Omarnosian10: That was an eventful MLK Jr day.
Dick: Sure was.
Omarnosian10: With this chapter, I have a small announcement to make.
Connor: You're going on temporary hiatus?
Oarnosian10: Yeah, but don't worry, it's only on this story so I can finish up some others and finish the plan changes I had.
Artemis: We're not gonna have to wait a year or so, do we?
Omarnosian10: Only until the current Phantoms season finishes so nothing interferes with my plans. ON WITH THE SHOW!
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Power Rangers. All rights go to Brandon Vietti, Greg Wiesman, and Saban. Before editing, most of this chapter belongs to The Incredible Muffin. I only own Josh, his OC upgrades, and most of his rogues. Ownerships of OC Power Ranger teams are in Profile.
Chapter 5: Infiltrator
(Outside Mount Justice)
It was a beautiful summer morning in Rhode Island, perfect for a day at the beach—which was exactly what four of the six members of the Team were doing. All of them were clad in swimsuits and had plenty of food and other things used at the beach.
"Hello, Megan! We should hit the beach every day!" sighed Megan.
"First, a moment of silence for our absent comrades." bowed Dick mockingly.
"Josh, Wally… those poor boys." frowned Megan. Unlike the others, Wally had summer school since he had so many tardies and missed many classes last semester, despite his grades. Josh, however…
(Ivy University Lab)
"IT WORKED!"
"GAH!" Stumbling, Josh caught a beaker that almost spilled. Sighing in relief, he turned to the hero he's working with.
"Sorry." apologized Atom sheepishly. Shaking his head, Josh looked over the hero for any abnormalities.
"Feel any different than usual?" asked Josh. Humming, Atom performed various stretches. Feeling nothing unusual, he crossed his arms like Josh does before…
"Power Down." In a flash of red/blue light, a black-haired man in a lab coat stands in place of Atom, a nameplate on the lapel reading 'Ray Palmer'. Smiling, he takes off his and Josh's invention; a black/silver belt buckle with a gold coin in it with Atom's emblem engraved.
"Not bad for a prototype, right?" smirked Josh.
"Can't believe this is how your predecessors changed into their suits so fast; it's almost like the Green Lanterns." compared Ray, putting the device next to a pile of gold coins, each engraved with different emblems. Before Josh can say anything, his 'new' and encrypted phone beeped. Curious, he accepted the call.
"Hello."
"Report to Mount Justice within the hour." That was all Batman told him before hanging up. Dumbfounded, Josh turned to his senior.
"Is he…"
"Always like that? Yup." nodded Ray. Sighing, Josh looked at their device.
"Do you think you can make enough of these for the Team except for me and Miss Martian?" requested Josh.
"Sure, just give me… a week, at least." counted Ray. Sighing, Josh left… only to stoically return.
"Do you know where the nearest Zeta Tube is?"
(Mount Justice)
When Josh arrived at the Cave as Next Legend Blue; a recolor of Next Legend Black with a different emblem, visor design, and Morpher, he realized two things: first, that he was the only member of the Team present, and second, that there was a teenage girl standing next to several Leaguers, who he walked up to.
"I'm assuming you're the reason the Team and I are assembling, miss?" The girl that Next Legend Blue was addressing was shorter than him—no surprise, since Josh was over six feet tall—and had long, blond hair that poked out of her tight-fitting green mask in a long ponytail. She wore tight, green pants, boots, elbow-length gloves, and a sleeveless top that exposed her midriff; the top had an arrow design on it, pointing up.
"I'm Artemis." introduced the archer, shaking the Ranger's hand.
"As in the Greek Goddess of the Hunt?" quirked Next Legend Blue. The archer nods confidently while the Ranger invisibly eyed her quiver. "May I see one of your arrows?"
"Uh… sure." Confused, she took one out, confirming his suspicions.
"So you're…"
"The archer that helped you defeat Metallo, yes." nodded Batman. When Josh asked him why nobody questioned his Zords, Batman responded that like him, many Leaguers have contingencies for larger than average foes.
"We found her the night after, and I offered for her to be my protégé." explained Green Arrow. While the Ranger feels happy for his helper…
"What about Speedy?" questioned Next Legend Blue. Before Green Arrow can answer—
Recognized: Robin, B—01. Aqualad, B—02, Miss Martian, B—04, Superboy, B—05
"Why did everyone Zeta in?" asked Next Legend Blue to his incomplete team. He only received sheepish looks from Miss Martian and Robin while Aqualad sent them stern looks.
"M—Miss Martian wanted to know if Aqualad can talk to fish like Aquaman can, so Robin dared him to bring in some dolphins," explained Superboy, catching the newcomer. His leader quirked an eyebrow. Doesn't sound so bad except…
"Dolphins are mammals, not fish."
"That, and when a pair of dolphins came, Miss Martian rode one off to the ocean," added Superboy. That might explain the distance. "Robin tried following her with the other dolphin, but it ended up turning into what might be the worst wrestling match I've ever seen."
"Don't tell him that!" blushed Robin. Hoping to change the subject, Miss Martian looked around until she noticed Artemis.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" asked the Martian curiously. This drew the others out of memory lane.
"The name's Artemis, and starting today, I'm your new teammate." smiled the archer. The rest of the Team introduced themselves to Artemis, who was at least polite, if not friendly. Josh figured that she was probably just unused to being among so many other heroes and that she was still working on fitting in; almost like how he was when he started Plumber Academy. Once the introductions were over, the Team asked about Josh's current suit.
"Blue looks good on you, J—Omni-Ranger." blushed Miss Martian. Artemis silently agrees, looking at her now leader's behind.
"Thanks."
"What makes this suit different than the Black suit?" tilted Robin. Before Next Legend Blue can answer—
Recognized: Kid Flash B—03
As soon as he materialized on the teleporter pad, Wally dashed forward, wearing swim trunks and holding a cooler, beach umbrella, and beach ball.
"The Wall-Man is here! Now let's get this party star—!" announced Wally before tripping on a beach ball and heading face-first into the floor. In a flash of blue, he found himself upright again, with all his beach equipment stacked beside him. "—ted…"
"There's your answer, Robin." nodded Next Legend Blue… standing beside him.
"Superspeed?" quirked Robin.
"A byproduct of Molecular Manipulation." added his leader. Recovered, Wally looked at him, intrigued. Before he can ask about the suit, he took notice of the third blonde in the room.
"Um, who is this?" asked Wally to his veteran teammates.
"Artemis. Your new teammate." introduced the archer.
"Kid Flash; never heard of you." retorted Wally. This puzzled his leader. Wally welcomed him, Superboy, and Megan into the group with open arms, yet he's antagonizing the archer why?
"She's my new protégé," defended Green Arrow.
"What happened to your old one?" quirked Wally.
Recognized: Speedy, B—06
Everyone in the room turned to see the red/black-clad form of Green Arrow's ex-partner; the man raised an eyebrow behind his mask at Artemis and Next Legend Blue, but otherwise ignored the Team, heading instead for his former mentor.
"Okay, first, I don't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow. Second, who is this, and why does she look like a cosplayer of you, Ollie?" questioned Red Arrow, not asking about the Ranger since his friends told him about the multiversal visitor. Wally snickered, which got him a Gibbsmack from Superboy, of all people; having heard some news reports of him calling him a punk-version of Superman, he empathized with Artemis. "Can she even use that bow?"
'Oh, good grief.' thought Next Legend Blue; deciding to help his ally, he sped over the kitchen area, grabbed three bananas, returned, and threw the fruit into the air. Catching the silent message, Artemis prepped the arrow she showed her leader before firing. Instead of one, the arrow flew through all three bananas like a kabob, striking the Cave wall.
"Does that answer your question, Roy?" tilted Next Legend Blue. Red Arrow nodded, thoroughly impressed, before widening his eyes.
"How did you—"
"Domino masks don't fool him." sighed Robin.
"Plus, without something to cover your head, you leave behind hair samples." added Next Legend Blue. Rubbing his scalp, Red Arrow winced, starting to regret throwing away his hat.
"Back to the subject, she is not your replacement. We have always wanted you on the team and we have no quota on archers," assured Aqualad.
"And if we did, you know who we'd pick," added Wally.
"Whatever, Baywatch, I'm here to stay." rolled Artemis.
"Enough, you two! (arguers straighten up) Why are you here, Red Arrow? From what the others told me, Star City's your turf and you had a falling out with almost everyone here." asked Next Legend Blue.
"Wally told me about your team what you do for the League. I thought this mission would be right up your alley," answered Red Arrow.
"And that would be…?"
"Doctor Serling Roquette,"
"Nano-robotics expert from Royal University in Star City; she vanished two weeks ago," explained Robin, pulling out a holoscreen. Next Legend Blue recalled how Atom said he was using said expert's research on their latest invention.
"Abducted two weeks ago, by the League of Shadows." corrected Red Arrow.
"Who?" asked the leader. Red Arrow widened his eyes before calming down.
"Right; the others told me you're from a different universe. The short story is, they're an infamous organization of spies, assassins, and mercenaries; they're been a thorn on the Justice League's side for years and no one could take it down permanently," explained Red Arrow.
'Sounds like the Illuminati Blacks Ops Division Logan told me about.'
"You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" asked Robin excitedly.
"Hardcore!" said Wally, fist-bumping Robin.
"I already rescued her," said Red Arrow, disappointing the two as he walked up to the computer and inserted a flash drive, bringing up a picture of an insect-like robot.
'Reminds me of those Nanochips Mr. Tennyson told me about.' noted Next Legend Blue.
"There's only one problem; the Shadows had forced her to create a weapon that she calls The Fog. It's comprised of millions of microscopic robots; nanotech infiltrators, capable of disintegrating anything in their path—concrete, steel… flesh."
'OK, I take it back; these are worse than the Nanochips.'
"But it isn't just destruction; it's also theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system, and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows. That gives the access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science, and tech…"
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking…" sighed Artemis. "Yeah, sounds like the Shadows."
"Like you know anything about the Shadows." rolled Wally. Artemis' returning smirk only infuriated him. "Who are you!?"
"Your dominator if you don't shut up and stop antagonizing her or interrupting this debriefing." threatened Next Legend Blue. Paling, Wally nodded.
"Roquette is working on a virus to render The Fog inert," said Red Arrow, secretly impressed with how the leader kept them in line.
"But if the Shadows know she can do that…" started Robin.
"They will target her." finished Aqualad.
"Where is Roquette now?" asked Next Legend Blue.
"Off the grid. I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab," answered Red Arrow.
"You left her alone!?" demanded Green Arrow.
"She's safe enough, for now." shrugged Red Arrow.
"Then lets you and I keep her that way," suggested Green Arrow.
"You and I? Don't you want to take your new protégé?" glared Red Arrow; while he approves of Artemis' skill, the time gap irritates him. Green Arrow opened his mouth to respond, but felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to see Batman give him a meaningful look. Green Arrow sighed.
"You brought this to the Team; it's their mission, (gestured towards Artemis) Which means that it's hers, too," said Green Arrow.
"Then my job is done." shrugged Red Arrow before leaving.
Recognized: Speedy, B—06
"That's Red Arrow, B—06; update!"
(Happy Harbor)
Dr. Roquette had been less than happy to see the Team, though she did mention that they were still preferable to the "crazy, bomb-happy archer". Once introductions had been made, Next Legend Blue had Superboy and Miss Martian standing guard on the roof, while everyone else stayed close to the doctor. Once everyone was in place, Miss Martian established a psychic link to the entire Team, plus Roquette.
"Everyone online?" asked Miss Martian. Everyone gave a simple 'yes', save for Artemis, who looked at her hands as if seeing them for the first time.
"Ugh, this is weird," commented Artemis.
"And distracting," snapped Roquette as she typed away at a computer, "Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddy-computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough, now I have to hear teen-think in my skull? I'm starting to think that psychotic archer was a better choice!"
"Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?" asked Kid Flash, chewing on an energy bar.
"Pot, kettle, (gesturing from Roquette to Kid Flash) Have you met?" retorted Artemis.
"Hey! I don't need attitude from the newbie that drove Red Arrow away!" snapped Kid Flash.
"I'm not a newbie, (stands) I've been doing this a lot longer than you think I have! And that wasn't on me!" defended Artemis.
"If either of you continues arguing in the next 10 seconds, I'm gonna shove my Legend Kwan Dao so far up your behind, it'll look like you're being prepped up for a roast!" threatened Next Legend Blue, images of the arguers being punished flashing in the link.
"AH, THE HORROR!" screamed Robin, trying to rub his eyes.
"Sir, yes sir!" saluted Kid Flash and Artemis, the latter's knees buckling.
"Good! And to make sure you both keep your word, Kid Flash will join the patrol!"
"What?! Why me?!" whined Kid Flash.
"With how much you antagonized Artemis these past two hours, I wouldn't be surprised if you sabotaged her arrows and get her killed!" answered Next Legend Blue.
"I would not!" denied Wally, looking at his friends for support, only to get dry looks. Groaning and deciding not to get punished, Kid Flash left. Once he did, Next Legend Blue looked at Artemis.
"I never thanked you for helping me with Metallo that time so… thanks." nodded the leader.
"Wait, it was her?!" Kid Flash's outrage was ignored, the others looking at the archer appreciatively. She blushed in response and rubbed her neck.
"Well, I was in the neighborhood and figured I could lend a hand." shrugged Artemis. Other versions of thanks were given to her by the others except…
"Note to self; break arrow into a thousand pieces and flush it down the toilet…"
"WE CAN HEAR YOU!" Everyone reminded Kid Flash.
"****it!"
"And if you even try that, I'm gonna plunge that arrow into you and have it replace yours." threatened Next Legend Blue, images of what he's planning burning into Kid Flash's eyes.
"Yes sir…"
"Couldn't get the Justice League," complained Roquette, strangling the air. While she appreciates the leader's focus and discipline, the others' squabbles are testing her patience.
"Even if your virus works, it won't do much good if we don't know where the weapon is. Can you track it?" asked Aqualad.
"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. I might as well rent a billboard with this address and the words 'assassinate me' written on it." sighed Roquette. Next Legend Blue placed a calming hand on her shoulder, gently turning her around to look him in the hidden eye.
"We will keep you safe."
What the leader never realized was that he had inherited more than his predecessor's suits and powers; he had also inherited the ability to make people naturally believe in him. It was because of that charisma, and the absolute certainty in his voice, that Roquette found herself believing him. She nodded, turned back to her computer, and typed in a few keys; a few seconds later, a new window popped up on the screen.
"Tracking The Fog now."
(Outside)
While the tracking program did its work, the three teammates outside were on high alert; they had been alerted that there was a good chance that the Shadows would be coming after Roquette now, and it wouldn't be fun when they showed up. Superboy's keen hearing caught the sound of rustling branches in the trees surrounding the school but didn't see anything. Opting for a better vantage point, he jumped to the top of the school, only to get nothing. Deciding to check on the Martian and speedster, he jumped another fifty feet, landing easily next to Miss Martian and Kid Flash. The two nodded, signaling that the area was clear; wordlessly, Superboy resumed his patrol. It went on like this for a minute or so until…
"Miss Martian, Doctor Roquette has found The Fog; extend your telepathic scan of the area to cover for Superboy while he and Robin take the Bio-Ship and go after it," ordered Next Legend Blue. A few seconds later, the Bio-Ship flew down to the ground and opened the hatch, allowing the two heroes to board, then took off.
Miss Martian and Kid Flash resumed their patrols, but none of them noticed that they were being watched by several of the most skilled assassins in the League of Shadows. Those assassins weren't worried by the Martian finding them with her telepathy; they had been trained to mask their thoughts, in case of this very situation.
Not that Miss Martian was doing the best job right now, despite Josh's orders; she was too busy being distracted by.
Neither of them noticed the lithe figure that flipped over the fence next to them and entered the school.
(Inside)
Artemis stood guard at the entrance to the computer lab; her eyes caught a shadow moving in a hallway. Cautious and arrow in the ready, she steadily followed it. Reaching the school's indoor pool, she looked around, unaware of a pair of golden eyepieces looking down on her until…
*THWIP!*
(Meanwhile)
Silent as a shadow, another assassin made her way to the computer lab; once she saw Roquette, she hurled a shuriken, which would barely register to a human eye, the dulled metal blending in with the dark as it made its way to… stop in mid-air, a blue glow covering it.
'What the…' Behind her mask, modeled after the creature she took her name from, her eyes widened as a blue-clad hero walked into view, hands glowing like the shuriken. Hiding a snarl, she drew a pair of Sais and charged at him.
'Who's she, Black Cat's counterpart?' thought Next Legend Blue, thinking of one of Peter's lovers and an ex-thief, before silently releasing the shuriken, silently summoning the Legend Kwan Dao; a triple-bladed blue polearm, and examining his and Aqualad's enemy; a slender woman, whose face was covered by a white mask with red stripes, a bushy mane of black hair, wearing thigh-length boots and a short, green robe that only had a left sleeve. Her right arm was instead covered by formfitting armor.
"Doctor, get down!" ordered Aqualad, creating two water swords. The doctor complied.
"Miss Martian, Artemis, Kid Flash, get over here! Roquette and I are under attack!"
"On our way!" replied Kid Flash, dashing through the hallway… only to get stuck on a red web wall. "Oh great, I'm stuck on a web wall!"
"Webs?" questioned Next Legend Blue, spinning his weapon to deflect stray shurikens while Cheshire and Aqualad duel. "Our attacker isn't using any webs!"
"Which means there's more than one!" realized Miss Martian. Noting that she hasn't heard from Artemis, she made some turns and found a red web cocoon dangling on the doorway to the pool. Reaching out, she telekinetically forced it open, revealing an unconscious archer. "Found Artemis in a cocoon made of the stuff! She's unconscious but otherwise fine!"
'Webs…' Catching a glint of something in the darkness, Next Legend Blue spun the Kwan Dao and caught a red web line before spinning it and pulling, taking the other assassin out of the darkness. He is a human male who wears a purple spandex costume. His mask has shades of purple, with the back portion being dark purple and the front portion being regular purple. It also sports a spider emblem that takes up most of his forehead and then intersects with his golden eyepieces. The torso of the suit is dark purple, along with his hands, knees, elbow, inner elbow, and parts of his feet, while the remainder of the costume is purple. Around his wrist, he has two dull gray bracelets.
"Black Spider…" growled Aqualad, recognizing the assassin from almost a month ago. The assassin only chuckled before releasing the web line and firing another. This time, Next Legend Blue caught it with his hand, pulled Black Spider toward him, and coat his other hand in blue energy before launching a punch at the assassin's gut. The impact created a burst that launched Black Spider across the room.
"Aqualad, you have Cheshire, I'll take care of this faker." growled Next Legend Blue, dismissing his weapon. The anger in his voice surprises Aqualad.
'Faker?' Cheshire barely had time to duck as an arrow whizzed over her head, hitting a poster. Cheshire whirled around to see Artemis, already aiming another arrow at her.
"Don't. Move," ordered Artemis. Next Legend Blue and Aqualad swapped positions.
"Don't listen if you want, that'll give me more of a reason to pummel you." added the leader, cracking his knuckles.
"Now things are getting interesting." chuckled Cheshire, drawing a collapsible sword. The assassins were immediately put on the defensive; Artemis kept up a barrage of arrows on one side of Cheshire while Aqualad kept a barrage of sword slashing at another. Black Spider, on the other hand, is on a losing streak with how little room Next Legend Blue is giving him with so many Molecular Bursts. Finally gaining enough distance, the spider-based assassin aimed his web-shooter, preparing to fire… only for it to explode.
"AH!" Black Spider clutched his bleeding wrist, the web-shooter destroyed and lying on the ground. And if that wasn't enough, his other web-shooter gained the same fate, leaving him with two unusable hands. When Miss Martian and a recovered Kid Flash entered the room, Cheshire knew their chances had just gone from slim to none.
"Maybe it's a little too interesting," said Cheshire, dropping a smoke bomb on the ground.
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Not wanting to let the faker get away, Next Legend Blue speeds into the smoke… only to headbutt Kid Flash who had the same idea.
"GACK!" Aqualad stayed close to Roquette, in case the assassin used the diversion to finish her mission. Forming water fans, the Atlantean blew the smoke away, exposing no assassins and a head-holding Kid Flash.
"Are… are they gone?" asked Roquette shakily. Exiting the room, Next Legend Blue found a trail of blood droplets leading to…
"Roquette, do the restrooms here have windows? (doctor nods) Then yes, they're gone." confirmed the Hunter.
"They're getting away! You're letting them go!" raged Roquette bipolarly.
"So she might draw one or more of us away, leaving you unprotected?" pointed out Aqualad, shutting the doctor up.
"This is all your fault! You were guarding the doctor! How did that Shadow get close?" accused Kid Flash toward Artemis.
"She was ambushed; didn't you hear when Miss Martian told everyone about how she was found?" defended Next Legend Blue.
"Also, Omni-Ranger and I managed fine," added Aqualad. Kid Flash narrowed his eyes, looking for something to potentially blacklist the archer… only to sigh in defeat.
"It's alright Artemis. I didn't do half as well on my first mission, and I know you can't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for long." smiled Miss Martian.
"She's only been that for three days. (veterans wince) But Miss Martian's right, Artemis. No plan survives first contact with the enemy; our's know this too, so they may make a second attempt with reinforcements or better arsenals." explained Next Legend Blue. Inspired, his teammates nodded. A beeping noise drew everyone's attention to his Morpher, which he activated the comms in it.
"Robin to Next Legend Blue. We tracked The Fog to Philadelphia, but we were too late; the Shadows hit the STAR Labs that was based here. There's nothing left; The Fog completely leveled the building, and now all of their cutting-edge research and tech is in the hands of the enemy!" debriefed Robin.
"Forget about that. Were there any casualties?" asked the Hunter.
"Negative; facility was deserted and security left the moment The Fog came in sight. So, what's our next move?" asked Robin. Next Legend Blue crossed his arms, thinking. The obvious move would be to rescan for The Fog and relocate the doctor. Question is, where? He could bring her to one of his Ship Zords, but it might force the assassins to call in major reinforcements by showing his hand too much. On the other hand, keeping the doctor ground-level would make sure that only local assassins would be called on by the League, and has lesser chances of escalating to collateral, but as the doctor said, without a better computer.
By land… or by air?
'If only there was some other—' Next Legend Blue froze, spotting something outside that gave him an idea. Activating the comms, he gave his orders. "Scan for The Fog again; we need to find it before it hits another target. We're moving the doctor."
(Minutes later, Boat Rental)
The Team relocated to a small boat rental near the ocean. Artemis and Next Legend Blue guarded Roquette while she worked; Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Aqualad remained outside, patrolling the perimeter.
Not liking the tense waiting, Artemis had begun pacing behind Roquette, only to stop when she heard scraping. Looking behind, she sees her leader using some kind of crystal to sharpen his weapon.
"Isn't that sharp enough?" gulped Artemis.
"You can never be too careful with these situations." said the Hunter, still sharpening.
"Alright… so what's your beef with Black Spider?" asked the archer. Her leader stopped, turning his head toward her.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Blue, with all I saw, what Aqualad told me, and what you did, it's like you were trying to kill him or something," added Artemis.
"I must agree with her, Next Legend Blue. We are not facing anyone from your dimension and Black Spider is native to our's." agreed Aqualad. Feeling the others' curiosity, their leader sighed, setting the Legend Kwan Dao on a rack of fishing rods.
"Around three months ago, I lost someone important to me…" started Next Legend Blue, waves of sadness entering the link.
"I am sorry." apologized Aqualad.
"Because of that, I've been in a… dark place, so to speak. It wasn't until a month later when I went to another universe that I met someone who had it worse; he lost his parents, his uncle, he was framed for murder, yet… he never stopped fighting the good fight." explained the Hunter.
"Whoa…"
"Long story short, after helping him save his world, clear his name, and expose the people responsible for the **** he was going through… we became friends, and he got the happy life he deserved…" finished Next Legend Blue.
"Beautiful…" sobbed Miss Martian.
"I can't tell you his civilian name because of superhero confidentiality… but his hero name… is Spider-Man." narrated the Hunter. The name gave the others a big clue as to why their leader is hostile towards Black Spider; it's like seeing someone wearing a hero's face and using it to pervert their good name. Feeling everyone digest the information, Next Legend Blue sighed.
"Miss Martian, remain camouflaged and make a wide perimeter sweep!" ordered the leader. Outside, Aqualad glanced up for only a moment, before hearing something behind him. Faster than he could react, a net of red, sticky webbing surrounded him, momentarily trapping him in place, before a massive hook launched forward, catching him in the stomach and sending him crashing through a parked van. Aqualad fell to the ground, groaned once, then lay still.
"Guess he just needed a little more brute force. Okay, boys, we need to take out the target before the Martian comes back," ordered Cheshire, stepping over the unconscious hero. By her side is Black Spider with a pair of new web-shooters and Hook; a giant of a man, wearing a long, ragged coat over his bare chest, his right arm replaced by a huge prosthetic, which ended with a metal hook that could be launched and retracted by a thick chain.
Any one of them was a lethal opponent, but together, they were a flawless killing machine.
Black Spider entered the building first, kicking down the door and crouching low. The second he entered his sight, Next Legend Blue swung his weapon, but the assassin nimbly flipped up to the ceiling and stuck there. He shot web-pellets, but the Hunter dodged, then threw the Kwan Dao at the assassin; Black Spider avoided the attack, then dropped down to engage the Ranger in hand-to-foot combat; his wrists having been too injured to throw punch, jabs, or anything involving his hands.
Artemis aimed an arrow at the spider-themed villain, but the sound of breaking glass behind her made her turn. Hook had crashed through the window behind her, then used his namesake to bring a bench between him and Artemis' arrow. The archer kept up a barrage of arrows.
"Don't stop working," ordered Artemis, not taking her eyes off of Hook. As Roquette went back to typing, Cheshire silently opened the window on the other side of the building and took aim at the scientist with a crossbow. She fired, but the Legend Kwan Dao, seemingly moving on its own, placed itself between the arrow and its target, slicing the former.
"The Martian is here! It's now or never!" yelled Cheshire, recognizing telekinesis.
Black Spider shot a web pellet onto Next Legend Blue's helmet, blinding him, then used a web-line to drag the floating bench out of the way. Her path unobstructed, Cheshire jumped down in front of Roquette; Artemis tried to shoot the assassin, but a massive hook hit her in the chest, knocking her down. Roquette herself tried to get away, but Cheshire was faster, kicking the blond woman in the back and knocking her to the floor.
Cheshire raised a sai to kill the doctor, only for her head to suddenly twist 180 degrees, while her skin changed to a familiar green.
"We've been duped!" snarled Cheshire.
"Hook, line, and sinker." With that, the whole Team dispersed into smoke, straw dummies taking their place.
"Naruto is real?!" gawked Black Spider, speaking for the first time without any pain. Hook frowned, feeling insulted that his foes ran.
'Where are they?'
(Legacy Ship Cockpit)
"That's… exhausting…" breathed Josh, leaning against a wall. The current blue suit he's wearing has black sleeves, gloves, and a sash with a blue shuriken on it surrounded by winds. He has white boots and a collar. He has a gold belt with large shuriken on his sides. His helmet has a four-pointed sharpened shuriken for a visor, with silver edges and metal covering the forehead portion. He is currently Ninja Steel Blue.
"How'd you do that?" gawked Kid Flash, patting himself, and relieved he finished using the bathroom. Around him, the other Team A members are equally shocked while Roquette types on a computer that's much more advanced than earlier.
"I had my clone transmit everyone's locations to me and used a spell to summon them into the Ship while leaving behind straw dummies. Only problem is, the distance between our decoys and mixing my Ninja and Magic Powers took up of my reserves," explained Ninja Steel Blue, typing on a closeby machine before a cooked chicken leg flickered into existence.
"Cool~!" drooled Kid Flash before attempting to grab it, only for his leader to beat him to it.
"No Cynthitron food for you! (weakly wags leg at speedster) Aqualad, I'll be at the dining area replenishing my energy, so I'll be leaving you in charge until I return." ordered Ninja Steel Blue. Getting a nod, he left the cockpit.
"Well?" asked Aqualad to the doctor.
"I've got it!"
(Bio-Ship)
The Bio-Ship followed The Fog's signal to its next target, and when Robin saw it, he felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach.
"The next target is a WayneTech facility. In theory, its systems' software could be used to hack the…" stopped Robin. While his identity is already exposed, Batman's base of operations isn't.
"The what?" asked Superboy.
"Doesn't matter," Robin said, "but what does matter is that WayneTech operates with a twenty-four-hour workforce; we'll never get everyone out in time!"
(Happy Harbor Docks)
"SON OF A—" BEEP "—CHEWING F—" BEEP "—MONSTER! WHY THE F—" BEEP "—DOES ALL THIS F—" BEEP "—S—" BEEP "—HAPPEN TO ME!? F—" BEEP "—MY LIFE! ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY MISERABLE F—" BEEP "—ING CLODS! LIKE THIS WHOLE WORLD, JUST LIKES TO BEND ME OVER, AND F—" BEEP "—ME IN THE A—" BEEP "—S! LIKE I'M SOME SORT OF SH—" BEEP "—RECEPTACLE! WELL AS FAR AS I CARE, THESE MISERABLE C—" BEEP "—CAN HAVE A F—" BEEP "—BARBEQUE, WITH A GOD DAMN PIG!"
After watching Cheshire pace in place on a boardwalk and hearing her rant, Black Spider activated his comms… only for them to be damaged and acting crazy, censoring some of his associate's rant. Not that either he or Hook can blame her since they've been played. Not only did they find a straw dummy in place of Aqualad earlier, but when they reached the docks, all the boats turned out to be empty on fuel.
"Excuse me?… The target's out at sea and we have no transportation… Oh really?… Alright, I'll tell them. (hangs up) Sensei got another group to pursue them." informed Black Spider. While Hook only sighed in defeat/acceptance, Cheshire only growled before looking at the sea where she caught a glimpse of red.
"CURSE YOU, BLUE RANGER!"
(Outside Legacy Ship)
The Legacy Ship; a red three-masted galleon with the Pirate Legacy logo by the sides, sails across the sea with no destination aside from distancing from the land.
However, while they are far from Cheshire's team, Team A isn't far from danger, evident by three figures swimming at high speed towards the ship.
"Target is in sight." Mortimer Coolidge, AKA The Eel; a black-clad criminal with red highlights and a single red eye, capable of manipulating water thanks to the suit he possesses.
(A/N: DeviantArt snakeyboy888 design)
"Moolah, here we come." Waylon Jones, AKA Killer Croc; a Gotham criminal resembling a reptile because of regressive atavism, giving him traits of the animal he resembles.
(A/N: DCAMU Design)
"Don't forget Croc, the good doctor has 5 do-gooders protecting her." Finally, Marlene Simmonds AKA Marine Marauder; a green-clad criminal with the meta-power to control sea life and breathe underwater, and equipped with a green linear visor capable of firing bioelectrical beams and a suit that can turn her invisible like some marine life.
(A/N: DeviantArt SuperSaiyan3Scooby design)
While these three haven't worked together before (Eel and Marauder have, but not with Croc), they are a few of the deadliest criminals when the sea's their turf.
"And they're sidekicks, babe. What could they do?" shrugged Croc, climbing with his claws up the ship. Eel followed his lead, raising a pillar of water to do so. Smirking and shrugging, Marauder ordered a nearby octopus to bring her aboard. Arrogant, all three are unaware of the many, many hidden cameras on the ship… or the AI in it.
(Inside)
Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning!
"What the—The ship has an AI?!" geeked Kid Flash; everyone out of stealth mode.
"I am more concerned with what it is speaking," argued Aqualad.
"Company," groaned Artemis. Soon, Ninja Steel Blue returned.
"DECA, lockdown all essentials areas; power core, living quarters, Megatank hangar, everything, and keep Roquette's signal open." ordered the magic ninja.
Completed
"Uploading now! And by the way, you said you'd protect me!" scowled Roquette towards Ninja Steel Blue. Before he could respond, Aqualad pushed him to the side, forming a water dome to block a bioelectric beam. Lowering it, he scowls at the criminals in front of him.
"The Eel and Marine Marauder." recognized Aqualad, having fought them alongside Aquaman a few times.
"Killer Croc?! (lowers goggles) Since when did you decide to leave Gotham?!" frowned Kid Flash, having heard about the Gotham criminal from Robin.
"When some ninjas offered me a big stinking pile of cash for the doctor's head," chuckled Croc.
"Sounds like you have a bounty on your head." frowned Miss Martian toward Roquette.
"Super." groaned the doctor sarcastically.
"Aqualad, given that you know our current adversaries, I am leaving the matchups to you." decided Ninja Steel Blue, taking out a gold frog-like pistol with a slot on it for Ninja Power Star. The SIC nodded, going through what his leader did on Santa Prisca.
"Miss Martian, stay close to the doctor in case they have a fourth member. Artemis, you have Marauder; she has the power to control sea life like Aquaman, that beam came from her visor, and be wary for her camouflage. Kid Flash, Blue Ranger, I shall leave you will Killer Croc. The Eel is mine to confront." suggested Aqualad. Nodding, the four did so while Miss Martian floated near the doctor.
"Man Croc, when Robin told me you lived in the sewers, I thought he was lying. (waves over nose) Your breath proved me wrong; what did you eat down there?" taunted Kid Flash.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" chuckled Croc before throwing a punch, which Kid Flash ducked before mirroring him in the gut… only to wince and pull back his hand. "Skin's tougher than it looks, wimp."
"But can it handle this? (inserts Morphing Star into Blaster) Power Star, Lock-In; Whiplash attack!" shouted Ninja Steel Blue, his sidearm's mouth opening to reveal a frog tongue-like barrel before it fired a similar motif laser towards Killer Croc, homing into his stomach and piercing it.
"GAH! (coughs and rubs reddened scales) You're gonna get it, brats!" roared Croc before swinging an arm at the Ranger, only for him to sprint around the larger fighter and blasting regular energy bolts while Kid Flash punched around, using hit-and-run tactics.
"It'll be exhilarating when Aquaman sees how I took down his precious protégé." laughed Eel, holding imaginary guns and launching water bullets through them. Aqualad responded by spinning his bearers and reforming them into a Chinese dragon; a trick he thought of from Josh.
"I may not have defeated you without my King before, but I assure you that as I am now, I am more than capable of the feat on my own." retorted Aqualad, the construct lunging towards Eel. The criminal responded by reaching his hands out before clawing outward, tearing the construct into two and forming the halves into water discs.
"We'll see about that." The battle of hydrokinetics raged on.
"Looks like it's us, girls, now, huh?" smirked Artemis, her and Marauder circling each other.
"I'm a woman, and after I beat you and that Martian *****, I'll go after the other heroines and show them who's the best female in the universe!" snarled Marauder competitively, firing another beam. Simultaneously, Artemis fired an arrow. The projectiles met head-on, exploding. Just as Artemis reached toward her quiver, she caught a change in the smoke before swinging her bow, hitting— "ACK!"
"I wouldn't be much of an archer if I lose sight of ya," smirked Artemis. Angered, Marauder forced the archer into a fistfight. While Team A kept the criminals busy, the three never noticed Roquette's virus being downloaded.
(Philadelphia)
"It's downloading!" Robin said, looking at his holo-computer while the rear hatch opened. Superboy looked out at the ground and saw a van drive up to the WayneTech building; the vehicle opened up to reveal a red-robed man wearing a silver, one-eyed helmet. Next to him was a large container, which the clone recognized as the deployment mechanism for The Fog.
"Don't need it!" said Superboy before jumping out.
"Superboy!" called Robin. The red-robed man, a member of the Shadows called Professor Ojo, saw the clone diving towards him, and fired a powerful energy beam from his helmet, sending Superboy crashing to the ground. Ojo then released a dull-gray cloud from the container, which then headed for the WayneTech building.
"No!" Robin swung down to the entrance of the building.
Inside, the security guard was shocked to see a metallic cloud literally eat its way through the doors and fly past him, followed next by Robin. He knew that Robin was a hero, but his training took over at the sight of an unauthorized person in the building. He hit the alarm, which began lowering a large gate in Robin's path.
"WayneTech override, RG—4!" Robin yelled, stopping the gate and allowing him to slide under it.
(Legacy Ship)
Miss Martian pushed Roquette's head down to avoid a stray beam before looking over at her teammates.
"Everyone, we need to end this, now!"
"It's like you read my mind, beautiful." grinned Kid Flash.
"I'll end this! (takes out a black-handled yellow sword and inserts Morphing Star into it) Power Star, Lock-In!" Ninja Steel Blue spun the Star in place before spinning into a tornado.
"Allow me to assist." nodded Aqualad, drawing water towards his leader.
"Don't leave me out of the fun!" laughed Kid Flash, spinning his arms into twin vortexes that went towards his leader. The tornado absorbed both Atlantean and Speed Force techniques, gaining tints of red/yellow and rings of water.
"Blue AquaFlash Tornado Strike!" With the move dubbed, Ninja Steel Blue rushed toward the criminals. Eel attempted to control the water but to no avail. Marauder fired beams, but the tornado endured. Croc could do nothing as the tornado rushed towards, then around them, slashing them. After a moment or two, the tornado 'jumped' away before diminishing into Ninja Steel Blue holding his Ninja Star Blade away. Behind them, the villains groaned while being covered in cuts and slash marks before falling limp.
"Show's over. Team wins."
(Philadelphia)
The Fog was eating its way through the WayneTech building, while panicked employees ran for their lives. Desperately, Robin searched for a computer that they could use to upload the virus.
Finally, he made his way to the cafeteria, where the cashier stood in shock, as The Fog ate the ceiling above her. Robin pulled a cord from his glove and plugged it into the computer, muttering to himself, "Please be connected to the mainframe, please be connected to the mainframe…"
(Happy Harbor)
"So do we throw them out, or…" trailed Kid Flash, tightening a rope around the tied-up criminals. After Miss Martian did a telepathic sweep, she found no one but the three around the Ship.
"And let them drown?" frowned Artemis. And by 'them', she means Marine Marauder and Eel.
"Almost all of my King's enemies have the capacity to breathe underwater, including these two," assured Aqualad. One of the downsides of being a hero to an underwater city is the lack of connection between it and the rest of the world.
"Plus, we don't know if anyone's watching from outside. Depositing them would start up the mess over again," explained Ninja Steel Blue. Kid Flash sighed and nodded, leaning against a wall while looking out a window.
"Y'know… with the last two missions, I was expecting some sort of giant monster, or robot, or something to get a Megazord fight." noted the speedster, toying Marauder's visor; the newest souvenir.
"This goes to show you that not all missions will be the same," advised Ninja Steel Blue. Before anything else could be said, a beeping noise caught everyone's attention.
"It's done!"
(Philadelphia)
As soon as Robin uploaded the virus, The Fog began to die. It was too small to see, but each microscopic robot exploded in spectacular fashion; to everyone else's eyes, however, it looked like a cloud of dust fell to the ground as the building stopped shaking.
"Yes!" crowed Robin. "The infiltrators have been outfiltrated!"
(Outside)
Professor Ojo scowled as the Shadows' plans literally turned to dust. He consoled himself with the fact that he would at least be killing Superman's brat today.
Ojo fired his helmet laser again, but Superboy held his ground, blocking the shot with his arms. Scowling, the villain attempted to increase power… only for bird poop to fall onto his helmet, blinding him.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" Disgusted, he tried to grab something to wipe it off. Surprised, Superboy took the distraction to grab the front of Ojo's (avoiding the poop) helmet and partially crush it, preventing him from using his laser again.
"I stopped the bad guy, Robin stopped The Fog," smirked Superboy, "I'm feeling the aster."
(Mount Justice)
After the Team regrouped and dropped off the captured criminals, they and Doctor Roquette headed to the Cave, where the League was waiting. They were quickly debriefed and then allowed some time to wind down before heading home, while the League (Batman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman) discussed Roquette's future.
"The Shadows will still come after you," reminded Batman.
"I know. They could probably find me anywhere. I'm not safe, even with you." shivered Roquette.
"What if there was a place that you could go to that no one could reach you?" chimed Smash, sweeping the floors; when Roquette met the Beast Bots, her first reaction was to squeal like someone half her age before invading their personal space and asking dozens of questions until Aquaman pulled her away.
"That would be wonderful, but I don't think that such a place exists on Earth." sighed Roquette.
"Maybe not this Earth," noted Cruise, coming in with a device in hand.
"What are you talking about?" asked Roquette.
"Omni-Ranger and we are not from this Earth," answered Smash.
"We're from a different universe, with a different Earth without a League of Shadows, and the closest thing to it was shut down years ago. And no, you don't have a counterpart there; we've been checking parallels ever since we came, so no one would know who you are." elaborated Cruise.
"Well…, it's not like I have family or close friends to tie me down… but I still want to work on my projects!" declared Roquette. Cruise, Smash and Steel (having finished a workout) did a huddle, talking. After a minute or so, they split.
"Actually, I think we know a group who would like working with someone of your talents… and keep two certain Galvans in line…" muttered Cruise.
"Let me take care of arrangements. (takes device) With Omni-Ranger having been declared dead in our universe, we need some time to sort through stuff; two or three days, maybe." suggested Steel before activating the device. The air in front of him ripples in a circular fashion. Steel prepared to walk through it… only to hit it like a wall.
"Did you forget that we can't the universe where Omni-Ranger is in?" reminded Smash. Steel only grumbled before taking out a Plumber's Badge and handing it to Batman along with the Transportal Device.
"Sorry Bats; you're gonna have to do it for me. If they doubt Josh sent you, use this phrase; 'May the Power Protect You.'" explained Steel. Having figured something like this would happen and sent everyone a heads-up, Batman nodded before entering the portal, which disperses moments later.
"Uh…" was all Roquette could manage before Aquaman stepped in front of her.
"We'll take you to the Watchtower until then; a team of Leaguers will pick up anything you need from your home," assured Aquaman. Roquette nodded and began heading towards the teleporters; before she did, however, she turned back to the Beast Bots.
"That boy," said Roquette, looking at the distant form of Josh, who was laughing with the rest of the Team; something he hasn't done for a long time, "He's family to you, right?"
"Steel calls him nephew, but other than that, it's a widely nonspoken yes," answered Cruise.
"Well, you should be proud of him."
"Trust me," nodded Smash, putting a fist over Cruise's shoulder, "We all are."
(Meanwhile)
"So wait, he got blinded by bird poop?" asked Robin as Superboy told them about his fight with Ojo, "Oh man, I wish I'd seen that!"
"You think that's bad? (chuckles) You should hear about the time I busted a Grimputtians-trafficking ring." smirked Josh. Before anyone (notably Artemis) could ask what they are, Josh brought up a holo-image from his Plumber's Badge; a light-brown furred humanoid rodent the size of a human toddler that looks like a mix between a rabbit and a goat.
(A/N: It's Decka's Species listed in the Ben 10 Wiki, but with my name)
"AW~!" The girls found it adorable.
"Why would anyone want those little things under their shoes?" asked Robin, confused.
"It's because of their 'special' power. (Team straightens) You see, the Grimputtian race has the ability to produce gold as long as they consume popcorn." explained Josh.
"So they're like leprechauns?" blinked Superboy. Josh shook his head. Curios, Robin eyed the image. Aside from the animal-like appearance, the alien has nothing that seemed to make gold except maybe…
"No…"
"Rob?" blinked Wally, seeing his best friend hold in a laugh. Realizing that the hint was caught, Josh sighed.
"The gold comes out of their… anus." The Team felt their minds shatter like glass.
"You mean to tell me… THERE'S AN ALIEN THAT POOPS GOLD?!" laughed Wally, falling on his seat. Robin released his laughter, slapping his knee. Superboy fell on his back, holding his gut while laughing. Megan couldn't hold hers, floating and spinning in the air. Kaldur held a hand over his mouth, holding snickers.
"I am never looking at gold the same way again." finished Artemis, giggling. Josh doesn't know why, but he found the sounds of the girls' laughter… fulfilling.
"The incident taunted my thoughts of morphing into any of my Gold suits for months afterward. (looks at Artemis) I know I welcomed you already, but after your first mission with us, I think it bears repeating." noted Josh before standing and, like a gentleman, grabbing the archer's knuckle and kissing it. "Welcome to the Team."
'Whoa…' Before Artemis could relish the moment more, she was hugged by Megan.
"This is great! We're like sisters now; I mean, I had twelve back on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same." smiled Megan.
"I… wouldn't know." lied Artemis. Aqualad elbowed a scowling Kid Flash in the side; the speedster reluctantly held out his hand to Artemis.
"Yeah, yeah… welcome."
This time, Artemis' smile was genuine as she shook his hand.
(Unknown Location)
The second-in-command of the League of Shadows, an elderly man called Sensei, bowed before the computer screen around him, the identities of the people they showed obscured by blinding light.
"Masters, before Ojo's capture, he transmitted the STAR Labs data you required, but the WayneTech intel… still eludes us." sighed Sensei.
"Once again," said the only voice among his masters that Sensei recognized, "The young… heroes… interfere. It is fortunate, then, that we have an operative… on the inside."
Wally: Aw man!
Connor: What?
Wally: No Zord battle.
Dick: Which means you're cleaning the Bat Cave without powers for the next month!
Megan: Harsh.
Artemis: This is why I never gamble with the Boy Wonder.
Kaldur: I am intrigued that my King's enemies appeared in this chapter.
Omarnosian10: This will be a common occurrence in this story.
Dick: Uncommon DC villains going against the Team?
Omarnosian10: Yep. With that out of the way… SMOKEBOMB!