A/N: It's been almost a year, but TOS is coming to a close. Depending on how I space out the finale there should be 2-3 chapters left. Hope you stick around to see it through, and thanks for reading. As this fic ramps up towards the end, please leave your feedback. It always helps to know what you did or didn't find enjoyable, or what you wish you could've seen. R&R always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Young Justice is owned by DC Comics, Warner Bros, and Cartoon - murderers of quality programming for all ages - Network.


Chapter 12: The New Team

Traveling with the team in the bioship was the awkward family road trip she'd never had.

Wally sat in stony silence, mirroring Superboy, who Artemis was quickly realizing suffered from perpetual grumpiness. Across the ship, Robin would crack a corny joke every once in awhile; Aqualad simply observed the atmosphere, clearly on guard for the first sign of violent tension; and M'gann laughed politely at Robin's jokes.

After some time, Red Arrow - better known as Roy since he had unwillingly introduced himself - insisted on describing each trick arrow and explaining their uses. It was a useless endeavor. Artemis had been engineering her own arrows since she was old enough to tie her own shoes and could recognize them on sight. But it was better than staring at her shoes and hoping to sink through the floor.

"Net arrow, rocket arrow, foam arrow - in case you need a soft landing," he listed. "This one's a flash bomb-"

"Oh goody, your favorite," Wally grumbled from the seat in front of her.

Artemis placed her foot on the back of his chair, creating inescapable pressure on his back. "Not still holding a grudge, are we?"

He pushed her foot away. "Remember that time you kicked me in the face? Because I sure do."

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin. Artemis bit her lip and motioned for Roy to continue. His voice felt far off now, less important.

Wally had become distant since their earlier truce. One moment they were okay, and the next he was shoving past her on his way out of the kitchen, nearly knocking her into Robin, who she'd been having a perfectly pleasant conversation with. The weirdly mature Boy Wonder had advised her to let his anger run its course, comparing Wally to a petulant child, but she couldn't ignore the sharp sting in her chest at the thought of him not forgiving her.

"You okay?" M'gann's voice echoed softly in her head.

Artemis choked down a gasp. "Woah. I am never getting used to that." Experimentally, she tapped the side of her head as though trying to knock water from her ear.

The Martian giggled. "That's what everyone says at first. But it's become so useful we're never not using it."

"So I've noticed. And yes, thank you, but I'm fine."

"Really…" she mused. "Because I could've sworn I just saw you and Kid Flash-"

"It's nothing," Artemis cut her off. "We're in the middle of a slight disagreement, apparently. I thought we were getting along, but…whatever. I don't care."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Artemis," she said, patiently. "Believe it or not, I know a little something about boys with anger management issues."

Artemis chanced a glance over her shoulder at the pilot's seat. M'gann's gaze flickered briefly over at Superboy across the ship, then returned to the archer with a shy smile. They were a couple, she realized, and an interesting one at that. A Martian and a Kryptonian both trying to fit in on Earth. It chimed together perfectly.

She nodded in understanding. "You make a cute couple."

"Thanks. It took a while for us to get together, but I wore him down eventually." She chuckled warmly. "Look, I know Kid Flash can come on a bit strong, but give him time. He'll cool down."

"It was my fault." The words tumbled out before she could stop them. That was the downside to speaking telepathically. Thoughts were a lot harder to bite back. "I lied to him - to all of you."

"We know."

"And you're not angry with me?"

"You're not the only one on this team with secrets." M'gann said dolefully. "If we kicked people out for lying or acting out of turn, most of us would be long gone by now. I know you were just trying to protect your family. I mean, your actions were...well, questionable, but your heart was in the right place. I'm sure Wally will see that."

"Maybe."

"Don't think badly of him. Accepting you was a big deal. I think the two of you are pretty similar in that way."

Artemis scoffed. Red Arrow glared questioningly at her, then continued his arrow presentation. "How so?"

"Well, you crossing sides means you have to force yourself to act against everything you used to believe in," she explained. "Same with Wally. He used to see good and evil as black and white. Meeting you changed all that. And, if you don't mind the assumption, meeting us probably changed you as well."

Artemis shifted in her chair. It was hard to think of them as similar, and it was even harder to think she had really caused such an upheaval in his morality. Because that would mean she had an emotional impact on him. It was hard to picture, given his current mood.

She shook her head. "Don't think because you're so understanding and all...it doesn't mean you know me."

"Of course not." She could practically hear the sing-song in the Martian's voice.

"I just want us to get along. Because, y'know, we're going to be teammates and stuff. No other reason." Yeah, that sounded casual enough. "Also, could you not tell the guys about this?"

"My lips are sealed." M'gann mimed locking her lips and tossing away the key. Not that it mattered. Even without the mind link, the girl saw right through her intentions. And Artemis realized she didn't much care how transparent she was being. She truly wanted to find a friend, a confidant in the Martian.

"I wonder if we just violated my probation by sharing personal information."

"Probably."

The two girls shared a glance, and then collapsed into simultaneous laughter. Artemis's throaty chuckle rang together with M'gann's delighted giggle. The boys' heads spun around so fast Wally rubbed his neck, checking for whiplash. Not only had it been so randomly sudden, but none of the boys had ever seen Artemis laugh before. They had not even thought her capable. It was something of a rare occasion.

"What's so funny?" Robin asked warily.

"Nothing." M'gann shared a conspiratorial smile. "Just a little girl talk."

"Well, you can stow it for now," Roy swung his quiver around his back. "We're here."


The gymnasium where Artemis used to train with her father had been abandoned for years. The money had dried up and there were rumors that the gym had been on the paygrade of a certain foreign terrorist syndicate for smuggling and training recruits. They weren't wrong. The Shadows had been using the building for years. A certain anonymous tip call - reported to having come from a certain young girl - had ratted out the owner and the building was condemned. All because Artemis had wanted to get back at Lawrence for driving her mother out of the house.

The team perched themselves in the trees, watching the building through binoculars. Miss Martian had been sent as an advance guard to survey the gym and they waited anxiously for her report. It was boring work. Artemis had to stop her leg from jittering and shaking the tree branch she had nestled on.

She checked her watch. Almost eight. The sun had settled and sunset was already fading into night. They needed to move before it turned completely dark. Shadows moved best in the twilight.

After what felt like hours, M'gann's voice materialized in their heads. "I count maybe twenty men," she said. "All of them armed; guns, standard ammunition, and stun batons."

Artemis's eyebrows knitted with confusion. Twenty men outfitted with average ammo. Somehow that didn't sound like the Shadows she had grown up with. "Miss Martian?" Artemis said. "Are you sure about those guys? Did you see anyone who looks like they're auditioning for a Jackie Chan kung-fu movie?"

"What? I don't -"

"Ninjas, M'gann," Robin translated. "Did you see any ninjas?"

"Oh, no. Just normal bodyguard clothes and some army fatigues."

Artemis smirked. "That means they're all hired guns. He really has been exiled from the League of Shadows."

"You sure?" asked Red Arrow with a tinge of doubt.

"I've seen this before. He must've scrounged the bottom of the mercenary barrel. Ex-cops, ex-military, foreign mercenaries, the works. Whoever he's got, they won't be members of the Shadows." They got lucky, that's for sure. Men of the Shadows were not simple servants of greed. They were warriors of belief. And there was nothing more dangerous than someone who believed in their cause so much they were willing to die for it. "That should make this easier. They'll be less coordinated and easier to neutralize." She twanged the line of her bow for emphasis.

Wally gave an affected shiver. "Why do I get the feeling when you say 'neutralize' you really mean 'kill everyone?'"

"Any sign of Sportsmaster?" Aqualad interrupted before Artemis could retort.

"Not yet."

"All right. Remain out of sight until Robin disables the cameras." He turned to Robin. "Have you located the signal?"

"Working on it," Robin had his tongue between his teeths, typing furiously at a holographic keyboard.

Back to waiting again. Artemis started thumbing a spare arrowhead. This was the pits. "So. How are we getting in, oh fearless leader?" she asked.

"We will wait for the cameras to be deactivated," Aqualad replied evenly. "Once we have secured the frequency, Kid Flash and Miss Martian will take out the perimeter guards. We will provide back-up if needed."

She groaned. "You mean we're not even going to create a distraction or blow the entrance up or something?"

Her question was met by a chorus of gawking stares.

"You're thinking too much like a bad guy there, Artemis. Explosions equal casualties." Robin said with a touch of laughter in his voice. "Besides, we're a covert ops team. That means less exploding and more sneaking."

"Seriously?" Her shoulders slumped.

"Well, we try to stay covert. It doesn't always work out that way," Wally admitted.

"You mean, never. Never works out that way."

"Shut up and disable those cameras."

Artemis didn't say it, but she was certainly hoping for a bit of unplanned action. Anything was better than sitting around in a tree.

"There!" Robin hit the last keystroke with a little flourish. "Cameras are down, Aqualad."

At once, two of the guards lazing around the front entrance were struck from behind and collapsed simultaneously. The invisible Miss Martian became visible once more. Two down, she chirped.

Artemis could have kissed them both. The gods of laziness were surely looking down on her tonight. Hopefully, fortune wasn't far behind. They would need all the luck they could get.

"Robin, Kid Flash, you're up," said Aqualad.

When they turned their heads, Robin had already disappeared. Only the echoes of high-pitched cackling had been left in his wake.

Artemis was nonplussed. "Where did he-?"

Wally shook his head disparagingly. "He does that," he said, and then took off in a blazing dark blur.


After receiving the all clear, Artemis found herself slinking down corridors in a pack, checking around corners, quietly bringing down the men, and all the while communicating silently in their heads.

True to her prediction, the men were uncoordinated and otherwise hopeless against a pack of super teens. Like children with no other course of action, they kept trying to call for help on their radios without realizing the signal was down. Artemis had already knocked out three guys mid-radio with no small amount of satisfaction.

Artemis marvelled at the fluidity of teamwork. It was a dance, both choreographed and improvised, and all happening in a split second. Each move was set to exploit the team member's specialties. M'gann and Robin were stealthy, they were the infiltrators; she and Red Arrows were snipers; Aqualad and Superboy were the heavy hitters; Kid Flash was a kind of all-purpose scrapper, blazing through one room and onto the next.

"Gotta say, I'm liking this teamwork thing. It's weirdly efficient," she mused aloud while elbowing a mercenary squarely in the ribs.

Aqualad whipped the man she had just deflected into the opposing wall. "Working in a team is about utilizing each person's strengths to our advantage," he explained. His tone had hardened for duty. It was dictatorial and decisive in a way that filled her with confidence.

"You must be a pretty good leader to keep these weirdoes in line."

"Hey!" Robin protested at the same time that Wally exclaimed, "I resent that!"

Roy swung around to glare witheringly at her. "Did you forget we're all mentally linked?"

"Nope," she sang sweetly.

M'gann giggled as she flew overhead and even Superboy cracked a gruff smirk. Artemis felt her face flush with excitement. Was this how it always was? Making strategies, asking for opinions, and cracking jokes even in the most dire of situations? The last time she'd had a calm group discussion with a team of Shadows, one of them had ended up impaled on an overgrown tree root.

This was better, infinitely better, and she loved every second of it.

The two men they had just leveled managed to pick themselves up and were attempting a retreat. M'gann shot a blast of black telekinetic energy at the one, levitating him up in the air, but she couldn't reach the second, who was unsnapping his holster.

On instinct, Artemis nocked an arrow and stood poised to let it fly. But before the shaft could slip from her fingers, the Aqualad's tattooed arm impeded her aim. He had come to stand firmly in front of her. Before she could bluster a curse, a streak of crackling energy whizzed past them both and shoulder slammed the assailant into the wall, which cracked from the force.

Wally twirled the man's gun around his finger and swiftly disarmed it. "All right there, Megalicious?" he asked with an eyebrow raise.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save," she replied, and promptly dropped the floating man on top of his companion, where they both collapsed out cold.

Artemis was peeved. For multiple reasons. She glanced up at Aqualad, irritation burning in her eye sockets. "The hell? I could've taken that guy myself," she grumbled.

Aqualad jerked his chin at her arrow, still poised to be shot. She took another look at her aim. If the man had been standing in the exact place Wally had slammed into him, her arrow would've flown straight and true. Right through the man's jugular.

The color drained from Artemis's face. She hadn't meant - it was just - oh, no. She hoped Aqualad wouldn't dock points from her probation test or anything. But if he was disappointed or angry, he did not show it. The team leader's face was passive and understanding. They both seemed to understand breaking that particular habit would take more than a few missions.

She hastily shoved the arrow back into her quiver before anyone else could notice and gave a mumbled, "Thanks."

He inclined his head silently and motioned for her to continue down the hall.

But their moment of shared understanding was shattered by an ear-splitting screech, like a fire alarm and ambulance siren had merged into one hellish tone. The team's hearts collectively filled with dread. In the floors above and below, the slamming of doors and shouting of men organizing themselves echoed through the din.

"We've been made," Roy spat. "Must've tripped the silent alarm."

Aqualad nodded and withdrew his watery maces. "Time for plan B." The rest of the team likewise took up ready positions, their ears pricked for the smallest sound of an attack.

Artemis looked around wildly, unsure of the sudden protocol. "Plan B? There's a plan B?" she demanded.

Superboy cracked his knuckles with a sound like snapping metal rods. "Punch everything that moves."

As he spoke, the team was flanked on both sides by two separate groups of guards, all dressed in varying uniforms and drawing their weapons.

Artemis's lips slowly spread in an almost feral grin. "Now we're talking."


Wally West was afraid of two things that day. Funnily enough, neither included the armed guards who were being paid to treat the team like a carnival shooting gallery of wooden ducks.

The first was obligatory; the ever present fear that the hostage they'd been sent to rescue was in mortal danger and they had stumbled into a trap for nothing, never to see the light of day. But he had faith in himself and his teammates so it wasn't anything to curl up and scream about.

The second fear, however, was speeding headlong into battle, unleashing a one-woman hell. Artemis's eagerness was borderline bloodlust, which was alarming, and the number of times she had forcibly prevented herself from dealing a fatal blow was downright bone-chilling.

He wouldn't admit that he had been keeping her fixed in the corner of his eye, but clearly it paid off when he had swooped in to save M'gann before she could. It was getting to the point where he flinched every time she loosed an arrow.

It was all. So. Annoying.

He and Artemis had issues, fine, whatever. They were simply travelling on two different subway trains headed in the same direction, and neither could agree which station to hop off at. Every time the opportunity for reconciliation presented itself, they wrapped themselves in a shell of pride and stubbornness, and refused to come out.

"Wally! Could use some - ugh - back up over here!" grunted Conner.

Wally's shoes screeched on the shiny linoleum, nearly ramming him headlong into a wall. While he had been wrapped up in thinking of metaphors for his relationship with Artemis he had bypassed his battling teammates and skidded to a halt in an empty basketball court. How did he actually manage to lose track of his entire team? He immediately sped back towards the fray, hoping against hope no one had noticed his absence.

Artemis and Conner stood back-to-back in the middle of a weight room. Their adversaries were ducking behind ellipticals and bench presses, practically cowering in fear. Because Conner was in his element, hurling triple digit weights like pebbles and smashing up the floor. Artemis kneeled behind a tower of hand weights and fired arrow after arrow at their feet. Wally was annoyed to observe they made a surprisingly effective team.

Soon, however, Conner ran out of heavy things to throw and the enemy was advancing. Wally offered some assistance by picking off the ones toward the back, but couldn't reach them all.

That was when Artemis ditched her cover and nudged Conner with her elbow. "Give me a lift, big guy."

He nodded and knitted his fingers together for a cheerleader step, which Artemis sprung from after a running start. Practically suspended in the air, she plunged her foot right into the face of the nearest target and used the momentum to spring back and fire two arrows into a fire extinguisher on the back wall, which exploded all over a rear guard.

Wally took advantage of the distraction to punch out the random henchman he was holding by the collar. He glanced warily at her. "You really like kicking people in the face, don't you?"

"Gotta channel that anger somehow, right?" she winked at Conner, who shot her a genuine smirk.

Wally pretended that wasn't the reason his fist whipped around to clothesline the final charging guard with what some could describe as excessive force.


The three of them jogged back to rejoin the team. The crowd of hired men had thinned dramatically and they were making little progress in finding Cheshire. It was only a matter of time before Sportsmaster himself came thundering down the halls, and Wally was not interested in dealing with that guy.

Clearly, Kaldur was thinking along the same lines. "Split up,"he ordered. "Our prerogative is the hostage. This is still a search and rescue mission. M'gann, find where they are holding her. Superboy, clear her a path. Robin, find a security room and rid us of these alarms. We do not need reinforcements. Red Arrow and I will take the south side, Kid Flash, go north. And take Artemis with you,"he added after a beat.

Wally groaned. Artemis's lip curled so deep her mouth nearly disappeared.

"I do not need a babysitter," she protested.

Well, I don't need someone who can't run at the speed of sound slowing me down, Wally wanted to shoot back. But, in a shocking moment of maturity, he kept his mouth shut. He really wished he could rub his self-restraint in her face.

"You're under probation," said Roy with another custom-fitted glare. "You want to be the one who disobeys Batman?"

"Can't I go with M'gann?" She jerked her thumb at Wally. "This one only trusts me about as far as he can throw me."

"Which is to say, not at all?" Rob chimed in unhelpfully.

"Exactly," she said, favoring the Boy Wonder with a conspiratorial smirk.

Wally rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Please stop getting along."

Kaldur's usual patience was being stretched to a thin line. He massaged the dark, wrinkled skin between his eyebrows. "Enough. We are wasting time. You have your assignments, now go."

"Yessir." Wally started jogging towards the north entrance.

It was weird to run at such a slow pace. His legs itched with impatience, mostly to get run away from the awkwardness. It wasn't that he disliked fighting alongside Artemis; it was a nice change from fighting with her. But not now. Not when he was this inexplicably moody.

"So what happens if we run into my dad?" Artemis asked between huffs. Wally realized she was exerting twice as much effort as him just to keep up. He slowed his pace gradually without making it too obvious.

"Easy. If we see Sportsmaster, we'll just run the opposite direction."

She frowned. "That's not funny."

"I thought it was."

"Can you get serious for one minute?"

"Sure. Sixty seconds, starting now."

"What the hell? I thought we were okay!"

"Oh, yeah, absolutely, we're totally fine, no, really." We were totally fine before my team fell in love with you and, for some reason, no one wants to bring up the part where you tried to commit patricide, and now we're suddenly best friends, and -

There was no reason. Literally no reason at all for his anger. At the moment, her entire existence was just...frustrating. Artemis was flitting through moral gray areas and leaving a trail of destruction behind her, and no one else seemed to think it was a problem. If they did, they certainly weren't bothering to reprimand her.

"I don't know what I did this time to piss you off, but is there any chance you can stow it until this is over?'

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I am the model of professionalism."

She gave an exaggerated sigh and gave her bowstring with an extra twang out of irritation. "When are you going to let this go? Seriously, can I get a ballpark figure? We're supposed to be teammates."

"I don't know, Artemis. How many times are you going to try to kill people behind my - our backs?" His tone came out sharper than he wanted. It felt like a dulled blade that had been smacked against rocks a few too many times, but still knew how to cut.

Sure enough, Artemis looked like she wanted to punch a hole right through his forehead. She visibly swallowed her anger down and took a deep breath. Wally pretended not to notice the sweat glistening around her collarbone and clenched his fists to stop imagining what the softness of her skin must feel like.

"Ugh, you are such a child!" She sped up several steps, trying to keep in front of him.

An unwilling smirk pulled at his lips. "Wait. Are you trying to run ahead of me?"

"Maybe." Her eyebrows narrowed so deeply they nearly submerged the gray in her irises.

"Did you forget I can literally break the sound barrier before I break a sweat?"

"No." She started running faster; her blonde ponytail swinging furiously in tandem with her pumping legs.

"Who's being a child now?" He kept up with her effortlessly, his feet flying around corners with irritating ease.

"Nope, still you."

"You are so stubborn."

"Oh, like you aren't?"

"Artemis, Kid Flash!" Aqualad's voice over the mental link splintered their near-violent tension.

"What?!" they snapped in unison.

"We have Cheshire in the main wrestling room on the south end. Report here, then be ready to retreat to the bioship. It would not be wise to linger any longer."

Wally breathed a sigh of relief. "Roger that, oh fearless leader." At least their kamikaze mission was almost over. Maybe they wouldn't have to deal with Artemis's dad after all. Although, knowing Sportsmaster, he was probably lying in wait, hiding in the rafters or something. "Hope you're up for some more running because they're on the opposite end of the building," he said aloud.

"Hey," Artemis said. His feet stopped moving at the sound. She stood directly in his path, her breathing ragged and sweat outlining her mask. "I'm serious. I really am trying."

Wally cast his eyes to the floor and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not - I just..." There was no rhyme or reason for it, he just didn't want to forgive her. He didn't like it when she had girl talk with M'gann, or teased him with Dick, or flirted with Conner, or...oh.

That's why he was angry. Jealousy. Of all the stupid, juvenile, dumbass reasons. Jealous that she was befriending his team so easily, but they couldn't have a two second conversation without it turning into a cage fighting match.

Because the new, friendly, non-homicidal Artemis was a stranger to him. That's what he really hated.

Before his brain could take in what he was doing, his hand had landed on her shoulder and his fingertips dug into the fabric of her top. His thumb skimmed along her bare skin. Maybe it was a hallucination, but he could have sworn he felt the faintest vibration of a shiver along her arm. Artemis stared back, questioning his touch but not shying away.

"Look," he said. "You're one of the good guys now, and that means something. You represent everything we stand for now, and killing is not what we do. Just...say you understand that."

"I do."

"Good. And, put a little faith in me next time!" he added. The words were flowing now; dangerously close to a ramble. "Because, believe it or not, no matter how much of a jerk I am, or how often we bicker, I will always have your back. Just put a little faith in me next time."

Artemis smiled at him and, damn it all, Wally could see the universe in the edges of her smile. "Likewise."

Just like that his irritation faded. He liked this new Artemis just fine. As long as he could see himself reflected in her storm gray eyes and her smile was glinting his way, he could live like this forever.

"Come on. Let's go find your sister."


Kaldur and Roy rounded what felt like the fiftieth corner. No one had yet to respond with the location and the hour grew late. Kaldur could feel the moisture already drying from his hands. It had been some time since his last adversary. Only the final boss could be left at this point.

"Kaldur," Roy hissed.

He followed his friend's gaze to a pair of large, swinging double doors across the hall. A dull light was shining in the transom windows, and a dirty plaque read "Wrestling Room."

They nodded to each other. With the exception of the swimming pool - which Kaldur had so enjoyed fighting next to he wished all their missions took place in athletic buildings - it was the largest room in the complex. Perfect for holding hostages, as well as a final battle. But Kaldur couldn't afford to think along those lines.

Kaldur nudged the door open to peer within, then carefully opened it all the way. They both braced themselves in anticipation of a trip wire or heat sensor, muscles clenching ever so slightly. When nothing happened, they rushed inside. Sure enough, in the din a lone figure with jet black hair sat slumped in the middle of an enormous wrestling mat. Cheshire's mask lay discarded at her feet and a single strand of hair was stuck to her cheek with dried blood from the jagged cut on her forehead.

Roy immediately slung his bow over his shoulder and sprinted to help her. He was so solely focused on her that he neglected to check the rest of the room. But it could not be helped.

Kaldur had never seen his old friend so enthusiastic over a girl - even a potentially psychopathic assassin. However, thanks to recent events and a certain new teammate, Kaldur had become less prone to snap judgments regarding a person's character.

"M'gann, link us up. We have located Cheshire," he reported while scanning the room. His deep eyes raked over the exits, the entrances, the dusty mats in the corner, and the boarded windows set high above the wooden bleachers.

"Oh, thank goodness," M'gann readily exclaimed. "I've got Conner and Robin with me, we're on our way."

"I shall see you momentarily," he replied. "Artemis, Kid Flash."

"What?!" Their shrill voices exploded over the frequency. Kaldur nearly missed a step in surprise. How could they still not be getting along? He wondered if

"We have Cheshire in the main wrestling room on the south end. Report here, then be ready to retreat to the bioship. It would not be wise to linger any longer."

"Roger that, oh fearless leader."

With his team readying for a hasty escape, Kaldur would not allow himself the slightest breath of reprieve. They were not out of the woods yet. "How is she?" he asked.

Roy was bent in front of Cheshire, cupping her cheek with hand and feeling for a pulse with the other. "Still breathing," he confirmed. "Hold on, lemme try something." He lightly slapped her across the face. Kaldur would have protested, but the sand was speeding through their hourglass.

After a moment, Cheshire began to stir. Her eyelids cracked open, squinting against the light. Upon recognizing the man before her, she smiled weakly. "Y'can't buy a girl a drink first?" Her voice sounded crumpled and dry like balled up sandpaper.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she's fine." There was no denying the relief welled up in his throat. Kaldur smiled slightly, and pretended not to notice when he stroked away the bloodied hair with his thumb. "C'mon, we're getting you out of here."

Her senses gradually restoring, Cheshire's eyes snapped open and she jerked forward with force enough to launch herself at Roy's arms. She gripped his forearm fiercely, digging her nails into the skin. She spoke with difficulty; her cracked lips unable to rasp the sounds properly. "T-t-"

"There's no time," Roy tried to say. "We've got to-"

Kaldur catapulted himself over the ropes to hear her properly. Something was very wrong. Their mission was in peril. Their lives were in peril. Every follicle of hair on the back of his neck stood as though jolted with electricity.

"Trap," she uttered breathlessly. "R-Red. It's a trap."

"What?"

A bulky shadow passed under the cracked fluorescent lights and landed behind them with a thud loud enough to cause tremors to Kaldur's very bones. The figure had jumped from the rafters. In two moves, faster than the eye could follow, Roy was struck in the face and Kaldur was thrown bodily in the air. His shoulder took the brunt of the fall, plunging into the merciless cement with a muffled crack. The pain of dislocation was nothing compared to the sinking sensation of dread that accompanied his shame.

Sportsmaster lifted Roy by the quiver and smirked in his bruised face. "She said, it's a trap, kid."