You people are literally killing me with love. You're also FLOODING MY INBOX EVERY TIME I LEAVE FOR FIVE MINUTES!
Kadzait: She's not dead yet. Keep trying.
DO YOU HAVE AN EVIL BUG IN YOUR BUTT OR SOMETHING?!
Ch.3: Drop Zone
Santa Prisca: July 19th, 00:43ECT
Guards with long red robes, guns, and masks surrounded what looked like a gang.
"Our sublime master proclaims he will depart this facility... If... One of you defeats his champion in single combat." One of the guards announced in Spanish.
The leader of the gang, Bane, stepped forward and towards an iron door.
"Just make it interesting." Bane responded. The door opened, and Bane entered, not noticing the smile on the guards face. On the other side, another person entered. He was scrawny, and his sister was behind the door. The boy's name was Mammoth and the girl was Shimmer.
The guard dropped something on Bane's side of the iron bars. The brute picked it up.
"You give me back my greatest weapon? What's the catch?" Bane questioned.
The guard continued to smile at him. "No catch. It would hardly test his champion's prowess if you were not at your best."
Bane attached the Venom to his wrist.
"You want my best?"
Bane attached a tube to his head that poured Venom into his blood stream. His muscles bulged as the Venom took its residence. He turned around, ready to fight.
"You got it."
Bane cracked his neck.
Shimmer pulled out a vial and injected it into Mammoth. The scrawny boy took a few steps forward, holding his head, and landed on his knees. Then, his scrawny-self turned bulkier than Bane's, he grew fangs, his skin turned green and scaly, and in some places the skin just tore open to reveal the muscle under.
Mammoth got up, and charged at Bane, growling. Mammoth sent his fist towards Bane's face, but the brute caught it, and punched his opponent's face before punching his gut. It had little-to-no effect. Mammoth grabbed Bane's neck and punched his abdomen, then his face. Bane fell back, but Mammoth grabbed his wrist and threw him into the wall, like he was a ragdoll. Mammoth walked forward and punched Bane's head into some pipes, releasing a gas into the air. Then, Mammoth threw Bane again, jumped out of the fog, and punched Bane's head, creating a crater. Bane did not move.
The cultist who tricked Bane into fighting started chanting.
"Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra."
More people joined in, and starting shouting.
"Hail Kobra! Hail Kobra! Hail Kobra!"
The man in charge, Kobra, was watching with a joyful smile.
"Hail Kobra! Hail Kobra! Hail Kobra!" was heard all across the island of Santa Prisca.
Caribbean Sea: June 22nd, 20:08ECT
The Bio-ship flew over the Caribbean Sea. The Team was quiet inside. No one made a joke, or spoke. The only thing that broke the silence was the small sound of buzzing.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Megan announced.
Robin sat quietly, deep in thought.
Flashback…
"Euless Santa Prisca. This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal nero-steroid: a strength-enhancing drug. Sold under the street name Venom. Infrared heat signatures indicate their factories are still operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in. This is a covert recon mission, only. Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will. The plan requires two drop zones." Batman informed the teens, standing in front of a map of Santa Prisca.
"So, who's in charge?" Robin asked immediately.
Red Tornado and Batman looked at the Team, then at each other, then back at the teens.
"Work that out between you." Batman answered.
Flashback end…
And that was how Robin became team leader. Robin was brought out of his musings by Megan.
"Drop Zone A in thirty." She announced.
Danny and Aqualad got up, their seats disappearing, both of their faces passive. Aqualad pressed his belt buckle and his red shirt turned black. Danny did the same to one of the emeralds and his cloak became black while the whites of his suit became dark grey.
"Ready." They both said.
Megan nodded. "Putting Bio-ship in camouflage mode."
Megan brought the ship close to the water, and a hole opened up. Aqualad and Danny both jumped out and dove into the water. Aqualad easily swam with incredible speed, and Danny used his flight to propel himself through the water. They dodged bombs that would be set off by touch, and when they came to a net, Aqualad ripped a hole and Danny phased through.
They both jumped out of the water, and ran to a few sensors. They each placed a device on the sensors.
"Heat and motion sensors are patched." Aqualad said through the com, and Danny picked up. "Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in. And Robin, don't be an idiot."
They saw the Bio-ship fly over them, invisibly, and Danny heard a 'hey!' with his enhanced hearing.
"Drop Zone B." Megan announced. She and the others got up, seats disappearing. Megan stretched her hands out and two lines came down for Kid Flash's and Robin's use.
Kid Flash pressed his emblem, and his suit turned black.
"How cool is this?" He sang. Megan smiled. "Very impressive." The next thing they knew, everything white became black. Her shirt turned to a turtleneck and her skirt into leggings. She put her hands on her hips, silently asking for approval.
"Uh… That works too. Hey Supey, not too late to put on the new stealth-tech." Kid Flash said in a compelling way.
Superboy gave him a blank look. "No capes. No tights. No offense." He said.
"It totally works for you."
Everyone looked at Megan, who was looking dreamily at Superboy. Of course, realizing they were watching her, she thought of a quick lie. "In that you can totally do good work in those cloths."
Superboy looked away, and Megan put the hood of her cloak up and turned invisible. A hole in the bottom of the Bio-ship appeared, and Megan floated out, followed by Kid Flash and Robin on their lines.
When they hit the ground, they looked up and promptly jumped out of the way. Superboy landed, creating a giant crater and a big BOOM. He got up and smirked. "Knew I didn't need a line."
Robin looked at him annoyed. "And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the 'covert'." He hissed.
Robin, Kid Flash, and Megan came out of their hiding spots, and the Martian contacted the other two, who were currently looking at a giant cliff face.
"Aqualad, Phantom, Drop B is go." She said through the com.
"Head to the factory. We'll track your GPS in Rendez-vous (pronounced Ron-Da-Vu) A.S.A.P." Aqualad said.
"Roger that." They heard Robin say.
They continued to look at the cliff-face.
"You wanna get a work-out or get there fast." Danny said, holding out his hand.
"Fast." Aqualad said and grasped Danny's wrist, and Danny flew into the air, holding Aqualad.
The other four had taken off into the forest already. Robin was leading. He brought up his holographic computer and little dots appeared on the map, some blue, some red.
The others were following when Superboy heard something. "Did you hear that?" Megan and Kid Flash turned to him.
"Uh, no. Wait. Is this a super-hearing thing?" Kid Flash asked.
Megan, once again, looked at Superboy dreamily. "You do have great ears." She mumbled.
Kid Flash ignored them, and looked ahead. "Ok, Rob, now what?"
Robin… was gone.
"Man, I hate it when he does that!" Wally whisper-yelled. Aqualad's voice came over the com link.
"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared. See if you're being tracked." The Atlantian ordered.
Danny and Aqualad were running towards their location as they spoke.
"I can fly us invisibly, you know." Danny said quietly. Aqualad rolled his eyes.
Kid Flash put his goggles on, and switched it to thermal mode. He got a lock on a group of people.
"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming." He announced. Him, Superboy, and Megan got down close to the ground. Superboy switched his vision to thermal mode too.
"Two squads, but they'll meet each other before they find us." He informed.
The next thing they knew, they were hearing gun shots.
"No super-hearing required now." Kid Flash commented.
"Swing wide, stay clear." Danny's emotionless voice chimed.
Kid Flash stepped forward. "Yeah, yeah. Soon as I find Rob." He said.
Kid Flash took off running. He ran down a trail, slipped on some wet mud, fell down a hill, and landed right in the middle of a fight. (Oh smooth one, oh great one.)
"So much for the stealthy." Kid Flash commented before everyone started firing at him. He used his speed to dodge the blasts, when Superboy jumped in and punched Bane's face. The brute gained the upper hand when he pushed Superboy's head into the ground, but Superboy quickly threw him into a tree.
Kid Flash was still dodging, when Robin came down from a tree and quickly took some guys out.
"What is wrong with you guys?! Remember, covert?! Why didn't you follow my lead!? Vanish into the jungle!" He yelled.
Kid Flash took on another guy.
"That's what you were doing?! Way to fill us in! We're not mind-readers, you know!" Kid Flash yelled back.
Megan took out another guy with her telekinesis.
"Er, I'm not, anyway." He added.
Megan put her hands on her hip. "You told me I could only read the bad guy's minds."
They heard another two guards rounding up, but before they could attack, Aqualad shocked one with electricity, efficiently frying him. Danny pressed a few nerves on the other guard's chest, and the poor guard fell to the ground, twitching. Danny smiled at himself. "I really wanted to do that."
The group tied everyone up to trees, separating the groups.
"I recognize those uniforms. They belong to the Cult of the Kobra." Robin informed.
"I am certain Batman would've mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremeness was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Aqualad commented.
"Agreed." Robin said.
"And since there's clearly no love lost between the Cultist and those goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out. That is why normal supply lines have been cut off." Danny said, leaning against a tree, looking totally bored.
"So, Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved. Radio Bats, and we'll be home in time for-" Kid Flash started but Robin cut him off.
"These cultists aren't on Venom. Kobra's hoarding this stuff. We don't leave. Not until I know why." The Boy Wonder said.
Danny sighed. "We're going to be here longer than expected."
Superboy was the only one who heard.
"Sure you're not psychic?" Superboy mumbled, knowing Danny would hear. Danny's mouth twitched up and he gave Superboy a smile. The clone noticed it was the first real smile he had ever seen on the other teen's face. It was there for minute before it dropped and his face became passive again, worry shining in his eyes. Superboy wondered why he was, of all things on mission, worrying.
The worry wasn't directed at the mission either.
"Until you know why." Kid Flash said, leaning forward.
Robin straightened up. "This team needs a leader."
"And it's you. Dude, you're a thirteen year old kid, who ducked out on us without a word."
"Ha ha, and you're a mature fifteen?! You blew our cover first chance you got!"
"Don't you wanna lead?" Megan asked Superboy as Kid Flash and Robin bickered.
Superboy shook his head. "You?"
Megan held up her hands. "After the Mr. Twister fiasco…"
Superboy smiled at her. "You did alright."
Megan blushed. Danny rolled his eyes, his face still passive out of habit.
"What about you?" Megan asked Danny. The white-haired teen gained a panicked look for a split second before he shook his head, calm again.
"Uh, no, not really. Um, I don't... I have... I'm not..." Danny mumbled before shrinking in on himself and refusing to meet anyone's eye.
Megan and Superboy looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. They were clearly asking the other what they did wrong.
Danny and Superboy perked up at the sound of a huff.
"Look at them argue! Free yourself and take them while they're distracted!" They heard one of the goons say to their leader, Bane.
"Quiet! For now, I play along. They'll give me what I need." Bane answered.
Superboy smirked, and looked at Danny. His hair was covering his eyes, but he was smirking too.
"Yeah, you don't even have super powers!"
"Neither does Batman!"
"Duh, you're not Batman!"
"Duh, closest thing we got!"
Bane started laughing. "Such clever niños! But you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, get you into the factory via my secret entrance."
Megan kneeled on the ground, and put a hand to her head. "There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something."
Her eyes went white.
"Ah, ah, ah, chika. Bane is not that easy." The brute said, smirking.
Megan put her hand down.
"Ah, he's mentally reciting football scores, and Española. This could take a while." She said.
"It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Bane said.
Danny narrowed his eyes. "I could always do this my way." He said quietly.
Robin smacked his head, being the only one who could get away with it.
"No, you're not allowed to inflict pain, and overshadowing could take too long." Robin said.
Danny glared at him, and mumbled something incoherent.
"The supply master, he approaches." A cultist said to Kobra.
"Activate the radio jamming net. Nothing must interfere." Kobra commanded. The cultist bowed before going off to do his work.
Bane showed the teens the factory. Robin, using binoculars, zoomed in to look at the cultists work. Danny kneeled next to him, as he was more comfortable with Robin than anyone else (besides Batman), and zoomed his own vision.
"Look at all that product." Robin commented. Danny nodded.
"There's a ton down there." The white-haired teen added.
Robin nodded. "A buy is going down, but if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects then…"
"We need to identify that buyer." Aqualad said.
"Just what I was thinking." Kid Flash said. Robin got up. "Yeah! You're the thinker."
Danny sighed. "A lot longer than expected."
"Sarcasm? Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers." Kid Flash bereted.
Danny got up. "Leave it be. Living with him is worse." The white-haired teen said with a playful smirk directed at Robin.
The Boy Wonder scoffed but his lips were twitching upwards, as Bane moved a giant rock out of the way to reveal a secret passage.
"Answers are this way." He said, and walked in.
"So, El Luchador is our leader." Kid Flash commented. Robin smacked him.
It was a quiet walk, Danny noticed happily, till they came to an iron door. Bane pressed a button and it opened up. On Robin's command, they exited and hid in-between his pipes, all except Robin and Danny. They were missing, yet again.
"Have the little fools already been caught?" Bane said.
"No, Robin just does that, and it looks like Danny has learned how to follow." Aqualad said, sighing as he did.
Kid Flash put on his goggles.
"Stay put, I'll get the Intel and come back before the Boy Wonder." And before anyone could abject, Kid Flash was gone.
"Great chain of command." Bane commented sarcastically. The three remaining teens shared a look, not noticing the Boy Wonder and the Ghost Boy were running above them.
A bat-a-rang impaled a computer and released a gas, knocking the cultist out before he could react. Robin knocked him off the chair, and Danny leaned over.
"Next time, I'm knocking him out." Robin smirked.
"Ok, but what's with you and violent tendencies?" Robin asked. Danny glared at him playfully. "Like you're the one to talk, you want every detail of a fight when Batsy gets home."
Robin laughed as he began working.
"It's a massive shipment." Aqualad commented, watching the forklifts come and go.
"Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line. They're not touching this Venom." Superboy observed.
"Maybe freshness counts." Megan suggested. Superboy looked up. "Helicopters coming." They watched as, indeed, a helicopter came into view.
Danny and Robin were hacking into the computer when Kid Flash came in.
"Whatcha got?" He asked, snacking on something.
"Chemical formulas." Danny said. "We're guessing it involves Venom but…"
Kid Flash looked over Robin's over shoulder, causing Danny to tense. Kid Flash pointed at one of two different pictures.
"This one's Venom, and that one's…"
"The Blockbuster formula from Cadmus." Danny finished.
Kid Flash looked at Danny weirdly. "How would you know? You weren't even there!"
Danny didn't bother looking at him as he reached over Robin to type a few things. "I hacked into Batman's files and found the report for your 'break in', but anyway; together the two formulas are three times stronger than Kobra's Venom, and permanent."
"But how did Kobra get access to Project Blockbuster?" Kid Flash asked.
Danny typed a few things, trying to find something out while Robin moved out of the way and answered.
"Our mystery buyer must also be Kobra's supplier! Using the cult to create a Blockbuster Venom super formula!" The Boy Wonder summed.
Danny shook his head. "Thank you Captain Obvious."
Robin ignored him and pressed his com. "Aqualad, we got… static."
Danny rolled his eyes and groaned. "Of course…"
The helicopter landed and Sportsmaster exited and walked towards Kobra; Shimmer standing next to her master. He stopped in front of them.
"Lord Kobra." Sportsmaster greeted.
"Sportsmaster. The shipment is ready." Kobra greeted in return.
Shimmer opened a case, and Sportsmaster picked up a blue vial.
"The new Kobra-Venom?" Sportsmaster asked.
Kobra gestured to Mammoth. "A complete success. Our friends will not be disappointed."
Sportsmaster looked at the vial in his hand. "This is a game changer. Finally, we can go mono-a-mono with the Justice League!"
He pretty much just told everything to Megan, speaking she was right above him. "Aqualad, sending you a telepathic image of the buyer now."
Aqualad had his eyes closed when he got the image. "Sportsmaster, he is the buyer. Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read?" Aqualad closed his eyes and growled upon hearing static. "Can't get to the League, Robin, Phantom, or Flash. Com's jammed. We need a plan. Now."
Bane smiled. "I have a suggestion." Then he jumped over the side of the catwalk they were on and went for a frontal assault.
Outside, Sportsmaster, Kobra, Shimmer, Mammoth, and the other cultists heard the commotion and turned to the factory.
"What is he-" Aqualad started but was but off by Mammoth's growl as he came flying through the window. He easily broke the catwalk, sending Aqualad and Superboy to the main floor. Bane, Superboy, and Aqualad watched him carefully.
"Destroy them!" Kobra ordered from behind Mammoth. The once scrawny teen ran forward. Superboy charged, grabbing the Blockbuster-Venom-ed kid by the waist, ready to throw him. Superboy was the one to be lifted in the air though.
Aqualad got out his water-bearers, and his tattoos glowed. The cultists shot at him, but he made a shield of water. He used his second water bearer to make a gun, and put it through the shield and started shooting the cultists.
Bane laughed from where he was hiding.
Megan flew in the factory, still invisible, and started to throw the cultists around like ragdolls. Sportsmaster was the only one who could see her, in a sense. He got out a spear and threw it. Megan was able to dodge, but it blew up, blowing her cover along with her.
Robin, Danny, and Kid Flash came out of the control room, and saw the cultists and their teammates fighting. Flash zoomed away. Danny and Robin looked at each other with passive but knowing looks.
Just as Aqualad hid behind a vat, and more cultists came around the corner, Kid Flash kicked them out of the game. More on the catwalk started shooting and Kid Flash hid behind a pole.
"Miss Martian! Radio is jammed, link us up!" Aqualad yelled. Megan did as she was told immediately. "Everyone on line?"
Superboy, who was punched again, responded "Yeah."
Kid Flash was smiling. "You know it beautiful."
Aqualad ignored his teammate's wording. "Good, we need to regroup." He thought/said. They saw Danny and Robin land in front of Kobra.
"Little busy now." Robin said, but they didn't hear anything from Danny.
"Batman must be desperate if he sends his whelp (Oh the irony...) and his friend to task me." Kobra said, upon seeing the two.
"What's wrong Kobe-y? You look disconcerted." Robin said.
Danny smirked. "I hope you're not afraid of your namesake."
They heard a hiss, and Kobra looked down to see a black cobra with a white diamond on his visor and green eyes tinted silver right about to bite him, venom dripping from his fangs.
Kobra gave a small yelp before trying to crush it. The cobra moved of the way with lightning speed.
Kobra growled. "This is beneath me. Shimmer, take them." The leader of the cult commanded.
Shimmer ran forward, but Robin merely flipped over her, gaining her undivided attention. Danny focused on Kobra and the black snake.
The cobra hissed again and went for Kobra's ankle, just barely missing. Kobra growled. Danny made a disapproving clicking sound. "Anhur, you naughty little snake, stop messing with the poor man's mind."
Kobra growled again. He just met the hybrid and he already found him annoying.
"Shimmer, go for Robin's friend!" Shimmer instantly stopped fighting Robin, and ran towards Danny, ready to punch him. Danny grabbed her fist and flung her back towards Robin.
"Here you go, oh great leader!" Robin punched Shimmer. "Thanks Phantom!" Danny nodded and his attention went back to Kobra's little dance. The snake almost bit him. "Ooo, almost had him, Anhur."
Robin shifted and that caught Danny's attention. He did a small shift himself. Robin jumped next to him, and as Shimmer ran towards them, Robin threw a flash bomb at the ground. They disappeared.
"Come on Anhur!" Danny's voice called out. The snake, 'Anhur', hissed once more before disappearing into black smoke.
Aqualad knocked a few more cultists off the catwalk.
"We need to retreat. Kid, clear a path." Aqualad informed. Kid Flash ran over, knocking more cultists onto their butts, and out of the game. Aqualad, Robin, Danny, Megan, and Superboy ran through the door. Superboy shut the heavy door and locked it. The teammates took off running/flying down the tunnel.
They hadn't gotten very far when Mammoth busted the door down. He and the cultists ran after them, shooting.
"Superboy, the support beams!" Aqualad shouted. Superboy started knocking them down, Danny helping. With the supports out, part of the tunnel caved in, blocking them from the cultists.
In the dark, Aqualad lit up a red glow stick, and Danny held up a green ecto blast. Robin was looking at the closed off part of the tunnel.
"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" He asked.
"You do have the most experience. Perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared." Aqualad said, and continued. "Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined. You two do not need to talk, but this team is new, and the leader must be clear, explicate. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."
Robin turned to them sharply. "Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands! Danny learned really fast!"
Danny face palmed. "Please don't bring me into this, again."
Aqualad continued to look at Robin. "Danny has taught himself how to learn fast. He keeps an eye for detail. That is why he works so well with you and Batman. He has been with you for such a short time, but he does not need to talk to you or Batman, much like you and your mentor." Aqualad explained calmly.
"Gah... Oh, who am I kidding? You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can lead us." Robin said at last.
Kid Flash scoffed. "Oh, come on! I could run circles-"
"Wally, come on! You know he's the one. We all do." Robin cut off.
Danny restrained himself from hitting Kid Flash because of how he let his ego get in the way again.
"Hello Megan! It's so obvious!" Megan said gleefully.
"Coulda told ya." Superboy added.
"Ok." Kid Flash said plainly.
Danny shrugged. "I'm just happy Robin can take defeat." Robin looked absolutely murderous, and Danny waved at him with a cheeky smile.
Aqualad stepped forward, and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder.
"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." Aqualad said.
Robin nodded at him, smiling. Aqualad turned to the others. "Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island." He said.
"Funny, I had the same thought." Robin commented.
"Sabotage. Robin and his friend undoubtedly. Find the problem, fix it." Kobra commanded Shimmer, who bowed and walked off to do her job. A cultist came up, panting.
"Master, should we send search parties after the intruders?" He asked.
"Don't be absurd. They'll come to us." Kobra said harshly.
"Sportsmaster is the buyer/supplier. 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 told them as he looked at his holographic computer as they ran. Danny was looking over his shoulder as he flew.
"And neither of them have the chops to combine Blockbuster and Venom." The hybrid added.
"That takes some major nerd-age." Kid Flash said, and Danny looked like he wanted to smack him, yet again.
"I believe the expression is tip of the iceberg." Aqualad said as they stopped, seeing Bane at the entrance. He had a dozen capsules around him.
"Haw, niños. I'm feeling… explosive." Bane commented.
They looked up and saw a few dozen bombs. Danny was unaffected, unlike everyone else.
"You betrayed us! Why?" Aqualad said, astonished.
Bane laughed. "I want my factory back-"
"Kid, you need a running start!"
"So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying. If the latter, the Justice League would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks, and when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect." Bane explained and was about to press the button, but Kid Flash ran by and took it.
"With what?"
Bane turned around, completely shocked to look at Kid Flash who was leaning against a tree.
"This trigger thingy?" Kid Flash asked.
Bane tried to punch him, but he was lifted up into the air, and was forced to face the others.
Superboy and Danny shared a look. The clone made a 'go ahead' gesture.
Danny took the front. "I have a friend named Ebony, she almost was named Bane."
The wolf appeared behind him, giving a humanoid smirk.
"And she doesn't like you."
The wolf, 'Ebony', lunged forward as Bane was dropped.
"The helicopter is operational, exalted one." A cultist said, bowing. Sportsmaster started to walk forward, but a blur flew by, taking a few cultists with him. The cultists started firing but Kid Flash was too fast.
"Take the shipment!" Kobra yelled. Sportsmaster ran forward, but before he could reach the helicopter, Superboy landed in front of it, creating another crater.
"Go again?" He asked Mammoth, who ran forward, furious. Before Mammoth could reach Superboy, a stream of water pushed him aways.
"Sorry, not the plan." Superboy said, and looked to Aqualad.
Superboy was about to do something to the helicopter, but Sportsmaster came around the corner, firing one of the laser guns. Sportsmaster was doing an exceptional job hurting Superboy. Megan came up behind, invisible, and tried to knock him over. Before she could, Sportsmaster jumped over her, blowing her cover, and holding her in a choke hold, continuing to fire at Superboy.
Kid Flash punched another cultist as he ran by, and accidently ripped off his mask in the process.
"Cool, souvenir!" He yelled and ran away with his new 'toy.'
Shimmer and Kobra were watching un-amused, when Shimmer was tied up. The two looked to the side and saw Robin and Danny. The Ghost Boy clasped his hand on Robin's shoulder.
"Call me if you need me." Danny said and with that, the hybrid was gone.
Robin smirked at Kobra.
"I know you hate getting your hands dirty." The Boy Wonder commented.
Kobra gave him an angered/annoyed/un-amused face.
"True." He took down his hood, and let the cloak fall. "But sometimes even a god must stoop to conquer."
Robin ran forward and tried to knee him, Kobra grabbed it. Robin tried to leg sweep him, but Kobra merely moved his leg. Robin tried to kick him, but Kobra grabbed it, and easily kicked the Boy Wonder away, who in return recovered fairly quickly. Robin glared at him.
"What's wrong, boy? You look disconcerted." Kobra said, mockingly.
Kid Flash ran by knocking more cultists out of the game with inexplicable ease. Aqualad was easily taking out Mammoth, who couldn't take the constant stream of water. Then Aqualad put one water bearer away and put his hand to the stream. Lightning sparked, and traveled down the water and shocked Mammoth, knocking him unconscious. Aqualad put his other water bearer away and his tattoos stopped glowing.
Sportsmaster continued to fire at Superboy as he traveled up the ramp of the helicopter.
"Thanks for the workout, but I gotta fly." And with that, he threw Megan at Superboy.
The helicopter took off into the air, and Superboy and Megan watched. Megan sat up next to Superboy, and held up a trigger. Danny appeared out of nowhere, and gasped.
"Can I do it?"
Megan shrugged and held the trigger out. Danny pressed it like a kid on Christmas. The back of the helicopter exploded and fell from the sky, and they saw Sportsmaster jump out with an airplane.
Danny smiled. "That felt nice."
Superboy narrowed his eyes. "Where have you been?"
Danny gave him a mysterious smirk that easily said he was in his element.
"Taking out cultists. Anhur and I are having a field day." The cobra in question appeared on his shoulder. Before they could ask what the heck the snake was or how it got there, he was gone.
"Ok, he is about as bad as Robin." Superboy commented.
Bane, who was tied to a tree near the entrance to his tunnel, saw his beautiful factory explode, as the helicopter crashed into it.
Robin was punched to the ground, and held firmly to it by Kobra's foot.
"I am plagued by mosquitoes." Kobra said disdainfully. (Aren't we all? Especially people who live in Florida.)
"Good because this mosquito's mighty concerted over your pain!" Robin countered.
They heard a hissing and saw the black cobra on Kobra's shoulder, ready to strike. Kobra, in a state of panic, kicked Robin out of the way, and threw the snake off him.
Robin jumped back, and landed by his teammates. Anhur slithered over to Danny, who picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. The cobra wrapped its tail around Danny's neck gently.
"It's sad when you're afraid of your own namesake." The hybrid baited.
Kobra looked them over, and started backing away.
"Another time then."
And with that, he disappeared into the shadows. Robin and the others looked around, but he was gone. When they regrouped, Robin said "We picked the right guy to lead. Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!" Robin started laughing, looking at the flaming factory.
Danny stood by Aqualad with an uneasy look. "First off; you are a good leader. Second; I will hurt Robin later for you, but that's his way of showing affection. Third; I fear for your life."
Mount Justice: July 23rd, 10:01EDT
"A simple recon mission; observe and report. You'll each receive a written evaluation, detailing your many mistakes. But until then…"
All the kid's were tense, especially Danny, who was as stiff as a board, stood like a soldier, and looked as if he was about to have an emotional breakdown.
"Good job."
All the kids looked at Batman surprised, all except Danny, who was still stiff.
"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen determines success, and how you choose who leads determines character." Batman explained.
Kaldur and Robin shared a smile.
"You can leave now, and Danny, Canary is waiting for you for the therapy session." Everyone looked at Danny, who was still standing stiffly.
Batman sighed. "Knew I should've talked to him by himself." He mumbled.
Robin waved his hand in front of Danny's face. "Danny? You ok?"
No one in the room heard Danny say 'no.'
And they have established a leader. Fantastic. And Danny's still a wuss when it comes to his teammates. Except when they're in a fight. Than he becomes slightly crazed. :D
Kadzait: Can you blame him after what you did to him?!
Not really. I'm actually quite proud of myself.
Kadzait: *jumps off cliff in exaggeration*
For those who really want to know about the animals I've had show up (the wolf, the orca, the dolphin, the griffin, and the cobra), has anyone noticed their color scheme or their loyalty to Danny? Hmmmm... *evil smile*
Anyways, thanks to these people who favorited or followed: CrystalCard, Hopper18, SomeItalian, 16ckelmen (YES!), Enchanting Elf, KitkatKate2008, Tallia7, Andrea and Naturberd, The King Knight's, Gentle-Valera-Fox, Jay Eddon, Jumjalala, GreenDrkness, Lusians, Mistress Belfray, and Lover of all things Kingo! You guys flooded my inbox!
Reviews:
Ms. awesome562 (the thing wouldn't let me spell your name!): Awww, thanks! And hahahaha! Sometimes I have issues with remembering the entire plot to some stories cause they're chapters are long (I hope mine are) so I do it everyday so no one has to go back and read it again. And to answer your questions, they're being like that because Danny has his weird mood swings. It's not that they don't trust him, it's more they don't know how to handle him quite yet. They're treating him like something fragile, cause in a sense, he is. They'd probably treat him better if he came with a manual. And contrary to popular belief, he and Robin are like brothers. But Danny doesn't have a clue how to act around the rest of the Team and therefore, Robin has no idea how to handle him either. Does that make sense? :D And don't worry. Things will be sorted out eventually.
Supaherolena02: I hope you enjoy daily episodes! And the flute... I had something really big planned for that. And then I didn't do it. So now it's kinda... Just there... I failed... Haha, my bad. :D
Kilppari: OOOOOOO, SOMEONE FINALLY ASKED ABOUT THE ANIMALS! I'd just like to let you know, the wolf and the griffin are two separate beings. And the questions you are BOUND to ask will be answered in chapter 5. That's gonna be sooooo. Much. Fun. HEHEHEHEHEHE! And your idea, BRILLIANT! AND I'D TOTALLY DO IT IF it weren't for the fact I already wrote the Injustice Gang episode. And every other episode for season 1. I'm already on my own ideas for the show. But if I hadn't written that far ahead (I've been writing this since November...) I WOULD TOTALLY PUT THAT IN. CAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FRIKKIN AWESOME.
RCRC36: Thanks, dude! I'm so happy you like!
Lexosaurus: *cries tears of joy* Every time I read your reviews, I can't help but be so happy! I've never felt so loved! You won't see any therapy or training sessions but I can tell you (just between you and me) why he has the extra hour of training since I never found the perfect place to explain it. So, we all know Danny has issues (as we have seen in that last chapter). And he has a lot of issues going against orders. So wherever he was before that boat exploded (cause I'm not telling you) he was told not to fight back against his 'superiors'. That's still implanted in his brain. So, he has trouble getting himself to fight against his teammates and his superiors (you will see this happen in Schooled). And, oh yeah, he's in the dark. Very very far in the dark. And come on! He collapsed cuz he saw- Oh yeah, can't tell you that yet. He collapsed from trauma. AND TALKING IS SO MUCH FUN! (You have a second reply. Go find it.)
IWasNeverReal: I loved his explosion too. I'm so happy you did too. :D And yes. That will be explained when Artemis shows up. YIPPEE! And you won't see Sam very much. I have trouble getting her into the story when the Team is always on missions! GAH! You-You stopped studying for me? *faints and falls off chair* And your idea is great. I'll see if I can incorporate it somehow!
Guest(1): THANKS YOU FOR THE COMPLEMENT!
KuriMaster: To put it simply, I love you. :D
Hitomi-tama: Thank you for loving my work! And your review... Just. Wow. Mind = Blown.
16ckelmen: Hope this was good enough for you!
Lexosaurus: Wooooooooowwwww. *claps sarcastically* And after I explained it, too. My mind, yeah, it imploded.
Guest(2): Awwww, you make me feel special, dude! I'm so happy you're enjoying it! A lot of people have actually asked bout Dani and I think I'll add her later, later, later on in the story. Just for the people who want her to show up!
Azorawing: OH THANK GOD! I LOVE YOU! Goin with my author's note, you sly dog. *winks in a not-so-subtle-way*
Mary Elrondile: The Team's supposed to help with his problems but sometimes our plans don't go according to the way we want. :D Oooh, don't even worry about that. THERE WILL BE BATMAN/DANNY FATHER/SON STUFF. Don't you worry a bit! :D
Inviso-Al: You love asking me questions I can't answer for plot twist reasons, don't you? :D
Phantom Ice: Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me! Thanks again!
GreenDrkness: My summary can't be that enticing! Or can it? I have no idea. Anyways, thanks! Here is more for your enjoyment!
If you guys wanna see something specific happen in the crossover with Justice League, please tell me! I kinda don't know what to do and you guys have given me some AWESOME ideas!