Author's note: Okay, this is a long one. Bear with me, please.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for Desmond.
Chapter Three
Happy Harbor Calls
After running it by the other team members, they all felt a day out on the town would be both beneficial for Desmond, and just a fun way to spend time before Black Canary showed up. The group was lined up at the Zeta-Tube, waiting for Artemis to return. She had left to get normal clothes, instead of her pajamas. When she at last did return, wearing a shirt advertising a Coldplay concert from a few years back, the entire team Zeta-Beamed out of Mount Justice, and they were suddenly standing in a Happy Harbor alleyway. Desmond staggered for a moment, emerging from the alley. There was a faint tingling sensation from his stomach down.
"Does that weird feeling happen every time?" he asked the team. A few of them chuckled, possibly remembering their first experiences in the Zeta-Beam.
"You get used to it," said Wally. He was wearing a light yellow shirt, a shade reminiscent of his uniform. He walked along side Robin (whose real name no one felt comfortable sharing with Desmond, but he suspected they didn't know either) who wore a black jacket over a sea foam green shirt. He was always wearing his sunglasses. Behind them walked Superboy and M'gann. Superboy was wearing his black shirt emblazoned with the red "Superman S," and Miss Martian was wearing a light pink and white shirt/skirt combo. She had morphed herself to appear Caucasian instead of green. Desmond and Artemis brought up the rear, just like the Mount Justice tour. But this wasn't a tour; just a day out.
The team walked out from the alley and wandered into a nearby park. There were a few benches arranged in a tight circle, so they decided to sit for a while, and plan out how they would spend their time. Artemis and M'gann sat on one bench, Wally and Robin (who Desmond could already tell were the closest of all the friends) sat on another, and Superboy sat with Desmond.
"So what's fun to do around here?' Desmond asked. Superboy shrugged next to him, along with Artemis and Robin.
"Beats me," said the boy of steel. "I might live around here, but I spend most of my time in the cave." But Wally stood up.
"I know!" he shouted. "I come here sometimes when I'm bored, before we have meetings. There are some sweet beaches a little further north. There's a bowling alley, and a huge mall with a movie theater." The team looked around at each other, and shrugged.
"Up to you," said Robin. "We'll do whatever." Kid Flash smiled, as if he never got to make decisions (which wouldn't surprise Desmond) as he contemplated his choices.
"Movie it is then!" he said. The rest of the team shrugged once again, and got up to follow Wally.
"Where is this place, anyway?" asked Superboy. Wally thought for a minute, and then pointed away from the park.
"About five miles that-a-way," he said. "If we hurry we'll make the next showing. Hey Rob, check what's on."
"Already ahead of you," said the boy wonder, his face glued to a Smartphone. It didn't look like any phone Des had ever seen, and figured it was probably some sort of high tech Bat-Phone or something. Robin scanned the screen for a moment, and then shrugged. "Nothing looks particularly good," he said. "Besides, you said the place was five miles away. That might be a four minute trip for you, but it'd take us a while to walk there, and it's already nine. We've got to get back by at least ten thirty." Artemis groaned audibly.
"So we're back to square one then?" she asked, sounding exasperated.
"Looks like it," Desmond said.
"Great…" said Artemis, crossing her arms across her chest. She sighed, as did everyone except Kid Flash, who was considering super-speeding to a movie by himself.
"Well," said M'gann after a while. "We could always—" She was interrupted, however, by an alarm sounding from slightly off in the distance, and people screaming. In an instant the team was on their feet, Desmond included. They quickly ran to where the alarm was coming from, and found a mass of people fleeing a bank, with a small fire growing in one of the windows. Superboy grabbed a fleeing bank clerk by the arm.
"What's going on in there?" he demanded. The clerk looked startled, with a wild glint in his eyes. He stammered out an answer, however.
"Th-there was some m-m-maniac in a green bug suit," he managed. "He just appeared, lit a few fires, and demanded the money." With that the clerk broke free of Superboy's grip, and ran away shouting for help. All eyes fell on Robin, who was the resident expert on obscure villains. Of course, he did know who the culprit was.
"Sounds like Ambush Bug," he said, nodding to himself as he did so. "He's not really on a side; he fights with the JLA sometimes and against them others."
"Seems like this is one of the latter times," grumbled Kid Flash. "Let's get in there!" The team charged into the building, brushing quickly past the fleeing bank-goers. Sure enough, a skinny man in a lime green bug suit was standing inside a vault, the door ajar, shoveling money into a large brown sack.
"How cliché," Artemis said under her breath. Robin, probably remembering Aqualad's decision to grant him leadership, quickly devised a plan.
"Alright guys, let's be smart about this," he said. "Artemis, make sure everyone gets out all right. M'gann, Wally, start putting out those fires. I'll start barricading the doors so he can't escape. Superboy, you and Desmond will get Ambush Bug." Desmond looked at the small boy incredulously.
"Me, are you sure?" he asked. "I mean, I don't have training or anything." Robin stared hard at the new team member.
"No, but you have incredible powers. I've dealt with Ambush Bug before. He's crafty. Even in such a small space, he can avoid most of your advances. You two need to find a way to corner him, then get his suit off."
"That's your plan?" asked Superboy. "Get a naked bank robber?" Robin shook his head.
"Ambush Bug is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and he's a teleporter," he explained. "But the power is linked to his suit. I bet if you just tear some off, you can get him to stop moving. Go!" With that, everyone went to their respective assignments. The kid may have only been thirteen, but Robin could command a team like a regular leader.
"Come on!" shouted Superboy, and Desmond snapped out of his thoughts. The two heroes rushed towards the bank vault. Upon reaching it, Ambush Bug looked up from his sack full of money, and studied the two boys. He pointed at Superboy.
"Nice symbol," he said. His voice was high and erratic sounding. "Where's the real Superman. I didn't call for a poser!" This got Superboy mad, as he charged into the safe. "Uh-uh!" said Ambush Bug, wagging a finger. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Suddenly, a tap on the shoulder made Desmond whirl around. Ambush Bug was behind him, waving like it had been a while since they'd seen each other. "Miss me?" he asked, just before disappearing again.
"Where'd he go?" shouted Superboy. "He was right behind you, why didn't you grab him?" Kid Flash, running by in the process of dousing a fire, gave his two cents.
"Now's not the time for arguing!" he shouted above the roar of the flames, which by now had grown quite tall. Just then, Ambush Bug appeared in front of Kid Flash and stuck his leg out. Wally tripped, but his momentum was too great, and carried him right towards the fire.
"Wally!" shouted Desmond. Just before he would have been engulfed in flames, Kid Flash began floating in the air. Looking across the room, Desmond saw Miss Martian motioning her hand in a way that told him it was she that had levitated Kid Flash.
"Get the Bug!" she shouted, setting Wally down safely away from the flames. Desmond swiveled his head, looking for where the villain had gone off to. Low and behold, Desmond found, he was back I in the safe, cramming more money into his satchel. The nearest person too him was Superboy, who hadn't noticed him yet.
"Superboy!' shouted Desmond. "Shut the safe!" Without asking questions, the boy of steel did as he was asked to. He grabbed the large steel door, swung shut, and bolted it. Desmond turned to Robin, who had finished barricading the doors, and was now helping M'gann and Wally extinguish the flames. "Robin, can this guy teleport through walls?" Desmond shouted. Robin shook his head quickly, not taking his eyes off the roaring flames. Desmond ran up to Superboy, who was still standing next to the locked safe.
"He's right where you want him, right?" asked Superboy. Desmond nodded, and smiled, despite the situation. "I'm going to help the others. Take care of this freak, alright?" Superboy said. Desmond nodded once again, and without further ado, phased through the two foot thick steel door, into the bank vault with Ambush Bug.
When Ambush Bug caught sight of the young hero, he jumped back a bit. Then he smiled through his bug mask.
"Hey hey, neat trick," he said, eyes locked on Desmond, but still filling his bag with cash. He quickly tied the sack into a knot, and slung it over his shoulder. "Want to see mine again?' He disappeared again, but Desmond was ready this time. He spun on his heel, now facing the door. As he expected, Ambush Bug appeared before him. He was smiling, but it quickly faded as he realized the new hero had anticipated his attack. Desmond grabbed the bug by his left arm, but the villain was ready. He dropped the sack from his right hand, and swiped at Desmond's face. He had enough time to dodge, but in the process he let go of Ambush Bug's arm. The villain cackled, picked up his sack, and tossed it near the door. "Alright, now I'm ready for a fight. Bring it on, kid!"
"My pleasure," Desmond growled, and charged at the man in green. He reached for Ambush Bug, but he teleported behind him and kicked out his legs. Desmond fell to the floor, and rolled onto his back with just enough time to shield himself from another kick. He grabbed Ambush Bug's ankle, and flung him across the vault. He collided with the wall, leaving a dent in the several safety boxes that he came in contact with.
"That's gonna bruise," the bug mused, as he cracked his neck a few times. Then he charged at Desmond once again, sending punch after punch at the young hero. Robin hadn't been kidding; for a man in a goofy suit, this guy could really fight. Desmond had to spend all his energy defending himself. Even with invulnerability, a punch to the face was still a punch to the face. But Ambush Bug was tiring out, not seemingly able to harm the young man. He let up his attack ever so slightly, and Desmond saw his chance. Reeling his arm back, he released a punch that was sure to knock the wind out of an elephant. Ambush Bug went flying across the room, slammed into the wall, and actually broke through the concrete. He fell to his knees, and slumped over. Behind him was an Ambush Bug shaped hole in the wall. Desmond walked over to him, and the villain held up his hands, wrists together.
"You're done," said Desmond. Ambush Bug looked at him, and smiled.
"Not yet, punk," he said with a cackle. But before he could teleport away, Desmond grabbed his green outfit at the chest, and pulled hard. There was a ripping sound, and in an instant there was no longer Ambush Bug. There was a thin man, sitting in a bank vault, in nothing but a green bug mask, and a pair of boxers. He looked at Desmond, and hung his head. "Okay, now I'm done," he admitted. Desmond smiled and grabbed him around the neck.
"Superboy!" he called. "I got him. Open the vault." In a moment, Superboy had pried the large metal door open. Desmond carried the disrobed villain into the foyer of the bank, and Robin ran up to him. "Robin, I got him!" said Desmond excitedly. Robin had a worried expression.
"That's great Des," he said, grabbing Desmond's hand and leading him to the center of the room. "Now drop him here. The cops and the press are on their way, and we've got to get out of here." Desmond looked around, realizing that he, Robin, and Superboy were the only ones left.
"Why?" asked Desmond quizzically. "Shouldn't we, like, smile for the cameras or something?" Robin shook his head.
"Yeah, if you want the whole world to know who you are," he explained. "We don't have our outfits on. They'll know our identities!" Robin pushed Ambush Bug onto his stomach, and Superboy placed a large piece of splintered wood on his back so he couldn't get away.
"But I don't even have an outfit!" Desmond said, being dragged by Robin to the back exit of the bank.
"We'll work on that too," he said, smiling. As they exited the bank, Desmond found the rest of the team waiting for them. A few raised their eyebrows. "Desmond handled Ambush Bug. The police will get him back to Belle Reve." The team took off running, heading for the Zeta-Beam in the alleyway. Kid Flash moved next to Desmond (he wasn't running at is top speed, of course, or he'd have been to the alley and back at least ten times by this point).
"Dude, taking out a villain on your first day," he said. "Not bad, if I do say so myself." Desmond smiled.
"Thanks man," he said. KF nodded, and the rest of the sprint back was spent in silence. When they arrived at the alley, reaching the Zeta-Tube, the team began walking in. First went Superboy, followed by Kid Flash. Artemis went next, then Miss Martian. Robin walked up to the beam, but didn't walk in. First, he needed to get Desmond inside.
"Zeta-Beam override," he said. "Robin, B01." Robin turned to Desmond. "We'll need to do that until we get you into the database. Now go!" Desmond nodded, and without a word, he walked into the bright orange light. In an instant he was back at Mount Justice. Robin followed him in, and the two walked through the Mission Room.
"I think I'm starting to get used to it," said Desmond, addressing the strange feeling that accompanied the Zeta-Beaming. Robin chuckled.
"Good," he said with a smile. "Now, let's get our stories straight. Black Canary will want to hear about this when she shows up."
"Yes, she will," came a voice from the dark corner of the room. It was definitely a woman, but not M'gann or Artemis. Into the light stepped a woman in a dark shirt, with long blonde hair. Desmond immediately recognized her as Black Canary. "Now get to talking."
Finally, some action! Just a little side note, I know they pronounce "Belle Reve" sort of like how you rev an engine. I pronounce it "Reeve." Just wondering if it bothered anyone else? Anyway, hope you liked it. Please review and what not.