Another week, another cliff hanger. I would apologise but I've been doing that for the last few chapters and it still hasn't stopped me. Oh well.
Wally West was no stranger to the oddities of his job. Fight giant mutant gorillas and robot monkeys? He had done it all before. Try to stop a Superman clone from ripping him to pieces? The guy was now one of his closest friends. Get on the Dark Knights bad side and live? Hell, Uncle Barry and the Boy Wonder were still trying to figure out how he had pulled that one off. Put aside his personal beliefs for the good of the world? Did the name Dr Fate mean anything anymore?
Put simply, Wally West had done some impressive things during his few short years as a hero. But this was a new one. Never before, had Kid Flash faced off against a team of ninjas. And not ninjas in the same sense that Robin was a ninja with his disappearing act and frighteningly accurate throwing arm. No, these were the real deal with the black and things you really don't want to touch you.
Several times now, Wally had been forced to duck out of the way as lethal pieces of metal whizzed through the air, forcing him back into the centre. But the shadowy figures, didn't cry out, didn't move in to attack, instead, they remained silent, keeping the circle tight around the two heroes.
The circle was too small for Wally. There was no room to gain his famous speed. No room for the speedster to move! The teen couldn't even run in a circle to build up his momentum. Every time he tried, one of them would step out, the flash of blades causing the teen to veer off course or slow down to avoid the attack.
And by the look of it, Conner was having just as much trouble. Unlike Wally, Conner could move, lashing out at the threat where Wally could only dodge. But the figures were well trained, ducking out of the way of the Boy of Steels swinging fists, regrouping before Superboy could break the circle completely, several projectiles bouncing off the teenagers skin.
It was almost like the few times Conner had fought Robin during training, Wally absentmindedly noted as he once again ducked out of the way of a wicked looking dart. Superboy had never managed to lay a finger on Robin during their spares, the younger boy too quick and clever to get within an arm's reach of the kryptonian. Robin knew he lacked the superior strength to bring down Conner and tended to fall back on what he knew best.
But these guys…These guys knew a lot more.
They didn't keep out of arm's length, no, they kept a further distance then that. Enough that they might be able to jump out of the way, should the clone rush at them. Their aim was too good, and although it didn't penetrate Conner's skin, Wally couldn't help but feel a small stab of fear every time a weapon connected. Kryptonians may not have been a common breed on Earth, but Superman had never been shy about sharing his culture with certain reporters. The Daily Planets star reporters, Lois Lane and Clark Kent, practically had the Man of Steel on speed dial. And Wally had no idea if these ninjas had access to Kryptonite and more importantly, what would happen to SB if they used it.
Unfortunately, Wally had been too preoccupied with his silent musings. A black clad foot lashed out, catching him across the ankles. The speedster fell forward, only his hands saving him from the rough ground. The teen rolled, curling his body into a ball to minimise the impact. Finally coming to a halt, the speedster uncurled his body, groaning. He lay on the road, his back against the concrete as his head spun. Despite his care, he had still taken a blow to the head.
Blinking through the pain, Wally noticed movement. The black clad figures were moving, drawing closer and forming a smaller circle around the teenager. They were cutting him off from Superboy.
Rising to his knees, Wally didn't see the flash of silver until it was too late. Twin leads hit him on the chest, lodging themselves in the thick fibres of his costume, coming to rest on the red lightning bolt across his chest.
Wally looked down at the leads in horror before following them up to the figure holding them.
"Oh!" He muttered.
The first surge of electricity felt like nothing Wally had ever felt before. It was like Superboy had kicked him in the chest; it felt like Megan was using her telepathic abilities to rip his ribs apart. It felt a hundred times worse than the experiment which had given Wally his super speed.
Wally screamed, dropping to the ground as the convulsions racked his body, the electric currents tearing through his senses.
The speedster couldn't help it, he kept screaming.
Somewhere in the distance, someone shouted his name but Wally couldn't process it. He just wanted it all to end.
And then, as suddenly as it started, it did end, the cables ripped violently from Wally's chest. Half dazed, Wally watched as the cables flew into the air, still sparking before they flew at their owner, attaching themselves to the stunned ninja. The man dropped with a shout. Several of his associates turned to watch in surprise. A ninja was knocked to the ground, another picked up and thrown across the street.
The air in front of Wally shimmered as the ninjas turned on the defence, preparing themselves for some sort of attack. They were all silent, still as statues.
Suddenly, one of them moved, throwing out a small knife.
There was a shout of surprise. The knife changed its angle slightly before falling to the ground. Wally didn't bother waiting for another chance. The loss of several ninjas had given the speedster enough room to finally move, something which the teen took full advantage of, hitting several of the figures and sending them to the ground as he gained speed.
Behind him, another ninja found himself battling a seemingly flying pipe, the metal colliding with his back and sending him to the ground.
Wally glanced over as the air shimmered behind the fallen figure, forming itself to reveal Megan. The alien girl was breathing heavily, one hand pressing against her shoulder where the blade had caught her.
Wally slowly pulled his goggles away from his face, his green eyes meeting Megan's golden ones.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
The girl nodded slightly. Her eyes slid past Wally. They widened.
"Wally, look out!" She screamed.
Wally turned.
One of their attackers had risen to his feet, a long sword drawn from a hidden sheath on his back. The ninja was advancing fast.
Wally knew he could easily dodge. He was the fastest boy alive after all. But to move would leave Megan open, and Wally wasn't certain how badly injured his favourite martian really was.
Quickly, he calculated his chances. They were good, as long as he picked the right time to act. Forcing himself to wait, the speedster watched as his attacker drew closer and closer. Any second now and Wally would have to move.
Something moved behind the ninja. Something…..purple?
The purple light hit Wally's attacker, knocking him to the ground and revealing the speedsters rescuer.
Wally felt his jaw drop. Seriously, what were the odds of meeting two hot alien babes in one lifetime?
And alien the girl clearly was. Her hair was so red it looked like flames travelling from the base of her skull down to some unidentified point. Her skin was orange where it wasn't covered by the purple costume she wore (And really, those clothes had to violate some decency law somewhere!) and her eyes, her eyes were green. But not in the way Wally's were. They were all green. And they glowed.
The girl glanced at Wally for a moment, seemingly uninterested in him before she rose gracefully off the ground, already flying away from the two heroes and towards another group of ninjas. Wally blinked. Then he remembered.
Superboy.
The speedster was about to dive into the fight when the attackers fell back. Some were knocked over by the purple light, some forced back by sheer rage. Superboy was standing in the middle, the orange girl at his side. The girl didn't pay much attention, looking up at the sky with almost a wistful look.
The clone, on the other hand, looked around, blue eyes burning as he tried to find some way to work off the remains of his rage. Finally, his eyes settled on his team mates. The rage slowly disappeared, replaced by concern. The clone stepped forward.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
The question was a general one but Wally couldn't help but feel that it was mostly directed at Megan. The girl in question nodded.
"I'm fine." She replied with a faint smile.
The clone relaxed, returning the smile. Wally felt a small stab of something in his heart. He frowned.
"I don't know about you guys." He said, drawing his two team mates away from each other and the orange girl away from her musing, "but we just got attacked and I would feel a lot better if we knew why."
The fight on the rooftop was fast and messy, smoke and flash bombs making locating enemies difficult. The attackers moved carefully, racing in for an attack before quickly withdrawing.
Robin and Red Hood stood in the very centre, meeting each attack. They worked silently, both able to read the others move and cover each other from each attack, Red Hood sometimes pulling Robin out of the way of an attack and Robin sometimes catching a projectile mean for Red Hood.
Kaldur had also joined the fight, jumping in on several of their attackers and drawing their attention away from the others. Artemis on the other hand, had followed Red Arrow's example, ducking in and out of the fight before stepping back to get a good vantage point, her arrows sailing through the air like those of the other archer, causing chaos for any of the remaining attackers. And remaining there was. It seemed that the attackers had doubled their ranks, as more and more appeared; each dressed identically to his friend.
Artemis stepped back, analysing the fight. It was something her father had taught her to do, loathed that she was to admit it.
The attackers swarmed around Robin and Red Hood, almost like they were trying to surround them. Aqualads attackers were minimal, but they were persistent, pushing the atlantean further and further from the centre of the fight. Even the group trying to take down Roy was small, distracting the archer away from the main fight.
Artemis recognised the tactic. They were being cornered; each hero forced away from any help their team mates could offer.
Selecting an arrow, Artemis raised her bow. Let's see if she could introduce some flaws into their plan.
Behind her, someone laughed.
Artemis spun around, intent on confronting the voice behind her. She didn't make it.
A large piece of metal crashed down on her arm mid turn. Pain shot up her arm, forcing her to drop the bow with a scream.
"That looked like it hurt." A soft voice said as Artemis dropped to her knees, tears forming in her eyes as she gripped her injured wrist. She looked up at the grinning face.
The female archer took a deep breath, fighting away the tears. Still holding her arm carefully, she stood up, hatred filled looks directed at Cheshire.
"Didn't feel it." Artemis replied.
Cheshire laughed again.
"Good. Then I guess you won't feel this…."
The assassin's foot shot out, catching Artemis on the knee and forcing her to once again fall. A hand shot out, grabbing the leather strap of her quiver. Still dazed by the pain in her arm and knee, Artemis didn't have time to react as Cheshire forced her to lean over the ledge, leaving her balancing by her feet on the edge and her weight resting on the strap.
"How did you really think this was going to end little sis?" Cheshire asked quietly.
Resting her injured arm against her chest, Artemis slowly reached for the knife she kept hidden in her costume.
"Exactly like this." She replied, preparing to pull the weapon out.
"ARTEMIS!" A voice shouted.
Artemis turned slightly, she eyes meeting the masked ones of Robin. The boy had managed to break away from the fight briefly and was staring in horror at the scene before him.
Cheshire stared at the boy before turning back to her sister.
"It's a shame that this is not about you, but my target is a much younger bird." She said.
Artemis felt her face drain of colour.
"No. Please?" She begged.
Cheshire was silent, her mask grinning at Artemis. Then Artemis was falling backwards into the gloom.
Cheshire turned away, her sisters face forever burnt into her memories. No matter how much it had hurt, it had needed to be done. If Artemis wasn't going to follow the rest of the family, then she was nothing but a loose end. And Cheshire didn't have time for loose ends. Especially when her target was drawing closer.
The Boy Wonder, horrified by what he saw, was running towards the edge. To confront her or rescue Artemis, Cheshire didn't know. But she could see an opportunity when one was presented to her. Stepping forward quickly, she lashed out, catching Robin by surprise as the boy attempted to rush past. Robin was knocked to the ground with a grunt.
Reaching into the folds of her clothes, Cheshire unearthed twin knives. She had been ordered to bring the boy in alive, but no one had mentioned that the boy be uninjured. Besides, cats loved to play with little birds.
Grinning under her mask, she raised the knives.
So yeah, another cliffy. Is Artemis ok? What will Cheshire do to Robin? And where the hell is Batman? These questions will be answered in the next chapter. (Don't have an ETA on that one yet, but I usually seem to get a chapter every week or so. lets see if I can keep that up.)