Chapter Six
Welcome to Happy Harbor
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GOTHAM CITY
JULY 17, 22:57 EDT
Katara was in her room finishing homework when Dick rushed in without knocking. She turned and rolled her eyes at his presence. It seemed that no matter the number of times she had told him to knock before entering her room, was nowhere to be found in his head.
"I️ got a hit! I️ know where Roy'll be!" Dick said in a rush, which caused Katara to dismiss the annoyance she once felt. She followed Dick out of her room and down to the Batcave to dress and zeta-beam. When they arrived in Star City, they found Kid Flash and Aqualad already awaiting them.
"Are we sure that he's going to be here?" Avatar asked her group of friends, as they made their way to the location. Robin glanced over his shoulder and nodded, "Green Arrow radioed in that Speedy's been getting to crimes faster than him. He'll be here."
Avatar nodded. Kid Flash sped off to analyze the area by the docks, before the group made an appearance. When he returned he said, "All good. No Speedy in sight."
Aqualad glanced around the freight car they hid behind and said, "Yet."
At his words, a small explosion caught their attention. They looked around the corner to see Speedy in the distance while the villain, Brick, aimed his enhanced weapon at the archer.
"You again! I'm startin' to get insulted Green Arrow's Not messin' up my operations personally," Brick announced and shot at Speedy. Avatar left the spot and went to assist Speedy. She launched a ball of fire at Brick, which incinerated his suit.
"Do you know what I pay for a suit in my size?! Scorch the Earth, boys," Brick declared to his henchmen.
Speedy narrowed his eyes at Avatar and rolled them when he saw Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash arrive. "What are you doing here, Kat?"
"We want you to rethink your decision to leave," Avatar informed him with a hopeful smile. Speedy sighed and pushed Avatar down alongside him. The shot of Brick's gun had luckily missed them. Brick launched a piece of rock at them which Avatar was able to easily deflect and launch back. Aqualad caught up to Speedy and Avatar and blocked an incoming attack.
"The cave is perfect. It has everything the team will need," Aqualad said to Speedy. Robin appeared behind them and added, "For covert missions, you know, spy stuff."
Avatar stood beside Speedy and told him, "Speedy, consider it, please."
Kid Flash sped towards them and said, "And wait till you see Superboy and Miss Martian. But I saw her first!"
Avatar rolled her eyes at his claim for a girl who didn't even like him. Funny enough, Speedy noticed her reaction and stifled a chuckle. Avatar heard him and turned to glare.
However, the sound of laughter caught their attention and the group turned to see Brick regain his strength. He launched a piece of rock towards them, which remained ineffective seeing as how Avatar was able to destroy it. Speedy stepped around her launched a series of arrows at Brick.
"Tell Arrow he shouldn't send boys to do a man's job," Brick said and stood up. He watched Speedy reload is now and opens up his arms. "Go ahead."
Speedy let go of his bowstring and set the arrow flying. It hit his chest directly and his eyes widened when foam began to incase his body.
Avatar smirked and said, "I️ see you took my recommendation."
Kid Flash's eyes widened and he turned to Speedy, "High-density polyurethane foam. Nice!"
"It was Avatar's idea," Speedy merely stated. Kid Flash fell open and he turned to gawk at Avatar. She, unfortunately, followed after Speedy as he began to leave the scene, paying no mind to the gawking speedster that followed her every move.
"So, Speedy, you in?" Robin asked his friend.
"Pass," Speedy replied to Robin. "I'm done letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a baby sitter or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids. Your Junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place. I don't want any part of it."
Avatar narrowed her eyes at her friend as he left. "So much for convincing him."
Robin placed a hand on Avatar's shoulder in comfort and said, "Don't worry, A. He'll warm up eventually."
Kid Flash and Aqualad nodded in agreement.
"For the time being, we should rest. Who knows what will await us tomorrow," Aqualad announced to the three.
Kid Flash grinned, "Speaking of... Aqualad, I️ was wondering if you could ask Red, if he had any missions for us."
The four left the docks and walked back to the zeta-beam teleporter in an alley way off second street.
"I️ will see what he says," Aqualad said when they arrived at the zeta-beam. "Until tomorrow."
Kid Flash turned to the remaining two after Aqualad zeta-beamed home.
"We aren't giving up on Roy right?" Kid Flash asked Robin and Avatar. The latter of the two raised their eyebrows and immediately replied, "No! Roy is just upset. Eventually, he'll realize he made a mistake and come back. We're his best friends. We'll never leave him."
Robin nodded in agreement. "That's a promise."
Kid Flash glanced at Avatar and saw how serious she looked. Now that Kid Flash thought about it, she always looked rather serious unless she was around Robin or himself. He guessed it had to do with her inability to decipher her emotions correctly. Although the two hadn't immediately bonded when they met, they eventually grew close and Avatar opened up to him about her past. And he felt for her. He believe she didn't deserve what had happened.
"We'll see you tomorrow, KF," Robin said to him. Kid Flash snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. See ya tomorrow. Rob, Kat."
Avatar smiled at him before she and Robin entered the zeta-beam and disappeared. Kid Flash sighed once they left and followed their actions and zeta-beamed home.
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MOUNT JUSTICE
JULY 18, 11:16 EDT
"Robin, b01; Avatar, bo2; Kid Flash, b03," The computer analyzed the incoming zeta-beamers.
Avatar, Robin and Kid Flash grinned at one another as they arrived on the platform and entered the cave. The trio rushed towards Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian, who were tracking Red Tornado's arrival.
"Did you ask him?" Wally questioned.
"What did he say?" Robin added.
"He's arriving now," Aqualad replied to the two.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Avatar glanced between them and ran off to the garage entrance with everyone else on her trail.
The group arrived in time to see the familiar Justice Leaguer arrive. "Red Tornado!"
"Greetings," He replied, his robotic voice finding Avatar's ears. "Is there a reason you intercept me outside the cave?"
"We hoped you had a mission for us," Aqualad told him.
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility."
Robin furrowed his eyebrows and glared behind his dark lenses, "But it's been over a week, and nothing—"
"You'll be tested soon enough," Red Tornado interrupted him. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."
"This is a team, not a social club," Avatar stated in annoyance as she crossed her arms.
"Yes, but I am told social interaction is an important team-building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the cave," Red Tornado declared and walked inside, leaving the heroes in frustration.
"'Keep busy'," Wally repeated and punched Robin.
"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin said with his arms crossed.
Miss Martian's eyes widened and she cried out, "Oh, I'll find out!"
She stared at the machine and realized her mistake. "I'm sorry. I forgot he's a machine, inorganic. I cannot read his mind."
Wally left his place from beside Avatar and approached Miss Martian, "Nice try, though. So, uh, you know what I'm thinkin' right now?"
Avatar rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, annoyed with his obvious attempts at flirting with Miss Martian.
"We all know what you're thinking now," Robin said in an annoyed tone and elbowed him.
"And now we tour the clubhouse," Aqualad announce to the group.
"Well, Superboy and I live here. We can play tour guides," Miss Martian suggested with a smile.
"Don't look at me," Superboy said when everyone turned to glance at him.
"We won't. A private tour sounds much more fun," Wally smiled at Miss Martian and leaned towards her. Robin clenched his jaw and replied, "Sh-she never said private!"
Aqualad stepped between them and announced, "Team building. We'll all go."
As Miss Martian led them around the cave, she pointed out different areas, "So this would be our front door And this would be the back. The cave is actually the entire mountain."
Katara's eyes wandered across the vast openness of the cave's balcony. If anything, this would probably be her favorite spot. She sighed as she left and followed after the rest of the group, the plain and expressionless state returning to her face.
Kid Flash stopped before the lower level and said, "It was hollowed out and reinforced By Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League."
"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy questioned.
"The cave's secret location was... compromised," Kaldur explained.
Avatar's eyes drifted among the group curiously watching their interactions.
"So they traded it in for a tourist trap? Yeah. That makes sense."
Miss Martian's eyes widened, "If villains know of the cave, We must be on constant alert!"
"The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here," Robin said to her, holding the hand that'd been on her temple. Avatar wanted to choke back a scoff at the sight. First Wally, now Dick? she thought, irritation slowly getting the best of her. However, it wasn't like Miss Martian and Dick were the ones that bothered her the most. It was the ginger who decided to step between them and separate their hands.
"Uh, he means we're hiding in plain sight," Kid Flash stated.
Miss Martian laughed, "Ah, that's much clearer."
Suddenly, an odd scent caught Avatar's nose. "Why does it smell like smoke?"
"My cookies!" Miss Martian fried, startling the group. "I was trying out grammy Jones recipe from episode 17 of —" Miss Martian stopped herself mid-sentence. "Never mind."
Avatar walked in and leaned against the kitchen counter on Robin's right side. "I bet they'd have tasted great," he said to her. "He doesn't seem to mind."
Kid Flash's eyes flickered among the group, "I have a serious metabolism."
Despite her annoyance, Avatar stifled a small laugh, which caught Kid's eyes. His expression softened and the bland taste of the cookies made him want to vomit.
"I'll make more?"
"It was sweet of you to make any," Kaldur said.
"Thanks, Aqualad."
"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm. Actually, my friends call me Kaldur," he said, a hand to his chest respectfully.
Already losing the secret identities? Avatar thought curiously. Miss Martian was nice enough, but Avatar wasn't permitted to reveal who she was. It'd been a fear growing up. Batman once voiced how it was crucial she remain under guard as she grew, since anyone could be looking for her to use her abilities to their advantage. Considering she was the last known person of her bending abilities, she was one of a kind — literally.
"I'm Wally," the speedster said in a quixotic tone. "See? I already trust you with my secret I.D. Unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden Boy and Girl Wonder from telling anyone their real names."
"Sorry," Robin shrugged. Avatar nodded, "Nothing personal."
Miss Martian could easily note the reservedness she exhibited. Whether it was because she was a stranger, Miss Martian didn't know. But she hoped it would soon resolve itself. "Mine's no secret. It's M'gann M'orzz! Like, you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name, and I'm on Earth now," She cheerily grinned.
The Martian's gaze settled on the tall, dark-haired boy and felt pity draw in her mind. Avatar was looking towards the ground when Superboy's scream shifted her into a state of agitation, "Get out of my head!"
"What's wrong? I don't understand," the voice of the Martian suddenly infiltrated her mind in a wave of nausea. Avatar couldn't help but feel helpless at the feeling, like someone was forcing her mind open at the loss of her strength. Still, it seemed to affect Avatar the worst. The memories that she spent so long repressing in her mind seemed like they were being forced to the surface, causing her to writher in pain. "Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically."
"M'gann, stop!" Kaldur managed to cry. "Things are different on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy."
"Avatar," Robin breathed to see her still clutching her head in pain. Wally's eyes flashed towards the girl and he wasted no time in placing a hand to her wrists.
Avatar gradually opened her eyes and saw the proximity between her and Wally. She jumped in surprise and swallowed the bitter taste of iron in her mouth. She'd bit her lip hard enough to draw blood it seemed like. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Wally and Robin said at once. Avatar merely shrugged their hands of her shoulders and wrists and said, "Don't worry about me."
I always worry, Wally wanted to scream at her. With a sigh, he let it go knowing how stubborn she could be. He turned to Megan to see the look of regret on her face.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine," he reassured, still standing closely to Avatar. "And cadmus' creepy little psychic genomes left a bad taste in Supey's brain."
Megan shook her head, "I... I didn't mean to—"
"Just stay out," Superboy warned her. Megan turned to Avatar and said, "I didn't mean to..."
Avatar merely shook her head at the Martian and wrapped her arms around herself. Had she seen anything? she silently questioned. Avatar glanced at Megan and noticed the look of sorrow and pity in her conflicted eyes — she had.
"Hello, Megan," Megan said after a few moments of tense silence. "I know what we can do."
The group shared a glance and shrugged before following the Martian out. Avatar reluctantly followed with Wally at her side.
"You know you don't have to put a front around me, Kat," She heard him whisper to her as they walked. Avatar glanced and him and bowed her head. She felt his eyes on her, yet what she didn't realize was that he longed for her to open up and talk about her emotions. It's always been a struggle to get her talking. Wally realized that after it'd taken her a few months to truly have fun and laugh around him.
Avatar kept her arms wrapped consciously around herself and said in a low voice, "It just brought back some bad memories is all."
Vague and simple — her answers were always anything but sufficient. Wally was known for his impatience and desire to move fast, it was what made him Wally. Yet, when he was around Katara, he always found himself at a steady pace; never wanting to move without her and certainly never pressuring her to keep up. He liked going slow around her.
The group walked into the hangar and saw a red mass in oval-shape. "It's my martian bioship," Megan pointed out.
Wally tilted his head, "Cute. Not aerodynamic, but cute."
Avatar glanced at the so-called ship and agreed with the ginger. "It's at rest, silly," Megan said. "I'll wake it."
With a wave of her hand, the red mass began to shape into a more dynamic suitable airship. Avatar's eyes slightly widened at the technology; she'd only ever seen such smooth ship on her home island.
"Well, are you coming?" Megan smiled at them. Robin glanced at the group and decided to step forward. Avatar followed his lead knowing if he deemed it okay then she'd be okay with it too.
If the others hadn't known better, they could have easily mistaken Robin and Avatar as twins by the way they acted normally. However, Avatar was more reserved while Robin was more outgoing. In contrast, their intellect and ability to solve a given situation was flawless. They'd become the perfect fighting duo (and trio if you included Batman). Still, their physical differences stuck out over anything. Robin's pale skin and midnight colored hair fitted perfectly, while Katara contrasted him with bronze-colored skin and chestnut locks.
Superboy, Wally and Kaldur followed after the siblings. Avatar warily stepped into the ship and was led towards the cortex of it by Megan.
"Strap in for launch," she told them as five chairs appeared around the center of command's.
Avatar took the one in the middle between Robin and Wally, while Kaldur and Superboy sat in the back ones. She clenched her jaw as the straps adjusted around her body as a safety measure and saw everyone in awe of the ship's ability. "Red Tornado, please open the bay doors."
In truth, Avatar never was one for flying if it wasn't done by her own means. Yet as the bioshio ascended into the sky, she couldn't help but sit in awe.
"This is amazing," She breathed out, looking down at Happy Harbor.
Beside her, Wally watched her dreamily and sighed in content at her now relaxed state. "She sure is," he let fall from his lips.
Megan, Robin and Avatar turned to him at the comment. His facing went florid and managed to closely resemble his hair color as he stuttered, "I—I mean the ship, Which, like all ships, is a she..."
Avatar raised an eyebrow at his anxiousness. She placed hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter. Robin nudged her and said, "Fast with his feet, not so much with his mouth."
"Dude!" Wally called, feeling embarrassed.
Megan watched their interaction in amusement and easily deduced the reason why Wally acted the way he did. Hello, Megan! He liked her, she thought to herself, like how Todd liked Megan in episode twelve... Her gaze drifted from the trio before her and fell on the boy sitting as far as he could from her.
Robin noticed her longing look and said, "He'll come around."
"He doesn't seem to like me much," Megan shrugged.
"You guys remember he has super hearing, right?" Wally added, bringing Avatar's attention to Megan and the boys. She noticed the crestfallen expression on the girl's face and couldn't help but feel bad about her reaction earlier.
Avatar knew she meant no harm yet the way she'd responded to the situation was when she was in her defensive state. She never was one to give people the cold shoulder; she simply was wary and hesitant about people she didn't know. Thinking for a moment, Avatar decided to make the first move in knowing her better.
"Hey, Megan," Avatar said, startling the Martian, "Can you show us a little martian shape-shifting?"
Megan wanted to cry out in joy at the girl's request. Eagerly, she stood from her sea, catching everyone's attention. The Martian first morphed into Robin; Avatar was astounded at how her clothing also shape-shifted with her. She flexed and then transformed into Avatar. Needless to say, the Avatarian girl's eyes were shocked to see the mirror image of her.
"And I thought one Avatar was amazing..." Wally spoke absentmindedly. Robin looked like he was about to roll on the floor and die from laughter as Kaldur and Superboy stared at him in curiosity. Megan fought back the smile on her lips and transformed to her usual self.
And Avatar... she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her hand gripped the sides of her seat and she didn't dare look at the speedster. Just a slip of the tongue... you know Wally, always saying things he doesn't mean, she thought in an attempt to calm and reason with herself. Meanwhile Wally was still the only one who hadn't realized what he'd said out loud.
"Anyways... that was impressive," Robin said, breaking the silence, "But you know you're not exactly gonna fool anyone with those."
"Mimicking boys is a lot harder," Megan said.
"And your clothes?"
"They're organic, like the ship. They respond to my mental commands."
Superboy grimaced, "As long as they're the only ones."
Slowly, Avatar found her voice again and managed to ask, "Can you density shift like Manhunter?"
Megan bowed her head, "No. I-it's a very advanced technique."
Robin glanced at his sister and best friend and smirked, "Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall," Avatar seemed to know where he was heading and was already biting her lip to hold back her smile, "When he tries it, bloody nose."
"Dude!" Wally cried in protest. His eyes drifted to Avatar and saw her suppressing her smile and slowly relaxed as his embarrassment reached a new high.
"Here's something I can do!" Megan smiled. "Camouflage mode."
The exterior of the bioshio suddenly vanished, becoming invisible to outsiders. Avatar smiled slightly and thought it similar to Wonder Woman's own invisible jet.
Suddenly, the familiar robotic voice of Red Tornado was heard. "Red Tornado to Miss Martian. An emergency alert has been triggered At the Happy Harbor power plant. I suggest you investigate covertly. I'm sending coordinates."
"Received," Megan said, "adjusting course."
Avatar sat still as the bioship shifted to adjust its course. Her eyes wandered down to the power plant not far from them and watched the bioshio slowly descend.
"Tornado's keeping us busy again," Robin said, catching Avatar's knowing glance.
"Well, a simple fire led you to Superboy. We should find out what caused the alert," Megan said while she descended the ship.
Superboy turned out the window and called, "I think I know the cause."
Before Avatar could register what was happening, the bioship spun wildly out of control as it became trapped in a twister. Avatar glanced to see the wind and attempted to move her body to stop its course. However with the inability to properly move, she felt defenseless. Megan used her telepathic control with the ship to open the door to the side, dropping the heroes out.
Avatar breathed in deeply at the sight and instinctively glanced to her counterpart. Robin shared the same determined gaze and with a mere glance, she used the wind to cunningly move towards the source leaving the others behind. A slight guilt hit her chest knowing she'd not only left Wally behind, but she'd left the so-called team they were assigned to work together with.
However, Avatar and Robin were a duo. They'd only ever relied on one another and Batman, let alone an entire team. Their entire demeanor was built around being sly and cunning to get the end's meet.
Avatar settled herself and Robin on the ground before a red Android with neon blue tubes wrapped around his arms, although to them he appeared like an armored villain.
"Alpha Three!" Robin called, moving to get in his position. Avatar quickly placed her stance as Robin began to sprint towards the robot. In a flash and movement of her arms, he was spinning in the air with the use of her airbending ability and sending detonators toward the villain.
The detonators were quickly blown away along with Robin as he smacked into the podium behind him. The team eventually filed in to see the event play out "Who's your new friend?" Superboy asked, kneeling beside the boy.
"Didn't catch his name, but he plays kinda rough!" Robin replied, standing up with the help of Avatar.
The villain would've smirked, "My apologies. You may address me as Mr. Twister."
Avatar narrowed her eyes at the statement. Wally let his eyes flicker to the siblings and wondered why they would have left on their own, without telling him even. He shook the thought from his head and focused at the situation at hand. With a wave of his hands, Mr. Twister conjured up two more twisters and aimed them for the group. Superboy was caught in the wind, which resulted in the rest to take the offense after him.
Avatar moved forward and knew she'd be easily able to deflect his air attacks, knowing she could counter them. She agilely dodged a blow, and threw a ball of fire towards the villain. The ball was deflected and ended up causing an explosion within the power plant. Shit, she thought as she came to her senses about where she was. She needed a less destructive element. She needed water. Yet the closest water for miles was at the sea.
She grimaced as she was knocked off her feet and her back hit a metal raking. Wally growled at the villain and raced forward to attack but was knocked out of the building.
"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero. I was not, however, expecting children," Mr. Twister remarked as he looked at the only left still standing. Robin clenched his jaw and stood defensively in front of where Avatar was.
"We're not children!"
Mr. Twister remained unfazed at the simple attacks. "Objectively, you are. Have you no adult supervision? I find your presence here quite disturbing."
With the villain distracted with his explosives, Robin helped his sibling stand and asked, "You good?"
"Great," she replied. Robin rolled his eyes and saw Kaldur, Megan and Superboy on their feet as well.
Turning back to the villain, Robin smirked, "Well, we hate to see you disturbed. Let's see if you're more turbed once we kick your can!"
Avatar held back a chuckle and bended a piece of earth at the villain. The others' eyes widened as she successfully landed a hit on him, while the others were either knocked down again or smacked against one another.
Avatar clenched her fists as she stood her ground. In a sinister voice, Mr. Twister said, "Indeed. That was quite turbing. Thank you."
"I'm not finished with you yet!" Avatar cried, bending the air around her at will to propel her in front of the villain. He'd made it outside the power plant building and was walking towards Wally, when he stopped to see the teenage girl standing before him.
"You carry air too, I see," Mr. Twister said.
Wally's blinked, finally regaining consciousness. He groaned and glanced up to see Avatar standing before him. He didn't need to see her face to know the graceful smirk on her lips. "You think you're some hotshot airbender now? I've got water, fire, earth and air — bring it, hothead."
Mr. Twister appeared amused at her challenge. "Let's see you handle this storm," he said and unleashed a steady dozen of twisters. The spirals of air surrounded the girl, and she needed to move quickly.
Wally watched as she fought the wind around her and tried to turn it in her favor, yet Mr. Twister released another handful and it managed to overpower her enough and knock her back inside the power plant.
He gathered his strength and raced to comfort the villain. "What have you done to my team?"
"Embarrassed them, largely."
Before Wally could hit the ground, a telekinetic force caught him midair. He turned his head to see his team walking towards him. Avatar was walking with the help of Robin, his arm was wrapped around his sibling protectively. "I got you, Wally."
He thanked Megan and glanced at Avatar. "Are you good?" He asked with worry laced n his voice. She managed a weak smile and said, "I'll be fine once we took that wanna-be-airbender down."
The maniacal voice caught their attention once again. "I would have thought you had all learned your limitations by now."
"What do you want?!" Kaldur cried in frustration.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a real hero," Mr. Twister said. Avatar shifted her weight to her feet and held Robin's shoulder only slightly. Her muscles ached after the beating she'd received and she knew that she simply couldn't rely on air to win this battle.
Kaldur glanced at Megan. "Read his mind. Find a weakness."
"I thought I wasn't supposed to do that!" She said in distress.
"It's okay with the bad guys!" Robin said to her, turning himself and Avatar. Wally stood beside them and felt at a loss knowing she'd gotten hurt defending him earlier.
Megan closed her eyes and attempted. "Nothing. I'm getting nothing," suddenly, she giggled, "Hello, Megan! Mr. Twister is Red Tornado in disguise. He's inorganic, an android. And how many androids do you know that can generate tornados?"
Avatar furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head feeling uneasy about her assumption. "Red Tornado sent us here," Kaldur agreed.
Robin found himself nodding, "After saying we'd be tested soon enough. This is his test, something to keep us busy!"
"Rob, I've see Red generators his tornadoes... that didn't seem anything like them," Avatar protested, knowing that with the force she'd been attack with wasn't anything she's seen before. Especially from a leaguer she knew well like Red Tornado.
"Come on, A! He is," Robin said in an attempt to convince her. Avatar clenched her jaw. Wally bowed his head in disappointment, "Speedy called it. We're a joke."
Avatar was still unconvinced. Wally walked forward, "This game, so over."
Robin glanced at Avatar and saw her able to stand her own weight and let drop of the arm around her. He walked forward with Kaldur and Wally, "We know who you are and what you want!"
"So let's end this," Kaldur added.
"Consider it ended," Mr. Twister remarked and lifted his arms to conjure two twisters. They reached overhead and began to create a large storm.
"An impressive show, But we will not indulge you. We will not engage!" Kaldur called.
Avatar walked towards them with wide eyes to see the large influence the villain held over the winds. She could conjure and bend the air at will — tornadoes, gusts, blows — but this ability seemed to surpass that scale.
"Uh, can Red Tornado do that?" Wally asked curiously, pointing above them.
"I told you it wasn't him," Avatar stated solemnly. Robin gave her an apologetic glance.
"You think I'm Tornado? Ironic," Mr. Twister said cunningly. Avatar held her abdomen, too weak to move or make a barrier, as he sent a wave of wind and electricity towards the group. She was knocked off her feet and blown back with her team.
The pain in her body intensified as she laid against the ground.
Vaguely, she could hear the villain speak as she sat up. Avatar noticed Mr. Twister hovering close and saw Megan summon the bioship to hide them. Wally was mid-groan when Avatar reaches over and placed a hand over his mouth. Immediately freezing, he followed the hand over his mouth to see Avatar laying beside him. His eyes flashed with worry. She looked weak; which was an odd look coming from her. She was the strongest person he'd ever met and seeing her so tired made him infuriated.
"Fine, then. I won't deny you children have power," Mr. Twister said. "But playing hide-and-seek with you would not help me achieve my objectives, so stay concealed. If you confront me again, I will show no mercy."
With that said, Mr. Twister left the group of heroes and wandered to Happy Harbor. When he was gone, Avatar dropped her hand from Wally's mouth and sat up.
"What happened?" Wally asked.
"I placed the bioship between us," Megan said.
"And that's supposed to make it right? You tricked us into thinking Twister was Red Tornado!" Superboy spoke, standing an walking towards her. Avatar stood up herself and placed herself beside Megan, "I said he wasn't, no one listened. It wasn't her fault."
"Avatar is right. She didn't do it on purpose," Kaldur added.
"I-it was a rookie mistake," Robin said from beside Avatar. "We shouldn't have listened."
"You are pretty inexperienced," Wally shrugged. At that moment, Avatar's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and saw Megan's crestfallen expression. "Hit the showers. We'll take it from here."
"Stay out of our way," Superboy pushed past her and headed in the direction of Twister. Avatar felt bad about the way the events were playing out and hesitated to leave with Robin and the others.
Robin moved forward and saw Avatar standing still. "A, come on," he urged his partner. Avatar glanced at Megan and knew she wouldn't really be able to comfort her. Avatar nodded and followed after Robin, using earthbending to travel faster.
As they arrived at the scene, Twister was causing chaos left and right, releasing more and more twisters. "Certainly this will get the required attention."
Robin and Avatar landed on the ground as Wally sped to the villain, "You got ours: full and undivided!"
The speedster managed to land a hit in the villain's chest, pushing him back a few given feet. "Immaterial and insufficient! You are a distraction I can no longer tolerate."
Robin and Avatar contemplated their next move as Superboy dropped from the sky to attack. "Water," Avatar smirked taking a glance at the vast sea.
Robin caught on to her idea and nodded, "Maneuver H2O it is."
Carrying their plan out, Robin attacked with his gadgets while Avatar bended a whirlwind of water to the surface creating her own elemental tornado. Robin threw a handful of waterproof gadgets at the whirlwind and watched as Avatar bended then and wrapped the villain in the trap. Twister managed to escape the trap easily and continued to ward off a series of attacks from the group.
"Avatar, shield!" Robin cried. She moved quickly and lifted the ground to create a barrier-like wall to hide behind. Wally saw and rushed to the spot to contemplate his next move.
Beside them, Robin pulled out his all-too-familiar utility belt and began to adjust it. He pulled out Avatar's bending straps and tossed them to her, catching the attention of the ginger.
"You brought your utility belt?" He asked in shock. Avatar scoffed, "As if he'd ever leave without."
"First thing Batman taught me," Robin added with a smirk. Wally held back his own and said, "Yeah, right after never go to the bathroom without it."
Avatar nudged the speedster beside her as a familiar voice from earlier entered their minds again. "Listen to me. All of you."
"What did we tell you?" Superboy was the first to respond.
"I know, and I know I messed up, But now I'm very clear on what we need to do," Mega pleaded. "Please trust me."
Avatar let the bending straps fall from her hands as she clutched her head. Grimacing she opened her eyes to see the two boys looking at her in concert. "Got a plan?" Avatar replied, shocking them. "I do," Megan nodded, smiling to herself. "Let's hear it."
As Megan explained what she realized and the plan needed to be acted out, Wally reached over and began to wrap Avatar's straps around her wrists and lower arm. The girl watched him nervously, feeling the small grazes of his fingers touch her skin. The feeling she had was similar to the feeling she had when she bended fire. There was a warmth to his touch, yet it burned and chilled her to the bone all at once.
Wally gave her a small smile as he finished, "All set, Princess," he lowly said. Beside them Robin watched Avatar's florid face in amusement. "Thanks, Wally."
"If you two birdies are done, I think we have a situation to handle," Robin crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow teasingly. Wally cleared his throat, "Uh, right, right."
Finally revealing themselves, the heroes stood before Twister as 'Red Tornado' arrived. Avatar placed a look of confusion on her face, hoping it'd be enough to sell the act.
"Hit the showers, team," 'Red Tornado' said to them as he landed. "I was hoping you could handle this. Clearly you cannot."
"But we've got a plan now," Robin tried to argue. Avatar nodded along, "Just let us finish what we started."
"The subject is not up for debate."
As they walked away, Avatar created a wall which they stood behind. Gathering a stance, she placed her feet in the ground and breathed in deeply to feel the air course through her lungs. "I'm gonna need you to airbend for me while I focus on my transformation so it looks like I can really make tornadoes," Megan had said to her as she explained the plan. Wally and Robin leaned against the wall and watched her calmly follow her movements to the sound of their conversation. She could feel their movements through the earth and felt Megan in disguise move to bend air.
It wasn't until Megan said, "Longer than you might think," did the others step out from behind the wall and launch an attack. Avatar used airbending to create a twister of her own and move Twister to Superboy, who beat him down. From there, he was thrown in the sea where Aquila attacked and was later lifted from the water by Avatar. Megan used telekinesis to separate his arms and Robin threw his own gadgets.
Twister fell to his knees and the Android opened his body to drop what appeared a man to the floor. The moment he stepped on the earth, Avatar knew Megan had been right all along. She only felt awful because she hadn't thought to check the vibrations of the villain sooner.
"Avatar," Megan called to her after noticing the look of realization in her face. Avatar glanced at her and knew what she was about to say. She nodded and lifted a piece of earth into the air and hovered it before letting it drop down on the villain.
"Avatar, no!" Kaldur cried but was too late. The other stared in shock. Robin's eyes were wide and he felt horrified to have seen Avatar so such a thing.
Had she been mind-controlled? he thought quickly while millions of other explanations ran in his head. His quickest actions was to blame Megan.
"Don't know how things are done on Mars, but on Earth, we don't execute our captives!" Robin cried furiously. He turned to his sibling and saw her staring at the rock unfazed. "Avatar... you didn't —"
She turned to her sibling, "You've never doubted me before, Rob."
"And you said you trust me," Megan said. Avatar lifted the rock to reveal another android laying underneath. "That's why I couldn't read his mind."
Wally was the one who didn't seem surprised. He was shocked at first, true, yet he couldn't help it convince himself that Avatar would never do such a thing. He moved towards the smashed android and picked up the eyeball, "Cool. Souvenir."
"We should have had more faith in you," Kaldur said to the girls and curiously turned to the shorter of the two. "Avatar, how did you know?"
She glanced at the group. "The moment he fell from the armor. I should have been quick enough to check earlier but I'd been so caught up trying to match his strength with air that I failed to rely on my other senses. Being an earthbender, I can feel the vibrations of things in the ground. When he fell, he had a different rhythm — one I've only seen in metallic items. He was made of metal; a subcategory of earth. I should have realized."
"Don't even worry about it!" Wally said, walking to her side and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She felt fire. "You rocked this mission. Get it? Rocked!"
Avatar glanced down at the boulder beside them and nodded, unable to hide her laughter.
Robin nudged Megan and said, "Ignore him, she's the only one that ever laughs at his jokes. And we're turbed you're on the team."
Megan smiled at his comment and glanced at Wally and Avatar to see steaming glances from one another. Hello, Megan, could they be more obvious? she thought to herself. Continuing to watch, she saw how shy and open they were together all at once and thought, well, I guess not to themselves.
Kaldur was the one who said to gather the pieces in order to take them back to the cave. Avatar moved her hand and lifted the pieces as they walked back to the cave and set them down in the mission room for analysis. As they arrived, Red Tornado heard their report.
"It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy you," Kaldur stated.
"Agreed," Red Tornado said.
"Is that why you wouldn't help us?" Megan asked. Avatar rested her hand against her head as she let the others explain. Robin was seated beside her and Wally stood on her other side.
"No. This was your battle. I do not believe it is my role to solve your problems for you," Red Tornado said. "Nor should you solve mine for me."
"But if you're in danger —"
"Consider this matter closed," Red Tornado said and turned to leave.
Wally stood from his seat and crossed his arms, "Batman, Aquaman, and Flash, They'd have jumped right in to fix things."
Robin nodded, "Guess if we're gonna have a baby sitter, a heartless machine is exactly what we need."
"Dude! Harsh," Wally said to him. Avatar narrowed her eyes at her sibling, "Robin."
"And inaccurate. I have a heart, Carbon-steel alloy. I also have excellent hearing," Red Tornado spoke, leaving Robin at loss for words.
"Right. Sorry. I'll strive to be more accurate," He sheepishly stated. Avatar rolled her eyes and moved to wall towards the kitchens to eat something.
"And more respectful," Kaldur added.
"Maybe Speedy was wrong," Avatar thought out loud as she glanced at the people around her. She felt sad knowing one of her close friends wanted nothing to do with that, yet she couldn't dwell on it. She had other people who needed her too.
Wally grinned at the girl, "This team thing — "
" — might just work out," Robin finished with a smirk.
Avatar couldn't help the smile across her lips as she walked beside the people she'd slowly began to trust — her team.
✰✰✰✰
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I finally updated!!! Oh my gosh. If there are some mistakes, I apologize. I didn't have a real chance to read through this chapter myself and skimmed over paragraphs....
Guys, this chapter is 7,000+ WORDS....
Honestly one of the major reasons why it took me so long to write is because it's mainly dialogue and it definitely takes time to write in Katara/Avatar's characterization. Also I'm really trying to develop her and Wally's relationship find a way to fit her in with Artemis coming in... because as much as I love Wally + Art..... Wally + Katara is MY endgame.
Next update is hopefully coming soon, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and bare with me.
DEDICATION: smolderholders
Kim just wrote her own Robin/Dick Grayson fic based on the first season of Young Justice!! Please check it out and give this lovely soul the love she deserves. ILY KIM <3
ALSO CHECK OUT THE REVAMPED "BOOK I" section!!!! Featuring Wally + Katara gifs!!
— Mar