AN: Back Again!

This one's kind of short, so sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Blue Bird: Chapter 16

Starfire raised her hand, looking around with an ill-disguised air of confusion.

"What happened?"

"The power's out." Robin had activated his holo-computer, shining a dim blue light across the room as he typed away.

"That... Shouldn't have happened." Batgirl said, staring over the boy's shoulder, "The cave's systems are tamper proof, you'd need an EMP-"

"Which, in this case, wouldn't have been used because bird boy's glove and everyone's night vision is still running."

Everyone looked at Kid Flash and he shifted under the collective gaze; "Science whiz, remember?"

"Any idea what caused it?" Tigress and Artemis spoke in unison, and Red Hood stifled a cough of amusement.

"Not a clue." Robin said, "Right now the only possibility I'm seeing would be if someone cut the wires... from the inside."

Ravager snorted- "Well, it wasn't one of us, all the possible criminals are in this room- and have been pretty much the entire time."

"Ravager is correct." Aqualad said, "There is no way to delay a cut to the cave's power system, so Red Hood and his associates are not suspects- neither is Ravager, as she was first under the supervision of Batman and Superman, then our own."

"I'd make a sarcastic comment, Kaldur, but you don't know me yet, so why bother?" Ravager smirked slightly.

"That still doesn't leave us any closer to figuring out who is behind it though," Nightwing said, tapping his chin, "Miss M, can you make contact with the guys in the hangar?"

M'Gann looked surprised at the question, and hesitated, looking between Nightwing and Aqualad, at the latter's nod she put a hand to her temple; "They're all there, sealed in, but alive and uninjured."

"What about zeta tubes?" Wally asked, "Is there any way of anyone getting out and contacting the League?"

"No." Robin said, still looking at his computer, "Zetas offline."

"And even if they weren't, there isn't anyone with access in the hangar anyway." Arsenal muttered.

"Uh, what about future him?" Artemis jerked her thumb in Wally's direction.

"Negative." Red Hood said, "The thing reads DNA, retina and basics, like height and weight. In case you hadn't noticed- Fleet Feet is a bit taller in the future."

"You're avoiding the subject."

Everyone jumped at Superboy's voice, apparently they had forgotten he was also standing there, he grunted and continued; "What about this?"

There was yelp as he accidentally hit Arsenal while gesturing at the ambient darkness.

"The power shortage?" Batgirl asked, "What about it?"

"The power someone cut off." Tigress corrected her, "It would seem we have an intruder."

"What, another one?" Wally quipped.

There was a click of a crossbow bolt falling into place and Nightwing groaned slightly; "Put the crossbow down, Artemis."

"Call it self-defence." Tigress snapped back, "If we're attacked I don't want to go unarmed."

"Attacked?" Ravager's voice took on a hard edge; "So that's what's happening."

"Well- wait, what?" Red Hood's voice sounded confused.

"Before your time, Hood." Ravager said, "But Slade always made sure I knew exactly who I was meant to be imitating."

"I have heard about that fight." Starfire said, "I take it you are referring to Grant?"

Ravager nodded, then remembered that half the assembled company couldn't see her; "Yeah."

"What makes you so sure?" Tigress asked.

"Woah, wait. What are we sure-maybe-not-sure about?" Wally's voice cut into the conversation, confusion now evident.

"I am not getting in the way of this one." Arsenal muttered, "I say anyone who is not meant to be here should scram now before Rose's evil older brother turns up."

"Which one?" Ravager said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The evil one- who is inherently evil and started the family tradition of fish scales." Tigress said, she still hadn't lowered the crossbow.

Nightwing stepped forwards at the same time as Ravager, somehow getting between the two women before things turned nasty. "I agree with Arsenal. If what we think is happening is happening then anyone from the future needs to hide and not interfere."

"Why not?" M'Gann asked, a note of fear in her voice, "If you can help us-"

"This is a defining moment, Megs." Tigress said, "No interfering from us, no changes to what this event does to the timeline."

"But you've interfered before." Artemis pointed out, "With that meta facility in London, the ghosts in Fawcett- the bunker in Bludhaven. What about all of that?"

"Those moments were in flux." Starfire said, "They had no great bearing on the outcome of our futures. This however, does."

"So we are gone." Arsenal was already half in an air vent as he spoke, and with in seconds Tigress was following him.

Ravager raised an eyebrow at Nightwing as Batgirl climbed in too, quickly followed by Starfire.

Red Hood offered Ravager a leg up, which she refused, disappearing into the vent with a gleam of silver fish scales. Red Hood followed, leaving Nightwing alone with the younger counterparts of his former team.

"Good luck."

Then he too was gone.