Drop Zone

Part 2

Disclaimer- Don't own Young justice just my OC's and plot changes.

Italics- Spanish speaking or telepathic communication

Shade's POV

After we'd tied the goons to a tree we studied them to figure out who they were and why they were fighting each other.

"I recognize those uniforms, they belong to the cult of the Kobra," Robin said pointing to the men garbed in red robes.

"That's where I've seen them before, I knew those outfits looked familiar," I muttered.

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation" Aqualad stated.

"Agreed" Robin and I said together.

"And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and these goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out," Robin inferred seeming proud that he'd figured it out.

"Makes sense, that would explain why normal supply lines have been cut off, Santa Prisca is under new management," I said looking at the goons.

"We get it Kobra wanted super cultists, problem solved. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for..."

"These cultists aren't on venom, Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave…not until I know why." Robin interjected cutting off Wally's bored statement.

"Until you know why?" Wally said like Robin accidentally forgot to put a we in his sentence instead of an I, but we all know he didn't.

"Here they go again," I muttered waiting for the fight to break out.

"The team needs a leader," Robin said.

Wally scoffed "And it's you? Dude you're a 13-year-old kid who ducked out on us without a word."

Robin laughed unfazed by Wally's accusation "and you're a mature 15? You blew our cover first chance you got."

I stayed back with Megan and Superboy, not feeling like breaking up the fight this time. Even if I tried they would just ignore me so I decided to stay out of it.

"Don't you want to lead" Megan asked Superboy.

He shook his head no "you?" he asked her.

She put her hands up "after the Mister Twister fiasco?" she shook her head.

"You did all right" he unconsciously complimented.

I saw Megan blush bright red and I suppressed the smirk that desperately wanted to form.

"What about you Shade, don't you want to lead" Megan asked trying to change the subject.

I shook my head "no I like challenging authority, not being the one in authority" I told her.

After a while I got tired of listening to Robin and Wally argue so I walked away from the group and leaned against a tree that didn't have any goons tied to it. About a minute later I heard two soft voices speaking in Spanish coming from my right. I was able to understand them because my parents made me take Spanish lessons when I was younger. I listened to their conversation without moving so they thought I couldn't hear them, or at least couldn't understand them if I did hear.

"Look at them argue" Bane whispered, I figured he was the leader.

"Free yourself and take them while they're distracted" the smaller goon said.

"Quiet" Bane snapped, "for now I play along. They'll give me what I need," he said confidently.

I pushed off the tree and walked over to them before speaking in Spanish.

"And what might that be exactly" I asked crouching down so we were at eye level since he was tied up. For a half a second Bane was shocked that I'd heard and understood them before quickly regaining his composure.

"Untie me and I'll gladly tell you" he grinned.

"So not going to happen," I answered quickly in Spanish.

"I mean you no harm, you are not my enemy," he responded.

I raised an eyebrow at the man "This coming from the man who just tried to shoot my friend to pieces."

The man shrugged his shoulders, well as much as he could with his arms tied up "I didn't know who he was or what side he was on, it was just precaution."

"Yeah sure it was," I said not believing him.

By now the team had noticed that I was talking to the man in Spanish. They watched us confused since they couldn't understand what we were saying, all except for Robin who could understand us perfectly since he spoke many languages, Spanish being one of them.

Bane laughed once he had the team's attention and spoke in English so everyone could understand him. "Such clever Niño's but you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. He was hiding something, that I could tell. That and the fact that he's a criminal made me distrust him.

Megan crouched down next to me so she could look Bane in the eyes.

"There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something." Her eyes glowed white as she focused on reading his mind.

He smirked "ah, ah, ah chica, Bane is not that easy."

Megan groaned and her eyes stopped glowing "he's mentally reciting football scores in espanol. This could take a while."

My glare grew harsher when Bane smirked triumphantly "It's not complicated, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The team stepped off to the side and debated on whether we should let him go or keep him tied up. I voted to keep him tied up with the others but I got out voted. We walked back over to Bane and stood there staring at him in silence. No one liked the idea of untying him, but he did know the island and factory outline more than anyone so most of the team thought he could be useful.

Robin took a step forward preparing to cut him free, but I placed my arm out stopping him from walking any farther. Without looking at the team I walked up to Bane and crouched down until we could see into each other's eyes.

"Cross me and I won't hesitate to take you down" I whispered in his ear in Spanish. It was so soft that only we could hear it, not even Superboy was able to pick up what I said. I untied his restraints and set him free.

He laughed and leaned forward speaking lowly so the team wouldn't hear "I wouldn't expect anything less from the famous Shade."

I growled at him as we stood and walked over to the group. Robin looked at me suspiciously before glaring at Bane.

"Shall we get going?" Bane asked but this time in English.

He led us to a large hill about a mile away from the factory. The top of the hill was slightly covered by bushes and overlooked the entire patch of land the factory was located on.

Robin pulled out his binoculars and called out what he saw "look at all that product, a buy is definitely going down. But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects then…" he continued to speak but I didn't hear the rest of the conversation because I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, Bane starting to walk away from the group.

I quickly left the team and flew after him "going some where" I asked crossing my arms.

He looked up at me with fake innocence "just trying to help you find answers" he said as we came up to a large rock leaning against the side of a rock hill.

"Care to move this boulder for me" he asked.

"I can't physically lift a boulder that big" I said trying to see if he knew about my powers.

"We both know that's not what I meant" he answered immediately. "Everyone knows about your elemental powers, so don't play dumb with me chica. I'm many things, but stupid is definitely not one of them."

Without taking my eyes from him I raised my hand and lifted the boulder from the ground before throwing it to the side.

The team turned to Bane and I once they heard the sound of the rock hitting the ground.

"Answers are this way," Bane yelled as he walked into the tunnel.

"So now el luchador is our leader" Wally grumbled.

I rolled my eyes and Gibb's slapped him in the back of the head before following Bane down the tunnel. I memorized our path as we went just in case we needed to make a fast get away later and our guide wasn't with us.

As we followed Bane down the tunnel Robin came up and walked beside me.

"So what was that all about earlier when you were whispering with Bane?" he asked softly so only I could hear him.

"Nothing of importance, just giving him a word of advice" I whispered back as we came to a door at the end of the tunnel.

Bane pushed a button in the wall and the door opened slightly. Robin and I peeked through the door to make sure it was clear before proceeding.

"All clear" I whispered as we ran into the factory.

As we ran through the door Robin disappeared, probably to find a computer to hack into.

"Has that little fool already been caught" Bane asked noticing Robin's absence.

Aqualad sighed, "No he just does that."

"Stay put. I'll get our Intel and be back before the boy wonder," KF said before running off.

"Wait Kid" Aqualad tried to stop him but Wally was already gone.

"Great chain of command" Bane said sarcastically.

"Shut it Bane" I snapped in Spanish.

The rest of us ran over to a set of crates and hid behind them as we watched the workers.

"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad said looking at all the crates.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line. They're not touching this venom," Superboy added.

"Maybe freshness counts" Megan guessed.

"Helicopters coming" Superboy said and we all went silent trying to hear the copter. I didn't hear anything but I trusted SB since he has super hearing. Aqualad told Megan to turn invisible and spy on the exchange to figure out who the buyer is.

Megan did as she was told and disappeared as we moved to the bridge overlooking the factory floor. This way we could see everything and everyone in the factory but they couldn't see us. Megan spied on the transaction and discovered that the buyer was Sportsmaster.

"Aqualad to Red Tornado. Do you read me? Ugh can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid. Com's jammed, we need a plan, now" Aqualad said urgently.

"I have a suggestion" Bane said before jumping off the bridge. He landed on the floor below and started fighting two kobra goons grabbing the attention of everyone in the factory.

"What is he doing" Aqualad yelled when the window behind us suddenly shattered as a big grey monster jumped through and landed on the bridge.

His weight caused the bridge to break and we plummeted towards the ground. I flipped in the air and landed on my feet ready for a fight. I heard one of the goons call the monster Mammoth as it crashed to the ground.

Superboy charged at Mammoth as Aqualad pulled out his water bearers. He used one to create a shield to protect himself with and used the other to shoot the enemy with small water bullets. I created two water whips by condensing the air around me and started whipping people with them.

For a while we held our ground but as more and more goons showed up we slowly started to get overwhelmed. Aqualad and I ran behind some crates to get some cover from the enemy gunfire. Megan established a mind link with the team so we could all communicate with each other since our COM's were down.

"Everyone online" she asked in our heads.

"Here" I answered.

"Yeah" Superboy grunted, he still wasn't used to the idea of telepathic communication.

"You know it beautiful" Wally answered.

"Good, we need to regroup" Aqualad retorted.

"Busy now" Robin said with an annoyed tone.

"Robin, now!" Aqualad yelled as the rest of the team met up with us "Strategic retreat, Shade clear a path."

I turned to face the door and saw a group of Kobra goons blocking the path. I swept them aside with a large wind blast knocking them into the wall and clearing the way for the team to run for the door. Robin swung in on his grappling hook and ran through the door right after I did.

"Superboy the support beams!" Aqualad yelled as we ran.

Superboy punched the support beams behind us as we ran causing the ceiling to collapse and block the path so no one could follow us. With the exit closed the tunnel was thrust into complete darkness.

Aqualad pulled out a red glow stick and cracked it so we could see.

"How could my first mission as leader have gone so wrong?" Robin said sadly.

"You do have the most experience. Perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman and Shade, your roles are defined. You three do not need to talk, but this team is new and a leader must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play part in an unknown plan" Aqualad said with intelligence and wisdom beyond his years.

"Oh, so I'm suppose to hold everyone's hands" Robin yelled. I placed a hand on his shoulder and he sighed, "Who am I kidding, you should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

"Please! I could run circles around…"

"Wally come on, you know he's the one. We all do" Robin said cutting him off.

Everyone agreed that Kaldur was the most suitable leader and he walked up to Robin. "Then I accept the burden until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team, maybe not now, but soon."

Robin nodded in understanding and Aqualad quickly switched into command mode.

"All right our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island."

"Funny I had the same thought," Robin commented as he explained how he sabotaged Sportsmaster's helicopter so he couldn't leave. We devised a plan of attack and started running down the tunnel.

As we ran Robin pulled up his holographic wrist computer and looked at the screen as data scrolled down the screen.

"Sportsmaster's the supplier/buyer but it still doesn't track. He doesn't have the juice to acquire the blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work," Robin said confused.

"And neither of them have the chops to bond blockbuster with venom. That took some major nerdage," Wally added.

"I believe the expression is tip of the iceberg," Aqualad said as we came to a screeching halt at the end of the tunnel. Bane was blocking the exit.

"Halt, ninos I'm feeling explosive," he rumbled and I looked up to see small bombs covering the tunnel exit. Aqualad spoke to KF through the link so Bane wouldn't hear "Kid, you'll need a running start."

Wally discreetly took a couple of steps back giving himself some more room so he could run at a moments notice. We all shifted slightly so he had a clear path in front of him when he needed to run.

Bane did what most villains do, blabbed about his plan to kill us so he could get his factory back and explain why he 'betrayed' us; not that we trusted him in the first place.

Right before he pushed the trigger KF ran up and took the trigger from his hand. Bane looked down at his hand confused when the bombs didn't go off. Wally smirked and waved the trigger in his hand.

Bane moved to grab Wally but I lifted him into the air before he could get far.

"You know a common theme for criminals is that you all talk too much. If you would just shut up and not reveal your entire plan before you actually do it, you might actually stand a chance at winning. I tried to warn you Bane, but you didn't listen. Now I would gladly take you down myself like I threatened to do earlier, but I know Superboy's been itching to do this all day, so why should I deny him the pleasure," I said in Spanish as Superboy walked up.

Superboy cracked his knuckles and grinned, "Finally, drop him." I dropped Bane and Superboy punched him so hard he flew half way across the island.

"Oh that felt good," Superboy said flexing his hand.

"Next time I call dibs on punching the super strong villain with a huge rock fist," I said.

"Deal" Superboy agreed as we ran towards the factory.

When we reached the factory I waited for Superboy to confront Mammoth and start the plan. Superboy nodded at me before jumping out of the bushes to stand in front of Mammoth.

"Go again?" he yelled luring the monster into attacking. Mammoth took the bait and charged at Superboy. Right before he reached him I threw a stream of water at his chest. I kept the stream of water directed at his chest with a great amount of force behind it so he couldn't fight back.

"Sorry not the plan" Superboy grinned at me before running off to help Megan. I continued to keep the water on Mammoth until Aqualad came out and put his hand on the water. He released electricity into the water and electrocuted Mammoth, but only enough to knock him out, not kill him.

Once Mammoth was down I looked around and noticed that most of the goons were already defeated except for the leader Kobra who was fighting Robin. Megan and Superboy sabotaged Sportsmaster's helicopter and it crashed into the factory causing it to explode. Sportsmaster managed to eject from the helicopter before it crashed, but he had a back up plane waiting for him at the edge of the island just in case something like this happened, so he got away.

I joined up with the rest of the team and faced Kobra as he placed his boot on Robin's chest pinning him to the ground.

"I am plagued by mosquitoes," he yelled glaring at us with hatred.

"Good cause this mosquito is mighty concerted over your pain" Robin yelled at him as he managed to wiggle out from under Kobra's boot and flip over to us.

Kobra looked around and noticed that even with all his skill, his chances of winning this fight were slim to none. He was outnumbered and the rest of his minions were defeated and unconscious. "Another time then" he said before disappearing into the jungle. I ran into the trees to see if I could catch him, but he was long gone.

"We picked the right guy to lead. Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman," Robin laughed historically and clutched his stomach as Aqualad thought about how Batman would react and the color drained from his face.

Mount Justice

The team was back at HQ standing in a row avoiding Batman's eyes as he lectured us.

"A simple recon mission, observe and report. You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes. Until then…good job."

I looked up shocked thinking I'd heard him wrong "Wait, what?"

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads, determines character" he said quickly glancing at Robin and Kaldur who were both smiling.

"Batman" I said grabbing his attention. "During the mission I had a little run in with someone on Santa Prisca for a mission as well.

Batman raised an eyebrow behind his cowl "and who would this someone be exactly?"

"I've never heard of him before, but he calls himself BlackBlade. He didn't look to be older than 16 or 17, but he possessed skills that most trained adults don't have. To acquire that level of skill at such a young age he must have trained for years under someone with great talent" I explained as he turned to the computer and typed in BlackBlade's name.

"He's not in any of our data bases or files; whoever he is he's good at covering his tracks. I'll investigate further and inform you when I have some information," Batman said turning back to the team "but for now you are dismissed."

I walked out of the main hanger and went to my room. I grabbed the high-tech laptop from my desk before walking towards the lounge area where the rest of the team was resting.

"Batman may be on the case, but I'm going to conduct my own investigation as well. For some reason something about BlackBlade seems almost…familiar, but that would be impossible since I've never met the dude before. But I still can't shake the feeling that we've met before. I don't know if I'm right or just thinking too deep into things, but what I do know is that, one way or another, I'm going to find out.

BlackBlade's POV

I landed the plane around midnight at a private airport in the outskirts of a small town near Star City. I depowered the plane and hopped out of the cockpit landing on the concrete in a slight crouch to minimize the pressure my legs received from the landing. I stood up and walked into the small building I was told to rendezvous at after the mission.

I walked through the door to see Sportsmaster standing before a group of wide-screen TV's each with a different blurry light figure outline on it.

I couldn't make out any of their body shapes or faces since their images where small white particles meshed together. The body's of the figures were slightly outlined so that if you knew who was in the group to begin with you would know who was who. But for the people who didn't know the figures you couldn't make out anything about them, but then again that was the point. I nodded at Sportsmaster then turned to the light figures.

"I recovered the flash drive you requested," I said holding up the drive for them to see.

"Excellent BlackBlade you've served us well" one of the figures said to me.

"Indeed you have, did you run into any…complications during your mission" another asked.

I leaned against the wall and twirled one of my signature throwing stars in my hand "I had a brief run in with your little kiddie group. They weren't a problem, but they seemed very interested in your drive here."

"And what about you Sportsmaster, was your mission a success as well" the lead figure asked, or at least I think he was the leader. He seemed to be the one doing most of the talking and his voice came from the middle screen.

"All I recovered was a single ampoule of Kobra Venom," Sportsmaster answered holding up a small vial of blue liquid.

"Peut-etre the drug can be reverse engineered. Mais, what of our young heroes? First Cadmus, then Mister Twister, now Santa Prisca" the figure to my far right said with a heavy French accent.

"Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action, and enemies of the light must not stand" the leader of the group said making my skin crawl, but I didn't show it.

"We'll call you when we have further instructions" the leader said before the screens went black.

I passed Sportsmaster on my way to the door and walked over to my black and red motorcycle. I'd brought it with me on the plane for transport when my mission was finished.

I hopped on and revved the engine before taking off down the road. I sped down the deserted road until I came up behind a small gas station on the side of the road. I snuck into the bathroom and changed out of my uniform.

Once I looked like an average citizen again I stuffed my uniform and weapons into my duffel bag before slinging it over my shoulders. I left the gas station and filled the tank of my bike before returning to the road.

As I drove down the barely used road I went way above the speed limit until I could make out the black and white 'Now entering Gotham City' sign forming in the distance.

"This is where she is, so this is where I'm going to be. I need answers and apparently this is where they are," I thought to myself as I drove into one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

BlackBlade is now in Gotham City looking for answers, will he find them? Keep reading to find out. Next chapter we finally get into Dawn's past.