Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I pretend to have any ownership of Young Justice or the DC Universe. I do however take full ownership of Catlyn.
I'm trying to get caught up with the story line as fast as I can while not cutting back on the quality of the chapters. I might, and this is a pretty big might, have this plot line caught up with the show's by the the middle of next week. This chapter itself was a pain simply because my computer didn't think I would need internet for the better part of an entire day. I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting! I hope you enjoy it.
Again, thank you to: SASA, dreamin'BIG, Wheatieluv, spottedfire123, mahlia, algie888, squirrel1464, xKROWEx, LittleFireQueen, and Scarlett Wolf for reviewing! You keep me going!
Captivating Sympathy
Chapter Seven: Don't Have A Kitten
Catlyn and Robin sat quietly on the living room floor already in costume, Catlyn without her hood. They used the low lying table to spread out numerous papers and the occasional textbook for references. The only noise emanating from the pair was the scratching of pencils and Catlyn's occasional soft groan of frustration before she wore down yet another eraser.
Robin glanced across at the paper she was currently working on and smirked. "What are you doing?"
Her hand was whizzing across the paper, her fingers tightly squeezing what was once a rather large eraser. She looked up at Robin, mid scowl. "Starting over, again," she answered.
He gave a short chuckle. "I see that. What are you supposed to be doing?" he tried again.
Catlyn sat back and held her knees to her chest, narrowing her eyes at the vexing assignment on the table before her. "For anatomy I have to draw and label the inner workings of the human body," she explained.
Robin nodded in understanding before cocking his head to the side as he examined the paper, an even bigger smirk gracing his lips. "So, why does his lung have a tumor?" he asked, pointing.
"His lung has a-" She looked over her drawing to the spot indicated. "That's his heart, jerk," she said to a now laughing Robin. She shoved him playfully and went back to her homework, a small smile replacing her previous grimace.
"Recognized, Kid Flash. B zero three," the computerized female voice announced moments before Wally walked into the living room.
He too had already donned his superhero garb and went straight to the fridge. He glanced at the space between the refrigerator and the cabinet, like he had done every time before opening the door since the mouse incident. He grabbed the chocolate bar he had stashed the day before and sauntered into the living room, munching contently. "Hey Cat," Wally called out once he had finished his snack. "Beat you at air-hockey?" he challenged.
She looked up and accepted his challenge, letting her pencil clatter to the table. Her diagram was nearly completed, although all the internal organs resembled amorphous blobs more than anything else. She followed Wally to the debriefing room along with Robin who cued up the holographic table and two blue paddles.
"I won't go easy on you," Wally warned before casting a smirk over at Robin before looking back to Catlyn. "Unless, you want me to be gentle," he added in a suggestive tone.
Robin punched Wally hard in the shoulder as Catlyn stared in wide eyed disbelief. "Just play the puck," he grumbled, walking around to stand along the side of the holographic table.
Wally chuckled and rotated the shoulder that had been assaulted, congratulating himself on how easily he had been able to get under Robin's skin as of late. He grinned at Catlyn who was now losing her deer-in-the-headlights expression and was now watching the puck intently. Using only two fingers to control the paddle, he circled the holographic puck once and sent it whizzing into the opening on Catlyn's side with a subtle flick of his wrist. The table buzzed, signaling the goal. An impish grin spread across his lips and he spun the paddle under his index finger. "That's one for me."
Catlyn shared a glance with Robin before retrieving the puck. So much for a fair game, but she knew she couldn't hold Wally's abilities against him. She set the puck down on the holographic table and, with her paddle beneath her fingertips, she snapped her wrist much like Wally had. She watched the disk slide along the surface and collide with his paddle. Her eyes tried to follow the disk Wally had returned, but her movements were too slow to stop the renegade puck that was once again sent into Catlyn's goal.
"Two for me," Wally reported, his cocky grin growing wider.
She nodded, retrieving the disk once again. As she placed it back on the table the realization sunk in that she had been reduced to straight defense. She lightly nudged the disk and quickly pulled her paddle back to act as a guard. The only movements she would make were subtle shifts to better protect the gaping hole the puck tried time and time again to infiltrate.
And so it went for several minutes: Catlyn steadfast in guarding her goal and Wally whipping the holographic disk back in her direction whenever it came within his range.
Wally began to taunt her, aiming the puck at the corners of the table rather than her goal, daring her to try and intercept it.
Catlyn was getting frustrated and tossed her paddle onto the middle of the table. "Why am I even here if you're just going to play with yourself?" she grumbled before what she said had time to register. Her eyes went wide and she clasped both hands over her mouth as her face turned a deep shade of red.
There was a momentary silence before Robin and Wally alike burst out laughing. Both were doubled over with their arms wrapped tightly around their torsos as their shoulders shook almost violently.
"That's not what I meant," she reasoned in a very small muffled voice.
Robin's legs gave out and he sank to his knees. He tried several times to calm himself and his laughter finally subsided with the exception of a few sporadic chuckles. He and Wally wiped the tears from their eyes and straightened back up to their full heights.
"I didn't think it was that funny," Catlyn admitted when both boys had sobered, her blush having receded somewhat.
"It was just that it came from you," Wally grinned, still giddy from the endorphins released.
"You looked like you had said something awful," Robin chuckled. "It was cute."
Catlyn felt her cheeks heat up and her eyes scanned his face in an attempt to discern his meaning.
"Dawww, how sweet," Wally smirked, pinching one of Robin's cheeks.
Robin pushed him off. "Go eat," he grumbled after hearing Wally's stomach gurgle loudly. He felt his cheeks redden ever so slightly, having nothing to do with the pinch they'd received earlier.
Wally chuckled and retrieved a banana from the bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter, not wanting to stray too far from what could possibly develop between the two rosy cheeked teens.
"Recognized, Aqualad. B zero two," the computerized female voice of the security scanner announced.
"Can't we just get a doorbell and a peephole?" Catlyn asked. Those that did not call Mount Justice their home seemed to stick to a relatively predictable schedule concerning their comings and goings. She had gotten to the point that she would be able to announce the visitor herself after a quick glance to a clock.
Robin grinned and shook his head, the tension from earlier seeming to have passed.
"Hey Kal," Wally shouted from the kitchen once Kaldur had come within his range of sight. He pointed at him with the banana, "Beat you at air-hockey?"
As it was with Catlyn, the game was very much one sided as Wally scored time and time again, only this time there was a larger audience as Megan had joined in spectating. Kaldur had a look of surprise on his face every time the holographic disk penetrated his defenses.
Wally, pleased with his second victory of the day, peeled a section of his banana and took a bite, looking to the teleporters when the voice of the security system cut through the air.
"Recognized, Superboy. B zero four," the computerized voice announced.
Superboy looked moodier than usual, something that struck Catlyn as odd since he normally worked out his angst and frustrations. This time it seemed he had brought more back with him. His fists were clenched at his sides and he walked toward the group without really seeing them. He strode right through the holographic air-hockey table, effectively ending any notion of another round.
"Hi Superboy," Megan greeted, cheery as ever. "How was Metropolis?" Her face fell when he didn't answer, but two figures Catlyn had never seen before called her attention.
"Ready for training everyone?" a blonde woman who looked to be in her late twenties asked, striding in with a large green man with piercing red eyes who was more than likely in his forties.
"Black Canary. Uncle J'honn," Megan cried out in recognition, running up to hug the stoic looking green skinned man while the rest of the team stood where they had been when Superboy entered. The embrace only lasted for a second, but it seemed to be enough as she beamed up at him.
"M'gann," he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting."
Catlyn glanced over at Superboy, standing apart from the group with a deeper scowl than she had ever seen previously.
"A few bumps," Megan admitted, "but I'm learning."
Megan's uncle chuckled. "That's all I can ask."
The touching family moment proved to be too much for Superboy to cope with and he turned to leave.
"Stick around," the woman, now known to be Black Canary, called after Superboy's retreating back. "Class is in session." She walked to the center of the circle and it illuminated beneath her, lighting in a ripple effect from the center outward. "I consider it an honor to be your teacher," she began, turning to face the majority of the team. "I'll throw a lot at you, everything I've learned from my own mentors," she said as she gripped the front of her jacket and removed it, revealing bare shoulders above her strapless black leotard. "And my own bruises," she winced, the hand not clutching her jacket wrapping around her bandaged arm.
"What happened?" Megan asked, legitimately concerned.
Catlyn was curious herself, she thought the wound looked rather fresh.
"The job," Black Canary answered simply, throwing her jacket onto the ground.
Well that was specific and helpful. Catlyn resisted the urge to sigh.
"Now, combat is about controlling conflict. Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting," she continued.
Catlyn smiled, her impression of the woman standing in front of her had changed drastically.
"I'll need a sparring partner. I've never seen you before," she said, indicating Catlyn. "What can you do?"
She smiled nervously and walked to meet Black Canary in the center of the illuminated ring, detaching her whip on the way. She cracked it once, hoping to come off as somewhat menacing.
"You can discipline me anytime," Wally yelled from the sidelines before chuckling, having succeeded in dodging a hit from Robin.
Black Canary took advantage of the awkward moment and advanced, beginning with a standard right jab.
Catlyn let out a surprised grunt and had just enough time to dodge as Black Canary kicked out at her. She jumped back to avoid the approaching limb and ensnared it within her whip. Before she could tug the whip taunt, Black Canary kicked the same leg backwards, pulling Catlyn toward her. She dove into a forward roll, sliding between Canary's legs which were shoulder width apart in her fighting stance.
Without the constant pressure from Catlyn, the whip only hung loosely around Canary's ankle, making it a simple enough task to free her once ensnared extremity. She turned to face Catlyn, ducking just in time to avoid what would have otherwise been a solid right straight to her jaw.
Catlyn fell into a low sweeping kick which Canary avoided by leaping over the extended leg. She performed a back handspring to create some distance, but misjudged her landing. Too much of her weight rested on her heels and she fell backwards, landing in a seated position. On the floor, directly beneath her, was a spinning circle with a display of "Black Cat. Status: Fail."
Black Canary walked towards her with her arms crossed. "You need more practice," she announced before lowering her uninjured arm to help the fallen teen "But you could have done worse," she said with a smile. "Anyone else?" she asked once Catlyn had rejoined the group.
"Right here, yeah," Wally volunteered, raising his hand.
Black Canary nodded and returned to the center of the fighting arena.
Wally walked forward and finished what remained of his banana. "After this," he began, throwing the peel into the garbage can on the outskirts of the ring. "Swish. I'll show you my moves," he finished suggestively.
Canary looked less than impressed and, like she had done with Catlyn, wasted no time in attacking. She started out with the same right jab.
Wally bent his arm at the elbow in an affective block, only to be knocked onto his back by a low sweeping kick.
No one expected the match to be ended so abruptly and winced as Wally went down hard.
"Oh, that hurt so good," Wally croaked from his position on the ground. The spinning circle beneath his back indicating his failure.
"Good block," Canary commented as Wally moved into a seated position. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?" she asked, helping him to his feet.
"Ooh, he hit on teacher and got served?" Robin offered with a smirk.
"Dude!" Wally called out, holding his arm.
"He allowed me to dictate the terms of-" she began, only to be interrupted by Superboy.
"Oh please," he said, as if the implication was laughable. "With my powers, the battle is always on my terms," he said, gesturing to himself with his thumb. "I'm a living weapon. This is a waste of my time," he declared.
Canary smirked. "Prove it," she challenged.
Superboy walked into the ring with his arms crossed and faced her as Wally wised up and retreated to stand with the others. They readied themselves in a fighting stance, staring each other down for a time before Superboy made the first offensive move, a quick right uppercut that Canary caught at his wrist and elbow. She used his momentum against him and flipped him. He landed a good ten feet away, flat on his back.
Robin pointed and laughed outright, only covering his mouth after Kaldur had nudged him with his elbow and given him a pointed stare.
Megan watched Superboy, worry etched into her features.
Her distress was for naught. Superboy didn't stay down for long. He rolled over and pushed himself up, glaring at Black Canary, his teeth bared.
"You're angry. Good, but don't react. Channel that anger into-" she instructed, only to be interrupted by an angry grunt from Superboy who was racing towards her, his fist raised. She flipped over him and crouched down into a sweeping kick when she landed, knocking Superboy onto his backside once again.
Reactions from Superboy's latest take-down were varied. Megan winced, as if she thought the fall would have hurt him. Wally closed his eyes like it pained him to watch. Kaldur wore a look of pity as he looked at his fallen comrade. Catlyn had been watching the match objectively and marveled at Canary's quick and graceful movements. Robin once again dissolved into chuckles, this time muffling the sound from the beginning.
"That's it," Superboy grumbled, ignoring Canary's helping hand and pushing himself onto his feet. "I'm done."
The lighting on the floor dimmed.
"Training is mandatory," Black Canary said, placing a hand on his shoulder which Superboy roughly shoved off before turning to face her, meeting her glare for glare.
A holographic screen beeped before materializing, showing a large image of Batman. "Batman to the cave," he called out, affectively gathering the entirety of the team in front of the screen. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary," he started. A smaller screen appeared in the upper right corner, depicting a menacing looking android. "The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents," Batman continued as the screen showed footage of the machine at work. "Arrow called in reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."
"Whoa," Wally marveled. "One guy with the powers of the entire League?"
"In the end, it took eight Leagers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android," Batman said, concluding the background information.
"Android?" Robin questioned, stepping forward. "Who made it? T.O. Morrow?"
"Good guess Robin," Batman replied, "but Red Tornado doesn't think so."
"The technology bares the signature of Professor Ivo," Megan's uncle pointed out.
"Ivo? But Ivo's dead," Kaldur reasoned.
Black Canary cast a glance over her shoulder at Kaldur. "So we all thought, or hoped," she replied.
T.O. Morrow? Professor Ivo? People supposedly coming back from the dead? Catlyn pondered when any of this would start making sense.
"To make certain that this threat is permanently neutralized," Batman began once more as another screen appeared with a map with two different paths, "we're sending two trucks carrying the android's parts to two separate Starlab facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation. Every precaution is being taken," he continued as the paths the trucks were scheduled to take began moving dash by dash. "We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safe guard the two real trucks," Batman said, finished with the debriefing.
"Yes!" Wally said excitedly. "Road trip."
Superboy did not echo Wally's excitement. "So now we take out your trash," he grumbled.
"You had something better to do?" Batman asked sarcastically.
A device in Kaldur's hands beeped several times, prompting him to look at its screen. "Coordinates received. On our way," he reported, leading the team out of the cave.
Six motorcycles were parked just outside the front entrance of Mount Justice, a racing suit atop each seat. Catlyn eyed them warily before resolving to at least try to pilot the two wheeled speeder. It was just like riding a bike right? Could she even ride a bike to begin with? Her nerves mounted as she and the others went off the change into the racing suits.
Despite several swerves and near misses, the team arrived at the rendezvous point intact. During the twenty mile drive with Robin as her patient teacher, Catlyn had gotten a handle of the controls, only white-knuckling the handlebars when she gunned the accelerator too much. Using the foot-shifter proved to be the most daunting challenge and, even after twenty miles, she would occasionally bypass a gear completely.
"Just relax and take it slow so you don't grind the gears," Robin instructed as the team readied themselves to go their separate ways.
Catlyn would be accompanying Robin and Superboy on the southern path to New York while Kaldur, Wally, and Megan would be guarding the north bound cargo to Boston.
Batman gave the signal and the trucks were off, the mission had now officially begun.
"Good luck"s and "Be safes"s were exchanged before the team divided to pursue their assigned truck. The two teams stayed close behind the last truck in their line, the one that housed the pieces of the android that had taken eight League members to bring to its knees. The decoy trucks exited the highway one after another.
As she had on the back of Robin's motorcycle, Catlyn felt herself relax after a time and immediately noticed that turns were much smoother when she would just lean into them rather than concentrating on sitting straight up the entire time. She heard Robin chuckle and realized she had been weaving in and out of turns at random since she had become more comfortable. She straightened out and slowed so that she was on the other side of Superboy.
"If dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster?" Robin asked the brooding clone, who seemed to be the only person in the group to not be enjoying himself in the slightest. "See, instead of things going wrong, they go right," he reasoned. When Superboy didn't answer, or even let on that he had heard him, Robin tried a different approach. "Uh, clearly you're not feeling the aster. What's wrong?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Canary," he answered simply. "I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" he asked, averting his eyes.
Catlyn felt herself frown. Canary was only trying to help, and she was right, you can't use your fists for everything. She kept her mouth shut though. She didn't think that tough love coming from her would be a good idea at this time, what with his near constant agitation that her fighting style didn't involve immediate action.
"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig. Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman and, well, me." Robin answered. His tough love wasn't any better received than Catlyn thought hers would be as Superboy sped off ahead, his taillight streaking in the distance. "Was it something I said?"
There was a rustling in the fields of wheat that framed either side of the highway. Robotic flying monkeys burst up through their cover of wheat and converged on the truck.
"Robin, Superboy, Cat. Our truck is under attack," Kaldur's voice said from within Catlyn's helmet.
"Kinda figured," Robin said, somehow a smile present in his voice as monkeys continued to bombard the cargo hold.
"I hate monkeys," Superboy declared in a gruff voice.
A memory tugged at Catlyn's subconscious: something about hot chocolate on cold nights and, evil flying monkeys? She shook her head, ridding herself of that ridiculous notion. Now was not the time.
"Robot monkeys," Robin chuckled. "Totally Ivo's tweaked style." He switched his motorcycle into battle mode and suggested that Superboy do the same.
"No point," he argued, ditching the bike and hopping onto the roof of the truck.
Catlyn had just gotten used to two wheels, she didn't want to press her luck with one. She held back, barely dodging Superboy's renegade motorcycle as it crashed and flipped through the air.
"Or not," Robin said, joining Superboy on the truck when the tumbling motorcycle took out what remained of his speeder. He dislodged the monkeys on the door of the cargo hold while Superboy tried to keep them at bay by demolishing them by swinging his fists and helmet alike.
The back of Robin's speeder, which followed the truck in the air, aided him by firing lasers at the loading door. The monkeys proved too resilient however and ambushed it in an aerial assault, knocking it out of the sky and rendering it useless.
Catlyn rode up beside the truck, plucking the laughing monkeys off the side one by one with her whip. She glared at one of the flying robots that tried to burn through her whip, shattering it on the road below before it had a chance. She heard Superboy cry out as a robotic monkey in his grasp fired its lasers directly into his face.
The monkeys, laughing all the while, took advantage of Superboy's pain and worked together to incapacitate him for a time. They secured themselves to his arms and waist, using their combined thrust to lift him off of the roof of the truck and into the air. Once they reached a substantial altitude, they dropped him before returning to the multitude of their robotic companions swarming the cargo hold.
Catlyn retrieved a mouse bomb from her utility belt and pelted the side of the truck with it. The bomb detonated a fraction of a second after it left her hand, ignited prematurely by one of the monkey's laser eyes. She held back, rather than ride into the explosion.
Robin launched himself onto the roof of the truck in Superboy's absence. He retrieved a pair of collapsible escrima sticks and locked them into place before bashing any adversaries that came within range. He completed a handspring and landed at the front of the cargo hold. He turned and saw monkeys creeping up the back. That is, until Superboy landed with a loud thud, knocking Robin backwards.
Superboy ripped off the offending monkeys that plagued him, tossing them carelessly off the side of the speeding truck as Robin regained his balance.
Catlyn had caught back up with her teammates and continued to try and prevent as many monkeys from making it to the top of the cargo hold as possible. The monkeys had other plans and used the lasers from their eyes to blow the back tires on the right side of the truck.
The truck swerved and tilted from one side to another as the driver tried in vain to steady the speeding vehicle. He was only postponing the inevitable crash that loomed on the horizon.
"Get out," Robin yelled at the driver through the windshield. He wrenched open the door and pulled the driver from his seat and jumped with him off into the seemingly endless field of wheat.
Catlyn bailed off the highway from the other side, her motorcycle slipped and skidded on its side in response to her not adjusting for the change in terrain.
Susperboy remained on the top of the truck as it continued to swerve before rolling over on itself. He dug his fingers into the metal and hung on, as if glued to the spot as the truck tumbled three or four times. Sparks shot out from beneath the skidding truck, now coming to a stop positioned on its roof.
The loading door exploded and the monkeys flew off with the container holding the severed parts of the android.
Catlyn attempted to snap her whip around the canister, but it had already been taken out of her reach. A rustling in the wheat field made her turn, whip at the ready. She relaxed when she saw that it was Robin helping to support the driver.
Superboy pushed the truck off of himself with a loud grunt and glared in the direction of the laughing monkeys. Without so much as a word to his other teammates, he bounded after the robots, completely ignoring Robin trying to call him back.
"Aqualad to Robin, we've lost our cargo. Did you-" Kaldur asked before Robin interrupted him.
"It's gone," Robin groaned, "and so is one of my partners." Robin watched as Superboy's figure became smaller and smaller as he continued to chase after the monkeys in a blind rage.
So there you have it. I know it's not the best place to leave off, but there really wasn't a good breaking point so this will just have to do. I'm already working on the next chapter so it should be out reasonably soon!
Thanks for sticking with me and my internet troubles. Here's to hoping it's not a reoccurring thing.
As always, thanks again to all those who review and give feedback. You guys really help!