New Friends, Same Old Problems
Mount Justice
August 8, 09:58 EDT
"Ugh, it's a beautiful day to do absolutely nothing!" I grinned. Decked out in trunks and bikinis, the whole team was ready to spend the day sprawled out on our own private beach.
M'gann smiled too, pointing excitedly at the crashing waves, "Hello, Megan! We should hit the beach every day!"
Before either of us could take off toward the warm sands, Robin held up a hand, "But first! A moment of solidarity for our... absent comrade."
M'gann's happy expression fell a bit, "Poor Wally."
Unfortunately for our resident speedster, he lived in a state where the school year ended in May and started in August. Today was his first day of school and he had made it blantantly clear that he was not happy about it. But, with the weather actually being decent for August in Happy Harbor (not too hot or too rainy), we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a beach day.
"Then we shall party extra hard in his honor!" I declared, lifting up the super soaker in my hand and spraying Robin square in the cheek. Thus began the Great Super Soaker War of Mount Justice... in which only two people participated... and both somehow lost when Superboy threw us both into the ocean after watching us for fifteen minutes. The vibe shifted to a more chill feel after that, starting with a mini beach volleyball tournament, followed by a sausage cookout and ending with some sunbathing while Rob and Kaldur buried Superboy in the sand during his nap.
The day was shaping up to be the most relaxing day we had had since forming the Team, until all of our phones vibrated with a text message from an unknown number.
Report to Cave at 19:00. Uniforms required. -B
Mount Justice
August 8, 19:30 EDT
"Is everyone here?" Batman asked as soon as he was through the zeta-tube. We all stood in front of him ready for our next assignment as he looked over each one of us.
"Kid Flash is still at school." I reported, checking the fake watch I created with my ring, "He should be here shortly."
"We'll start without him then." The Dark Knight said, watching the zeta-tube as it roared to life again.
"Recognized: Green Arrow, zero eight."
The Emerald Archer stepped into the Cave and walked over to the zeta-tube console. He typed in a few commands and the teleporter came alive a third time, this time reading off a name that none of us were familiar with.
"Recognized: Artemis, B-zero eight."
A girl about my age with long blonde hair stepped nervously into the Cave, looking around in amazement at the scale of the mountain before letting her dark gray eyes settle on Batman. With a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back, she looked ready to fight, though we were still confused as to why she was there.
"Meet the newest member of the Team: Artemis." Green Arrow introduced happily, setting a proud hand on her shoulder, "My new protege."
Superboy immediately tensed, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. M'gann, however, flew right up to her, welcoming her happily to the Team. As soon as Artemis smiled back at the Martian, everyone, even Superboy, relaxed. Gathering around her, but not encroaching on her personal space, we all introduced ourselves one by one, moving from M'gann to Robin, then Kaldur and Superboy, before ending with me.
"Cass." I said with a grin, extending my hand. She smirked and grabbed my hand firmly, shaking it once before rotating it to get a good look at my ring. A smirk of my own appeared once our hands fell back to our sides. There was a spark in her eyes, it was wild and impulsive, almost feral, and it made me feel grateful that she was on our side. Behind us, the zeta tube came alive and out stepped Wally in full beach mode, dressed in swim trunks, arms full of beach toys and folding chairs.
"The Wall-Man is here!" he exclaimed, "Let's get this party star-"
He tripped over his own feet and face-planted right in front of us, dropping everything as the sunglasses on his face now sat lopsided.
"-ted." he finished, his tone suddenly depressive. Artemis bit back a laugh as cocked her hip and smirked down at him.
"Wall-Man, huh? Love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?" she sneered, making me bite my own tongue to stop myself from losing my composure. Wally leapt to his feet and eyed her hesitantly.
"Uh, who's this?"
"Artemis, your new teammate." she replied proudly.
The speedster shrugged, "Kid Flash, never heard of you."
GA stepped toward Artemis and put a gloved hand on her shoulder, "Uhm, she's my new protege."
"Well, what happened to your old one?"
"Recognized: Speedy, B-zero seven."
Roy walked through the zeta tube in a completely new outfit. A sleeveless red and black tunic with black pants and boots, he looked like a commando with a quiver on his back. The domino mask that covered his eyes was still firmly in place, as was the scowl that he had worn when he walked out of the Hall a month prior.
"Well, for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore," he said, practically spitting the name out like it left a bad taste in his mouth, "Call me Red Arrow."
His former mentor took a step toward him, surprise plain on his face as Roy glared at him, "Roy... you look-"
"Replaceable." the redhead sneered, no doubt boring holes into Artemis' face. GA sighed and rested a hand on his neck sheepishly.
"It's not like that. You told me you were going solo, so-"
"So why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow?"
Artemis marched right up to him, the smirk on her face unwavering, "Yes, she can."
"Who are you?" Wally asked her, interrupting the staring contest between her and Roy.
"I'm his niece."
"She's my niece."
GA and Artemis answered quickly, almost like they had rehearsed it over and over. I arched a brow at their congruent reply, and I clearly wasn't the only one who had some suspicions.
"Another niece?" Robin asked with a lopsided grin.
"But she is not your replacement." Kaldur said, stepping forward, "We have always wanted you on the Team. And we have no quota on archers."
"And even if we did, you know who we'd pick." Wally added, earning a glare from me and a nudge in the ribs from Robin. Artemis only rolled her stormy eyes at his remark.
"Whatever, Baywatch. I'm here to stay."
I glanced over at Roy and gave him a small nod, "You came here for a reason?"
He nodded back, "Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette."
Robin started to fangirl over the name that Red Arrow had just dropped, pulling up a file on the holo-computer right away, "Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City. Vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago," the older boy corrected, "By the League of Shadows."
Hal and John had briefed me on the League of Shadows and their leader, Ra's al Ghul. If Roy was asking us to infiltrate their facility to rescue this woman, it wouldn't be easy.
"You want us to rescue her from the League of Shadows?" Robin asked in a breathy tone.
Wally beamed so wide I thought his face would rip in half as he gave the Boy Wonder a high five, "Hardcore."
"I already rescued her." Roy stated plainly, crushing the younger boys' hopes in a split second, "Only one problem."
The archer pulled a small device from his utility belt and pressed a button, commandeering our holo-computer to show something that looked like a dispersal device.
"The Shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon. Doc calls it The Fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots; nanotech infiltrators capable of disintegrating anything in their path: concrete, steel... flesh, bone... But its true purpose isn't destruction, it's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen intel to The Shadows, providing them with access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and tech..."
Artemis ran a hand over her bow and muttered partially to herself, "Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power-broking... yeah, sounds like The Shadows."
Wally scoffed, crossing his arms over his bare chest, "Like you know anything about The Shadows."
Another smirk was sent his way, making him throw his hands up in disbelief as he exclaimed, "WHO ARE YOU?"
"Roquette's working on a virus to render The Fog inert." Roy continued, ignoring Wally and Artemis entirely.
"If The Shadows know she can do that, they'll target her." I concluded, "So, where'd you stash her?"
Roy's brow furrowed, his frown deepened ever so slightly, "She's off the grid at the local high school's computer lab."
"You left her alone?" GA asked him incredulously. Sounded to me like he should have known better, but he certainly didn't admit it.
"She's safe enough for now."
"Then let's you and I keep her that way."
"You and I?" Roy scoffed, "Don't you wanna take your new protege?"
Green Arrow's hopeful expression turned downcast as he let out a low sigh and looked over at the rest of us. Setting another hand on Artemis's shoulder, he turned back to his former protege.
"You brought this to the Team. It's their mission now which means it's hers now too."
Roy let out a small hmph and began to walk back to the zeta tube, "Then my job's done."
"Recognized: Speedy-"
"That's Red Arrow, B-zero six. Update."
And in a flash of pale gold light, Red Arrow was gone.
Happy Harbor
August 8, 21:53 EDT
Sitting around in a public high school computer lab with a technological genius typing away with a permanent scowl on her face was definitely not on my to-do list for the night, but hey, that's the life of a teenage hero, I guess. Kaldur, Rob, Wally, Artemis, and I had all found our own places around the computer lab as Dr. Roquette worked her way through an incredibly advanced series of codes while M'gann and Superboy patrolled the perimeter.
Once everyone was settled, M'gann's voice echoed in our minds, establishing a telepathic link between all of us, the doc included. Artemis, for the first few seconds at least, clutched her head as she got used to the sensation of a psychic presence in her mind.
"Everyone online?"
"Ugh... this is weird."
"And distracting," Roquette thought without skipping a beat to the establishment of the link, "Coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen think in my skull?"
Wally, propped up against a few servers with a banana in hand, glanced lazily at the doctor as he took a bite, "Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?"
"Pot meet kettle," I thought, eyeing the speedster with a small frown, "Just because Red Arrow doesn't want to be on the Team doesn't mean you have to shun anyone else that joins."
"I'm not shunning anyone!"
I leapt to my feet and looked him in the eye, sizing him up as he finished his banana. The ring on my hand began to glow bright green as energy swirled around my arm. When a hand clasped my shoulder, I shut my eyes tightly and let out a slow breath.
"I'm gonna patrol the halls." I said, spinning around on my heel and heading for the exit. A set of soft footsteps followed behind me before a flash of blonde hair caught my peripheral.
"Figured you could use some company." Artemis explained, shouldering her bow as we walked down the hall and hung a left past a row of black lockers. I gave her a half-hearted smile.
"Thanks. Wally can be a bit much from time to time. Sometimes it's just easier to step away."
"Didn't have to be a robotics genius to figure that out."
Robin's voice cut in to our conversation over the link, catching us both by surprise, "You might wanna cut her some slack. It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo."
"What?" Wally seemed genuinely convinced otherwise, "No! That was Speedy's, er, Red Arrow's arrow. Right?"
"Not so much."
"Hmph. Well, still not giving her the satisfaction."
I cleared my throat over the link, "You know we can still hear you guys, right?"
"DAMN IT!"
Artemis and I both laughed at that, the sound bouncing off the empty halls. After our laughter died down, I finally looked at Artemis directly and asked, "Was that really you who saved him?"
She nodded, "I was in Gotham visiting family when I saw that android attacking you guys."
My smile grew wider, more genuine, "Thanks for that. If it hadn't been for you, we might not have been able to gain an advantage over Ivo's machine."
She looked away, no doubt to hide a blush, as I continued to lead her down the maze of hallways in comfortable, friendly silence. Once we had made a full sweep, we were almost back at the computer lab when Kaldur's voice came through the link, his tone authoritative.
"Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located The Fog. Reconfigure the Bioship so that Green Lantern, Robin, and Superboy can pursue."
As if on cue, the Boy Wonder appeared in the hall, taking hold of my sleeve and dragging me behind him until I found my stride and took the lead. By the time we had reached the Bioship, Superboy was already on board, the controls adjusted for Robin to steer.
"Where are we going?" I asked. The Bioship lifted itself high into the air, above the thin layer of clouds and veered westward. Robin's expression was almost scarily blank as he put on the afterburners.
"Philadelphia."
With at least an hour to burn before we arrived in Philly, I took a seat at the center console and started to fiddle with my Power Ring. My mind wandered as I stared blankly outside, my eyes locked on the clear night sky in front of us.
"So... what do you think of the new girl?" Superboy asked us out of nowhere. He had taken his own seat to my right, spinning around in the swivel chair mindlessly t pass the time.
"She seems cool." I replied honestly, "She'll give Wally a run for his money, so that's a plus."
Robin's stern exterior finally gave way to an amused smirk, "Yeah, it's about time somebody gave him the same grief that he gives everyone else."
With the tension in the air suddenly cleared, the topic of conversation shifted from Artemis to training to Red Arrow then back to training. Just as Robin was about to point out that he could out-stealth anyone on the Team, we reached the outskirts of Philadelphia and caught sight of cloud of dust and smoke rising over the skyline. We were too late.
Pressing a finger to the comm in my ear, I waited until we came to a stop over the Star Labs campus before reporting in.
"Lantern to Aqualad, we've arrived at The Shadows' target: Star Labs Philadelphia. We're too late. It's completely decimated. Cutting-edge science and tech are now in the hands of the enemy."
There was no immediate response from our fearless leader, but after a few heavy seconds passed, he answered, "Dr. Roquette is rescanning for The Fog now. Coordinates will be sent to the Bioship ASAP."
"Acknowledged."
I cut off the line and looked over at Robin who nodded once before a small ping came from the console on his chair.
"Coordinates received."
The Bioship swung around and sped off at near break-neck speed. We weren't going to fail the second time around. Fortunately for us, we didn't have to go too far to reach our next location in New Jersey. But when Robin saw what the target was, his face turned nearly sheet white.
"The next target is a WayneTech facility," he breathed, "In theory, its systems software could be used to hack the-"
Superboy and I looked at each other curiously as the Boy Wonder stopped himself from saying anything further. All of a sudden, the youngest member of our team was practically jumping out of his seat to intervene.
"Hack the what?" the clone asked him. All he did was shake his head.
"Doesn't matter. Wh-what matters is that WayneTech operates a 24-hour workforce. We'll never evacuate the building in time!"
I raised my hand and curled it into a fist, "Ring, could you contain this Fog?"
"Insufficient data on subject. Unknown solution."
I groaned, "Figures. Alright, then I guess we'll have to improvise. Superboy, find the source of The Fog. Robin, get inside and upload the virus to WayneTech's software. I'll try and buy you some time with those nasty bugs. Everyone ready?"
The boys nodded as a hatch appeared in the floor. One by one, we jumped through and landed in a parking lot that appeared to be mostly empty aside from a single convertible parked in a far corner. Superboy narrowed his bright blue eyes and focused in on the car, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles turned white. Robin and I weren't about to stop him, especially with the shimmering gray cloud emerging from the back of the car.
The clone leapt forward, cracking the asphalt beneath him as he surged toward the car and whoever was inside. The welcome enrgy of my ring coursed through me as I floated upward and fixed my gaze on the cloud that was approaching the WayneTech building. Sucking in a sharp breath, I raised my hand and concentrated on keeping the infiltrators out of the building. Massive green walls began to surround every side of the building, nearly shutting Robin out before he was able to get inside; thankfully, the head start he had was enough to get him through the front door before I sealed the building in a box of pure energy.
When The Fog finally collided with the box, it felt as if I had struck a wall of pure steel. Pain radiated down my arm as the nanobots began to put pressure on my construct, trying to gnaw through pure energy. The pain became more intense as the box began to bow as I began to feel my focus start to give way. Biting my tongue and gritting my teeth, I let out a strong exhale and sucked in another breath, trying to steel myself against the pressure. But it was almost as if the bots could tell when I had let even a micron of an opening go. Working as a single unit, the bots sucked back and gave a strong push, shattering the construct like a piece of glass and sending me to my knees.
"Ugh, hope you've done your part, Rob." I groaned, clutching my arm as I watched The Fog cut through solid concrete like it was simple foam. After a few minutes passed, nothing emerged from the building except for terrified WayneTech employees. I was hopeful that meant that Robin had been able to upload the virus and was proven correct when the Boy Wonder's voice reemerged over our comms.
"The infiltrators have been outfiltrated!"
I rolled my eyes and lifted myself to my feet just in time to see Superboy dragging a tall man wearing a strange helmet behind him. The guy was clearly unconscious, but it looked like he had put up a bit of a fight, given the charring on Superboy's shirt.
"Hope he didn't give you too much trouble." I quipped, grinning as the pain in my arm began to subside. The clone smiled back and loosened his grip on the man, letting his helmeted head slam against the ground.
"You kidding? This bozo was a piece of cake."
"What's cake?" Robin's voice asked as he approached us. His arrogant smirk had returned as had the color on his cheeks.
"Kicking Shadow butt." I answered, gesturing to the Shadow crumpled on the ground, "Now, let's get out of here. I'm ready for bed."
The boys nodded in agreement and together we boarded the Bioship, headed for home. But as we made our way back, I couldn't shake the lingering curiosity about Robin's behavior earlier.
What was the Boy Wonder hiding?