MOUNT JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2010
06:34 EDT
This morning had been... in a word, hectic. Emergency repairs had been going on almost all through the night and well into the morning, the resulting ruckus rousing the sleeping teens with more sensitive hearing in the lounge. In her haste to disengage herself from the makeshift cuddle pile on the floor, she'd accidentally pushed three separate people off of her, which in turn woke them. When she stretched out her wings, she felt more than a few pops, as she was slightly stiff from lying flat on her back on a floor all night.
Despite Wally's best attempts to bring them all into a more relaxed state last night, this morning held an underlying tension that none of them could quite shake. Instead of amicably chatting amongst themselves, an eerie silence was maintained, shuffling off towards the bathrooms to take care of morning ablutions with only the shortest of exchanges.
Once everyone had showered, changed back into their uniforms, and consumed hasty breakfasts (mostly consisting of a combination of fruit, protein shakes, and cereal bars), they had ended up sitting around a table in the Hub.
Green Arrow and Black Canary, the only adults currently present, seemed content to let them be quiet. They probably understood better than most that sometimes after an ordeal you just needed to... exist, for a while.
Most of them were slumped in the (surprisingly comfortable) chairs, though Conner remained standing. Wally flopped over entirely, head lying on his crossed arms. Ski'Lira hadn't sat down until she'd given her wings a last, full stretch, falling into her seat and propping her booted feet up on the table. Fishing her phone out of its customary hiding place in her boot, she saw she had a few unread messages from various times over the course of the past few hours.
Ta'me: Sleep well, fledgling, dream of glorious battle. You did well today. We're both proud of you.
Ta'me: Morning
Ta'me: Just as a heads up, don't expect to be home anytime soon
Her brow furrowing, she tapped out a reply.
Sky: Ominous. What does that mean?
Ta'me: You'll find out soon enough.
Just as she looked up to tilt the phone in Robin's direction to show him the text, Aqualad broke away suddenly from the table, heading straight for the newly arrived Batman. After he quietly requested a private meeting, the two ended up on the other side of the Hub. Green Arrow made a reappearance of his own, having disappeared for a short span of time. He had a white bowl filled to the brim with snack food in hand, and she recognized one of his trademark strategies for cheering people up and/or placating them... offering food.
He placed the bowl in front of the most susceptible victim for his scheme, Wally, only to be met with a vehement refusal. "Thanks, but no thanks."
The mere concept of Kid Flash refusing food was enough to make her put away her phone and pay full attention.
"Yeah," Robin added. "What we want are answers about Red Tornado and his siblings!"
"Exactly!" Hand lashing out, Wally stopped Oliver from his attempt to take the offering back. "Leave the bowl." Back fully in his grasp, he promptly started to shovel the contents into his mouth.
A noise from across the hub diverted her attention from the gross munching noises coming from the speedster, and she was more than happy to dial her hearing towards the location. Aqualad seemed to be confiding in Batman about something that had been bothering him. A minute twitch on Conner's face confirmed that he too, was listening in.
Really, if they wanted this to be a private conversation, they should have left the room entirely instead of just walking to the other side of it.
There was no way that Batman hadn't forgotten the presence of two people in the room with enhanced hearing, so he was likely allowing this to play out despite Aqualad's clear request for privacy.
But why?
"It was during the Tai Pei mission with Red Arrow. Sportsmaster revealed the possibility of a mole within the team." Ski'Lira's brow furrowed. When had that happened? It must have been right after the mics had been blown out, and Aqualad hadn't reactivated his comm. There was no other point where she'd been out of contact during the course of the mission. "In light of last night's attack, Tornado would appear to be the traitor. But whether he betrayed us willingly or was pre-programmed is still –"
Superboy moved faster than any of them could stop him, not even Kid Flash. Surging across the room, he physically grabbed Aqualad by the front of his shirt, face twisted into a hateful snarl. "You knew?! That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'Gann!"
Miss Martian was the first to make it over, Hawkgirl at her heels. The former fluttered at Conner's side, while the latter kept a hand on her mace, just in case things turned really ugly. "Conner, what are you doing?!" M'Gann shrieked.
"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said nothing!"
Standing to the side, Hawkgirl was ready to leap in at a moment's notice and physically separate the two if she had to. Kaldur may be more durable than most, but an angry Kryptonian had a strength that could bypass that entirely.
"You knew?" Robin piped up.
"But didn't tell us?" Wally finished, both of them sounding thoroughly betrayed.
"I sought to protect the team from-" Kaldur's attempt at an explanation was interrupted by an irate Artemis.
"Protect us from what?!" The blonde sneered. "Knowledge that might have saved our lives?"
Superboy angled his head, his desperate gaze meeting his girlfriend's. "You almost died!"
"Enough."
Batman's voice cut through the mounting chaos like a sharp knife, an unspoken command in his words. Conner released Kaldur, though he definitely wasn't happy about it. Hawkgirl removed her hand from the handle of her mace, though she didn't move, well aware of the chance this could still go south with one misspoken word.
"With Red Tornado... missing, the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors." His cool tone made it apparent they had no choice in this matter. "Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."
The hero in question stepped away from where he'd been patiently waiting by the Zeta Tubes, ever-present grin plastered on his face. Well, that answered her unaired question of why he was here, she had just assumed he was waiting for another member of the League to join him on a mission.
Marvel perched his hands on his hips in a token pose that had graced the front of many a newspaper. "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys!"
His eagerness and sincerity was actually fairly refreshing.
Meanwhile, Conner had leaned over towards Aqualad, voice dropping to a threatening whisper. "After I dismantle Red Tornado, you and I are gonna-"
Batman was forced to intervene a second time, going so far as to step towards the two boys and loom over them. "Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes it a League responsibility. You will leave him to us." He paused for a moment before stepping back. "I have another assignment for this team."
Gesturing, a holoscreen popped up behind him displaying a newspaper article from the Daily Planet.
"Gotham Mayor Attacked by Guerilla Gorilla?" Kid Flash read aloud.
"Batman, please!" Robin said, practically begging. "Tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a wild ape chase!"
"I never joke about the mission." Robin looked away at the admonishment. "I've checked the sources, I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents. Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India and check this out."
Aqualad gave a solemn nod, the other members of the team filing out of the room to prepare.
Wally sent a glare Kaldur's way as he passed. "Hmph. 'Your team'."
Hawkgirl watched with narrowed eyes. Seems like they were in for another mission with an unnecessary complication to overcome.
H
Superboy was forced to shoo away an eager Sphere, who was making a valiant attempt to board the bio-ship and tag along. With a sad whirr, the orb reluctantly retreated, looking about as sullen as it could.
Captain Marvel flew in, landing silently in front of them.
"You're coming with?" Robin questioned.
"Sure!" Captain Marvel's grin widened, if it were possible. "We'll have a blast."
Robin frowned a little before leaning towards Wally, dropping his voice so as not to be overheard. "Translation, he blames us for the Red fiasco. Doesn't trust us." The Boy Wonder shot a pointed look towards Aqualad.
"It's a big club." The redhead agreed, and the two turned in near unison to board the ship.
Nearby, Hawkgirl was watching this play out with distaste. The look on Aqualad's face from the comment did not bode well for the next few hours. Also, did they know anything about Captain Marvel? The so-called 'Big Red Cheese' was probably the most well-meaning goofball on the planet. He had practically zero capacity for holding a grudge or being intentionally mean, even to his villains.
He'd once chastised her father for unnecessary swearing in the midst of a heated battle.
Katar also added that the sole reason he'd let it slide was because he thought the hero's earnest attempt was funny.
But going back to her previous train of thought, what was with her team and focusing on personal matters when they were in hostile territory? Maybe she needed to schedule a talk about priorities.
When she made it onto the ship, she pointedly steered Aqualad towards the seat farthest from Conner, making sure both herself and Captain Marvel were between the two.
He looked at her, question in his eyes, to which she responded with a heated glare. The wounded look she received in response, she proceeded to ignore.
It was always Ski'Lira's prerogative to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of every member of her team. And right now, her specific priority was to make sure that nobody else hurt their leader, physically or emotionally over an unfortunate bout of misunderstanding. This was far from an ideal situation, and no doubt the lingering hostility would only mount over time. With the exception of Captain Marvel, of course, he seemed just fine.
H
NORTHERN INDIA
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2010
21:36 IST
The underlying tension on the flight over had not been fun to sit through. Captain Marvel, ever the amicable one, had attempted to engage various people in conversation, only for every try to fall flat.
Hawkgirl took it upon herself to remedy that, directly speaking to the hero sitting to her left. "So, I have heard stories of you working with my parents before. They speak quite highly of your abilities."
His face lit up, "Really? They talk about me? That's so cool! I really like working with them too. They know so much about history, they sort of helped me with research for my-" He cut himself off abruptly. "My... mission? Once."
Interrupting himself was a little strange, but she chalked it up to him being a little embarrassed about asking her parents for help with some artifact.
She kept the conversation going, asking him his perspective on events. At one point, he sheepishly admitted that he thought her mother was 'kinda scary, but nice when she wanted to be', which was priceless.
And if she felt a flutter of personal pride when he added how he was equally excited for the opportunity to work with Ski'Lira too, well, that was nobody's business but hers.
Eventually though, they ran out of topics, and once more they were stuck in the awkward silence.
Fortunate for them, they were almost at the designated landing zone anyway. M'Gann directed the bioship to come to a stop, the exterior already camouflaged, as it had been so for most of the journey.
Both Artemis and Robin started to prepare for the drop, attaching grappling hooks to the interior of the ship as the bottom peeled open. Safety lines firmly in place, the two rappelled down. The moment their hooks were detached, they fanned out with weapons drawn, performing a scan of the immediate area. In the meantime, the ship had drifted down slowly to the middle of the clearing, allowing the rest of the team to exit.
"All clear," Robin told them, rejoining the group.
"Switch to stealth," Aqualad directed, activating his own uniform color switch. "We'll review mission parameters."
Kid Flash was already frowning as he tapped his emblem, the bright yellow of his suit switching to its dark grey counterpart. "Parameters? We don't need no stinkin' parameters."
"It's recon. We know what to do." Robin agreed, and the two promptly turned and started to leave.
Aqualad moved after them, "Kid, Robin-"
The younger teen whirled, irritation apparent as he stared down the Atlantean. "The four of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from us!"
"Or did you forget that like you forgot to tell us about the mole?" Sliding his goggles over his eyes, Kid Flash ran off into the forest, with Robin following him. Soon, the two were well out of Hawkgirl's line of sight, the foliage far too sense to parse through even with her vision. Her focus snapped away from the departing duo as she heard a new commotion behind her.
Conner had snagged M'Gann around the bicep, winding up to drag her off. "Come on, I'll keep you safe."
Tearing her arm out of his grip, M'Gann shot him a death glare, no doubt resorting to direct mental communication.
Whatever she had said seemed to be a hell of shock, as Conner's blue eyes widened with genuine dismay. "I just want to protect you," he voiced aloud.
Artemis, bless her heart, intervened. "Like Aqualad protected us?" She jabbed the Kryptonian in the chest with the tip of her bow, with zero fear. "I'm not sure your protection or your patronizing is good for our health."
For a moment, Hawkgirl was fully supportive, up until the point where the two girls wandered off into the forest by themselves. Artemis paused at the tree line just long enough to give Hawkgirl a questioning look, a tilt to her head signifying 'you coming too?'
Ski'Lira gave a subtle shake of her head. The archer seemed disappointed, but understanding, as she turned her back to them and continued on her way.
A low growl rumbled from Superboy's throat, "Why didn't you stop them?" He demanded of Aqualad, hands curling into tight fists. "You're supposed to be in charge."
"I am-" Yet again, Kaldur was denied the opportunity to explain himself before a member of his team up and left. Conner leapt off into the distance.
The last vestiges of the previously intact team stood awkwardly for a moment, until Captain Marvel loudly cleared his throat. "Um... Did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?"
Aqualad let out a small sign, his pale green eyes flicking around before landing on her, a new weariness to his voice. "I suppose you will be leaving too?"
"My place is here," she assured him, pointedly gesturing in the direction of their intended route.
Still disheartened despite her loyalty, Aqualad trudged forwards to follow the plan, Captain Marvel sticking by them.
As much as she wanted to start scolding Aqualad for rolling over like a chastised dog because his teammates were being mean (unreasonably so, in her opinion, but she knew the extenuating circumstances were clouding their judgment), she didn't say a word. This was the sort of lesson that needed to be learned the hard way. If she merely told him what he had to do, he'd make a shoddy leader in the long run. He was in command now, and it was high time he started acting like it.
A low vibration caught Ski'Lira's attention, originating from the vegetation behind them, vocalization of some predatory animal. But she passed it off as ambient noise. This place was full of all kinds of wildlife, it was only natural that they were curious about the strange smelling interlopers in their territory.
H
The trio were on high alert as they trekked through the jungle, determined to remain as unnoticed as possible for as long as they could manage. Very early on, Hawkgirl had expressed her legitimate concern about Captain Marvel being too easily spotted despite his bright uniform (and a lack of stealth training to compensate for it, like she did). With a cheerful salute, he'd flown up into the canopy, where the dense layer of leafage provided decent concealment.
Eventually, they stumbled across a trail, Captain Marvel returning to ground level. A distinctive set of tracks were settled in the mud, far clearer a sign than she was used to following. Crouching down, Hawkgirl mentally calculated the size of the creature from the prints, also attempting to pick up on any accompanying scents. With all the data before her, there was only one logical conclusion.
"Gorilla," she told the others. "Definitely at least a week old. No one else has been through here since."
"Guess this is where Mayor Hill's monkey business went down." Captain Marvel quipped.
"Gorillas are apes, not monkeys," she corrected him dryly, trying to gauge where the animal had gone. If she could find the direction it left in, they might be able to locate a den, or at least a scope of the gorilla's territory.
Or that could all be entirely moot, considering the gorilla had reportedly been toting around a machine gun. Honestly, she had no idea what to expect, and was resorting to her basic wilderness survival knowledge as a precaution.
"So... at least we've confirmed the story, right?" Captain Marvel pointed out. "Aqualad?"
The Atlantean had been lost in thought, "My apologies, Captain. I am... plagued by doubts." That earned him a raised eyebrow from the hero. "Perhaps... I was wrong to withhold."
Surging up from her crouch to stand up straight, Hawkgirl opened her mouth to reprimand him for losing focus at a very inopportune time, when a cacophony of noise sounded off nearby. Something big was traipsing through the forest, massive enough to topple trees and set the ground to shaking underneath their feet.
Moving into a tight defensive circle, the three concentrated on the threat swiftly closing distance. Hawkgirl's mace was a reassuring weight in her hands.
The crashing became louder and louder, until the culprit burst out of the tree line, debris spraying everywhere.
It was a ginormous, blatantly mutated elephant.
At least two times the size of a normal pachyderm, the beast bore unnatural bony spikes, emerging from its grey hide mostly at the joints. The hide itself had split and torn away in places, revealing the smooth red muscle underneath it. Tusks sharpened to points, each one divided into an extra curl, giving it four total implements for goring.
In one single moment, this mission had turned from an absolute shit show into one of the best days of her life.
The bull elephant was magnificent.
Captain Marvel was the first to engage, only to be caught by a surprisingly dextrous trunk and thrown into a tree.
And that's when the second elephant emerged from the other side of the clearing, likely the bull elephant's mate. Her own arrival had been thoroughly covered up by the sheer ruckus from her counterpart.
Ski'Lira couldn't help but release a peal of delighted laughter. These creatures reminded her strongly of some of the domestic herd animals they had on Thanagar. And besides, it wasn't every day one had the chance to face down giant monsters in the middle of a jungle.
Her genuine reaction of glee seemed to snap Aqualad out of the funk he'd fallen into, at least a little. "Why are you laughing at a time like this?!"
With a powerful flap of her wings, she practically threw herself up into the air, shouting back at him as she went. "WHY ARE YOU NOT?!"
Hawkgirl was able to veer off to the side, dodging as the first elephant charged forwards, while Aqualad merely jumped out of the way and sprinted to safety. He attempted to turn a fast corner to throw the best off, but it still managed to snare him with the side of its tusk, tossing him towards the still-prone Captain Marvel.
She herself was forced into a short dive to avoid the sweeping trunk of the second elephant, who was just as irate as the other.
Reappearing in her line of sight was Captain Marvel, who charged the larger elephant again, this time moving much faster, and sending it sliding backwards through the sheer force of a single hit. The bull managed to remain upright, but deep furrows were cut through the ground from feet. Hawkgirl attempted to warn him about the second elephant, but it was too late, as he'd already been batted out of the air.
Hawkgirl opted to pursue the bull, as he seemed to be the more problematic threat at the moment, as he was trundling onto more open ground. As she flew in a lazy spiral around it, an idea formed in her mind, and she swept back down to the ground to enact it. Landing deftly in front of the beast, she popped the head off her mace, allowing the spool of chain to pool out of it. Lightweight Nth metal links in hand, she started to spin the meteor hammer, all the while ducking and weaving a flailing trunk and both tusks. When sufficient momentum had been built, despite the elephant's best efforts to deter her, she threw the end of the weapon upwards. Bearing herself aloft again, she chased the head of her mace, snatching it out of the air as it reached the apex.
The result?
A giant loop of silvery chain, wrapped around the creature's neck like a makeshift lasso.
Touching down on the back of his giant head, she planted her feet firmly and wrapping the ends of the chain around her wrists to guarantee a solid grip. This meant that the long handle and spiked ball of her mace dangled from her wrists like particularly gaudy and cumbersome jewelry.
Captain Marvel caught onto her plan, flying in close to take advantage of the distraction the temporary imprisonment caused (though honestly, she was probably annoying the beast more than anything, but as long as he was distracted and kept in place, the easier this would be for everyone involved).
That's when Aqualad yelled from a nearby ridge, "Remove the collar!"
"On it!" Marvel confirmed, "Hawkgirl?"
Gritting her teeth, she dug her heels into the leather hide of the raging bull elephant, pulling with all her might. She was emphatically trying to not strangle him, as that would be downright barbaric... Not to mention that she was pretty sure his skin was so thick that it would take very deliberate intent to maim the creature.
Instead, with her coaxing, he reared back onto his hind legs, giving Captain Marvel a sufficient opening to duck in under the elephant's deadly tusks and trunk, shattering the collar with a punch. Contraption crumbling from his neck, there was a noticeable shift in the animal's demeanor.
Calm, he lowered back to the ground, not a single indication of hostility in his body language.
Unlooping the chain from around one wrist, she allowed the weapon to fall harmlessly to the ground, freeing the beast from his leash. Hawkgirl knelt, patting the bulky head with fondness, and giving a gentle rub behind one flicking ear. Leaning over the side, she met a blood red eye that had lost its haze of fury. She stroked his face a little more, briefly folding her body over to press her forehead to the elephant's in a show of respect before jumping off.
When her feet hit dirt, the bull gently nudged her midsection with the end of his trunk before he turned, rejoining his similarly freed companion, both making their way further into the forest.
Returning her mace to its usual form, she smiled, grateful that the larger of the duo had given her the chance to pet him before he departed. "Truly gorgeous beasts... I'm going to eviscerate the person responsible for imprisoning them and feed their remains to whatever apex predators reside in this region."
"They did look pretty cool, " Captain Marvel agreed as he alighted next to her. "Oh, and I saw a tiger earlier!"
"And I missed it?" She huffed in disappointment, followed shortly by a curse that made Marvel's eyes widen in alarm.
Aqualad rejoined them, having clambered down from the ridge he'd been positioned on to avoid being trampled during the fiasco. "Are either of you harmed?"
"I am absolutely fantastic." Hawkgirl answered, fully genuine.
"Pretty sweet the way you figured out the problem was the collars." Marvel complimented.
The Atlantean had a pensive expression on his face, "But the collars indicate an intelligence behind this attack. The rest of the Team may also be at risk." He activated his comm. "Team, report status." A high pitched noise erupted from the device, causing both him and Hawkgirl to wince. "Ugh, comm is jammed. And Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we split up."
"Actually," Marvel began, "You let everyone split up before communications were set."
"They would not listen!"
"I guess?" The League member didn't sound wholly convinced by that point. "But back at the Cave... Batman stopped everyone from arguing with one word."
"Because Batman is… Batman."
Marvel offered a placating shrug. "Hey, you don't have to tell me. When I first joined the League, all he did was boss me around. And it's hard not to take it personally. But I never disobeyed an order, and that's probably what kept me alive."
Understanding finally dawned in Kaldur's green eyes, "Batman takes command. "He has to for the good of the League." He started to look a little more like himself with this revelation. "Thank you for helping me understand."
"Hey, Wisdom of Solomon." Marvel pointed at his head with a grin.
That's when Kaldur remembered Hawkgirl's presence, turning to her with a question. "Why did you not intervene? I expected you would be more... vocal about my lackluster command so far?"
"You're asking why I didn't shout some sense to you and potentially cause you bodily harm if you didn't listen?" She clarified.
"... Yes."
Reaching out, she lightly punched him on the shoulder, nowhere near hard enough to cause any pain. "I agreed with your decision and followed your command, it's the other's fault that they refused to listen."
"Nothing has ever stopped you from reprimanding the others before," Kaldur said, still confused. "It is something of a common trait of yours."
"I was hoping you'd remember that you had a spine. I can't be your scary, aggressive backup all the time. If they only listen to your orders when I'm there to enforce them, what good will that do? Leaders need to be assertive, and that's not something that can be easily taught." She idly gestured towards Captain Marvel. "I was hoping you'd figure that out on your own, but sometimes you just need advice from someone with the relevant experience."
"So you would have just allowed me to... flounder in the dark if Captain Marvel had not spoken up?"
"Not forever. I was planning to speak up if the situation either escalated to a dangerous point, or at the conclusion of this mission, whichever came first."
Despite her earnest attempts at assurance, Kaldur still seemed to be skeptical of her intentions. "But... I kept a secret from you. All of you. We were almost killed due to my inaction. And I recall you once berating me for making the same mistake with Clayface."
Frowning, Ski'Lira crossed her arms. "That was a completely different situation. With Clayface, you made a bad judgment call mid-mission that jeopardized the safety of the Team, but with this... I would have done the exact same thing in your position. It's basic espionage. If you have a list of potential spies, you don't immediately tell them you think one of them is a spy. That's bad form and definitely something that could get you or innocents killed. Your caution was entirely logical."
Aqualad's line of sight dropped, locked on the ground in his dismay. "... The others do not seem to believe the same."
Letting out a long sigh, Ski'Lira craned her neck back to stare up at clear night sky, as if begging the universe to give her strength. Stepping forward, she tapped a clawed finger harshly on Kaldur's forehead to make him look her in the eyes. "Aqualad, I am about to point something fairly obvious, and I want you to listen and remember what I'm about to tell you, because I think it will help you a great deal in the long run."
She waited patiently for his affirming nod, and once she'd received it, she continued. "You, me, and the rest of our teammates? We are all children. Despite how often we've been told that we're 'mature for our age' and that we 'deal well with pressure', whatever extensive training each of us have gone through individually and as a team, none of us have reached the level of maturity for our respective species. Our brains are far from fully developed. That means we are rash, unpredictably emotional, and sometimes we blame the wrong thing for our problems. Adults make the same mistakes, but we are more prone to them, because we are teenagers."
Struck speechless, Kaldur's mouth opened and closed a few times in an aborted attempt to speak, before settling on a response. "You... have a point."
She sent him a sharp smile. "Of course I have a point. We were just betrayed by someone we trusted, someone who cared for us, and on top of that we all came very, very close to losing our lives. This is a natural response. Believe me, I am just as upset as the others are, but I know that you are not at fault here. But it's our job as their leaders to lead them when logic has left them, and they need to know that they can trust us to take care of them even if they are emotionally compromised. As they are right now, despite how much they would probably deny it."
"... Are you sure you don't have the Wisdom of Solomon too?" Captain Marvel blurted out, awestruck. "Because that was pretty good."
She tipped her head towards him, "Thank you for the compliment, Captain, but it's just an extensive education in Thanagarian military history, psychology, and a little common sense."
Aqualad's hand suddenly flew to his head, fingers pressed to his temple. At her inquisitive look, he mouthed 'Miss Martian', confirming that she had managed to establish a telepathic link.
A low, rumbling growl graced Hawkgirl's ears, and she watched as Captain Marvel's attention swiveled entirely to something hiding in the bushes. "Cool, the tiger! I'll be right back!"
"Captain, wait!" Aqualad called after him, but it was too late. He shot Ski'Lira a long-suffering look. "Speed of Mercury."
The Thanagarian jerked her thumb in the direction their new minder had disappeared to, "I can retrieve him while you deal with Miss Martian."
He nodded his assent, even if he was visibly reluctant at the prospect of splitting up even further. "Bring him back as quickly as you can."
As she had been given the permission she wanted, Hawkgirl spread her wings and took to the air. Speeding through the densely packed trees was a little bit of a challenge, but she had spent long hours training in the bayous of Louisiana, this was only mildly more difficult. Marvel's trail was easy to follow, broken branches and debris stirred by his super speed, but also from the scent of lightning and the distinctive tangy odor of magic that perpetually hung over the hero. She had expected to find him chasing after the tiger he'd seen, to which she'd be able to easily coax him back to the mission.
Instead, up ahead she heard an unnatural whirring noise and the whooping war cry of a gorilla. This might be more difficult than she expected.
Doubling her speed, she broke into another clearing, folding in her wings and landing on the forest floor, the toes of her boots burying into the dirt. Captain Marvel was thoroughly ensnared by some strange construction, four metal pillars emitting a blue light that kept him paralyzed on the ground. She wasn't sure if it was causing an actual paralysis in his body or if it was some kind of isolated gravity manipulator, but either way it was keeping the caped hero down for the count. Standing over him was the 'Guerilla Gorilla' as the newspapers had dubbed him, along with a very pissed off tiger.
Letting out a war cry, she charged for the gorilla, clawed gauntlets curled into fists. She managed to get in at least two solid hits to his torso before she was backhanded, sending her skittering backwards. She was largely unaffected by the blow, but it put enough space between her and the gorilla for the tiger to leap straight at her.
Avoiding the initial lunge of sharp claws and gnashing teeth, she tucked and rolled to escape the predator's onslaught. The beast landing gracefully before her despite the failed attempt to pounce on her, batting at her with claws fully extended. It was only a quick snap of her leg backward that kept her thigh from being eviscerated. So engrossed was she in trying not to be torn into ribbons by the sizable feline that she didn't take notice of the gorilla's actions until it was far too late.
Instinct had her head jerking up in time to see a tree freshly ripped out of the ground, hurtling towards her.
She ended up sprawled face first, tree laying fully across her lower back and legs. Luckily, her wings had been flared, keeping them out of the way of being crushed. Injured, she may not be, but still was still very trapped.
Ski'Lira knew she was strong, the last time she had been tested her maximum dead lift weight had clocked at around half of a ton. But the tree that the (most likely) genetically enhanced ape had just tossed onto her was definitely over that by at least a hundred pounds. On top of that, she was in a less than ideal lifting position. The unfortunate reality of her situation did nothing to stop her from trying to escape under her own power, especially with Captain Marvel in danger.
As she struggled, she could only watch in mounting frustration as the gorilla kept Captain Marvel subdued, dragging him off into the forest and off into the distance. Mere moments after they'd fully disappeared from sight and she'd redoubled her efforts to escape, a voice erupted in her mind.
"Link established." Miss Martian said coolly, and Hawkgirl couldn't help the rush of relief at having communication fully restored.
"Should you really still be giving us orders?" Artemis immediately piped up.
"And should you really be following them?" Miss Martian snapped back.
"Listen, please," their leader interrupted, or at least attempted to, only to be immediately steamrolled by the others. They had literally just had a full conversation about why he needed to stop being a doormat and letting his team walk all over him.
Unfortunately for Kaldur, Kid Flash still seemed to be in a mood. "Oh good, Aqualad's voice in my head. I've so missed that."
Ski'Lira attempted to use her growing frustration to fuel her strength, but instead it was just making her more distracted and making the task even more impossible. "Hey, Kaldur." Robin said. "KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. 'Course, since we're moles, you probably think we attacked ourselves."
"If he did, he wouldn't tell you." She could practically feel Artemis' sneer over the link.
"Superboy, are you online or just pouting?" M'Gann asked.
The Kryptonian was just as helpful as the others. "Busy, call back later."
"Hawkgirl?"
Instead of answering the Martian's inquiry, she opted to address Kaldur directly. "Aqualad, rendezvous to my location now."
If he gave any kind of acknowledgement, it was swallowed up by another derisive comment from Kid Flash. "What gets me is how nonchalant he is about telling us."
At that point, Aqualad emerged from a nearby set of trees, eyes darting around the open space before locating her trapped form. Ski'Lira ceased paying active attention to the mental link, vaguely registering an absurd amount of use of the word 'chalant'.
Sprinting over to her, Aqualad slid to a stop and curled his fingers under the curve of the hefty trunk. His teeth gritted with exertion, he begin to lift. Never one to sit idly by, Hawkgirl provided what aid she could, and soon the hefty weight was rolling off of her.
Kaldur stuck out a hand to help her up, which she took gratefully, as he visually inspected her for injury. "Are you alright?" He asked aloud.
"Fine," she insisted. She was certainly fortunate in that regard, though she'd no doubt have some extensive bruising all over her backside. "It was the Guerilla Gorilla, he took Captain Marvel. I tried to stop him, but-"
"You did what you could," he assured her. "I am just glad you were not taken too."
The jeering in the mental link had gradually crescendoed, until it had reached its current, nearly unbearable level of noise. Voices slid together, making it difficult to keep track of who was saying what. If the Team was present in person, this would be the time where she'd resorted to physically dragging people apart.
"Did he really think you or I could have been the mole?"
"We've known each other for years!"
"Trust is a two-way street."
"And you know they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them."
"Not that we'd do that."
"Never."
"Enough."
If she hadn't been so desensitized to naturally intimidating people, she likely would have jumped at from the sheer chill in Kaldur's tone. Face warped into the angriest expression she'd ever seen grace his face, Kaldur's hand shot out and grasped the nearest pillar, fingers sinking into the metal as if it were made of butter. A small explosion of sparks lit up the area as he ripped the device out of the ground.
She honestly thought she'd never see a day where Kaldur'ahm well and truly snapped.
It was always the quiet ones that were scariest when they reached a breaking point.
"Captain Marvel has been captured and we must act as a team to save him." Aqualad demanded, and she couldn't help but grin with pride. Look at him go, he was finally coming into his own!
"Hmph." Kid Flash didn't seem to register the threat. Honestly, she was probably the only one that did at this point, considering they couldn't see the fiery expression in his eyes or the obliterated contraption at his feet. "Under your leadership? I don't think-"
"This is not up for debate." Ski'Lira had to actively resist the urge to clap, not wanting to break Kaldur from his stride. "You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over, if you wish it to be so, I will happily step down and allow Hawkgirl to take over as leader. But until that time, I am in command here."
There was a beat of stunned silence, and she relished in the blessed quiet that they were granted with, at least temporarily. Hawkgirl decided to drive the point home, finally speaking up. "And if one more person mentions the words 'traitor', 'mole', or 'chalant', so help me I will end you. Just like that goddamn gorilla that just tried to kill me with a tree. The bickering ends now. Focus will stay on the mission."
Aqualad seemed a little weary as his angry expression melted back to his standard, placid expression. "Thank you," he told her, offering a slight incline of her head.
"It's what I'm here for." She shrugged. "Scary backup, remember?"
His brow furrowed a little. "I do not think you will be holding that position much longer, considering the circumstances."
Ski'Lira flared out her wings and pushed herself up into a hover, ready to fly out of this cursed clearing and follow the new trail the gorilla had left behind. "We'll see about that."
H
Picking up the tracks of and pursuing the gorilla responsible was almost comically easy. Hawkgirl took point, naturally, while Aqualad worked to coordinate with the rest of the team to find a sufficient rendezvous point. Even in the relatively short amount of time they'd been separated, they'd spread out far further than expected.
A strange odor, a tang of metal and... something currently unidentifiable, but most definitely didn't belong in an uninhabited jungle. She held up a hand, stopping Aqualad in his tracks.
"What is it?" He used the link, as it was far too risky to speak aloud.
"Something up ahead."
"Be careful." M'Gann urged.
Creeping forward, Ski'Lira tracked the standout odor, she moved onward alone.
Eyes narrowing, she guessed that she'd located the source.
It was an overgrown structure, made primarily of concrete that was in the process of being reclaimed by the surrounding vegetation. But the large metal pylons ringing the entire building exposed that it wasn't nearly as abandoned as it appeared. Said pylons visually matched the ones encountered earlier.
Wanting a better vantage point, she made her way to the nearest tree. She planted her clawed gauntlets into the bark, hauling herself up with ease up the trunk, stopping her ascent at a sturdy branch a good forty or fifty feet in the air.
"Whoever is responsible for this, I'm positive that I've just located the base. There's new tech everywhere." She informed the team.
"What kind of tech?" Kid Flash piped up, sounding a little eager at the prospect.
"Not sure… They look a little different from the pillars I saw before, and they're surrounding the base like a perimeter fence."
"Is there any indication of who we may be facing?" Aqualad asked.
Even though it was a pointless gesture (as they couldn't see her), she shook her head. "Not that I can see. No signs of any kinds of personnel, living or otherwise."
"Then what's the plan?"
There was a beat of silence after Robin spoke, but Aqualad quickly recovered and gave his order. "Reconnaissance first, then we come up with a plan. We cannot risk going into this completely blind."
H
Below Hawkgirl's perch in what she had mentally noted as 'her tree', Kid Flash and Robin had concealed themselves in the ample brush. The latter's face was partially illuminated by his holoscreen, while the former was using the infrared function of his goggles to investigate the energy field that the pylons were generating.
"I'll fly over." M'Gann started to emerge from her own hiding spot, which just happened to be the tree next to the Thanagarian's. She at least had the additional benefit of being able to turn herself invisible, while Hawkgirl was using the natural coloring of and cover of her wings to hide the shine of her armor.
"Negatory." The resident speedster had a frown on his face, eyes squinting slightly. "The field is stamped like a dome over the whole compound."
"Pylons are insulated, but one good shock could cause a momentary gap." Robin advised.
The return to professional detachment was nice, far preferable to trading barbed insults and drawing attention away from the primary objective. Hawkgirl continued her own visual sweep, using her enhanced vision to its full capacity. She caught something, an out of place square of metal near a shadowed alcove. "There's a panel."
"I see it." Artemis confirmed, nocking an arrow and drawing her bowstring back.
"Then be ready to hit it. Be ready, all of you." Sprinting on light feet out of the undergrowth was Aqualad, who approached the perimeter alone. Arms held up with palms facing out, his tattoos began to glow with a bright white light, and he thrust his hands forwards. Electricity sparked before him, and Hawkgirl was forced to avert her eyes to avoid being temporarily blinded by the flash.
One of the pitfalls of night vision.
She heard more than saw the resulting effect, as Aqualad disrupted the field just long enough for Artemis to fire a single arrow through the gap he created, disabling the control device and depowering the entire system.
Reopening her eyes, Hawkgirl snapped out her wings as Kid Flash sped over, and both she and Miss Martian took the cue to take to the sky and swoop down. Literal seconds after the present members of the Team had gathered at the entrance, their next obstacle made an infuriating entrance.
Crouched atop the roof, teeth bared in a display of aggression, was a larger than average and malformed macaque. It opened its toothy maw wide, screeching with every bit of air it had in its lungs. The call echoed through the clearing, then amplifying, as it was joined in chorus by an unknown number of its fellows, an entire horde of macaques responding to the summons.
In tandem, red lights began to flash, searing into Hawkgirl's vision as a droning, high-pitched alarm went off.
The sudden influx of ocular and auditory stimuli had the unfortunate effect of overwhelming the Thanagarian, sending her into a short spiral of sensory overload.
With the entirety of the macaque horde bearing down on them, Hawkgirl flew up into the air well above the battlefield, giving her a few precious moments to clear her head. Fighting while disoriented was just asking for trouble. Thankfully, she was able to get a hold of herself quickly and started scanning for her first target.
"Remove their collars!" Aqualad fought to be heard above the cacophony.
"Sounds easy when he says it," Robin griped, promptly tackled to the ground by two of the macaques. Seeing as one was about the same size as the Boy Wonder, he was visibly struggling.
Target acquired.
Wings folding in, Hawkgirl executed a steep dive with her feet pointed straight at the ground. She unfurled her wings at the last moment, slamming her booted feet right into his attacks. The force and shock of the attack sent them reeling, dazed and unable to retaliate. Hawkgirl didn't stop moving, awkwardly coming to a stop near the macaques and ripping the collars off with her bare hands.
Robin flung two birdarangs once he was back on his feet, aiming them just past Artemis and striking two more of the collared beasts that had been about to pounce on her. Both of the projectiles struck their mark, freeing two more animals from whoever (or whatever) was controlling them.
The meaty thump of impact drew Hawkgirl's attention, just in time to see Kid Flash being flung by the beret-wearing gorilla. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of her quarry. Cracking her knuckles and her neck from side to side, she ran at full tilt for the big ape.
Angling her body, she slammed her shoulder into his torso, catching him off guard and thoroughly disrupting his balance. With one hand she grabbed a thick wrist, and with the other his ankle on that same side. Clawed fingertips digging through the stringy fur and pressing into the tough flesh beneath, she let out a resounding war cry as she forced his body to the side and off the ground. Keeping up with the momentum, she swung them both around, executing a perfect hammer throw with a five hundred pound gorilla.
She released him at the apex of the swing, watching with more than a little vindication as his body careened into the concrete wall of the base. Nearby Miss Martian's hand was up and aimed in the gorilla's direction, eyes glowing white. Well, that explained why he'd flown a hell of a lot further than she expected.
The combined conclusion of their efforts resulted in a gaping hole in the side of the building, giving them an excellent entry point.
Hawkgirl and Miss Martian exchanged a wordless high five as they led the way into the gloomy interior of the building.
Whatever funds their mysterious villain had access to were definitely being mostly funneled into outfitting the inside. The entire place had been renovated into an oddly lit laboratory, equipment positioned deliberately all around the space. There was nothing ramshackle about it, unusual for a hideaway in the middle of the jungle. The centerpiece was the metal lab table, around which was the highest concentration of machinery, the purpose of which she could barely begin to guess.
Splayed out and trapped to that table was Captain Marvel.
But now, they also came face to face with the culprit behind all of this.
Well... face to electronic face. Face to jar?
"It's the Brain!" Kid Flash shouted, a little unnecessarily, as it was blatantly obvious who they were dealing with. There weren't many sentient trash cans rolling around. The genetic experiments really should have been a tip off.
"Uh, I can see it's a brain." Okay, so apparently it was necessary, as Artemis had no clue who they were looking at right now.
Kid Flash shot her an exasperated look. "Not a brain, The Brain."
The mobile mastermind approached his staggering enforcer, whose fur was now coated with a thick layer of concrete dust. "In the flesh, so to speak... Mallah."
Retrieving a remote, the gorilla (Mallah, apparently), pressed a button. A series of pylons emerged from the ground in a circle around them, promptly activating. Blue light rippled inwards, washing over them and forcing them all to the ground.
So that at least confirmed the gravity manipulation theory.
This wasn't the best situation to be in, but they had a solid plan that had yet to falter... and a telepathic link.
"Miss Martian, Superboy, now."
At Kaldur's signal, M'Gann used her telekinesis to pluck the remote out of Mallah's fingers, gaining control of the device herself and deactivating the field keeping them hostage. They all leapt up to their feet as the wall just behind Mallah exploded inwards, flooding the room with even more dust and debris. Superboy was framed perfectly in the hole he made, an enlarged white wolf at his side like a faithful hound.
Hawkgirl was immediately and forever besotted with the canine. Conner had given them a rough description of his encounter with the wolf and how he'd befriended it, but it did nothing to prepare her for the reality of the deadly predator. Said predator let out a rumbling snarl as it made a beeline straight for Mallah, jumping up and tackling the gorilla to the ground.
"We take him down as a team." Hawkgirl ordered, acting in Kaldur's stead as he was fending off the Brain to attempt to get to Captain Marvel. "One at a time, strike hard, strike fast, then dodge."
Kid Flash zoomed over, executing a leap attack of his own, striking the gorilla in the chest with a well-practiced and well-placed kick, zipping out of the way of a flailing limb.
Swinging over the ape via a grapple hook he'd attached to the ceiling, Robin nailed Mallah in the soft spot of his jaw with a kick of his own.
Miss Martian merely lifted a hand and levitated the ape, slamming him onto the ground.
Superboy took the simplest approach, merely running in and aiming one of his super enhanced punches. But after his hit landed, the gorilla regained enough sense to aim his Gatling gun, blasting the Kryptonian in the chest.
While fire was focused on Superboy, Hawkgirl dropped in from behind, managing to land a heavy blow of her own to the back of Mallah's neck with her mace. But instead of knocking him out, as she hoped, it only made him avert his focus on her instead. She was forced to fly back out of range to dodge the hail of gunfire.
Twisting around mid-air to avoid the rain of bullets, she managed to catch sight of Artemis and Robin sneaking up behind their enemy. The archer loosed an arrow at the mechanism on his back, while Robin targeted a birdarang at the gun itself. The two projectiles made the Gatling gun practically fall apart, making it entirely useless to its wielder.
On the other side of the battlefield, Aqualad had dodged the lasers targeting him long enough to reach the captured hero, breaking off his restraining collar and freeing him.
"Thanks!" Captain Marvel said happily, rubbing at his wrists. "Now, one good turn deserves another." Without a beat of hesitation, he kneeled down and removed the collar from the tiger crouched at his feet.
The Team had Mallah on the ropes, and the big gorilla had to know how bad of a position he was in. He let out a challenging roar, as if merely shouting could ward them off, his master remaining quiet by his side.
"Try it." Superboy crossed his arms. "I hate monkeys."
Hawkgirl immediately tamped down the urge to correct him, this was neither the time nor place. Instead, she just answered Mallah's roar with a low growl of her own.
"No, Mallah," The Brain ordered, sounding... bored. "This will not be our Waterloo." His metallic body split and began to unfold, revealing red tinted machinery underneath that she couldn't even begin to fathom the purpose of. "Au revoir, mes amis."
"Get down!" They all trusted Kid Flash's intuition, so they all did as he bade and braced.
But then the lights turned off, plunging the entire room into darkness.
It took a second for Hawkgirl's vision to switch, but she was still able to see exactly what had happened, the ruse that they'd fallen for. She knew she was the only one able to react quickly enough as Mallah and The Brain retreated.
The others technically possessed the capacity to do the same, namely thanks to Aqualad's own night vision, Miss Martian's telepathic sensing, and Superboy's enhanced sensing. But she was the only one that happened to be in prime positioning to stop the retreat, and she was the first to process the distinct lack of explosives. She had no idea how, but she was.
With a snarl warping her lips, she surged forward, only for Mallah to deck her straight in the face with a meaty fist. So much for her moment of heroism.
When the lights flickered back on roughly ten seconds later, everyone apart from Ski'Lira, Mallah, and The Brain were exactly where they had been
Ski'Lira was crouched on the ground on all fours, one hand pressed to her face to stem the flood of scarlet coming from her profusely bleeding, broken nose.
"Wait, that big weapon thing was a light switch?" Kid Flash asked incredulously.
"I hate that damn gorilla." Hawkgirl lamented.
H
As she watched the rest of the Team from her new perch, Hawkgirl diligently kept a wad of gauze pressed firmly to her face. The gauze was courtesy of Robin, who had swiftly intervened when she attempted to use the hem of her shirt to stifle the blood leaking from her face. He'd gone on a short rant about how unhygienic it was, fishing the gauze from his utility belt and forcing it onto her face.
Her nose was definitely broken, but it hadn't shifted out of place, she didn't have to worry about setting it. Small mercies. Due to her (frankly, minor) injury, she had been banned from aiding in the clean up endeavor, told in no uncertain terms that she was to stay put or else.
"What are you grinning about?" Artemis asked Kid Flash as they made their way to the bioship.
The redhead promptly whipped out Mallah's stolen beret, popping it onto his head. "One word, souvenir."
"Two words." Artemis said as she picked up her pace to increase the distance between them. "Gorilla lice."
It took a moment for that to register, but Kid Flash immediately ripped it off his head once he did, holding it as physically far away from him as he could. "Oh man!"
Near the ship, Kaldur removed the last collar from the only remaining trapped animal, one of the many macaques. Wrangling each of the bests and freeing them had been far easier than expected, as The Brain kept detailed records of each and every animal he had tagged, along with their unexpected source of aid.
Captain Marvel was crouched down on the ground with the tiger that he'd befriended during their mutual captivity. Also apparently he could speak to the tiger? That tidbit she had chalked up to whatever magical... stuff... was up with him.
"That's the last of the collars?" The tiger gave an affirming roar. He had been the one to help them round up all the collared creatures. "And I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble?" A growl. "Good." After one last round of petting, Captain Marvel stood. "I'll be back for a visit, I promise."
Content with the assurance (and the head pats), the tiger bounded off into the jungle as Captain Marvel waved goodbye. Once the feline was out of sight, Captain Marvel said, "I think I'll call him Mr. Tawny."
Superboy was dealing with his own tagalong. Kneeling before the wolf, Superboy hadn't stopped petting him for at least the last ten minutes. "The rest of the pack is gone, what are you still doing here?"
"I think he wants to stay with you." M'Gann suggested kindly.
He looked at her, hope in his eyes. "Can I keep him?"
Damn. Ski'Lira would never admit it aloud, but Conner was absolutely adorable. That look had such a boyish innocence to it that she couldn't bear to crush. There was no way any of them could say no to that honest plea (and anyone who did would receive a swift punch in the face).
Actually... Was this the first time Conner had ever directly asked for something of his own?
The fact that she was struggling to recall served as all the answer she needed. She was now determined that she'd argue with whoever she had to in order to guarantee the wolf stayed with Conner.
"Ha!" Wally crowed, "First the Sphere, now this beast? Dude, you sure make a habit of collecting strays."
"Maybe because he's such a stray himself." M'Gann settled down on the ground next to the black haired teen and putting a hand on his shoulder, instigating a telepathic conversation.
They must have found time to iron out their issues, which was a relief. Hawkgirl was convinced she'd have to give Conner a talk about respecting women and treating them as equals. But as yet unseen misogynistic tendencies was plainly not the root of the initial problem. Bullet dodged.
"Well, he's gonna need a name." Kid Flash piped up, getting the couple's attention. "How about Krypto?"
"Pass." Superboy denied it immediately.
"Besides, isn't that taken?" M'Gann pointed out.
Hands on his hips, Kid Flash angled his head upwards towards Ski'Lira, raising his voice by instinct rather than necessity. "HG, are you ever going to come down from there? You know we can't take him with us."
Hawkgirl scowled down at him. "Superboy gets to keep his dog."
"Hawkgirl. Where could you possibly keep an elephant?"
With great reluctance, Hawkgirl slid down from the head of the mutated bull elephant. She stroked his trunk a few more times, savoring these last few moments that she had left with him. "Farewell, Great T'Phon. I hope you and Berilia live well."
"Great," Wally rolled his eyes. "She named them. Now she's never gonna let this go."
She whipped her head towards him, still petting Great T'Phon, fire in her eyes. "They are to be guardians of this forest and protectors of their pack, they deserve to have names."
Great T'Phon exhaled, the air from his nostrils ruffling her feathers, wrapping his trunk around her torso like an embrace. Affection given, the bull trundled off towards Berilia, and the two departed from the clearing, off to freely roam their territory.
With the Team fully gathered back in the bioship, along with a new companion, Robin stopped Aqualad, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. The youngest member of their troupe had been quiet since the lab, uncharacteristic behavior for the chatterbox.
"Look, I need to know," he began, his brow furrowed. "Why did you keep the mole intel a secret?"
Aqualad's jaw worked, but his determination never wavered. "The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."
Artemis was the first to react, every movement of her body betraying her shock and vehemence. "What?! You can't trust him!"
"I do not." The Atlantean agreed. "It seemed possible, even likely, that he was attempting to divide the team with false information."
"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded." Robin admitted, words slow. "But you had to consider it might be true."
"Yes, as leader, I did. In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor."
There was a pause, but then Robin began to smile again, a sight that had gone unseen since the med bay the night before. "Hate to say it, but... makes sense."
Kaldur spoke again, "I am still prepared to step down."
Kid Flash interrupted before the Atlantean could say more. "All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader?"
Every single one of them raised a hand. The motion passed with only concurrent votes.
Captain Marvel clapped Kaldur on the shoulder hard enough to make the Atlantean's knees buckle under the sudden strain. "Guess it's unanimous." He offered a hand shake to their team leader, then shot them all one last beaming smile. "See you tomorrow!"
"You're not coming with us?" Aqualad asked.
"Nope, gotta fly!" Without further preamble, Captain Marvel took off, disappearing quickly into the wild blue yonder.
By then, they were too tired to question his hasty exit, more than ready to follow his lead and leave India behind.
"So, what are you gonna call him?" Miss Martian asked as she and Superboy boarded the bioship first.
"What's wrong with Wolf?"
"Generic, but acceptable." Wally nodded at Conner's pick, not that he really had a choice in the matter anyway, considering it wasn't his dog.
Hawkgirl was stopped by a quiet, "Thank you," from behind her. She turned to face Aqualad, the two of them the only ones remaining outside.
"For what?" She prompted.
"Trusting me."
Hawkgirl thought about how to properly word her response. "I distrusted your loyalty once before. I believed you held us in low regard and did not care for us, but you have proved me wrong over and over again. I would be a fool to make such a mistake again." She gave him a smile and the slightest tip of her head before she made her own way inside.
[LINE BREAK]
This chapter in a nutshell
Batman: "Can you all not almost die for ten minutes?"
Artemis: *Almost drowns again*
Skylar: "We are children!"
Captain Marvel: "As a definitely real adult, I can confirm that."
Superboy: "I've known Wolf for an hour, but if anything happened to him, I'd kill everyone on the Team and then myself."
Skylar: *Singing* "I want to see my little boy" *Elephant crashes through the trees* "Here he comes. I want to see my little boy."