I guess I own everyone an apology for being so late. Maybe I should just copy and paste my last one. Oh well. Hopefully this is up to everyones standards.
Oh, and to everyone who sent a kind word to me from my last chapter, thank you so much. I was having a bad week and I didn't mean to take it out on you all. Life hasn't gotten better but thankfully I have figured out how to deal with everything.
The song which appears in this chapter is 'Poker Face' by the band, Blowsight. It is a cover of Lady Gaga's one, but I liked this version better. And happened to be listening to it while I typed. But I guess it could be either version, or another cover which I haven't heard yet.
The fight between the trio of heroes and Cheshire was brutal. The female assassin using her skills to her full advantage as she ducked between the archer and the atlantean. But to her surprise, the Red Hood didn't engage in the fight, instead choosing to step back and observe. Every time Cheshire tried to take the fight to him, one of the others stepped in the way. She was getting sick of the archers smug grin every time she was forced to dodge another trick arrow. In fact, she would love nothing more than to set fire to the whole damn quiver. Maybe tie him up and make him watch as his beloved arrows went up in smoke. Hmmm! Tying up the archer was actually a good idea. Maybe she should….
The atlantean lunged forward, forcing Cheshire to once again retreat from Red Hood's position. Mentally, the assassin smacked herself. What was she doing, thinking of the archer like that? Her hit had disappeared, she was being attacked by two surprisingly good fighters and she had thrown her own sister off a building. Now was not the time to think of the archer who had been a constant pain in her side.
Quickly, she re-assessed the fight. And realised that it was pointless. The two heroes were wasting too much of her time and although the Red Hood had a hit on him as big, if not bigger than the Boy Wonder, it was not Cheshire's hit to claim.
Dodging another hit from the archer, Cheshire allowed the two heroes to push her across the roof. Waiting for her best chance, Cheshire smiled under her mask.
"Sorry boy's, but I have a job to do." She muttered.
In front of her, the archer's jaw dropped. He raised his bow.
Cheshire threw down a smoke bomb, letting it cover her as she dived off the roof. Behind her, several people shouted.
Words like 'Stop her' and 'she's gone' were shouted as Cheshire managed to grab a flag pole and pull herself onto a ledge. Getting to her feet, the assassin broke into a run, determined to finish her job.
Roy couldn't stop coughing, the smoke from Cheshire's bomb getting into his lungs and depriving him of air. Even then, he tried a half-hearted shout at the escaping assassin. But it was too little too late. Cheshire was gone. And Red Hood hadn't done a damn thing!
Turning, the archer prepared to question the other teen. But Jason was already moving, running towards the other two. Ducking between Roy and Kaldur, Jason threw out a line as he dived off the roof, gaining speed as he flew after Cheshire.
"Dammit!" Roy muttered, quickly exchanging the arrow currently balancing on his bow for another one. He shot it off, a thick cord flying from the back.
"Come on, before the idiot gets himself killed!" He shouted at Kaldur.
The dark skinned teen nodded and followed Roy off the roof, the two racing after Jason.
What they didn't expect to see was Jason, flat on his back, only two roof tops from their fight. Someone had hit him, and hit him hard if Roy's observations were correct.
However, just because the teen was on the ground, it didn't mean he was defenceless. One of the teenagers many guns was held in his steady hand, pointing at a dark figure looming over him.
Roy felt the inside of his mouth go dry as he recognised the figure.
"Oh crap!" He muttered, as Batman looked down at the Red Hood.
"Where is he?" The Dark Knight asked, tone neutral.
Roy could practically hear the unspoken threat as Jason slowly rose to his feet, keeping the gun aimed at Batman's chest.
Under the hood, there was a soft snort.
"What makes you think I know?" Red Hood asked in a cocky tone.
The Dark Knight moved so fast, Roy didn't even see it. One moment, Jason was facing him, gun still raised, the next; Batman's hand was wrapped around his throat, lifting Jason off the ground as the gun clattered on the concrete. Beside Roy, Kaldur moved, clearly planning to intervene. Roy grabbed his arm and held the atlantean in place, shaking his head silently when the dark skinned hero turned to question him. Kaldur slowly relaxed, trusting Roy's judgement.
"Don't play games with me." Batman growled, ignoring his silent audience.
To his credit, Jason's voice didn't even shake.
"Then maybe you should stop playing games with yourself." The younger man shot back.
Roy cringed, waiting for Batman to explode and kill Jason. What he wasn't expecting, was the Dark Knight to lower the Red Hood back to the ground.
The younger man struggled out of the Detectives grip, rubbing his throat. Although Roy couldn't see through the helmet or the mask Jason habitually wore underneath, he could almost feel the glare Jason was shooting at Batman.
The Dark Knight crossed his arms over the Bat across his chest, clearly not interested in Jason's actions. Roy found himself holding his breath and looking for the nearest hiding place. If those two were going to fight, Roy planned to grab Kaldur and run.
There was silence as the two regarded each other, seemingly waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Batman growled.
"Enough!" He warned. "I will find my partner, with or without your help."
Roy swore time slowed down. Jason gasped.
"Are you serious? Are you actually telling me…..Dammit Bruce! We are not talking about your partner, or whatever degrading title you gave the poor kid. We are talking about your son! Your son who you took in when no one else would and who you threw out when he failed to perform to your high standards! The kid who was forced to find me because you couldn't give him the help he clearly needed!"
Jason shoulders were shaking, his hands swinging wildly as he tried to express his outrage.
Batman held up a hand, clearly trying to silence the younger man.
"Jason." He said in a warning tone. But Jason was too far gone to stop.
"Don't Jason me!" He growled. "God knows this isn't about me! Regardless of what happened between us, that bridge is long since burnt. This is about him, and the crappy father you have been to him."
The Red Hood's shoulders slumped suddenly. He sighed.
"Of course, we both know you were never a good father to begin with." This time, there was a hint of sadness in Jason's voice, like he was remembering something sad or painful.
Slowly, Roy released his held breath. It seemed like the explosion was over. Now it was time for the Dark Knights rebuttal. But to Roy's surprise, the older hero seemed frozen to the spot, his masked eyes fixed on the Red Hood. Then slowly, his gaze fell on the ground.
"Yes." He muttered.
Red Hood's head twitched, white lenses once again on the detective.
"Yes, this is about him. I need to make everything right. For my son."
Jason nodded.
"Good." He replied.
"For both my sons." Batman added, ignoring the Red Hood's reply.
There was another pause before Jason finally relaxed.
"Don't push your luck old man." He replied.
Something broke through the silence, like the faint echo of music. All four heroes froze, listening.
"What is that?" Kaldur finally asked, allowing himself to be noticed for the first time.
'I wanna hold em like they do in Texas, please. Fold em' let them hit me, raise it baby, stay with me.'
"Poker Face?" Roy asked aloud.
Both Red Hood and Batman stared at him as Roy thought. Finally, he realised what was going on.
"The little brat still has my ipod." He muttered.
Red Hood turned back to Batman.
"It's a signal." He stated. Batman didn't acknowledge the comment, instead turning and striding to the roof, cape flying out behind him like giant wings. Red Hood followed on his heels. In seconds, both men were off the roof and falling through the dark.
In was obvious to Artemis, from the moment she and Robin stepped out onto the road, that they were being followed. People were milling in the street, the nights events having pulled them from their beds. Fear laced the air around the two young heroes as they weaved their way through the crowds, ignoring the glances of the people around them. But even the cover of the crowd was not enough. One glance was all Artemis needed to confirm her fears.
"Robin." She warned, trying to keep her voice low as she grabbed his hand. Knowing what Cheshire wanted; Artemis was not willing to lose Robin, even for a second.
"I know." The boy shot back. But his grip did tighten on Artemis' good hand as he led her through the streets.
Quickly, the Boy Wonder scanned the crowd. His step faulted slightly, as he spotted the black figures moving through the crowd around them. Carefully, he changed direction, leading Artemis on a new course.
Artemis looked behind her again. The figures were drawing closer.
"Robin, there coming." She warned.
Robin didn't stop.
"Don't run until I say so." He ordered.
"What?" Artemis asked.
"Trust me." Robin replied.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his free hand reaching for his belt. In front of them, one of the figures paused, watching them draw near. Slowly, the figure reached for his back and drew out a long sword. He held it up to the light.
In front of Artemis, Robin smiled. He raised his free hand, several small capsules resting in his palm. He threw them to the ground.
There was a bang and thick smoke appeared, covering part of the crowd and hiding the young heroes. Artemis didn't need Robin's order to break into a run, the two teens ducking and weaving through the panicking crowd,
At one point, someone grabbed Artemis' uninjured shoulder but the girl was quick to react, kicking out and hitting her attacker, who let go and was swallowed up by the press of bodies.
"Come on!" Robin shouted over the screams, pulling Artemis into the relative safety of the side street. There was a series of bins in the corner. Robin quickly ducked down behind them, pulling Artemis with him.
"You are aware this is a dead end, right?" Artemis asked as Robin sat down, his back against the wall.
"We aren't getting out of here without help." The younger teenager replied. The holographic program on his glove flashed, showing an advanced projection.
"Right. I'll call the team then." Artemis replied, trying not to let her impatience show in her voice. She reached up to her ear to activate the comm.
"It will be bugged." Robin muttered, typing something into the screen. "The League of Shadows would have been monitoring it for a while."
Artemis lowered her hand.
"So what do we do?" She asked, trying to think of something. Megan hadn't linked them up and even if Artemis tried calling her, the chances the alien girl would pick up her thoughts were slim. Red Hood's alien girl hadn't looked like a telepath either, and Artemis couldn't think of any other way to call them without the Shadows finding them first.
"There is a music store across the street, right?" Robin asked, not looking up from his screen.
"How should I know?" Artemis shot back as she rummaged in her own belt, looking for anything which she could use. There wasn't a lot, especially now that she was injured.
Robin sighed.
"Could you check?" He asked, still typing.
"What did your last slave die of?" Artemis snapped as despair finally overpowered her.
"ARTEMIS!" Robin shouted, pulling the older girl from her panic. "Get traught. We are going to be ok."
Artemis blinked, suddenly realising how she was acting.
"Are you traught?" Robin asked, finally looking up from the screen.
Artemis nodded her mouth dry.
"Good. Go and see if there is a music store in the street."
Without a word, Artemis turned and stepped closer to the entrance, peering out into the street.
"Robin!" She called. In the street, the Shadows had lined up, creating a moving wall. Any civilian who got too close, was grabbed and quickly studied before being pushed out of the way. The Shadows were searching. At the other end of the street, another wall of figures had formed, this one remaining stationary as the crowd was herded towards them.
"I need an answer Artemis." Robin called.
"Yes. There is a music store. I can see it."
Ducking down, Artemis made her way back to the hiding place. She couldn't help but notice the grin on Robins face as the boy reached into his belt. A small silver object was pulled out of one of the compartments. It was an ipod.
Quickly, he connected it to his glove, scrolling through both devices. Then he reached for his belt again.
"Put these in your ears." The Boy Wonder said, handing her two pieces of bright yellow rubber. The younger teen pressed a button before dropping everything and pushing some similar pieces of rubber in his own ears. Artemis followed his example.
Music filled the street. It was soft, almost pleasant. And then suddenly it wasn't, the pitch rattling Artemis to the core.
'I wanna hold em like they do in Texas, please. Fold em' let them hit me, raise it baby, stay with me'
"What the hell is this?" Artemis found herself shouting over the noise.
"A campy remake of a campy song!" Robin shouted back, grinning.
'Luck and intuition, play the cards with spades to start. And after she's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on her heart'
"I know that!" Artemis shouted back. "You wanna tell me why it's playing?"
"It's a signal." Robin replied, turning off the hologram at his wrist.
'I'll get her heart, show her what I got. Yeah, I'll get her heart, show her what I got.'
"Yeah, a signal which leads every Shadow in the city straight to us." Artemis screamed, hoping the idiot next to her would turn off the damn music.
"And every hero!" Robin added.
'Can't read my, can't read my, no she can't read my poker face. She is got to love nobody.'
"So what do we do now?" Artemis finally asked, realising what the Boy Wonder was attempting to do.
Robin slowly stood up. Reaching for his belt, he carefully withdrew his eskrima sticks.
"Now I'm going to stop running. Now I'm going to fight." The boy replied before he dived out into the street.
'Can't read my, can't read my, no she can't read my poker face. She is got to love nobody'
'P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face.'
"Robin!"
Most of the interaction between Artemis and Robin in this chapter was inspired by the episode, Homefront. I enjoyed how Artemis' first reaction to danger is to get angry. And how Robin had to keep pushing her to be a hero. Hopefully I managed to give you all the feeling that he is still pushing her.
Oh, and in an attempt to shamelessly self promote, the new bonus chapter for 'Making a Better Yesterday' is now up. I would love to know what everyone thinks.