A/N: HELLO. IS ANYBODY STILL HERE? If you are, thank you for still reading this story! I KNOW it's been two months (though it's been 3000 years...), but I'm just letting you know, I haven't abandoned this story (and I will not)! It's just harder to work with this because it involves a lot more careful planning than Nothing Like My Novels, so... yeah...
In this chapter, we introduce a character that makes a pivotal point in Dick and Verena's relationship. :)
MOUNT JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 5, 2011
07:22 EDT
"Team, report to the Mission Room."
Wally got up from his seat on the couch and stretched, groaning loudly. "Duty calls," he announced to no one in particular.
I pushed myself off of my spot from my seat and stretched. Robin simply leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Let's go, Hunk Wonder, you heard the speedster," I said, tapping the back of his hand, which was resting over my stomach.
"Yeah, yeah," Dick mumbled before standing up himself. He adjusted his sunglasses before taking my hand and we walked out of the lounge, following Wally and Artemis.
It didn't take us long for the thirteen of us to gather in the Mission Room, where Batman and Red Arrow were waiting stoically.
"What's up?" I asked, propping a hand on my hip.
"New missions," Batman said curtly. "Red Arrow will be joining you on one of them."
"One of them?" Conner inquired, furrowing his dark brows.
Batman nodded. "You'll be split up into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Alpha will consist of Aqualad as leader, Superboy, Rocket, Tempest, and Aquagirl. Beta will have Robin and Black Falcon as leaders, Kid Flash, and Red Arrow. Gamma will consist of Artemis as leader, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Troia."
"And our objectives?" Kaldur asked, taking a step forward.
"Team Alpha will be confronting The Veil once again," Batman explained. "There's intel that they will be striking once again in Lower Manhattan in a couple hours. Team Gamma will provide for them as back-up, but until given a single, they are to stay out." He looked pointedly at Artemis.
Artemis held up her hands passively. "Okay, okay. No shooting until given the signal, got it."
"And us?" Wally asked, crossing his arms.
"You four will be going underwater to another H.I.V.E. base," Batman said.
I frowned. "The last time that happened, I was almost caught up in an explosion."
"Then don't explode anything," Batman quipped.
"May I ask, why are we staying on land while Team Beta goes on a mission underwater? Wouldn't it make better sense for us Atlanteans to go on that mission instead?" Tula voiced politely.
"You've already encountered The Veil, and thus, you can identify their fighting styles," Batman pointed out. "But that's not the only reason. With Aqualad, Robin, Black Falcon, Kid Flash, and Red Arrow are the most experienced, and I have intel that H.I.V.E. has hired a mercenary that has the same abilities as Deathstroke, who is considered the world's greatest mercenary. In order to have the least amount of casualties, I'm sending in Team Beta to quickly take down the mercenary as well as gather as much more information on H.I.V.E. as they can. If it sounds patronizing, then so be it, but these are my orders."
"No," Garth said, shaking his head. "It's understandable."
"Suit up," Batman ordered. "Team Beta in stealth mode." Well, that meant only Wally, because Robin's, Red Arrow's, and my stealth modes were our regular uniforms.
A few minutes later, we were in the hangar with everyone else. Wally hit the center of his chest and his uniform morphed to a black and dark grey.
Robin pulled up the coordinates on his holo-computer. "The base is located approximately two-hundred feet deep and thirty miles off-shore from New Hampshire."
"The Bio-Ship will drop you at the edge in New Castle. From there, you'll swim."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're swimming thirty miles and then diving two-hundred?" Kid Flash asked incredulously.
"You have a problem with that?" Batman looked at Kid Flash.
"It's a good thing I'm in shape," the speedster chose to sigh instead. "After this, I'm not swimming again for the rest of the year."
"Tell me about it," I sympathized, placing a hand on his back. "I've spent more time in the ocean than in the air these past few months."
We all boarded the Bio-Ship, and I made sure that I had enough back-up re-breathers just in case a couple went missing during the fighting that will undoubtedly occur.
Instead of choosing to sit, Robin and I stood leaning against the wall of the Bio-Ship while Kid Flash and Red Arrow were with their girlfriends.
"You be careful, alright?" Troia asked, looking at Red Arrow up and down, eyes memorizing each of his muscles.
Red Arrow looked pointedly at Troia. "I'm not a child, Troia," he replied. "I know what to do."
Troia rolled her sapphire eyes, replying, "I'm just eliciting my concern for you, Roy. No need to get so touchy."
"They'll kick ass, Troia," Artemis assured from where she sat with Kid Flash. "Relax. With Robin and Fal around, they'll do fine."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe," Kid looked at Artemis with a grin.
"Actually, it was more directed towards the Kid Wonders," Artemis jutted her thumb at us. I met the female archer's gaze and she winked at me. "Kick an extra butt for me?"
"You got it," I grinned.
"We're here," Miss Martian announced, the Bio-Ship coming to a stop. "Opening the lower hatch. Depth of the water below us should be fifty feet."
"Time to go, boys," I announced, slipping my re-breather between my lips. Robin gave a ladies first gesture towards me and I dived through the hatch. I immediately felt the cool, Atlantic waters hit my skin, and goosebumps involuntarily appeared.
Oh crap, it's cold, Kid Flash signaled to us through sign language.
Your body will adjust to it soon, Robin reassured his best friend before activating his holo-computer. We gathered around and looked at the coordinates.
There's no way that the outside will be unguarded, especially after the last raid, Red Arrow signaled. Is there a way to sense underwater cameras?
Robin and I exchanged looks before my boyfriend turned off the hologram and signed, We'll be able to tell. Then I'll get close to one of them and then place it on a continuous loop for ten minutes. That'll give us enough time to enter the base and take 'em out.
I mock-saluted Robin before carefully swimming away with the three at my heels.
Robin then swam a bit faster, so he was able to swim alongside me. He looked at me and said, While I'm disabling the cameras, access the layout of the building.
Gotcha, I responded, nodding my head. As we were something, I saw something head straight towards me, coming at me quite quickly.
I activated the zoom function of my mask, and realized it was a seal, a grey seal, to be specific.
Incoming company, Wally reported with a smirk, just as the seal circled around us before stopping in front of us.
I realized that it was a male, as it was dark and had a large nose, but a young one, probably no more than five years, around eight feet long, and probably 350 pounds or so.
The marine animal cocked his head to the side, before swimming through our small group. The rough leather brushed against my arm as he swam through us, and it was actually strong enough to knock me to the side a bit.
It's just curious, I said to the other three. Let's keep moving. The other three nodded and we turned away from the seal, swimming away.
As we got closer and closer to the base, we slowed our pace, not wanting to alert our presences. Robin held out an arm, stopping the rest of us. Cameras, he signed.
I scanned the area, and spotted the recorders. I swam back a little bit, doing my best to blend in with the shadows the marine life casted. I swam slowly, and pulled out a small bug that would help Robin hack through the systems. It was too risky to stay stationary and hack, especially with the moving cameras.
I attached the device onto the camera and quickly swam away. By the time I got back to the guys, Robin was already typing away. Robin looked up and his eyes landed on me, his facial expression saying everything he needed.
I'll have it done in five minutes, I translated to the other two. Get ready.
Okay, Kid Flash and Red Arrow nodded their heads.
Once Robin was able to successfully hack the cameras, we took off, swimming straight towards the base. We found a small opening and swam into it, before we surfaced in a small pool inside the base.
I took out my re-breather, and the others followed my example. We slid behind a large sub as we saw a person dressed in bee-patterned clothing pass by.
"So, how do we do this?" Kid Flash whispered.
"We split up," Robin ordered. "On each in the north, east, west, and south wings. Fal, did you send the info?"
"Yeah," I muttered. "It should be in the mask – or in Kid's case, goggle – function." I pressed the side of my mask, and my vision changed. The colors around me warped so they were a light red with a map in the top right corner, pinpointing where we all were with four blinking dots.
Red Arrow and Robin did the same, while Kid Flash pressed on the side of his goggles.
"This new tech is so cool," Kid Flash muttered in awe.
"The main rooms we want to check out are the main room in the north, the prisoner cells in the south, the engine room in the east, and this room in the west. Red, since it's expected to have more enemies in the main room, your arrows would be the most beneficial to take them out. Kid, scrounge around the engine room and take as much information as you can. I'll take the prisoner cells, and Fal, stay here at the exit to secure our escape."
"You want me to interrogate people, too?" Red Arrow offered. With all the frustrations and dead ends he's been facing searching for the real Roy Harper, he probably wanted to just beat some people up.
Robin nodded, "Get whatever you can."
We waited in silence, before swimming to the edge when the H.I.V.E. member walked away from them. At once, we got out of the pool silently, before I walked up behind the villain, grabbing him from behind.
I cut off his oxygen supply, placing my hand over his nose and mouth and gripping him tightly from behind. He struggled against my tight grip, but it was futile. I held on tight, and a few seconds later, he slumped to the ground, unconscious. "Go," I nudged to my teammates.
Without waiting for another word, the others went to run out of the room, but was stopped by the sound of gunshots. All of us instinctively dropped to the ground and I pulled out my gun, shooting blindly in the general direction of our assailant.
I could tell that my air bullets missed, as I didn't hear any cry of pain or a body falling to the ground. I turned up just in time to see someone flying right at me, so I rolled out of the way, kicking at our attacker.
He brought his sword down and I pulled out my other gun, blocking his attack by forming an X with my arms, my guns keeping the blade away from me. I slid between his open legs and tripped him, yelling to the others, "Go!"
THIRD PERSON
At Black Falcon's command, the three male heroes got up to their feet, rushing off.
"No, you don't!" their attacker cried, aiming his gun and shooting at the three retreating heroes. His bullets, however, were knocked away by an invisible force. He turned, glaring through his mask at whoever intercepted his attack.
Black Falcon simply cocked her hip, slipping her left gun back into its holster. She spun her other gun in her right hand, arching a brow at the attacker, observing him.
He was average height and stocky, stand at about 5'8" and about 220 pounds. He was dressed in a silver and black uniform, with the torso and left arm and leggings a silvery-scale color. The rest of his top was a smooth black, and he had an ammunition belt slung over his left shoulder, with gold gloves and a belt.
Black Falcon trailed up, seeing an angular jaw curved into a sneer, but everything else was covered by a mask that had glowing red orbs, adding to the evil, sadistic look on his face.
"Black Falcon," he recognized, almost like he was spitting on the name. "This is the best the Justice League sent to me?"
"Please," the heroine scoffed. "I'm more than enough." She then frowned and said, "You know who I am, but I don't know who you are. That technically makes you less important than I am."
The villain's smirk dropped and he glared angrily, "You don't know who I am?!"
"I just said that," Black Falcon retorted.
"I'm Ravager!" the male exclaimed. "And I'll be the mercenary that will surpass Deathstroke!"
Black Falcon pursed her lips. "Yeah," she commented sarcastically. "And someday, I'll be Batman."
That pissed off Ravager, and he charged at the young girl, his sword poised and ready. Black Falcon somersaulted out of the way, and her gun shot up to knock the weapon away.
Meanwhile, Robin darted through the hallways, taking out any H.I.V.E. members that got out of his way. He flipped his body in the air, and his boot-clad feet landed on a H.I.V.E. member's shoulders before he continued running down the hallway, focusing on his location.
"I think they've found out we're here," Kid Flash's voice appeared through the com-link.
"Knock them out," was Red Arrow's simple solution. There was the faint sound of a whooshing arrow, and then a cry of pain.
"What he said," Robin replied, elbowing someone in the face. He threw himself at the door on the right, which was identified as the first prisoner cell. Nothing, he thought in his head. He pressed on his com-link, "Fal? You holding up alright?"
"Found the mercenary," his girlfriend replied with a small grunting noise. There was a heavy thud and some gunshots. "It's him."
Robin threw himself at the next door. Another dead end. If that was the case, then he'd have to get back quickly before whoever this mercenary was. It wasn't that he doubted Black Falcon's ability – quite the opposite – but she was only human and only twelve and could tire out quickly.
When he threw his body through the third, and last, door, it was proven that third time was the charm, as he spotted someone chained up and restrained. He approached cautiously, making a beeline towards the computer, cautiously keeping an eye on the prisoner.
He pulled up the information quickly, before pressing on his com-link. "I found a prisoner… she's tied up and knocked out."
"Dude, remember the last time we found a knocked out prisoner?" Kid Flash inquired.
"Project Starfire," Robin read the file. "Real name Koriand'r. She's a princess from the planet Tamaran, but taken away at a young age by the Citadel."
"Born a princess, raised a slave, huh?" Red Arrow commented. "She's a prisoner, there's four of us."
"Fal?" Robin sought for Black Falcon's opinion. "Fal?"
"Gimme a sec," Black Falcon struggled out, and he could hear the heavy thud on her end. She let out a pained groan. There was some shuffling on her end before she panted out, "Let her out. Like Red said. There's four of us in case anything happens."
"There were four of us last time, too, and we saw remember how wonderful that turned out, don't we?" Kid Flash inquired.
"She's not a genetically-clone of any of the Justice League members," Robin replied. "She should be stable."
"Keyword: should," Kid Flash replied. "But whatever. You're the leader. Do it."
Robin clacked a few keys, downloading all of the information before pressing the eject button that released the alien. He dashed forward, catching her before she fell flat on her face.
With the chains and restraints gone, he could see her orange skin clearly, and her red hair flowing behind her. Judging by her height, she was a couple inches taller than Robin's 5'4", but was probably malnourished.
The alien groaned and Robin tried calling for her, "Koriand'r? I'm Robin, can you hear me?"
Koriand'r slowly opened her eyelids, revealing pupil-less green eyes that slowly cleared and focused. "Robin…" she tested out.
"Yeah," Robin nodded. "I'm from the Justice League, and I'm here to rescue you." He moved to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of a pained cry ringing through his com-link. His eyes widened and he pressed a finger to it. "Fal?!"
Black Falcon groaned in pain at the sword that dug into her side. Ravager's eyes gleamed behind his mask and he twisted the sword, causing a breathless gasp to escape the young girl's lips. Black Falcon forced her eyes opened, and she glared up at her attack. She felt a bile rise up in her throat and clenched her teeth tightly, but another twist had her spitting out crimson liquid.
"Fal!" Kid Flash's voice joined her partner's. "Fal, come in!"
"You're an annoying little shit, aren't you?" Ravager taunted. "Bouncing and jumping around, avoiding my hits. But y'know what? It makes the chase more exciting. After all…" His free hand went up to trace Black Falcon's face, "you're quite the cutie."
Black Falcon's eyes narrowed and she ignored the pain in her abdomen, and she brought her leg up. She kicked Ravager away, and jumped up to headbutt him right in the face. Ravager let out a cried pain as his nose bled behind his mask and he stumbled away. The young girl panted heavily, reaching for the sword. Without hesitating, she withdrew it, feeling the weight disappear and was half-relieved and half-in pain. Thank God for adrenaline or else she'd feel even more.
Ravager threw back his mask, clenching his bleeding nose. "You bitch!" he cried, his voice muffled as his blue eyes glared icily at her.
Black Falcon ignored her enemy and pressed a hand to her com, "I-I'm good…" she reported, panting slightly.
"Almost done," Kid Flash reported. "Just hang on a bit further, yeah?"
"I- I can do that," Black Falcon nodded, throwing the sword to the ground, making it clang loudly on the cement floor. She withdrew another gun, having dropped her first in the scuffle earlier. Ravager wiped away most of the blood, before reaching for his own firearm. Black Falcon arched a brow, regaining some of her momentum again. "You really think you can beat me with guns?"
"I was gonna keep you around to play with a bit longer," Ravager frowned. "But you're way too high-maintenance. I'm just gonna fucking kill you and get this over with. No more messing around." Rapid gunfire then commenced, and Black Falcon somersaulted away, dodging the bullets.
She aimed her own gun and shot three consecutive times. She was pleased to hear Ravager let out a cry and then a clatter as he dropped his weapon. She heard the rustling of footsteps and looked up just in time to see her teammates running in, with Robin holding onto someone.
"Black Falcon!" Red Arrow called.
"Go first!" she called back, dodging a swing from Ravager. She dropped to the floor, tripping the mercenary.
Red Arrow turned back to the two younger heroes, and they all simultaneously nodded. Robin placed the weakened Tamaran princess down, before holding out an extra re-breather. "Here," he said. "Take this and place it in your mouth. This will be used so you can breathe underwater."
The princess looked at Robin carefully, accepting the device.
The sound of gunshots rang out, and it wasn't the sound that the three were familiar with. Kid Flash pushed Koriand'r to the ground, before throwing in his re-breather.
"Get out, now!" they heard Black Falcon call through the smoke. They could see her silhouette deeply engaged with in combat with Ravager's.
Red Arrow roughly grabbed Kid Flash, throwing him into the pool of water. He dived in quickly afterwards.
Robin placed a hand to his com, "Miss M! We need the Bio-Ship!" he called before pushing Koriand'r into the cold ocean with him right behind her.
As the princess was too weak to swim by herself, Robin and Red Arrow supported her, and Kid Flash led the way.
Once she heard the splash, Black Falcon threw all her focus on Ravager. She grabbed an extra sword that was actually thrown by one of the H.I.V.E. members (badly) towards Red Arrow, before spinning it.
"You really think you can beat me at my own game?" Ravager taunted.
"I know I can," Black Falcon responded, before the two charged at each other. The loud clanging sounds erupted as their blades clashed against one another. He jabbed, she blocked. She struck, he pushed.
It was getting on his nerves that she was besting him so much. This little brat, he thought angrily.
Suddenly, Black Falcon kicked the back of Ravager's right knee, heel jabbing deep into the crevice. He stumbled to the ground, and she held the blade to his throat. The metal glinted off the dim light of the room, and she said lowly and threateningly, "You're coming with me to jail."
"As if," Ravager growled. He'd rather die than go to jail. With a flick of his wrist, he pointed the sword right at him. Black Falcon's eyes widened, but before she could do anything, he slammed it right through his body, and straight through her as well.
As the sword had hit his heart directly, he died instantly, slumping to the ground.
Black Falcon, however, wasn't so lucky. She stumbled right on top of the body, and could feel the liquid begin to poor. She choked on her blood, the tangy metal taste filling her mouth even more than before.
She had to get out of here.
Mustering all her strength, she pulled up, teeth clenching heavily at the feeling of the metal sliding through her body again. She coughed, wheezing heavily.
Damn, she cursed mentally. He got my lung. She stumbled to the ground. She had to get out of here. If there were still an H.I.V.E. members lurking around, it'd be terrible.
She got up on shaky legs, pushing herself up to walk over to the ocean. She reached for her utility belt, pulling out a sharp needle filled with a liquid. Popping the cap open, she inserted it into her thighs, quickly allowing the adrenaline to rush into her system.
She could feel it pulsing through her body, and she dived right into the water, after slipping on her re-breather. She began to swim, but could feel the water around her get warm as it thickened with the red liquid that seeped from her body.
Her vision began to blur, but before she did, she noticed a large unhuman-like creature swimming right towards her.
Robin climbed into the Bio-Ship last, and was quickly dried off by a quick spell from Zatanna.
Superboy's eyes darted around, seeing the four people that entered, but instead of a female he recognized, it was a tall, beautiful girl with bright red hair instead of soft blonde. "Where's Black Falcon?" he asked.
Artemis, who was wrapping Kid Flash's sprained wrist, looked up in alarm. Her eyes scanned the other three, landing on the redhead.
"She's still back there," Red Arrow reported.
Robin placed a hand to his com and called, "Fal, you there?"
Everyone waited in silence.
"… It's been two minutes…" Zatanna reported, worry falling over her face.
Robin ignored her and pushed again for a response. "Fal?" Nothing.
Suddenly, Superboy's head snapped up and he rushed to the edge of the Bio-Ship. "I smell blood. Lots of it," he reported.
Everyone but Troia and Koriand'r rushed to the edge, crowding around. Just like Superboy said, the water was getting darker, and as the seconds passed by, they could practically smell the metallic scent.
Then, a body sprang up, blond hair a mess with tints of red, causing it to become a light orange. "Fal!" Robin cried, just before another head popped up, except… it wasn't a human.
The seal swam over to the Bio-Ship, and jumped up, causing all of them to back away. Its once grey coat was matted in darkness, tinged crimson to make a black color.
"Oh God…" Zatanna gasped, stumbling away. She'd never seen so much of this. She fell back, barely caught by Aqualad. Aquagirl actually passed out in Tempest's arms from the sight.
"Shit," Red Arrow cursed, reaching for her, but was quickly beaten by Robin.
He turned her over, and saw wet strands sticking to her face. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was slightly agape, and she was incredibly pale. He checked her wounds, seeing the two stabs she had received.
"The bleeding's not stopping," Robin choked out, trying to press down on the worse one: the one right over her lung. "Miss M, prepare the Bio-Ship to fly back, fast."
"No time," Kid Flash said, walking over to Robin. "It'll take at least ten minutes to get there. Give her to me. I can run her there in three."
Robin nodded mutely, and Kid Flash hoisted the girl up.
"Please," Artemis begged. Kid Flash nodded, and took off, disappearing in a blur.
"Black Canary," Aqualad said, pushing into his com-link. "Please prep the medic room. Black Falcon is gravely injured. Kid Flash is on his way there." He had to stay strong for the rest of the Team.
"Dammit!" Robin cursed, kicking the side of the Bio-Ship so powerfully it made everyone jump in shock. He panted heavily, before leaning against the cool wall. "I saw that first wound…" he said quietly. "I saw it, but I still let her continue fighting…"
"You- we had no choice," Red Arrow said quietly.
"H- how could you say that?" Zatanna stuttered from where she sat. Her legs wouldn't even hold her up anymore. "That's Black Falcon. If you knew she was injured, why'd you let her keep fighting?"
"It's because it's her," Robin said quietly. "I let her keep fighting because I knew she could do it."
"Then trust that she'll make it through this," Aqualad said calmly, even though his heart was pounding heavily in his chest. "I doubt she would let go without a fight. Miss Martian, please prepare to fly back to the Cave."
Miss Martian nodded slowly, trying to clear her head. She walked over to the controls, and activated them. The seal, taking his cue, jumped out of the doors just before they closed, and the ship took off.
The flight was spent in silence, with Robin pacing heavily. On normal circumstances, it would've driven the others crazy, but the others were too busy sitting in silence to notice.
Before the Bio-Ship even landed in the Cave, Robin was already jumping out, heading straight towards the medic bay. He ran down the halls, stopping when he spotted Kid Flash standing against a wall, looking worriedly through the large glass window that kept them from entering the room.
The speedster's uniform was no longer in stealth mode, but because of the blood that came from Black Falcon, it was stained red and orange instead of its usual yellow color. Robin swallowed thickly when he saw just how much blood was on the older boy's clothes and looked down at his, to see the red even thicker and his belt with traces of red on it.
"Anything?" he asked, unable to recognize the gravelly voice he had.
Kid Flash shook his head solemnly. "Black Canary saw and had to call for extra hands. Batman, Flash, Atom, and Hal just arrived."
Robin turned his head, and saw the five heroes working over hospital bed. Hal was using his ring to hold something steady, while Batman and Atom were addressing what was most likely her lung wound while Flash and Black Canary took care of her other stab wound.
By now, other members of the Team had join them, specifically everyone but Aquagirl and Troia. Aquagirl, because she was unconscious, and Troia because she was taking care of Koriand'r.
Moments later, they were further joined by Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado who had heard the news.
All of a sudden, Flash started yelling, and quickly, Black Canary had to rip off Black Falcon's shirt. Hal pushed over a defibrillator, and Robin's heart sunk. All of them but Batman cleared, and Robin watched as Black Falcon's body jump from the shock.
Miss Martian let out a choked sob, before digging her head into Superboy's chest. "Wait," Superboy said. "Her heartbeat's coming back…"
True to his word, Robin saw Batman place the paddle electrodes back on the machine, and Hal wheeled it away. They finished treating up the wounds, before Batman stepped out.
The Dark Knight's eyes fell on his protégé and he ordered, "Talk."
Robin quickly filled him in about the idea: splitting up, dividing and conquering. He told of how everything happened, with Kid Flash and Red Arrow adding in their own discoveries, all the while Black Falcon fought Ravager to ensure they'd complete their mission.
"I- is she going to be okay?" Robin asked after his explanation.
"She's in a coma, for now," Black Canary said kindly. "The reason why she was bleeding so much was because she pumped adrenaline into herself, but there was no other choice. With those wounds, she would've passed out and been held captive instead."
"Kid gave us quite a scare," Hal said, throwing his head back against the wall. He didn't even flinch when his head collided roughly with the cement. His heart did all the pain-holding for him. "Dammit." He ran his hand down his face.
"I think I lost about ten years of my life," Flash agreed.
"She'll be okay, right?" Artemis asked quietly.
"Physically, yes," Batman nodded. "As for her mental condition, it can't be determined until she's conscious."
"This isn't going to keep her down," Superman said reassuringly, placing a hand on the female archer's shoulder. "If Black Falcon's one thing, it's stubborn."
Robin had to agree with that. "I guess if anything else, she'll be mad that this was her worst injury yet…" His eyes trailed over to his girlfriend's unconscious form, and his blue eyes softened behind his mask. Get better soon, he wished silently.
piggythelaw: Thank you! :D I love that you loved that line!
creamtherabbit77: Hah! I love that you enjoyed it!
Xmidniteangel15X: No problem! :)
That dorky blonde: LOL. We'll see, we'll see. ;)
Animals9900: Thank you! And don't worry! Jason and Tim will be making their appearances eventually!
bluepenquin1998: Hah! Born a badass? That'd be cool. xD
gwendelynchin20: Thank you!
Ayase Yuuki: Thank you! Sorry it still took WAY too long, though!
AnimePrincess: THANK YOU. I'M SORRY YOU WAITED SO LONG.
RiddleQuinn: Thank you! :) Well, I'm really hoping for more Verena/everyone development in this series, which is why it's taking so damn long to write. =-=;;
Aquarius589: Yay! Maybe I should write more past chapters then. ;D
Esta2000: Thank you! :D
Dark G0ddess: Hm... Deathstroke VS Verena? I always imagine Deathstroke VS Dick... I have someone else in mind for Verena. ;)
YJLover: I don't even update my website anymore, so probably. xD You're better off checking out my Facebook or Ask page. About the Invasion series, well... I have plans for that and afterwards. :P
KirikaAndo: I'm sorrrryyy for taking so long!
Writing these reviews make me really happy. I'm directly calling you guys out, but piggythelaw, creamtherabbit77, Xmidniteangel15X, and That dorky blonde, for as long as I can remember, you guys always left reviews from the very beginning Black Falcon, and I just have to say, I really miss typing your guys' names and responding to your guys' reviews, as well as everyone else's. So, in case you guys didn't know, I dopay attention to each and every individual review and the more you review, the more you stick into my mind. ^^
A/N: Drop a review! Here's to praying that it won't take two months to update! (It won't. I swear. I HAVE A GENERAL DIRECTION FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF CHAPTERS.) OTL