chapter twenty-five.
( the usual suspects. )
The Hall of Justice was closed to the public for almost the first time since opening day. The Justice League's induction would be taking place outside in just under twenty minutes, and even with the winter snow piling high, crowds of civilians gathered outside for the occasion.
Yue couldn't believe just how much things had changed since the last time she was here. Not in September, in the middle of the awful simulation that each member of her team was still trying to shake off. But in July, the day that was supposed to be the day.
Even after burning almost all of his bridges, Roy would be the first original sidekick to join the big leagues.
"How are you feeling?" Kaldur asks, his arms crossed over his jacket and a soft smile tugging at his lips. The original sidekicks – himself, Dick, Wally, Roy, and Yue – stand off to the side in the Hall's library, proudly discussing the induction while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Artemis and Zatanna already sit on the couch giggling amongst themselves, while their newest member, Raquel, joins in.
"Like it's about time," Roy smirks.
With her hands tucked into the pockets of her red jacket, Yue nudges Roy's arm with her elbow, "Don't forget us now that you're in the League." She grins. "Remember we always wanted you on our team first."
"Recognised: Miss Martian, B-Zero-Six. Superboy, B-Zero-Five." The zeta-tube at the back of the room sparks to life, a yellow light illuminating the library as M'gann and Conner walk through the teleporter in their civilian clothes. With the Hall of Justice closed, the team were allowed to gather inside without their disguises.
"Hey!" Dick raises his voice to gather the team's attention, his lips curl into a teasing smirk as he walks away from the original sidekicks and towards the couch where the others begin to settle. "C'mon, guys, one picture of the whole team before Roy joins the League and gets too good for us."
Though Roy rolls his eyes at the younger boy's words, there isn't an ounce of hesitance in his body as he moves to stand next to the Gothamite.
"And who's exactly supposed to take this picture?" Conner raises a brow. "We're the only ones here."
Yue glances around the library with a shrug of her shoulders. The rest of the League were still going over their various speeches to the public, ensuring each and every word would reflect their hope for the new members. They had long since left the team to their own devices. "We'll set a timer," she suggests as she moves to stand behind the couch.
"I can do it," M'gann offers with a smile. While her phone hovers into the air, the rest of the team gets into place; Zatanna shuffles to the side and allows Raquel to sit between her and Artemis on the couch, Dick and Kaldur lean against the armrests on either side, and Roy leans down to be in the centre.
Yue can't help the way her grin grows brighter when she feels Wally's arm fall into place over her shoulders. Her dark eyes flicker to the speedster, watching as his free hand wraps around Superboy's shoulders while M'gann moves to stand next to the half-Kryptonian, then glances back at the phone.
A flash of light emits from the phone's camera, and as the team begins to move away from one another, Roy glances down at his watch. "I should get going," he informs them all, hastily unzipping the hoodie he had been wearing over his hero suit.
"The next time we see him, he's gonna be all grown up," Yue wipes a faux tear from under her eye. "Where did the time go?"
Wally laughs, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders as she leans into the warmth of his embrace. "Good luck, dude," he calls out as, for the second time that year, he watches Roy leave the Hall of Justice with his back turned to them all.
"It's starting," Artemis announces to the team. Yue glances toward the large screen, her gaze softening as the reporters point the camera toward the Hall just in time to see each new member join Superman on the steps of the Hall.
"The Justice League was formed for two reasons. First, as an acknowledgement that no single individual, no matter how strong, can solve all the world's problems alone." Superman speaks to the large crowd, his hands braced on either side of the podium. "And second, to uphold the values of truth, liberty, and justice. That, uh, that last one's even in the name."
While the crowd laughs, the camera pans to the side. "These five heroes have sworn to uphold these values," Superman announces, waving his hand out to motion toward the new heroes; Red Arrow stands beside Doctor Fate, Atom, Plastic Man, and Icon – Raquel's mentor and the reason she had been placed on the team.
"You are watching live coverage of the Justice League's induction of its five newest members!" The camera pans back to Cat Grant as she reports on the event. "Looks like the entire League has shown up to welcome the new blood. From Batman to Captain Marvel."
"I'm glad they didn't kick Billy out." Wally plucks an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, biting into it as he watches the screen. During the program, he moves to sit beside Yue on the seat across from the girls, his arm resting on the back of the couch as she leans against him. "And I love the fact there's a ten-year-old in the League."
"There is?!" Raquel's eyes widened in surprise.
Yue glances back at her boyfriend, playfully knocking her hand against his shoulder. "Way to go, babe," she chimes in.
"What?" He glances between his teammates, his brows furrowing as they all share a deadpan look. "She's on the team now."
"Superman is now handing out official League cards!" Cat Grant announces to the viewers excitedly, her lips curling into a bright smile just before the camera pans back to the Justice League. "Starting with Doctor Fate."
Yue's eyes flicker to Zatanna. The magician sits across from her, a sullen look taking over the once bright smile she had shared with the rest of their team. Sensing the sudden change, Dick reaches forward to gently rest his hand against her shoulder. Zatanna places her hand over his.
The camera moves from person to person and when it settles on Icon, Raquel huffs and crosses her arms. "You know, I was the one who convinced Icon to become a hero in the first place," she informs the team. "I should be outside celebrating with him, not hidden away in here."
While Dick snorts at her words, Wally and Yue share a look of amusement. Earlier that year, they would've had the same complaints. But Yue knows she's not the only one to have found peace in their little team.
Kaldur smiles in Raquel's direction, "Welcome to our world."
Her eyes slowly flicker from the television over to the boy, a sort of fondness taking over her expression as her dark eyes soften ever-so-slightly. "Well, I suppose there's an upside, too."
Yue watches the exchange with furrowed brows before her eyes widen. "Babe." Gently, she nudges her boyfriend to capture his attention. When Wally glances down at her, she meets his emerald gaze with a teasing grin. He follows her eyes back to the two; while Kaldur turns back to the television, Raquel watches him for a moment longer with a fond look.
"Finally Green Arrow welcomes his former protege, Speedy, now known as Red Arrow, to this roster of heroes." When their friend's alias is announced, each of their attention is snapped back to the television.
Yue finds herself clapping in excitement, while Wally throws a hand into the air. "Way to go, Roy!" He cheers.
"At last, he has his wish," Kaldur comments proudly.
Dick crosses his arms as he stares at Roy's masked face on the television. "The first of us to make it." He glances at the original sidekicks. "No one will call him a sidekick anymore."
"Wait. Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing?" Raquel's brows furrow and she turns to look over at the four of them. "You sidekicks were my inspiration."
"Thanks, Raquel." Yue's gaze softens as she looks over at the girl. "But the whole sidekick thing, it's a long story."
"You see, six months ago, it–" Dick cuts himself off as a loud beep emanates from his wristwatch. He glances down, his eyes narrowing into a glare behind his sunglasses. "Alert on Cheshire."
"Seriously?" Yue gasps. Hastily, she sits up and allows Wally's arm to fall away from her shoulders. Her dark eyes flick in Artemis' direction, only to find her friend already staring back at her with a worried look.
The smile falls from Wally's face as he jumps to his feet, ready for action despite having been relaxed just a few seconds prior. "Where?" He questions the younger boy.
"Ashfield," Dick announces. "Spotted boarding a plane."
With her arms crossed over her brown sweater, Artemis stands up from the couch. "We're going after her, right?" She asks as she looks around for everyone's answer.
Kaldur frowns, his brows furrowing in thought. "The League told us to stay here," he reminds everyone.
"All the more reason to go." Yue meets her leader's gaze with an amused smirk as deja vu washes over the both of them. And just like they had done six months ago, the team departs from the Hall of Justice without a word to their mentors.
"You're sure it's her?" Artemis questions for the nth time since leaving the Hall– the average person wouldn't be able to notice the subtle hint of distress in her voice but, as she turns her seat around, Yue could tell the rest of the team caught onto it as easily as she did. "I mean, are you absolutely positive?"
"See for yourself. This is the security footage from the Ashfield Regional Airport." Robin nods towards the holographic screen emitting over the front window of the Bioship. Security footage plays on the screen before it pauses and zooms in on the face of a black-haired Asian woman. "Facial recognition confirms that's Jade Nguyen, but you've seen her without her mask. What do you think?"
Artemis' gaze hardens and she seems to sink in her seat. "It's Jade," she answers with a sigh, then jumps to correct herself, "Cheshire."
"Agreed," Aqualad nods his head. "But focus on what she carries–" The photo zooms in on the dark briefcase in Cheshire's grasp. "--Is that the case you saw in New Orleans? The one that got away?"
Yue frowns and glances over her shoulder. "The same as the one in Gotham, too." The night flashes through her mind and, as she turns back to face Cheshire's mugshot, she can remember the exact moment she found out Artemis was related to them both. She keeps it to herself, letting the secret rot in the back of her throat. "It must be important if Sportsmaster and Cheshire are working together to carry it across the country like this."
"Okay, I'm guessing from the mugshot that this Cheshire is the bad guy." Rocket crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly as her brows furrow. "But what's so important about that case?"
Cheshire's mugshot disappears from the screen and the Injustice League appears. "Remember the Injustice League?" Robin asks, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to look back at Rocket.
"And their giant, evil plants?" She scoffs. "Uh, yeah."
Staring up at the photo of the seven super-villains brings a bitter taste to Yue's mouth. Just as she remembered the night in Gotham, she could remember the night in Louisiana too; the Injustice League was too strong, too powerful, and she had donned the Helmet of Fate in an effort to buy her team some time.
Even now, the dark abyss within the Helmet sends a chill down her spine.
"The team and the League put them in prison but their allies still scheme," Aqualad sighs. "And whatever is in that containment case seems important to their plans."
Leaning back in her seat, Yue nods in agreement. "The first time we saw it was in Gotham. A recon mission in the docks," she tells their newest teammate. "But Artemis and I were caught before we could get a good look at whatever's inside."
"We had another chance to grab it in New Orleans, but someone screwed up." Kid Flash sits behind Yue, his emerald eyes narrowing into a glare at Artemis from behind his cowl.
Yue, as the boy speaks, turns her seat around to face her boyfriend. Gently, she stretches her foot out to kick his calf and his head snaps in her direction. "Babe," she warns him with a hiss. "Leave her alone. We all make mistakes."
Kid Flash rolls his eyes, but rather than say another word to invoke the wrath of his girlfriend sitting in front of him, he simply crosses his arms and stares out into the white mountains passing by in a blur.
At the back of the Bioship's cockpit, Miss Martian clears her throat. "Approaching Cheshire's jet," she announces. The Bioship slows to a stop, and as they all peer down, Miss Martian gasps in shock.
Yue's throat goes dry, her hands clutching the armrests of her seat as her dark eyes flicker from the wreckage to her friend. Artemis sits to her left and squeezes her eyes tightly shut, she turns sadly away from the plane crash.
"Looks–" M'gann swallows. "Looks like there were no survivors."
Sucking in a deep breath, Yue looks back down at the wreckage. The plane had split apart in the crash, with the front half buried in snow while the back was miles away. Nobody could have survived that but as she watches Artemis refuse to open her eyes, she decides to believe. "Cheshire's smart. I doubt a plane crash will be the thing to take her out," she says. "Let's get down there."
Yue crouches beside the plane, with one hand holding back her dark hair as a strong gust of wind blows over the canyon, the other brushes over scorch marks littered along the once pristine-white side of the plane. She rises to her feet, a sigh falling from her lips and her gloved hands moving to rest on her hips. "Maybe it's not as bad as it looks?" She suggests. "Cheshire could be out here somewhere still."
Kid Flash nods as he steps past his girlfriend. There were no bodies; not the pilot, not a single passenger, and not even Cheshire. There wasn't a sign anybody had been on the plane in the first place. "How come Homeland Security and the NTSB aren't all over this?" He glances over his shoulder at Robin.
"Cheshire's ID was a League alert. Authorities didn't pick it up and her jet didn't follow its flight plan. It flew under the radar... Literally." Robin informs him. Yue stares down at the rubble beneath her feet, then kicks the metal onto its side as she listens to her brother. "But the Watchtower auto-tracked the jet and recorded the crash."
Rocket, who has been searching through the rubble of the back end of the plane, turns around to face the Dark Knight's first protege. "Then why isn't the League here?" She wonders; her words bring the smallest of grins to her teammates' faces.
Zatanna stands next to the girl, wearing the brightest grin of them all, and explains. "Because our Boy Wonder has some mighty hacking skills and arranged to get the alert first." Her blue eyes flicker over to Robin, who stares back with a soft smile.
"And because Cheshire and that case represent our unfinished business," Aqualad chimes in.
Superboy lifts the broken jet wing into the air, tossing it off to the side with a loud huff, and then faces the team. His brows are furrowed with confusion. "Where are the bodies?" He asks them.
"Here's one!" A familiarly smug voice calls out over the howling wind and, as the team jump into defensive positions, they look up onto the nearby cliffside. Cheshire stands above them, one hand on her hip and the other wrapped around the handle of the attache case. "And it is stunning."
"I am flora, not fauna." The voice that follows hers sends a shiver down Yue's spine. Slowly, she turns around to face the Riddler as he walks out to stand at Cheshire's side; Shimmer and a seemingly monstrous boy, the duo they had met on Santa Prisca, stand behind the two villains. "I am foliage, not trees. What am I?"
Her dark eyes, covered by the whites of her domino mask, narrow up at the man. "A pain in my ass," she answers under her breath, her right hand slyly reaching for the bo-staff attached to the back of her utility belt.
Riddler snaps his fingers and, in a matter of seconds, over a dozen pylons emerge from the ground. A green dome is formed over the team, trapping them inside with the villains and their henchmen. "Hey, come on! You can get this." Riddler calls out to them. "I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I? I–"
"–Ambush." Robin glares.
Unfurling her bo-staff, Yue can feel her mind begin to splinter. Dozens of thoughts that aren't her own fill her head and, in a corner of her mind, she can feel Rocket's confusion course through her thoughts.
"Didn't you think we'd be tipped you were on Cheshire's trail?" Riddler props a knee up on the rock in front of him, a smug smirk tugging at his lips as he stares down at the group of teenage heroes. "We're tired of your interference, kiddies; this is the endgame. Ordered from above and executed by their master strategist, moi."
The thoughts begin to silence themselves as the team becomes acquainted with the mind link formed between them. Aqualad's voice emerges from the silence. "Miss Martian, is everyone linked?" As he thinks, his eyes narrow at the assassins beginning to surround them.
"Yes." Miss Martian answers.
"Go." His order is all that's needed for the team to spring into action. Yue swings her staff forward, easily blocking the assassin in front of her. His sword slashes in a downward strike with a loud clang as it slices against her staff and, as he retracts his arm, Yue pulls her staff back and strikes his stomach with the blunt tip.
The assassin stumbles backward, his sword falling into the snow without a sound.
Zatanna lifts her hands into the air, "Ekahs siht ebolgwons!" Her shout echoes through the mountains and the snow beneath their feet rises into the air once more, creating a snowstorm within the dome.
With the heavy snow as her cover, Yue dashes forward and vaults over the assassin. She lands behind him and spins around, kicking his legs out beneath him and as he hits the snowy ground, she knocks him unconscious with her staff.
"Superboy, the pylons." Aqualad orders. His intentions to destroy the only things keeping them inside the valley were made clear to the rest of the team.
Superboy growls, "Working on it!"
Tucking her bo-staff back into her belt, Yue takes off into a sprint toward the rest of her team. She could faintly feel the hairs on her arms rise, a sudden feeling of anger that wasn't her own rushing through her veins.
Yue skids to a stop in the snow, her eyes widening as Cheshire kicks Artemis in her direction; the two collide with each other and stumble back until they each collect their balance. A nod of Artemis' head is all Yue needs to rush at the assassin, knocking one of the sai from her hands.
"SB, you- you're flying!" Robin's shocked gasp echoes through their minds.
Carefully, Yue's dark eyes flicker up to the skies. Superboy, with his hands clenched around Mammoth's neck, soars through the cloudy sky before slamming the monster into the edge of the snowy cliff; his fists pummel him further into the snow, and the rocks begin to crumble under the force.
Yue stumbles forward, the ground beneath her feet shaking. She can barely hear a voice shouting avalanche, screaming it in her direction, as she locks eyes with a fearful Artemis. Slowly, her eyes move up to stare at the landslide headed their way.
An arm wraps around her waist, the figure using all of its strength to push both her and Artemis out of the landslide's warpath. She falls into the heavy layer of snow with a grunt, stunned to silence when she begins to recognise the green kimono-clad figure rising to their feet between her and Artemis.
The two girls stare at each other, Cheshire's lips curling into a snarl as she lifts her mask. It would have been so easy for her to leave Yue behind, to save her sister and get rid of the one person who knew their secret in one fell swoop. Why didn't she?
Sliding her mask back over her face, Cheshire turns to face Artemis. "Fine, you're my sister, I don't really want you," she glances down at Yue, "or your secret keeper, dead." The assassin drops a bead onto the ground, and as smoke fills the small area, she disappears from view.
Yue presses her gloved hands into the snow, her brows furrowed. "I'm not imagining things, right?" She glances at her teammate. "Your... Cheshire just saved my life." Artemis seems just as confused as she was. Her brown eyes are narrowed in the direction Cheshire had disappeared to, yet hints of a smile begin to tug at her lips.
Maybe Jade did have some redeeming qualities after all.
"Tell me if this sounds familiar." Batman's deep voice growls. His eyes narrow behind the cowl as he looks between the nine teenage heroes gathered in front of him in the Cave's mission room. "You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol, and endangered your lives. And your initiatives resulted in the capture of three escaped felons, proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity." His lips curl into a smirk. "Well done."
The members of the team excitedly turn to each other, sharing proud expressions that come only in the rare time Batman would compliment their work. Though in front of them, her mentor's smile falls and he turns to glance down at the case retrieved from their mission. "And then there's this," he motions to the open case. "Biotechnology integrated with some form of nano-circuitry."
Icon reaches into the case, gently lifting one of the small red chips between his fingertips. "Though I am unfamiliar with this species, the bio-component is clearly not of Earth," he informs them, then carefully rests it with the others.
Batman closes the case and turns back to the Team. "We'll take it to the Watchtower for further study." With a nod of his head, the League heroes disappear through the yellow light of the zeta-tube and Kaldur turns to his team with a heavy sigh.
Dick crosses his arms over his suit. "You realise we were set up," he says to the others.
Yue shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Yeah," she agrees in a whisper, her eyes scanning over the faces of her teammates as she admits the one thing she had been denying since the creation of her team. "Somebody informed Cheshire."
Artemis rolls her eyes. "Not the mole thing again."
"Mole thing?" Raquel questions with a raised brow. "Again?"
The team shared a look, silently deciding who would be the one to explain the long story to their new teammate. Wally is the first to speak, "We had intel that there was a traitor on the team."
"Mainly Artemis, M'gann, or me," Conner chimes in with an angry growl.
"Not that we believed it!" Yue adds, her gaze softening as she looks between the three accused by Roy. "We have no reason to, you three have proved time and time again that you'd do anything for this team."
"Yue is correct." Kaldur nods, then slowly rests his hand on Conner's shoulder, "Though your recent behaviour does concern me. Your attack on Mammoth nearly got both Yue and Artemis killed today."
While Artemis averts her gaze, Yue frowns and crosses her arms. She didn't want to shift the blame onto him, but Kaldur was right. The landslide could've easily killed them had Cheshire not thrown herself into the crossfire.
Conner huffs in response, though before he can part his lips to speak, he bends at the waist and groans in pain as his hands shoot up to cover his ears. Yue's eyes widened. "SB?" She calls out to him in concern, taking a step forward before stopping herself. His anger had been out of control recently, it almost reminded her of when they met. She needed to be more cautious.
Inhaling a deep breath, Conner turns his back to the team. "There's something I need to do... Something I need to tell you." He pauses, lowering his head. "Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to Cadmus and found a few things out. When I was cloned, only half the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human. That's why I don't have– will never have full Kryptonian powers."
"But earlier," Yue points out. "You were flying and using heat vision in your fight with Mammoth."
"I've been using these." Conner rolls his sleeve up. A blackened patch in the shape of Superman's hero insignia rests against his bicep. "Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight, the heat vision... But I think I also get angry. Well, angrier. I'm sorry."
Kaldur's eyes flicker from his face to the patch. "Where did you get those?"
"From my human father," Conner admits warily. "Lex Luthor."
The entire team falls silent, except for Dick, whose eyes widen as he asks, "Lex Luthor... is your dad?
Still reeling from the shock of the revelation, Yue whispers, "I don't see the family resemblance- ow!" Her eyes snap in Zatanna's direction as the younger girl elbows her arm with a deadpan look.
Ignoring his friend's comment, Conner continues. "He summoned me to Santa Prisca. Tonight."
Artemis heaves out a sigh, then rolls her shoulders back. "Listen." She speaks up to gain the team's attention. "Superboy's not the only one suffering from bad DNA."
Taking a step toward the controls at the front of the room, she turns the screen on to show the mugshots of Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and a reformed villain. "My mother is Huntress, an ex-con. The rest of my family aren't even ex. My dad's Sportsmaster, and he's sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca, too."
"Oh, finally!" Yue grins in relief. Secrets had always been the bane of her existence. There were no words to describe the sense of relief she felt with the burden lifted from her shoulders.
Wally looks between the two girls, his emerald eyes lighting up as he puts the pieces together. "That's why–"
"Yeah." Artemis cuts him off. "I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out, and when Yue did, I made her promise to keep it quiet." She glances at her, "I'm sorry."
Yue smiles back at her. "Don't be," she shrugs. "It's what friends, no– family, do."
"Wait, so this is the secret you two have been keeping?" Wally frowns as he looks between Artemis and his girlfriend. "Yue's dad's a criminal, too. We're in the worst position to judge you, Artemis. Why didn't you just tell us?"
"I knew." Dick chimes in, and the three turn to him with varying looks of surprise.
Artemis' frantic eyes fall back onto Yue. "You told him?"
"No, I'd never!" Yue defends herself with raised hands. "I had no idea he even knew."
"Come on," he grins. "I'm a detective, of course I knew. But it never mattered, you aren't your family. You're one of us."
Artemis smiles sheepishly, then averts her gaze as Yue throws an arm around her shoulders. "Not to say, "I told you so" but I told you so," the black-haired Gothamite grins. "You're not just one of us, Arty, you're our family. I meant it when I said no one was going to hate you."
Wally's lips curl upwards. "So, who's next?"
M'gann awkwardly takes a step forward. "I am," she mutters.
"I swear I was kidding." His eyes widened.
"Queen Bee's been blackmailing me," she explains. "She wants me in Santa Prisca, too."
"Blackmailing?" Kaldur asks as he turns to face the Martian. "How?"
M'gann stares at the ground beneath her, tears welling up in her eyes and a frown etched across her lips. "She knows my true Martian form," she answers sadly.
"Bald M'gann?" Dick shrugs his shoulders with a laugh. "Who cares if-?"
"No." She cuts him off. A sigh escapes her lips before slowly, her humanised form shifts from green to white and grows into an alien that towers over the team. Yue stares up at her friend with widened eyes, not from fear, but in awe. She had always assumed the Martians looked similar to Martian Manhunter.
It all made sense now.
In her true Martian form, M'gann relies on the open mind-link between her and her friends. Somehow now it feels more intense. "I realised you would never accept me if you saw what I truly am."
"M'gann." Kaldur frowns. "Did we truly seem so shallow?"
Her long, lanky arms hug around herself. "I couldn't take a chance." She whimpers, almost as if she were about to cry. "Being a White Martian among the Green on Mars, I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that from-"
"From me?" Conner asks. He walks forward, gently taking his girlfriend's larger hand in his as he stares up at her with a softened gaze. "I've known since we mind-melded last September in Bialya."
She looks away. "That was before we even became a couple," she points out. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."
Yue crosses her arms, reluctant to speak up and break such a heartwarming moment between her best friends. "So," she finally says, directing the team's attention back to their current problem. "I think it's pretty safe to say these guys have been working together if they all want you in Bialya."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Raquel grins. "Let's go kick some bad guy ass."
The mind-link, as it always does, leaves a pressure in Yue's head as Artemis' thoughts echo through the minds of the nine teenage heroes. She stands in the camouflaged Bioship, her dark eyes narrowing down at the villains gathering in the empty Santa Prisca field below. Queen Bee, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and Lex Luthor, were all together and it brought a sense of relief to Yue. Tonight could be the end of months of work if they played their cards right.
"Reinforcement time." Artemis' signal rings clearly through their minds. A hatch in the centre of the Bioship peels open and the team, one by one, jumps down to join the fight in the centre of the field.
Yue's boots hit the dirt with a thud, and she's swift to raise her staff and block Sportsmaster's bola from reaching his daughter. "Long time no see," she comments with a grin. Ducking below his fist, she swipes her bo-staff across the ground and knocks the man off his feet.
"Flamebird, look out!" Yue can barely register Artemis' voice as Cheshire body-slams against her, the two girls tumble back into the jungle surrounding the open field where the rest of the fight takes place. With one look down at Yue, Cheshire pulls her twin sai from her belt and takes off running toward Artemis.
Groaning, she braces her hands against the ground and begins to push herself up. With her eyes narrowed in Cheshire's direction – the assassin fights toe to toe with the archer, and Yue briefly recognises the similarities in their fight styles – she misses Sportsmaster walking through the treeline until his laughter sounds through the jungle.
"Think you can take me down that easy, little bird?"
From the ground, Yue's glare flickers in the man's direction. Cautiously, she looks from him to her staff. His foot weighs down on top of the weapon, just out of her reach, and she curses herself for getting distracted enough to let it happen. "A girl can wish." As fast as she can, she slips a bird-a-rang out of her utility belt and slams it into the ground at his feet.
She rolls away as an explosion rocks through the jungle.
Artemis reaches her in a matter of seconds, and the two girls stand back-to-back as both Cheshire and Sportsmaster creep closer with every step. Sportsmaster cracks his knuckles, a cruel smirk plastered across his face as he stares his daughter down. "You know I don't tolerate disobedience, Artemis," he warns her.
"Sure, Dad." Artemis hisses, "Jade and I learned that the hard way."
Yue could count facts she knew about Artemis' family on one hand, but she knew that when this was all over, the two of them would have to sit down and talk about it; Victor Harlow may have never laid a hand on her, but she knew better than anybody else on the team that a mercenary's training wasn't all it was cracked out to be.
A blur of black and red speeds past the two teens, a gust of wind washing over Yue that she soon begins to recognise as her boyfriend. Kid Flash slams into Cheshire, a grin on his face as he watches her fall into the bushes a few feet away.
Sportsmaster grabs hold of the speedster, and with all of his strength, tosses the boy further into the jungle. Yue winces as the familiar disorienting feeling of crashing into a hard object rushes through the mind-link. "KF, are you-?"
"I'm good... Great." Kid Flash responds weakly, no doubt picking himself up off the ground while Yue and Artemis keep Sportsmaster distracted.
"Ready?" Artemis glances over her shoulder to meet Yue's gaze, then follows her teammate's line of sight toward the discarded bo-staff lying in the dirt just a few feet from them.
"Ready." It all happens fast. Yue throws herself forward and lands on her arm, ignoring the pain that shoots through her body, her hand wraps around the bo-staff and she throws it toward Artemis. The archer catches the weapon with ease and uses it to block her father's javelin as he moves to strike her down.
"Artemis, now!" Kaldur's plan flashes through their minds. Artemis sprints toward Sportsmaster, vaulting over him and grabbing onto the tree branch above his head as the dirt beneath him begins to melt. A quicksand-like substance quickly pulls the man down to his shoulders.
Artemis laughs as she drops out of the tree. "You're right. It was easy taking him down."
"Babe, I'm so gonna have a headache tomorrow." Kid Flash comes stumbling out of the jungle a second later, one hand resting against the side of his head as he slows to a stop at Yue's side. Without a second thought, he throws his free arm around her shoulders while she stares over at Artemis and Sportsmaster– the archer crouches in front of her father and whispers to him.
Yue's eyes happily flicker from the villain to her boyfriend, and she gently wipes a speck of dirt from his freckled cheek with her thumb. "Lucky for you, I'm an amazing nurse."
"Oh, I know." His lips twist into a dopey grin, then he leans down to kiss her softly.
author's note.
All of the comments I've been receiving on this book recently have just made my day, honestly. I am very happy that people are still enjoying Young Justice and Yue's story.
I've made little to no progress on the next chapter, though. It's the final chapter of act one, and I had hoped to make a start on the beginning of act two before posting it but it's unlikely that will happen now. I plan to get back to writing chapter twenty-six soon, it's been sitting at around 3k words for a month, but I hope to publish it soon for everyone!
Anyways, now is the time to let me know your hopes for act two! Is there anything you guys want to see happen?