AN: Okay, I've got a couple of important things to say here:
1) Believe it or not, we're actually coming up on the end of this story; maybe two or three chapters after this one. HOWEVER I do have another project planned in this universe called Side Stories and Odd Jobs. It will be "powered" by YOU. It will be a collection of one-shots based on things you guys want to know more about (and/or things I had to cut for plot purposes but wanted to tell anyway). I'll announce this again towards the end of this story, but anyone that wants to know more about something from this universe PM me your idea once I announce that I'm taking ideas. Once the story actually gets up you can put ideas in the reviews.
2) This is pretty minor, but I don't know if FF spams your inboxes or not so just a heads up, I went back and fixed a couple things in a couple chapters; nothing that messes with the plot though. Also, a huge thank you to a reviewer who pointed out my use of Sweden instead of Switzerland in the last chapter. That has also been fixed. (See, this is probably why I shouldn't write at work, but I'm going to do it anyways so I'll just have to be more careful from now on, lol).
As always, thank you to the lovely, wonderful, amazing people that favorited, alerted and reviewed; you guys rock :)
Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice Wally would definitely have more air time (I maintain he should come back; Artemis has so why not him too? I don't believe for a second he'd let her go back alone).
Warning-type-thing: I'm taking a break from Wally and Artemis at the beginning of this chapter. We're going to check back in with the Team and some other members of the JL cause even though they aren't the main focus of this story, they are still important characters and I kind of feel that I've been a bit unfair to them lately, lol.
To say they were frustrated would be an understatement; to say they were pouting would earn you dark glares and the silent treatment for at least three days. Which was honestly kind of unnerving from the normally even tempered Martian girl; no one really expected her to be able to pull off dark and brooding, bat apparently her boyfriend had taught her well. It had been almost two months since the archer and the speedster had left the team and despite their best efforts, the Team still hadn't been able to bring them back. The duo seemed to always be one step ahead of them, especially lately, and neither of them were willing to listen to anything any of them had to say.
"This is ridiculous," Dick grumbled as he collapsed on the overly large couch at the Mount. He hadn't bothered to take of his uniform, though his domino mask hung limply from his fingers. The Team had been out on yet another mission and were finally dragging themselves back to base in the early dawn of the next morning. "We can go toe-to-toe with Bane and his pet Blockbuster monster and put them back into prison, but give us Wally and Artemis and we can't manage to even catch them."
"Well, Wally does have super speed," M'Gann pointed out. "None of us are able to keep up with him when he runs."
"I think he meant we always seem to be getting to them too late to do any good," Kaldur said. "They always seem to be leaving by the time we find out where they are."
"Why don't we just track them down?" Conner demanded sullenly, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. "They can't be invisible."
"Cause we've got other ops that Bats has us running," Dick sighed. "Between those, training and trying to get enough sleep to be able to function, we just don't have time to track them as well. Especially not when they're taking care to keep from getting caught."
"This is stupid, we've got to do something," Conner pressed, kicking out at the cave wall and glaring at the debris that fell.
"And what would you suggest we even say if we caught them?" Dick growled. "They don't want to listen to us, remember? They made it perfectly clear they hate us."
"I don't know, but we can't leave them to the shadows!" the cloned Kryptonian yelled.
"What else can we do?" the youngest on the team demanded as he leapt up from the couch. "They won't talk to us, we don't have the time to find them and they'd rather attack than listen. If they want to ruin their lives, let them! I don't care anymore."
Three pairs of eyes stared back at the young, dark haired boy, all wide and uncertain. "Dick?" M'Gann questioned softly as she took a tentative step towards him. "You don't really mean that, do you? They are our friends."
"Were our friends," Dick shot back. "Maybe it's time we all accepted that. The Wally and Artemis we knew are gone. Maybe they weren't even real in the first place." The young teenager didn't say another word as he stalked off towards his room. "I'd get some sleep if I were you; Bats said he's shipping us back out tomorrow morning."
The other three members of the team exchanged worried glances before watching Dick disappear down the darkened hallway.
"Perhaps he is right," Kaldur sighed after a moment. "We cannot react properly if we keep believing they will come back."
"But..." M'Gann began, biting her bottom lip. "We know them. We went to school with them, fought beside them."
"And we all miss them," Kaldur agreed solemnly. "But we can no longer turn a blind eye to what they are doing. They work for the Shadows and we cannot allow them to continue."
"So you're saying we just abandon them?" Conner demanded.
"No," Kaldur sighed. "I am saying it is time we remembered that they are the ones that abandoned us. They are not comrades that have been captured and left behind enemy lines. They are the enemy now."
No one said a word; just exchanged mournful glances before heading off to bed themselves. "I just wish we could help them," M'Gann whispered softly. "Or if not us that someone could reach them."
If there was one thing Barry Allen would ever admit it terrifying him, it would probably be this. He took a deep breath and once again raised a hand to knock on the dark wooden door. He never thought he'd end up in the slums of Gotham under these circumstances. It was true that he'd been trying to work up the nerve to get here for years, but he'd never imagined that he'd be forced to come before he felt truly ready. He hadn't had the time to work up even half of an acceptable apology. How did you even apologize for what he'd done in the first place? Barry sighed, took a moment to reflect on the irony that he could face down the end of the word with jokes and good humor but put him in front of this door and he seriously considered running as far and as fast as he possibly could. Before he could talk himself out of it, he raised a hand and tapped the wooden surface with his knuckles. For a moment, no one answered and he allowed himself to hope that maybe no one was home then he heard movement and the knob jiggled slightly before the door swung open. He found himself looking down at a Vietnamese woman in a wheelchair and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
"Um, I'm looking for Mary West," Barry finally managed to say. "Is she here?"
"Just a moment," the Vietnamese woman replied. "Mary," she called over her shoulder. "Someone is here to see you."
For the second time, Barry considered bolting but then the redheaded woman stepped around the corner and he knew he wouldn't be able to run far enough or fast enough to escape the glare on her face.
"You," she hissed at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I just want to talk," Barry answered, holding his hand up in front of him.
"I've got nothing to say to you," Mary retorted as she swung the door back with a vicious push.
"Not even if it's about your son?" Barry asked desperately.
The door was caught mid slam and yanked back open with a force that Barry reflected could have possibly put Superman to shame. Never let it be said that mothers were weak, especially when their children were concerned. "Get in here," Mary practically growled at him. "Quick, before I change my mind."
Barry slipped around the door and stepped into the small living room, glancing at the two couches for a moment before letting his gaze wander. The apartment wasn't all that large; in fact it was fairly small for four people to live in, but it looked relatively clean and well kept.
"Sit," Mary commanded and Barry wasted no time in dropping to one of the couches. He was shocked for a moment when both women sat across from him, matching glares on their faces. "Now what about my son?"
"Have you seen him lately?" Barry questioned after managing to push aside the unease he felt with both women staring him down.
"He is on a school trip with my daughter Artemis for the entire summer," the Vietnamese woman answered. "Do you have information to the contrary?"
"No, no," Barry quickly backtracked, realizing that the duo had not told their mothers about their nightly activities. "I just wasn't aware that's where he was. I've been trying to get a hold of him," he added lamely.
"Why?" Mary demanded.
"To talk to him," Barry answered. "I, uh, found out about his test scores, specifically in science and we wanted to offer him an internship in my labs. But he wouldn't talk to me when I tried."
"Good!" Mary snorted. "He's always had a sensible head on his shoulders."
"Look, Mary, I know things are tense between us, and I truly am sorry, but is it worth jeopardizing your son's future over?" Barry pleaded.
"Just because he doesn't work for you doesn't mean his life is over," Mary spat back. "I've seen his scores as well; he can go wherever he wants."
Barry took a moment and closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. This wasn't going how he wanted it to at all. Though, in retrospect, he probably shouldn't have expected anything less. "I'm sorry," he finally said, pushing every ounce of sincerity into his voice as he could. "I shouldn't have abandoned you to our parents. I thought I was helping you, but I didn't think about what would happen."
"Obviously not," Mary returned. After a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're my brother Barry; I thought you'd be there for me."
"I know," Barry replied softly. "I honestly thought I was protecting you when I told them. I thought I was doing what was best for you."
"That's it right there, you didn't trust me to make my own mistakes," Mary said, gesturing vaguely towards the blond headed man on the opposite couch. "And yes, I am willing to admit that running off with Wally's father was a mistake, but I can't think of it as a bad thing because I got my son out of it and I would not trade him for anything."
"He seems like a good kid," Barry answered. "What little I was able to talk to him anyway."
"He is," Mary replied, a slight smile on her face. "He's had to go through so much, and that's forced him to grow up faster than he should have to, but he's handled it well and I am so proud of him."
"I'm not expecting you to forgive me," Barry said quietly. "But I honestly do want to help him. He's my nephew and even though it may not seem like it, I do care about my family and that includes both of you. If he calls, can you please give him my number and let him know I just want to talk? He might be more willing if it comes from you."
"I'm not promising anything," Mary replied before she sighed and leaned forward to take the card Barry held out to her. "I'll let him know, but it's his decision whether or not to talk to you. I won't convince him one way or the other."
"Thank you, that's all I ask," Barry said, rising and turning towards the door. "I really am sorry, truly."
"I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive you yet," Mary answered. "Maybe someday, maybe if you prove you really do want to help my son and it turns out to be good for him, but right now I'm still upset."
"I understand," Barry sighed. "Thank you sis, that's more than I expected to be honest."
Mary hummed noncommittally and waited for the blond man to exit before swinging the door shut once more. Barry started off down the dimly lit hallway and allowed a small smile to spread across his face. He couldn't change what he'd done all those years ago but he could at least try and make up for it. His smile fell when he thought back to the last time he had seen his nephew. The look in the boy's eyes had gone beyond simple anger. After spending a few months actually getting to know his nephew, the distrust he saw in his green eyes had pained him more than he'd be willing to admit. Wally was a smart kid with a bright future ahead of him and Barry had grown fond of his teenaged nephew. He had wanted to be there to see the boy achieve his dreams.
"Now I'll be lucky if he doesn't attack me on sight," Barry sighed as he exited the apartment complex and made his way to the closest zeta tube.
It was a particularly dark night as what little of the moon there was hid behind the thick clouds, though in this particular part of Gotham street lights and passing cars brought enough illumination to navigate through the clustered buildings. Shadows fell in ragged patches and if someone were to look close enough they would see another shadow flitting through the uneven darkness with a skill born of years of training. This extra shadow ran through alleyways and jumped across rooftops until it came to a stop in a long abandoned section of town. It stood outside a heavy metal door with a faded sigh warning all possible intruders that this substation was for employees only. The shadow didn't even blink at the sign, instead turning its attention to the brand new keypad built into the wall on the right of the door. He wasted no time pulling a cord from his glove and pulling up a wrist mounted holo-screen.
"I suppose I should be impressed you guys managed to follow me here," Robin said after he started running the program to hack the lock.
"Well, we lost you a couple of times and I had to use my telepathy to find you again," Miss Martian admitted.
"So what are you all doing here?" the Boy Wonder asked, keeping his eyes on his screen.
"Same as you, looking for answers," Superboy replied gruffly.
"And before you ask, we know you well enough to know you would try something like this," Aqualad added. "Do you think we will find them here?"
"Doubt it," Robin answered. "They haven't been in Gotham for a long time, I know that much. But this used to be their base so maybe something in here will give us a clue about where they might have gone." A single chime sounded softly, barely heard over the many sirens wailing in the night. "Got it," the young teen added, a melancholy half smile adorning his face. He pushed the door open and immediately started down the short, metal staircase that led to the doubly abandoned substation.
The other three members of the Team filed along right behind him and stopped at the base of the stairs, looking around aimlessly at the scattered scraps and wires that covered one long workbench and the banks of machines that were spaced along another one. The lights flickered on and glowed softly, a stark contrast to the almost harsh bareness of the sun station.
"They haven't been here for months," Robin said as he ran a finger along one of the tables and pulled it away to look at the layer of dust that coated his glove.
"And it does not look as if they have left much of use behind either," Aqualad added as he stepped a little further into the room.
The lights suddenly flickered on and off for a moment and the four teens spun around, quickly grouping back to back. Weapons were out and fists were ready to go after even the slightest movement.
"You know, it's rude to enter someone else's place without an invitation," a girl's voice rang lightly. The four teens whipped their heads over to see Artemis sitting among the wires on her work table, legs crossed and one arm bracing her against the surface as she seemed to inspect the nails on her other hand.
"I don't think we could have expected anything else," Wally answered, making the Team turn to see him sitting backwards in his own chair, arms crossed on top of the back and his head resting on his arms.
"Still, kind of silly for them to come here, don't you think?" Artemis asked. "They had to have known we were going to abandon this place."
"And that we wouldn't leave anything of value or anything for them to trace us," Wally agreed.
"You're obviously not that far away if you came back that quickly," Robin commented, his grip easing on his staff slightly despite himself.
It was silent for a moment and Artemis and Wally appeared to not have heard the younger teen, or at least decided to ignore him.
"Does your silence mean you're willing to listen to reason?" Aqualad asked at last.
"I wonder how long it will take them," Artemis said, sending a smirk over towards Wally. "Forever I'll bet."
"Who knows," Wally shrugged, grinning back. "Think we should be recording it?"
Robin walked over to Wally while the duo was laughing and jabbed his staff right for the older boy's forehead. He heard M'Gann gasp when the metal went right through the boy's head and his image immediately grew distorted. "It's a hologram," he said. "Neither of them is really here." He looked up and spotted small devices fixed to the ceiling almost directly overhead of where the two teens were sitting. "There are the projectors," he added, pointing up. "My guess is that they rigged this to happen if the door lock was hacked. Clever."
"Is there any reason to be here then?" Superboy demanded. "You've said nothing's left to look through and that they've been gone for a while."
"No," Robin answered after a brief pause. "I guess not." He sighed loudly and shook his head. "I was hoping..."
"We all were," Aqualad said quietly as he placed a gentle hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "But it seems that if they left anything for us, they left it somewhere else."
"I shouldn't have bothered," Robin replied sullenly. "I just wanted to find something, something to tell me that maybe I wasn't wrong to trust them."
The four teens didn't say anything as the trudged back up the stairs and made their way to the zeta tube. All the joking, all the fun, seemed to have seeped out of them over the past two months and it didn't seem to want to come back either. Any attempt to be jovial failed fairly quickly, especially when they would go on a mission or see something that would remind them of the Gotham native duo. It's not that the four of them didn't know how to have fun before they had met the pair, but they had brought something more to the group, something that couldn't be replaced.
The electronic voice announced the arrival of all four of them into the dark, empty halls of the Mount and the teens stepped out as the light faded from the zeta tube. No one said anything as they trudged towards the den and the large couch. Robin flicked the light switch and once again all four of them froze. Painted on the opposite wall in tall, black letters was a note that hadn't been there when they'd left earlier that night.
Pass this message along. You got off easy this time. Leave our mothers out of this. Consider yourselves warned.
"It's fresh," Conner said as he sniffed the air. "I can still smell the wet paint."
"But they are long gone by now I'm sure," Kaldur commented. "They have left their message so there would be no reason to stay."
"That still leaves the question of how they even got in," M'Gann said softly. "They couldn't have used the zeta tubes; they've been removed."
"It's a breech we're going to have to look into in the morning," Dick sighed. He took one last look at the drying letters on the wall before he turned and set off for his own room.
Halfway across the country, a certain redhead held a little black device close to his ear, listening intently to the voice on the other end. A scowl marred his features as he paced back and forth between the wall and the bed of his motel room. "I'm still not talking to him," he all but growled into the cell phone. "No mom, I don't care." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, okay. Yeah, we're having a great trip. Not much really, just having some fun, touring the sights and all that. Yeah, I love you too. Sure," he paused and looked over to the blonde sitting on the bed. "Artemis, you're up."
Artemis stood up and took the phone from Wally, taking a deep breath before answering. "Hi mom," she said, forcing cheer into her voice. "Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Oh, you know, just hanging with the usual gang. I know, sorry. I'll make sure to bring home lots of pictures to make up for it. Yeah, I've been doing my best to keep him out of trouble," she added, shooting a smirk to the boy stretched out on the bed. "Love you too mom. See you soon."
The archer clicked the phone off and sighed as she placed it on the bedside table. "I hate lying to them," she said, climbing onto the bed herself and fitting herself into Wally's side. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled deeper into him when he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"I know," he whispered back, threading a hand through her hair and gently kissing the top of her head. "But the less they actually know the better. Hopefully the League will leave them alone now," he added as another scowl crossed his features.
"They'd better," Artemis hissed before a shrill ring filled the air. "I thought we were supposed to have the night off," she grumbled as she rolled out of Wally's arms and snatched the phone off the table. "What?"
Wally watched as Artemis glared at the opposite wall and scribble down a few notes before clicking off the phone with a wordless snarl. "Are we being summoned?" he asked.
"Unfortunately," the blonde answered with a sigh. "We're to make our way to Miami, go to this marina," she added as she tossed the paper at his chest, "and then wait for further instructions."
"How long do we have to get there?" Wally asked with a sigh of his own as he sat up. "And do we need to pack for extended stays anywhere else?"
"Five hours and supposedly not," Artemis huffed back. "It's just get there, get instructions, do whatever and then come right back."
"All right then," Wally said as he rose from the bed and stuffed his suit into a backpack.
"You're taking this rather well," Artemis replied, eyebrow raised.
"Hey, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back and sleep," he added, shooting a grin towards his girlfriend.
"It's a pretty safe bet that food and sleep are the only things on your mind," Artemis laughed as she stuffed supplies into her own backpack as well.
"And you, Beautiful," Wally said as he slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the junction between her neck and her shoulder. "You're always on my mind," he whispered into her skin.
"Down boy," Artemis chuckled, twisting and dancing out of Wally's grip. "We've only got five hours to get there."
"I only need four tops," the speedster smirked back.
"Really? Prove it," Artemis challenged. Before she could even blink she found herself relieved of her own backpack and swept up into the redhead's arms.
"Hold on tight," Wally grinned before he leaned in and pressed another kiss to Artemis' forehead. "And just remember, you asked for it."
The blonde had enough time to wrap her arms securely around her boyfriend's neck and bury her face in his shoulder before she felt that increasingly familiar lurching sensation and then the rush of air flying by. They had only stopped once halfway through the trip and Artemis took both packs before climbing onto the speedster's back.
"Four hours exactly," Wally said proudly after coming to a stop and letting the blonde down. "And that's only cause we had that one stop halfway through."
"All right, I stand corrected," Artemis laughed, handing the redhead his own backpack. "I'll never doubt your speed again."
A series of three beeps interrupted any retort and the blonde dug the little electronic device out of her pocket. "Time to go to work," she said as she pulled up the text message. "Pier thirty-seven. We're to get into the boat there."
"Suit up first?" Wally asked.
"Probably a good idea," Artemis answered before she ducked behind a shed and changed as quickly as possible. She stepped back out to find Impulse already dressed and waiting for her.
"Want a lift?" he asked her, holding his arms out towards her.
"Nah, I don't mind walking," Artemis replied. "Besides, you're just going to have to run us back after all of this anyway."
Impulse shrugged and adjusted the strap of his pack over his shoulder as the two of them walked off in companionable silence. They wound their way through the maze of docked boats until they came to dock thirty-seven and saw a small motor boat already waiting for them.
"Why am I not surprised to see you?" Artemis asked as she climbed in and took a seat. "I'm assuming at this point you've been assigned as our handler."
"Always a pleasure to see you too, baby sister," Cheshire taunted.
"So what are we doing here?" Impulse added.
"Patience," the older girl sing-songed back. "I realize it's a bit of a foreign concept to you, but it never hurt anyone to learn something new."
The older assassin started up the boat and backed it out of the dock before speeding out of the marina and into open water. No one said anything as the little boat bumped and sped over the choppy waves and dark, deep water. Before long a dark spot began to grow closer on the horizon and a small island resolved itself out of the darkness. From the side they were approaching all they could see was a high, rocky cliff and the mere suggestion of trees a good seventy feet above them. Craggy rocks jutted out over the sea and white capped waves splashed harshly against their surface and yet Cheshire continued right on towards the stone wall at her break-neck speed. As the dark cliff grew closer she finally pressed a button on the boat's consul and a loud grinding noise of stone on stone filled the air over the sound of the motor and the sea. Two sections of the cliff-face pulled back to reveal a long, dark passage. As the boat pulled into the tunnel, Cheshire turned on a headlight; just in time as the stone doors grated back to close them in. They traveled a few minutes through the tunnel before a light appeared and they pulled into a small, underground cove. A single dock had been constructed with crude, wooden stairs leading upwards out from beneath the ground.
Impulse leapt out as soon as they were close enough and helped tie up the small craft to the pier. Artemis jumped out right behind them and both of them stood aside, waiting for Cheshire to lead the way.
The older girl gestured for them to follow and lightly ascended the staircase, the two teenagers right behind her. They came out on a narrow path that twisted and turned through a dense grove of trees. The sounds of waves crashing against the cliff and the chirps of crickets were the only noises as they worked their way down the path and into another cave. The walls and floor had been worn smooth with constant use and bright light flooded the area ahead of them.
"Didn't we blow up a place like this a few months back?" Impulse asked as they stepped out into a large cavern.
"You might want to refrain from mentioning that while you're here," Cheshire warned him. "A lot of the people here were in the same island you blew up and they weren't all that happy about losing all that research."
"It was nothing personal," Impulse shrugged. "A job's a job."
"So what are we even doing here anyway?" Artemis asked as she looked around. She made a mental note of all the visible exits and the best paths through the rows and rows of work tables and equipment. Impulse probably had a better idea of what it all did, but a lot of it looked like larger versions of machines he had in their own lab. She frowned when she saw that odd green rock Impulse had retrieved hooked up to yet another machine. It was encased in a long glass tube that had a slightly grey hue to it. As she stared she saw a scientist walk up, a beaker of liquid in his hand. He pressed a button to the side of the glass, making the machine click and whir as the barrier was lowered. He quickly slid the beaker in next to the rock and pressed the button to bring the glass back up. "What's all that about?" she added, pointing to the machine.
"Patience baby sister," Cheshire grinned. "You'll get clued in soon enough."
They travelled further back into the cavern and into a small office already seemingly packed with a desk, a couple of chairs and a large metal filing cabinet. A small man with thick glasses and wiry dark hair sat at the desk, nervously fiddling with his white lab coat. His face was drawn and pale, the kind that was caused by a lifetime spent inside. Sportsmaster leaned against the desk, smirking down at the man. He glanced up when the door opened and nodded in the trio's direction.
"Nice of you to finally join us," he sneered as they closed the door behind them. "Took you long enough."
"I wasn't in any particular hurry to spend any amount of time with you," Impulse returned with a shrug of his shoulders. "Though next time I'll be sure to move a little slower, just for you."
"Still impudent I see," Sportsmaster barked.
Impulse only smirked at the older male and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Artemis rolled her eyes, but shot the redhead a brief grin anyway.
"So, does anyone want to tell me why we're here now?" she demanded.
"We figured it was about time to let you in on what we're really doing here," Sportsmaster answered immediately as he stepped away from the desk. "Follow me."
All five of them quickly filed out of the room, the small scientist in the lead. "How much do you already know of the operation?" he asked the teenage pair.
"Not much," Impulse replied. "We know teens go missing and then turn up again powered up and acting like zombies."
"That's a crude way of putting it, but that is essentially what happens," the scientist responded. "We use a compound we've created to activate latent abilities in our subjects. Tests and trials we did in the past demonstrated that adolescent youth were best suited to its use, though there have still been many failures. We've posited that at least half have been because there have been no latent abilities to awaken, however we're sure that the unstable nature of the compound accounts for the other half. Though we seem to have solved that problem by using radiation from that rather unique stone you brought back to us," he added, gesturing to the glowing rock. "It makes the compound much more effective and much more likely to produce results."
"What is it?" Impulse asked, stepping closer to get a better look.
"We're not entirely sure, though we are positive that it is not anything found on this earth," the scientist answered. "Now, this 'zombie' state, as you put it earlier, is due to a mixture we created using the poison Ivy uses to keep men under her control. You can imagine what would happen if we gave a bunch of teenagers super powers and no way to control them," he laughed.
"So that explains the what, but not the why," Artemis said. "It seems to me like you drew a lot of attention nabbing these kids off the streets and then sending a bunch of suddenly super powered teens after League members."
"That's cause you can't see the bigger picture, baby girl," Sportsmaster replied as he led them down another hallway. "The Justice League has decided they get to run the show for far too long," he spat. "They've people complacent, stagnant. It's time to remind humanity that we are masters of our own lives and not at the whims of people we laud as heroes."
"And the fact that the Shadows need war and conflict to continue working has nothing to do with it," Impulse replied, dead-panned.
"I just do what I'm told kid," Sportsmaster answered with a shrug.
"So how does your soldiers basically using up their life-force factor into that?" Impulse pressed. "You've got a war going against the League, cool, but how are you going to fight it when the people you've got fighting it are dying faster every time they fight?"
"That's why you're here actually," the scientist jumped in. "I was told you were the cause of your own powers and those of the archer," he added, gesturing between the two teens. "Your powers are stable and constant and, as far as we've been able to tell from observation, there are no ill side effects to your health."
"True," Impulse replied. "But the compound that gave us our abilities was pretty much a fluke. I had a basic structure, sure, but it would have only been temporary and it only enhanced senses. The explosion did something to change it and stabilize it."
"No matter," the scientist waved the concern aside. "I'm sure the answer can be found in your blood and DNA sequences. All I need is a blood sample and a cheek swab from the two of you and we can get to work on that."
"Reverse engineering based on the DNA mapping you can compile from our sequences," Impulse nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense, but it won't help you much if you don't have an original model of our unaltered DNA to compare it to."
"I doubt it's much different from that of a normal human," the scientist answered. "Obviously we'll have to make some guesses, but we have plenty of participants to test on so it's not a huge setback. Now, if you'll follow me, we'll get what we need and then the pair of you can resume your vacationing."
Impulse and Artemis glanced towards each other. The red head frowned, but jerked his head very slightly in the direction of the scientist. The blonde archer subtly shrugged and nodded once.
"Unless you've got a problem with this of course," Sportsmaster sneered.
"Lead the way," Artemis retorted with an easy shrug. "We've got nothing better to do."
It had been almost two weeks since the Team had discovered the message painted on their wall and everyone was still on alert. Security checks were being run almost constantly at the Mount and any access outside of zeta tubes had been blocked off or shut down. Every member of the Team was stressed and trying hard not to show it, but tempers were short regardless. That made for many shouting matches and broken furniture around the Mount, especially when throwing a volatile, teenaged, angry, cloned Kryptonian.
Red Arrow had spent even less time than usual around his younger companions. He liked them well enough, but he had his own issues to be dealing with without adding the angsty ranting of at least three other people into the mix. He knew Kaldur would keep a cool head, at least on the outside, but that didn't mean that would make dealing with the rest of them any easier. The older archer sighed as he slipped into the shadows of the rooftop he was stationed on. It had been an exceptionally slow night so far and that left him a lot of time to think. A sudden beeping in his ear had the older red head reaching up and tapping a little electronic device.
"Go," he barked. Static reigned for a few moments and he almost clicked it off before a series of numbers, coordinates he realized, were rattled off.
"You're up," the voice on the other end told him before silence fell around him once again.
"Shit," Red Arrow sighed as he got up from his crouch. "Time to go to work I guess."
AN2: Sorry about the delay again guys. I get really discouraged (I keep getting nothing but rejections for my original work) and it made me question if I'm really as good a writer as I thought I was. So I apologize, discouragement kinda got in the way. But I'm back and I promise this will get finished. Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!