Sorry, I haven't updated in a while! But I'm back!
Remember, * around a sentence means that they're using the mind link to talk!
I guess this chapter is kind of short, but it's to set up the scene for the next chapter.
Shoutout to Anime hotty lover.18 for always ALWAYS ALWAYS commenting on every chapter and making it known that it was read. Thanks sooo much! And thanks to EmpressLupin for the follow! And KaylaBear for favoriting! It makes me so happy to see that people are actually reading!
ON WATTPAD, I REACHED 3.1K READS AND OVER 100 VOTES FOR THIS STORY. JUST BTW.
Bethany POV
"What would you say if I became the new Huntress?" I asked Artemis as we trained together in the cave after school.
"What?" She stumbled, but then regained her confident posture. I threw a kick and then a punch.
"Well," I said, in between grunts, "I've talked to your mom about her days as Huntress."
She grunted and sloppily threw three diagonal kicks at me.
"I know that she didn't have a great reputation as Huntress, and I was thinking that I could take up the mantle and make it my own."
She easily deflected my kick and stopped fighting. We stood facing each other.
"I don't know, Bethany," Artemis said, scratching her head, "Going under the name 'Huntress' might give you a bad reputation right off the bat."
"That's why I'll do good using the name 'Huntress!'" I replied confidently, "And besides, I can't think of another alias to use when I'm off fighting crime. I can't use my real name, that would just be stupid and would be asking for suicide."
"Excuse me?" Artemis crossed her arms and glowered down at me.
"Oh!" I waved my hands in front of me and quickly added, "But I think it works great for you! I mean, Artemis is the Greek goddess of hunt or something like that! I think that it's a great alias," I tried and probably failed at backpedaling.
She grunted and started walking towards the shower room, me trailing behind.
"You should ask my mom, not me. It's not my decision to make," She said, "You can come over later today and ask her."
"Yes!" I squealed once I was back in the cave.
I had gotten confirmation from Artemis' mom and I was now the new Huntress! But I had declined her generous offer of her old costume. Although it was cool, I wanted something that would represent the new Huntress, not the old one.
When I got back to my room, I started sketching up new ideas for my costume. It had to stylish, but comfortable. It couldn't be too flashy, and it had to be practical. It had to make me seem tough and confident. It had to be something that I would be able to rely on.
After I told Batman about my new costume idea, he ordered it from his private supplier. I wondered how many people know his real name.
It turns out that when Batman said, "It will be delivered soon," that means in two days. A whole 3 sets of the same superhero outfit arrived. Another extra set was for the winter. It was made out of some material that I couldn't pronounce, but it was light and soft and felt like nothing on my skin. It still kept me warm, regardless of its weightlessness.
The color scheme of the whole ensemble was a mixture of blacks and dark, midnight purples. The fitted, dark purple, cropped top had sleeves that went all the way down to my wrists. I had matching dark purple spandex-y shorts and a black fire-proof cape that reached to right under my butt that I could easily take on and off. I had a new utility belt that had everything that Robin suggested to put into it. And then I had a leg strap that held my gun (that Robin also taught me how to properly use). My black boots had compartments in them where I kept an extra blade, pocket knife, and a couple other small gas devices that Batman gave me. My mask was a midnight purple that worked just like Artemis' did. I even added the soft black, fingerless gloves that Batman had made for me. They had a compartment in them, too, for God know what. Recently, Robin had been teaching me the art of quarterstaff fighting. Since then, he had given me my very own metal extendable staff so that I could clip it to the side of my belt and use it whenever I want. Just like KF's suit, I could tap my belt and it would somehow transform into stealth mode. Basically it was just all black and had no reflections. I looked like a female version of Batman whenever I used it. Knowing that I looked like a female Batman, I decided to only use it when I needed it. I didn't really strive to look like the creepy, scary, emotionless, heartless… Okay, back to the outfit. My winter version had longer insolated pants, a full insolated shirt, and a longer cape with fur on the inside.
I finally felt like the crime fighter that I had been training for weeks to become.
My first mission took place in Qurac. We were supposed to bring down a group of drug dealers, their leader being a guy named Bane. According to Batman, they'd been preparing to distribute this psycho drug called Kobra-Venom. Our objective was to halt the production and prevent it from getting onto the market.
*I have a visual,* Robin said into the mind link. Robin, M'gann, and I dropped down onto a high beam in the shadows. The beam was at least two stories off the ground of the large warehouse factory. The place was filled with the noises of machines making this miracle drug. The three of us were to observe and tell the Team the best course of action for the attack. We were the most stealthy of the Team, so we were sent in first while the rest waited up in the bioship. For the first half of the mission, Robin would lead since Aqualad was inside the ship, not in the building. After Aqualad could get in, the he would take over.
The sky was dark outside, almost like a foreshadowing of what was to come. It was close to midnight as we observed the scene and listened to the conversation directly below us.
"Bane," a bald, poised man said, "You will distribute the first batch to Gotham, while I bring mine to Metropolis."
*That's Lex Luthor,* Robin said to me, pointing to the bald man.
*Lex is here?* Superboy asked curiously from the ship.
*He doesn't look that tough,* I said confidently.
*He may not fight, but he is one of the richest business men of Metropolis and does his work internationally. He's a very powerful man,* Robin replied.
*And apparently a very corrupt one, too. He's a billionaire, and yet he still involves himself with a double life,* I said.
*A lot of billionaires do,* Robin said quietly. I gave him a confused look.
We turned back to the scene.
"I think that you should have someone else lead the distribution in Gotham, not Bane. You know how he can screw thing up," A whiny, high pitched voice said from the corner. I looked to see a young, dark haired boy. His slender fingers curled back and forth as he stroked a cynical cat in his arms. He was standing next to hooded Psimon.
Bane let out a low growl and stepped towards the boy, "You have no say in our affairs, witchboy!" His booming voice reverberating throughout the huge room.
"Oh?" the witchboy smiled, his eyes glittering evilly like beads.
Bane started going towards him, growing and pulling back an arm to strike. Lex Luthor put an arm out, stopping Bane with a simple motion.
"What my partner means to say is that this is an affair between us. We do not require your suggestions, although we are grateful for your proposals, " Luthor stated. Bane backed off.
"Remind me why you're here, again," Bane spat at the witchboy, who hadn't even moved.
Psimon interjected before the boy could respond with a snarky comment.
"We are here to observe your work with the venom for ideas of our own type of venomous technology that will be released in the future."
*Aqualad, did you hear that?* Robin asked frantically.
*Yes. That will be crucial information to tell Batman.*
*Who's that?* I asked Robin, motioning to the witchboy.
*That's Klarion, the witchboy,* He responded, shaking his head, *There's a lot of powerful people in here.*
*If we work together as a team, then we will be assured a victory,* Aqualad's soothing voice sounded in my head.
*Is Klarion, like, a witch? Like an actual witch?* I asked curiously. Superpowers still came as a shock to me.
*Yes, Bethany. The word 'witch' is in the word 'witchboy.'* Artemis said sarcastically
*Shouldn't you be calling her Huntress when we're in the field?*Superboy asked.
*And Artemis, you shouldn't sass Bethany - I mean Huntress! She just asked an honest question," Wally said. I laughed at Artemis. Everyone was gaining up on her now, *She doesn't need your shit and - ow!* I inwardly giggled (which I'm pretty sure that everyone heard). I could just imagine Artemis punching Wally as hard as she possible could.
*Is he all voodoo-y and all like, 'bippity-boppity-boo! and like 'abra-cadabra?'* I asked, still excited about seeing real magic, not just lame card tricks.
*Yes, geez, Huntress. You sound like a little kid. And Abra-Cadabra is actually another magical villian,* Artemis said.
*But don't forget that Klarion is an extremely powerful witch. He won't be pulling bunnies out of his hat or anything. He won't hesitate to kill,* Robin said seriously. He was still scrutinizing the scene below us, like he had to memorize every detail of it (which he probably could do).
*Isn't Klarion a little young to be taking part in all this?* I asked, still eyeing Klarion. He had some kind of creepy magnetic pull to him.
*Aren't we all?* Robin said.
He had a point. We were all pretty young to be risking our lives to save the world, weren't we? And yet here we are, doing the Justice League's dirty work. I thought of M'gann and Superboy. Sure, they were probably older in alien years, but they were still teenagers on Earth, right? And Aqualad, underneath his leadership mask, he was still just a teenager like the rest of us. And Kid Flash, though he may seem like he's 12, was actually the same age as me. I looked over at Robin. Robin, the great Dark Knight's protege, couldn't have been any older than Artemis and I. That made me wonder how old Robin really was.
*Don't worry beautiful,* Kid Flash said from the ship, *I'll protect you! Kid Flash will - ow! Do you always need to fucking punch me every time I call someone beautiful? Are you jealous? Or - ow!*
*Shut it, Kid Mouth,* Artemis grumbled from the ship.
*Aqualad, if you bring the bioship to the right side of the building, you could get a clear shot of the Kobra-venom crates along the wall. Then you can safely enter the building while everyone is occupied. We'll take action right when you start,* Robin commanded. He seemed so strong and confident. How did he know it would work? How could he be so calm? My heart was already racing with adrenaline.
I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. I replayed what the plan was supposed to be for me. I would jump down and attack Bane until Superboy came. Then I would run and destroy the leftover vials of Kobra-venom that didn't get destroyed from the bioship explosion. Robin would disable the machines making the venom, while everyone else just kept the villains busy. Robin was key to the operation, and we were to protect him at all costs.
*Now!* Aqualad yelled on the mind link. The large wall that the crates of venom were leaning against blew up. At the same time, Robin and M'gann projected off of the beam and into the flurry of flying wood and glass. The once huge wall was in pieces littering the floor everywhere. Dust flew around and the whole room was filled with the cloudy, hazy color of dust and blown up concrete.
I looked down, hesitant. It was a little higher than my old house that I usually jumped off of.
I gathered my strength and courage and jumped off of the roof and into the chaos that had erupted beneath me.
Okay, so it was short and nothing really happened, but everything plays a part in the big Bethany Ford plot...
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