Hi everybody! Welcome to the next chapter of Winters' Ballad: Growth & Love! Wow, it's already chapter 9. I'm glad to see people are reading this. A lot of users like to follow my work.
If only I could get reviews. That'd be even better. TAT
But anyways, on to some other stuff. Sorry if this took longer to come out than expected. My spring break is going well (or was well depending on when this chapter gets out), but unfortunately with college being a hard trial of life, I was given two essays to work on during my break. So if this isn't out before April 10th, I apologize. School is the priority, no matter how much I want to keep writing.
So here is Dropzone Pt. 1. I hope you all enjoy it. And remember, please review if you can. Favorites and follows are great, but I can't know if I need to improve or if ideas don't strike you if nobody says anything. It's hard to write not knowing if people like what you are writing.
I still haven't heard anything about which everyone prefers, Valentine or Peppermint. So looks like you'll find out what they mean either in this chapter or next. ;3
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of its characters. I also do not own the song or lyrics of Aria (Stammi Vicino, Non Te Ne Andare). Those go to the composer of Yuri! On Ice!'s soundtrack.
-Starry Night Ice Rink
Star City, July 22nd, 2010 6:30 P.M. PDT-
Silence hung in the air. An ice rink, void of any patrons or distractions. Everything was exactly the way she wanted it to be. The way she needed it to be.
Standing by her lonesome at the center of the frozen center stage was Samantha Freya. Out of her hero alter ego and donning her civilian identity, the young maiden stood by herself, her body dressed in a form fitting black athletic top, matching black pants lined with white stripes on her sides, and black gloves.
Her eyes closed, the heroine prioritized her thoughts above everything else around her, keeping her head clear.
Just her, the calming wave of cold wafting in the enclosed room, and the sound of music dancing on the cold breezes.
It was just what she needed. For the world around her to just melt away and disappear. Hide herself from her worries, responsibilities, and fears for just an hour or two. As long as nobody disturbed her...
Tying her brunette hair back into a neat bun, Samantha took a deep breath, the cold air slipping through her throat before releasing in a relaxed sigh. Her tense muscles nothing but a ghost in her memory as she prepared herself, the young teen poised her body in a relaxed stance all too familiar to her and closed her eyes to await the next familiar part of her routine.
The soft melody of harp strings, horns, and cellos began to sing throughout the large room, breathing life into the air like the melodic sounds of the first day of spring. Keeping her eyes closed and recalling the movements that went in time with the music, Samantha slowly opened her eyes and looked up to the ceiling above her, working alongside the music and raising her right hand up into the air before slowly caressing her cheek as she pulled it down around her form.
Moving her body to spin neatly in a circle and face forward, the brunette let the music take over her mind and body, slowly weaving her feet and body on the ice accompanying the music, the clicking sound of her skates moving across the icy floor and trails of her movements mirroring beneath her skates.
"I hear a voice crying in the distance
Perhaps you, too, have been abandoned?"
Letting the emotions pour out from the vocalist's words and the combined lyrics, Samantha gracefully dropped to a knee on the ice, following the routine she had created and practiced for months before swiftly moving her body back upwards, twisting her body in light motions with her arms raised above her head.
"Come, let's quickly finish this glass of wine
And I start to prepare myself"
Skating fluently across the ice, the young brunette stayed composed and quiet, keeping her attention on the music and timing of her next steps and hand movements. Shifting her foot a bit to skate in waves around the ice, Samantha turned her gaze downward to her feet, watching them curve and move across the frozen floor.
'Take it slow. Don't rush.' Samantha thought, her eyes narrowing a bit as she began to steel herself for her next move.
Moving her hands up to keep her balance and taking in a deep breath to relax her body, Samantha turned as fast as she could, bending her legs ever so slightly and pushed hard off the ground from the soles of her feet, jumping up into the air and spinning in a sophisticated fashion.
'Land!' Samantha pleaded in her head.
"Now, be silent"
Moving her foot downward to take the brunt of the shock of dropping down on the ice, Samantha focused her left foot to keep itself upright and felt relief at her body standing upright and skating backwards along the ice. No feeling of her stomach dropping, no falling flat on her face like so many practices in her younger days.
'Yes!' She cheered mentally, pride welling up inside her for her perfect execution. 'At least I know I'm doing better.'
"With a sword I would cut those throats that sing of love
I would enclose in ice the hands that write those verses of fiery passion"
Letting the music continue its control over her body and letting her form loosen up from the jump, Samantha swayed along the ice, evoking her training in balance and twirling her body in neat circles. Adjusted on her left leg after finishing her twirls, Samantha spun her body to gain speed and lifted her right leg up behind her and placed her hands neatly behind her back, letting the speed she had built up continue her dance in a camel spin.
It was during this moment in her routine that her mind began to wander, the quiet of the room and the music drifting her away from reality combining to let the ice users' mind slip away to thoughts she had wanted to get away from.
'What am I supposed to do?'
"This story that has no meaning
Will vanish this night along with the stars
If I could only see you, eternity would arise from hope"
'I thought it would have disappeared by now. That weird feeling inside my chest I've been experiencing around Superboy.'
Resting her leg back down onto the ice and switching legs to skate on her right foot, Samantha shifted positions on her feet back and forth, dancing in a neat step sequence.
Four days.
She had counted four days since the incident with Mister Twister. Four days since the Team had officially gotten together and...teamed up. Their first bad guy being taken down more or less without the League's help.
Four days since she'd gotten the apology from Superboy, their friendship mended back together. All of those successes and "firsts" aside, the brunette's thoughts were one a different subject than her hero career or when their first mission was actually going to be revealed
It was Superboy. Again.
Slowing her step sequence and pushing herself to skate along slowly across the ice to regain the oxygen she had been expelling, Samantha calmed her beating heart and took in a few deep breaths, moving her arms and hands in graceful movements to emote the feelings the lyrics of the music were singing.
Her mind clearing due to her cool down sequence, Samantha closed her eyes and let the breeze of the cold air wash over her warm face.
Superboy had taken over her thoughts the past couple of days. More so than she had wanted to admit. Whenever she had a moment of free time from a repetitive lesson on academics or the usual check up from her father back at home, she unconsciously found her thoughts drift away to the stoic boy, moments the two shared, and that smile he'd given her back in the infirmary.
That squirming feeling she had been stuck with that same night never ceased.
The combination of the strange feeling she experienced along with the thoughts of Superboy had made her relive it all over again when she thought about him, her heart exploding in her chest, the air in her lungs disappearing in an instant, and her body heating up subconsciously.
Why?
It was the simple question that plagued her mind for nights. She thought it just the usual bout of hormones of a growing teen, messing with her emotions and making her lose control of her rational self. Something that she would very much grow out of. Spending time with Superboy would obviously be a different experience, making her feel nervous and hesitant inside. He was an enigma, somebody she'd never expected to meet in her life, yet here he was on the same team and working together with her.
Could it have been curiosity?
Was she just unsure and interested in Superboy as a person? There were still things the group hadn't known about him, things even Superboy himself couldn't answer. Was the mystery of who he was and discovering it what allured her to him?
That in itself sounded dumb. Curiosity didn't make people heat up. In the trash bin of bad ideas that assumption went.
Her mind reeled back from her confused emotions, pushing them all aside to start over from the beginning. For now she just had to think things one at a time.
What did Superboy make her feel?
'He keeps me on my toes. I lose my composure with him at times that I'm usually so subconscious about because of father, but that isn't always a bad thing.
Relaxed too. I have to always act a certain way to make sure father isn't embarrassed, but with Superboy I can be more of a teenager. Act my age because he's blunt and honest no matter who you are. And when he smiles...I feel like my heart will stop and my blood is on fire.
Like I'm alive...more alive? That smile he gave me made me feel like I could do anything. I've seen him smile a tiny bit before, but the last one I saw...it felt more meaningful.'
Frowning, Samantha shook her head and listed off her predicament in the best way she could.
So in the grand scheme of things, Superboy made her feel these things:
-Kept her on her toes with unpredictability. As much as she liked to plan, twists and turns were good.
-His honesty helps her relax, as blunt as it may be sometimes. She was the same way, so she appreciated the same treatment. Honesty was something she treasured.
-The smile she'd seen made her body flare up. That was still debatable. She didn't like the lack of control, but she didn't hate the feeling either.
'So if I was looking at this like a character in a book, what would I describe the situation the character was going through?'
Jumping up softly while shifting between feet to land on, the brunette reached her arms out in front of her, almost as if she was grasping for something, before pulling them back and wrapped her arms around herself.
"Stay close to me, do not leave
I am afraid to lose you"
Her ears catching the latest lyrics of the song, Samantha felt her fingers stiffen tightly around her body.
Could...it have been that?
No.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
No, that was impossible. Well, not impossible. She was a human being after all. There was always a possibility of her feeling...those feelings one day. Yet she always thought that wouldn't happen until far in the future, when she was more of an adult.
Mature. Sophisticated. Maybe a little more sexy than her puny and insecure self hidden deep in the recesses of her soul.
But now? With Superboy?
'No!' Her thoughts denied, trying her best to find a rational reason to counter this very awkward realization. 'I've only known him for a few weeks. I can't have those kind of feelings. Not that Superboy is a bad guy. He's honest, even if he's brutal about it. He's strong even without his temper, but he's sensitive too. He isn't a bad guy to be with...in that way. Probably.' Samantha thought, cursing at the warm feeling that was enveloping her face.
Feeling her spin finally slow down, Samantha unwrapped herself and skated softly on the ice, taking her time to make a few light jumps into the air and landed on her feet each time.
'They don't call it falling in love for nothing.'
A shiver, an icy tingle ran down her spine at the thought of the "L" word.
"Your hands, your legs
My hands, my legs,
And our heartbeats
Are blending together"
Was love too strong of a word for someone like her to use?
She knew the word obviously. People used it all the time in their language. To confess their feelings to someone they cared about romantically, show they acknowledge the importance of someone like a family member, people even used it loosely to just show they enjoyed something like food or a scenic view.
And then there was the type of love where you feel...attracted to someone. There was no way she could describe such a basic emotion when she herself never felt something so intense. The only iteration she could think of was when someone liked to look at someone for their appearance, how it appealed to them in some deeper form she couldn't express.
She would admit it. Samantha had looked at Superboy a couple of times, taking in his dark black hair, the deep blue of his eyes, the way his toned physique-
Her face burned heavily, making Samantha reach up and place her hands over her mouth in embarrassment as if she was speaking them aloud. Her cheeks flared bright in a red tint and heat rose throughout her face.
'Time to think about something else. Like, now!'
So, what kind of "love" was it she felt about Superboy? Was it simply caring for him? Wanting to see him happy like a family member would? A bit trivial in a friendship kind of way?
'No, it doesn't feel like that.' She thought, shaking her head at the list of "loves" her mind checked down. 'I want to be Superboy's friend. I care about him, want him to be happy and see him smile. But I also want to be around him more. And as much as I don't want to think about it, I like to look at him. I like it when he smiles...at me. If my own body freezes up thinking about how he looks, it has to mean more.'
For a moment in her frustration, Samantha gritted her teeth and kicked at the ice beneath her feet she skated upon, angry at the internal conflict she was feeling clash inside her.
Why the hell did she have to feel like this?! This insecurity, the fear, hesitation, embarrassment? It was terrible being a teenager sometimes.
Hearing the music began to reach its finale, Samantha spun her body in a quick motion, gaining speed with each twirl with the help of her outstretched leg. Slowly putting her leg down to skate alongside her other foot in close range, Samantha kept her feet close together and continued to spin in a tight motion, her hands raised up above her head and letting the momentum of the spin steal her focus for the last couple of seconds.
'I...I don't know what to do. I've never been so unsure about something before.'
"Let's leave together
I'm ready now"
The last of the song's lyrics uttering themselves out of the speakers, Samantha moved her leg out to skate along the ice, slowing her spin down until moving foot by foot to dance and jump neatly across the ice. Her speed now back to normal, Samantha sighed and twirled her body to stop in one fluid motion, reaching her left hand up to clasp her right side over her stomach while her right hand clasped her left shoulder in the opposite direction, holding herself in a graceful fashion as she stood quietly on the ice.
Letting out a sigh of icy breath and letting her hands fall to her side, Samantha opened her eyes and looked down at the frozen ice she stood on, the reflection of her brunette civilian form looking back at her in contemplation.
'I don't want to ignore what I'm feeling. It makes me feel stronger, like I can do anything. But at times I feel like they're taking over my mind and my body. Like I'm losing control myself. That...scares me for some reason. Not knowing what's going with my own body or mind.' Samantha thought, her reflection narrowing its gaze back at her and frowning.
She wanted independence so much as a hero. To get away from her father and become her own person and experience the life of a normal teen that gets to make their own choices. Now here she was, an independent new hero and making her own decisions. Yet the decisions and feelings she was experiencing were like nothing she'd made or felt before. And now she was left unsure of what to do next. How to go about it all.
Why was being a teenager so difficult?
*clap clap clap*
Her body stiffening at the out of the blue sound, the brunette looked up from the ice and turned her head to the source of the sudden noise.
Standing behind the ice rink barrier and dressed in a nice black shirt, leather jacket, and skin tight pants was the form of Samantha's mentor, Ice Maiden. Her long white hair flowing down along the sides of her face and keeping her blue skin hidden beneath their locks, the older woman smiled and finished her applause, leaning on the barriers' edge to look at her confused protege.
"Beautiful dance, snowflake. It has been long time since I've seen dance at Starry Sky Ice Rink. You should become world renowned ice skater when done being hero." Ice Maiden complimented.
Flushing at the compliment and audience she had, Samantha reached to her tied up hair and pulled out the tie, letting her long brunette hair fall down past her elbows and rest in smooth chocolate waves. "I would if my father didn't see it as twirling on some frozen water. I kept this a secret from him as long as I have now. If he found out I was doing this, I'm sure he'd think I was slacking off no matter what I said. It's hard enough to convince him on the hero work." Samantha responded back, skating over to her mentor.
"But more importantly, what are you doing here Ice? How did you find me?" The brunette asked, skating and skidding in front of the wall Ice Maiden stood behind.
"Butler Reginald told me. I've been looking to find you for spooky Bat. Looks like mission you wanted has arrived. You head out in hour or so." Ice Maiden spoke, a proud smile on her face.
"Really?" Samantha asked, a bit of skepticism in her voice. Wiping some sweat off her face and skating to the exit, Samantha walked back to one of the benches and began unbuckling her skates. Her eyes showing no real glimmer at the news or any sign of pure shock, Samantha kept her eyes glued on the buckles of her skates, fiddling with them more than most would. "I can't believe it."
"Yes, I can hear it in your voice." Ice Maiden responded, eyeing her protege who looked preoccupied. "Is something wrong snowflake?"
"What?" Samantha asked, taking one of her skates off and placing it on the floor. "No, I'm fine. What makes you think that?"
"You seem unenthusiastic about the mission. I expect jumps of joy, yet no jumps. Only distant look." Ice Maiden pointed out.
Samantha's hands stopped fiddling with the buckle of her second skate. For a moment she made no movements, as if she'd frozen herself solid. Yet, just as quickly as she stopped, her fingers resumed back to their task, unclipping the second device from her foot and taking it off.
"I'm...fine, Ice." Samantha hesitantly answered back.
What was she supposed to say? She was more focused on a boy than the mission she's been craving for weeks? How would that make her look?
Stupid, childish, silly? Those and more she couldn't list.
"You don't look fine snowflake. Your eyes narrow like cat when you lie."
"They do not!" Samantha retorted back, turning her head up to pout at her mentor. Unfortunately, after hearing her slip up, the teenager moved her head back down to the floor. "It's nothing important. It's trivial really. I don't have to time to talk about it anyways. I need to get to the team."
"It is not trivial if you lose focus on such momentous occasion. I will not allow you to fight in confused state. You need head out of clouds. We have time." Ice Maiden lectured, walking closer to the younger girl and sitting next to her on the bench. "Tell Sigrid about the nothing. Might help clear mind, find answer."
Samantha sighed at the predicament she was in. She knew this type of moment all too well. Sigrid was like the mother she never had, being their for her to talk about her problems, her fears, her uncertainty whenever she had them. Even when she didn't want to speak the woman found a way to dig in and get the young brunette to talk, even when she adamantly refused at times. Every time Samantha was grateful for the advice or just to have someone listen to her...
But this topic in particular? This had to be the most embarrassing she could ever talk to her mentor about. It was the kind of talks teenagers like her would have with their parents, the one's adults dreaded. There was no way she would ever ask advice to her father about this. Not because he was a bit tough to approach, but she never wanted this kind of topic discussed between the two.
Reginald would have been a much better fit to ask, but there was no way Samantha would dump her teenage romance problems on her poor and very kind butles. He'd been by her side ever since she was a baby, helping to take car of her and raise her when her father wasn't around. She saw him like a real blood relative, how a family member should be with their children. But even with all that trust and love, she wouldn't tell Reginald about this either.
Not to mention that she didn't want to be stuck having her mentor giving weird smiles at her and laughing at her confusion. Sigrid teased just as much as she listened.
Maybe if she worked around it? Didn't use herself in the example?
'This is one of those terrible ideas people use, but anything to distance myself from the actual question is good enough for me.'
"I...It's a friend." Samantha spoke, trying to keep her voice level as she spoke her tiny lie. "She asked me for some advice and I don't know how to respond to her."
"Advice? What did friend ask about that has snowflake so confused?" Sigrid asked.
'Oh, how am I going to ask this without making it sound weird?' Samantha lamented.
"She wanted to know how you knew if you liked...or loved someone." A blush forming on her cheeks, the ice user moved her head downwards to not let her mentor see.
No answer came out of Sigrid at first. No motion for her to lift her head, no laugh, no sigh or indication she'd heard her response. Samantha was worried she'd have to repeat herself, yet just as she was about to her mentor spoke.
"Love?" Sigrid asked, a slight tone of surprise in her voice. "Friend wanted to know about love?"
She had to keep going. If she said nothing, she'd be stuck here all night. Or the very least her mentor would keep budging on the issue.
"M-my friend did, yeah. There's this guy who's...moved in her neighborhood for a few weeks now. She's been hanging out with him despite some people thinking he's a bit cold and tough to approach. He doesn't say much, but she tells me he's a nice guy." Samantha explained, trying her best to distance her information from any of the actual facts of her life.
"Mhmm," Sigrid answered, a smile gracing her face as she nodded to her protege. "Go on."
"Well," Samantha spoke. "He's been on her mind. A lot lately, and she doesn't know why. She's only known him for a few weeks and they've become friends from what I know, but the guy keeps popping up in her head out of nowhere. Whenever she has free time she thinks about him."
"Does she not like thinking about him?" Sigrid asked, eyebrow raised at the information.
"What? N-No, not really. Far from it, actually. She cares about him, even if they haven't known each other long. She tells me that she's happy whenever she thinks about him and wants him to be happy since his family life isn't so great. And she said she likes to see him smile. It makes her happy. Ecstatic even. She can't help but smile when he does." Samantha spoke, the last comment coming out in a quiet tone, her face reddening further. "But, she doesn't know if all of this is just some crush she has or if it means something more. She's never had this kind of feeling before." Samantha continued, her right hand unconsciously rising up to clasp onto her shirt, clutching the fabric above her heart.
"So she...asked me for advice." Samantha finished, swallowing a bit to rid her of her sudden case of dry mouth. "To figure out if everything she's feeling is trivial or not. Or, if it means something way more serious than she thinks."
Crossing one of her legs over the other and placing a hand underneath her chin in thought, Ice Maiden closed her eyes softly and nodded her head, going over the information her protege had given her for the past few minutes. "So this friend wants to know if feelings are either crush or real love?"
"Yes, badly," Samantha answered, her voice pleading in its tone while turning to look at the older woman. "She's really confused right now and doesn't know what to do."
Turning in her seat, Ice Maiden moved her leg back to the ground and turned to look face to face with her fellow ice user. "Does friend only like this boy because he is cute?"
"W-What?" Samantha asked surprised. "N-No, of course not! She's more mature than that."
Laughing at the reaction, Ice Maiden smiled and nodded. "That is good. It means love is more than crush."
Frowning at the answer, Samantha titled her head. "What? But how do you know that?"
"Love is confusing thing. It is abstract, different from person to person. It makes one feel more than they have ever felt, yet tiny at same time. Crushes on other hand are just a few things. Desire, attraction, lust. You may like the way someone looks on outside, but that is all with crush. It can go to different people very quickly without much thought." Ice Maiden spoke, moving her fingers in a waving motion to signify the moving on of a crush.
"So if that's a crush, how do you know if it's...the other thing?" Samantha asked, a bit embarrassed to say the "L" word again.
Smiling, Ice Maiden moved her hand downward to place it over her heart. "Love is much deeper emotion. It makes different feeling for different person. It can make you feel as if chest is crushed from weight." The older woman motioned, beating her chest lightly with a closed fist. "It twists inside you like an unknown force, trying to suffocate and take control of body at the same time. Sometimes even make one feel sad, as if heart has been crushed into pieces when it is lost."
"That sounds terrifying," Samantha muttered, shivering a little at her mentor's last comment.
"It is for some. However, love is also strong. It makes one feel more powerful as if strongest on Earth. Can bring someone up from worst of times, make them feel whole if broken down. Help one feel protected against largest of fears. One never is alone if they are loved and have someone they love." Ice Maiden spoke, nodding her head thoughtfully.
Eyes widening at her mentor's explanation, Samantha looked downwards to her feet and lightly kicked them off the floor in a childish manner. Everything her mentor was saying was amazing.
They were the words of a true adult, one who has experienced the world far longer than herself. Someone with experience and confidence in their words.
She couldn't wait to become someone like that.
"So a crush is just physical attraction and love is a mystery?" Samantha asked, hoping she understood.
"Almost, but now quite." Ice Maiden corrected. Turning to look at her younger sidekick, Ice Maiden smiled. "A crush is simple attraction to someone's looks. Nothing more than what they look like. Love...it is a form of emotion that makes you think of someone else. You want them to be happy rather than yourself. You would put own happiness and pleasure above own for theirs. It is devotion towards one person."
"I...see." Samantha quietly answered, her voice at a loss for words.
Such a response. How was she supposed to know for sure what she was feeling was either of those things?
She didn't see Superboy as just some muscle and looks to fawn over.
However, she didn't know if the feelings she had went so far as Sigrid explained. Her words were so complex yet passionate in tone, Samantha couldn't discern if all of those emotions she explained were inside her at that moment.
Everything was still mixed up inside of her.
"However," Ice Maiden pointed out, her voice clear to get her protege's attention. "Love is very complex thing. You are still young snowflake dancing in wind, so you won't understand it all at first. Just try to be natural with person you hold affection for and you yourself will know soon enough if what you feel is more than crush. Let life lead you."
"O-Ok?" Samantha answered somewhat hesitantly, nodding to her mentor and slowly getting up from her seat.
"Did my advice help you figure out what to tell friend?" The white-haired woman asked, looking at the back of her sidekick, a playful eyebrow raised to her protege.
"What? O-Oh yeah, I think it did. Thanks, Sigrid." Leaning down and picking up her skates, Samantha made a move to exit the room to return the shoes, yet stopped in front of the door for a moment. "Sigrid?"
"Yes, snowflake?" Ice Maiden asked, curiosity showing on her face at the young girl's halt.
Thankful her back was turned from her mentor, Samantha rubbed her heating cheek to try and keep her thoughts straight. "If someone does find out they like...I mean love someone,"
"Yes?" Ice Maiden asked.
"Is it wrong? To try and pursue it if the person they love has never been in love? Or may not have the same feelings they do?" Samantha voiced.
Smiling sadly at the innocent question, Ice Maiden shook her head. "Snowflake, there is no person on Earth who has not loved someone who may not love them back. If you do love someone, you may pursue it, but that does not mean to force feelings on them. If they don't love you, that is that. You can't plan and hope everything works out. Love may be scary and unknowing, but it can be so wonderful as well when you find it. Or it finds you. That is what makes life so exciting and remarkable."
"Oh. Okay, just wondering. For my friend." Samantha answered. "I'm...gonna go return these. We can leave after that." With that quick comment noted, the young brunette opened the doors and headed out the exit, leaving Ice Maiden to sit alone in the ice rink.
Smiling and shaking her head at the questions her protege had asked, Ice Maiden gave a deep sigh.
"My poor snowflake is experiencing love for first time. How grown up she get."
Her eyes narrowing in contemplation at Samantha's words and questions, Ice Maiden got up from her seat and headed towards the exit.
"Few weeks and quiet? Affections must be for littler boy of steel. I'll need to watch him."
-Caribbean Sea
June 22nd, 20:08 ETC-
Silence.
That was all that was in the tiny space of the Bioship Winter could hear. Or rather not hear.
Time had passed since she and Ice Maiden had talked back at Starry Sky Ice Rink back in her hometown. Now dressed in her usual heroine uniform, stealthy white hooded cape, and added white tights to cover her legs, Winter sat with the rest of the group and awaited for the arrival of their destination.
The team's first mission was upon them and to say the least Winter was a little nervous.
'This is the first time I'll be going on a mission without Ice Maiden or the League's involvement. Cadmus had been a success with the help of the League coming in to clean up our mess, but this mission is all on us now. We need to be on top of it.'
She needed to keep her head focused. Even with everything that was going on, or rather the lack of anything going in the moment she was in, Winter was reminded of the talk she and her mentor had just an hour ago.
No, this wasn't the time. She wouldn't get distracted by a boy and her feelings on their first ever mission from Batman.
If she didn't want to ruin their chances at being taken seriously and lose her hope at being recognized by the League, letting a boy take all her attention was the last thing she wanted.
Her fingers unconsciously rubbing the soft fabric of her white hooded cape for security, Winter took in a deep breath to calm her tense body, trying to get her muscles to relax and empty her brain. Nothing good would come from her being stiff and conflicting with herself.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Miss Martian noted aloud, her gaze staring out the window ahead, the Bioship's camera monitors zooming in on a landmass ways away.
Nobody said a thing, not even Kid Flash. All eyes set on the image of the island, the heroes did nothing but wait for their vessel to steer closer to their destination.
Santa Prisca.
The island was far off in the Caribbean Sea for normal adventurers to find and secluded enough to not be disturbed, yet it had become a hub for criminals and drug dealers to create some terrifying illegal body enhancing drugs. Venom was the street name, if Winter was remembering correctly.
'Disgusting.' Winter thought with disdain. 'To think people were making money off others misery and fear of being weak. Not even caring if it gets into the hands of kids or innocent people.'
Or they had made money until suddenly it stopped.
From Batman's full explanation the factory on the island was running at full capacity like usual, however the shipments and supply to the outside world of the producing plant was cut off, not a single drop leaving the island.
But why? Not that Winter was complaining that a health risking drug wasn't getting onto the streets, but for something like Venom to not be shipped out after so much time to create it and get buyers? What was going on in there?
'It's our job to find out. Just need to be covert like Batman told us.' She thought, Winter's blue eyes drifting to the window outside, her reflection staring back at her.
With the mission on everyone's minds and the tense situation that was about to hit them like a speeding train, there was still something on Winter's mind about the whole mission. A point Robin had actually asked about before they got ready.
Who would lead?
The thought never crossed her mind. Whether it was the long talk with Ice Maiden, the excitement and seriousness of getting their first real covert mission, or steeling herself for the responsibility she was now being given, the idea of who would lead hadn't popped in the ice user's mind.
A decision had never been made at the cave. Batman just told them to figure it out on their own. A very Batman thing to do.
'They really are letting us do things on our own now.' Winter thought solemnly, an anxious smile growing on her face. 'Maybe this is my chance? To be a better leader rather than a follower? To show Ice I've grown since that fight at the mall? And prove to myself I can do better.'
"Drop zone A in thirty."
Turning in her seat at the sound of the next step of the mission taking place, Winter moved her gaze towards Aqualad who stood up in his seat. Pressing a small button at the belt buckle of his uniform, the red color of his suit melted away, black morphing on his suit and changing into his new covert uniform.
"Ready." Aqualad confirmed, turning to look over to Miss Martian and continue their sequence.
Nodding to affirm, Miss Martian moved her hands along the ship's console. "Putting Bioship in camouflage mode." Waving her hand over a portion of the console, the ship's form began to disappear outside the groups view, and slowly a hatch on the floor opened up to the ocean. "Drop zone A confirmed."
"Good luck Aqualad." Winter spoke softly, a slight twinge of fear at the situation running through her.
"Thank you. I'll respond over comms when the next part of the plan is complete." Nodding to his team mates, Aqualad dived out of the Bioship and splashed into the water below.
The group now less one member, the rest of the team sat in silence awaiting the necessary response.
'Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is running in a continuous loop. Move in.' The voice of Aqualad relayed over their communication devices.
'Thank goodness.' Winter thought relieved, feeling the Bioship soar through the island's field and land a few feet above their next point.
All of this was murder on her nerves as it was. The real mission for her hadn't even started yet!
"Arriving at drop zone B." Miss Martian informed the team, letting the ship power down into rest mode.
'Looks like our stop has finally arrived.' Getting up from her seat and watching it recede back into the ship's body, Winter watched cables Miss Martian called to the group descend from the ceiling. Grabbing onto one close by, she hooked it on and tugged to make sure it was secure.
Using this next opportunity to change, Kid Flash reached up and tapped his hero symbol on the center of his uniform. The color black swirling out from the symbol and spreading through each inch of his uniform, the iconic yellow of his outfit was washed away and turned black, leaving Kid Flash in his newfound stealth gear.
Taking in every inch of his new outfit, Kid Flash turned to Miss Martian and showed off his new look.
It was pretty obvious with the look on his face he was trying to impress her.
And it was sad to watch if Winter had to say anything about it.
"How cool is this?" He asked, trying to show off.
"Very impressive." Miss Martian complimented, smiling to her team mate. Closing her eyes and letting her thoughts converge on a single idea, Miss Martian's organic clothes changed in time with her thoughts, mimicking the color swamp of the group's stealth gear. Black rising up from her feet and taking away the skirt she once wore, Miss Martian opened her eyes and stood in triumph at her display, and now wore a jumpsuit of black similar to Martian Manhunter's.
"Wow, uh," Kid Flash spoke, trying to stop himself from getting lost in Miss Martian's new display. "That's cool too."
Shaking her head at the display going on, Winter eyed Kid Flash. "Please show some ettiquete Kid. You're drooling." Winter spoke up, snapping fingers nearby him to get his attention back on track.
Seeing the teasing from his team mate, the speedster looked over at the white colored heroine and smirked, looking her over. "Shouldn't you be getting changed too?"
"I was getting to that. You should never rush a lady." Winter pointed out with a smile. Reaching to the necklace around her neck, Winter tapped a finger to the small metal snowflake and watched her own stealth tech take affect on her uniform. The pristine white of her outfit dyed out from the morphing black spreading into her uniform, Winter couldn't help but twirl in a circle to check out her uniform in its entirety.
No longer was her uniform comprised of white, hints of red, and light subtle blues. Instead black and red took the center stage and shined, her shirt, jacket, skirt, tights, and boots now dyed in the midnight black color. The inside of her jacket changed to a darker blood red color along with her once white hooded cape, giving her a more mysterious flair. Lastly the frills beneath her skirt now the same dark red, Winter took ahold of her cape and inspected it for a moment to gaze at the metamorphosis with her own eyes.
"There? Does that satisfy you?" Winter asked, dropping the end of her now blood red cape to flow behind her back and pulled her hair tie out and began to braid her long strands of hair into two pigtails.
Smirking at the new outfit change, Kid Flash nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, you're good. But I got to say I'm liking the dark punk look. Black and red actually look good on you."
Rolling her eyes and resting her newly dressed hair over her shoulder and onto her chest, Winter ignored the speedster and moved her gaze over to Superboy. During the entire time the rest of the team had switched into their gear or fixed themselves up for the mission, Superboy had made no move to do anything. Didn't he get stealth gear too?
"Superboy?" Winter called, getting the clone's attention. Eyebrow raised she continued. "You aren't going to change?"
Shaking his head, Superboy crossed his harms over his chest defiantly, a firm look on his face to signify his decision. "No capes, no tights. No offense."
'That sounds like something you'd say.' Winter thought, a smile appearing on her own face. She would have loved to joke, say it out loud or make a compliment to him that he'd look fine without the tech, but she knew better.
This was not the time for her to get distracted by how much she liked Superboy in what he was already wearing. This was a mission after all and-
"It totally works for you."
'What?'
Taken aback by the sudden compliment from Miss Martian, Winter swiftly turned her gaze to the martian, feeling her body tense a little at the look she was giving to Superboy.
That look.
Why was the look on Miss Martian's face to Superboy bothering her? It shouldn't, it was trivial. Nothing to care about. Miss Martian was just giving Superboy a compliment. The same thing she had thought of doing
That was all it was right?
'Did...Does she-' Winter wondered, doubt growing inside her.
And again a strange feeling clenched inside her chest. The same one she felt back in the infirmary with M'gann. The feeling she had wanted to forget since she thought it was a one time thing.
Back when Miss Martian told her Superboy had apologized to her. Before she had gotten her own apology.
Unknowingly her hands at her sides curled together into tight fists, her gaze intensifying on the martian girl.
'Stop looking at him like that.'
Hearing her thoughts or subconscious speak to her suddenly, realization kicked in and Winter snapped out of her thoughts. Letting her mind clear and feeling her closed fists, the ice user loosened her tight grip and moved to gaze at her hands.
What was that? Where did that thought come from?
Shaking her head a bit to throw her strange thoughts out of her brain, Winter watched the rest of the group ready themselves, Miss Martian opening the floor hatch to the outside world.
'Whatever that was, it needs to stop. Focus on the mission stupid.' Winter scolded, gripping the cable she was clipped to tightly in her hands.
Taking the initiative Winter jumped out first, thankful the cable attached to her body helped her land gently to the ground. Robin, Kid Flash, and Miss Martian landing softly after, seconds past until each member jumped out of the way of Superboy's descent.
Winter falling over to the side and landing on her butt, she felt the ground below her shake when Superboy crashed hard onto the island surface. A crater beneath him, Superboy rose up from the ground and dusted himself off with a smirk. "Knew I didn't need a land line."
"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert!" Robin said, his voice rising with anger from his seat nearby Miss Martian and Kid Flash.
Understanding the anger Robin had, Winter got up off the ground and dusted her skirt off of the dirt she had sat in. "It's already done with Robin. We can figure out how to fix his covertness after the mission is over."
Huffing at the suggestion posed to him, Robin crossed his arms over his chest in a childish manner and hesitantly nodded. "Fine."
"Good." Winter responded with a smile, her eyes looking over at Superboy who did not seem to look regretful about the situation they were in. "Just try to be a bit quieter okay, Superboy? We don't want to get caught already."
"Aqualad, drop b is go." Miss Martian relayed through the communication devices, floating in the air to look out at the surrounding forest.
"Head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP." Aqualad replied.
"Roger that." Robin answered, taking a look at a holographic map of the island. Closing the tech and staring out at the possible routes they could take, Robin rushed into the dense forest, Superboy, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Winter following alongside.
Winter couldn't help but feel her shoulders shudder at the sounds coming from every direction. Bird caws, growls, animal calls that were normal on this island that she was not used to hearing. Strange noises plus very dark night time equaled spooky for her and she was careful to not let it show on her face.
'I can't wait for this mission to be over.' Winter thought hopeful, rushing ahead of the rest of the team.
"Too bad the rain ended. It could have really helped to mask our footsteps." Winter commented, vaulting over a tree log and hiding behind a large tree to scan the next area over. Maybe some light chat would soothe her nerves.
"As great as it would be the mud's only going to make the stealth harder. Watch where you step." Robin warned, stepping around a large lake of mud hidden in the darkness and taking his own position behind the tree to view their next route, running ahead like Winter had.
Winter's mouth formed a thin line while staring out at the continue forest. This was going to be a tough one. Everything was going as planned so far, but eventually they were going to need more direction than just go with the flow and hope they don't get caught.
'We still haven't talked about a team leader.' Winter wondered navigating around some dense tree roots and jumping to a safer part of the ground, thankful there were no rocks hidden to break her fall.
Was this a good time to discuss? They'd have to talk about it eventually. Direction would be needed in the missions to come after all. The team would want somebody capable, mature, level-headed, smart, adept.
It was obvious to herself that Winter couldn't be placed in every single one of those categories, but she wanted to try. To become a better hero and person. Leading was never her strong suit and she could not always communicate in the kind of commanding tone leaders were known for, but when someone was put into a situation where they needed to learn, to be better, the skills came out sometimes. Showed themselves when a person never thought they could exhibit them.
That could have been what she needed to turn this slump of hers around. Learn to lead by becoming a leader. Be given that responsibility, trust from her team mates. After all, no leaders in history were born knowing how to lead. They all had to learn.
"Say Robin?" Winter whispered, moving out of her hiding place to stare at the moon lighting the forest surrounding the group. "You know how Batman talked about the leader thing and how we needed to choose someone ourselves? I'm...thinking of maybe-"
"Where'd he go?!"
What?!
Turning around to see what the heck Kid Flash was yelling about, Winter felt her heart sunk at the spot where the Boy Wonder had been standing behind her.
Where he was not standing anymore.
'Another one of his Batman disappearing acts? Now?!'
Guess that meant she was talking to herself those last couple of seconds.
Awkward, to say the least.
"Does anybody know which way our team mate ran off to?" Winter whispered, looking at the others for any sort of sign.
"I didn't even notice he disappeared. Does he always do that?" Miss Martian asked, moving her head back and forth to scan the trees for any sign of the younger detective.
"Only when we don't want him to." Kid Flash answered, scratching his head.
She held in a sigh. This was their first mission and people were already splitting up. They needed to stick-
"Did you guys here that?" Superboy asked, jumping into the conversation suddenly, staring out at the forest beyond their sight.
"No," Kid Flash spoke, yet looked around regardless to see if something was around them. Seeing no enemy or animal that could have made the clone was talking about, the speedster rubbed his neck in confusion. "Wait, is this one of those super hearing things?"
"You do have great ears." Miss Martian complimented, gazing at the preoccupied clone.
'Will you stop-'
And just as quickly as the thought was trying to surface, Winter pushed it back again, suppressing the thought in the back of her recesses of her mind.
Her eyes darted to Miss Martian, the alien girl showing the same look she'd had back at the Bioship.
No. She said she wouldn't get distracted. She meant it, so back those thoughts went. She'd figure out what was going on with her later. When their careers weren't on the line.
And right now somebody had to be the leader. Aqualad was far off somewhere and Robin had disappeared. The two people Winter knew in her heart were capable leaders were both gone, leaving the rest of the group who did not have as wide a range of leading skills on their own to navigate.
She wanted the chance to lead. Guess the world answered her.
"We need to stick together. Keep close to the trees and stay camouflaged. We'll search for Robin as we move to the next checkpoint." Winter ordered.
Who made you leader?" Kid Flash argued.
"We need a plan of action right now and nobody else is suggesting anything. Just follow my lead KF. The sooner we finish this mission we can discuss the leader thing when we're all together."
Raising a hand up, Miss Martian spoke up. "I agree too. Robin and Aqualad aren't here right now, so we do need a leader. Let's follow Winter, okay Kid Flash?"
Not giving much of a look of acceptance, Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "Fine. For you beautiful."
"Superboy, Kid," Aqualad's voice spoke through the comm link. "Switch to infrared. See if you are being tracked."
"Got it." Placing his goggles over his eyes and switching his covered vision, the red-headed speedster stared out at the now visible forest ahead of them, the trees, bushes, and ground color submerged in red.
And something else.
"I've got a squad of armed bozos incoming." Kid Flash reported.
"Let's get a closer look." Winter whispered, sliding down a small patch of mud, crouching low behind a large boulder. Hearing the rest of the team come in closer, the heroine peeked around the rock, spotting a clearing ahead. "Are the ones KF spotted the only group?"
"There's two squads," Superboy reported next to her. "But they'll meet each other before they find us."
"Can you hear anything from here?"
The sounds of gun shots broke out just after Winter spoke, the heroine ducking behind the rock on instinct. Moving out of the way of the boulder, Kid Flash adjusted his goggles back to their normal vision.
"No super hearing required now."
"Swing wide! Steer clear!" Aqualad commanded, his voice caring urgency.
"Underst-"
"Yeah, yeah." Kid Flash spoke, cutting Winter off and moving around the rocks and towards the muddy road. "Just as soon as I find Rob."
Her patience wearing thin over Kid Flash, Winter rached out to grab the speedster. "Kid, don't be stupid. You need to stay-"
The rush of wind gently touching her cheeks and the sound of footsteps hastily drifting away, Winter gritted her teeth at the spot Kid Flash was standing, the spot now empty of her overzealous team mate.
Her fist clenching and falling to her side and shaking a bit with anger, Winter glared at the road Kid Flash ran down until she felt she'd waited long enough. A tired sigh escaping her lips, Winter motioned Miss Martian and Superboy to follow her. "C'mon. We better make sure that dolt doesn't get himself killed."
Careful of the fresh mud masking the road, Winter jumped lightly off the ground and landed in the mud, leaning in to skate down the dirt path like how she did with her own ice. Seeing the bottom of the hill getting closer and closer, Winter moved her eyes upward to the clearing she had spotted back when the group had been hiding.
There she spotted the groups that Kid Flash and Superboy had mentioned. With one wearing red cloaks and masks and the other wearing clothes similar to gangs and thugs...
And Kid Flash had a gun pointed in his face!
"That dolt!" Throwing a ray of ice on the ground below her to hasten her speed, Winter sped down the rest of the hill and skated into the battlefield, her mind racing with plans to get her ally out of danger.
Aiming as best she could, Winter threw a ray of ice towards the ground between Kid Flash and the larger gun man, the spark of the powers making the gunman and others step back in surprise at the unknown attack.
Skidding to a stop in the space between Kid Flash and the assailant, Winter gritted her teeth and glared at the masked man, her mind taking note that he looked familiar.
She didn't have time to place the face though.
"Another one! These rats are popping out all over the place! Get em'!" The masked man roared, his senses recovering and moving his hand upward with gun in hand towards Winter.
'I need to move!'
Time was starting to slow down around her, as if water was restricting her movements. The sound of her own heartbeat was ringing in her ears, the gun looking so small to her before growing in size as the barrel was just a few inches from pointing at her face.
The masked man moving his finger to press the trigger of his weapon, Winter rushed her motor skills to move faster than she ever wanted them to. Outstretching her arm and swinging it around her in a large arcing circle, Winter willed the ice on the ground around her to move in time with her commands and shut her eyes in fear of what may come.
*Bang*
The ringing of a gunshot invaded her ears, the smell of gunpowder invading her nose.
Was she dead?
Unsure of her fate Winter slowly opened her eyes, her vision once squeezed tight readjusting to the colors around her. Her vision finally clearing back up, she sucked in a breath, stepping back a bit in fear at what she saw.
A bullet, frozen in time.
A single piece of metal, so trivial in size yet so powerful to take down a human being, was staring right at her, trapped in her icy shield. It must have been the shot she heard.
If she had been a second too late Kid Flash would have...
If she had been a second too early she'd...
"Wow, are you okay? That was...close." Kid Flash spoke up, his usual cheery and sarcastic voice replaced with concern and shock.
Her team mate's voice snapping out of her surprised stupor, Winter felt a shiver run down her spine as if her senses wee trying to reconnect itself with her body. Feeling like she was able to move and speak, the white-haired teen angrily turned to look at Kid Flash.
Fire burned in her eyes, and chilling fog dissipated off her her shaking fists, their color white from squeezing them too hard.
"Of course it was you idiot!" Winter yelled, anger swelling up inside her, wanting to be released.
God, she was so angry! How could Kid Flash be so irresponsible like that!?
"I told you not to run off! We nearly got killed because of your stunt and not wanting to listen Aqualad or me! Just help take these guys down and fast. You at least owe me that much for saving your butt."
Getting up from the ground and deciding not to argue after the lecture he got, Kid Flash adjusted his goggles and readied himself to run, looking over to Winter. "Yeah, got it."
Nodding at his answer, Winter turned to look at the ice that surrounded the two heroes, noticing the blobs of shadowed figures surrounding the sanctuary she created, muffled whispers traveling through the walls. Heavy set groups of men with guns all around them.
They needed some cover.
"You remember that team attack pattern we practiced?"
"The weirdly named one?"
Winter resisted the urge to glare at Kid Flash, her focus necessary for the plan to work. "Yes, that one. I'm going to shatter the shields. Once I do and call out the name, run as fast as you can to spread it out and make cover. And this time don't run at enemies half-cocked. We need to find the others."
"Yes ma'm." Kid Flash answered, his joking attitude gone and replaced with the serious tone of a hero.
Taking a shaky breath to calm her nerves and prepare for the next phase of her plan, Winter watched her hands glow their familiar light blue light, icy fog flowing off her fingertips and palms. Reaching her hand up into the air and closing it into a fist, Winter roared and slammed her fist into the ground, activating her powers.
An explosion rang out, like the sound of shattering glass.
The shields of ice breaking into shards and disintegrating further into flakes of snow in the air, Winter looked up from her position, her eyes darting back and forth at the many weaponized enemies around them. Most were shielding their eyes from the shards of ice still flying in the air, meaning they had their chance.
Raisin g her voice as loud as she could, Winter called out the attack pattern.
"WHITEOUT!"
Hearing his cue, Kid Flash sped off as ordered and began rushing in a circling pattern around Winter. Rushing around the battlefield at a constant rate, his speed began to create a great gust of wind, picking up the frosty fog that had started to take over the area. Controlling it with his speed, Kid Flash continued running until the fog had reached to the ends of the battlefield, masking the vision of the two groups.
"Take em' down!" Running off to pick off a gunman nearby her, Winter ran towards the unsuspecting man and jumped, moving her leg to kick ta cloaked in the face. The force too much for him, he fell to the ground unconscious giving Winter enough time to move through the dense fog.
More sounds began to invade the area. Gun shots (thankfully not in her line of sight), yelling, orders in another language, and crashes. From the sounds of it, it seemed like their side was winning.
'Miss Martian and Superboy must have jumped in.' Winter thought, ducking to the ground and sweeping her feet beneath a red-cloaked enemy. Seeing him fall, Winter shot a ray of ice over his body, freezing him to the ground and unable to move.
The fog slowly beginning to fade away higher into the air, the ice user scanned the forest that began to show itself once again. Trees and bushes were starting to become visible, along with an array of downed bad guys.
It was going well!
"You!"
Or maybe adrenaline was making her feel optimistic.
Turning back to see who had yelled, Winter rolled out of the way of a bullet hitting her, landing on her knees and hastily getting up to shoot a ray of ice towards whoever had shot her. The attack missing by a few feet, Winter looked up and gritted her teeth at the sight of the masked man who had almost shot her through the head.
"You're not getting away little chica. I'm not going to miss this time!" The masked man threatened, shaking flakes of ice off his shoulder and pointing his gun back in her direction.
"Not if I can help it!" Winter retorted back, throwing her arm forward and shooting a cold chill of ice towards the gun in the masked man's hand.
This time the attack hit, the gun freezing and the barrel covered in a thick layer of ice. His eyes flaring up with rage, the man chucked his gun off somewhere and decided on a direct approach, rushing towards Winter like a bull ready to break down anything in its path. Now in a closer proximity, the masked man swung a fist in Winter's direction.
Ducking away from the punch and back flipping to get some distance, Winter flung a ray of ice on the ground, smirking as the man slipped a bit. "What's wrong? Having a little trouble walking?"
"You cheeky little.." Too angry to finish the rest of his insult, the masked man raised his leg up and slammed it hard onto the icy ground Winter created, the force shattering the frozen trap to pieces. Taking the hero by surprise, the man reached out and grabbed onto the collar of her uniform, tugging her close to his face. "Let's see if you can survive a cracked skull." Lifting the girl off the ground and turning his body at a fast pace, the masked man lifted Winter over his shoulder and pulled his arm downwards, ready to smash her right into the ground.
"Let her go!" Flying through the air and stopping nearby, Miss Martian swung her arm out and called upon her telekinesis, willing it towards the masked man.
A sudden invisible force slamming into his chest like a hard punch, the man let go of Winter's collar, his body pushing far back into a tree and crashing into it before sinking to the ground unconscious.
Feeling herself fly through the air, Winter turned her body back upright the best she could in her condition, gritting her teeth at the sight of the hard ground getting closer and closer to her. Knowing the landing was going to be a hard one she shut her ice blue eyes, ready for the impact...
It was...softer than she expected.
She'd fallen hard before. A rush of warmth would head to the area she fell on, with the rush of pain following after. Neither of them came however.
Did she fall harder than she expected and just not know it?
Opening her eyes the ice user huffed, the red of her cape in her eyes. The cloth fallen over her face, Winter pushed it off of her and found herself staring into blue eyes, the eyes and face of Superboy.
'Did Superboy catch me? Wow, he really is strong.' Winter couldn't help but note in her mind.
"You okay?" Superboy asked, looking down at the rattled form of Winter.
Her pigtails pushed over her face and a few strands of her hair out of place from being thrown around in the fight, Winter made no move to speak, her eyes just looking at her comrade, trying to find her voice.
The mission had barley started for the team.
The group was getting separated from each other.
She'd nearly been shot through the head.
Thrown across the battlefield literally like a sack of potatoes. (Curse the world for making her so tiny.)
The battle may have been over, but there was still more to come.
So what did she have to say about it all now that she finally had time to breathe, carried in the arms of a boy she was having very mixed feelings about?
"Yeah," Winter breathed out, her shoulders slumping in a relaxed position. Her eyes never wavered from Superboy, the ice blue of her irises never breaking from his dark blue. "Nice catch."
She felt her lips turn upward into a small smile, the tension leaving her body making Winter feel light and ticklish.
Superboy just smirked back at her before helping her to stand back up on her feet.
If only she could stay in those arms longer.
"I recognize these uniforms." Robin noted, crouching down in front of some of the men tied up to a tree.
Minutes had passed since the entire team had grouped back up. The battle Kid Flash and Winter had started had gotten the attention of all the members, thankfully placing them all back in the same spot to regroup.
It wouldn't have been as much of a problem however if Robin hadn't of run off. He said something about being covert and following his lead, but even for Winter and knowing the way Robin operated, ditching the group was a bit of a bad decision.
But that was pushed aside for another time, the team focusing their attention on the goons. Tying them to trees with the help of Robin's handy cables, the teens stood off to the side looking over every member they had fought off and captured.
Robin in particular taking an interest in some of them.
"They're a part of the Cult of the Cobra." He finished, getting up from the ground and staring at each member from behind his mask.
"Why would a cult be all the way out here on some island?" Winter asked, standing off to the side with Superboy, Miss Martian next to Aqualad.
"I am certain Batman would have informed us if he knew a dangerous extremist group was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Aqualad noted, placing a hand on his chin as he thought about the situation.
"Would that explain why Venom has been cut off? They could be the ones in control of the island." Miss Martian suggested, staring down at the hooded cultists.
Snapping his fingers and smiling, Robin turned to point a finger to Miss Martian. "You got it."
"Great, we got it." Kid Flash spoke up, kicking a random rock. "Kobra wants super cultists. Case closed. Let's radio Batman and we'll be home in time for-"
"These cultists aren't on Kobra Venom, they're hoarding it." Robin pointed out confidently, turning back to look at Kid Flash. "We don't leave, not until I know why." The Boy Wonder explained, his gaze turning downward to let his mind think.
"Until you know why?" Kid Flash repeated, eyes narrowing at the shorter teen.
'Oh great, here we go again.' Winter thought, her eyes glaring at the two boys starting to argue a few feet away.
"Hey, 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!"
"And you're a mature fifteen year old? Pfft. You blew our cover first chance you got!"
"How long are those two going to argue?" Miss Martian asked from her spot, watching their fellow team mates go back and forth.
"Don't underestimate the male ego. They could be going at it for hours if they could." Winter joked lightly, turning to smile at the martian. "You want to try and be the leader?"
Shaking her head, Miss Martian smiled. "No, I don't think I'm leader material. I already messed up with Mister Twister thing and nearly quit on my first day. I think I need a confidence boost before I try any leading. What about you Winter?"
Winter lost her smile and uncertainty crossed her face. "Who, me? I...don't really know."
"You'd be great. You helped make me feel better with Mister Twister and you made that great plan to take him down. Not to mention you saved Wally from a really bad situation earlier. I'm sure the team would work great under your leadership." The green-skinned alien praised, nodding her head to affirm what she was saying.
"Thanks for the compliments, but I'm still not sure myself," Winter answered, scratching her cheek. "I want to really, but I don't know if anybody would take me seriously. You saw how Kid Flash ignored my orders before just being a makeshift leader. If I can't command respect as myself, how can I do that as a leader?"
'Not to mention those weird thoughts I had about you, Miss Martian. A leader should never think so rudely about their own team mate.' Winter mused, her eyes shifting from the martian to the ground.
"I think you'd be a good leader." Superboy spoke from Winter's left.
The ice user turned to the new voice, her eyes staring back at Superboy's. "Y-You think so too?"
Looking over to the two conversing girls, Superboy nodded and continued. "You did your best with what you had. I'm sure you'd kick some major butt as team leader with some more practice. You already showed you're willing to protect us with the way you blocked that bullet."
Warmth crawling up her neck and flowing to her cheeks, Winter lowered her head a bit to hide her blush, her fingers twirling one of her pigtails. "You guys saw that?"
"Of course we did. Superboy and I got so worried. We thought you were..." Miss Martian spoke, but shook her head, dismissing the darker thought that crossed her mind. "We rushed as fast as we could after Superboy saw what happened. You really risked yourself for Kid Flash, Winter. Like a real hero and leader would."
Blush shading into a deeper red, Winter smiled sheepishly to her team mates. "More like dumb luck. If I hadn't been fast enough I wouldn't be standing here. It was a bad decision all around really. But still, thank you for the support. I hope I can count on you guys to vote me team leader. Once I figure out how it all works." Winter joked, laughing at her joking words.
"You don't even have superpowers!"
"Neither does Batman!"
"Dude, you're no Batman!"
"Closest thing we've got!"
Her laughter slowly dying down at the sounds of more insults being thrown by Robin and Kid Flash, Winter scratched her head and pulled the hood of her red cape over her head. If only to try and block out some of the loud yellings they were making.
"I'll go...try and stop their fighting." Winter spoke up, waving to her team mates, walking quietly over to the two arguing boys. "Hey, can you guys keep it down? I know you both want to keep butting heads over who gets to be king of the hill, but this is still a covert mission whether we got into a fight or not." The older teen pointed out, whispering to the two in a harsh tone to get them to understand.
"It's not my fault KF's being unreasonable," Robin argued, pointing to the speedster.
"Well maybe if somebody would actually communicate with his team rather than run off on his own, I'd be more reasonable as team leader." Kid Flash retorted.
"Oh, you are so not team leader."
"And you are? You can't even-"
"Okay, you both need to cool down for a few seconds." Winter replied, not wasting any time with the two boys. Using her ice powers to chill her hands to a freezing temperature, Winter grabbed onto both Kid Flash and Robin and placed an icy hand on both their cheeks.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Both heroes jolting in shock at the cold touch of the ice user, both Robin and Kid Flash rubbed their freezing faces, a light icy sting running through their face.
"What the heck was that for?" Kid Flash asked, annoyance showing.
"I'd like an explanation too." Robin added, hissing at the cold feeling on his cheek.
This had to be what it was like to have siblings. Younger, childish siblings.
But she had to put her foot down. If not for the team or the mission, but for herself. To be taken seriously. Somebody had to say when enough was enough and get the show back on the road. It was time to boost her confidence and tell the two teens what was going to happen.
On her terms.
"You guys were getting heated up over nothing." Winter pointed out, deactivating her powers and letting the glow on her hands disappear. "I know the leadership thing is a big deal and all, but we're all still on a mission for the League. Right now our job is to figure out what's going on with the Venom and get out of here."
"Hah, see? Told you?" Kid Flash gloated, eyebrow raised at Robin.
"However," Winter added. "This Kobra thing is big. We should look into it, for Batman and the League's sake. The more information we can give him the better the report will be. Not to mention that just leaving the island without knowing anything about why the crazy cult guys are here may bite us in the butt in the future."
"Yeah, I did." Robin retorted, turning his head to look at Kid Flash who was now frowning.
"So," Winter spoke, getting the two boys to stop arguing and look at her. "for now let's drop the team leader thing and try to work together like we have before. That way we can find out what's going on with this Venom plant operation and make this a success. You know, like we've all wanted to since Cadmus."
"I couldn't agree more," Aqualad spoke up, walking over to the group and resting a hand on Winters' shoulder. "Let us follow Winters' suggestion. We will decide on the situation of team leader another time."
Robin and Kid Flash standing in silence for a few moments to take all of the discussion in, the two boys turned their gazes back to each other, keeping eye level before turning back to look at Winter. A a smile and smirk appearing in her direction, both boys nodded, with Kid Flash adding a shrug of his shoulders.
"Alright, but this better not mean freezing my face is always going to be a go-to thing if we argue." Kid Flash pointed out.
"Seconded. And while the whole leader thing may be whelmed right now, let's at least agree I know how to be more covert than our resident super speedster."
"Hey!"
Winter felt herself smile, her body warming up with confidence and strength at the sight of her team mates, once-bickering back and forth at each other, smirking and joking around like they usually did.
Was this what it was like? Being a leader? Telling team mates how to work together and diffusing fights and arguments during missions? Helping them agree and feel better?
It...was not as bad or tough as she thought it would be.
Perhaps she was cut out to be a leader for the team after all.
The night was still young though. And that meant there was more time to really screw things up.
Hopefully, no more guns would be pointed in her face for the duration of the night.
And that's the end of that chapter. ;3
Sorry this took a while longer than I wanted it too. A lot of things are getting in the way, plus my grandmother just passed away as I write this, so I wasn't feeling too hot for a bit. But don't let my personal stuff get in the way of you enjoying your reading.
I don't know when the next chapter will show up. My school work is piling up with papers and I'm trying to pass a match class, so it may take longer than I want it to. It won't be out by the end of April I think, so sorry in advance.
Umm...I'm not sure what else to write down here at the moment. My mind is kind of jumbled. So...
You don't have to, but if you get the chance call your grandparents, tell them you love them. You really feel a hit inside when you realize you could have spent more time with them, talk with them. It puts everything into perspective. You don't have to of course. It's your decision, but if you have the time and want to, go ahead. :)
So, bye guys. Have a good day/night/whatever time it is.
Next Chapter: Drop Zone Pt. 2