Hey Guys! Back with another update!
First I would like to thank all of your awesome reviews because beleive it or not they do matter and influence my story. If fact this chapter is complete evidence of that. This little baby did not exist until three days ago! Now this will either be one of those moments where you guys go 'oh no what have we done!' ... OR ! it will be a moment where you guys go 'OMG we're awesome!'
Personally I'm hoping for the second one, and also this chapter if it seems rushed and has a lot of gramatical errors sorry! I did my best but I am not an english genius. So please let me know what you think its always great to here from you guys and it can help me get better!
Please enjoy !
DISCLAIMER: I do not own either one of these shows... unfortunatly.
Bruce could feel his soul breaking as his fist collided with another criminal head. It was the twenty-seventh crime he'd stopped that night, and it was only eleven thirty. A full day since the team had disappeared A full day where batman was busy fighting crime instead of searching for his missing protege.
The father inside of Bruce told him, screamed at him to go looking for his son, his boy . But the logical part, his batman persona whispered to him the harsh reality of the situation. Robin was second on his list of priorities The people of earth came first, so that meant protecting them as well as putting a stop to what ever Klarion had planned. 'And besides,' The batman side whispered. 'so many others are looking for the team, no one is looking at the threat. Find the threat and I find Robin.'
Bruce bit back a sigh, seeing as he was in the suit now. Batman had no weaknesses, he felt no fatigue. Beating up criminals , and searching for Klarion would have to suffice for now. It wouldn't bring him the joy that Dicks smile did, but it would help him keep his sanity and made him feel just the slightest bit of satisfaction as he sent yet another thug into the blissful state of unconsciousness, something that he had been unable to achieve the night before. With silent steps Bruce checked the unconscious victim before sending a call in to the GCPD and then grappled to the top of the nearest building. One thought going through his head as he intercepted yet another crime.
'I find Klarion, I find Robin.'
After much deliberation the team had finally decided on a place to stay. The decision had been between renting a house; good neighborhood, nice big back yard, five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a great kitchen, and a beautiful scenic view; and a two bedroom apartment just one sneeze away from being condemned. Though it might not seem the most logical choice, the team had opted for the apartment, much to Wally's dismay, but even he couldn't deny that a bunch of teens buying a house would look suspicious and might even prompt a few nosy neighbors to call the cops, versus the non-existant neighbors in their apartment of 123C. That and the fact that the apartment was dirt cheap. That was the real seller, because that ment they had less stealing to do, and since Robin was in charge of the money it was a no brainer.
At the moment the team was going through supplies and making a list of what they needed to restock on. Weapons were good so long as they didn't get into any major fights, they had enough food though according to Wally there was no such thing as 'enough' food. In Wally's standards they didn't have nearly enough, but then again all the Walmarts in the world wouldn't have nearly enough food for Wally.
They needed to restock on water because Artemis had a point when she said that drinking the water could prove deadly and their apartment water wasn't so much water as it was rusted sludge, something only Conner had been ignorant enough to think was orange juice after Wally first saw it and then offered it as orange juice. They were good on clothes, because honestly they didn't need that many and they had already bought extra clothes for Conner since he always managed to tear his . The only thing they urgently needed was a few flea bombs, more money, and a way back home. EXACTLY in that order... though if they could just skip to the way back home they wouldn't complain.
However, for that to happen the team needed their two resident genius' to get to work on the documents, but as Wally had pointed out he couldn't get much done with out Robin, and he was busy hacking into accounts and getting them money. So they all were quietly waiting , trying to get what they could done so they could have a sense of purpose, they didn't want it to just be Wally and Robin working, the idea just made them feel so ... useless. unfortunately after a while they had run out of things to do and now were just idling waiting around, bodies sprawled on their grey and stained couch as their frustrations grew with each uneventful minute . They had realized that this would be a long journey back home but they had not anticipated the lack of purpose, and contribution on their part.
"So Robin how much longe is it going to be?" Artemis asked from her spot on the floor after she had finished recounting the water bottles , her impatience and sense of uselessness getting the best of her.
"I'll let you know ... Unless you would like to take over?" Robin said, sparing her a pointed look before returning his attention back to the task at hand.
Artemis shut her mouth with an audible snap. Instantly feeling embarrassed for her stupidity and lack of patience. Yes she could hack up to a point, but she was nowhere near Robins level. She would just have to wait like the rest of the team.
Wally smirked at her making sure she couldn't see it, Artemis often put her foot in her mouth , more than what the team realized. But that was one of the many things he liked about her, the fact that she often stumbled over her own words was one of her most attractive traits, because it meant that she wasnt the smooth gal everyone that she was and it put Wally just a little bit closer to her league. He sent her one last discreet look before turning his attention back to the papers to try to decipher them though he knew hew wasnt going to get much done with out Robin, that and with Artemis so close it was a little difficult to concentrate .
The apartment lapsed back into its frustrating silence, one that was filled with the rustling of papers, the tap of the Robins keyboard, and Wally's occasional scribble as he deciphered yet another part of Batman's inscriptions. That was until Robins panicked cries startled everyone out of their laid back stupor.
"WHA- No! nonono no no no no nonono no !"
The team turned their attention towards Robin alarm etched in their faces, fully prepared to pack up and leave if worst came to pass, so they anxiously waited and watched Robin work. The boy wonders hands flew as they typed commands into the keyboard, his face set in a determined look, an excited gleam slowly started to shine from behind his glasses.
The team was now gathered around Robin, their eyes glued to the screen as if they could ever understand what was going on. Then suddenly, and very unexpectedly Robin laughed. The others shared a bewildered look before they realized that he was having fun, out of all the dire situations they had ever been in, and in the middle of what they could only assume was a cyber fire fight, one that held a lot of importance for their operation, Robin was laughing, finding entertainment in something only he could understand. This only made the others that much more curious and eager to watch as they listen to the boy wonder begin to engage in a one-sided banter.
"Hahaha, good one!"
"Try again sucke-HEY!"
"Do that one more time, Dare ya ... just see what happens."
"Really? well lets see what you do when I do this ..."
Robin went on for a few more minutes until finally it was over.
"EUREKA! In your face!" Robin gave a happy shout as he jumped from his chair did a little happy dance, giving the others a small scare, before siting back down and setting back to work.
"Okay now that that's over lets see about getting some money."
A few minutes later and it appeared that Robin was done, He turned to them his face filled with satisfaction and a blinding smile that could have powered a small country. They others waited to hear the explanation behind Robins excitement .
"That was the most fun I've had while hacking in a very long time." He breathed out, seemingly breathless from his actions.
Megan smiled brightly, soaking in the positive feelings Robin was giving off, before asking "What did just happen?"
Robins smile grew impossibly wider, and excitedly answered. "Only the most epic hacking battle ever to be known to man, there would be stories about this if... you know this weren't illegal." His smile only faltering once as he remembered the drive behind said hacking.
Wally chuckled at his best friends antics, Artemis snorted while the others just exchanged amused looks. Though deep down they felt guilt for making Robin do this. If they could they would take his place and just let him be until this whole thing blew over and they could go home.
"Does this mean that we have enough money my friend?" Kaldur asked after a moment, to which Robin gave pause before nodding his head in confirmation.
"Finally! Now you can start working on a way to get us home!" Artemis exclaimed, trying to make light of the situation, though it was majorly uncharacteristic for her to act this way, but considering the situation that they were in and the lack of tasks they had the team could understand Artemis motivation as well as her haste to get back home. However that didn't stop Robin from sending her a withering look, but before he could deliver a snarky comeback Conner conveniently intervened with a simple request.
"Do you mind giving us a play by play?"
Robins mood did a complete one-eighty; his eyes lit up at the opportunity and motioned for everyone to take a seat. He dove in using exaggerated hand movements, technical terms , a little of Megan's 'help', and easy to understand analogies to help his team understand all that had taken place. And though most of the technical mumbo jumbo was lost on them the significance of his feat was not. In under an hours time the team had a new-found respect for hacking and were very proud of their Robin, though they knew that it shouldn't be that much of a surprise considering the experience he had over them, but still it didn't make them any less amazed.
It turns out that as Robin was securing the accounts, and depositing money into them he came across a very well hidden, and protected account. Assuming it just had extra security, Robin had tried accessing it thinking that it would only take a few extra key strokes, but then it turned out that this account was not just protected it was encrypted. Robin described the major problem as the 'firewall from hell'. Which in a nutshell, was designed to act as well a vortex and suck in the server trying to get access to it illegally and then destroy it, which would lead to the crashing of Robins computer. But he had been able to prevent that by turning the firewall against itself and then get access into the account.
"So if You hadn't stopped the virus it would have shut down the computer and destroyed all of your work right... And we would have lost all that money with no way to get it back ?" Conner asked. Robin gave a short nod.
"And you're not mad ?"
Suddenly a very dark expression flitted across Robins face as he realized that he was indeed angry, only he wasn't sure whether he wanted to act on it or not . Megan flinched as the two feelings battled it out, she had been unprepared for the clash and hoped it would end soon. Then as if he had heard her wish, Robin abruptly turned to his computer and made his fingers fly, his anger obviously winning out. After a few moments of typing a very sly smile slid onto Robin's lips, and a sinister look stretched across his features.
"This'll teach you to try to crash me with your system." Robin muttered, as he continued typing.
Kaldur taking note in Robins behavior thought it would be wise to intervene before any irreversible damage was done. "Do I need to remind you that we are trying not to be seen as criminals in this world?"
Robin briefly looked up before huffing and then turning back to his computer his demeanor much more subdued. A few minutes later Robin was done and closing his laptop, a strangely pleased smile rested on his lips.
Very wearily Kaldur asked. "Everything is as it should be?"
Robin grinned before answering. "If your asking if I completely decimated the hardware to the user the answer is no, that is entirely in his hands now but if he does what I think he will then he is in for one nasty little surprise."
Artemis smiled proudly at Robin, She may not be a criminal like the rest of her family, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a mischievous side to her. "Do we get to know the name of this poor soul?" She asked.
Robin grinned back at her, before adopting a look of grim seriousness. " Friends gather round and bow your heads in prayer for one Tony Stark."
Robin dramatically bowed his head before he started shaking with giggles. Not a second later the team joined in, laughter filling the grungy apartment and giving its dark enviroment just a little bit of light. Robin caught his breath before he choked out another sentence. "Just think, if everything goes according to plan he's going to make a very generous cash donation to our cause... I just wish i could be there to see his face." Robin shifted his face into one of mock surprise before he and the rest of the team fell back into giggles and laughter. Each taking turns at making faces , and enjoying their brief break to the horrific situation they were in.
Flowers $150, chocolate $280, wine $440, teddy bear $90, the courage to talk to Pepper...money couldnt buy that.
Tony entered the upper level of stark tower that was home to his office. His arms overflowing with what he called his 'Pepper kit'. He had already called ahead and asked Jarvis to order from Peppers favorite restaurant, as well as have the staff set his office up for a romantic candle lit dinner. His plan was to surprise, woo, and then ask her. If there were ever a time to agree with Steve on something it was that sometimes you need a plan of attack. He had one, now it was time to set it in motion.
It wasn't that he thought Pepper was going to be upset about it, no of course not, but he wanted to aire on the side of caution. Pepper Potts was NOT someone you messed around with. That and he felt bad for leaving her so often so here he was killing two birds with one stone. Tony stark was definitely not afraid of Pepper Potts. He wasn't, he was just... oh who was he kidding he was terrified of an angry Pepper. If things went south he would most likely end up on the couch tonight. He would end up on his couch, in his house and there was no arguing... ah the things one does when they're in love.
Tony shook his head slightly to clear his head, he had to make this perfect. With a grim look Tony got to work making sure everything was not only up to his standards, but also Pepper worthy. After a few minutes of setting things up , and moving the center piece on the table a little bit to the right Tony was satisfied. He glance at his watch and saw he had nearly half an hour before Pepper was supposed to be there, might as well get some work done. He sighed really dreading going through all the files but knew it had to be done. So he sat down and pulled the compter up. He paid what bills needed to be paid, donating to a few charities, answering some of his e-mails; because if he answered all of them he would be there for a year. Then something caught his eye.
'Hello' He thought. 'Where did you come from?'
Tony clicked on the tab the screamed out Purple Farare. Practically drooling at the sight of this beauty. He read the description, and other details pertaining to the car. doing a brief check on the sight and owner before coming to the conclusion that everything was sound. The only problem was the price. It was a tad more than what he wanted to spend but considering that the car was practically in mint condition how could he say no? He thought about it a little more, anxiously chewing on his bottom lip. A habit that he swore to Pepper he had broken long ago but would unconsciously do when he was uncertain about something.
'Pepper.' He thought.'Maybe I should ask her first.' Then as if on cue she walked into the office, and she did not look happy.
Making a snap decision Tony clicked on 'buy' and ordered Jarvis to take care of the rest before going to greet Pepper and hopefully turn that frown upside down.
"Hey hun." He greeted nervously.
She sent him an icy glare. "Oh hello Mr. Stark . Fancy meeting you here... though it would have been nice if you had made it to lunch this afternoon."
Tony winced at the venom in her voice, and briefly thought 'oh crap' before answering her with a pleading and apologetic look.
"I know an I'm soo sorry Pep. But I thought I should make it up to you come on I'll show you."
He gently took Peppers coat off and guided her towards the dinner table he had set just a little bit before. He took note of how her eyes widened in surprise before filling with that gentle and loving look that he took joy in seeing everyday. Of course that also made him feel that much more guilty and quite frankly dumb considering he had completely forgotten about their lunch plans till she had brought them up. It made him feel thankful for putting together the 'Pepper kit' tonight instead of just winging it, but then again he wouldn't have needed it if he had just remembered their lunch in the first place and not been out preparing for dinner.
"Oh Tony ... Its beautiful. thank you." She said turning to him, a gentle smile lighting her face in the most beautiful way Tony could ever describe. He returned her smile briefly before wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tender and loving kiss on the lips followed by a small one on her forehead.
"I'm glad you like it." He whispered into her hair. Then in a snap his overly romantic side was gone and his arrogant playboy persona was back. He pulled back from her putting her at arm's length before addressing her. "Of course Ms. Potts this meal comes with a price." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her drawing out an amused snort before guiding her into one of the seats.
The rest of the night was uneventful, the two talked , laughs erupting from both parties as they finished their meals. They were now eating chocolates in a comfortable silence and Tony thought this as good a time as any to ask Pepper. He cleared his throat, to which Pepper immediately straightened out and wiped her hand off with a napkin. He sent her a questioning glance before continuing.
"So a Pepper, I -uh. I have a question to ask you."
Pepper nodded eagerly prompting him to go on. Which only caused Tony to feel uneasy but he trudged on. "So I was at S.H.I.E.L.D. earlier today.. that's why i missed lunch and I was thinking... or rather it was brought to my attention.. well I love you Pepper so please try to keep a level head" Tony realized that he was rambling, something only Pepper Potts could make him do. But at her Approving nod Tony found the courage to carry on.
He took a deep breath before continuing. "Look Pepper these Kids are in trouble, and S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to lock them up, but I was thinking that we could have them stay at the tower, and I was wondering, when we bring them in and talk to them if you would be ok with that." He ended with an anxious look on his face and caught himself before he stared chewing on his lip. The look on Peppers face did no scream everything is ok, no this look promised a night of lonliness.
"Of course Tony, Why would I have a problem with that?" She said, her voice perfectly polite but her eyes gave her away. Tony nodded and took note of that before asking. "Pep, whats wrong?"
Her eyes flashed angrily and she suddenly leapt to her feet. "Oh nothings wrong Mr. Stark, nothing at all. I just realized though that I have to do something at home. I'll see you when you get there."
Then without another word she grabbed her coat and stormed out of the office. Tony just sat there bewildered at what just happened. Then the shock of the moment wore off and he realized that tonight was sadly going to be a lonely night on th couch. He sighed before dejectedly calling out to Jarvis.
"Jarvis, What did I do wrong?"
"Well sir, I believe that Ms. Potts was under the impression that you were to ask another question."
Tony's face scrunched up in frustration as well as confusion. "What makes you think that?"
"Perhaps this will enlighten you." Suddenly the office filled with Wedding bells, and Tony felt the color drain from his face. He felt so stupid. He with all his genius, and all his experience with women had failed to notice how this all had seem... he was an idiot.
Nervously Tony chuckled before jokingly saying. "Well at least things can get any worse right Jarvis?"
"Sir I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the purchase of the purple farare apparently was a scam, all money was sent to an untraceble account. My deepest apologies sir, I was unable to stop it."
At this Tony slammed his head down on the table with a lout 'thud'.Thinking about how well this night had gone, and all he could sum it up to was...
'Crap.'
It was absolute Chaos. In just moments the team had been swallowed up by the portal and in its wake had thrown he league into pandemonium. Heroes had lost a portion of their calm demeanor, huge chunks missing from their seemingly invulnerable masks. And without realizing it set the course for everyone else. The people of earth suddenly felt unease, as if they could sense the leagues distress. Criminals had taken to the streets, vandalism and robberies sky rocketed in a manner of minutes, Major villans started terrorising the civilians. The smell of death and blood filled the air in the worst areas going terrifically well with the frightened and pain filled cries that came from unsuspecting victims. It was by far the most beautiful thing Klarion had ever seen.
This had to be one of his most proudest moments, a real piece of art. The majesty of it all just took his breath away. It was all perfect... well it would be had his spell gone right.
For a brief moment the child-like features that he had adapted to had darkened and morphed into something grotesque. His anger showing through only for a second as he thought about how the others had panicked and tried to rush the spell. The idiots.
Did they not realize that chaos was an art? One that could only reach perfection if you were patient. That it took skill and absolute focus? Klarion shook his head shamefully, and once again turned his gaze towards his masterpiece. Despite the others incompetence he had managed to salvage the spell and produce this. Yes this was something he should most definitely be proud of, never in his wildest dreams had he thought his revenge on the league would go this wonderfully.
He gazed on for a little bit longer before a pained moan reached his ears. Annoyed Klaroin turned to the other occupants in the room . His accomplices all stood in their respective spots, or rather they laid . After the idiots had screwed up his precious plan Klarion had been a little angry and decided to teach a lesson. Wotan, it seemed was the first to wake up.
The sorcerer moaned again as he pushed his body up from the ground, bringing a hand wearily to his head as if to stop if from spinning. Klarion sneered at his weakness, hating that he had to stoop himself down to these...insects. But then a mischievous light took root in his eyes and he muttered a brief incantation, not loud enough to be understood but loud enough to be heard. More specifically loud enough to gain Wotan's attention. It worked; in an instant Wotan's head snapped up eyes searching for the source of noise before coming to rest on Klarion, who just sat their smiling malevolently towards him. Wotan's memory suddenly came back into full clarity and he scrambled to get away, but just as he tried to leave the boundaries of the circle, an intense pain took hold of him and he sagged to the floor. A moment later he sat up, careful to keep his body inside of the circle before addressing Klarion.
"What have you done !" He bellowed making sure the anger in his voice drowned out any evidence of his terror.
Klarion's smile only grew. "Our playdate isn't over Wotan, so you , nor our other friends can leave." His voice was filled with a fake innocence, one that had an underlying promise of pain if Wotan sought to disagree with him.
Wotan acknowledged this and very wearily asked. "What do you mean?"
Klarion sneered at Wotans stupidity, knowing full well that even though these low-lifes were well educated in sorcery. "Wotan, my friend." He started off sweetly. "You know as well as I do that the circle need magic in order to be sustained, and no one is allowed to leave until everything is perfect. As it should be." This ended in a growl that sent shivers racing down Wotan's spine, then Klarions voice switched back to its original sweet sound as he asked. "Why would you ask such a silly question?" Wotan's skin impossibly paled further, before trying to sputter out an answer. Klarion just shrugged ."It doesn't matter I need to think right now so you can just ..." He trailed off with a dismissive wave of his hand and Wotan fell to the floor, unconscious.
Klarion smiled, a giddy feeling rising up to his chest as he let loose a few chuckles. He was having soo much fun! The smile faded though before turning into a thoughtful frown. How was he going to fix this? He knew where the baby league was, but the problem was that he had to stay here... so who would he send in his place?
He thought for a little while, ideas bouncing around his head, plans coming and going with each new candidate before his thoughts settled on two.
"Perfect." He thought the smile returning to his face. "Two worlds, two solutions. Double the chaos"
I bet some of you are wondering who Klarion has picked... even I dont know ! Im inbetween people, but I do know that I'm looking at villans from both universes . I might go the obvious route... or mabe go for people rarely used . Don't know, but I'd love to hear what you guys have up your sleeves.
Also I realize that people in this Chapter might have seemed a little OOC, sorry but I'm trying to capture the realistic essance of everyone. Maybe I did god awful or mabe I did spectacular. Not much you guys say on this part of my story will change it much but I'm not just going to dismiss it because thats rude. I will wisely take ALL of your comments under consideration.
One last thing some of you .. if not all ... will notice the use of the word 'eureka' my algebra 2 teacher suddenly shouted that in class the other day and when like provides an awesome and under used word you use it and share it with the rest of the world.
Please review and have a pleasent day !
JJ
Ps. Oh totally forgot! the next post will be quicker than this one but the one after that, the fight scene, my be at least a week or more before I post cause I suddenly have a new idea on how to write the fight scene. I want to see how this works before I post what I have so have patience :) That and if any of you guys could tell me what shield stands for that would be appreciated. I have two possibilities. One is 'Supreme Headquarters Internnational Espionage Law-enfourcement Division'. The other is 'Strategic Homeland intervention enforcement and ligistics division' which one do I use?