Once a leader had been officially chosen, the team was eager to be assigned their first real mission. For weeks Wally had been blabbering on and on about what it might be, and Artemis had to stop herself from screaming at him to shut up. Why couldn't he just sit down and be patient?
But she was excited, too. Their first mission would be the one that proved that she and her team could measure up to the League.
And yet it was still a few more weeks before Batman assigned it to them. They'd been living in Mount Justice for most of August and all of September, and October was creeping up slowly on Happy Harbor, the town where the mountain resided. The team members were put through a few more training simulations with Aqualad leading them, and they improved with each one.
Wally kept trying to make Artemis laugh, to no avail. She wasn't budging. He was only funny when he did something stupid or embarrassing, but when Artemis laughed at those things, she swore it didn't count. The deal was that she had to laugh at one of his jokes, and that was never going to happen. Ever. But Wally was annoyingly persistent.
Everyone was hanging out in the living room when Batman finally assigned them their first mission. Dick and Wally were versing each other in a video game with Artemis watching, sitting on the couch with them. Conner and M'gann were ensconced in a silent game of checkers, and Kaldur was standing off to the side, looking deep in thought.
"Hey, Artemis," Wally said without taking his eyes off the TV screen; he and Dick had gone three rounds in their game so far, and Dick had beaten him each time.
"What," Artemis replied flatly, preparing herself for another terrible joke.
"Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees?" he asked, and Artemis rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I don't know, why?"
"They're really good at it," Wally said, and Dick burst out laughing next to him. Artemis had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from smiling, because that one was actually funny. Damn it. He was getting better. She'd have to keep her guard up more.
Suddenly, the mountain's intercom crackled overhead, making the team pause and look up.
"Batman to Team," Batman's voice echoed through the mountain. "Get dressed in your uniforms and report to the Cave for your first mission debriefing."
Wally immediately jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! Here we go!" In another second he was gone, running off to his room to put on his yellow-and-red uniform.
Dick was immediately serious, turning off the video game without saving the progress and shutting off the TV. Kaldur's face was composed and calm, but there was a nervous ripple going through him. Conner's fists clenched at the prospect of finally being in the middle of some real action, and M'gann looked at Artemis and smiled excitedly.
"Our first mission! Are you ready?" she asked, and Artemis nodded, cracking her knuckles.
"More than you know," she said. "Let's do this thing."
The team separated to put on their uniforms and regrouped in the Cave, where Batman was waiting in front of the holographic computer. Robin approached his mentor with a steady calmness and a determination to make Batman proud. Kid Flash was bouncing on his toes, buzzing with energy. Artemis gripped her bow tightly and made sure she had all the important arrows in her quiver, plus her collapsible crossbow strapped to her thigh. She didn't care what the mission was going to be – she was ready to get out there and defeat the bad guys. She wouldn't fail.
No, the Team wouldn't fail. Artemis had to remind herself to stop thinking singularly. She was part of a team now, and they had to work together if they wanted to get the job done. Despite the long amount of time they'd already spent living together, Artemis was still getting used to having so many friends. To being trusted by so many people.
And they really did trust her, despite her parentage and her family's history. In the months they'd lived together, the team had become her new family. It was a strange feeling.
Once everyone had gathered in the Cave, Batman pulled up a map on the computer in front of them.
"Your first mission is on an island called Santa Prisca," he said, zooming in on the location on the map. "Your targets are members of an illegal drug ring operating within the country."
"A drug bust?" Wally said incredulously. "That's our first mission? Aren't there any big bads for us to tackle?"
"This drug ring runs under the control of the League of Shadows," Batman said, and Artemis automatically stiffened. She had experience with those guys. Did that mean her father was involved? Her sister?
"Who's in charge?" she asked stiffly, and Batman leveled her with a steady look.
"His name is Bane," Batman said, and Artemis instantly relaxed. Not Sportsmaster. "He is an extremely dangerous villain with extraordinary skills. Do not underestimate him. Your objective is to infiltrate his base on the island and apprehend him and his men. The League will take care of the rest."
"What about the product?" Robin asked. "The drugs?"
"The League will handle it," Batman replied, and Robin pursed his lips and nodded.
"You'll take Miss Martian's bioship," Batman said, and Miss Martian nodded. "Enter in camouflage mode. Scope out the landscape. Do not be seen or heard. If Bane and his men catch you, it could mean serious repercussions for the fate of this team. Is that clear?"
The team members nodded determinedly. They wouldn't screw this up.
"Here are your coordinates. You depart in two hours."
Artemis took a deep breath. Here we go.