EDIT AS OF 3/29/23: Small update due to an error pointed out by TKDGirl2016 (hell of a good catch, I missed this through three rounds of editing), where Hawkgirl erroneously uses Wally's civilian name while in the mind link with Dr. Roquette. This has been fixed. Wally's secret identity is now safe.
MOUNT JUSTICE
AUGUST 8TH, 2010
09:58 EDT
A jaw cracking yawn sounded in tandem with the pops of her neck as she cracked it from side to side. It was only about ten in the morning, but she'd been awake since the crack of dawn. Usually Ski'Lira was pretty good about getting her schoolwork done as early as possible, due to the unpredictable nature of her life as a vigilante. Today had been an exception, thanks to some poor planning on her part, and thus she'd set her alarm early to power through one hour-long test, two quizzes, and a short essay.
Needless to say, she was relieved at the prospect of their 'vacation day'.
Stepping out of her designated bedroom in her beachwear, she was immediately met by M'Gann, who had been patiently waiting outside of her door. As she started walking, M'Gann scrambled after her, falling into step beside her once she'd caught up.
It was a credit to how fried her brain was at the moment that it took her a minute to realize that she was being stared at.
"What?" Ski'Lira's voice came out far more terse than she intended.
Reddening, M'Gann jerked her head to face forward, "I'm sorry, I just... I guess I never realized how... muscular you were. It's... a little intimidating."
Glancing down at herself was reflexive, even though she knew full well what she looked like. She guessed that this was the most exposed skin her teammate had seen so far. Her modesty was preserved by a black halter-style bikini top, showing off her chiseled abdominals. A pair of matching shorts and her customary yellow cloth mask completed the ensemble. Her hair remained carefully braided, but she'd pinned it up in a tight bun.
The juxtaposition between herself and her fellow teen's loose red hair, cheery disposition, and bright yellow bikini was harsh. It was almost like the set up to a joke. A Martian and a Thanagarian go to an Earth beach...
Refocusing, she replied to M'Gann's stammering explanation, "I consider it a personal challenge to be the most intimidating person I can be at all times."
A laugh left the redhead, easing the awkwardness, "Well, it's working."
By the time they had made it to the exterior entrance, they had lapsed into a comfortable silence, content to just walk together. Only two quick detours were made, one to grab a recently purchased, red and orange boogie board from M'Gann's room (as she'd forgotten it in her haste to get the day started). And two, stopping in the kitchen so that Ski'Lira could snag the portable grill.
The boys (minus one Wally West) were waiting for them, and their reaction on approach was downright comical. She desperately regretted leaving her phone in her room, as she would have held onto any photos she took as blackmail for years.
Superboy's eyes were wide, unblinking, and locked onto M'Gann. Quickly regaining control of himself, he smoothed his expression and pointedly avoided looking at any of them. Robin muttered a quiet, "Wally's missing out," trademark smirk on his face. Kaldur was quiet, but he was a fool if he thought she didn't miss the way his eyes discreetly shifted between Ski'Lira and Superboy.
In the interest of equality, M'Gann was downright flustered, unable to handle the sight of the shirtless boys and their muscular physiques. Vigilantism was the most effective workout for maintaining definition, after all. It was a combination of high intensity movement and flirting with dehydration from too few breaks.
Ski'Lira would never admit aloud that they made a very attractive bunch. Though she was rapidly growing bored with the weird caution that had settled over the group.
Opting to break the tension that teenage uncertainty had forged, Ski'Lira gently rammed her shoulder into Kaldur's to get his attention, "I have a feeling today is going to be an excellent learning experience."
"Oh?" One of his eyebrows popped up, "And what would that be?"
"If you don't think I won't be taking the opportunity to try to take down a battle-trained Atlantean in his natural element, you don't know me at all."
He smiled at her, "I look forward to your attempts."
H
"Hello, Megan! We should hit the beach every day!" M'Gann was downright giddy as they emerged out into the sun, stepping onto the undisturbed sand of the private beach. Gulls circled overhead in lazy spirals, cawing at each other and occasionally diving for the unlucky crabs scuttling on the shoreline.
The sun shone bright, the sky nearly cloudless.
Robin's face was in his hands, tone solemn as he declared, "First, a moment of silence for our absent comrade."
Tilting her head, M'Gann closed her eyes in solidarity, "Poor Wally."
"Truly, he has succumbed to a terrible fate," Ski'Lira added. "Attending human school."
Wally's revelation that the beginning of his mandatory school attendance was scheduled for the same date as their beach day, he had earned three, distinct reactions; Sympathy (Miss Martian and Robin), Indifference (Superboy and Aqualad), and Lighthearted Mockery (Hawkgirl). His grief nearly drove him to tears, until M'Gann had pointed out that he could still come to the beach once school was over.
He had made them all promise not to have too much fun without him, lest he miss out on anything important. None of them had agreed to doing so.
After all of their stuff had been settled down safely in the sand, M'Gann called out for a race to the water. Everyone apart from Superboy (who opted to wander idly towards the shoreline instead of sprinting) took off, small gouts of sand turning up underneath M'Gann, Robin, and Kaldur's feet. Always one to take advantage when she could, Ski'Lira forgoed the ground entirely, snapping out her wings and taking to the air. A few powerful flaps of her wings were enough to send her careening towards the water, folding them in at the last moment to execute a shallow-angle dive. Her win was assured, and met with a call of 'Cheater!' from Robin.
She allowed herself a few moments underwater before she shot back up to the surface. From where she bobbed, she could spot the improvised splash fight that had broken out in her absence. Grin turning distinctly shark-like, she dove back under and started the hunt. Banking on the splashing working as an effective cover for her approach, she swam closer.
Once she was in position, she kicked her feet off the ocean floor, momentum carrying her up and out of the water, and straight towards Aqualad's back. Unluckily for her, sneaking up on an Atlantean while they were literally standing in crystal clear water was nearly impossible. Kaldur merely twisted, and she flopped harmlessly off to the side. Spluttering, she pulled herself into a sitting position, water lapping at her shoulders.
"A valiant attempt," Kaldur held out a hand for her to grab, hoisting her easily to her feet. "But you will have to try better next time."
"You can count on it," She snapped back. "I was just... testing the waters."
The pun earned her a splash straight to the face from a cackling Robin, forcing her to spit out a mouthful of saltwater for the second time in the last fifteen seconds. Finding herself the primary target of the splash war, she was forced on the offensive. Dropping back to her knees, she flared out her wings and curled them inward with as much strength as she could muster. The effect was instant, a wall of water barreling towards the others.
M'Gann let out a startled shriek as she and Robin were swept the short distance back to the sandy shore, leaving Ski'Lira victorious.
H
"HG, I don't think that's-" Robin cut his own protesting short as the girl in question chomped through the half-cooked hot dog impaled on the metal fork she was wielding. "Never mind."
Rolling her eyes, Hawkgirl continued eating. It wasn't as if it was raw, these were all pre-cooked anyway. Not that it would have been a problem if it were raw, anyway. Raw meat didn't give her people any issue, as it did for humans, and she occasionally indulged when particular cravings hit. Though usually she preferred raw chicken, it was less messy.
M'Gann was inspecting her own hot dog, dubious about consuming it. "What are these made out of, anyway? I know they're not real dogs, but when I asked Uncle J'onn he changed the subject."
Oh, that was a question easily answered, and Ski'Lira was more than happy to do so. As she opened her mouth, she found herself forcefully silenced as Robin shoved a hot dog bun in her mouth.
"You don't want to know," Robin insisted. "Trust me. Hawkgirl, don't tell her. Just eat it."
Somehow even more trepidatious, M'Gann's test bite was tentative. Her eyes lit up, and she took another, more enthusiastic chunk out of her meal. "This is so good!"
"Human cuisine at its finest," Robin sat back, amused. Both Kaldur and Superboy followed M'Gann's lead, also consuming their first hot dogs.
By that point, Ski'Lira had managed to chew through her improvised gag, "This is far from the finest."
"Don't listen to her. She has a weird obsession with breakfast foods."
"It is not an obsession!"
"Agree to disagree."
H
After their brunch, the team decided it was time to set up the volleyball net. As the teams were uneven, they continuously switched out who was on the makeshift court, the odd one out acting as the referee. In the interest of fairness, all powers were off the table, and enhanced strength was to be restrained.
Those rules were broken almost immediately.
M'Gann wasn't as subtle as she thought whenever she used her telekinesis to alter the trajectory of the ball, jerking it just out of reach of her opponent or pulling it straight towards her hands. Ski'Lira had used one of her wings to whap at the ball, which had been immediately ruled as a foul. Or a 'fowl', as Robin had loudly jeered from his spot as temporary referee. One of Superboy's spikes resulted in a four foot crater in the sand. The game had been put on a halt until the hole had been refilled.
Their game came to an abrupt end when Robin sent the ball hurtling straight towards Superboy's face. Instead of bumping the ball back into the air, instinct had kicked in and he'd reflexively slapped it away. His 'casual slap' sent the ball sailing straight to his right and out over the ocean.
They'd watched it disappear over the horizon in an almost solemn silence. Kaldur graciously offered to retrieve it, and swam out alone to find it. By the time he'd returned, they'd all mutually decided it was time to move onto another activity.
H
"So, all you have to do is pack all the wet sand into the bucket, flip it over, and ta-da! Sand castle!" Robin displayed his already-crumbling tower with a grin of pride.
"Oh, just like in the beach episode of-!" M'Gann began, only to stop suddenly. "Um... Just like I've seen on Earth television! I always wondered how they got the sand to stay like this."
That earned her a weird look from Robin, but he didn't press, instead focusing on saving his rapidly deteriorating castle. It had been his idea to teach the others how to make sand castles, going so far as to make the trek back to Mount Justice to retrieve some buckets from a storage closet and plastic cups from the kitchen. Superboy was the only one that was not currently engaged in the activity, content to watch.
Once his masterpiece was done, a neat little structure with multiple towers, Robin checked on the others' progress. M'Gann was making a good effort, resorting to using telekinesis to keep the crumbling sand together while she dug a moat with her hands.
His jaw dropped when he looked over at Hawkgirl's creation. She had roped Aqualad into teaming up with her, and the two were in the process of flipping an entire garbage can full of wet sand. On her count, they lifted the can in tandem, revealing the three foot tall cylinder of packed sand. After a moment of waiting with bated breath, it held.
"I don't think I've seen sand castles this large outside of professional competitions," Aqualad mused as they set to the task of shoveling even more sand into the now empty can via a couple of spades Hawkgirl had snagged from inside. While Robin had been explaining the basics to M'Gann, she had taken initiative and snuck inside to raid the mountain herself, hence the industrial-strength sand castle supplies.
"When you're taught how to make sand castles by a Green Lantern who insists on using his power ring to do the job right, you tend to have adjusted standards." She answered.
A fond huff leaving Robin, he sat back on his heels, checking on Superboy last. He had been quiet, more than usual at least. He very quickly discovered why.
Superboy had, inexplicably, fallen fast asleep. The only sign of life came from the steady rise and fall of his chest, sensitive eyes obscured by dark sunglasses.
Waving his arms, he caught Hawkgirl's attention silently, pointing out their slumbering companion, wanting at least one other person to see what he was seeing. She mimed a silent laugh when she noticed.
It was at that point that Robin made a mistake, namely, taking his eyes off of Hawkgirl for thirty seconds.
M'Gann picked up on the rapidly shifting situation first, a short squeak of shock leaving her that she quickly muffled with a hand. Whipping his head around to where M'Gann was staring, Robin froze like a deer in headlights. It was a tragedy just waiting to happen. But he couldn't bring himself to move an inch.
Hawkgirl was standing, tall and proud over Superboy's newly sand-covered body, empty garbage can held above her head like a trophy.
Unprompted, M'Gann snapped together a mental link, with Superboy understandably absent.
"Why would you do that?" M'Gann demanded, stumbling over the sand so that she could check on the Kryptonian.
"Burying other people in the sand is part of the fun of going to the beach!" Hawkgirl immediately defended. "Woe be they who fall asleep, lest they be buried."
"I have the feeling if I ask where you learned that, I won't like the answer." Robin deadpanned.
"It's an old Thanagarian proverb."
"Yep, there it is. But you know..." Pondering, Robin put a hand on his chin. "We do have a very rare opportunity here."
Without a word, Kaldur scooped up a shovelful of sand and added it to the pile. The betrayed look that M'Gann sent him was met with only a shrug, followed by adding more sand.
"It's not hurting him," Robin offered.
Chewing on her lip, M'Gann internally debated before finally letting out a small sigh. Dashing back over to her own sandcastle, she retrieved the large bucket she'd been using.
With their combined efforts (teamwork truly was a beautiful thing), Superboy was entombed in a pile of sand as high as Kaldur's waist. Said Atlantean had utilized his hydrokinesis during the process, bringing water from the shore straight onto the construction to keep it intact.
Incredibly, Superboy was still asleep. Or at least doing a very good job of pretending. Satisfied with their work, they all mutually backed away, conversing quietly amongst themselves about what to do next.
M'Gann was visibly scraping the bottom of the barrel for her knowledge about Earth beach days, "Don't people usually... sunbathe?"
"Humans do," Ski'Lira answered, tilting her head. "But I doubt Robin is capable of sitting still for that long, unless he followed Superboy's lead and fell asleep."
"I can't argue that," Robin admitted. "Besides, I'm wearing sunscreen, but I'd rather not risk getting burned, thanks."
"Well..." At a loss, the Martian teen looked to Ski'Lira for input. "Do you have any ideas?"
"I do, actually." She nodded, promptly turning to Kaldur. "Want to spar?"
M'Gann made a quiet noise of displeasure, "Um... Well... Can't we hold off on fighting for... one day? It's just so peaceful..."
If her eyes were visible, the death glare that Ski'Lira was sending her way would have melted M'Gann on the spot. Though it was clear from her frown and the slight flare of her wings that she was less than thrilled.
Intent on diffusing the situation, Kaldur grabbed the Thanagarian by the shoulder, preventing any sudden pouncing. "We can spar further down the beach so as not to disturb you or Superboy."
Amenable to the compromise, M'Gann shuffled towards the still Superboy, retrieving a beach towel and laying it down a few feet away from him. Meanwhile, Kaldur and Ski'Lira did as he had promised, moving further down the shore. Robin tagged along, declaring that there was no way he'd miss out on seeing them duke it out.
H
"Shall we set the terms of engagement?" Kaldur and Ski'Lira circled one another steadily, water sloshing at their ankles.
"No weapons," She immediately answered. "If I can't have my mace, you can't use your water bearers. Or any hydrokinesis, for that matter."
"That seems more than fair to me," He agreed. "No serious injuries, we have to remain mission ready."
Ski'Lira couldn't resist the urge to tease, "Do you want a safeword too?"
Caught off guard by the comment, he unfroze when he realized she was joking. "Perhaps we will leave that to our referee. Robin?"
"Yeah, I'll call it if you two get too into it." Robin had staked out a safe place atop a boulder, giving him an excellent vantage point and keeping him well out of the direct line of fire. "Wait, no... Let me rephrase. I'll call it when Hawkgirl gets too into it."
That earned him a nod from Ski'Lira, "I'll be the first to admit, he's not wrong,"
Rules set and agreed upon, they circled for another few seconds in silence. Hawkgirl made the first move, throwing a fist straight at his torso that he barely managed to catch before impact. The following exchange of blows were a strange mix of brutal and graceful. It was apparent from the start that neither one would be going down easily.
Throughout the duel, Robin systematically switched allegiances, calling out shots or incoming hits for both Hawkgirl and Aqualad, in tandem with taunts and light hearted insults. From beginning to end, the spar lasted for about fifteen minutes without either emerging a decisive victor.
At the very least, they'd both be bearing bruises. Instead of the fight being called one way or another, they drifted apart, coming to a mutual stop. They'd made their way further out from the shore, water now up to mid thigh. Panting from the exertion, Ski'Lira reached up to wring the water from her hair as she waded back to dry ground.
"If I may be blunt..." Kaldur walked with far more ease through the ocean water than she did, the small buffets of waves not even shifting his balance minutely. "I had not expected you to be so comfortable with the water, considering.." His eyes were directed towards the liquid streaming off her feathers.
She gave him a look as she trudged the last few feet towards Robin's perch, pointedly shaking out her wings. The moisture was sluiced off her feathers and straight onto Robin, who couldn't move fast enough to dodge the spray.
"I apologize, was that offensive?"
A snort left her, followed shortly by full-blown laughter.
Robin decided to take pity upon the poor, clueless Atlantean, "The Hawk's nest in St. Roch, Louisiana. Your house is right on the coast, right?" He looked to her for confirmation.
"Yes," she was still smiling, even after the chuckles had faded. "And even if not, I still wouldn't mind the water. Thanagarians are very capable swimmers, our planet has more ocean than Earth does." She flexed her wings so that one was brought closer to Kaldur for him to expect. "Our feathers don't retain water."
"Just like a duck," Robin pointed out. "The similarities are astounding."
Letting out a low growl, she whirled on the smaller teen, "You'd better duck before you find yourself missing a head."
Cackling, Robin leapt off the boulder, taking off at a dead sprint down the beach. Hawkgirl didn't hesitate to pursue him, the two tearing down the beach.
It was then that they discovered Superboy really had fallen asleep, but in a catastrophic manner. Ski'Lira had tackled Robin (gently, of course, she wasn't out to actually hurt him), and the two had landed directly on top of Superboy's sand coffin. Needless to say, the Kryptonian was very confused why he was buried beneath sand, giggling teenage boy, and irate Thanagarian girl.
He pushed out with his enhanced strength, sending them both toppling in a heap off to the side and dislodging himself from the pile, looking over at M'Gann questioningly. "Did I miss something?"
H
Inevitably, their day at the beach came to a natural end. They'd held out as long as they could, waiting for Wally's arrival, but as he was running much later than expected... Well, they could only hold out for so long. M'Gann was the first one to drift back inside citing a need to rid her skin of all the grit and smell of the ocean. Robin and Superboy followed not long after, the former due to noticing the early signs of sunburn, and the latter because he was merely bored.
Ski'Lira and Kaldur had lingered the longest, taking advantage of the beautiful evening to spend time in their respective elements. Kaldur had gone for an uninhibited swim while she took to the air.
It was during that time that she managed to achieve her one goal of the day. She'd caught sight of Kaldur's dark silhouette in the glittering ocean below, stationary for some reason she couldn't guess. Knowing this was her singular chance of getting the drop on him, she folded in her wings and dove, like an osprey targeting an unaware fish.
She slipped beneath the water with minimal splash, her carefully calculated angle of entry taking her below just far enough that she could wrap her arms around Kaldur's torso. A muffled shout of surprise left him as she flapped her wings, pulling them both back up to the surface and above it.
Kaldur was laughing, despite his defeat, even as he hung in her careful grip meters above the water's surface. "It seems you proved me wrong after all."
"Never underestimate a motivated Thangarian," she shot back, unable to stop her grin of triumph. "Ready to head back?"
"I believe so," he answered.
"Great, see you there!" Without further preamble, she let him go, sending him falling into the ocean with a hearty splash. Cackling in a way that would make Robin proud, she flew back to the exterior access point for Mount Justice.
Her mirth faded when she saw Red Tornado, along with a uniformed Superboy and Miss Martian.
"Mandatory team meeting in ten minutes," Red Tornado's orders were succinct.
Giving a terse nod, she touched down and gave a final shake of her wings, determined to shower and change as quickly as she could. Though she knew from experience that there was no way she'd be able to get rid of all the grit hiding between her feathers in the time allotted.
H
The weight of her armor was reassuring as she stepped back into the main hub of Mount Justice, the last to arrive (apart from a still missing Wally). In total, she'd taken up nine and a half minutes of her time, a majority of which was picking out the more troublesome patches of sand from her wings and towel drying her hair.
Mere seconds after she took a spot standing at attention near Aqualad, the nearby Zeta Tube whirred into life.
"Recognized: Batman, 02. Recognized: Green Arrow, 08. Recognized: Artemis, B08."
There were startled looks all around. Artemis?
If the green hue of her costume and the arrow decal on her top didn't betray her as a protégé of Green Arrow then the bow in her hand and quiver strapped to her back certainly did. Dark grey eyes were narrowed as she visibly scrutinized the other teen heroes. But it was the long, blonde hair pulled into a sleek ponytail that really caught Hawkgirl's attention.
Everything snapped into place in an instant. There were still a great number of questions, but at the very least she was certain this was the mystery archer from Gotham. She carefully kept her silence, knowing this was not the time to ask any inquiries.
Batman led the formal introduction of the newcomer, "Team, this is Artemis, Green Arrow's current apprentice. She'll be a new addition to your team."
"What?!" Robin took a step forward, "I thought you were joking!"
He received a look from his partner, one that screamed 'Do I seem like I'm joking?'
"I mean no offense, but why?" Aqualad crossed his arms and raised a brow. "We have just found our balance as a team, will adding a new member not compromise all the work we've done?"
Batman's unblinking gaze switched towards the Atlantean, "If you find yourself so uneasily balanced by a new addition, then maybe you haven't accomplished as much as you thought."
Ouch. That was scathing, but true. The League was adding new members all the time, it was only natural that their Team grew used to the practice early. It's not as if this was even the first time it had happened, considering Miss Martian had also been a League-approved addition to the roster.
"Artemis is good. Really good," Green Arrow assured them, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and steering her closer to the others. "I'm sure you'll get along well."
"Well, it'll be nice to have another girl around!" Ever a force for positivity, M'Gann was the first to reach out. "I'm M'Gann M'orzz, or Miss Martian. It's nice to meet you!"
"Artemis," the blonde supplied, somewhat unnecessarily, but polite nonetheless. "You certainly seem... chipper."
Having pushed back his ire (or at least setting it aside for the moment), Robin spoke up, "Don't worry, Hawkgirl's here to balance her out." He jerked a thumb in the Thanagarian's direction. "I'm Robin. That's Aqualad, and the brooding guy over there is Superboy."
The Atlantean offered an incline of his head in greeting, most likely still trying to come to terms with Batman's harsh critique.
A motion caught the edge of her vision, the source Ollie, who was not so subtly motioning for her to introduce herself. Tamping down the urge to make a rude gesture in return, she instead cleared her throat. "You can call me Hawkgirl."
"Wow," Artemis looked her up and down. "You really do take the whole 'hawk' thing seriously. Do you eat mice too?"
Ollie visibly flinched nearby.
"I can't tell whether you're trying to belittle me in an attempt to prove your superiority or are merely terrible at first impressions." Hawkgirl deadpanned. "For your sake, I hope it's the latter."
Artemis apparently had some common sense at least, backing down (no doubt also a response to Green Arrow's frantic attempts to silently signal his apprentice to stop while she was ahead). Taking the initiative, Kaldur started to give Artemis a quiet explanation of team roles, namely his position as leader and Hawkgirl's as his second, and all that entailed.
She took the opportunity to amble over to the present members of the League, determined to ask a very important question. "So, this is the one from Gotham Academy?"
"She is," Batman answered.
"And she can be trusted?"
"Of course!" Green Arrow went on the defensive. "She's been thoroughly vetted, including by the Dark Knight himself. She's also sincere, which-"
"Recognized: Kid Flash, B03," Any further assurances were tabled, as the telltale light of the Zeta Tube faded, revealing an overenthusiastic Wally West.
"The Wall-Man is here!" Draped in a variety of beach paraphernalia and already wearing his swimsuit, he cut a jarring image against the present heroes. The sunscreen he'd slathered on himself was so strong she could taste it in the back of her throat. It was a testament to the strength of Ski'Lira's olfactory senses and how much sunscreen he'd managed to coat himself in. "Now, let's get this party star-!"
Tripping over his own feet thanks to the load he was carrying, he sent everything toppling out of his grasp. The beach ball he'd been toting let out a harsh squeak, bouncing up and over an expressionless Batman.
"... -ted," Wally finished, picking himself up off the floor with a groan.
"Wall-Man, huh?" Artemis cast a skeptical look the speedster's way. "I love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?"
Glancing around wildly at the other heroes in the room, Wally was at a loss. "Uh... Who's this?"
"Artemis, your new teammate," the newcomer answered for herself.
"Kid Flash, never heard of you."
In an attempt to prevent the rapidly brewing fight, Green Arrow wrapped an arm around the blonde teen's shoulders as a sign of solidarity. "Um, she's my new protégé."
That information did nothing to curb Kid Flash's irritation, "What happened to your old one?"
As if the universe itself was conspiring against them, the monotone drone of the computer burst into life, along with the Zeta transport. "Recognized," Everyone turned to face the gaping maw of the tunnel. "Speedy, B06"
"Well for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow." Roy Harper, in the flesh, clad in a new black and red uniform, strode into the Hub with confidence.
Hawkgirl's lip curled in distaste. And today had been going so well.
"Roy..." Detaching himself from Artemis, Green Arrow scrambled to greet his former ward. "You look-"
"Replaceable?"
"It's not like that," Oliver insisted. "You told me you were going solo."
"So why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow?"
Artemis moved to stand in front of her mentor, defending him as he had her earlier, glaring up at her fellow archer. "Yes, she can."
Flailing his arms a little, Wally suddenly shouted, "Who are you?!"
"I'm his niece."
"She's my niece."
Both Artemis and Green Arrow traded a look, realizing they'd spoken in unison.
Content with maintaining her silence, Ski'Lira's eyebrows shot up with surprise as she turned her head towards Batman. Tilting her head, she tried her best to nonverbally communicate her incredulity. That was the cover story they had opted for?
Robin was similarly skeptical, though he opted to be a nuisance about it. "Your niece?" Judging by his demeanor both during the initial introduction and now, he most likely knew more about the archer's true identity than she did.
At the least, they both knew enough about Oliver Queen to know they were blatantly lying.
Ever the peacekeeper, Aqualad headed towards Roy, "But she is not your replacement. We have always wanted you on the team… and we have no quota on archers."
And naturally, the moment was immediately ruined as Wally ran his mouth, "And if we did, you know who we'd pick."
"That's your opinion." Hawkgirl muttered, low enough that none of the humans caught it.
Scoffing, Artemis put her hands on her hips, "Whatever, Baywatch. I'm here to stay."
Taking control of the situation back, Aqualad tried once more to plead with Roy, "You came to us for a reason."
"Yeah," he agreed. Some of the tension bled from his shoulders as the topic was changed to more professional matters. "A reason named Dr. Serling Roquette."
The moment he heard the name, Robin was searching the name on his hologlove interface, pulling up screens around the hub so they could all see. The woman in question was a traditionally attractive blonde, with short-cropped hair and a stern set to her mouth. What was more impressive were her accolades, her contributions to the field of science on a list so long that Robin had to scroll for relevant information. "Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City…" Robin read straight off the screen in front of him. "Vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago," Red Arrow corrected. "By the League of Shadows."
Robin's eyes shot up from his screen, "Whoa! You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?"
"Hardcore..." Kid Flash's earlier upset was entirely forgotten, replaced with the prospect of a difficult mission.
"I already rescued her," Roy dashed all of the speedster's hopes. Striding forward, he pulled up a holoscreen of his own, displaying a tube-like device photographed from different angles. There was also a close up of a robot fabricated to look like an insect. "Only one problem. 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 mere 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 access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science, and tech."
A chill went down Ski'Lira's spine. That was the perfect set up for a 'Grey Goo' scenario, nano technology so advanced that it ate everything on a planet until there was nothing left to consume.
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking… Yeah… Sounds like the Shadows." Artemis' casual knowledge of the League of Shadows raised more than a few eyebrows.
"Like you know anything about the Shadows." Wally refused to believe her claim of familiarity with the organization's modus operandi. "Who are you?!" He exploded again, flailing even more this time.
"Roquette's working on a virus to render The Fog inert." Red Arrow interrupted.
Robin's face twisted, "But if the Shadows know she can do that…" He trailed off.
"They'll target her. Right now, she's off the grid." With a flick of his finger, Roy pulled up an image of a familiar-looking school onto his screen, one she had seen from above while coasting above Happy Harbor. "I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."
That information drop brought in the first verbal contribution from one of the three present members of the Justice League, who had been watching the entire exchange without interfering. "You left her alone?" Green Arrow spluttered.
Red Arrow was nonplussed by the underlying accusation. "She's safe enough for now."
"Then let's you and I keep her that way." Oliver offered.
Ignoring his pleading look, Red Arrow scoffed. "You and I? Don't you wanna take your new protégé?"
Batman grabbed Green Arrow by the shoulder, stopping him from moving further forward.
"You brought this to the team." The eldest archer in the room reminded him. "It's their mission, which means it's hers now too."
"Then my job's done." Red Arrow detached himself from the group, heading straight back for the Zeta access point. But he stopped, pausing just long enough to address Hawkgirl. "Finally speechless? You always have something to say. Go on."
Never one to back down from a fight, she remained pointedly silent, not even allowing her facial expression to change.
A growl of frustration ripped out of his throat, and he whirled back around to storm off. "Harpy."
She only allowed herself to smirk once his back was completely turned, "Nice outfit, Scarlet."
Judging by the sudden twitch of his arm, it was only the prospect of maintaining his persona of 'mature hero' that kept him from flipping her off.
"Recognized: Speedy-"
"That's Red Arrow, B06. Update." Roy snapped, disappearing from sight.
H
HAPPY HARBOR
AUGUST 8TH, 2010
21:53 EDT
Crouched on the roof of Happy Harbor High School, Hawkgirl had the ideal position to keep an eye over the grounds. As long as she maintained her focus, no one would escape her notice if they attempted to approach. It had been Aqualad's initial plan for them to all split up in order to most effectively protect their charge. But he'd left it up to Hawkgirl to dictate ideal assignments.
Miss Martian was atop a building across the street, assisting Hawkgirl in surveillance. Superboy was set on a patrol route around the grounds, while Aqualad, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Robin were all posted inside the school with Dr. Roquette.
Once everyone was properly settled, Ski'Lira felt the familiar tingle in the back of her head that heralded M'Gann's telepathic abilities.
"Everyone online?" The Martian asked.
"Ugh, this is weird." Artemis sounded more than a little disturbed by the mental intrusion, a sentiment that they all shared. However, their first experience with M'Gann speaking straight into their minds had been far less pleasant.
"And distracting." Dr. Roquette, on the other hand, seemed more irritated by the link than anything else. "Coding is 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?!"
"I sympathize entirely." Hawkgirl said, hoping her words instilled enough of a subtle warning for them to remain on task and not abuse the link.
A few seconds later, she realized that she'd been far too subtle and the warning had gone entirely unheeded.
"Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?" Kid Flash snapped.
"Pot. Kettle." Artemis immediately bit back. "Have you met?"
"Hey, hey, I do not need attitude who drove Red Arrow off the team!"
"That is so not on me!"
"Fate of the world at stake!" Roquette interrupted with a mental shout.
"She started it." Kid Flash mumbled.
Blowing out an irritated breath, Hawkgirl paced to the other side of the roof. If time were not of the essence, she would probably be sending Artemis back to the mountain. In a perfect world, they would have had time to train with her before being put on the field, but their luck was not that fortuitous. "Artemis, your energy would be better spent patrolling the perimeter instead of verbally sparring with Kid Flash. You two can fight later. For now, our priority is keeping Dr. Roquette safe and focused enough to continue her job."
"Thank you!" There was a distinct impression the doctor had thrown her hands up in the air along with her pronouncement, as someone else gave voice to her growing exasperation.
"Fine." Artemis grumbled, but she also seemed a little relieved at the change.
For a scant few moments, the mental link was quiet. At least until Robin broke it to reprimand Wally a little more. "You might cut her some slack. It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo."
"What?" The speedster was clearly confused by this new information. "No, that was Speedy's- I mean Red Arrow's arrow, right?"
"Not so much…"
"It's true." Hawkgirl confirmed, without going into detail. She knew she was being a little hypocritical at the moment for using the mental link for a private conversation while they were out on a mission, but the sooner Kid Flash realized Artemis was here to stay, the better… and the less he would complain. Really it was a tactical move. "And… technically, Red Arrow was never part of this team, so she didn't, in fact, drive him out. He has made his opinions of us very clear."
"… Hmph. Well, I'm still not giving her the satisfaction." He insisted.
"You know I can still hear you!" Artemis piped up.
Kid Flash let out an unintelligible noise of frustration before, finally, blessedly, falling silent.
A long, drawn out sigh left Dr. Roquette. "I couldn't get the Justice League?"
Hawkgirl couldn't help but let out a short laugh at that, before refocusing and mentally withdrawing from the link. She could still plainly hear chatter in the background, but it wasn't her primary focus.
"The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon." Aqualad was saying, addressing the blonde scientist. "Can you track it?"
"My utility fog is not a weapon. It's science. Brilliant science. And of course I can track it, but I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'Assassinate Me' written in neon."
"We will protect you." Aqualad quickly assured her, his statement saturated in sincerity.
"… Tracking the Fog now."
H
Hawkgirl's newest perch resulted in her crouched on the very ledge of the roof, looking very much like an out of place gargoyle. From her vantage point, she could plainly see Miss Martian and Artemis standing like sentries on either side of the wrought metal gate. After seeing how little effect M'Gann had in her previous position, she had ordered the telepath back down to ground level. She had also asked Artemis to join her, as keeping her away from Wally was the most effective way to prevent bickering.
She hoped that the Martian's far more accepting nature would keep the archer from picking more fights and clogging up their communications array with ceaseless nattering.
The slightest huff of exertion and an accompanying noise of movement heralded Superboy's sudden high jump, arcing him up and over the school, landing next to the two girls patrolling the grounds. Said landing was more silent than usual, a vast improvement from his 'I don't care where or how I land' attitude.
"Mmm, that boy." Artemis said suddenly, sounding very much like a dog drooling over a bone.
"He can hear you." M'Gann reminded her, turning to her fellow perimeter guard with an irritated expression on her face. "We can all hear you."
The newest member of the team was unrepentant. "Oh, I know."
Hawkgirl had to actively resist the urge to brain herself with her mace. "Why does there have to be two of them? Kid Flash was too much already!"
"Hey!" Wally protested.
Ski'Lira didn't dignify his exclamation with a response, instead deciding to address the archer directly. "Artemis, you will keep this flirtatious behavior off the battlefield or else."
The blonde let out an unattractive snort. "Or else? I thought you Hawks were supposed to be scary."
A wolfish grin appeared on the Thanagarian's face, not that anyone could see it. "I was restraining myself from going into gruesome detail out of respect for our teammates and Dr. Roquette. Don't worry, I'll be sure to deliver the entire speech in person once the mission has reached its conclusion."
Artemis wisely lapsed into silence, the mental link equivalent of blanching.
There was barely any time to relish in her victory before Aqualad updated the team on the mission's progress. "Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located The Fog. Reconfigure the bioship so that Robin and Superboy can pursue."
Maintaining her careful watch over the proceedings, she watched as M'Gann's bioship uncloaked and descended in front of the school, ready to ferry their teammates.
"Ready" M'Gann affirmed, giving both Robin and Superboy permission to board. They both ran up the ramp and disappeared from sight, the ship taking off with them both in tow shortly after. M'Gann and Artemis returned to the gate, but Hawkgirl was distracted as she heard a slight rustling come from the bushes.
Detaching herself from the ledge, she crept closer to the source of the noise, eyes scanning quickly to isolate the source of the noise. She wasn't immediately ruling out the possibility of a harmless animal passing by. The process would have been easier if her teammates weren't perpetuating arguments across the mental link again.
"You embarrassed Superboy." Clearly intent upon chastising Artemis, M'Gann sounded genuinely irate on the Kryptonian's behalf.
"Didn't hear him say that." Artemis was petulant, and unrepentant, an irritating combination.
"Must you challenge everyone?"
"Where I come from, that's how you survive."
Thoroughly done with the childish behavior, Hawkgirl interrupted before their bickering could spiral any further. "Funny, it is the same where I come from. But instead of petty rivalries and pointless arguing, we take action. Unless you two-" A dark shape burst into her line of sight, diving in through a window and into the school. "We have an intruder."
With those four words, it was as if a switch had been flipped. The group's focus snapped back to the mission at hand and Aqualad immediately started barking out orders. "Everyone, keep alert. Hawkgirl, describe what you saw."
"Not much," She relayed as she ran for the roof access door. Normally, she would have just flown down and broken a window to get in, but after the sheer amount of property damage they'd done to Gotham Academy (and the resulting lecture from Batman about minimizing reparation cost) she was reluctant to do so. Hence, she was using the door as intended. "Not visibly armed, but no doubt carrying weaponry. It's a safe bet to assume it's one of the Shadows."
Very little time had passed when Aqualad spoke up again, sounding frantic. "M'Gann, Kid, Artemis, Hawkgirl, we're under attack in the computer lab."
"Already en route," Bursting out of the stairwell at full speed, she sprinted down the halls of the school. The metal of her boots clanged harshly against the linoleum. Turning a corner, her feet slid on the freshly cleaned tile, but she managed to regain control before she rammed into the nearest set of lockers.
The door to the darkened computer lab was closed, but that was no issue, as she merely angled her shoulder and knocked the entire thing off its hinges. Aqualad was on the ground, held there by an assassin with a grinning cat mask. Her priority was the doctor, who was cowering against a wall.
From his position, Aqualad was able to deflect a sai the assassin threw, the blade sinking deep into the drywall next to Roquette's head. His interference gave her enough time to make it to their charge, physically grabbing the doctor around the arms and forcing them to her sides to minimize exposure. Flaring out her wings, she turned around and stayed put, trusting Aqualad. Dr. Roquette's eyes were wide and her mouth trembled a little, in the throes of panic, but she thankfully didn't try to move.
"Poison slowing you down?" The female assassin was mocking her teammate.
Aqualad rose back to his feet, lurching forward and engaging the assassin blade to blade, weapons locking together. "Jellyfish toxin... I'm largely immune."
Head drawing back, the Shadow cracked her masked face into Aqualad's, sending him back down with a cry, "Largely," Her other hand raising, she prepared to bring it down on Aqualad's prone form.
Clang!
The sai was thrown out of her hand, courtesy of an arrow shot by a newly arrived Artemis, who stood framed in the doorway with another arrow already nocked and ready. "Don't. Move," Making slow steps into the room, her attention was trained wholly on the masked woman, giving Aqualad time to stand back up.
Hawkgirl unhooked her mace from her belt, preparing herself to swing the moment a move was made towards Dr. Roquette.
"Heh. This gig's getting interesting." With a flick of her wrist, the intruder unveiled a collapsible katana. Giving the blade a few swings, she slipped into a fighting stance. Taking that as more than enough cue to engage, Artemis fired arrows in quick succession, forcing the assassin to slice and deflect rather than attack.
Kid Flash and Miss Martian arrived, the former of which absolutely reeking of a chlorinated pool.
Realizing the odds had drastically dropped out of her favor, the masked woman glanced at the two latest arrivals. "... Maybe a little too interesting." Slipping a smoke bomb out of her belt, she dropped it to the ground, a suffocating cloud of black smoke filling the room. Kid Flash darted forward to try to nab her before she could fully escape, only to crash straight into Artemis.
The smoke fully faded and the cat-faced Shadow vanished without a trace, but at least their charge was still present and not dead.
"Gone," Kid Flash summed up, despondent.
Hawkgirl tensed as weak hands suddenly beat on her back, forcing her to step away from the wall, releasing Dr. Roquette from her feathery barrier. "She's getting away!" The woman stormed up to Aqualad, "You're letting her get away!"
"This is all your fault!" Kid Flash whirled on Artemis, tone accusatory and scathing. "You were on perimeter! How'd that Shadow get in?!"
"That's not really fair," M'Gann insisted, trying to placate both parties before things spiraled back into endless arguments. "Hawkgirl and I were outside, too."
"Outside being distracted by her." Angling his head, he smiled at the Martian. "Besides, I can't be mad at you. You gave me mouth to mouth."
"We heard that!" Literally everyone else on the mental link chimed back in unison.
"Dang it!" The speedster face-palmed and stalked away, knowing that he had lost this verbal spar.
Stepping forward a little more, Miss Martian quickly turned their newest teammate's attention to her. "I didn't do half as well during my first battle." Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, her smile widened a little more, desperately trying to convey sincerity. "And I know you can't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for very long."
"Focus, everyone" Aqualad snapped, earning a little mental cheer from Hawkgirl at his initiative. "The Shadows will be back."
He was suddenly interrupted by the voice of a frantic Robin on the comm unit. "Robin to Aqualad. We're over Philadelphia. We've located the Shadows' next target, S.T.A.R. Labs. We're too late… It's destroyed. Totally destroyed. The Fog decimated it. This is bad. S.T.A.R. Labs is cutting-edge science and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy… What's our next move?"
Aqualad's pale green eyes fell on Roquette. "Re-scan for The Fog. Find it." He turned to address the others gathered in the room. "We're moving the doctor."
H
Hawkgirl had to admit, the hastily improvised plan that Aqualad had formulated was pretty clever. Said Thanagarian had been selected as Roquette's sole guard while Aqualad acted as bait, leading them directly back to the shop they'd temporarily occupied. Now, it was just a matter of patiently waiting for the Shadows to make their next move.
"You're much more... professional than your teammates." Blinking, it took her a moment to realize Roquette was addressing her directly, breaking the strained silence.
"Thank you," she replied succinctly, content to let the conversation end there. After all, she was keeping an ear out for any disturbances. She did feel a little spike of pride from the sincere compliment, though.
"Stop it, both of you," Aqualad abruptly ordered over the mental link.
"What?!" Kid Flash and Artemis' protest was in eerie unison.
"I can hear you glaring." It wasn't until a few minutes later that Aqualad spoke once more, this time with a more dire warning. "I'm on my way back to the café now. They've taken the bait."
She heard Aqualad's approach, heavy footsteps unique to an Atlantean's increased density rapidly closing distance with the back door. Knowing exactly who was on the other side, she let him in, heading back to Roquette's side as he checked the windows.
Dr. Roquette's head snapped up from where she'd been staring intently at the screen of her laptop, "I've almost got it."
Opening his mouth, Aqualad was surely about to say something encouraging, reassuring, or a combination of the two, but Hawkgirl held up a hand to silence him. Tilting her head to the side to better triangulate the source of the noise she heard, she concentrated wholly on her auditory senses. It came from further down the street, swift footfalls, voices, and the distinct displacement of air that accompanied a fired arrow.
"Incoming," she said, slipping her mace into her grip.
Not long after, there was an impact on the roof.
"We have company," Aqualad announced, more for Roquette's benefit than theirs, urging her to finish her work.
"Uploading now," the doctor gave a few decisive keystrokes, sitting back in her uncomfortable chair with a harsh squeak. "And by the way, you said you'd protect me."
That seemed a little unnecessary, considering how Hawkgirl was literally standing in a guard position for that express purpose. Something clanked against the tiled floor just behind them, and they whirled just as another smoke bomb went off. The back half of the room was filled with smoke, making her eyes water. A series of darts rocketed from the other side of the shop, three into Aqualad's abdomen, and two into Hawkgirl's chest.
"Let's test the limit of your jellyfish immunity, shall we?" The Shadow assassin, the same from before, was practically cooing at them.
The Atlantean lunged forward to engage, only to falter as the toxin overtaxed his system. Dropping to the ground, Kaldur's breathing turned harsh, body motionless apart from the labored rise and fall of his chest.
"There. Limit tested... Now, Doctor-" The cat-faced woman cut herself off as she turned to see Hawkgirl still standing, looking distinctly unamused. "How are you still upright?"
Grabbing the end of the darts, she tore them out of her without batting an eye, even as the serrated needle-ends tore more flesh going out than they did in. She dropped the projectiles to the ground and held out her mace threateningly. "Your Earth poisons are weak. I expected better from a member of the League of Shadows."
Twirling a said in a hand, the Shadow darted forward, blade first. Managing to dodge the initial strike, the sai clanged harmlessly against the handle of her mace. Still in range, the assassin snapped a knee up into Hawkgirl's abdominals as she pulled her weapon back. Easily absorbing the blow, Hawkgirl hefted her mace in both hands and brought it straight down.
The woman was forced to duck and roll to avoid having bones shattered, leaning backwards at a near uncanny angle shortly after to avoid a second swipe aimed directly at her head. Dropping down low, the assassin made a grab for Hawkgirl's leg, attempting to topple her. It didn't go quite as the mystery woman had hoped, but Hawkgirl's balance was upset just enough that she was unable to dodge the next swipe from the sai. The metal sliced through the top of her thigh, blood immediately drenching the front of her pants and dripping onto her golden boots.
Stepping back, a guttural grunt left Hawkgirl's mouth as she felt the flesh pull. She took a moment to evaluate the severity of the injury, seeing the exposed skin around the edges of the wound starting to turn a sickly green color. "More poison?"
"I think you'll find this one far deadlier," her opponent answered, sounding smug.
"... Cute."
Twisting her wrist, she activated her mace's second form, the spiked head dropping to the tile with a heavy thud. Jerking the handle up, Hawkgirl swung the chain in an effortless circle, keeping the assassin at bay.
"The Doctor's life will be mine soon enough. You can't hold me back forever," The Shadow taunted, her body tensing like a spring.
"I wasn't planning on it," Jerking the chain to a stop, the spiked ball flew forward and slammed into the assassins' shoulder, sending her reeling backwards from the impact. Regaining control, she turned the stumble into a backflip.
Grasping onto the chain with her other hand, she allowed more links to spill out of the handle, wielding it more like a meteor hammer than a flail. Whipping the chain to the side, she attempted to entangle her enemy's legs, only for her to execute a deft jump. She followed through with the momentum of the weapon, allowing the weapon to spin her entire body in a circle, going in for a second, even faster strike.
The Shadow let herself fall backwards, balancing her weight on her arms as she lashed out with both feet, reinforced boots striking Ski'Lira straight in the stomach. This second attempt at taking down the Thangarian was more successful, as Hawkgirl soon found herself sprawled on her back.
Quick as a viper, the Shadow unsheathed her katana and thrust the blade straight through one of Hawkgirl's splayed wings, pinning her to the ground like a butterfly on display. A loud screech of pain and rage left her throat, one more akin to a bird of prey than a human. Once she regained her senses, she attempted to tug herself free, but the blade was firmly situated through enough muscle that it was dangerous to attempt again.
She couldn't do much more than glare and snarl at the woman looming over her, even as she gloated. "Hm. You're good, but not good enough. Maybe one day you'll manage to land more than one hit on me."
Her undamaged wing flapped uselessly, as the Shadow stalked over to Roquette, radiating an aura of superiority as she pressed the tip of her sai to the doctor's fragile throat.
The nearby computer began to beep, diverting the woman's attention before she could sink the blade through flesh. "So you finished the virus, eliminating the reason for your elimination." Leaning in closer, she did not yet remove the sai. "Though not the entertainment value."
With a firm push, she sent Dr. Roquette to the ground, the blonde staring at her assailant with fear in her eyes. "Lucky for you, my orders are clear. You live to program another day. After all, doctor… The Shadows may find another use for you."
Ominous warning given, she left like the smiling cat that had gotten the canary.
Dr. Roquette remained motionless for a few seconds before she managed to shake herself out of her stupor. Scrabbling to her hands and knees, she crawled over to Hawkgirl, paying no mind to the pooling blood now staining the hem of her skirt and skin of her knees. Her hands fluttered awkwardly, eyes flicking between the weeping gash on the girl's thigh and the sword impaling her wing.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what to do!" Dr. Roquette's voice had reached a higher octave in her panic. "I'm not this kind of doctor… a people doctor, not a vet… That came out wrong."
Gritting her teeth, Hawkgirl steeled herself for being the responsible adult in this situation. "Grab the sword by the handle and pull straight up. I'll be fine."
"Are... Are you sure? Shouldn't we wait for the others to get here?"
"Just do it."
Hands trembling, Dr. Roquette stood up to get a proper angle and grasped the handle of the assassin's discarded weapon. After a moment of hesitation, she yanked.
The blade slid out with a sickening schick, and Hawkgirl bit back another cry. Once the blade was out, she tested her range of motion, satisfied that it moved easily despite the wound. Scarlet stained the feathers around the hole, but the bleeding wasn't severe enough to cause immediate worry.
Startled, Roquette dropped the blade to the ground with a harsh clatter.
"How attached are you to that lab coat?" Hawkgirl asked through gritted teeth.
To her credit, the woman didn't hesitate to shrug it off her shoulders, handing it over. Taking the coat with a thankful nod, Ski'Lira tore off one of the sleeves and wadded it up, pressing the bundle of fabric to her bleeding thigh. Pressure properly applied, she awkwardly scooted across the blood-slicked tile towards the still-unconscious Aqualad.
Reaching a hand up to her ear, she activated the emergency comm unit, seeing as the mental link wasn't functioning any longer. "Hawkgirl to Robin, report status." Only once she was sure the connection went through that she set to the task of removing the barbed darts from Aqualad's torso, hoping that removing the source of the toxin would give his system more of a fighting chance.
"Fog neutralized," Robin's words gave her immediate relief. "Superboy and I are headed back to Happy Harbor now. How are things on your end?"
"Roquette's alive," she said, and he let out a gusty sigh on the other end. "Mission was a success. Had a run in with the assassin."
"I feel like I should be concerned."
"I'll let you know in a minute if you should be." Deactivating the comm for a moment, despite Robins' spluttering, she set to rousing Kaldur from unconsciousness.
Patting the side of his face with her bloodied gauntlet, she called out his name, "Aqualad. Wake up, you missed the fight."
His eyelids started to flutter, before opening, revealing slightly hazy eyes, "Dr. Roquette? Is she-"
"She's safe," she assured him. "The virus was successfully downloaded. Robin and Superboy managed to stop The Fog in time."
Steadily reganing cognizance, he pulled himself upright, setting to the task of standing with grim determination. "Thank you," he told Dr. Roquette, who was still fluttering about awkwardly.
"I should be thanking you guys," she corrected with a shake of her head. "Are you two going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Aqualad assured. "I've already metabolized a majority of the poison."
"Good, but uh... You're still bleeding kind of a lot?" Roquette turned to Hawkgirl, gnawing on her lip.
It was then that Kaldur seemed to register the streaks of blood staining the civilian, his teammate, and the floor. Eyes widening, he unsteadily turned to where Hawkgirl was using a counter to leverage herself upright.
"Hawkgirl!"
"Don't panic, nothing vital got hit." Hawkgirl readjusted where she was placing pressure on her wounds. "Few stitches and I'll be fine."
He seemed far from content with that answer. "Allow me to help you," he offered, throwing one of her arms over his shoulder to keep pressure off her injured leg. Once they were relatively stable, it was clear he wasn't quite as recovered as he made it seem.
"I think it's probably best we help each other." Hawkgirl huffed out a laugh, adjusting her arm so that it wrapped around his torso and taking some of her weight back, flaring her wings to help maintain balance. "I'll try not to bleed on you too much."
"I appreciate your restraint." He deadpanned.
With that, the duo limped their way out towards the front of the café with Dr. Roquette trailing behind. They were just in time to see the masked assassin make yet another disappearing act in front of the plate glass window, leaving behind a shell-shocked Artemis.
"Artemis, where's the assassin?" Aqualad demanded.
Shaking her head, Artemis wiped the distress off of her face. "She, uh... She got away."
Kid Flash made a quick entrance, speeding up to the group and skidding to a stop. "Oh, from you? Oh, big surprise! Notice, we got ours." He said, jerking a thumb behind him.
Miss Martian drifted down from the sky, two of the assassin' accomplices bound and thoroughly trapped via both rope and her telekinetic powers. Before he could start laying into the archer about her failure again, Kid Flash's attention was caught by something on the ground. "Cool. Souvenir." Reaching down, he scooped up the assassin's signature white and red cat mask.
Aqualad narrowed his eyes at the archer, shifting his balance as he hit the last hurdle of recovery and keeping Hawkgirl upright. "Her mask? Did you see her face?"
Turning, Artemis obscured her face, "It was dark."
"It is fine." Aqualad's assurance was genuine. "Robin and Superboy neutralized The Fog. And Dr. Roquette is safe, thanks in no small part to you. Welcome to the team." He held out a hand, but hesitated when he realized it was streaked with Hawkgirl's blood. Instead he just gave her a meaningful nod.
That seemed to be the tipping point for the others to realize that the first and second in command hadn't come out of this nearly as unscathed as they had.
"Hawkgirl, oh my goodness!" Miss Martian hustled over to the Thanagarian's side. "Are you hurt badly?"
"Mostly my pride," Hawkgirl answered. "All the blood on Dr. Roquette is mine, by the way."
Miss Martian's cheeks turned a paler shade of green, "That isn't as assuring as you think it is."
Rolling her eyes, Hawkgirl flicked her gaze over to Artemis, who was eyeing her wounds with a calculating eye. "You've proven yourself a capable combatant. For this one time… I am willing to overlook your insistence on bickering during the mission. I'd shake your hand, but I'm trying to keep the blood I have."
"Yeah, no, I get it. Maybe we should get somewhere so we can get that stitched up?"
"Aqualad needs to get checked out too," Hawkgirl added. When she received a betrayed look from him, she continued. "You were unconscious for at least five minutes, you don't get to argue."
Miss Martian gave a wistful sigh. "I've always wanted sisters." M'Gann admitted as she looked between Hawkgirl and Artemis. "Here on Earth, I mean. I have twelve back on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same."
"I… wouldn't know." Artemis replied uneasily, before looking over at Kid Flash. "But thanks."
Wally was still visibly pouting, but still he let out a terse, "Yeah. Welcome." As he rubbed at the back of his head, Artemis cautiously held out a hand. Eyeing it dubiously for a moment, the speedster reluctantly shook it.