Unlike the rest of the team, I'm not afraid to admit, I like Two.
It would be unfair to compare him to the likes of Dick or Jason, I'm mean, I get that enough of that it is, but he's a like a mishmash of the previous Robins.
Being as kind as the first in his own way, while also being brutal as the second, though I hate the fact he is holding him back whenever he spars with either myself or the team, though it seems like the rest of them don't quite understand how much he's doing so. Not even Kaldur appears to have picked up on that.
Two is a force of nature in hand to hand. I can't help but wonder how'd he matches up against Batman himself, but despite his indomitable skill, he has plenty of problems, cause in point the reason why MM can't look him in the eye.
At least Artemis has warmed up to him despite her friendship with the Martian. Kaldur has always been civil to my friend, probably because he didn't have a dog in this fight. Wally, well, he's thinking with his dick, so he's on his jaded principle of been curt with Two hoping to impress MM. Oddly enough, Superboy is the one which he seems to be closest other than me. Ever since they first sparred with each other, the pair of half'n'half have bonded over their multiple sparring sessions whenever the demonic teen came over.
"RR, do you want to contact Freak again?" Wally is my friend, so I'll give him a pass that he says that damned hero name that Two really doesn't seem to care about. Honestly, I'm shocked that Alfred hasn't curbed down on the moniker by now.
"I've been trying to." Miss Martian was sent to infiltrate the base of operations in the desert of Bialya, seeing how the Martian can camo herself to her surroundings, but as she flew off, Two disappeared, much to Wally's brief amusement that I got 'ninja-ed' instead of him. Though the enjoyment went away when the Gotham hero silenced his comms.
MM could probably find him, but her fears of my friend put a stop to that, and I was tempted to forget the mission parameters and head out and look for him, though it was Superboy who put a stop to it, saying that Two could handle whatever trouble he will come across.
At first, I was sure he was simply disregarding Two's safety, but that didn't add up, seeing how the two have become close. No, Superboy respects Two, enough that he's not as worried about him as I am, more so than he respects anyone in the team.
Honestly, I'm kind of jealous.
"I'm in." Miss Martian said through the link to the whole team.
"Good, but tread carefully. Camouflage is not invisible."
"MM, keep an eye out for Freak."
"That's not the mission." She bit out.
"That's not the mission," I told Red Robin, instantly regretting the harsh tone I used.
The former protégé of Batman had broached the subject of the monstrous assassin plenty of times, his soft spot constantly leaking through. While a rational part of me knew that the being known as Two is a trustworthy individual, I can't help but be reminded of my own dark secret whenever I look at his red eyes.
But unlike myself, Two took his torment and agony in great stride, so much so I cannot feel anything but envy. He found strength in his pain. He fought against his nature without a hint of struggle, I know it, I saw it, I saw his mind, terrifying as it is, his strength is something I admired and loath about him.
Am I being fair? Of course not, but as uncle J'onn would like to point out, humanity has a way of rubbing off on you, even if you wish it weren't so.
"They're testing something, but it's alive. In pain." The men were testing their barbaric methods on this odd sphere as it cried out to me, or just because it couldn't hold its pain in, "Hello? Can you hear me?"
"I can." A dark voice said, in our link, "And an open mind is a dangerous thing."
"Someone's hacked into our link!" I called out to the team, and just as I was about to close the link to protect my friends, my eyes fell on the hooded being.
"Psimon can't see you." The voice sounded smug, "Psimon can't touch you." The man pulled down his hood, revealing the oddest looking man I've seen since coming to Earth, "But Psimon can make-"
Two appeared out of nowhere and slammed his fist into the man's odd dome-like head.
"Miss Martian, get out of here!" He ordered.
"MM? Are you okay? Are you-" I cut off the link to the rest of the team, not want them to be affected by the physic man if he decided to invade the link once again.
"My, my, how did you manage to go unnoticed?" The man who called himself Psimon uttered out as he regarded Two.
Armed men swarmed the tent, and I was forced to team up with the fellow protégé as we both took down the men with ease relative to our skillset.
However, we kept the psychic in peripheral vision, which was to no avail as Two hunched over in pain.
Oh, you poor fool, you have no idea what evils the protégé has kept at bay, what evils will turn you away.
Wait, why is Two reeling in pain?
"Freak?" I felt a worrying feeling set in.
"Sorry, Two." Psimon said, a freezing dread chilling me to my core as the being laughed, "Ah, the Martian." As Artemis would say, he rushed towards me as I stared at him like a deer in the headlights.
Thankfully despite his dazed sense, Two stepped in the way. Deflecting the strike with his own arm.
"Stand down Two."
"One." Two whispered in horror.
"I've been waiting for this, brother."
"I'm not your brother, you demented fuck." Two growled as he pushed back, striking at the warped being.
"Words hurt little Two. Why don't you stand and let me kill the green-skinned bitch?"
"I won't let you touch her." Why? If this was Robin or Aqualad, I would understand the need to protect, but why does Two care? Indeed who would leave me just as I would…
"So much wasted potential." It sighed as it raised a finger up and blasted Two back, it was rearing back to strike Two again, but this time I protected the fellow protégé.
I stood up a placed a telekinetic barrier to block the barrage.
"What is going?" I grunted as the being struggled against my shield.
"The mind reader is possessed by my darker half."
"How is that possible?" I said, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. The 'darker half', as Two called it, was a frighting as they come, to be able to warp a mindscape without any training preventing a telepath from entering a mind, but to also possess a telepath, or is possible range unlimited? Could it possess the likes of Superboy or, even worse, Superman?
"Don't enter his mind." Two commanded as he ducked underneath the barrier and engaged in a fistfight with the warped being. I provided support where and when I could shield Two from Psychic attacks, and oddly enough, it seemed like we had the upper hand despite the turn of events.
"You're not built for this One." Two said evenly as he blocked yet another punch, "We," He sucked in a breath, "I was crafted for hand-to-hand. Your body is only suitable for psychic attacks, which I doubt you have a strong sway over."
"Yet." It responded in return as he flew up in the air and blazed out of sight though he did leave with some parting words, "See ya around, brother."
"Not your brother." Two uttered out nonetheless relaxed, only when the being disappeared from sight did Two speak, "Fuck."
I half expected him to command me to fly after it, but he took a glance look at me and let out a sigh.
The ball-like being edged closer Two, slightly bumping into him. He just rubbed the bridge of his nose and then turned his attention back onto me, "We take this girl and head back to the team."
Girl? I shook my head turned back to the matter at hand, "Yeah, got to explain what happened."
"I didn't even think about that." He let out a tired sigh.
I bit my lip and took him in, probably for the first time after our initial meeting, allowing me a chance to take in his field outfit, a deep black cloak that covered lingered down to his chest but touched his lower back on the flip side, a form-fitting midnight coloured shirt, combat jeans and boots, and to top it off a two-toned mask, one half black the other half silver-white.
I would've loathed to admit it before, but he had that mysterious air about him when in his combat gear, in addition to his hauntingly beautiful eyes.
"Are you okay?" I found my voice.
He seemed shocked by my question for the briefest moment but quickly reeled back to tired, "It's odd, all I wanted for One to shut up, and now…" Yet again, a sigh escaped him, "The silence, it's deafening."
A/N - 24/09/21
Life and career is kicking my ass, but that's well... life.
Anyway back on track, because this is a much shorter one then my usual normal length, I decided to upload them at the same time.