Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, but I do own Andie Kyle.

I realise that this is a ridiculously late update, sorry for that.

I stumbled, inching over the first step of the stairwell; something hard smashed into my back. Losing my balance, I lurched towards the steps below. I tumbled down, the gritty metal scraping my skin raw. The rusted stairwell chipped away as my limbs smashed repeatedly against metal. The downwards momentum propelled me a few inches across the floor, until I came to a halt. My head knocked against the ground with an echoing thud.

I moved slowly, cautious of my sore body, and rose on all fours. Blinking the blood out of my eyes, I warily examined the jagged line cut diagonally across my forehead. A shuffle of feet caught my attention, and I snapped into action, jumping backwards as a foot landed in the spot I just vacated. I gave my attacker a brief once over, just like Robin had taught me:

Short build; low center of gravity. Lean muscle: over-developed speed.

Which means... His offensive skills must be lacking. If I can find an opening, I can take him down.

The masked man jumped, flying over my head in a blur of black speed. Talk about a show off. He wore black clothes and a ski-mask hid his features. He lashed out with a series of well-placed jabs. I raised my arm, blocking each hit just in time. Suddenly, Mr. Ski-mask stepped into my personal space. He was so close, I could see the flecks of green in his brown pupils. I blinked.

Then I found myself tearing through the air; the surface of a gritty wall eventually stopped my flight. I groaned in pain, sliding to the floor. As the masked man ran at me, I stumbled to my feet, jumping out of the way. He flipped off the wall, never missing a beat.

He was skilled.

And he was fast.

Taking up a fighting stance, I shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet. I flipped over his head, mimicking his technique. Although I couldn't match his speed, I had an excellent eye for opportunity.

He glanced up, watching my descent, then I kicked out, aiming for his chest. He twisted backwards and I hit the ground. The second he turned around, I punched him in the face. The mask splintered, and he fell, unconscious.

I let out a huge sigh, and dabbed at the bleeding cut on my forehead. "That's going to leave a mark." Switching to the mental link, I contacted Kaldur. "Looks like this place isn't empty after all: I just had a run in with a masked man."

"Indeed. Artemis and I have encountered a similar situation."

M'gaan's voice popped into my head. "I was attacked as well, and so was Superboy."

"I believe it is safe to say that we are being targeted." Kaldur sounded tense. "In hindsight, our separation was a poor move on my part. Everyone, re-group at the front entrance. We must gain the advantage of numbers. Our attackers are familiar with the territory. At this moment in time, we are at a grave disadvantage."

I nodded for a second, forgetting that he couldn't see me. "I'll be there in no time." I glanced up to the top of the stairs, Robin stood there, arms crossed. "…you coming?"

He took his time walking down the steps, and brushed past me. "Course."

I sighed in frustration and dragged my feet forward. I couldn't help but the notice the slight sag of his right shoulder. "Did you get attacked as well?"

He merely nodded.

I scowled at his back. "Well… are you Ok?"

He turned to face me, his gaze lingering on the cut across my forehead. "That looks pretty nasty. Did you fall on a knife or something? "

I blinked at his sudden extended speech pattern. It'd been a whole three minutes since he'd said more than one word. "Nope. I came face to face with some metal steps."

He nodded. "I kind of guessed that. You didn't exactly go down quietly."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well I'm sorry if my pain caused you any discomfort."

I saw a slight grin flash across his face, but he said nothing. I smiled. Maybe he'd decided to forget about our argument - for now, at least.

We arrived at the front entrance of the building, where the rest of the team huddled. Kaldur stood rigid beside the closed door, gazing up at the light fixtures. "Firstly, any intel that was gathered must be held until we return to the Bioship. For now, our main priority is determining and eliminating the threat. We must find out who is behind this."

A sharp cry caught my attention. I spun around just in time to receive a fist to the face. Falling backwards, I slammed into the ground and my vision went black.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I blinked rapidly, re-gaining my sight as I focused on the ceiling above me. I could hear the sound of soft breathing. I sat up, leaning against the bars of the tiny jail cell. Across from me sat the Boy Wonder.

"You idiot," he sighed. "You must be the only superhero who can't detect a surprise attack."

I rubbed my face with both hands; it stung like hell. "Newsflash: it's called a surprise attack for a reason."

He snorted. "It was only a surprise for you. The rest of us were completely prepared."

"Oh yeah? Then how did you end up in a cell?" I raised an eyebrow, watching as his scowl grew progressively deeper.

A weak groan caught my attention, and my eyes travelled towards the unconscious speedster in the corner. He lifted his head, revealing an inhibitor collar clasped tightly around his neck.

"My head..." Wally groaned, attempting to lift his cuffed hands. "Those henchmen are brutal."

I turned my full attention towards him, purposely ignoring Robin's growing scowl. "I'm guessing the others are in a similar situation?"

Wally looked down at me and Robin's cuffs. "I hope so. Just imagine... Artemis in handcuffs..." A smarmy grin hijacked his face.

I sighed. He's lost now...won't be returning to reality anytime soon.

A metal clank resonated within our cell as Robin's cuffs fell to the floor. He rubbed his wrists and grimaced. "Let me take yours off."

He shifted over to my side of the cell, and knelt in front of my seated form. As he tinkled away at the handcuffs, I smiled slightly; Robin is a dependable guy.

Maybe... Maybe he'll even stick around, if I tell him about my past. Maybe he could help me accept what I am. Maybe I won't have to be ashamed of harbouring the Cat's Essence.

"Robin..."

My cuffs fell to the floor and he looked up. His face was inches from mine. "What?"

I swallowed. "My...my past...is pretty messed up."

He froze, but said nothing.

If I tried hard enough, I could imagine the calming blue of his eyes. I steadied my nerves and cleared my throat. "Selina... made me into a weapon. I -"

"Guys!" Wally suddenly came to life. "I hear footsteps."

Robin gave me a lingering look, then scooted back to his place against the wall. He put the handcuffs over his wrists, leaving them un-clasped. As the footsteps became louder, he pointed to my cuffs. I nodded and placed them over my wrists, unclasped.

A second later, the jingle of keys sounded behind me. I scooted away from the bars, and followed the henchman with my eyes. He walked deeper into our cell. A ski-mask hid his features; at the center was a wide crack, arcing downwards.

He turned a full three-sixty in the middle of the cell. His eyes landed on me. My breath stopped. He took a step towards me and I flinched back, my breath hitching.

This is wrong; he is wrong.

The man froze, his gaze glued to me. He didn't blink; I could see the flecks of green in his brown pupils. His head suddenly fell forward, it angled towards me like a compass pointing north. With hunched shoulders, and an outstretched neck, he froze once again.

This man is... disturbing, unnatural... unbalanc-

His foot hit Robin. The Boy Wonder clutched his nose, a spray of dark red escaping his fingers. I stared in horror at the man before me.

In the duration of his two second attack, his eyes had never left my face. I paled. Whoever hired the muscle, trained them well. It's obvious now that this place is not a trafficking rink. It can't be. This is an ambush... made to eliminate Young Justice.

Hope u enjoyed d story.