I wrote another chapter last night after posting High Strung (chapter 9). I though 766 words was too short to hold you all over until after my midterms, so here's your chapter treat!
I looked from my team's shocked faces to beyond the door of the convention hall. A man with hawk wings and a mask walked into the centre. It wasn't Hawkman, I knew that much. Who was he? I saw another mini-speaker on his belt. I braced myself with the 'souvenir' viola. Then I noticed someone behind him. Batman. I tensed up. What was Batman doing here?!
{Is that Bats?} Batgirl looked towards me {Who's the guy in front of him?}
I held up a birdarang {I'm not sure if it's Bats or a cosplayer. I'm not even sure who that guy is next to him.} I tensed up more, realizing I was still in my civvies. I quickly found a button in the big pocket on the front of the hoodie, my uniform shifting out of my civvies, automatically binding down.
{Ri!} Batgirl raced up beside me {I think we might be in trouble...}
Before I could ask why, Batman was looking down at Batgirl and I. {He's real, and we're on the receiving end of a batglare... uh oh.}
{Maybe we should do it back, so he knows we're not cospayers.} I suggested
Batman acknowledged the returned glare, turning to the hawk-winged man beside him "This is Hawk Eye."
"Hi Zane." Batgirl smiled, seeing both Hawk Eye and Batman exchange a glance "Seriously Bats, we can tell who is who here."
Now that she mentions it, he does look like Zane. Holy crap. Hawk Eye is Hawk Town. Zane Oldyy. How could I not make the connection?! I looked at Batman "Any other surprises?"
"Robin!" I was suddenly hugged, When I was let go from the 'embrace' I saw Zatanna looking back at me. Behind her, Red Arrow.
"Zatanna, that's not Robin. That's that Rionna chick in cosplay. Robin is still in Gotham." Red Arrow looked at me curiously "Even though she does make a good Robin."
"Oh." Zatanna looked sad, backing off
"It's alright Zee, Robin and I are almost identical cousins." I smiled towards her.
"I'll be taking your 'souvenir' viola back to the Batcave for analysis, Rionna." Batman took the wooden time-travelling instrument from my hands, walking out of the convention center. He came back in after a short while. "Civilian Clothes, Rionna. You're headed home."
"W-what?" I looked at him "What about the team?"
"I talked to your 'father' and he doesn't want you in any further danger." I knew he meant 'father' as in himself. "Robin is here to take your place."
"A-alright..." I looked back at the team "I guess this is goodbye for a while." I walked out the convention centre with Batgirl and Batman. I hopped into the back of the Batmobile, Batgirl sliding in next to me. "What are you doing?"
"You're going back in as Robin. The Team seems lost without the 'Boy Wonder'." Batman hooked up wires to my R-insignia."I'm removing the Robyn uniform, and replacing it with compression stealth-tech. Your civilian clothes will turn into your male ones. Alfred has also made you a new suit, I've programmed that into there. He thinks you'll like it. I'm not sure."
"We should get her out of M'gann's telepathic range before she goes back." Batgirl looked at Batman, getting out of the Batmobile..
"You are correct there." Batman looked up "Alfred, drive us to the nearest ZetaTube." I heard the Batmobile start, and of course Alfred speeds away like Batman. Batgirl waved, and headed back into the convention center. We pulled up to the San Diego tube, I closed the Batmobile door, waving to Batman and Alfred. They sped off.
I entered the tube. "Rionna, A-01." I then stumbled out at the Cave. I turned around, fitting a voice-changer around my neck and switching it on. I turned around, punching a code into the computer and entering the ZetaTube again "Robin B-01"
-San Diego-
I climbed a fire escape, starting to run across the rooftops towards the convention center again. I checked my wrist computer, 6:30 pm. The concert was still at eight, well I assumed so. I reached a building across from the convention center, seeing Batgirl with the Team, Zatanna and Red Arrow in front. I pulled out my iPhone, texting Batgirl. [Hey Batty, look behind you.] I watched for her screen to light up, then I threw a birdarang at the light post next to her. It caught, revealing the zip line that it held. I grabbed my bo-staff and slipped down the wire. I flipped off and slid down the light post, folding my bo-staff into my belt at the same time.
"Nice moves, which girl you trying to impress?" Artemis looked at me as I landed beside Batgirl.
I looked at her. "Rion wanted me to give you guys these." I held up the backstage swipe cards and land yards. "She also told me what's going down tonight at 8. Even though I don't like Hawk Town, I'm still in."
"What is your cousin's name exactly?" Superboy was confused
"Well, I call her Rion, Wally calls her Rio and Barbara calls her Ri. Her real name is Rionna. She does prefer Ri though." I looked at Batgirl "She has also requested that you stop calling her Oreo."
"O-Rio." Batgirl corrected "And I am her best friend, so I can call her what I like."
"Wait, Barbara?" I tried to act like I didn't know. "How did? Did Rion... What?"
Kid Flash looked at me, then to the rest of the team. "I'll take Robin upstairs to our room. Get him settled. We should be back down around 7:30." he grabbed my shoulder and we began heading back towards the hotel. Through the door and onto the elevator.
"KF?"
"Babe, you look hot whether you are Rio or Robin. Stop worrying."
"What?! That's not what I was going to ask!" My face flushed a deep red. I saw his turn redder. "But while we are on the topic, do you like my 'cousin' Rionna?"
"Third person dude, doesn't work in this case." the elevator dinged for the 20th floor.
I first went to the girls room and grabbed my backpack, then going to the boys room. They only had two beds. I looked at Kid Flash. "Um, how have you guys been sleeping?"
"Well, Kaldur and Conner are in that one because Conner sleeps like a rock, and I sleep in this one because... oh." He looked at me "I think we should get a cot."
"The room's too small." I looked back at him. "I'll just take the other side of your bed."
"Awkward."
"KF, I'm male for the rest of this Convention, remember?" I walked towards the door. "Just try not to think about it." I was suddenly pinned against the wall by Wally, his breath was hot on my face "Dude, what are you doing?"
"Don't think about it?! I can't help but think about it! One day I'm hanging with my Bro giving piggy-back rides at hyperspeed; another day I ask a really cute girl with amazing reflexes out after school; the next day, I discover my Bro and that girl are the same person! HOW CAN I NOT THINK ABOUT IT?!"
I looked at his green frustrated eyes, looking through my options on what to do. 1) Kick him in the nuts and lecture him on what he's feeling or 2) Go with my gut instinct and make everything awkward by kissing him on the spot. Why can't I think of an option 3? Maybe I should just stand here stunned and looking into his eyes. "You're right, that is complexly confusing..."
"Complexly confusing?!" Kid Flash looked at me. I grabbed the edge of my mask, peeling it off my face. "Seriously dude, you know I can't be mad at those eyes."
"Is there a problem?"
"Kaldur!" Kid Flash and I both exclaimed as Aqualad opened the door. I felt for my mask. I had dropped it. Damn. Kid Flash covered my eyes with his hand.
"I heard yelling. The walls here aren't really soundproof." Superboy's voice is what registered with me next. I cringed, he probably heard everything KF had said. Damn his super-hearing. "I heard something about your brother is a girl."
I kept my eyes shut. Now that Superboy had heard KF yelling, Superboy would only be more suspicious after all of that. I sighed in frustration "Nice going Kid Mouth."
Kid Flash looked at me "DUDE!"
I elbowed him "Shut up."
"Robin, what is going on?" Aqualad looked at me as I took a seat on the edge of the bed. I didn't know where my mask went, I opened my eyes.
"Woah, your eyes are intense." Superboy looked at my eyes briefly. "They're like Rionna's. Are you sure you're not twins?"
I facepalmed. Sure he was suspicious, but not enough to make connections between factoids.
Kid Flash looked at the guys. "We should be getting ready, Hawk Town's show is in 20 minutes."
I looked to the edge of the bed and found my mask on the floor, I pasted it back on. I watched as Aqualad and Superboy left the room. "Bats is so gonna kill me." My moping was interrupted by Kid Flash, who kissed me on the cheek and bolted from the room. I looked up. "DUDE! I'm so gonna get you back for that!" I closed the room door and ran after him, past Kaldur and Conner who were walking to the elevator.
"No running in the halls!" Kaldur shouted.
"What are you, my principal?" I yelled back, stopping in front of the elevator.
Wally looked at me. "Are you still going to get me back?"
"I think I'll let it go. This time." I smiled