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.
So here is chapter eight! My my, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer don't they. I hope you like this one as much as you guys seem to have liked the previous ones!
Sad to say, the reviews were a little scarce last chapter, but then again, there were so many updates of other stories that Captivating Sympathy fell off the first page pretty quickly. Seriously though, please share your thoughts with me about this. I love talking to people
Thanks to: Kone, spottedfire123, Frigyt, and of course mahlia for their reviews on the last chapter. I'm so glad that you guys like the story and that Catlyn in living up to, and in many cases, passing expectations! Thanks for giving her a chance and not automatically labeling her a Mary Sue.
Recap: 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.
Captivating Sympathy
Chapter Eight: How The Cat Jumps
Catlyn removed her helmet and walked over to Robin, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He still has his ear piece. It's not like we wont be able to find him," she reasoned as Kaldur tried to talk Superboy down.
"I don't need help! Don't want any!" Superboy snarled before a soft "plink" was heard.
"Or he could completely overreact and leave the group altogether," she sighed defeated.
"I think he ditched his comm," Robin reported, not able to suppress a smile as he looked down at Catlyn who had crossed her arms.
"Super!" Wally said sarcastically. "Now we can't even track him."
"He's out of my telepathic range," Megan informed the group, worry creeping into her tone. "This professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us. Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?" she offered, unsure.
"Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves," Kaldur said, dismissing Megan's suggestion. "And the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled."
Catlyn walked into the field of wheat to retrieve her motorcycle, kicking at the body of a robotic monkey that had been pinned beneath. She righted the speeder and steered it back to the highway, punting the monkey in frustration every time she caught up to where it had landed.
"Oh that's a great plan," Wally interjected mockingly, "except for the part about us not knowing where to look!"
Robin saw Catlyn emerge from the wheat, the motorcycle beside her, and grinned when she sent a robotic monkey flying down the highway with a hard kick. "Maybe we do," he smirked. He walked over and knelt down next to the fallen machine. He pulled a wire from his glove and inserted it into one of the ports on the monkey's back.
It had been disabled, but not destroyed like the others that had fared far worse.
Robin knew this would be there best chance. "We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked," he reasoned, beginning to hack into the monkey's database, "So how did these monkey's know exactly which trucks to target?" he posed the question, waiting for the information to be decoded. A holographic screen popped up, displaying the location of the parts and presumably Superboy. "Ha, the parts have GPS," he said triumphantly. "The monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one we have. Looks like both sets of parts are converging on-" He trailed off, looking to Catlyn with a slightly worried expression. "Gotham City," he finished.
Catlyn felt her eyes widen. She locked the kickstand into place and dug through her saddle bags, collecting its contacts. She clenched her hooded mask tightly within her grasp. If something was going down in Gotham, it was never a good sign.
"That far south?" Kaldur questioned. "M'gann and I wont get there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid on ahead to meet you," he informed. "Aqualad out."
Robin threw the monkey over his shoulder and looked out at the mechanical carnage that littered the highway. "Definitely a disaster," he said with a shake of his head. "Heavy on this dis."
Catlyn walked over to him and presented a bundle of fabric. "Figured you might need this," she said once he had taken it.
He looked down and saw his superhero costume, complete with cape and mask. "And what made you think that?" he asked with a smile.
She rolled her eyes. "Because with us," she motioned to the jumble of metal debris and the overturned truck, "nothing ever goes according to plan."
Robin chuckled, finding he had to agree. "What about you?"
Catlyn smirked and undid the zipper on the front of the racing jacket, revealing her black catsuit beneath. "Got it covered." She peeled off the racing suit and donned her hooded mask before securing her whip around her waist while Robin changed within the field of wheat. She then climbed onto the back seat of the speeder, waiting for Robin to emerge.
He wandered back onto the highway, barely catching the helmet she lobed at him from her position on the motorcycle. He looked at her questioningly. They both knew his speeder, while in battle mode, was still operational.
"We would get there faster if you drove," she shrugged, not moving from her spot.
Robin smiled and mounted the bike, inputting the tracking code for the parts into the built in GPS. He started the speeder and raised the kickstand. "Ready?" he asked over his shoulder.
Catlyn nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist and braced for the jolt of speed she knew was coming. When the motorcycle accelerated smoothly, she relaxed her grip on him slightly.
Unfortunately, Robin had banked on that. When he felt her grip slacken he smirked and gunned the accelerator, the tires screaming in protest.
Not expecting this in the least, Catlyn squealed and clenched her eyes shut, doubling her grip around his waist. "Jerk!" she called out.
Robin only laughed, pleased that he had succeeded in surprising her once again. After a time, he felt her hold slacken, though not nearly as much as before. He heard her mumble something and strained his ears to hear more, only catching the last part: flying monkeys. "What are you mumbling about back there?"
"Just talking to myself," Catlyn admitted. There was a pause before she spoke again. "Hey, Robin. Isn't there a movie with evil flying monkeys?" she asked.
"Yeah, The Wizard of Oz," he answered before smirking. "But I don't think Ivo would be one to watch something like that for inspiration. The guy's twisted enough."
"I remember that movie," she said in a soft voice, as if she were far away. She closed her eyes and continued. "I would watch it all the time when I was sick, but the monkeys always gave me nightmares. A woman, I guess it was my mom, would come in with a big mug of hot chocolate and fast forward it for me so I didn't have to look," she finished with a small smile and opened her eyes. "I'm not sure why, but knowing that makes me happy."
Robin placed one hand over both of her's which were still clasped around him. "I'm glad," he smiled.
Several fasted paced whooshing sounds wafted up from the lane beside them. Wally had finally caught up to the pair and had found time to change into his Kid Flash costume.
"So you changed too," Robin observed.
"You kidding?" he asked with an overly dramatic shiver. "I feel naked in civies. You still tracking the parts?"
"They were headed through Gotham, but they've veered," he reported, checking the parts' location on the speeder's display. "Wait, dude! They're at our school," he said with a backwards glace to Catlyn.
"Nope, nothing ever goes according to plan," she said, tightening her grip around Robin's waist as he took the next exit and accelerated along the familiar path to their high school.
Wally ran behind them as Robin gunned the speeder for everything the machine was worth.
More so than worrying about the destruction Ivo could cause, Robin knew Batman would kill him if his secret identity was to be discovered. He had already been lectured at great length during several occasions for letting Catlyn in on it so the promise of more to come was less than comforting.
"Whoa. Dude, this is your school?" Wally asked as the three bypassed the front entrance and skid to a stop in the rear parking lot. He let out a low whistle, "As far as schools go, not bad."
Catlyn shushed him and walked cautiously around the building, motioning for the others to follow her. She heard the distinct laughter that could only come from the robotic monkeys. The sound of faint applause also reached her ears as she slinked closer to the back entrance of the gymnasium.
"I don't usually attend these things in person," a man's voice said, floating out through the partially opened gymnasium door, "but, uh, this was too good to miss."
"Access, Superman," a monotone voice followed seconds after.
Robin, Wally and Catlyn looked through the slight opening into the gym. They saw a somewhat scrawny man in a sweater vest and bow tie framed by a pair of identical robotic monkeys sitting on the bleachers.
"Ivo," Robin said in a low, dangerous voice, confirming Catlyn's suspicions.
The trio's attention turned to Superboy as he got to his feet. Out of the shadows came the previously disassembled android. He stood menacingly neither advancing nor retreating. He waited patiently, coaxing Superboy to make the first move.
Superboy obliged, rushing the android with his fists raised and his usual roar of a battle cry. His right fist connected solidly with his opponents jaw. A metallic clang reverberated around the room.
Leaving no time to celebrate the hit, the android backhanded Superboy across the face with his left hand and combined it with a right jab, colliding hard with Superboy's cheek as he reacted to the force from the first hit. He backhanded him again, this time with his right, and Superboy was actually turned around from the strength of the impact. As Superboy turned to face the his adversary, the android kicked upward, slamming his foot into Superboy's jaw. He sent Superboy sprawling to the floor once again with the use of a backhand.
"I can't watch this anymore," Wally announced and used his super speed to run to the second set of double doors leading to the gymnasium and scooped Superboy up before the android could flatten him with a forceful blow to the top of his head. "Yoink," he said as he raced across the hardwood floor.
During this time, Robin and Catlyn had slipped in and stood ready to fight, regardless of if Superboy wanted their help of not.
Robin created cover by flinging his exploding disks at the stoic android.
"Martian Manhunter," he said in his robotic monotone voice. His torso became intangible and the disk sailed through him, exploding upon meeting the wall on the far side of the gym. He stared at the group as if unimpressed. "Access, Red Tornado." From his waist down, he generated a red tornado, just as Catlyn had seen the day of the team's fist mission. He advanced on the group clustered by the door and let the wind from his generated cyclone launch them in different directions.
Robin and Superboy were propelled into the bleachers nearest Ivo, kicking up clouds of dust as their bodies bounced and skid to a stop. Wally was thrown backwards into a wall. His back took the majority of the blow and the rebound sent him face first onto the hardwood floor below. Catlyn had been pitched the furthest, crumpling into the seats of the top most section of the bleachers across from Robin and Superboy.
Catlyn cradled her head and raised herself only to see the android approaching Wally. "Kid, run!" she insisted as their adversary raised his hand, palm outward at him. Her warning was received and he dashed along the wall behind the section of bleachers, narrowly avoiding a powerful blast the android had stolen from Captain Atom.
"Access, Flash," the robot announced. He raced up the bleachers and was nearly on top of Catlyn before she had time to blink. He raised his fist and connected hard with the right side of her face. He would have broken cheekbone had she not instinctively taken a step away from him and leaned backwards. Rather than a direct hit, his fist glanced off, diminishing the force behind it considerably.
The magnitude of the blow knocked her backwards down the bleachers. She was met at the bottom by the android, poised for another attack, this one sure not to miss. Catlyn grasped her whip firmly, scrambling to stand before he could strike.
"Get away from her!" Wally and Robin called out at the same time.
Wally used his super speed and attempted to get her out of his attack range, but the robot would not cooperate with his plan so willingly.
"Access, Black Canary." The android opened it's mouth, emitting and an ear piercing sonic scream. It hit Wally head on, knocking all the way back along the furthest wall.
While Wally had not managed to pull her to relative safety, he did cause enough of a distraction for her to slip out from behind him and back against a wall. She used it to steady herself until she could stand on her own.
"Superman," the robotic voice called out, raising its right hand to catch a punch thrown by Superboy. Clenching Superboy's fist in his, he hauled back with his left hand and delivered a devastating blow, knocking him back into the bleachers for a second time.
Robin was now standing and threw a couple exploding disks after ducking beneath the projectile that was Superboy.
"Martian Manhunter." The android stretched out his arms, batting away the incoming disks, having them explode well before they reached him. Without knowing that Catlyn had snapped her whip around his now stretched out limb, he threw his arm forward, crashing down on the bleachers. He narrowly avoided Robin, but sent Catlyn and her whip whizzing through the air and into the middle section.
Catlyn stood and readied herself for the next attack, spitting a mouthful of blood and trying to relieve herself of the coppery aftertaste. She watched as Wally ran towards the robot only to be wrapped in an embrace so tight that the pain was clearly seen as joints popped and bones were pushed to the braking point. She reached into her utility belt and gathered up a mouse bomb.
The distraction was not needed as an arrow with green plumage flew in through the window. The android was forced to become intangible rather than take an arrow straight through his head. Wally dropped from his grasp as the arrow passed through and embedded itself in the floor beside Robin.
Robin turned an looked at Catlyn, both of them coming to the same conclusion: he can only channel one superhero at a time.
Catlyn threw her mouse bomb, having it explode prematurely to lure his attention away from Wally who was still trying to get his bearings.
Rather than looking to Catlyn, the android began advancing towards Robin who was trying to retrieve a weapon from his utility belt.
She leaped from her place in the bleachers to the hardwood floor. Upon her landing, she heard a sickening pop and felt her ankle beginning to give way. She knew that in this condition she would never make it to Robin in time. With a flick of her whip, she ensnared her teammate and jerked him towards her, finally pulling him behind her and releasing him. The combined pressure and effort was too much and she crumpled into a squat with her injured leg out to the side, hissing at the approaching robot, "Get back."
The android did not heed her warning, but it didn't seem to matter. Superboy had been tired of letting the others play. He barreled into the robot, pushing him away from his teammates.
While the android was momentary distracted, Robin helped Catlyn to her feet. "Told ya' you'd return the favor," he said with a smile before putting himself between her and the raging battle.
The robot channeled Black Canary and preformed the same maneuver that the actually Canary had during training. He gripped Superboy by the shoulder and elbow before sending him flying into the bleachers where he created a crater.
Robin threw a batarang at the android, still keeping a hold of Catlyn.
"Superman," the android called out moments before his already red eyes began glowing in the dimly light gymnasium.
Catlyn felt Robin stiffen and held onto him even tighter before they were both snatched up by Wally. It was too close a call as far as Catlyn was concerned. She could feel the heat from the lasers that could have very well been the end of her. The trio landed rather unceremoniously, Catlyn putting too much of her weight on her right wrist as she landed.
"Ooh, yawn," Professor Ivo said as if the demonstration had been a bore. "Normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point? You're all such poor copies of the originals." His monkey companions began laughing.
"So everyone keeps saying," Superboy said with a smirk. "It makes me angry!"he shouted before bounding over to the set of bleachers where Ivo was seated. He raised his fists and brought them crashing down, narrowly avoiding the fleeing mad man and his robotic cohorts. "Wanna see me channel that anger!"
"Great, he's gone ballistic again," Wally said as he watched the display.
"Maybe not," Robin said thoughtfully.
"Amazo, protect your master," Ivo stammered. "Priority alpha." He jumped from the bleachers and onto the hardwood floor as Superboy once again tried to pound him into the seats.
"Captain Atom," Amazo said, raising hand, his palm outward, and aiming a Superboy. A stream of yellow energy hit his target square in the chest.
The robotic monkeys lifted Ivo off the ground by each arm, attempting to get him to safety.
"Any one wanna play keep-away?" Robin smirked, coming up behind the suspended Ivo. He landed a kick in the center of his back, knocking him out of the grasp of the bumbling flying monkeys.
Catlyn took her whip and wrapped Ivo tightly within its grasp. "Sounds like fun," she grinned before tugging the handle of the whip, leaving the professor where he stood, though he didn't remain still. Her smile grew as she watched him spin like a top once the whip had been removed. "Who's next?" she asked.
"Me! Me!" Wally cried out, rushing the staggering mad man who was trying to get his bearings.
"Access Superman," Amazo said in his monotone voice. He stomped with enough force to send a shock wave to meet Wally before he could reach his creator. He watched as the force catapulted the speeder over Ivo by a good twenty feet.
Robin threw another batarang and smirked when he became intangible.
Superboy rushed the android and punched threw him, letting him form back around his outstretched fist. He waited for a time and Amazo's head exploded, knocking Superboy away before it fell backwards, moving no more.
"Help me disassemble him," Robin urged, skidding to a stop on his knees beside the fallen Amazo.
Catlyn looked around the gymnasium and discovered Ivo had slipped away in the confusion. She limped through the doors leading into the school, looking for any sign of him. The tinkling of glass shattering from the floor above caught her attention. She found the nearest staircase and hobbled up, clutching the railing tightly beneath her uninjured hand.
A door to a chemistry lab stood ajar and she peeked inside. She found the cause of the shattering glass, a beaker from the top shelf of a cabinet had managed to slip through an opening in the doors which was slowly growing larger with the pressure of the glass instruments behind it. She jumped as a flask slipped out and shattered like the beaker before it. She sighed and returned out into the hallway where she saw that the trophy case had been demolished.
Shards of glass littered the ground. Picture frames lay at strange angles both in the case and strewn on the floor.
Catlyn picked up one picture in particular and looked at, a warm smile tugging at he corners of her lips. She glanced into the trophy case, looking at the award that was paired in the picture with a smiling Dick Grayson. She placed the picture in the case face down. When she turned back around, she came face to chest with a very familiar uniform.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked, tilting her chin up much like he had her first day of school.
She blinked several times before she smiled, thankful for the dim lighting which served to make her blush less noticeable. "Saving your secret," she answered as he removed his hand.
He took her hand in his, releasing it immediately when he noticed her wince. He inspected it closer and saw her right wrist was nearly double the size of her left. "We need to get you back to HQ and taken care of," he said, concern creeping into his tone.
"I'm alright. Most of these are my fault," Catlyn said with a reassuring smile. "I need to work on my landings." She limped forward, heading towards the staircase at the end of the hallway.
Robin allowed her to hobble only for a few shaky steps before a he scooped her into his arms. He used one arm to prop up her knees and the other to support her back. His lips curved into a smile at hearing her surprised little noise followed by a soft groan.
"I should have seen this coming," she grumbled with a small grin, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout. She could feel the vibrations in his chest as he chuckled.
As soon as Robin and Catlyn return to the gymnasium Catlyn saw that Megan and Kaldur had arrived.
Megan rushed over when they made their appearance, fussing over the gash in Catlyn's cheek and the swelling that had been slowly creeping up throughout the fight. "Are you alright?" she asked over and over again despite Catlyn's constant reassurance that she was fine.
"Feeling the aster?" Superboy asked with a small smile.
"You know," Catlyn started with a grin, "I think I am."
Upon their return to Mount Justice, Catlyn was taken to receive medical treatment and a cold pack to combat the swelling while the rest of the team reported their findings on the mission. She was outfitted with a splint for her sprained wrist and an ace bandage for her twisted ankle.
At the end of her examination, Black Canary came in and gave her a quick once over.
"I know," Catlyn started before Canary had a chance. "I need more practice."
Black Canary pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. She smiled and placed a hand over her own injured arm. "Your team did the impossible tonight," she began, fully gaining the teen's attention. "From what I've heard, you came to the rescue of more than one person at the expense of injury. Yeah, you need practice," she said, standing up and putting a hand on Catlyn's shoulder, "but you're not hopeless." She walked to the door, pausing in the doorway. "Batman wants to see you. He'll be waiting in the debriefing room," Canary reported before leaving the room all together.
She sat in silence, letting Canary's words wash over her. She felt queasy when wondering what Batman could possibly have to say to her. Wanting to get the ordeal over with, she limped to her meeting with Batman, her heart palpitating rapidly against her ribcage. "You wanted to see me?" she confirmed in a small voice.
Batman turned to face her and gestured to a chair. "Sit," he ordered. "Don't strain yourself. Sit," he commanded a bit more forcefully when she remained standing.
Catlyn sat down slowly in the chair positioned by the loan metal table and waited for Batman to shed light on why he had summoned her.
"Your abilities have impressed the League," he began, "but they have also raised questions about your origin. We will be keeping a close eye on you."
"If I was going to turn traitor, don't you think I would have done it already?" she snapped, jumping to her feet and quickly regretting the decision. She crumpled back in the chair and gestured to the opening from which she entered. "Megan can read my mind. I'm not-"
"You will be under my direct surveillance since I am responsible for this team," he interrupted. "You are not to leave Mount Justice without Robin or myself as an escort for precautionary measures."
"Are- are you grounding me?" she asked disbelievingly.
Batman almost chuckled. "Only until you've healed."
Catlyn sat there, dumbstruck. Was she in trouble or was Batman only trying to protect her? Perhaps it was from her lack of sleep that both options seemed plausible. She knew one thing for certain though, he had information and wasn't keen on sharing.
The next day, Megan all but physically restrained Catlyn to the couch. She was diligent in making sure that Catlyn had an icepack pressed against her swollen cheek at all times despite the injured girls many protests. When she heard complaints of being cold in response to being told to keep the cold compress on, Megan draped a blanket around her. "You have to keep cold on it. That's what Black Canary said," she said with a faint smile. It wasn't that she wished harm on anyone, but it was refreshing to have someone need her for a time.
"I can warm you up," Wally said with a waggle of his eyebrow before appearing on the couch beside her and draping an arm around her shoulder.
Kaldur watched the display, mildly amused, and shook his head. If there was one thing this team was helping him with, it was getting him to be slightly less formal. He had been known to smile easier, but wasn't at the point he felt comfortable joining in with Wally's brand of teasing.
Superboy had opted out of recuperating and kept with his scheduled jaunt through Metropolis.
"Recognized, Robin. B zero one," the security system announced.
Megan greeted him as he exited the teleporter and helped him with the bags he carried.
Kaldur in turn took the bags from Megan.
"How are you feeling, Cat?" Robin asked from the kitchen.
"Like I was punched in the face and then had it cryogenicly frozen," she said, teeth chattering slightly.
Wally departed into the kitchen to see what goodies Robin had brought with him. He held up a box and looked at him confused. "Dude, it's still really hot outside," he commented.
Robin shushed him and pulled out a half gallon container of ice cream, handing it to him. "Here. Happy?" he asked, opening cabinet doors before fiddling with the microwave.
Wally's eyes lit up and his entire face brightened. He retrieved two spoons, offering one to Megan who looked unsure. "You've never had ice cream?" he asked completely flabbergasted.
Megan shook her head bashfully. "It's really cold on Mars," she explained. "We usually eat warm things, not frozen. Catlyn, you have to stay off your foot," she called out sternly, seeing Catlyn inching off the couch from the corner of her eye.
"And keep that icepack on," Kaldur added.
Catlyn begrudgingly relented her plans of escaping the couch.
Wally urged the spoon into Megan's hand and popped open the lid, digging greedily into its contents. "It's time you try it," he grinned after taking a large mouthful of the creamy treat.
Megan agreed and took a much smaller bite, declaring it delicious with a smile.
Robin walked out of the kitchen with a large tray and set it down on the coffee table. The tray contained two steaming mugs and a DVD of The Wizard of Oz. He handed her on of the mugs and put the DVD into the player before sitting down on the couch next to her. "I know you're not sick," he began, "but I hope this makes you feel better all the same."
Catlyn looked down into her hot chocolate, complete with mini marshmallows, and was almost overcome when she heard the beginning notes of the movie's musical introduction. She looked up at a smiling Robin, utterly lost for words as tears of gratitude pricked her eyes.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders briefly giving them a squeeze before turning up the movie a bit louder. He smiled wider when she rested her head on his shoulder. "Let me see your hand," he said softly. He removed the hand that was holding the icepack to her face and wrapped it around her mug of hot chocolate. "Better?"
"The best," she answered honestly, feeling tension she wasn't even aware she was carrying leave her body.
"Recognized, Superboy. B zero four," the security system said and, as promised, Superboy strode into view.
He gave Megan, Wally and Kaldur a strange look, curious as to why they were peeking over the side of the half wall dividing the living room from the kitchen. "What-" He was interrupted by the trio turning and shushing him all at once. "What are you looking at?" he asked in a whisper, crouching down to watch with them.
"Young love," Megan replied in a dreamy voice.
Young love? With that tornado destroying the farm, it looked more like a disaster.
Aww, Robin is so sweet, isn't he? It seems everyone has figured out what is going on but them... and Superboy.
I hope you liked the chapter and my little moment for the two of them. Hopefully this isn't becoming too DEATH BY FLUFFY for you. Let me know what you think.