The Caribbean Sea was awkward. Not the actual Sea, but the ride to their mission. Everything was so quiet and dull.
Rogue sat in between Superboy and Robin who was in the front beside Kid Flash. It's like life got sucked out of everyone as this was the first big mission that they didn't want to mess up.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca."
This mission is covert and it was only observe and report. But somehow, Rowan knew that this mission is not going to go like that. Also, Batman said that the team must figure out its leader and it sure in hell isn't gonna be her. She'd rather die than be the leader. It just didn't fit her style.
M'gann spoke again, "Drop zone A in thirty." Aqualad stood up and switched his uniform to night.
"Ready."
"Switching bioship to camouflage mode."
Aqualad jumped out of the ship and into the water, swimming to the island. He quickly disarmed heat and motion sensors to let them in.
"Drop zone B." Everyone stood up, switching their light uniform to dark. But, Rogue didn't need to change anything as her suit were already black and grey.
Miss M made holsters fly out of the roof of the bioship and Rowan quickly connected hers to her suit. Kid Flash turned around to Miss M and showed himself off, "How cool is this?"
"Very impressive."
M'gann transformed into her stealth gear and Kid Flash smirked, "That works too."
Rowan rolled her eyes at the prepubescent boy, "You make me sick."
"You'll still look hot," Then he looked at Superboy, "Hey, Supey, not too late to put on the new stealth tech."
Superboy grunted, "No capes, not tights. No offense."
"It totally works for you."
Robin and Rogue met eyes and both had the same thought, "Oh god."
M'gann tried to fix her mistake, "In that, you can totally do good work in those clothes."
Rowan laughed, "Nice save, greenie."
M'gann almost looked pleadingly at her as she pulled up her hood and camouflaged. The bottom of the ship opened up so that they all jumped out. Or, in Superboy's case, punched out. He created such a loud noise that even her father could probably hear them.
"Knew I didn't need a line." Rowan rushed at him and quickly punched his arm, but it didn't even move.
Rowan groaned, "You stupid bastard."
"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert."
M'gann flew down, "Aqualad, drop B is a go." Aqualad then told them to meet at the factory. Robin quickly agreed and they began to run there. Now, Rowan had no problem with running, but running in a muddy forest? And, in heeled combat boots? Fuck this, man.
They were running on a cliff's edge as they passed a waterfall. The girl often wondered if jumping in one would kill her. She was actually pondering it as Robin grabbed her arm gently and moved her along.
The team made it back into the forest and Superboy spoke up, "Did you hear that?"
"Uh, no. Wait. Is this a super hearing thing?" Kid Flash asked as he turned around.
M'gann dreamily spoke, "You do have great ears."
Rowan rolled her eyes and elbowed Robin in the ribs, "Five dollars they get together; maximum two weeks."
Robin laughed quietly with her, "I'll take some of that action." He then tilted his head toward another direction, "Ready to vanish?"
"Always."
The two disappeared into the jungle to keep up with their orders. Usually, Rowan wouldn't listen to the gothic bat, but she would follow Robin's demands. The teens jumped from tree to tree, trying to get a better angle of the bad guys.
Gunshots were heard and Rowan immediately looked at Robin to see if he was safe. Once she did, she hurried to the fight between the two rivals. It was two groups of opponents who were firing at each other, neither having the upper hand.
But, then her group of total idiots decided to get involved and Rowan rolled her eyes and looked at the boy, "Should we help them?"
Robin chuckled slightly, "I would say no, but I don't wanna come back empty-handed."
"I guess."
The girl watched Superboy get his ass handed to him by this big dude with face paint. Rowan didn't think as she jumped on the man's shoulders and started choking him with her legs.
She heard Robin speak as they both fought, "What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert? Why didn't you follow our lead? Vanish into the jungle?"
"That's what you were doing? Way to fill us in." KF began to yell at his friend, "We're not mind readers, you know."
Rowan grunted as she got thrown off the big guy and he immediately went after her, "Miss M is!" She ducked and rolled to dodge his swing and swept his leg. He fell to the ground with a thud. But, as the man did so, he grabbed a fistful of her brunette hair and tugged her down.
"You fucker." She went to punch him, but someone beat her to it. Superboy knocked him out and had a victorious smirk on his face. She faced him with her jaw dropped, "I had that."
Superboy chuckled, "Looked like it."
"How 'bout you drop that attitude and be actually nice for once."
"Like you have room to talk, Rogue. All you do is call people names and insult them."
"Oh, you're getting it now, Clone boy."
The boy looked taken back at what she just said, "What did you just call me?" His face grew serious and angry. Rowan wasn't afraid, but when a boy with super strength and other unknown powers looks like he's about to pull your head out of it's sockets, you get a little nervous.
Rowan already was in deep shit, why not make it worse? "You heard me."
Superboy took a threatening step forward, trying to intimidate the girl. But, it was proven unsuccessful as she did the same and had an even more threatening glare.
"If you even speak to me like that-"
"Or what?" She crossed her arms defiantly, "You'll do what?"
He pointed a finger in her face, "I'll make sure-"
Kid Flash zoomed in between them with a nervous laugh, "He'll do nothing! Now, let's tie these suckers up." He ran away and started to do as he said.
Rowan looked around to see everyone doing the same, but she made eye contact with Robin. He quickly raised his eyebrows, silently asking if she was okay. All she did was walk toward him, knocking her shoulder with Superboys. The girl had a victorious smirk on her face as she heard him mutter something.
Everyone stood together, watching the bad guys who were tied up against two trees.
Robin informed them on the matter, "They belong to the cult of The Kobra."
"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's venom operation."
Rowan raised her eyebrows, would he though?
"Agreed," Robin quickly replied with zero hesitence, "And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those goons. I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."
Kid Flash sighed, "We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved. Radio bats, and we'll be home in time-"
"These cultists aren't on venom." Robin disagreed, "Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave. Not until I know why."
"Until you know why?"
"The team needs a leader."
"And it's you? Dude, you ducked out on us without a word." Then he looked at Rowan, "You did too!"
Rogue didn't even want to be leader, don't bring her into this. But, before she could respond, Robin spoke, "She's not even involved in this, KF. Plus, you blew our cover first chance you got."
M'gann spoke to Rowan and Superboy who were on either side of her, "Don't you guys want to lead?"
Both of them shook their head as the boy spoke, "You?"
"After the Mr. Twister fiasco?"
Superboy smiled at her, "You did alright."
Rowan grew uncomfortable as they talked. They definitely had something going on.
M'gann then looked between her two friends, "I can feel the tension between you two. Did something happen?"
Rowan met eyes with Superboy and both came to the realization that neither of them wanted to see the new girl stressed. So, even with them angry at each other, they both agreed not to say anything.
"Nope," The girl popped the 'p', "Maybe there's tension between you two?"
M'gann blushed as she looked away from the two teens. Superboy tried to glare at Rogue's growing smirk, but couldn't as his own scowl started to turn into one.
All of them looked toward the man that was tied up. It was the man that she fought and he was laughing about something, "Such clever ninos. But, you only know half the story." The three walked where the others were and glared at him, "Let me show you the rest. I'll get you into the factory via my secret entrance."
M'gann kneeled down to read his mind, "There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something."
"Ah, ah, ah, chica. Bane is not that easy."
Robin nudged Rogue with a smile, "Why do the bad guys always talk in the third person?"
The girl shrugged, "They're all lunatics."
M'gann grunted, "He's mentally reciting football scored en Espanol." She looked at everyone, "This could take a while."
The man spoke up, "It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Aqualad nodded to Robin, indicating for him to release the evil man. Rogue scoffed as Robin was about to do so, "Are you guys all stupid? This is a bad guy and you're just releasing him."
Robin shrugged, "He's the only one who could let us in."
"We haven't even tried it by ourselves. How do we know that?"
Robin stayed silent, not wanting to argue with her. Aqualad stepped forward, "That is a good idea, but our best effort would be using him to guide us as we don't even know what to look for."
Rowan sighed and her shoulders untensed. She only listened to him because he sounded smart and he complimented her plan. The girl stepped away, letting Robin untie him.
Let the shitshow begin.