I own nothing 'cept the usual.
I'm really, really sad that not a lot of people are reviewing. Really! And, I've almost given up on this series because of writers' block. No joke. So, I'm putting in a 'series' in this 'series of one-shots' like how I did for MTF. It's gonna be probably about 4-5 chapters long. And, PLEASE encourage me to keep going, because I don't want to quit! :*(
Dick sighed heavily as he pulled at the collar on his uniform. Blue sweater vest, crème undershirt, black pants, and a classy gold/red/green pendant on the collar of his dress-shirt. He hefted his backpack higher, whipping the black hair from his face to reveal crystal blue eyes. The boy turned and saw teenagers pouring from the school, running all over the grounds and making out in the square. Then, he saw two flashes of blonde. One dark, the other practically white.
He smiled as Artemis, in her own uniform, but with the arms rolled up and the short skirt pulled down to her hips, darting forward. Blaine was behind her, the black skirt coming over her shirt and vest and reaching down barely over her mid-thigh, complementing the fish net tights. But, Dick wasn't one to critic his 'twin's' attire.
"Hey, Dickie-bird!" Artemis taunted as she ruffled the boy's hair. He shot her a Bat-Glare, then turned to Blaine. The blonde was smiling broadly, her long hair falling into her face and over black lips.
"Hi, Dick. How was school?"
He shrugged as the three made their way down the sidewalk, past old buildings and new buildings, some reaching all the way to the clouds. "Great. Got an A+ on my History test-"
"Shocker," Artemis droned with raised eyebrows. He punched her arm, earning a mischievous smirk from the archeress. "I passed my Algebra test."
The Tandem Twins gave out exuberant hoops and hollers, dancing in circles around the girl as they passed by an alleyway. If you looked close enough, you could see the steam coming from Artemis's ears. "Thanks, guys. Thanks. Love you, too."
Out of the corner of his eye, Dick saw a bit of movement. Suspicious movement. He lightly rapped on Blaine's arm, and the blonde caught his eye. "Wha-"
Dick nodded backwards, and Blaine's eyes widened. "Sh-"
In a sudden whoosh of gray smoke, it began.
Five people jumped out and began to attack. Dick and Blaine were back-to-back in an instant, punching, kicking, jumping, and launching themselves at the attackers. Artemis fought violently, launching herself out and then retreating to only do the same. Blaine jumped off of the walls of the alleyway, then kicked two men unconscious. Dick launched himself- rather unexpectedly- off of Artemis's back and knocked out another two. Artemis took the last.
By that time, the smoke was gone. Artemis stood there, panting, a tear in her skirt. Blaine and Dick were spotless.
"What... just happened?" Blaine inquired slowly.
"Hmm..." came a sultry, cat-like voice. They all turned on their heels and saw a thin woman with a short green kimono, a white and red-striped mask covering her face. "A failed attempt." She cocked her head to the side. "But, I haven't come without back-up." She shouted some odd, foreign word, then launched herself at the teens.
Dick was instantly in hand-to-hand combat with the cat. He blocked out her punches and kicks before attacking with his own. Then, she pulled out her sais. Dick swore as he back-flipped away, coming into a fighting stance. "Could use a little help!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Busy!" Blaine grunted back as she kicked a goon in the chin. He flew back into another, both of which were knocked into the brick wall of the alleyway. Artemis gasped. They were pushing them further into the alley.
"Dick! Blai-" A swift punch to her gut made stars appear before Artemis's eyes. She fell to her knees. A sudden swift kick to her head knocked her out completely.
…
Jason smiled at Coraline as she ran her fingers over the fabric swatches that Alfred offered her. They were all white, all lace, just some with a bit of sequences or tulle or silk in them. Since she couldn't see her dress, she had decided to let Barbara pick it out for her- as long as she could pick out the fabric.
"I like this one," the young woman said meekly as she held up the silk, covered with lace. Alfred nodded, smiling, and said, "It is a very beautiful choice, Miss Coraline." He took the swatch and walked off. Coraline, holding Jason's hand, 'looked' to him.
"Will he always call me that?"
Jason chuckled and kissed her hand.
The clicking of Bruce's shoes came, along with the billionaire. He was still in suit from work, off early because of a Gala later that night. The man's navy eyes were worried, though, being the Batman, he would never admit it. "Jason, have you seen the twins?"
The younger man shook his head, brown bangs falling into his eyes. "No," he drawled out the o, "I thought they were going to the Mountain."
Bruce shook his head, running fingers through his ebony hair. "No, they didn't call." Bruce made his way over to the counter where his phone was located. He snatched it up and swiftly speed-dialed for Dick.
Briiiing... Briiiing... Briiiing... Briiiing...
We're sorry, but Richard Grayson, is not avaliable. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options. BEEP!
"Dick, it's Bruce. Call me back ASAP."
Jason felt his heart drop into his gut as Bruce dialed for Blaine.
Briiiing... Briiiing... Briiiing... Briiiing...
We're sorry, but-
Bruce dropped the phone on the counter and was darting towards the Cave, taking off his suit jacket already. Jason turned to Coraline. "Cori, I-"
Her chocolate smile was half-hearted. "Go. If your siblings are in trouble- I know you. You'd never forgive yourself."
He nodded, smiling back weakly, and said, "Okay," before darting off after Bruce.
The man was already seated in his fine leather chair, his eyes flitting across the exuberant blue screen before him. Bats protested above at the light, turning over to sleep. The slow dripping of liquid in the background sent chills up Jason's spine. He pulled on his ACDC shirt as he leaned over his father's shoulder. "Dad, what-"
"Their belts are in an alleyway on the corner of West and Jackson." The billionaire stood, already in Dark Knight mode, and crossed over to his prized Porsche.
"No Batman?"
With a grunt, Bruce replied, "It's midday."
"So..." Jason decided to take Blaine's Harley. "No Batman?"
"No. No Batman."
…
The ginger groaned, throwing his head back onto the couch. Kaldur sat across from him in the living room, reading a new novel- something thick, leather-bound, and written in Atalantean- while M'gann was trying her hand at crochet. The pink yarn was blinding, but nothing was said on the subject. Connor was flipping through channels, pausing every once in a while to watch a few moments of the show, then continuing on with the channel-surfing.
Wally gave another groan, louder this time, and let his head loll to the side, his eyes half open. Kaldur looked up at this, frowning. "Wally, what is wrong?" He sounded exasperated.
"I'm boooooooooooored..." He had just gotten back from school, and now, he was bored out of his mind. Literally! His mind felt so blank, so fuzzy, that he was getting a headache. He was about to diiiiiiie... Well, it felt like it. Especially with his accelerated mind activity, the junior speedster had a hard time staying sane. He wished that the twins and his girlfriend were at Mount Justice, already! They could hang out! They hadn't done that much since Thanksgiving, and it was almost Christmas, now! It was getting colder, too, but not freezing, yet. He was in the mood to play pranks with Dick, or 'argue' with Blaine, or make out with Artemis. Yeah, making out with Artemis was a definite possibility.
Wally couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered when he had found Dick chasing Kaldur around the Mountain with a bat-a-rang in either hand, ready to, as he so eloquetly put it, 'Gut the d*** little a*****e like the d*** fish he d*** frickin' is!' Aah... Gooooood times, goooooood times...
The ginger's eyes flickered over to the clock, and he frowned. It was 4:56. They should be here by now...
Wally pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Artemis. But, she didn't pick up.
The same for Blaine and Dick.
Wally began to panic.
M'gann looked up, her face concerned. "Wally, you're radiating fear-"
"ArtemisDickandBlainearen'tpickingup!" he cried, suddenly standing. "Somethingmustbewrong! Wehavetogofindthemand- ohmygoshwhatifthey''! OHMYGOSHWEHAVETOFINDTHEM-"
Kaldur stood and crossed over, putting a soothing hand on Wally's shoulder. "Wally, what is the matter?"
Green eyes met silver. "Something's wrong... The bad kind of wrong..."
…
"Artemis... Artemis, can you hear me...?"
She groaned, turning her head to the side gently. She felt something warm and sticky on her forehead, something coppery hit her nose, something salty was on her lips. A strong cough racked the archer's body, and she cringed, moaning gently.
"Artemis."
The voice was stern and angry.
Navy eyes shot open to see the faces of Bruce Wayne and Wally West. "Artemis!" he squeaked, eyes wide. "You weren't answering your phone so I retraced the route you take home and then I found you in the alleyway so I called Bruce and he got down here and Jason is here too and oh my gosh are you alright?"
Well, at least the words were legible.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was hoarse and dry, besides the trickle of blood coming from her lips.
"Stay down," Bruce ordered. "You have a severe concussion. I called for an ambulance- they'll take you and Wallace to the hospital. Oliver and your mother will meet you there." He shoved his phone into his pocket, severe black eyes probing Artemis's mind. "Now, what do you remember?"
A face stuck out in Artemis's brain.
"C-Cheshire..." she managed to rasp, her head still beating violently.
Bruce's eyes widened for a moment in surprise, but he quickly covered it up. Wally, however, had anger and fear scrawled over his features.
A siren could be heard in the distance. Bruce stood, looking at Wally. "Stay here. You were walking to meet her at the pizza parlor down the street- when she didn't come in time, you came here and found her beat up in the alley." Just for props, Bruce took away her purse and ordered Wally to hide it in his jacket. "Give that to her later."
Wally nodded, gently cradling his girlfriend in his arms. His fingers lightly traced her cheeks as he whispered soothingly. Normally, Artemis would punch him for the disgraceful act, but she ignored it. It was actually kind of... calming.
Bruce, meanwhile, was on the other end of the alleyway, Jason standing next to him. The younger man held a white utility belt in one hand, a yellow in the other. Bruce swore colorfully.
Jason looked up. "What do the Shadows want with Dick and Blaine?"
Bruce glowered and looked up at Jason. "What they got on their first mission."
Slowly, a look of recognition came over Jason's face. "You think they're after the Kryptonite?"
Bruce shrugged. "Either that or money. Most likely the latter since they have no connection between their alter egos and themselves."
The sirens grew louder, and Jason pocketed the belts. "The kids're gonna be fine, right?"
Bruce said nothing.
Jason sighed heavily. "Thanks."
…
He woke up slowly, a searing pain in his gut. He felt warm blood soaking over his uniform. Great. Another ruined top. Alfred's gonna kill me!
"If I don't first..."
Dick's eyes grew wide as the figure stepped forward from the shadows. "Psimon?"
Yeah, I'm trying to tie in the end of the last story. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing- for those of you who are wondering when 'the shaded figure' *coughcoughzuccocoughcough* is coming back in... I'm plotting!
So... encouragement, please! I feel sad that not many people are reading this... :*(... I guess people just don't like OC's...