N2: Between a dream I had (I'm not kidding! A friend said I should finish this in a dream, and this friend's never even read this!) and DramerKopa's NAGGING I finally finished this. Today I give you the third chapter of Lineage! I have renamed it because Deliverance in the Labyrinth was too long and cliche. But anyways! Tonight we have a very special guest. Here with us tonight is Cirruz the Night Elf! Come on out Cirruz! *Cirruz walks out from behind stage waving and sits in a big red velvety chair beside Noa*
Cirruz: Yo! What's up people?
N2: Glad your here with us tonight, Cirruz! :)
Cirruz: Honored to be here. I feel so lucky! :D
N2: Well, I'm glad you decided to join us for this chapter. :D I've never had i co-host before!
Cirruz: You are an amazing author...Just wish you would've updated sooner *mumbles* which is mostly my fault...
N2: No way! it's totally mine for being to lazy to, you know, actually finish the chapter and ask you about being here. Totally my fault. *Covers face in horror upon realizing how long it's been*
Cirruz: At least it's here now!
N2: So true. Well! Would you like to do the honors!
Cirruz: Noa Nee does not own Young Justice, though it would be INCREDIBLY awesome if she did. I would die of happiness. ^_^
N2: This chapter is dedicated to the amazing Cirruz the Night Elf, who actually took the time to talk and be here with little old (not) me, and DramerKopa, who simply wouldn't. stop. nagging. me about getting this up and about being mentioned in the author's note. Seriously though, I love you both!
Cirruz: Whoo! Okay...On with the chapter! Enjoy!"
Legend- "Talking" "Thoughts" / Mind Link /
Lineage
Chapter 3: Existence
Conner clutched Megan closer; Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur moved to provide each other comfort in what they thought were their last moments. The wall of flame rushed closer…
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch it burn
Let's watch this city burn the world
Suddenly a torrent of water gushed out of the walls and crashed with a flame with a mighty hiss. The steam rushed toward the huddled teens and enveloped them in a curtain of fog. The steam burned at their skin and stung their eyes. The colliding of the elements continued for a few more minutes before the flame ran out and the water began to soak through the team. They glanced around to find the source of their rescue only to find Robin leaning against the wall with multiple wires from a panel in the wall connected to his glove computer and still dripping water jets sticking out of the walls. Rob was breathing heavily, but he still gave them a small smile as he sunk to the floor. Seconds later the team followed his lead and they all collapsed to the ground and a collective sigh of relief could be heard. After a moment Wally started to laugh hysterically and one by one the other's joined their ginger haired friend in their mini celebration. Kaldur's deep chuckle, Me'gann's pixie-like laughter, Conner's rough guffaw, Artemis' unrestrained hysterics, Wally's mad fits of laughter, and Robin's wild cackling echoed through out the maze as the six teen reveled in the joy of being alive. Eventually the laughter died down and the teens relaxed for a moment. Kaldur observed his teammates carefully; Miss Martian looked a little shaken and Superboy was a looked slightly weak from the kryptonite laced walls, but both only had a few burns as their injuries. Artemis had a bruise or two on her arms as well and some of her costume had been singed as well as her hair but she was okay. Kid Flash was a little burnt but all right, and Robin had no visible injuries to speak of. All of them were absolutely soaked. "That can not be comfortable on their burns," The teen leader noted. Aqualad himself was feeling much better after he was doused with water and most of his injuries had been healed because of it. All in all, the team was doing fairly well. Aqualad stood, getting the others attention. He stretched himself out and the faced the team.
"We need to focus on getting out of here. Robin how much time do we have left?" Robin looked down at his glove computer,
"Four hours, two minutes, seventeen seconds and counting," He stated grimly. As the information sunk in Robin stood and walked to the entrance to the room. He glanced at the area surrounding it and sent out a single frequency, but just as he had feared the signal revealed nothing. He sighed and walked back to the team.
"What do we do now?" Asked Kid Flash, worry filling his voice.
"We make a plan," Responded Aqualad, his voice full of a confidence he did not feel, "Robin, any ideas on how to map this maze?" The Boy Wonder shook his head.
"I just tried the echo location tactic again but no luck. It looks like the psycho was telling the truth. He is now somehow blocking my frequencies." The team formed a semi-circle on the ground of the room as Robin looked at his computer but sighed and sat down next to Aqualad.
"How come it was working before?" Artemis asked. Robin shrugged,
"How should I know? Maybe he forgot to turn it on?" The Team chuckled briefly before turning somber again.
"Do you have any idea of how big this place is?" Asked KF. Robin nodded,
"Roughly 1000 feet in diameter. The tent is a circle and as far as I can tell the maze encompasses the entire floor area. We're maybe 100 feet from the center."
"400 feet in, huh?" Kid Flash murmured, his brain began to work as he struggled to figure out how far they were from the exit, "Which way did we come from?" He asked Robin who shook his head,
"Nearly impossible to tell what with all the turns we've made," Wally's face fell, "but luckily I kept track," The Boy Wonder added with a smirk. He quickly tapped some buttons on his computer and paused before answering his best friend.
"We came from to our right," He said, pointing toward the room's entrance, "Northeast more specifically." Kid Flash nodded and continued to do his calculations.
"So…that means we're roughly 600 feet from the other side," The teen speedster said as soon as he was finished. Artemis sighed and buried her head in her hands.
"We can't cover that distance in…" she paused and glanced at Robin for help.
"Three hours fifty five minutes," He supplied. Artemis nodded and continued her rant,
"In less than four hours! It took us at least two just to make it this far and with all the turns and traps in here there's no way we'll make it in time!"
"That's not true!" Miss M stated stubbornly, "We'll be alright. We've got some of the smartest teenagers on planet here with us! We'll be fine!" Artemis shook her head,
"None of us have the power to break out of this or figure it out. We're all weak right now! There's no chance of surviving this psycho's maze!"
"Maybe that's not true," Superboy said quietly adding his two cents for the first time since the discussion started.
"Whadda you mean, Superboy?" Wally asked. Conner waited a moment before answering,
"Before we left for the mission Black Canary asked me to stay after training so she could talk to me…"
"Well done, everyone," Black Canary said, "hit the showers! Except You Superboy!" the trainer called after the clone, "I wanna talk to you." Conner turned around and walked back to his mentor.
"Am I in trouble?" He asked hesitantly, Canary smiled and shook her head.
"No Conner, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to talk to you about the last mission," Superboy winced at the mention of the previous assignment. The team had gone on a simple recon mission and, as usual, everything had gone wrong. Conner had ended up getting pretty badly banged up because he had used himself as a human shield to protect the others. Canary smiled and placed a hand on the super teen's shoulder, silently pulling him along as they walked out of the training room.
"I know you want to protect you friends Conner. But you don't have to shoulder the burden of protecting everyone alone. Share it with your teammates. You watch their backs and they'll watch yours," Dinah advised as the pair walked through the corridors of the mountain.
"But I'm the strongest out of all of us. I'm indestructible, they're not," Conner said stubbornly. Canary sighed,
"You're strong it's true," She said, "But one day you'll come across a problem you can't solve alone."
"What do you mean?" Superboy questioned.
"You're not a tactician Conner. You prefer to act rather than to plan," Seeing the slightly hurt look on the clone's face Dinah paused before continuing, "But that's okay, because Robin and Kaldur are strategists. Wally too is an excellent tactician," Canary explained, Conner looked at her incredulously at the thought of Wally being a thinker, "When he wants to be," She added making the super teen smirk, "They balance you out, all your teammates do. The same way we in the Justice League balance out each other," Conner looked at her curiously.
"You guys…balance each other?" Canary nodded,
"Batman and Martian Manhunter's cool logic balance out Flash and Superman's more emotional responses. Green Lantern and Green Arrow's composure and compassion temper out Aquaman and Wonder Woman's imperial attitudes. We all balance each other. The calm and collected members balancing the hot heads and the hot heads keeping the rational ones in touch with the people they protect. The same way you and Me'gann keep the team honest, the way Robin and Artemis keep the team focused and discreet, and the way Aqualad and Wally keep the team in touch with their principles."
"But still!" Conner protested, but the blonde mentor cut him off as she placed a hand on his shoulder,
"Have faith in them Conner. You'll be surprised what you can't do when you have trust in each other."
"She told me that one day I would come across a problem I couldn't solve on my own, that I would have to rely on you guys for help. Maybe this is what she meant." The others were silent in contemplation for a moment before Aqualad spoke up,
"Superboy is right, we must pool our strengths if we are to make it out of this alive." The others nodded and they began to plan how to they would escape this cage and take down the maniac controlling it.
The team ran through the maze's intricate halls with Robin once again in the lead, Kaldur and Wally following right behind him. Superboy took up the rear with Artemis.
/Miss Martian, link us up, / Kaldur thought to Me'gann.
/Everyone online? / The green hero asked.
/Affirmative, / Aqualad responded.
/Yeah, / Superboy said replied
/Uh huh, / Artemis said
/You know it, beautiful! / Kid Flash responded enthusiastically
/Yeah, / Robin said last, he typed something in on his computer and made a right with the others following suit. Miss Martian watched the others turn and continued her phase of the plan.
/Fifteen seconds till the next turn, / Miss M communicated to Robin who mentally nodded and added the coordinates to his computer. Now he had almost ¾ of the labyrinth mapped and the team was making steady progress toward their goal. Suddenly water poured out of the walls and enveloped the team as it shoved them into a small room before it receded and left them soaked on the ground.
/That was freezing! / Artemis exclaimed as she pulled herself up, shivering as she did so. As they tried to warm themselves before continuing on Miss Martian's voice echoed in their heads
/I've located it! / She said with excitement.
/Where? /Robin said as they picked themselves up and continued on their path. Occasionally traps would spring out at the group, but Robin, now being a good six feet ahead would dodge and warn the others before continuing.
/Sending coordinates now, / Me'gann responded and Robin entered said coordinates into his computer.
/Adjusting course now, / The Boy Wonder thought, /Are you guys back there? / He mentally taunted the team.
/Please, / KF replied in the same teasing tone, /We're just sending you ahead as the expendable other. / Robin made a tsking sound and his voice feigned hurt,
/Ouch, KF, that hurt. /
/Robin, Kid, please focus, / Kaldur admonished and the team fell back into silence. As the team rounded a corner Kid Flash crashed head long into Robin, knocking the smaller boy several feet ahead into the large thing he had been staring at and onto the ground.
"Watch it Rob!" The teen speedster scolded, but what ever else he was going to say died in his throat as he turned his gaze toward the thing, which was a large mural painted on the wall that was blocking their path.
"Whoa…" Artemis gasped, "Is that- are those?" She stuttered as she looked at the mural. Robin picked himself up and nodded grimly.
"Yeah… my parents," Robin said grimly.
"Really?" Kid said in shock as he walked toward the mural. It covered the entire wall, making it at least 10 feet tall. A large, athletic man with Robin's dark hair had his arms around the waist of a petite woman with red hair and baby blue eyes, who had her arms laced around her husband's neck. Both were smiling at the viewer with content smiles. The team watched Robin as he placed a hand on the mural and gave a sad smile as he gazed at his parent's cheerful faces.
"Robin?" Aqualad said hesitantly. The Boy Wonder's face swivel to face his teammates' worried eyes, the smile still on his face,
"I'm okay, you guys. This picture's nothing new," He reassured but then sighed, "Shame we'll have to break it though."
"What!" KF exclaimed as he whirled around, "Why?"
"It is in our way, Kid," Kaldur explained.
"Besides," Robin added, "It's just a picture. One I have at home. It's not real," The smile had faded from his face, but he looked almost…at peace to Wally, who thought it odd considering they were about to demolish a picture of his dead parents.
"How to destroy it?" Artemis asked, a remark that was rather callous in Kid Flash's opinion.
"Well Superboy's not an option," Robin commented, "With the Kryptonite laced walls he won't be much stronger than we are."
"What about Aqualad?" Artemis questioned; Aqualad shook his head.
"There is not enough water for me to have the destructive force needed for something as large as this," Aqualad replied.
"Well, looks like it's up to me then," Robin said with a hint of resignation in his voice.
"Why you!" KF shouted obviously upset, the raven-haired hero reached into his utility belt and pulled something out. He held up a birdarang and shifted his hand so several more were pulled out from behind the first.
"Because I'm the only one with bombs. You guys should probably step back," He remarked as he walked over to the mural and threw the weapons at several places on the wall, one of them hit his father's fake, smiling face. Robin ran back to the around the corner where the others were and, ignoring the sympathetic eyes of his teammates, presses the detonator. BOOM! There was a loud noise and fire rushed past the team. Flames licked upward for a moment and Superboy glanced nervously at the sky. After a moment the flames passed and teen heroes slowly emerged from there hiding places. The mural had been completely blown away with only a few scatter chunks of rock to testify of its existence.
"We must move on," Aqualad said sternly. The others nodded and began to run down the passage. KF glanced back and noticed a piece of rock that hadn't completely destroyed staring back at him. The smiling face of Mary Grayson looked at him and Wally just couldn't seem to make his body turn away. He heard someone running up behind him but he continued to stare at the hunk of rubble.
"KF!" Rob called as he slowed to a stop beside his friend; Robin turned his eyes to what hid his friend so riveted, "What cha starin' at…" Rob's voice dropped off as his own eyes rested on his mother's painted face. He too looked at it for a moment before turning his eyes to Kid and grabbing onto his friend's arm.
"Come on, Kid. The others are waiting," Robin said quietly as he tugged on his friend's upper arm. Kid Flash nodded and slowly tore his eyes away from the rubble and followed the younger hero as they ran after their friends.
Kaldur looked hesitantly over at Robin as the group of five ran though the halls of Zucco's Maze. The younger hero seemed to be holding up well, but that didn't stop the leader from worrying. They turned as per Miss Martian's instructions, and since he no longer needed to lead, Robin had fell back to the middle of the group just behind Aqualad, who was at the front.
/Robin, are you certain you are all right? / The dark skinned Atlantean asked hesitantly as he spared a glance over his shoulder at the teen. The young hero shot his leader a small smile and nodded his head.
/Honestly Kaldur, I'm ok. Stopping worrying so much! / The younger teen reassured, / Besides, we need to focus on reaching the target. / Aqualad nodded and turned his head back in front of him. They turned a corner and Aqualad pulled ahead from the others by a few feet.
/Look out! / Miss Martian suddenly screamed, Kaldur pulled to a halt just before he fell into a deep, spike filled pit that had opened in front of him. He teetered for a second before stepping back to a safe distance. The rest of the team rounded the corner just as Kaldur stepped back. Robin came forward first; he saw the pit but his momentum from speeding up to keep up with his leader prevented him from stopping and he pitched forward toward the spikes. Aqualad reached forward as if attempting to catch the young hero, but the attempt was futile.
"Robin!"
N2: Duh duh duh! What will happen next? Who will save Robin? and with DramurKopa stopping nagging? XD Well I thought that part was funny. THis chapter has actual plot, something of which I am very proud of as well as some mystery. FREE PORN! Got your attention? Good well I am officially starting a challenge for all fans of this story! I call it Where's Megan? As you probably noticed there was a noticably lack to the green martian in this chapter. That, my friends, is done on purpose. The Where's Megan challenge will be to see who can figure out where Megan is first! I don't know if ther'll be a prize, but it'll most likely be being a co-host on the next chapter. No hints will be given to ANYONE! *finds DramurKopa in the audience and stares directly at her* I hope everyone decided to participate! Another annoucement is that I will be temporarily be holding this story, not for too long though, in favor of editing Robin's Name, now renamed Titles. Now lets give a BIG round of applause to our current co-host Cirruz the Night Elf! Bye! *Cirruz walks off stage waving* Hope to see you all next time in a brand new chapter of Lineage. Please REVIEW! Till next time, N2 thanks you! Good Night.