AN: Okay, this is really, really IMPORTANT! So, after this latest round of rejections for my original work it's got me wondering if the story is even compelling enough. If I posted, say, the first three chapters as a "special chapter" in this would that be something you guys would be interested in? Would you be interested in reading it and telling me what you think? Please let me know in your reviews. Thank you!
Now, obligatory rant and possible SPOILER ALERT... HOW COULD THEY DO THAT! WHY WOULD THEY KILL WALLY? I am quite pissed about this and I maintain that he isn't really dead; he can't be : ( That's probably a vain hope, but it's all I've got at the moment, lol.
As always, a HUGE thank you to everyone who added this to their favorites, alerts and reviewed. You guys are awesome and you always make my day :)
Also, my deepest apologies for not getting this out quickly. I've been training people at my work and where I volunteer for about a month and a half now and that has left very little time for writing. Hopefully the training is done now though so back into the story we go! :D
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the show or anything to do with it. I wouldn't have killed Wally if I did. Yes, I will remain bitter about that.
Also, we have our last OC cameo. Polaris comes courtesy of StarryeyedCassandra. Thank you! And I hope I did her justice :)
The longer he was standing there on that stupid, lit up white circle the more he began to think this was a terrible idea. Red Arrow had contacted the Team and told them he might, kind of, sort of need their help on a mission he was running and while they had been excited about it at first it was quickly becoming more trouble than it was worth. Granted, at least half of that was from him since he refused to say anything until they were out of the Mount and he was sure there weren't any unnecessary prying eyes or ears. Still, did it really take the equivalent of World War III between some super powered, volatile and extremely dangerous teens and their overprotective mentors? Okay, in all fairness, when he thought about it that way it did make sense that they were a bit reluctant to let them out under only his supervision. He'd be the first one to admit that maybe he wasn't the most responsible person on the planet. Still, this was getting ridiculous and they needed to get moving before their very narrow window of opportunity snapped closed.
"So are you going to actually trust them or are you just going to keep coddling them and stringing them along?" the red headed archer asked, knowing full well the tension his comment would cause. Hopefully it would also make the mentors realize that it wasn't a fight they wanted to get into at the moment. "Cause if you're not going to release them and let them do what they've been trained for then I'll just be on my way."
"And what is it that they will be doing on this mission of yours?" Black Canary asked for probably the fifteenth time. "You've been very vague on the details Roy."
"Nothing special really," Red Arrow shrugged. "Typical track and disrupt mission."
"You're last mission with them included you all breaking into a heavily guarded compound and stealing a jet," Green Arrow replied. "You can see why we're a little reluctant to send them off with you without knowing the details."
"We rescued a bunch of kidnapped kids and most of what happened was unexpected for me as well," Red Arrow retorted. "But like I said a few times already; this mission is sensitive and I've only gotten clearance to read them in if they accept it," he added, gesturing to the four teens. "Honestly, I was hoping to catch them when none of you were here so we wouldn't have to deal with this. They're big kids, they can make their own decisions, but obviously you don't feel the same."
"It's not that we don't trust them," Black Canary began, glancing hesitantly at her young charges.
"It's that you don't trust me," Red Arrow finished, nodding his head. "Noted. Well, if that's the case, it's been nice knowing you. I'll make sure to keep out of your way."
"Roy," Black Canary called as she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "It's not that either and you know it. We're worried. About them, about you. With everything that's happened lately we just want to make sure you're all safe."
"Safe?" Red Arrow laughed. "You do remember what we all do on a relatively nightly basis, right?"
"We'll be fine," Robin added. "It's not like this is our first mission ever; we've been running plenty of them."
"And I know you mean well," Aqualad told the assembled mentors. "But keeping us here and not allowing us to participate in missions, especially when a friend comes asking for help, will not do us any good. We need to keep moving, we need to keep fighting. Staying stagnant only increases our frustration."
Black Canary frowned, her eyes tracking over the set and determined faces of the kids she had come to be "Den Mother" to before glancing over at her peers and sighing. "They make a valid point," she said at last. "We're really not doing them any favors by keeping them here."
"We don't know a lot about this mission," Green Arrow pointed out, sending Red Arrow an apologetic look. "Perhaps if more information was available," he added, trailing off.
"I've already told you more than I should have," the younger archer replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Besides, I know you've sent them out with less information to go off of and it's not like they're going to go in completely blind; I'll read them in as soon as we're off."
"I don't like it," Batman said after a moment, holding up a hand for silence when all four younger teens opened their mouths to protest. "But Red Arrow and Black Canary have a point. How long will this mission take?" he asked, looking at the red headed archer.
"They'll most likely be back by midafternoon, if not tomorrow night at the latest," Red Arrow answered with a shrug. "A lot of the ground work has already been done."
"I want a radio check in if this runs longer than expected," the Dark Knight told the young Team members. "Do not take unnecessary risks and follow the mission parameters as outlined."
"We got this," Robin interrupted, an easy grin spreading across his face. "You've trained us well and we've been doing extra drills the last few weeks; give us some credit here."
"Be careful, all of you," Black Canary told all of them as they headed for M'Gann's bioship. "I want to see all of you back here breathing and in one piece when you're done."
Robin just grinned and offered the assembled adults a mock salute as the bioship doors slid closed. "So, where are we going and what's up with the mission?" he asked as he settled himself into his usual seat.
Red Arrow pulled out a piece of paper and tossed it to Miss Martian. "That's where we're headed," he told the green girl. "As for mission specifics, I'll know more when we get there, but at the very least it'll be a tracking and retrieval mission."
"So you're keeping us out of the loop now too?" Superboy demanded as he turned his chair to face the oldest member of the group. His usual scowl deepened and his arms came up so settle firmly across his chest.
"Not on purpose," Red Arrow replied with a shake of his head. "Depending on what we find there," he said, motioning to the slip of paper in Miss Martian's hand, "the whole mission could change. I can definitely tell you it'll be a tracking, retrieval and disruption mission." He paused for a long moment, glancing at each of his younger friends one by one. "I also need you to keep an open mind on this one," he added. "Some of my sources aren't exactly League approved, but that doesn't mean we can't trust them."
The other four teens traded puzzled glances but nodded. "Of course my friend," Aqualad spoke for all of them as he inclined his head slightly. "Who are these contacts of yours that we will be meeting?"
"You'll see soon enough," Red Arrow sighed. "Just promise to trust me on this one, please." He offered a quick, small smile when all four teens nodded back at him and found himself fervently hoping that they'd remember that promise when they saw who they were meeting.
When they landed on a small island out in the Atlantic Ocean the first thing Red Arrow had the Team do was switch to stealth mode. The island was almost unnaturally silent and as the five of them stalked through the trees nothing else seemed to move. The thundering crash of waves sounded in the still air and the revolving lights of distant lighthouses burst through the trees periodically. All in all, it was relatively peaceful; which did absolutely nothing to put the four teens at ease about the situation. Robin moved on the balls of his feet, barely making a sound and Miss Martian kept drifting in and out of visibility. Both Aqualad and Superboy prowled through the gloom, the muscles in their backs tense as their eyes kept sweeping over every little thing they could see. Only Red Arrow seemed at ease as he walked along the narrow pathway, bow slung across his back and hands loose at his sides. Every once in a while he'd reach up and flick at the earbud in his ear and frown at whatever he heard, but he never said anything to the rest of the Team.
After almost twenty minutes of walking Red Arrow held up a hand for the other teens to stop before pressing a finger to his lips and motioning for radio silence. The four younger teens immediately spread out in a loose screen, melting into the darkness of the surrounding trees, but staying close enough to the red headed archer to react to any changes.
"You sure took your sweet time Red," Cheshire purred as she stepped out of the shifting shadows in front of said archer. "The party's already over here." She paused when the younger members of the Team burst out of the tree line and took of defensive stances around her. She placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side slightly; Red Arrow had the distinct impression that the grin on her mask was matched by one sure to be spreading across her face. "Ah, I see. You brought the baby heroes. Trouble getting them away from the nest I take it?" she asked, completely ignoring the fact that four highly trained teenagers had her surrounded and were just looking for an excuse to take her down.
"Almost more trouble than it was worth," Red Arrow grumbled in reply. "Guys, stand down," he added almost as an afterthought.
Four heads swung around to face him, varying degrees of incredulity painted across their eyes. "You can't be serious!" Robin managed to speak first.
"You promised to keep an open mind," Red Arrow reminded him.
"Yeah, but this is asking a bit much!" the youngest shot back. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Robin has a point," Aqualad added, bringing his hands up and holding them facing palm out towards his red headed friend. "This is Cheshire; she has attacked us many times in the past."
"All part of the great game fish boy," the dark haired assassin laughed as she took a step closer. "But we don't have time for this. It's already been moved Red."
"What has?" Miss Martian asked, looking back and forth between Red Arrow and Cheshire. "What's been moved?" she pressed when neither seemed inclined to take their eyes from each other and answer. If the green skinned teen didn't know any better, she'd have thought they were having a telepathic conversation themselves.
"Dammit," Red Arrow hissed between clenched teeth as he carded a hand through his short hair. "Any idea where?"
"I was off playing baby sitter to another part of their grand master plan," Cheshire answered with a shake of her head. "I don't think any of us lowly foot soldiers know more than the small part we're supposed to play, to be honest."
"And?" Red Arrow pressed, the look in his eyes enough for Cheshire to know what he was asking.
"Nothing," she answered with a sigh of her own. "It's been radio silence for almost two weeks."
"Same with me," Red Arrow grumbled. "All right, I've got another contact we can try; she might be able to help. Where were you last?"
"Old warehouse down by the docks in New Orleans," Cheshire answered immediately. "I've got to get running Red, before I'm missed."
"Anything we should mess with while we're here?" he asked before the assassin disappeared back into the trees.
"No, nothing special," Cheshire answered. "Nothing that can't wait till it's just you and me at least," she answered and Red Arrow could hear the smirk in her voice.
"Be careful," he told her just before even her mask was gone from sight.
"You too," he heard whispered softly in his earbud before that channel fizzled out in a burst of static.
"Well, that was...whelming," Robin finally said into the quiet that had followed Cheshire's disappearance. "Care to fill us in there?"
"Not right now," Red Arrow answered, shaking his head as he turned back the way they had come. "We don't have time to just stand around," he added when the four teens remained where they were.
"And why is that exactly?" Superboy pressed. "You haven't given us a lot to go on and the fact that Cheshire is your informant is only giving us more questions than answers."
"Look, I'll explain Cheshire later, I promise," Red Arrow sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But we really don't have time for this right now. Just trust me when I say that this mission has gone from infiltrate and recover information to a possible hostage situation. People's lives could be on the line, now more than ever. If you're worried about walking into a trap then fine, I get that. You can get on the bioship, head back to the Mount and forget this entire thing."
"And what about you?" Miss Martian asked. "If this is a trap wouldn't you be in danger too?"
"It's not a trap, I'm just saying I understand why you would think it is," Red Arrow answered. "Can we at least talk while we walk?" he demanded. "Since it seems like you're not going to let up till you have some answers."
"How can you be so sure it is not a trap?" Aqualad asked, catching up to his friend and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Because it's Cheshire that told me," Red Arrow replied as he shook Aqualad's hand off. "Now are you all coming or not?"
The four teens glanced at each other for a moment before shrugging to themselves and following their older friend back to the bioship.
"So, New Orleans?" Miss Martian asked once they were all settled.
"No, we need to swing by Gotham first," Red Arrow sighed. "There's someone there I need to see."
"Are you planning on filling us in any time soon?" Robin pressed after a moment of silence stretched between them. "Cause I think we've been more than patient so far."
"All right, we've got some down time for travel anyway," Red Arrow sighed again. "Long story short, we've been working on finding out why the League of Shadows has been giving teenagers superpowers and stopping whatever plans they've got going. I got called in two weeks ago on this and I've been trying to play catch up ever since. Obviously, they found out that I'm tailing them and they've pulled out."
"What about the hostages you mentioned?" Superboy demanded, spinning in his chair to face the older teen.
"Super powered teenagers," Red Arrow answered. "I wouldn't put it past the Shadows to use them against us."
"You realize that we will have questions for you once this is all over," Aqualad interrupted after a moment. "But for now we will follow you on this. You are our friend and we trust you."
"So who are we looking for in Gotham?" Robin questioned, swinging around in his own chair.
"Someone who will most likely be able to help us," Red Arrow answered with his most tired sigh yet. "Assuming I can convince her to help at least."
The flight to Gotham as quick and almost silent. The Team didn't bother to ask who they were looking for again as Red Arrow seemed to be pretty tight lipped about it. By the time they arrived at the dark city they were all frustrated and annoyed with being kept in ignorance. It didn't help that Red Arrow seemed to just be wandering through the city aimlessly.
"Are we going to be doing anything soon?" Superboy growled as the five of them slipped down yet another dark alley. "Cause we didn't agree to this to take a walk through Gotham with you."
"Seems the baby heroes are an impatient lot," a voice called from the shadows with a thick Irish accent. A tall girl, dressed head to toe in black, stepped away from the wall and into the dim light. She wore knee high black boots over black jeans. A long black trench coat brushed the tops of her boots and covered the black vest she wore beneath, almost hiding the two swords strapped to her left hip. A black mask covered most of her face, leaving her nose and mouth free, and her hair spilled over the top in inky black waves. White lenses in the mask covered her eyes, but a disapproving frown settled on her lips as she regarded the group. "What are you doing on my side of town Arrow?" she asked, turning her frown to the oldest member of the group.
"I'm calling in that favor Polaris," Red Arrow answered. "We're trying to track something and it's disappeared."
"And where did this thing disappear from?" the girl, Polaris asked.
"New Orleans," Red Arrow replied with a sigh. "An old warehouse near the docks."
"You are aware I don't generally operate too far from Gotham, unless it serves my own purposes, correct?" Polaris frowned deeper.
"I know," Red Arrow agreed. "And believe me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't need your help with this."
"Uh, Red?" Robin interrupted after a moment. "You do know this is the Polaris, right? I'm not sure at this point which decision of yours was more of a mistake; trusting Cheshire or trusting Polaris. She's not exactly a friend of the League."
"And yet I've never really done anything to you either," Polaris spat back. "Except maybe be very good at what I do."
"And leaving a few bodies here and there," Robin reminded her.
"I never actively seek to kill anyone," Polaris dismissed with a wave of her hand. "If it happens I'm not going to cry about it though. Now, I don't like it, but I do owe you one favor Arrow," she added, ticking her finger up in the air to indicate it physically. "We're square after this, are we clear?"
"Crystal," Red Arrow answered with a nod of his head.
"Fine, how are we getting there?" Polaris asked.
"This way," Red Arrow said as he turned and began leading the group back to the bioship.
"So, how do you know her?" Robin pressed, catching up to the older teen quickly.
"She was in Star City a few months back looking for something. She ended up in the middle of an op I was running and I helped her get out," the red head replied.
"If I recall correctly, I helped you get out as well," Polaris said as she fell into stride next to the older archer.
"All right, it was a mutual ass saving mission," Red Arrow conceded. "Regardless, I got a favor out of it and I give her information on her search if I ever come across something that might help her."
"Does the League know you keep such company?" Aqualad asked hesitantly, offering the darkly dressed girl a brief conciliatory nod.
"You're an exclusive club, and I don't make the cut," Polaris dismissed. "No need to dance around it. I don't particularly care; I can go places and get information you people generally can't. Now let's keep the chit chat to a minimum so I can get this over with as painlessly as possible."
It didn't take long for the Team to get to New Orleans; Red Arrow half suspected Miss Martian was gunning the bioship as fast as she could get it to go. Halfway through the flight Cheshire had texted him the exact address and Red Arrow was now in the process of getting the green alien girl to land the ship a few warehouses down from the one they wanted.
"Keep it cloaked," he reminded the younger girl as all six of them dropped to the concrete below.
"Handy, I'll give you that," Polaris observed for a moment as the red ship disappeared back into the background. "Now, where am I going and what am I looking for?"
"This way," Red Arrow pointed. "You four establish a perimeter around the building," he added to the younger teens. "Stick to the shadows, but be ready to come if we call. If you see anything suspicious, radio it in," he said with a brief tap to his ear before he and Polaris slipped away further down the docks.
"Ever get the feeling he's keeping something from us?" Robin asked the rest of the group.
"It's almost like he doesn't want us to know what we're tracking," Superboy added.
"I tried to read him," Miss Martian admitted guiltily. "But he's mind is locked down tighter than anyone I've ever seen in a human. I couldn't get any information without alerting him to my presence in his mind."
"I hate to say it, but we could be walking into a trap," Aqualad sighed. "I do not wish to doubt our friend, but very little of this mission has felt right from the beginning."
"Miss M, set up a psychic link," Robin said. "If anything happens, or if anyone sees anything suspicious, tell the rest of the team before radioing it in. Keep your eyes open guys," he added as he slipped into the shadows and disappeared into the night.
For the first hour or so, nothing but the group of teenagers seemed to be moving in the darkness around them. The four younger members watched as Red Arrow and Polaris occasionally stepped out of the warehouse, the latter looking around in all directions as though she was looking for something. Neither of them answered when the rest of the team tried to ask what was going on and eventually the four of them fell to just watching as the two older teens moved around. It was probably that laid back attitude that left them almost unprepared when gunshots rang out through the warehouse.
All four teens jumped to attention and ran full tilt into the dark building. Without stopping to think they threw themselves into the fray. Somehow Shadows grunts had managed to sneak into the building and all but lay siege to the two people that had been inside.
"Thanks for the warning," Polaris growled as she snapped out with a high kick aimed at the nearest man, followed closely with a swing from one of her swords that dropped her attacker to the ground.
"What happened to keeping watch?" Red Arrow pressed as he swung the heavy metal of his bow into the side of another grunt's head.
"We were keeping watch," Superboy replied as he picked up two attackers and tossed them bodily into the nearest wall. "There must have been a back way in we didn't know about."
"No time for talk guys," Robin interrupted as he leapt over another man dressed all in black, using his shoulders as leverage to dodge a punch and shove him forward. He laughed as he ducked a kick and lashed out with one of his own, sending the guy crumpling to the floor.
"I would still like to know where they came from," Aqualad pointed out, using his water bearers as clubs to send people flying and sprawling out along the concrete ground. "We saw no one."
"Would you like me to hold one of them for questioning?" Miss Martian asked, already holding three people dangling in the air in her mental grip.
"Probably a good idea," Red Arrow grunted in response, taking a hit to the stomach and lashing out right back, catching the man in his side. He felt the familiar snap of the ribs giving way to his kick and dismissed his attacker as he collapsed to the floor, wheezing wetly and clutching at his side.
"You're too soft," Polaris snarled as her palm slammed home into her opponent's nose, the flesh and cartilage easily giving way. "They won't tell us anything, just drop them all. You won't need them anyway," she added as she ducked and threw the attacker behind her right over her shoulder, slamming her fist into his throat after he had hit the floor.
Despite being caught by surprise, it didn't take long for the group of six to disable and knock out their assailants, at least twenty in all. Miss Martian had managed to keep one of them conscious and immobile and the team quickly set about interrogating her.
"Who sent you?" Red Arrow asked, crouching down to face the frozen Shadow member.
"Suck it asshole," the girl spat back, her lips pulled back in a silent snarl.
"How did you get in?" the red headed archer pressed.
"Like I'm going to tell you," the girl sneered.
"Where was it all moved to?" the other boy continued placidly.
"Are you slow or something?" the girl barked. "I'm not telling you jack shit about anything!"
"I told you," Polaris commented as she walked back from wherever she had disappeared from, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. "If you find that truck you'll find what you're looking for," she added, shoving the paper at the red head. "I'd hope you're at least competent enough to handle that because I'd say my job is done."
Red Arrow accepted the paper, glancing down at it. A clear photo of the back of a large moving van filled the top half of the page; the license plate had been blown up on the bottom as well as two mug shots of the drivers. "We can use this, thanks."
"Whatever Arrow, we're square now," Polaris dismissed as she turned to walk away. "Next time you need to track something, please hesitate to call. Or at least be willing to shell out decent money."
The remaining five teens watched as she slipped away into the dark before turning back to their captive. "Knock her out," Red Arrow said as he passed the paper over to Robin. "And get a program running for facial rec on the drivers as well as the truck and the license plate."
"On it," the youngest member answered readily, already scanning the pictures into the holo computer mounted in his wrist glove.
"You're not going to find anything," the girl on the floor spat. "You'll be way too late."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Red Arrow answered before turning to the Martian girl. "Miss M, I'm serious, put her under."
The green girl nodded once, her eyes glowing green as she raised her arm. Almost immediately their captive slumped to the floor, out cold.
"Got it," Robin crowed just as their captive lost consciousness. "I've been able to track down where the drivers and the truck went."
"Where are they at?" Red Arrow demanded.
"Well, as of yesterday they were in Idaho," he answered around a frown pulling at his lips. "Like, middle of nowhere Idaho. I got the image of the truck off the one traffic light they've actually got there."
"Doesn't matter where it is, that's where we're going," the oldest boy answered. "This has turned into a search and recovery mission first and foremost."
"How do you know that?" Superboy pushed as they followed him back out to the bioship.
"Polaris," Red Arrow replied. "She...sees things differently. She hasn't trusted me with her whole past and I doubt she ever will, but I know something happened to her when she was younger. She mentioned some sort of serum, maybe an early version of what the Shadows are doing now, but whatever it was it gave her the ability to basically see the world as a puzzle waiting to be solved. She's probably the best detective in the world, no offense," he added with a look to Robin.
"None taken," the youngest boy shrugged. "You're a fool if you think you're the best at something, there's always someone better. So she was able to put together what happened here?"
"Well enough to narrow down which truck left with our quarry and read the signs of the fight that broke out before they even left," Red Arrow answered. "Though that was four days ago which means we need to get moving," he said through clenched teeth. The air around them grew heavy and tense, leaving the other four teens to follow after their older friend silently.
Guards at the front have moved on their rounds, Robin's voice said through the mental link.
The guard in the back tower is moving on as well, Aqualad's voice added.
Good, Red Arrow replied. Strike team alpha is a go as soon as they get halfway. Beta team, move in now. Robin and I will follow you in through the roof.
Once inside the six teens regrouped and took off down darkened halls, Red Arrow glancing into every room they passed. Finally, he stopped and placed a finger to his lips before easing the door open even more and slipping inside.
"Took you long enough," a voice groaned out from the darkness.
"Had to call in a favor to find you, these bastards hid their tracks well," Red Arrow answered as he flipped on a light and the room burst into a muted shade of yellow.
There, in the center of the room and sitting back to back on two chairs, were Impulse and Artemis. Their wrists were bound and their arms, just above their elbows, were tied together, effectively keeping them trapped together. Their feet had been tied to the chairs at their ankles and just below their knees. Dried, rusty colored blood decorated the front of Impulse's uniform and purplish bruises dotted every visible part of skin. Artemis looked to be in slightly better condition, though a thin trail of long dried blood sat at the corner of her mouth. Both teens watched, eyes narrowed and teeth slightly barred, as their former teammates filtered quickly into the room.
"We only called for you," Impulse spat, reaching down to until his legs after Red Arrow had cut his arms free. As soon as he could he was out of the chair and kneeling in front of Artemis, carefully checking her over and releasing her from her bonds as well.
"Yeah, well, Chesh couldn't make it and while I appreciate the fact you think I'm badass enough to break in and haul your sorry asses out, I'm just not that awesome," the oldest red head answered as he stepped back and placed his knife back into the pouch at the small of his back. "I needed some back up and they were the next best option."
"What about the team we worked with a few weeks back?" Artemis asked as she stood shakily on her feet. "What happened to them?"
"Gone to ground, as near as I can tell," Red Arrow replied as he shrugged, completely unconcerned. "As it was, I had to pull in my favor from Polaris to find you in the first place. I didn't have time to waste trying to hunt them down first. So what happened?"
"We were made, obviously," Impulse sneered as he slung one of Artemis' arms across his shoulders and took most of the blonde girl's weight on himself. "They broke Artemis' leg," he said in answer to the questioning look.
"Was it set?" the older archer asked, frown already pulling at his lips as he glanced down at the young girl's legs. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.
"No," Artemis hissed. "The bastards broke it then shot me up with some serum they've been working on in their spare time. It makes the body mend itself, but everything still hurts like a bitch for a while after. Besides, you should be more concerned with him," she added, jerking her head to her companion. "The idiot mouthed off until they took everything out on him and left me alone."
"I heal faster," the red head answered quickly. "And unlike that serum, it's a natural healing."
"Doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt," Artemis replied with a worried frown. "And they've barely been giving you anything to keep your energy up so you actually can heal yourself."
"Look, we get it, you're both nuts about each other and hate it when the other is hurt," Red Arrow interrupted. "But right now we've got to get you two out of here before someone comes looking."
Though they moved significantly slower because of their banged up, two new additions, the group of seven somehow managed to make it out of the compound unseen and slip back into the bioship. Impulse and Artemis were set up in the small med bay while the rest of the team got the ship in the air and flying back towards the Mount. After they were sure they had gotten away clean, Miss Martian put the ship on auto pilot and the entire group walked back into the med bay.
"So, anyone want to tell us what's really going on?" Superboy demanded gruffly. The other three members of the Team fanned out around him, staring down the three teens in med bay.
Impulse looked up once, a silent snarl on his lips, before he turned his attention back to splinting and wrapping Artemis' left leg. Both teens had pulled back their cowls and bandages decorated their faces; a particularly nasty gash on the red head's face had already been stitched shut.
"These two went undercover to flush out just what the Shadows were doing," Red Arrow answered for them from his spot leaning against the counter, watching the two younger teens carefully in case they needed help. "Things went south and we went in to get them out alive."
"So, you're still on our side?" Miss Martian asked hopefully, her hands clutched together in front of her and a small smile begin to spread on her face. "You're really still our friends and part of the team?"
"Hardly," Artemis snorted derisively, wincing slightly when Impulse jarred her leg in an attempt to tighten the brace and bandages around it. "We really left this stupid little club of yours."
"But, I don't understand," the alien girl replied, her hands falling limply to her sides as the smile fled her face.
"We don't expect you to," Impulse barked back as he stood, his job with Artemis' leg done.
"Hey man, regardless of whatever is going on here, we totally saved you today," Robin pointed out, stepping a little further into the room. "I think that owes us some answers."
Impulse glared the younger man down for a moment, his eyes a toxic, almost glowing green. "We owe you nothing," he seethed in response.
"Wally," Artemis said softly, laying a hand on his arm to pull his attention to her. "As much as I really, really hate to admit it, things have spiraled out of our control and we need some help. My sister and Red Arrow won't be enough. No offense," she added as an aside to the older boy.
"None taken," he replied with a simple shrug.
"I hate this," Impulse growled, scrubbing a hand over his face.
"So do I, but if we want them down we're going to have to swallow our pride and allow this, for now," she said, a meaningful glance sent towards the other teens.
"Will you allow us to know the truth?" Aqualad asked carefully, his hands raised palm out in a placating gesture.
"You're little group, or your babysitters for that matter, have no idea what you're doing," Impulse replied flatly. "You're running around trying to fix problems you know next to nothing about and ignoring obvious solutions because they don't fit in with your precious moral code."
"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, a frown on his face.
"You're winning some battles, but you're never going to win the war," the speedster answered.
"Stop talking in riddles," Superboy growled.
"Look, we're not with the Shadows and we never will be," Artemis sighed, a hint of annoyance coloring her voice. "But we're not cut out for your goody two-shoes act either; your moral code just isn't going to do anything in the long run. What Impulse meant is that the bad guys know that and they're going to exploit the hell out of it. Sure, you might have the minor players terrified; like the drug dealers, the small time thieves and the garden variety thug, running scared from their shadows, but the big guys? The ones that do the most damage? They see you as an amusing, completely beatable challenge. You lock them up but they keep getting out. You knock away some of their underlings, they just replace them with more. In the meantime they're busy permanently taking you down, one more dead hero at a time. You might be winning battles, but you're never going to win the war," she reiterated. "If you want to win, you've got to play at their level. You've got to make the big players jump at their shadows and look over their shoulders at every new sound. You've got to make them terrified. None of you will ever manage that if you cling to these rules you've set that the other side just laughs at."
"You've got to be willing to become the stuff of their nightmares," Impulse added. "You've got to be willing to let go and let loose; hell maybe even enjoy breaking a few bones or shattering a few lives," he added with a dark smirk that was mirrored almost immediately on Artemis' face.
"But that's not what heroes are," Miss Martian protested, her eyes glistening a bit with tears as she reached for the pair, almost as if she could pull them back from the darkness she thought was threatening to swallow them whole.
"Good thing we're not heroes then, isn't it?" Impulse replied, his smirk still in place. "We've long since embraced the darkness you need to fight this war."
"I guess you could call us anti-heroes," Artemis said, a harsh laugh bubbling out of her throat. "That's pretty much exactly who we are. We fight these assholes because we enjoying taking them down and watching them break, just like they enjoy breaking everything they touch."
"Speaking of taking these guys down," Red Arrow interrupted before any of the other teens could jump in and question Impulse or Artemis. "Did you manage to find out what they were up to?"
"Pretty easy really," Impulse answered flippantly. "Once they thought we were playing for their team anyway. Savage is pretty much running the show on this one. He's decided to try and force mankind into an evolution; it'll be adapt or die with him. The missing and powered up teens were just a way of running preliminary tests and getting an army pulled together to fight off the League and keep them busy chasing after their tails."
"He's planning on launching some sort of device into the atmosphere. Well, a series of devices really, but the one he launches from the US will trigger all the other ones worldwide," Artemis picked up. "It'll blanket the Earth in a layer of mist that's made of the same serum that altered the teenagers. The whole population will be breathing it in and it'll either be develop powers, use them up and die, or die immediately in a very painful way."
"I managed an antidote," Impulse said as he pulled a small vial from the pouch strapped to his leg. "Pretty easy really when they told us our DNA was the linchpin for making their serum work on the entire world's population. That's how they caught on to us though. Apparently the Shadows keep a very close watch on their lab spaces and they notice when things go missing."
"Do you know where they're going to launch this device?" Red Arrow pressed.
"Where else in the continental US would you go to launch something into space?" the other red headed male asked with a dark smirk. "Or at least really high up in the atmosphere?"
"You two feel up to going to Cape Canaveral and kicking some ass then?" the oldest boy asked.
"And when are we not?" Artemis returned, her eyes a stormy grey and an almost manic smile stealing its way across her face.
"How are you a part of this?" Aqualad asked quickly, looking at Red Arrow.
"Cheshire pulled me in mostly, didn't want anything to happen to her baby sister," the male archer replied. "But on some level, I sympathize with them and I agree with that they're doing."
"And how exactly do you know Cheshire?" Robin asked. "You said you'd explain later."
"He and my sister have this thing going," Artemis laughed, answering for the older boy. "Have for a while really. I'm a little surprised no one thought to question how he went after her almost religiously and yet never seemed to catch her."
"All right look, now isn't the time to be discussing my personal life," Red Arrow growled as he shoved his way past the teens standing at the door. "Miss Martian, get out here and change our route. Someone else get on the line to your mentors and fill them in. You two," he added, pointing between Impulse and Artemis. "Rest up and if you can, get a list of all the places these devices are set to launch. We don't want to take any chances with any of this so the more people we get spread out across the world the better."
"Yes sir," Impulse said, shit eating grin on his face as he gave the older boy a mock salute.
"You can run along now and see if you can get ahold of my sister now, like I know you want to," Artemis added, the smile on her face far too innocent to be believable.
"Whatever," Red Arrow grumbled as he turned away, completely ignoring the fact that he was going to go do just that.
AN2: Well, there's chapter 20 guys! I'm so sorry I made you all wait so long. So, now for the somewhat bad-ish maybe news; the next chapter will be the last one for this story. Yep, you read that right, this story is coming to an end. On the upside though, Side Jobs and Other Stories is totally in the works. That's the one-shot/drabble series that will be powered by YOU. If there's anything you wanted to know more about in this Universe I created, anything you wanted explained a little more or just any random scene you would have liked to have seen, whatever. More on this will be posted in the next chapter. Well, don't forget to leave a review and also please let me know if you'd be willing to read the first three chapters of my original work. Thanks guys! Loves you all!