hoisted himself up into the trees, Robin doing the same. The duo blended in with their surroundings as the rest of their Team, not noticing the absent bats, carried on.

Superboy froze, causing Kid Flash to run into him. Kid Flash looked annoyed and ready to say something, but Superboy beat him to it, "Did you hear that?"

"Uh, no," Kid Flash replied in an irritated voice, "Wait, is this a super hearing thing?"

Miss Martian stared at the clone dreamily, "You do have great ears."

Ignoring everything he just heard, Kid Flash turned around, "Okay, bat brats. Now what?" He was only greeted by the sounds of crickets chirping. Groaning, Kid Flash let out a string of curses before saying, "Man! I hate it when they do that!"

From above in the trees, Strike grinned in amusement.

"Superboy, Kid," Aqualad's voice sounded in his ear, "Switch to infrared. See if you're being tracked."

Kid slipped his goggles on over his eyes and looked around, "Got a squad of armed bozos incoming." He reported. He jogged forward with Superboy in tow. Strike and Robin followed from above.

"Two squads," Superboy corrected, "But they'll meet each other before they find us."

The pops of gunfire resounded around the area as the two squads opened fire on each other and Kid Flash announced, "No super hearing required now."

"Swing wide! Steer clear!" Aqualad ordered.

"Yeah, yeah," Kid Flash replied and one could hear his eye roll, "Just as soon as I find Rob and Strike."

Strike face palmed before the two bats leapt from tree to tree after the speedster. They closed in on Kid Flash just as the muddy terrain tripped the speedster up, causing him to go tumbling down the hill side.

With a muddy splash, Kid Flash landed in the middle of the two bickering baddies, startling the groups. The gunfire ceased momentarily, at least until they realized he was a hero, then the gunfire picked back up.

Flipping and dodging, Kid Flash leapt back up to his feet and raced away to avoid the gunfire. At this moment, Strike leapt down, landing on top of a goon. The goon shrieked, surprise evident on his face as he dropped the gun. With a laugh, Strike placed a knock out pellet on the guys shoulder. Strike gracefully flipped off the goon, just as he fell to the muddy ground, unconscious.

A goon charged at Strike, arm aimed and ready to strike. Just as the goon neared, his arm flew forward only for Strike to catch it and launch the man into a trio of goons racing his way. There was a loud splash as they crash landed on the muddy earth.

"What is wrong with you guys!?" Robin yelled, annoyance coursing through him. Flipping backwards, he kicked a goon out of the way, "Why didn't you follow my lead? Vanish into the jungle?"

"That's what you were doing? Way to fill us in! We're not mind readers y'know," Kid Flash flipped and kicked a goon away, turning around just as Miss Martian telepathically launched some goons into a tree, "Er, I'm not anyway."

"You told me I could only read the bad guys minds!" Miss Martian defended, getting slightly confused.

"Strike followed my lead!" Robin retorted, arms crossed. Due to the fact Strike worked with the guy and knew him so well, Strike could just tell Robin had rolled his eyes behind his mask.

Knocking out one last goon, Strike faced Robin. With a shrug he said, "To be fair, it was I who led you."

Robin glared at his partner, retort at the ready but before he could say anything, Aqualad joined the group. Securely held in his hand was a bit of fabric, which in turn was connected to an unconscious goon.

Letting the goon fall to the ground, Aqualad said, "Let's tie them up."

After tying the crown of goons up to trees, the Team stood back, examining the unconscious captives.

Kneeling down, Strike fisted some of the red fabric a goon was wearing, "I recognize these uniforms." He glanced up and over at Robin, "Cult of the Kobra, right?"

Nodding, Robin replied, "But what are they doing here?"

"I am certain Batman would have informed us if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's venom operation." Aqualad said, arms crossed.

"Agreed." Robin stated, "And since there's clearly no love lost between the Cult and these goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out!"

Strike stood up, hands on his hips, "Guess that's why normal supply lines have been cut off."

"We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solve. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time fo-"

Strike faced Kid Flash, cutting the speedster off, "Does it look like these cultists are on Venom? No, which means Kobra's hoarding this stuff."

"We don't leave," Strike glanced at Robin, "Not until I know why."

Kid Flash scoffed, snapping "Not until you know why?!"

"This Team needs a leader!" Robin retorted, getting up in Kid Flash's face.

"And you're it?" Kid Flash sarcastically responded, "Dude, you're a thirteen year old kid who ducked out on us without a word!"

Robin began to cackle, "And you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover first chance you got!"

"Cackling is a sign of immaturity," Strike pointed out with a blank face.

Robin faced the bat, brow quirked, "Are you trying to say something?"

"I might be, but then again, I might not be." Strike said in a monotone voice.

"So you're saying I'm immature?"

"You said it, not me."

Robin growled, growing more and more frustrated. Was it that hard to get through his teammates minds that he wanted to be leader? "And I suppose you could be a better leader?"

"I don't see why not," Strike replied with a shrug, arms folding across his chest.

After watching the duo bicker for a few moments longer, Aqualad sighed reluctantly. Stepping forward, he prepared himself to end the argument until Bane started laughing, causing the Atlantean to stop mid-step.

"Such clever niños," Bane laughed from his placement tied to a tree, "But you only know half the story," Strike shifted his glare from Robin to Bane, "Let me show you the rest. Get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

Strike let out a low growl, one only noticed by Superboy. Bane was calling them kids, underestimating them. Well, he had another thing coming for him if Bane continued to think that about them.

"There is a secret entrance," Miss Martian confirmed. She kneeled down to eye level with the villain and pressed her fingers to her temple, "but he's also hiding something."

"Ah, ah, ah chica. Bane is not that easy,"

Miss Martian let out a frustrated groan as the glowing in her eyes died down, "He's mentally reciting fútbol scores en Español." She faced the Team, "This could take awhile."

"And awhile is something we don't have," Strike said, arms crossed.

Bane smirked, "It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The group sat in silence for a few moments, taking in what Bane had said. There was one thought on everyone's mind: Do we trust him?

Strike's gaze roamed over to Robin, "What do you think, boss?" Though he hid it well, there was a sarcastic undertone to Strike's voice, one only Robin picked up on.

Ignoring his friend's jab, Robin stepped forward. He pulled out a birdarang before using the sharp edges to quickly cut through the rope. With a reluctant sigh, he said, "Take us to the secret entrance."

Bane stood up, taking the opportunity to stretch out his limbs. After taking a few more seconds to dust himself up, he faced the annoyed Team, "If you'll follow me this way, por favor."

Strike trudged along with the rest of the group through the jungle. They had been walking for what seemed like hours and still they hadn't reached the secret entrance. Strike was beginning to question whether or not they made the right call when they arrived at a cliff. Bane stepped to the side, allowing the young heroes to step forward and see the factory for themselves.

From his utility belt, Strike pulled out a pair of small, gray binoculars. He perched next to Robin as the duo looked down at the cult group, who were moving large shipments of product.

"That's a lot of product," Strike commented.

"Yea," Robin agreed, "It looks like a buy is going down, but if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects…"

"Then we need to identify that buyer." Aqualad finished.

Kid Flash stood up, "Just what I was thinking!"

"Yeah," Robin laughed, "You're the thinker!"

"Sarcasm?" Kid Flash asked, "Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers."

Strike rolled his eyes before turning and walking towards Miss Martian and Superboy. The trio watched as, with a loud groan, Bane hoisted the massive bolder up and away, revealing the secret entrance. Dusting his hands off, he faced the Team with a smirk and said, "Answers are this way." Before turning and walking down the dimly lit tunnel.

"So now el luchador is our leader," Kid Flash snapped, un-amused and unhappy with the turn of events.

"Makes a better leader than you," Strike grumbled, walking past the speedster.

Chuckling, Robin smacked Kid Flash as he walked into the tunnel, falling in step next to Strike.

Strike grimaced at the condition the hallway was in. Not only was it dimly lit, but it also smelled of decay and mildew, a combination that smells the worst together.

"Dude," Robin glanced at Strike. In perfect Romanian, his native tongue, he asked, "What's your deal?"

Strike quirked a brow, responding in nearly perfect Romanian (he still wasn't quite fluent), "My deal?"

"Yea, I thought you of all people would support me as leader."

Strike shrugged, "Ever think you're not cut out to be leader? At least, not yet?" Robin just stared at him so Strike went on, "Look, with Batman, we know what to do. We know how to work with him. Here, as members of this Team, even I'm not sure what we're doing or supposed to do. Heck, the rest of the Team doesn't either! Seriously, what kind of Team just willingly lets a villain lead them?"

Robin chuckled at Strike's last comment before visibly sighing, "Well when you put it that way. It mak-"

"We're here." Strike's gaze roamed over to Bane, who stared at the bats for a few seconds before glancing at the red door in front of him.

Pressing his thumb against a scanner, the lock blinked red a few times before blinking green, allowing the teens passage into the factory. The door swung open a bit and Robin didn't hesitate to peak out.

"All clear!" Robin whispered before he rushed forward. The rest of the Team filed out, minus Robin who had already disappeared.

From the corner of Strike's eye, he caught sight of a yellow cape as Robin swung himself upwards. Angling his head, Strike narrowed his eyes in attempt to see through the shadows as Robin made his way into the control center.

"Has that little fool already been captured?" Bane questioned, causing Strike to roll his eyes. If only he knew.

Aqualad let out a heavy sigh, "No, it is something him and Strike do." At the mention of his name, Strike glanced over at Aqualad.

"Something I do?"

Slightly startled, Aqualad looked over at the young bat, "You are still here."

Strike shrugged, gaze returning to roam over the factory, "Figured you guys didn't like it when we just 'disappeared' so I stayed." Standing up from his crouch, Strike stepped forward, smirking slightly, "If you want, I can still disappear?"

Just as he was about to run off, Aqualad's arm shot out, stopping the boy, "No, it is fine. Just stick with us."

"Alright," Strike shrugged, pointing up, "Robin's just up at the control center."

Miss Martian asked, "What's he doing up there?"

"He's a hacker. I'm sure he's doing his hacker thing up there."

Kid Flash pulled down his goggles, smiling, "That's all I needed to hear. Stay put, I'll fetch the Boy Blunder and be back before you know it!"

"Wait, Kid!" Aqualad called out, a bit too late, as Kid Flash took off, disappearing into the factory.

"Great chain of command," Bane quipped sarcastically, glancing at the four remaining Team members.

With a glare at the bulky villain, Strike strode past him. Leaning against a metallic pole, he asked Bane, "Know a good place to watch that's well hidden?"

Huddled behind some crates, Strike watched cultists unload crate after crate of venom.

"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad breathed out.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new Venom off the line," Superboy pointed out, "They're not touching this Venom."

"Maybe freshness counts?" Miss Martian suggested, glancing at Aqualad.

Strike shook his head, adding, "I don't think so, Miss M," His gaze shifted to Aqualad, "What if the new Venom has been enhanced somehow?"

"Enhanced?" Aqualad questioned, "How?"

"I don-"

"Helicopters coming," Superboy announced, cutting the bat off.

Aqualad faced Miss Martian, "Miss Martian, camouflage yourself and get out there. We need to identify that buyer." Miss Martian nodded before she disappeared from view. Facing Bane, Aqualad said, "We need a better vantage point than just these crates."

Before Bane could reply, Strike supplied, "How about the cat-walk?" He pointed up at said structure.

"That will do," Aqualad nodded. Racing off, the four boys quickly clambered up to the cat-walk. They stood there, waiting for Miss Martian to get back to them on the vital intel they needed.

Strike glanced around, counting all the Kobra cultists that were standing around, guns in hand. A shocked gasp caused Strike to glance over at Aqualad, who announced, "Sportsmaster!"

Strike cocked his head, confused, "He's the buyer? Where the heck did he get the goods to pull this buy off?"

Aqualad shook his head before pressing a finger to his ear, "Aqualad to Red Tornado. Do you read?" He let out a frustrated growl when all he got was static, "I can't reach the League, Robin or Kid, comms. jammed. We need a plan. Now."

"I have a suggestion." Before anyone could protest, Bane jumped up and over the cat-walk, landing down on the ground between cultists. With a feral battle cry, Bane took the duo out.

"What is his problem!?" Strike shouted, annoyance getting the better of him as he watched Bane go on a rampage.

The sound of glass being smashed caused the trio of teens to whirl around. Strike's eyes widened as a behemoth of a beast flew at the three of them. Strike just barely managed to dive to the side as the creature landed on the cat-walk, causing the flimsy piece of metal to snap into. The three began to tumble to the ground. Acting fast, Strike whipped out his grapple gun and launched it. It latched onto a ceiling before Strike snatched the body nearest to him, which happened to be Aqualad.

The duo swung through the air before Strike let the grapple go. Strike landed on the ground in a roll, as did Aqualad, before he ducked behind a pipe as a barrage of gunfire was sent his way. Pulling out a smoke pellet, Strike launched it at the cultists shooting at him. The pellet exploded, engulfing the cultists in smoke, which gave Strike cover and a chance to attack.

Dodging the cultist's blind fire, Strike rounded on the nearest cultist. With a swift kick to the jaw, the guy fell to the ground. Strike back flipped away as a bullet almost got lucky. He charged forward once more, this time his fist was cocked back. As he neared a cultist, he slammed his fist forward, hitting the guy with a jaw shattering right hook. With a thud, the cultist went down.

After the smoke had cleared, Strike took cover once more behind the large, metal pipe. Peering out, Strike noticed a slight movement above him. He glanced up to see Robin and Kid Flash standing on the cat-walk before, in a blur, Kid Flash disappeared.

Deciding to regroup with his partner, Strike shimmied up the pipe before grappling upwards. He landed with a soft thud on the cat-walk above him, right behind Robin.

Robin, sensing Strike's presence, whirled around before snapping, "What the hell happened to covert?!"

"Bane happened! That's what." Strike snapped back, "The bastard just decided a rampage, which alerted Kobra to our presence, was a brilliant idea!"

Robin groaned, "I knew trusting that guy was a bad idea!" He pinched the bridge of his nose before asking, "Did you guys at least find out who the buyer is?"

Without replying, Strike pointed down, right at Sportsmaster.

"Sporty?" Robin asked incredulously, "Where'd he get the money for all this?"

Strike shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Robin glanced back over the cat-walk, smirk spreading across his face, "Well why don't we go have a little chat with Koby?"

As the bats ran off, Miss Martian's voice echoed in their heads, 'Everyone online?'

'Yea,' Superboy begrudgingly grumbled.

'You know it beautiful,' Kid Flash said, tone as flirty as ever.

'Good,' Aqualad replied, taking charge, 'We need to regroup.'

'Busy now,'

Robin complained in annoyance as he landed in front of a helicopter. A smirk spread across his face as he watched Strike, who landed behind Kobra, slipped, unnoticed, into the helicopter.

Walking towards the cock-pit, Strike paused as he noticed the cultist sitting in the co-pilot's seat. He then proceeded forward until he was standing directly behind the cultist. A few seconds later he leaned down, whispering, "Whatcha doing?" In the guys ear.

The cultist jumped, startled by the sudden voice in his ear. Whirling around, his eyes widened as he took in the bat protégé standing before him. He reached down, frantically trying to reach his gun. However, Strike was faster. In a blur, Strike had hit a pressure point, knocking the cultist out.

Slipping into the pilot's seat, Strike studied all the buttons and wires the cock-pit contained. Strike frowned. He was trained to understand cars and bikes, not helicopters and planes. But hey, how hard could it be?

Reaching under the yoke, Strike fisted a handful of wires before he yanked them up. He destroyed the wires, cutting through them cleanly with a sharpened batarang.

'Robin, Strike. Now!'

Aqualad shouted in their heads. Strike frowned before, with an eye roll, he climbed up and out of the helicopter and onto the roof. Glancing down, Strike and Robin locked eyes before Robin through down a flash bomb, allowing the bats some cover to swing back into the factory.

They landed on a metal support above the factory, watching as the chaos unfolded below them. The echo of machine guns and bullets ricocheting off metal pipes filled the air as well as the loud growls and snarls from the creature Superboy was fighting added to the chaos.

'Strategic retreat. Kid, clear a path.' Aqualad commanded, lashing his water whip out at a trio of cultists.

Kid Flash raced off, knocking cultists unconscious left and right. Strike leapt down, with Robin at his heels, before he sprinted off after the speedster, following the path of unconscious cultists.

They sprinted through the door, just as the behemoth of a monster locked arms with Superboy. They struggled for a few seconds before Superboy got the upper hand and tossed the creature to the side, taking out a few cultists in the process. He then whirled around, racing through the door and bolting it behind him.

Unfortunately, the door didn't stand a chance against the behemoth. A few seconds later, the door was ripped off and the echo of the creature's roar bounced off the tunnel's walls. Soon after, the sounds of gunfire joined the roar of the creature as more cultists raced after the Team.

"Superboy!" Aqualad shouted, "The support beams!" Superboy complied, easily striking two of the beams. They splintered, causing the earth above the tunnel to become de-stable. A few seconds later, the building pressure became too much and the tunnel caved in, providing a barrier between the two opposing parties.

Strike skidded to a halt, doubling over as he regained his composure. Regaining his composure, Strike stood up as a crack resounded around the area. An eerie red glow filled the dark space, illuminating the panting heroes.

From his position against the wall, Strike noted that Robin was on his left with Miss Martian and Superboy. Across from him was Aqualad with Kid Flash next to him.

Robin faced the rocks, the entirety of the mission replaying in his mind, "How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" He voiced, head hanging.

"You do have the most experience, but perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared." Aqualad spoke up, voice soothing, "Fighting alongside Batman and Strike, your roles are defined. There is no need for you three to communicate. Whereas Strike might be able to understand you and your motives, we, this Team, does not. This Team is new and a leader must be clear, explicit. It cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."

Robin whirled around, snapping, "Oh so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?"

"Rob," Strike stood up, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Remember what we talked about earlier?" Robin's glare lessened as he let out a sigh.

"Who am I kidding? You should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one that can."

"Please," Kid Flash scoffed, pointing to himself, "I can run circles-"

"Wally, come on!" Robin cut the speedster off, "We all know he's the one."

"Hello Megan! It's so obvious!"

"Could've told ya."

"It's about time you figured it out," Strike grinned, arms crossed.

Kid Flash looked around the circle, noting his teammate's decision was set in stone. A few seconds later he said, "Okay."

Aqualad walked over to Robin, placing his hand on the younger's shoulder, "Then I shall accept this burden, until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders." Robin grinned proudly up at the Atlantean, "You were born to lead this Team. Maybe not now, but soon." There were grins all around as the six teens soaked up each other's happiness.

"Wait," Kid Flash broke the silence, smile disappearing off his face. There was a slight pout on his face as he said, "Did anyone else catch the fact Aqualad called us a burden?"

Strike chuckled, a devious look glinting behind his masked eyes, "With you around, there's always a burden to be held."

"Dude!" Kid Flash whined as Robin began to cackle.

Rolling his eyes, Aqualad ignored the trio as he went back to business, "Our first priority is to prevent that shipment from leaving this island."

"Funny," Robin grinned, "I had the same thought."

"I can tell you this much already," Strike grinned, "I sabotaged the helicopter. They aren't going anywhere with that baby."

"Nice," Kid Flash held out his fist to the bat and the two bumped knuckles.

Aqualad nodded, "Good work, Strike, but I highly doubt that is the only helicopter, or transportation for that matter, that they have off this island."

"True," Strike agreed before he shrugged, "But it's a start?"

"Wait," Miss Martian looked around at the boys, "What about the factory?"

Aqualad faced her, asking, "What about the factory, Miss Martian?"

"Even if we destroy the shipment, won't they just use the factory to make more?"

"She has a point," Robin agreed, nodding his head.

Aqualad paused, pondering what Miss Martian had said, "Yes, she does have a valid point, however, that is just something the League will have to take care of when they arrive. For the time being, we need to focus on stopping that shipment."

Strike nodded, "Makes sense," Facing Robin and Kid Flash he said, "Shall we compare notes?"


After all the information was shared and everyone was caught up to speed, the six teens raced off down the dark tunnel.

As he ran, Strike glanced down at his wrist computer, date flashing to and fro on it, "If Sportsmaster is the buyer/supplier, that still doesn't make sense."

"Yeah," Robin took over, glancing at his own wrist computer, "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula, or to get Kobra to do his dirty work!"

"And neither have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom," Kid Flash said, keeping pace with his teammates, "That took some major nerdage."

"I believe the expression is," Aqualad said, slowing to a halt, "Tip of the iceberg."

Strike's eyes narrowed as he glared at Bane, who stood in the entrance to the tunnel. A couple bottles fell from his hands, landing on the ground with soft clangs. They were Venom bottles. And they were empty.

"Halt, niños," Bane, with his muscles rippling twice the size they once were, grinned wickedly at the heroes, "I'm feeling, explosive."

A beeping sound started, causing Strike to tilt his head upwards. Green lights flickered from their placement on bombs in the support beams. Strike's eyes roamed over the explosives, estimating how much C4 there possibly was.

"You betrayed us!" Aqualad exclaimed, voice filled with astonishment. Strike couldn't tell if the guy was seriously surprised or just acting. If he was acting, he was doing a damn good job, "Why?"

'Hey, uh, Strike?' Robin asked over the mind link, sending a sidelong glance his way, 'This enough explosives to kill us?'

Strike subtly shook his head, 'Nah. There's not nearly enough to kill us all. However, the cave-in caused by the explosion will undoubtly kill us.'

"I want my factory back," Bane said. His tone made it sound like he truly believed that was reason enough for what he's done, "So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemy or die trying."

'Kid, you'll need a running start.'

Bane droned on, explaining his whole plan like some mediocre Saturday morning cartoon character. The villain ended his speech with a smirk. Just as he was about to detonate the bombs, Kid Flash sped forward, snagging the detonator right out of the villain's hands.

"With what?" Kid Flash asked, cockily propped up against a tree, detonator in hand, "This trigger-thingy?"

Bane let out an enraged roar, about to charge at Kid Flash. Before he could do so, he found himself caught up in Miss Martian's telepathy as the rest of the Team filed out from the tunnel.

Strike smirked as he watched Superboy step forward, right under where Miss Martian had Bane floating, "Finally," Superboy smirked, "Drop him."

Miss Martian let the villain go. Bane didn't even have time to so much as scream before Superboy's fist connected with the villain's face, knocking him out instantaneously.

"Now that we got that off our chests," Strike grinned, eyeing the unconscious villain, "I'd estimate that they have most likely fixed the helicopter." He turned towards Aqualad, hands on his hips, "I suggest we get moving."

Aqualad nodded before facing the others, "We need a plan of action."

"By plan of action you mean a distraction?" Robin supplied, facing Strike, "Because all we really need to do is destroy that helicopter for good."

"And we have a plethora of bombs to do so!" Strike grinned. He was standing in the opening to the tunnel, arms spread wide to gesture to the bombs.

Aqualad nodded, catching on to what the bats were saying, "Alright. Superboy, you will provided cover while Miss Martian slips onboard the helicopter, bomb in tow while the rest of us will provide a distraction." His gaze shifted over to the bats, who were tinkering with the bombs, "Can you two disconnect the bombs?"

"Working on it," Strike grunted out, slowly disconnecting the bombs. One wrong move and boom, they were done for.

After the bombs were disconnected from the support beams, Strike and Robin carefully laid them out on the ground before Strike got to work.

"Uh," Kid Flash glanced down at the bat, "What are you doing?"

"Reconfiguring the bomb," Strike quickly replied. After safely disconnecting the bombs so they wouldn't blow, whether or not the trigger was pressed, Strike set out to work.

"You can do that?"

Strike paused his work, smirking up at the speedster, "Demolition expert at your service."

Kid Flash rolled his eyes, "Of course. What can't you bats do?"

"What good is this going to do though? Don't we want the bombs active?" Superboy glanced at the bombs, confused as to what the bat was doing.

"We do," Strike quickly agreed. His hands reconnected wires after his work was done. Standing up, he held out the now square bomb, "Figured a box shaped bomb was easier to transport than a line of bombs would be."

"Good thinking," Aqualad praised the bat. Turning around, he faced the speedster, "Kid, hand the trigger over to Miss Martian before you accidently press it."

Robin and Strike began to laugh at the disgruntle look on Kid Flash's face, "Hey! I can handle holding a little trigger!"

"Kid, please. Now is not the time."

Kid Flash sighed before doing what he was told, grumbling to himself the whole time, "Here you go," He begrudgingly handed the trigger over.

Peering over a bush, Strike and the other's studied the helicopter pad that was situated in front of the factory.

"I see Sportsmaster," Robin hissed, binoculars focusing in on the blonde haired man wearing a hockey mask.

"And there's Kobra," Strike commented as the ever so pale man walked with the blonde haired villain towards the helicopter.

At that moment, the helicopter purred to life, blades beginning to spin.

"And that's our cue," Aqualad said, "Kid, go!"

Kid Flash pulled his goggles over his eyes before, in a flash, he darted out from behind the bushes. Gunfire immediately started up as Kid Flash ran around, knocking various cultists down.

As Sporstmaster made a mad dash towards the helicopter, Superboy jumped out. His landing created a crater sized hole as he smirked at the behemoth of a creature, "Go again?"

With an angry snarl, the creature charged at the Boy of Steel. A large jet of water slammed into the creature, knocking it back a few feet.

"Sorry, not the plan." Superboy smiled at Aqualad, who was controlling the water.

Cultists charged at Superboy, but before they could get close, Strike flipped over the clone, launching a handful of bombs their way. The bombs rolled a few feet before coming to a stop at the cultist's feet. They beeped twice before promptly exploding, sending the cultists flying backwards a few feet where they landed, unconscious.

Just as Superboy was nodding his thanks at the young bat, Sportsmaster appeared from the front of the helicopter, gun in tow. Strike flipped away as Superboy took the shots full force. Superboy was invulnerable, Strike not so much.

Strike fell to the ground with a grunt as the butt of a gun collided with his lower back. Sweeping his legs in an arc, the cultist who caught him off guard fell to the ground. He gave him a swift kick to the jaw and the guy slumped. Strike clambered to his feet, stretching as pain seared through his lower back.

Strike back flipped, extended foot catching the jaw of a cultist. The goon went down with a thud before Strike whirled around, releasing a birdarang into a clump of cultists. They didn't think anything of it, choosing to believe it was a dud. Instead, they kept on firing at the bat, who was flipping to and fro, avoiding each and every blast. A few seconds later, the birdarang exploded, releasing a fog of knock-out-gas. The cultists coughed, frantically waving their hands in their faces to avoid inhaling the gas. Their efforts were futile as, one by one, they dropped unconscious to the ground.

A strangled cry caused Strike to whirl around. His eyes narrowed as he watched Sportsmaster continuously belt Superboy with a barrage of fire while holding Miss Martian in a choke hold.

Strike dashed forward, ignoring the pain in his lower back, and lunged at Sportsmaster. The villain spun, foot extended as he attempted to drive his heel into Strike's stomach. Strike leapt up, flipping over the foot and catching Sportsmaster in the face with his fist. He cried out as he stumbled backwards, dropping Miss Martian in the process. The Martian quickly flew over and regrouped with Strike and Superboy.

Sportsmaster narrowed his eyes behind his mask at the kids, who stood braced and ready for attack, at the bottom of the helicopter. Slowly stepping backwards, he made his retreat, "Thanks for the work out, kiddies, but I gotta fly."

The bay doors closed with a thud as the helicopter roared to life. The spinning of the blades caused a frenzy of dirt and dust to fly about in the air as it ascended.

Strike watched for a few moments before glancing over at Miss Martian, "Still got it?"

"Of course," Miss Martian smirked, holding up the little black detonator.

She waited for the helicopter to fly a good distance away before pressing her finger down on the trigger. Almost instantaneously, the back of the helicopter erupted in flames as it began to spin out of control. The wreckage veered to the left before it continued on its freefall right into the factory, which burst into a huge inferno, effectively destroying the shipments of Venom and all hopes of more shipments of Venom.

Strike laughed, facing Miss Martian, "Way to hit two birds with one stone!"

Kid Flash sped over, whooping, with Aqualad in tow, "We did it!" He cheered, high-fiving Strike.

"Of course we did!" Strike grinned before facing Aqualad, "We have a great leader."

Aqualad smiled kindly, "Thank you, Strike," His gaze began to roam over the dirty, worn out, smiling faces of his Team, "We all did good work each and every- Wait," He paused, "Where's Robin?"

Whirling around, Strike's eyes widened as he, followed by the rest of the Team, raced over to where Robin was on the ground, pinned down by Kobra's foot.

Kobra, watching the factory go up in a blaze growled, "I am plagued by mosquitoes!"

"Good," Robin groaned, wiggling under the weight of Kobra's foot, "Cause this mosquito's mighty concerted over your pain!" He did a flip, escaping from under Kobra's foot and landing next to Strike with a soft thud.

With the factory still burning behind the teens, Kobra's gaze shifted over them, eyes narrowing. He knew he was outnumbered, "Another time then…"

Stepping backwards, Kobra blended into the shadows before disappearing completely. Strike and Robin quickly raced forwards, pushing the plants aside, but he was already gone.

Strike pursed his lips in annoyance before walking back towards the others, Robin falling in step next to him.

"We picked the right guy to lead," Robin grinned, running a hand through his sweaty black hair, before facing Aqualad, "Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!" Robin cackled as he walked towards the burning inferno that was once a factory.

Strike rolled his eyes as he followed after his, immature, partner.

MOUNT JUSTICE
July 23, 10:06 EDT

The Team stood, dressed in street clothes, in a straight line as Batman paced in front of them. The Team, minus Robin and Strike (who were more than used to their mentors wrath), cowered slightly at the scowl and angry tone the Dark Knight possessed.

"A simple recon mission, observe and report." He snapped, right in Kaldur's face. The Atlantean teen didn't respond, choosing stand tall as he accepted the lecture, "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes. Until then…" Batman paused, allowing the minds of the teens to wander to the worst scenario possible. When he spoke again, Batman spoke in a softer tone, eliciting shocked looks from the teens, "Good job."

Strike's head snapped up. That was not what he was expecting.

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is how you determine success. And how you choose who leads determines character."

The Team stood silent as Batman exited the Cave. After the shock of what Batman had said wore off, the teens faced each other, exchanging smiles.

GOTHAM CITY
July 23, 14:28 EDT

"You guys totally missed it!" Barbara gushed as she ushered Dick and Jace into her bedroom. She softly closed the door behind her before she jumped onto her bed, red hair fanning out, "There was a bank robbery last night and-"

"When's there not a bank robbery in Gotham?" Jace cut in, laughing. Dick joined in his laughter as Barbara rolled her eyes.

"Shush, I'm trying to tell a story," Barbara playfully scolded her friend, "Anyways, as I was saying; the Joker had broken out of Arkham, again," Jace and Dick shared a look, unnoticed by Barbara, who carried on with her story. Batman never informed them of this, "Joker took me hostage."

Dick's head snapped up, anger coursing through him, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Joker took you hostage?"

"Yeah," Barbara glanced at her raven haired friend, slightly startled by his protective tone, "I'm fine now, obviously. But please, save your questions and/or comments till I am done with my story."

"Yes but," Dick completely ignored what Barbara had said when he asked, "How did he take you hostage?"

Barbara rolled her blue eyes but answered his question non-the-less, "I tagged along with my dad when he went to the bank yesterday. Who would've thought that, out of all the banks in this city, the Joker hits this one? Anyways, Joker and his goonies come in, machine guns blazing, and guess how excited they were to discover the Commissioner and his daughter were there, at the very bank they decided to rob? Oh boy, they were thrilled. While the Joker held me at gun point, he made my dad call up Batman because y'know, the guys obsessed with him or something. Next thing I knew, here comes Batman followed by the rest of the Gotham Police Force. Long story short, Batman got the upper hand and dragged the Joker back to Arkham, where, hopefully, he's locked up with more security."

Jace just sat there, as did Dick, as he processed what Barbara had said. Jace was surprised, and kind of upset, that Bruce didn't tell them what had happened.

"Well," Jace looked up, trying to think of something to say, "I'm glad you're okay."

Barbara nodded, chin propped up by her hand, "Same but y'know what the strangest part was?"

"What?" Dick questioned.

"There was no sign of Robin or Strike. Usually, when there's big baddies like Joker, Batman never leaves his sidekicks behind."

Jace scrunched his brow, faking confusion, "Yea, that is strange." Inside, he was silently seething at the fact Barbara had referred to them as 'sidekicks'. Granted, she didn't know who they were or the struggles they've gone through to attempt to get rid of that title. She also didn't know, nor need to know, that Strike and Robin were out of the country for a mission.

"I tried calling you guys last night," Barbara said, interrupting Jace's thoughts, "But neither of you answered."

"We're sorry, Babs," Dick placed a hand on the red heads knee, "Last night was game night."

Barbara rolled her eyes. She huffed before falling onto her back, "Right, "game night."" She emphasized game night with air quotes, "Am I ever going to be allowed to join game night?"

Jace and Dick shared a glance. Jace felt bad they had to lie to their friend, but what could they do? Bruce would be pissed if they ever told Barbara about their nightly activities.

Before either boy could say something, Barbara sighed, "Never mind." Rolling over, Barbara buried her face in her pillow.

Jace sighed, "What's wrong, Babs?"

"Nothing's wrong," She muttered, voice muffled by the pillow.

"Something's wrong."

Barbara huffed. She rolled over, pillow clasped tightly to her chest, "I just, last night, after what happened, my dad crushed my dream's ever becoming a police officer."

"Really?" Dick quirked a brow, "That doesn't seem like something he would do."

"It doesn't," Barbara sighed. Her shoulders hunched over as she said, "Apparently last night made him realize what could potentially happen to me if I ever did join the police force."

"Well," Jace moved so he was sitting on the edge of Barbara's bed, "He's just looking out for you, Barbara."

"I know, it's just… he doesn't realize how much I want to fight crime. I want to help better this city! I want to be so much more than 'Barbara Gordon: The Commissioner's daughter.' I want to make a name for myself."

Dick joined the duo on the bed. Scooting over to Barbara, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, causing the girl to blush, "Y'know, Babs, you're so much more than just that to Jace and I."

Barbara rolled her eyes, smiling softly, "You guys are my best friends, you're entitled to say that!"

"Doesn't mean it's not true!" Jace shot back with a laugh, smiling.

Barbara giggled, happy she had her two best friends always there to cheer her up. In all honesty, Barbara wasn't quite sure what she'd do if she didn't have Dick and Jace in her life. They were always there for her, no matter what and Barbara was more than grateful for that.

As Barbara laughed and enjoyed her time with her friends, somewhere in the depths of her mind she couldn't help but think about what it'd be like to be an actual crime fighting vigilante.


A/N: Lame ending foreshadow is lame. Anyways, Falcon should be out by Monday.

After this chapter, things will deviate more from the plot. I'm just going to through this out there, I'm bringing Batgirl in a season early. She plays a part in the deviation from the actual show plot.

Remember people, review! They make me happy! :D