Star City
April 18, 18:05 PDT
The library was extra quiet with it being nearly empty for once. So no one heard his sigh as Samuel Hendricks dropped his backpack onto a table. He would have very much rather been in his dorms watching a movie or playing a new video game he got the week before, but unfortunately, there was a midterm essay due by the end of the weekend. So instead, he was forced to find somewhere secluded to work in peace.
"Hi, Sam."
"Working on the creative writing midterm?"
Sam smiled up at the couple that walked past. "Hey. Yeah, I am. You?" he asked.
The guy groaned. "Not when I have Crock's to worry about. Her rubric is so strict. I'm so afraid of failing so I've been working my ass off."
Sam fought back a grin. On top of seeking a degree in English studies, he had begun to find an added interest in linguistics, so as part of that, he decided to explore more languages. It wasn't unusual to see Artemis on campus, but it was strange to see how different she was outside of being former teammates.
"Good luck," he said with a light laugh, waving at them as they left.
Once he was bathed in silence again, a light shone from his phone as the screen turned on. For a moment, Sam was distracted from whatever notification had come through thanks to the photo displayed on his lock screen. A small frown crossed his face.
It was a picture of his team, the Outsiders, all crowded together after an intense mission that ended successfully. Beast Boy was determined to get a group picture since it wasn't often that all of the members were present at the same time. But that one mission in particular called for it.
Everyone was huddled together. On one side, Banshee stood with an arm around Blue Beetle. And just behind them stood Superboy with both hands resting on their shoulders.
Sam's jaw tensed. God. He averted his gaze, too afraid that looking for too long would hurt too much. Just like it always did.
Death wasn't uncommon in their line of work. Jason, Tula, Wally…all of them left a scar on every hero, whether they personally knew them or not. Sam himself never got to meet Jason or Tula, and Wally was retired for the entire beginning of Sam's career, only to come back one last time to help save the world.
But Conner…he was just getting started. Thrust into the hero's life moments after he was created, working with peers to operate in the shadows to keep his true lineage a secret only for that lineage to come to light when Conner finally stepped into the limelight, revealing who and what he was then joining the Outsiders.
He was where he belonged, flourishing as a public hero and as a mentor to the younger heroes. He and Jenna were certainly kindred spirits in that regard. Sam could only imagine how Jenna and the rest of the team from year zero were coping.
And speaking of. Sam's frown turned to confusion when suddenly the phone screen was invaded by an incoming phone call.
"Wow, a personal call from a professor," Sam said teasingly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Are you on campus?"
Sam felt unsettled. "Yeah…I'm at the library," he said slowly.
"Good. Should I even ask if you have your stuff?"
Sam quickly glanced around, his powers confirming he was still alone as he began to reach for his bag. "No need. What's going on?" he asked.
Artemis sighed. "I'm being followed and I need backup. Arrowette and Arsenal are almost to your location and I'll be there soon," she explained. Her voice sounded tight, almost as if she had been crying moments before calling him. He chose wisely not to say anything. "Can you suit up?"
"Of course. Lead them to the basement and we'll ambush, no problem."
"Thanks, Sam. See you in a bit."
He sprang up from his seat, snatching up his backpack by its strap as he made his way to the basement restroom. By the time he quickly changed and masked up, after doing a quick sweep to ensure the lower level was empty, two others suddenly arrived to find Banshee idly waiting.
"That was quick," Arsenal remarked.
Arrowette scoffed. "He was already here," she pointed out.
Banshee tapped the space where his nose was hidden. "Bingo. Tigress should be here soon."
Arrowette frowned. "Should you even be suited up, Mister Public Hero?" she asked.
Banshee shrugged, leaning against one of the shelves. "Maybe not. But she called and I was here, so I'm going to trust her decision," he decided. "Besides, you two will ambush, I'm just going to hang back until or unless you need me."
Arsenal blew a raspberry. "Don't worry, we've got this."
Banshee's vision lit up, a message coming through his darkwear lens. Judging by the way the other two fell silent, so had theirs. "I'm trusting you on that, Arsenal. Get ready for the ambush." He slipped between some bookshelves further into the room. He was provided with a snug little corner to huddle against, leaning his back against the edge of the bookshelf as he blended into the shadows like his mentor taught him oh-so-long ago.
The room had fallen silent, the only sign of time moving coming from the almost inaudible ticks from a clock somewhere on a wall. Banshee steadied his breathing, using well-practiced techniques to keep it as quiet as possible. Then came a new noise: the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
Banshee ducked his head, peering in between books toward the entrance. Just as she stepped into the row beside him, he caught a glimpse of Artemis. Her demeanor seemed calm, almost unaware, if he hadn't made direct eye contact with her and saw her expression harden. They both ignored the sudden yells indicating her shadow had been found by her team members.
It's a good thing we were here when we were. Banshee's hands moved quickly and deliberately, signing the words where she could see. He didn't want to risk their conversation being heard by whoever had been trailing her.
Artemis frowned, pausing in her suiting up to respond. Which is why I made sure to get people who would be on campus right now. I was just lucky that you were here at the library at all.
Banshee smirked, turning away to move to the end of the row while she finished changing. He pressed himself against the wooden structure, looking around the corner to gauge how the fight was going. Involuntarily, his muscles went rigid, his body moving backward almost before his mind had time to catch up to what it had seen. Seconds later, the bookshelf came crashing down. Banshee leaped over it, dropping behind Arsenal and Arrowette from where they had moved to a new position to avoid being crushed under the bookcase.
"We may need to take her more seriously," Arrowette mentioned.
"You weren't already?" Banshee scolded.
"Noted," Arsenal grumbled, yanking out a katana from the hilt strapped to his back. He rushed in, going toe to toe with the masked attacker.
As their swords clashed, Arrowette reached behind her shoulder to find her quiver, an arrow ejecting out from its compartment. She fired it at the assailant, who easily deflected it, but it gave Arsenal the chance to move in. The attacker swung her whip out at him again, yet since he was ready for it, he was able to catch it and send a strong voltage back to the woman's body. She jolted all over, crying out in pain until it made her fall unconscious. She fell back, landing on the ground in a heap.
"That won't hold long," Arsenal mentioned, releasing the whip.
"Good. It doesn't need to," Banshee said. He walked over to the unconscious woman, crouching to look her over. "What we need are answers."
His hand that was reaching for the mask came to a halt when Tigress called out. "Which we'll get when she wakes up."
Banshee looked over at her as she approached. "Should we tie her up?" he asked.
"Not yet."
Banshee stood, crossing his arms. "Any idea why she was following you?" he asked.
Tigress glared down at the woman. "No. But she followed me from home," she said tensely.
Banshee's heart dropped to his stomach. "So she knows who you are. Potentially."
"That's what I want to find out."
A soft groan from the floor put the four heroes into action. Arrowette immediately aimed her bow at the woman beginning to stir as Banshee crouched again.
"No sudden moves," he warned when the unknown assailant's eyes fluttered open.
Tigress stalked forward, her glare sharp and dangerous. "You followed me from my home. My home," she said darkly. She stretched out the hand holding her bo staff, tugging down the woman's mask with the edge. "You broke the rules. Makes me wanna break some too."
With her face fully revealed, the woman looked more like a girl. Her eyes were wide as she stared down Tigress' weapon, wincing when it forced her chin to raise.
"Spill," Tigress demanded.
"I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to, um…frighten you?" the girl said slowly.
Arrowette scoffed. "Oh, like you could ever-"
Tigress interrupted. "Let her talk."
"I- I wasn't following you to attack," the girl said, glancing at her and then the two that flanked her, "And I thought these two were working for the Shadows."
Her gaze temporarily rested on Banshee. "If I wasn't aware of who you were, I might have thought the same about you." He raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
She landed back on Tigress' face. "My name is Onyx. Onyx Adams. And I need your help. Plus, I have help to offer in exchange."
"What kind of help?"
"I've defected from the League of Shadows," Onyx continued. "Specifically to warn you. Look, can I stand up?"
Tigress' tone was still sharp. "No. But I'm listening."
"Okay, fine." Onyx sighed, taking a moment before jumping into her story. "Cassandra Savage is on her way here. She'll claim she defected and she'll pretend to need your help, but her true intent is to become a mole on your team."
Banshee rolled his eyes, rising to his feet. Cassandra Savage? Yeah right.
"I think I've heard this one already," Arsenal grumbled.
Arrowettes scoffed. "About Red Arrow? Or Terra?"
"About Onyx, like two seconds ago!"
Arrowette lowered her bow, crouching beside Onyx's head. "So you want us to believe that Vandal Savage's daughter would believe that we would believe that she'd ever in fifty-thousand years betray her father?" she demanded to know.
"Hell would have to freeze over," Arsenal added.
"Well, as a matter of fact…"
Banshee had a couple of throwing stars in his palm instantly, having ejected out of a compartment in his gloves as he spun around to face the shadows. He inched closer to Arsenal who had his prosthetic at the ready.
Who else stepped into the light but Cassandra Savage herself? "You might want to break out your mittens," she said dryly, the scar across her face and the lack of a left arm being clear as day. "I'll only need the one, thanks."
Arsenal moved away from Banshee's side and Tigress took his place as she quit holding Onyx at staff-point. "So this is true?" the team's leader questioned. "You've 'defected'?"
"Yes. And I'm asking for your protection," said Cassandra.
Onyx groaned from where she moved beside the group as Arsenal had already pulled her to her feet and kept her arms pinned behind her back. "I told you that's what she'd say!" she exclaimed. "But I swear she's lying. I overheard her plotting with Lady Shiva. That is why I came!"
"That's the lie," Cassandra shot back. "After I escaped, the Shadows must have sent Onyx to sabotage my reception with you. But if you turn me away, you're signing my death warrant."
Tigress' glare never wavered, but she never gave away who she believed more. "Our intel is that you're loyal to your father. Fiercely loyal," she said to Cassandra.
Cassandra's face fell. "I was," she admitted. "Until my father killed my sister, Olympia, right in front of my eyes. It's…been eating me up inside. Eventually, I- I realized I couldn't stay."
"Oh, tell me you're not buying this," Onyx grumbled.
Ignoring the girl, Cassandra went on. "I tried to escape once before and failed. I thought he'd kill me, but Vandal Savage doesn't believe in wasting a potential asset."
She looked down at her missing arm. "So instead, he did this to teach me a lesson. He gave me a choice between the Shadows and death," she continued. "So I went back to Santa Prisca where Deathstroke and Shiva watched my every move. I had to bide my time before I could escape again."
"There was no 'first escape attempt'!" Onyx snapped. "She lost that arm on a failed mission to recruit Killer Croc!"
Tigress turned to her. "You witnessed that?" she interrogated.
Onyx faltered. "No, but-"
"Once a Shadow, always a Shadow," Tigress said. "Or so I've heard."
Banshee huffed, his arms crossed tightly. No surprise of who from.
"Neither of your stories is particularly convincing," the leader added.
"But shouldn't we give them the benefit of the doubt?" Arrowette piped up. "I mean, how can we be sure?"
Arsenal hummed. "We may some need help working this out."
Banshee tilted his head, eyeing Tigress. "What are you thinking, boss?"
~/~/~/~
Is this such a good idea? Banshee glanced in the side mirror, catching a glimpse of Cassandra in the backseat of Tigress' car before looking behind the vehicle to see one of Bowhunter Security's vans following closely.
They quickly contacted Will to get some help with transporting both potential moles. One vehicle wasn't enough and they certainly didn't want both women to be in the same one.
The air was filled with tense silence as Tigress drove through Star City. The destination was Green Arrow's Vault, the very same that Arsenal blew up the day he found out he lost seven years of his life. An appropriate reaction where Arsenal was concerned.
The group had few resources though. With their track record, places such as the Premiere Building or the Watchtower were out of the question. There had been too many compromises in the past to risk that again. Luckily, GA wouldn't have much loss if something happened to the Vault.
The silence was broken. "I know you're Sportsmaster's daughter," Cassandra said to Tigress. "You should understand my position."
Banshee peeked over at the woman beside him as she began to slow down at an intersection. He mirrored her frown, turning his attention back to the otherwise quiet street.
"Look out!"
Banshee jolted when there was a sound of glass breaking. He whipped his head around, finding Arrowette had shoved Cassandra toward the window and now had a dart sticking out of her arm.
"Arrowette!" Tigress exclaimed.
The girl grunted, tugging the dart out of her shoulder. "I'm hit…Tranq dart…" She slumped over, falling against Cassandra's arm.
"This is helpful," the woman said dryly.
"Tigress, watch out!" Banshee snapped, eyes trained on the road ahead. The food truck they had been following for a block spun out, cutting them off.
Tigress hit the brakes, leaning over the steering wheel as the top of the food truck opened, revealing several League of Shadows assassins. Great. Banshee shoved his door open, using it as cover from the gunfire.
Four Shadows dropped in front of him, brandishing their swords. Banshee lifted his hand, flicking a subtle switch along his jaw. The mask he wore powered on, so he took a breath and let out a scream.
Two Shadows went flying back, slamming against the brick wall of the building behind them. While their remaining friends were distracted, Banshee planted his palms against the asphalt and kicked his feet against their knees to make them buckle. They crumpled, allowing him to grab them by the helmets and slam their heads together.
"Always wear protection, kids," Banshee mumbled.
His eyes slid closed on their own. His skin tingled as, within his mind, he saw a missile whip past before he even turned to see it for himself. He certainly saw the explosion though, flinching as the excess sensations around him made his muscles ache.
He whirled around as noodles rained everywhere. Seriously, they had food on board? "Give a guy a warning next time!" he called out to Arsenal.
"Spoilsport!"
Tigress jumped onto the hood of her car, dropping beside Banshee as two Shadows crept up on him while his senses were still trying to recalibrate. She went after them with her own sword, giving Banshee the opportunity to go after some of the gunmen. As he pounced on one, Will had thrown off the aim of another by smacking them around with his clipboard.
Banshee dashed toward the truck, vaulting over the hood as one Shadow stumbled away from the destruction, miraculously still alive despite Arsenal's excessive efforts. But he was put out of his misery as soon as Banshee slammed his knee into his face, sending his head bouncing off the side of the truck. "Sweet dreams."
A yelp came from Tigress, quickly followed by a series of gasps. Banshee found her still by her car, being choked out by a Shadow with a garrote. "Tigress!" he yelled out.
He moved to sprint to her aid but stumbled in his run when Cassandra came out of nowhere, free from her handcuffs, and chopped the Shadow's neck to knock his breath and consciousness out from him. With a cautious glance when the sound of remaining gunfire ended, he saw that Onyx was also free and had choked out the last Shadow.
Banshee sighed. So much for staying put. He approached Onyx, eyeing her warily, but she made no attempt to run or fight even as the others reconvened.
"So, basically, both of you could have freed yourselves at any time," Arsenal said.
"Basically."
"Of course."
Arsenal raised his eyebrow. "And escaped, too?"
"Basically."
"Of course."
Any other question or reply was cut off by the sound of quickly approaching sirens.
"Time to go. Back in the cars," Tigress said, her tone showing there was no room for arguments. Although granted, no one wanted to stick around for the police to find their mess. Whether they initially caused it or not.
They resumed their trip to the Vault, luckily with no other interruptions along the way. Banshee and Arsenal ushered the two women into temporary cells, rejoining their friends–along with the additions of Terra, Spoiler, and Orphan–while Tigress stepped in to begin interrogations.
Some time had passed while the group waited for Tigress to come back out. When she did, it was clear that she learned very little.
"Terra, you knew them both when you were a Shadow," she said, approaching the girl as the cells were automatically secured from any escape attempt. "What do you think?"
"Onyx had talent. But she wasn't bloodthirsty enough for Slade's tastes. He never thought she'd make the cut. Which would explain why she might run," Terra assumed. "But Cassandra was always a true believer. She worshiped her father. Hard to believe she'd ever betray him, the Light or the Shadows. In that world, she'd be quite the scandal."
"Um, yeah, no." Banshee turned to Spoiler as she spoke up. "If I learned anything from Cluemaster, it's that no matter how hard it is to admit your dear old dad's one of the bad guys, sooner or later, you have to walk away." She looked at Tigress. "You know what I'm talking about."
"Some walk away," Red Arrow agreed. "But some definitely follow in dear old dad's footsteps. Icicle, Jr. Cheshire." He trailed off.
Terra tapped her chin. "Yes, what is that expression? The falling apple does not bounce far from one's head?"
Arsenal chuckled. "I think you're conflating genetics with gravity," he said. "But, yeah. As the tree is bent, so grows the twig."
"Sometimes the apple doesn't even fall. It just sits on the branch and turns rotten," Red Arrow added.
Banshee shrugged. "Clearly, if it does, some of them don't get hit in the head hard enough."
Arrowette gave the three men a look. "Are we still talking about Cassandra and Onyx?" she asked. "Cause all this apple stuff has made me very confused and kinda hungry."
"You're telling me," Banshee said to her. "I was going to eat after writing my paper…so much for that."
To bring the conversation back on topic, Tigress turned to the last person in their group. "Orphan, you were a Shadow, too. Should we trust Cassandra?"
Orphan shook her head.
"Onyx?"
Another head shake.
Red Arrow sighed, leaning closer to the surveillance cameras. "They could both be moles," he pointed out.
"And he's a former mole, so he'd know," Arsenal teased, letting out an 'ow!' when his brother elbowed him.
"It's an old Cold War strategy," Red Arrow continued, "the bad guys send us two options and don't really care which one we trust."
Arrowette gestured at the screen. "But wait, if they're both equally untrustworthy, doesn't that make them both equally trustworthy?"
"Could be," Banshee shrugged, leaning against the console.
"True," Spoiler mulled over. "Both could be legit, but the Shadows got them to mistrust each other."
"Geez, kick 'em both loose and let the Shadows sort 'em out," Arsenal groaned.
"No." Banshee's voice overlapped with Tigress', but she continued speaking. "If there's even a chance one of them–or both–is telling the truth, we have to protect her…or them."
She sighed. "You get the idea. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption."
Banshee turned back to the screen, examining both women sitting in their respective cells. Just how were they going to figure that out though?
Three alarms went off simultaneously, breaking the silence and Banshee's focus. He quickly grabbed his communicator just as Tigress and Red Arrow checked their own. "It's Jen," he said out loud, seeing the SOS call come through.
He began to head for the Zeta-Tube, turning back to the group one last time. "Keep me updated, let me know if you need further help."
Tigress nodded. "Go."
Banshee teleported across the city, rushing to his mentor's aid.
~/~/~/~
Hi there! It's been a minute! Life's been kind of nuts for a bunch of reasons so sorry that it took a bit to get this one out. I hope you enjoyed it! I've been missing writing for this series so it's nice to be back even for a short time until I can eventually get another chapter out.
I wanted to find a way to still include Sam even if he didn't have an official arc this time around. So, as you can tell, he'll be involved in some of Artemis' arc. How much, I'm not sure yet, and maybe I'll find a way to put in a mini-arc for Sam himself, but we'll see!
Anyways, see you next time!