"I hate the beach." The team, minus Wally, was in this sandy desert. Rowan sat on the sand with an oversized shirt over her green bikini.
Robin plopped himself next to her, "Cheer up, would you? We have the whole tomorrow to be moody."
Rowan sighed and watched M'gann run toward the water with her surfboard, "Hello, Megan. We should hit the beach every day."
"First a moment of silence for our absent comrade."
"Poor Wally."
Everyone stayed silent for only a second and the next, everyone ran into the water. Superboy and Rowan stayed back, watching them.
"Why do you hate the beach?"
Rowan couldn't say she was buried alive in sand and almost died. She couldn't say she was dragged by a boat as she nearly drowned in the water. So, she told him another reason why she hated the beach, "I hate sand. It gets everywhere."
Superboy chuckled a little and stayed silent. He had no motive to talk further, instead listen to the waves crashing and the seagulls making random ass sounds. Rowan liked Superboy because he didn't feel the need to fill in the silence with small talk. There was no nonsense being said as they watched their friends splash one another.
"C'mon, Rogue!" Rowan narrowed her eyes at the boy, "Remember what I said!"
Rowan sighed and stood up, giving Superboy her hand to pull him up. When she did so, Superboy pulled her down, making her face plant into the sand, causing sand to get into her mouth.
"What the fuck, Supey!" Rowan coughed slightly as he ran into the water with a laugh. "Oh, I'm so getting you back for that!" She quickly threw her t-shirt off her body and ran into the water. What she didn't notice was a certain boy with dark glasses blushed and quickly looked away.
Rowan jumped on top of Superboy, quickly shoving him underwater. But, because of his stupid super strength, he pushed her off him and into the water.
The girl rose up and pushed her hair back, but her silver earrings got caught in her now black hair. Before she could get frustrated with it, Robin walked over and began to slowly untangle it. He didn't pull a single hair and it almost felt nice to the girl.
As he did this, Aqualad peeked out from the water, "I find the water soothing, do you not, Rogue?"
"I mean, I do, but it just feels like I can't breathe."
Robin quirked an eyebrow and his fingers paused, "What do you mean?"
Rogue was about to just dismiss the subject, but she remembered what she promised herself. The girl had to get over her attachment issues and live life.
"Well, uh," Rogue was really trying here, "There's a lot of pressure on your chest and lungs in the water."
"Yes, but Rowan, doesn't it feel-"
"Excuse me?"
M'gann furrowed her eyebrows, until she gasped, "Oh, no. I'm so sorry."
Rogue rolled her eyes as Aqualad began to speak, "It's okay. We will not say anything, you have my word." She trusted him, but she didn't trust the boy scout's clone.
The blue-eyed bitch spoke up, "Yea, yea, I promise, Rowan."
"You bitch!" She pulled herself away from Robin and almost immediately got dunked again. Her hair getting tangled with her earrings, again.
"Robin."
"Coming."
The team was back at the cave, staring at the new girl. Her name was Artemis and she, oh so clearly, was not Green Arrow's niece. But, she looked like a bitch and Rowan always liked bitches.
"Recognized Kid Flash, B-0-3."
"The Wallman is here! Let's get this party start-"
Rogue looked up to see the boy run in with beach supplies, but only for him to trip and knock everything out of his hands. Including the beach ball that bounced right up to Rowan, who instead of kicking it away, threw it right at Superboy's face. All the teens laughed, including Green Arrow, but Batman just gave her a glare.
"Wallman, huh? I love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?"
Rowan smirked, liking her because she shut down the speedster. Now, she doesn't have to be the only one to keep them in check.
Kid Flash walked over to them and stood in between her and Aqualad, "Uh, who's this?"
"Artemis, your new teammate."
"Kid Flash; never heard of you."
Green Arrow quickly tried to diffuse the situation, "Um, she's my new protege."
"What happened to your old one," KF sounded completely turbed.
Rowan scoffed from beside him, "Did you forget he threw a whole hissyfit because he didn't get what he wanted?"
"Recognized Speedy, B-0-6."
Speedy walked forward, "Thanks, Rogue."
"Anytime, man-child."
He huffed, "I don't go by Speedy anymore, call me Red Arrow."
Rowan mumbled, "Wow, so creative." She got nudged in the ribs by Robin for that comment.
Red Arrow walked closer to the green one, "Roy, you look-"
"Replaceable." Rowan snorted after his words.
"It's not like that. You told me you were going solo."
"So, why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow?"
Artemis got in his face, "Yes, she can."
"Who are you?"
"She's my niece."
"I'm his niece."
Rowan rolled her eyes at the blondes, "Another niece?"
"But, she is not your replacement," Aqualad tried to comfort, "We have always wanted you on the team and we have no quota on archers."
"And if we did, you know who we'd pick."
Rowan spoke with no hesitance, "Yea, not Speedy." Artemis smiled over at her, but Rowan didn't return it. She's trying to work on her issues, but she still didn't trust the blonde.
"It's Red Arrow."
"Oh, yeah, whatever, demon-spawn."
Red Arrow walked closer to Aqualad, "You came to us for a reason."
"Yeah, a reason named, Dr.Serling Roquette."
Robin started to use whatever technology and displayed it in front of everyone, "Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City. Vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago by the League of Shadows."
Robin looked like he just saw boobs for the first time, "Whoa! You want us to rescue her from the shadows?"
"Hardcore!"
"I already rescued her." He walked over to big screens and added one more, "Only one problem, the Shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon. Doc calls it The Fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots. Nanotech infiltrators. Capable of disintegrating anything in their path. Concrete, steel, flesh, bone." He paused, "But its true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows providing them access to weapon strategic defense, cutting-edge science, and tech."
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power-broking." She looked at everyone else, "Yea, sounds like The Shadows."
KF scoffed, "Like you know anything about The Shadows," She gave him a look, "Who are you?"
"Roquette's working on a virus to render The Fog inert," Red Arrow continued.
"But if the Shadows know she can do that-"
"-They'll target her. Right now she's off the grid. I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."
Green Arrow sounded astonished, "You left her alone?"
"She's safe enough for now."
"Then, let's you and I keep her that way."
Rowan looked at Artemis. She felt kind of bad about how Green Arrow would just leave her like that.
"You and I? Don't you wanna take your new protege?"
Batman placed a hand on Green Arrow's shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer. So, Green Arrow actually got serious for once, "You brought this to the team. It's their mission which means it's hers now, too."
Red Arrow scoffed, "Then my job's done." He walked over to the Zeta Tube with a sassy attitude.
"Recognized Speedy, B-0-6."
He looked at the metal surrounding him, "That's Red Arrow, B-0-6. Update." With that, he was gone.
Rowan furrowed her eyebrows, "Wait, we can change our names?"
Robin shook his head with a small laugh.