Inside Mount Justice's gym the emerald archer stood alert as his frustration began to reach its limit. This was the third training session green Arrow's protégé had missed, after the second try he couldn't chalk it up to her being a teenage girl because Artemis was anything but average. Training was what got her through her days at Gotham Academy. She would never miss it unless one of the League members told her she was banned until an injury healed and even then she'd try to sneak in a few minutes in the gym.
"Where is she?" Green Arrow finally shouted to the empty room. A few minutes early this was true, but the Team's recent before had the Dark Knight clueless, but he had a hunch it had something to do with Artemis. Unfortunately he thought something other than the truth.
"What's wrong Arrow?" Batman asks.
"Artemis, she hasn't shown up for any of our sessions!" Arrow's statement confirmed Batman's suspicion that Artemis was at the center of this mess. It was a well-known fact she'd run all the way from Gotham before she missed a training session. The Dark Knight wasn't sure if it was healthy dedication or an unhealthy obsession, but let's be honest; he really isn't in a position to judge someone else's choice of becoming a hero.
Black Canary, unofficial mother hen of the team had been wandering the halls of Mount Justice to see if she could catch one of the teens and get them to tell her what was wrong. If she didn't she would mandate meetings. While on her hunt—I mean travels she heard the shouting coming from the training room, at first she thought some of the kids were at each other's neck, which she learned was often a result of them being stressed, but instead she walked in and found her boyfriend venting to the man who ran towards danger, but away from any conversation that touched upon the feelings department. Instantly she knew he was investigating.
"Neither have the team." Black Canary added speaking up from her watching spot. Batman looked at her calmly having known she was there the minute she walked in, but her sudden appearance made Green Arrow jump and she tried to hide the little smirk on her face at his reaction. Green Arrow's attempt to win back some of his pride was interrupted by Red Tornado's voice coming out of the speakers.
"Batman," Red Tornado says, "I think you should see this."
The three members gave each other a slight nod before briskly walking to where Red Tornado was waiting. "Batman. Green Arrow. Black Canary." The android said before playing a clip of a news broadcast.
"They say the explosion occurred four nights ago destroying the warehouse. Since it was abandoned officials say they won't be searching."
The League, including Batman, was shocked.
"They didn't say anything about there being an explosion!" Green Arrow said with a slight undertone of horror in his voice. Black Canary had warned him that the kids could have a bad reaction to any large explosions after what happened with that training experiment.
"They haven't said anything at all Oliver!" Canary shouted at her boyfriend. Oliver cringe slightly at Diana calling him by his identity even though they were at Mount Justice because she only did that when she was really mad and he did not want to be around her when she was like that. He didn't want anyone, friend or foe, to be around her when she got like this; no one deserves that kind of pain. Batman still retained his cool composure and turned to face Red Tornado.
"Tornado, see what footage you can get of the warehouse, before and after the explosion, from the Watchtower." He instructed. "And audio if there is any."
With a furl of his cape the Dark Knight disappeared in search of something on his gauntlet (A/N the glove computer thing) while Red Tornado searched through the Watchtower's archives.
"Here it is Batman." The Dark Knight gave a nod before the footage was played. There was a slight glimmer that caught his eye as the footage rolled. The building explode in a violent sequence and then nothing else, just a warehouse going up in smoke and crumbling down to nothing, but charred rubble.
"Someone cut the footage," Batman says, he knows who did it.
"Robin." It wasn't a question, but an answer.
"The boy is so dead." Green Arrow commented sympathetically under his breath, but he still wanted to know why.
A few hours early
"Are you all done cutting the tape?" Wally asked his best friend.
"Yeah," the boy wonder sighed. "I'm done. I deleted our conversation before we ran back in from the audio and put the warehouse footage from before we got there on a loop. If they ask us about it we can just say it was destroyed by the time we got there; probably the mole told them we were coming and they destroyed it along with any evidence."
"Good thinking Rob," Wally praised softly. "What else are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that at the very least I am doomed, if not the whole team is." Robin answered.
"Why do you say that?" The young speedster asked concerned.
"Think about it dude," Robin explained. "The Watchtower's computers are the most advanced out there that we know of and someone just hacked into it easily. If they look at the tape closely enough they'll see my name written all over it, Bat's will probably know even if they don't look closely enough—which will never happen."
"Damn Rob," Wally muttered. "There is no winning this is there?"
The boy wonder's shoulders slumped forward and his dark hair hung in his eyes. "probably not Wally, but we gotta try… for Artemis."
Wally nodded solemnly in agreement. "For Artemis."
It was the fear of the whole team that if the League found out about Artemis's death they would disband the team and then everything that Artemis died for would be for nothing and that was the one thing they refused to let happen. No matter the cost her death would not be in vain and her name would never be tarnished. Daughter of Sportsmaster or not, Artemis would always be thought of a hero in their hearts.
Not long after the League's discovery
"Team," Batman's voice boomed over the speaker jarring the grieving teenagers from their thoughts, "come to the mission room."
"Robin was right. They looked at the tape; we're doomed." Wally muttered.
The team gathered just outside the mission room and comforting and supporting looks were passed around. Then they walked in as a team, as Artemis's team; in unity. Standing in the room was all of their mentors; Batman, the Flash, Black Canary, Man Hunter, Aquaman, and Red Tornado. The sight was intimidating to say the least, but the past few days had toughened their skin and numbed their hearts a little. They were hurt in a way none of them could describe, even Robin who had already lost his parents felt more lost then he did when they died.
"You called." Connor said in a gruff voice while holding M'gann's hand in a tight hold to keep her together and to make sure she knew he was there for her. Green Arrow stepped forward the moment the words left his mouth as if this scenario had been practiced, it had been in order to please Black Canary who was still in a less than pleasant mood.
"Where is Artemis?" GA said in a stern voice. His words didn't faze the team. Their expressions were blank as the team just stood there looking at them.
"Fine," Black Canary said as if expecting their reaction. "Do you feel like telling us why you decided to hack into the Watchtower and alter footage Robin?"
Robin gave a small grunt of denial and the team took a synchronized step back as Batman's glare found him. Wally looked around and then silently snapped. He took another step back before turning his back to the League and walked away while zipping up his hoodie. His uncle stood in front of him with his arms crossed.
"And where do you think you're going?" The Flash inquired. His nephew didn't bother looking at him before turning into a blur and disappeared.
"Oh no you don't," the Flash grumbled before turning into an even faster blur and with that speedster senior raced after speedster junior. The rest of the team stood silent as they faced their own mentors.