The explosion rocked the building. There'd all dove behind a seat, but ceiling tiles, dust, and glass shards from the fountain were everywhere.
Finally, though, the dust began to settled. Roy looked around, feeling for his siblings, since he could barely see a thing.
"Everyone alright?" he asked hoarsely.
He could hear Scarlet coughing, and a hand reached out to grab his own. He could make out three faces looking at his own...
"Fine." Wally said calmly, before turning to Scarlet. "W-why would you do that?"
He was referring to the explosive birdarang in the tank, of course.
"We didn't have time. Those plants were closing in on us, we needed their venom supply destroyed ASAP. Besides- our mentors needed it, too."
Roy nodded. "She did the right thing."
Just then, another severed vine fell from the ceiling. It landed on them, this time, with surprising force that made everything fuzz out for a minute.
"We have to get up there." Dick said, after he'd used a birdarang to slice through the vine.
"Right." Scarlet pulled out the grapple gun she'd recently been given, shooting it at the ceiling, which was looking unstable at best.
"Wally- let's go." Dick put an arm around his friend's waist, pulling him up with his grapple gun.
Roy simply shot another arrow with a rope attached, climbing up. He put his fist through a nearby ceiling tile and stumbled out onto the roof of the dome, just in time to see Bane about to snap Green Arrow's neck...
"NO!" He reacted, grabbing the first arrow he could and firing. It struck Bane's shoulder blade and exploded, and the man dropped Green Arrow, who gasped for breath, and turned towards Roy...
He was shocked to see not only surprise, but genuine fear of his father's face.
Oliver had never been afraid of ANYTHING before, unless... unless it would most likely end badly.
Batman dove in with a flying kick that Bane blocked, Flash was unconscious, hanging upside down by vines, and Poison Ivy was struggling to rally her dying plants.
"Speedy- get Green Arrow out of here- NOW!" Batman yelled, sending a fierce volley of blows at Bane, which the man expertly blocked.
Roy ran to his mentor, who was gasping painfully for air...
"Ollie... I'm gonna get you out of here, Ollie, relax..." The scared fifteen year old struggled, throwing his father's arm across his shoulder and dragging him towards the edge of the roof, getting on his comm.
Scarlet and Dick were covering him from attack from the vines with birdarags, Wally was using a birdarang he'd been given to cut Flash down, Ivy was looking desperate, and Bane and Batman were still locked in fierce combat.
"I need Ollie beamed up, NOW!" Rou yelled over the sounds of combat. His comm was silent. There was no one at the tower to respond. Oliver had passed out, now, and Roy stared at his pale face, frustrated. There was no one at the tower.
"Roy! We need you!" Dick yelled. The plants had rallied, now, Ivy had doused them in a vial of venom she had left for emergencies.
Roy stared down at his foster father's face, desperate. "I'm sorry, dad..." He whispered, before staggering to his feet, pulling back his bow...
He launched an explosive arrow at the central concentration of vines, they hissed, and the building shook.
Some vines died, and Wally grabbed one, racing around Ivy with it, tying her up with her own creation...
Batman was trying to cut the venom lines in bane's face mask, but unfortunately, Bane was expecting this, and was doing surprisingly well.
He seized Batman by the throat, dangling him over open air...
"Dad!" Scarlet's alarmed scream rang out, and Batman sunk a fist into the man's chest. Of course, it had little effect...
Roy whirled, explosive arrow loaded, and fired. It exploded when it made contact with Bane's hand, blowing Batman and Bane apart. Batman caught himself on the ledge lf the dome, and Bane stumbled back.
"Stupid children. I have the strength if a hundred men- you cannot defeat me."
"Now!" Dick approached from nowhere, slamming into Bane at top speed, knocking him back... off the very edge of the building.
The villan hit the cement hard, a spider-web of cracks spreading under him as he landed on the cement below. Dick, thankfully, had landed on top f the shell-shocked steroid addict, and quickly rolled off, staggering to his feet. His legs felt like jelly, but he'd survived the fall, he wasn't badly hurt...
There was a blur of concerned red and yellow standing next to him, then, pulling him back from Bane, who was laying still...
"Dude, areyouokay? Holycrapyoufelllikeahundredfeet..." Wally was so panicked, and Dick so shaky, that neither of them noticed the hulking mass that was Bane getting to his feet.
Just as the mammoth was about to attack them both, an arrow sang through the air, striking Bane's shoulder and sticking. It beeped once, twice, before it exploded, sending the man staggering.
Scarlet swung down gracefully, Roy following soon after, landing on the pavement yet again.
"So, we going to fight this guy or what?"
Batman had since recovered himself onto of the building, but was busy ministering to Oliver, who was breathing less than he should have been, lips turning blue...
He got on his comm as he worked, struggling to save the archer.
"Kids- do NOT engage. Bane is NOT to be engaged. I repeat, stand down..."
He winced at the sound of explosions below. "STAND DOWN! Anyone, I need a beam for Oliver and Flash to the tower, they're wounded... Kids, I ordered a RETREAT!""Not even if we could, Dad." Dick's voice crackled across the comm, defiant and concise. He was NOT letting Bane get away, not after what he'd done to Green Arrow and Flash...
"KF!" Roy yelled as Bane threw the Speedster into the marble steps of the building, and it cracked.
Wally moaned, staggering to his feet, He could do this. They could ALL do this. What was the alternative?
"Watch his hands! Super strength is his weapon!"" Scarlet ordered, throwing yet another birdarang that Bane dodged.
"I'll come in front, you go behind. Now!" Dick yelled. Scarlet came from the back, attempting to hack open the venom feed tubes in bane's mask with a birdarang, but failing miserably as Bane grabbed her and threw her into Dick.
Bane scoffed. "Your father sends his children. A sacrifice, I suppose..."
Neither Scarlet or Dick faltered. They knew what he was doing. Trying to make them doubt their mentor would only distract them fro the task at hand, Besides, Batman HADN'T sent them into combat- it anything, he'd ordered a retreat. They could rest with the fact they died disobeying orders.
Roy had an arrow pulled back, ready to fire...
Bane turned to him, chuckling. "Go ahead, boy. Shoot me. I have body armor. Unlike your mentor."
"Shut Up!" Roy sent an arrow into the body armor, Bane laughed.
The four children were circling the monster of a man, now, but Roy was steaming...
He pulled out his last arrow. A razor sharp arrow, one that could easily kill a man. He was only supposed to use it in dire circumstances, but this was it...
"Hey ugly! Over here!" Wally was running slower than normal, but he still managed to shove Bane as he ran past him.
Dick came in from behind, making Bane turn when he cackled. As soon as he wasn't looking, Scarlet's fist was in his face, sending him staggering back...
Roy had his bow pulled back, now, every muscle within him taught, sweat pouring down his dusty, grimy face, making more filth stick to it.
"Hey Muscles! Over here!" Roy screamed, after Bane had succeeded in knocking off the other three.
Bane turned, Roy had a clear shot, and he fired. He smiled as he released, already knowing the arrow was going to hit. Everything was in slow motion, the arrow flew, tearing through the tubes that connected Bane with his venom feed...
The arrow flew past and struck the ground, sparks flying when the steel, razor-sharp arrow head hit the marble of the steps of the Capital building.
"Game over." Roy said quietly.
"Now!" Dick yelled. Wally shoved Bane, who was touching his ripped venom feed, shocked, as the very liquid that gave him power pooled beneath him...
"Collar!" Wally yelled.
Scarlet threw it to him, and he slapped it on Bane, leaving him just as powerful as any other human being. Dick cuffed his arms and legs together, and they all stood for a moment, chests heaving, catching their breath, not believing they'd done it.
Batman had finally gotten Flash and Green Arrow beamed up, he swung down, nodding to the kids and handing Bane over to the authorities, pulling out his comm.
"Beam us up." he ordered.
A moment later, they were at the watch tower.
Batman looked over at the kids- grimy, hair matted with sweat and debris, and torn costumes. Still- no one was hurt. Just bruised. He sighed, for once not knowing what to do.
They'd disobeyed direct orders, and they could've died in the process. But they'd saved them, as well.
"Where's GA?" Roy asked, fear creeping into his voice. It roused Batman from his thoughts, and he realized they could deal with the issues later. Two kids had injured mentors they needed to see...
"Resting in his room. He has a few broken ribs- needs to be kept quiet. You can have five minutes with him."
Roy nodded before walking towards the room, trying to keep himself calm. Oliver was fine, would be fine...
He punched in the code to his father's room, entering quietly.
"Dad?"
"Roy, god, are you alright?" Oliver tried to sit up but winced, and Roy hurried to his side. It was dark in the bedroom, and Roy eased his father back down onto the pillows.
"I'm fine, Dad. Are you?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine... God, you look like hell." Oliver wiped some blood from his son's face. He'd gotten a bloody nose somewhere along the line, as well as a few other cuts and scrapes, but he was mainly just grimy...
"You scared the crap out of me, coming in out of nowhere." he said simply.
Roy shrugged. "We saw on the news- you needed help."
"Yeah... Yeah, I guess we did." Oliver started coughing, a pained look came over his face, and Roy quickly found a cup of water on the bedside table and brought it to Oliver's lips.
"Thanks." Oliver said, when the fit subsided after his drink. "Listen, did Bane..."
"No. We got him. Wally and Dick and Scarlet and I got him."
"Without Batman?" Oliver asked, looking shocked.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, he was busy with you and Flash. Used that razor arrow to shoot through his venom feed tubes."
Oliver gave him a weak smile. "Nice."
"Yeah. Are you alright?" Roy asked, looking at his mentor, concerned.
Oliver nodded. "Yeah... I'll be fine. You look pretty beat up. Go take a shower and rest, We'll talk about this later."
Roy nodded, showering and doing as he was told, back in his own room. The warm water felt so good, rushing over his bruise, which were tender, and washing the grime from his cuts and scrapes...
He pulled on a pair of boxers and a shirt, before falling into bed, exhausted.
Wally laid, asleep, beside Barry in the medbay. He was always one for physical contact, and with his uncle still asleep with a concussion, in bed, there was no way he was going to leave him alone. Still, he was tired, so he couldn't help but just drift off beside his uncle...
Barry opened his eyes and waited for his vision to come into focus. His head hurt something awful, the last thing he could remember was the battle...
There was something warm pressing against him, and he smiled when he looked over to see a tuft of ginger hair, and a filthy, exhausted Wally curled up against him. He gently nudged the boy until he was on his back, licking his thumb and doing the best he could to scrub the grime from his face without waking him. Wally's nose twitched his his sleep, like a rabbit's, and Barry couldn't help but smile.
Once he was sure the boy wasn't injured beyond any minor cuts and scrapes, he rolled back over, allowing Wally to nuzzle into him again. Most thirteen year old boys would be afraid to curl up in bed next to their parents, let alone uncle, but Wally was so incredibly close with his uncle, it was normal. He was like a puppy- yearning to have his hair ruffled, to be touched, approved of, loved.
Barry smiled. He remembered Wally had been working on cutting him free of the vines during the battle. Wally had been there when he'd needed him then, and he was again, now. He stroked his nephew's fiery red hair until he fell asleep.
Bruce looked down at the two grime-covered children laying in his room, in his bed. His cowl was down, they were both asleep...
They'd disobeyed direct orders today. That scared him. Because in gotham, to disobey orders meant you would almost certainly get hurt, captured, tortured, or killed. But they'd done it- the four children had defied all odds and capture Bane when three leaguers couldn't. He still wasn't sure how, but they'd managed.
He'd be having a firm talk with them when they woke up- he could've lost them. Dick had an arm protectively around Scarlet, even while they were sleeping, and Scarlet was nuzzled into her brother's side.
They were used to this, of course. He remembered them saying something about sharing a bed with their parents in their quarters on the train, they were close like that.
And they'd taken down Bane. That alone surprised him enough to wonder if he'd underestimated them that severely. He sighed.
"Don't scare me like that again." he ordered, before he, too, fell into a chair beside the bed. They'd sort this out later.
MAILBAG
Mimmy14, Chapter 77
Hahaha. You gotta love a kids ingenuity.
I know, right? If you can't eat it, play with it, or understand it- blow it up!
Guest, Chapter 77
Yay I love Scarlet I read this Allie ago and I love that you still update it for me it feels like a classic. I love your other work and I really want to see Scarlet get a boyfriend or at least a crush!
Thanks! I'm glad after all this time you still love this story so much. As for Scarlet's relationship status in Nighthawk Rising... we'll see... ;)