Santa Prisca; July 19th, 00:43 ECT
The alarms blare in a warehouse, complete with red bubbling fluid in every tank. The source of the alarm is a group of intruders is Bane, and two other men. Surrounded by guards on the ground and guards on the catwalks cocking their rifles.
"Nuestro Maestro sublime proclama que él saldrá de esta instalación... si... uno de ustedes derrota a su campeón en combate singular." A Kobra agent tells the trapped trespassers (Our sublime Master proclaims he will depart this facility... if... one of you defeats his champion in single combat.)
Bane pushes aside the foot soldiers that came with him, walking to the gated door with pride. A buzzer goes off, and Bane holds the door. "Solo que se interesante." (Just make it interesting.) Then he shoves the door open and walks in.
The soldier smirks as the door shuts behind Bane.
Inside Bane sees that there are many more soldiers on the interlocking catwalks, all of them armed with rifles. A buzzer goes off, drawing the bodybuilder's attention to the door on the other side of the arena. Where two people stand. Both of them blonde-brunettes with black pants and boots and blue tank tops that cut off to expose their stomachs. Only the male walks through, but he's thin, which gets Bane's attention, albeit with confusion.
Behind Bane, a black gauntlet with red tubes on it, attached to a long clear tube, falls to the floor. He picks it up, confused. "¿Me devuelto mi mayor arma?" Bane asks, confused. "¿Cuál es el truco?" (You give me back my greatest weapon? What's the catch?)
"Ningún truco. No sería una prueba de la destreza de su campeón si no estuviera en su mejor." the soldier says. (No catch. It would hardly be a test of his champion's prowess if you were not at your best.)
Bane attaches the gauntlet. "¿Quieres mi mejor?" he activates the venom feed as he connects to the back of his head. His pupils dilate as he grunts the Venom flowing through his body. As it finishes, he's panting and turning towards his opponent. "Lo conseguiste." (You want my best? You got it.) He cracks his neck.
His opponent hasn't moved, though the girl behind him steps up with a needle gun filled with a purple serum, which she injects into his shoulder. The effect is immediate, and his eyes shrink to pinpricks as his hair stands nearly on end. He stumbles forward, his head held in his hands as he falls to his knees. His shoulder grows massively, ripping his shirt. Bane watches closer. The choker around his neck rips off as he grows fangs, and his body grows to match his arm's size. His skin turns green-grey with red slashes.
The girl closes the door. Panting, he gets off his knees and charges at Bane with a roar. The downward punch is caught, Bane slides a foot or so back, but doesn't fall. Returning the feat with a solid uppercut to his opponent's jaw. The cross Bane throws to his chest does nothing, and he smirks down at Bane.
Grabbing the back of his neck in his hand before uppercutting him in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Then, following up with another uppercut and a cross to Bane's face before he can fully fall back, Bane is grabbed by his wrist and thrown into the wall. Landing on all fours and his head on his arm.
Leaving no room to react, Bane is hit again as he stands, denting the pipe behind him shut and increasing the pressure in the pipe exponentially. Steam envelopes the two as Bane is grabbed by the back of his neck again and thrown out of the steam. His opponent jumped after him, nailing Bane in the face hard enough to create a Bane-sized crater under him.
The power of the strike brings some people to stop. Even one looks away.
Bane groans, then falling unconscious.
"Hail Kobra." the soldier says. "Hail Kobra." he says louder.
All begin to chant. "Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra. Hail Kobra." Above them, Kobra stands, arms crossed and pleased.
Outside the facility are even more Kobra followers, guarding the entire island.
_________________________________________
Intro:
_________________________________________
Caribbean Sea; July 22nd, 20:08 ECT
Over the Caribbean Sea, the BioShip was flying, and the team en-route to their first official mission.
Miss Martian: "We're approaching Santa Prisca."
Robin is thinking back on the debrief.
[Flashback]
Batman called everyone together to send them on their first official mission. Batman brings up a map before briefing the team.
Batman: "Isla Santa Prisca. This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neuro-steroid, a strength-enhancing drug sold under the street name Venom. The infrared heat signatures indicate that their factory is operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in. This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will. The plan requires two drop zones."
Robin: "So, who's in charge?"
Robin asks, getting Batman and Red Tornado to whip around and face the Boy Wonder before exchanging glances.
Batman: "Work that out between you."
[End of flashback]
Miss Martian: "Drop Zone A in 30."
Aqualad gets up and presses the button on his belt, turning his costume from red and black to grey and black.
Aqualad: Ready.
Miss Martian: "Putting BioShip in Camouflage Mode."
The BioShip turns invisible as it flies closer to the island. Over the water, a hole in the base of the BioShip forms, Kaldur dropping out and diving into the water below.
Under the water, he avoids sunken mines and slices through a rope net with his WaterBearer that turns into a sword.
He jumps out of the water and onto the raining beach, just out of sight of the cameras. Placing a silver and red disruptor on top of it.
Aqualad: [through comms] "Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."
Above him, the Bioship's outline is barely noticeable.
Miss Martian: "Drop Zone B."
Everyone stands up, and the ropes descend from the ceiling, which Robin, Nathan, and Kid Flash don't hesitate to attach to.
Kid Flash raises his hand to his lightning bolt emblem. The white turning light grey as the yellow turns to a darker grey, and his goggles turn almost black, his red accents remaining as he looks it over with a smile.
Nathan pressed the 10 badge on his shirt, and it turned all black and his pants turned dark green.
Kid Flash: [to Miss Martian] "How cool is this?"
Miss Martian: "Very impressive."
Miss Martian says, before her own clothes change, her blue boots and skirt become a skin-tight full-body suit, all black and accented with the same red X and edging like on Martian Manhunter, only her cape remains blue.
Kid Flash: "Uh, that works too. [To Superboy] Hey, Supey, it's not too late to put on the new stealth tech."
Superboy: "No capes, no tights.[Crossed his arms] No offense."
Miss Martian: [flirtatiously to Superboy] "It totally works for you."
Superboy glances over at her, and she stands up straighter and stops leaning her head on her hand.
Miss Martian: "In that, you can totally do good work in those clothes."
Superboy looks away, and Miss Martian brings her hood over her head and disappears from sight before dropping out of the ship.
She, Kid Flash, Nathan, and Robin hit with small thuds. Realizing Superboy's not beside them, they glance up and yelp before diving to the side. Just narrowly avoid Superboy as he hits the ground hard enough to create a boom and a two-foot-deep crater.
Superboy: [smirks] "I knew I didn't need a line."
Robin: "And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the ＂covert＂."
Miss Martian: [through comms] "Aqualad, Drop B is a go."
Aqualad: "Head to the factory. I'll track your GPS and meet you ASAP."
Robin: "Roger that."
Robin says, looking down at his HoloGlove which has a map of the island, as Superboy, Nathan, and Miss Martian stand at their full height and look over his head on his right and Kid Flash is crouched over his left shoulder.
Then all five take off to the factory. Passing through the forest, under a waterfall, before ending up back in the forest.
Back in trappable terrain, Robin pulls up his HoloGlove, which shows off mines that have been set around them, then the safest and straightest path to the factory.
There's rustling in the forest, but a snap of a twig catches Superboy's full attention and stops him short.
Superboy: "Did you hear that?"
Kid Flash: Uh, no. Wait, is this a super hearing thing?
Miss Martian: [to Superboy] "You do have great ears."
Miss Martian comments. Neither boy comments.
Nathan: "Okay, Rob, now what?"
Nathan turned around to see that Robin, who was just in front of him, was gone.
Nathan: [irritated] "Man, I hate it when he does that."
Aqualad: "Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared, see if you're being tracked."
Kid Flash smirks and drops his goggles down over his eyes. Immediately picking up on heat signatures further down the trail.
Kid Flash: "Got a squad of armed bozos incoming."
Superboy used his x-ray vision to see into the forest.
Superboy: "Two squads. But they'll meet each other before they find us."
Gunfire commences. Clearly, they aren't on the same side, which is good news for the team.
Kid Flash: "No Super-Hearing required now."
Aqualad: "Swing wide, steer clear."
Kid Flash: "Yeah - yeah, just as soon as I find Rob."
Kid tells him, then vaults over the tree, running down the trail. The trail is wet, and he loses his footing, falling down the hill and right into the firefight. As he falls, he looks up to find a surprised Bane to confirm that he's seeing things right; he even lifts his goggles off his eyes.
Kid Flash: "So much for the stealthy."
Bane's surprise only lasts a moment. He was about to fire on Kid Flash, but an orange dog-like creature came in and saved Kid Flash from being riddled with bullets.
Superboy charges ahead, taking Bane's blind spot and tackling him to the ground. Or at least attempting to, Bane gets himself over the teen and slams him into the soft ground. He goes for a wrist-lock on his captive right arm but finds Superboy overpowering him. Grabbing his shirt and throwing him into a tree.
Wildmutt jumped through the trees, dodging bullets with his speed and agility.
Kid Flash continues to evade the bullets, and two of the men see a shadow pass over them. Looking up, Robin drops right on top of one of them.
Robin: "What is wrong with you guys? Remember, covert? Why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?"
He questions, uppercutting the other and following up with a side-kick to get his bubble back.
Kid Flash hits another assailant, backing him up into the clearing.
Kid Flash: "That's what you were doing?"
Kid Flash then hitting him with a front kick to the chin, then completing a full flip before landing on the ground again.
Kid Flash: "Way to fill us in. We're mind readers, you know."
Miss Martian throws another two assailants into the tree behind him telekinetically.
Kid Flash: "Er, I'm not anyway."
Miss Martian: "You told me I could only read the bad guys' minds."
Robin's attention turns, hearing one run away. He pulls out a disk to throw at him, but instead, the Kobra soldier is stopped short by Aqualad dropping right in front of him. He's not sure what to do as the Atlantean places his hand on his chest, and his tattoos glow before he zaps him right in the chest.
Stepping on the communicator that fell out of his hand, which crunches under his barefoot. The assailants that are all now tied to the trees and Robin recognized some of their uniforms.
Robin: "I recognize those uniforms. They belong to the Cult of The Kobra."
Aqualad: "I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation."
Robin: "Agreed. And since there's no love lost between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting they came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."
Kid Flash: "We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for -"
Robin: "These cultists aren't on Venom. Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave. Not until I know why."
Kid Flash: "Until you know why?"
Robin: "This team needs a leader."
Kid Flash: [points at Robin] "And it's you?!" Dude, you're a thirteen-year-old kid who ducked out on us without a word."
Robin: [laughs] "And you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover first chance you got."
Miss Martian: [to Superboy and Wildmutt] Do either of you want to lead?
Wildmutt growled and shook his head.
The Kryptonian shakes his head and scoffs, then turns to look at Miss M out of the corner of his eye.
Superboy: "You?"
Miss Martian: "After the Mister Twister fiasco?"
Superboy: [smiles] "You did alright."
Miss M's cheeks turn bright red as she looks away and tucks her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, Superboy and Wildmutt hear Bane speaking spanish to one of the goons. Superboy looks down at Wildmutt, who is looking up at him, and he smirks at the orange dog.
Kid Flash: "Yeah? You don't even have SuperPowers!"
Robin: "Neither does Batman!"
Kid Flash: Duh, you're not Batman."
Robin: Duh, the closest thing we've got.
Robin retorts, and he jabs his thumb at himself to prove his point.
As Bane finally gives his consciousness away to the two teens, both boys snap their heads in his direction. Kid Flash is still annoyed, but Robin's eyes go wide.
Bane: "Such clever niños. But you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest, and get you into the factory via my secret entrance."
Miss Martian: "There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something."
Miss Martian's eyes glow white, trying to dive deeper into Bane's mind.
Bane: "Ah, ah, ah chica. Bane is not that easy."
Miss Martian: "He's mentally reciting fútbol scores en Español." she looks over her shoulder at the boys. "This could take a while."
Bane: "It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Aqualad nods, and Wildmutt cuts Bane free with his claws.
________________________________________
In the factory, they are still creating Venom. "Sublime Master, he approaches." one of the soldiers says as Kobra comes to a stop beside him.
Kobra: "Activate the radio-jamming net. Nothing must interfere."
Kobra instructs. The soldier nods, bows, and leaves.
________________________________________
On top of a cliff, the team and Bane can see the factory clearly. Bane stops about three feet from the edge, pointing. Both Robin and Kid Flash both step up to get a closer look. Kid with his goggles, Robin, with a pair of binoculars. What he sees is a forklift and containers by a helipad.
Robin: "Look at all that product." Robin mutters, shocked. But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then -"
Aqualad: "We need to identify that buyer."
Kid Flash: "Just what I was thinking."
Kid Flash agrees, lifting his goggles as he stands up straighter.
Robin: [sarcastic tone] "Yeah. You're the thinker."
Kid Flash: "Sarcasm?" Kid Flash Dude. A real leader would focus on getting answers."
All three are observing Bane as he lifts a giant rock away from the entrance to an old mine. The only point of his efforts is a few grunts. While Miss M, Nathan, and Superboy exchange a slight look of confusion.
Bane: "Answers are this way."
Bane says simply, gesturing down the mine tunnel. All six teens join him to look down the tunnel. Bane says nothing as he heads towards the tunnel.
Kid Flash: "So. Now el Luchador is our leader."
Kid Flash comments angrily and slightly sarcastic. Robin stalks past him, using the back of his hand to smack Kid Flash's cheek. Kid turns to Superboy, M'gann, Nathan, and Aqualad with a shrug.
The team and Bane walk down the mine until they come to a metal door, which Bane uses his fingerprint to unlock. Which leads them right to a door on the factory floor.
Bane props the door open slightly, giving Robin just enough room to get a full look around the now confirmed to be empty floor.
Robin: All clear.
Robin runs out of the doorway. The others follow, but once they get to another hidden location, Robin is nowhere in sight.
Bane: "Has that little fool already been captured?"
Nathan: No, he just does that.
Kid Flash: Stay put. I'll get our intel and be back before Boy Wonder.
By the time he finishes the sentence, he's already running. Aqualad reaches out as he sees Kid Flash's movement but doesn't get hold.
Aqualad: Wait, Kid!
Bane: Great chain of command.
The four remaining teens share a look. While over their heads, Robin runs across the catwalk and up the stairs to the command center.
______________________________________
Inside the command center, a Kobra agent is working on the computers. There's a small swish before a batarang hits the computer console beside him, causing it to spark. As he turns to look, green gas is released from the batarang. The agent coughs and then passes out.
Robin holds no qualms as he grabs the back of his cloak and drops his upper body to the ground with a thud. Then, he took the chair and sat down at the computer.
_______________________________________
Aqualad, Miss Martian, Nathan, and Superboy are all crouched behind an unused assembly line, while Bane hides in the shadows of a crate stack.
Aqualad: "It's a massive shipment."
Superboy: "Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line. They're not touching this Venom."
Miss Martian: Maybe freshness counts?
Superboy's focus changes as he looks in the opposite direction they just were.
Superboy: "Helicopter's coming."
He says. Out of instinct, the other three follow his gaze. Bane's eyes narrow as all four look out the small skylight.
It takes a few moments, but then they start to be able to hear the helicopter's blades as it approaches.
______________________________________
The computer Robin's on is beeping away as he runs over the chemical formula for the agent. Listing off HB2Ca4, Cs2Ho4, PH4Mo8, and Ca1Hg6.
Kid Flash zooms in, skidding to a stop and taking a bite out of something, then proceeding to talk with food in his mouth.
Kid Flash: "What you got?"
Robin: "Chemical formulas."
Robin says, hunching a little closer to the keyboard as if that would help him work faster. Ever the science nerd, Kid Flash joins him at the computer.
Robin: "I'm guessing it involves Venom, but..."
He trails unsure, but also not even pausing as Kid Flash takes another loud bite out of the bar in his hand.
Kid Flash: "This one's Venom, this one's - Whoa. The Blockbuster formula from Cadmus. Mixed correctly, Kobra's new juice is three times stronger than Venom... and permanent. But how did Kobra get access to Project Blockbuster?"
Robin: "Our mystery buyer must also be Kobra's supplier! Using the cult to create the Blockbuster-Venom superformula.[through comms] Robin to Aqualad, we got...[getting static] static."
_________________________________________
From out of the helicopter's opening doors, the shadows clear, revealing a buff white man with blonde hair. In a black-on-black outfit and his facial features covered by a grey hockey mask. As he walks between two lines of the cult, his matching forearm and shoulder-upper arm guards show.
"Lord Kobra." he greets.
Kobra: "Sportsmaster. The shipment is ready."
A girl with orange hair and wearing a crop top brought over a box and opened it, revealing vials of a purple fluid. Sportsmaster picked one up and inspected it.
Sportsmaster: "The new Kobra-Venom?"
Kobra: "A complete success. Our friends will not be disappointed."
Sportsmaster: "This is a game-changer. Finally, we can go mano-a-mano with the Justice League."
Above them, Miss Martian uses her camouflage.
Miss Martian: [telepathically] "Aqualad, sending you a telepathic image of the buyer now."
Even though she is basically invisible, her eyes begin to glow.
In the factory, on a catwalk. Bane, Nathan, and Superboy keep watch while Aqualad has his eyes closed to see Miss M's telepathic image.
Aqualad: "Sportsmaster." he says, opening his eyes. "He is the buyer?"[through comms] Aqualad to Red Tornado. Do you read?
He gets the same results as Robin. He huffs in annoyance.
Aqualad: Can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid. Comm's jammed. We need a plan now.
Bane: I have a suggestion.
Bane jumps over the rail with a battle cry. Two Kobra agents look to the source, shocked to see Bane. He lands just before them, shoving one to the side with ease and pushing the other's arm to ensure his aim is only to the ceiling.
From outside, they hear the gunshots.
Aqualad: "What is he-"
Aqualad begins, only to be cut off when Mammoth jumps through the glass crashing onto the platform Superboy, Nathan, and Aqualad are standing on.
Kobra: "Destroy them."
Kobra commands. In an instant, Blockbuster charges at the three infiltrators.
Superboy meets him halfway, in comparison to Mammoth. He's plenty small enough to get under his arms and catch his torso. However, due to the size difference, Mammoth grabs Superboy's waist from behind with efficiency.
Aqualad's tattoos begin to glow as he reaches behind his shoulders to take out his WaterBearers. The Kobra agents start firing on him and Nathan but can't land a hit as he crouches behind a shield and uses his other WaterBearer to fire non-lethal projectiles at their chests and knock them out.
Nathan slammed down on the Omnitrix, not looking into what alien he turned into.
[Start at 0:02 and end at 0:16]
Four Arms: [looks at himself] Good enough.
Four Arms looks over to see Superboy fighting Mammoth. Four Arms ran over, and he shoulder bashed Mammoth, making him crash into a wall. Superboy and Four Arms get into their fighting stances as the beast gets back up.
Meanwhile, Bane hides, away from the action, chuckling to himself.
Miss Martian flies in and starts throwing agents around, but Sportsmaster can clearly see her despite the camouflage.
Aqualad continues to shoot projectiles while Superboy gets launched into a large container by Mammoth behind him. Getting a massive uppercut that pins him back to the container, Four Arms punches Mammoth in the face from his pinned position. Knocking his assailant back and giving Superboy plenty of room to land back on his feet. Then charge at Mammoth once more.
Sportsmaster's eyes continue to narrow as he brings out a rod. Which then extends to form a sharp point that he throws at Miss M. She just barely manages to dodge, but it blows up right beside her. Knocking her away and hitting her hard enough to turn off her camouflage.
Superboy and Four Arms continue to exchange punches with Mammoth as Robin runs along the catwalk over their head. Kid Flash runs behind him, and both come to a stop to watch over the chaos.
Kid Flash runs off while Robin remains, and he gains a mischievous look before he runs back the way he came.
Aqualad is now standing upright but is being backed up despite his shield and projectiles. Ducking behind some piping, he can put down his WaterBearers, but then he finds two more Kobra agents on his other side.
Before they can fire, Kid Flash runs in and slams his feet into both their chests to knock them out and back. Only for three more to arrive on the catwalk over where the two now lay unconscious. He barely ducks behind a pillar to avoid getting shot.
Aqualad reaches for his comm, but then remembers it's jammed.
Aqualad: Miss Martian, radio is jammed. Link us up!
Behind the men shooting Aqualad, she's slowly coming to. Her eyes widen as she processes what she heard, bringing her hand to her head.
Miss Martian: [telechnetic link] "Everyone online?"
Four Arms and Superboy: [telechnetic link] Yeah.
Kid Flash: [telechnetic link] "You know it, beautiful."
Aqualad: [telechnetic link] Good. We need to regroup.
Robin: [telechnetic link] Busy now.
Four Arms: [telechnetic link] With what?
The Boy Wonder lands at the helicopter pad, Kobra stepping up right behind him, the girl by his side. Robin stands and turns instantly, picking up on the movement.
Kobra: "Batman must be desperate if he sends whelp to task me."
Robin ignores the insult as he decides to banter with the villain instead.
Robin: "What's wrong, Koby? You look disconcerted."
Kobra: "This is beneath me. Shimmer, take him."
Kobra commands. Shimmer runs at the Boy Wonder, whose only response is a smirk.
Flipping over her as she gets close enough, then lands behind her. He stands back into a fighting stance.
Aqualad: [telechnetic link] "Robin, now!"
Aqualad's voice commands. The youngest grits his teeth, just barely losing concentration in time for Shimmer to come in with a punch ready.
However, Robin drops a flash grenade, giving him time to get away and leave the two alone.
Aqualad uses his WaterBearers to create long whips and take out many of the still shooting Kobra agents.
Aqualad: [telechnetic link] Strategic retreat. Kid, clear a path.
Kid Flash takes out seven Kobra agents, Aqualad running behind him and Robin grappling above and behind the Atlantean's head. Miss Martian flies in behind the Boy Wonder. As he drops from his line, she returns to the ground, as Superboy and Four Arms continue to hold off Mammoth. Superboy uppercuts Mammoth in the air and Four Arms jumps.
Four Arms: Next stop: Ground floor!
Four Arms slammed Mammoth into the ground, knocking him and some cultists into the ground. Superboy and Four Arms run through the door, and Superboy closes it, making it lock. They all start running as Mammoth burst through the door, and the cultists start shooting at them.
Aqualad: Superboy, Four Arms, the support beams!
Superboy and Four Arms destroy the support beams closet to them, causing the tunnel to collapse and block off the path, making the cultists and Mammoth unable to follow. Aqualad snaps a glow stick to create a light source. Robin stands with his back to Aqualad, looking to the cave in, while Kid Flash leans heavily on the wall, as Four Arms timed out and returned to normal. Superboy calmly stands beside, and Miss Martian is on the other side.
Robin: How can my first mission as Leader go so wrong?
Aqualad sets down the two pieces of the glow stick before looking to the youngest member.
Aqualad: "You do have the most experience. But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are clearly defined. You two do not need to talk. But this team is new. A leader needs to be clear, explicit. He can not vanish and expect others to play part in an unknown plan."
Robin: Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands? [Groans] Ah, who am I kidding? You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can.
Kid Flash: Please! I can run circles -
Nathan: Wally, come on. You know he's the one we all do.
Miss Martian: Hello, Megan! It's so obvious.
Superboy: Coulda told ya.
Everyone turns their attention towards Kid Flash with a frown. Wally brings his hands off his hips and over his shoulders as he shrugs, then brings his hands back to his hips and smiles.
Kid Flash: "Okay."
Aqualad: [to Robin] "Then I accept the burden until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon."
Robin is smiling the whole way through the speech and confirms the terms with a small nod. He turns away and looks at all of the team.
Aqualad: "Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island."
Robin: [smirks] "Funny. I had the same thought."
________________________________________
On the helipad, Sportsmaster is in the chopper while Shimmer and Kobra remain outside listening to it creak and stutter, but not start.
Sportsmaster: Sabotage. Robin?
Kobra: Undoubtedly[ to Shimmer]. Find the problem. Fix it.
Shimmer bows and walks off as Sportsmaster steps beside Kobra, and one of his agents and Blockbuster join the two.
"Master, shall we send search parties after the intruders?" he asks.
Kobra: "Don't be absurd, they'll come to us."
Kobra snarls, walking away.
_________________________________________
The team ran through the tunnel mine as Robin looked at the H.U.D. on his glove.
Robin: Sportsmaster's the supplier-slash-buyer. But it still doesn't track. He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work.
Kid Flash: And neither of them have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom.
Nathan: That took some major nerdage.
Aqualad: I believe the expression is ＂tip of the iceberg＂."
Aqualad states, coming to a stop as they see Bane standing in front of their exit. Something long and metal dropping from his grip. Joining at least half a dozen more just like it on the ground.
Bane: Halt, niños. I'm feeling explosive.
Behind them are explosives on the second to last support beam. Judging by the cave in which they experienced it, they wouldn't make it out in time.
Aqualad: You betrayed us. Why?
Bane: I want my factory back.
Aqualad: [telechnetic link] Kid, you'll need a running start.
Aqualad says through the mind link, the ginger does as he's told and slowly starts taking steps backward.
Bane: "So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying." he smirks proudly before continuing. "If the latter, the Justice League would certainly come to avenge their sidekicks. And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect."
Bane pressed the trigger, but Kid Flash ran past him and took it before he did.
Kid Flash: With what? This trigger thingy?
Bane went to go punch the ginger but was pulled back and away by an unseen force. Or rather M'gann's telekinesis. Now being held a good ten feet off the ground, the others join her where Bane can see them.
Superboy drops into a fighting stance.
Superboy: Finally.[To Miss Martian] Drop him.
She looks up innocently as she drops her hand, the force holding Bane diminishes, and he falls right into the hard uppercut from Superboy.
________________________________________
The helicopter is now up and running again, and they're loading the product once more.
"The helicopter is operational, exalted one." An agent states the rather obvious. Sportsmaster walks back down towards the chopper with the silver box from before. Only to be stopped as Kid Flash runs in and takes out the two furthest agents in the rows on both his sides, then over to one of the agents now shooting at him. Kicking him in the chest and knocking him away from the gun.
Kobra: Take the shipment!"
Kobra commands. Two more agents come up behind him, and as Sportmaster goes to leave, Superboy drops in, cracking the concrete mere feet away from the helicopter.
Superboy: "Go again?"
He asks Mammoth. The monster roars, Kid Flash takes out one other Kobra agent between the two super-strong forces, just as he gets within striking distance a stream of water takes out the monster.
Superboy: "Sorry. Not the plan."
Mammoth looks over to ensure that Aqualad isn't being ambushed as he holds the water stream.
Sportsmaster gets behind Superboy, using the cover of the helicopter, and hits him with a bright red blast from his gun on the teen's back. He gets two more shots, then starts rapidly firing as he manages to force the clone backward. In his distraction, Miss Martian goes unseen.
Until she tries to swoop in and help, only for Sportsmaster to hit her hard, disabling her camouflage and get her in a chokehold. All while still shooting at Superboy.
Then, Sportsmaster saw Wildmutt running towards him on all fours, knocking on all the cultists. Wildmutt jumped in the air and was gonna land towards Sportsmaster, but gone shot out of the sky.
Kid Flash takes out one of the few remaining cultists' guns, swiping his mask in the process.
Kid Flash: "Souvenir."
Kid Flash then continues to run as the agent falls unconscious. Shimmer and Kobra are taking a step back.
In a second, a bola wraps around her body and knocks her to the ground. Looking to the source, Kobra glares at Robin.
Robin: "I know you hate getting your hands dirty."
Kobra: "True."
Kobra reaches up and takes off his cloak. Revealing his shaved head and matching pale body.
Kobra: "But sometimes even a God must stoop to conquer."
Robin smirks and charges at Kobra, bringing a knee up with a high jump. Only for Kobra to block it with one hand. His eyes widen but narrow as he drops back down and goes to sweep out his feet. Kobra only needs to lift one leg. Robin pushes off the ground once more, a roundhouse aiming right for Kobra's face. The Cult Leader catches with a singular hand, then front kicks the teen in the chest and watches as he flips to land on his feet once more and slides back a few feet. His teeth clench, but he doesn't attack again.
Kobra: "What's wrong, boy? You look disconcerted."
Kid Flash runs around, taking out three more Kobra agents standing in a semicircle. The fourth remains and goes to shoot at Kid Flash only to be shoulder checked by the super speeding streak.
Aqualad continues to push Mammoth farther with the water stream. Putting away a WaterBearer, his hand sparks like the eel that his tattoos mirror would. He touches the water to conduct the electricity. Lighting the monster up like a Christmas tree. His tattoos turn back to black as he puts his other WaterBearer back.
Wildmutt jumped into the air and attacked the cultists, knocking them out.
Still firing at Superboy and holding Miss Martian, Sportsmaster begins to back up into the loading bay of the chopper.
Sportsmaster: "Thanks for the workout, but I gotta fly."
Sportsmaster then pauses in his firing long enough to throw Miss Martian into Superboy and knock both of them to the ground.
Both of them don't even move as the chopper takes off. Miss Martian shows the trigger that they took from Bane to Superboy with a smile. Then, it depresses the top.
Sportsmaster doesn't even know the explosives are there until it detonates. Setting the loading bay of the chopper on fire and blowing out the back. With that much of the chopper wreaking, Sportsmaster loses control, and seeing where he's going to crash, he jumps out of the helicopter.
The chopper lands directly on the factory, destroying the whole thing.
_______________________________________
Bane can only watch as he's tied to a tree on the cliff by the exit to the tunnel. Anger showing, even through his mask.
________________________________________
Robin gets knocked to the ground, and Kobra's massive foot stepping onto his chest. Despite being the Boy Wonder, he can't move the foot, keeping him pinned.
Kobra: "I am plagued by mosquitoes!"
Kobra proclaims, glaring down at Robin.
Robin: Good, because this mosquito is mighty concerted over your pain!
He executes dual helicopter kicks to fully knock Kobra's leg off his chest, then rolls into a handstand and springs back towards the rest of the team.
The six stand ready to fight, Kobra glances to the side, then steps back calmly.
Kobra: "Another time then."
Kobra then disappears into the shadows.
Robin attempts to follow but is shocked to find only shrubbery and darkness. He walks back to find the other five still waiting, though Miss Martian comes back to the ground.
The hourglass symbol on Wildmutt's left shoulder started beeping and flashing red. When the beeping stopped, a red light engulfed Wildmutt, and he turned back into Nathan.
Robin: We picked the right guy to lead."
Robin tells Aqualad sincerely.
Robin: "Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman!"
Robin then walks away, laughing. Aqualad can only look down in thought.
________________________________________
[Timeskip]
Mount Justice; August 4th; 13:06 EDT
It was the next day, and the team was getting chewed out by Batman.
Batman: A simple recon mission. Observe and report! You'll each receive written evaluations detailing your many mistakes. Until then: good job.
All of their heads snap up in shock, then look to Batman out of the corner of their eyes.
Batman: No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads determines character.
Robin smiles, and Aqualad looks down at the smaller boy and does as well.
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Sportsmaster: All I managed to recover is a single vial of Kobra-Venom.
Sportsmaster holds it up to prove his point.
"Peut-être..." The formula can be reverse-engineered." a projected voice says, with a slight accent. " Mias, what of these heroes?" The voice comes from a screen which looks to contain only a container. "First Cadmus, then Mister Twister. Now, Santa Prisca."
"Once is happenstance." another agrees, his voice dark, and turning darker as he continues. "twice is coincidence. But three times is enemy action, and enemies of the Light must not stand."
The End/Outro: