B I A L Y A
September 4, 11:55 EEST
To say Silverbird's head hurt would be a gross understatement.
When Reese blinked her eyes open, the first thing she noticed was that it was hot. Hot and--and sandy. As if she were in a desert, which was weird because the last thing Reese remembered was going to a St. Patrick's Day parade in Star City with Roy and Oliver.
The second thing she noticed was that she was, in fact, in a desert. A vast expanse of open sand and rocky outcroppings that was definitely not Star City.
Where was she?
Silverbird opened her mouth, to call out or Canary Cry she wasn't entirely sure yet, but she didn't need to worry about figuring out, because her throat was so dry she wasn't able to make a sound.
What exactly had she done, swallowed a gallon of sand?
Wearily, Reese pulled herself to her feet, leaning against a column of rock in order to catch her breath, when she suddenly heard footsteps come from the other side of the rock.
Not knowing whether or not the newcomer was friend or foe, Silverbird took out her bow and nocked an arrow, waiting a few seconds more before she whipped around the column of rock, only to find herself pointing an arrow straight at Robin.
"Don't shoot!" he exclaimed quickly, holding up both of his hands, and Reese felt herself let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Pretty bird, it's me!"
"Robin?" she asked, her voice hoarse and grating from the sand scraping against it, and Dick let out a series of bobblehead nods. "What are you doing here?"
Dick only shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, but before either of them could say anything more, Silverbird caught the sound of tires coming towards them.
Apparently, Robin heard them too, because he grabbed her hand and dragged Reese up the cliff with him, the two of them ducking behind an alcove about halfway up the rock just as a Humvee drove by, soldiers standing on the sides.
The weird thing was, Silverbird recognized those uniforms. And also, it seemed, did Robin.
"Those are Bialyan Republican Army uniforms," Dick whispered as Reese peered over the rock, watching as the Humvee and soldiers drove away. "But, what are Bialyans doing in...Bialya!"
Silverbird glanced over her shoulder as Robin pulled up his holo-computer, the map that appeared showcasing that the two of them were, in fact, in Bialya.
Uh-oh, Reese thought. This was bad, this was really, really bad.
"I think I have a better question than that, Boy Wonder," Reese murmured hoarsely as she stared at the holo-map before looking again towards Dick. "What are we doing in Bialya?"
"In September?" Robin added, noticing the date on the bottom of the map. "What happened to March?" Dick then reached for his commlink. "Better radio Batman,"
"Wait," Silverbird said quickly, grabbing onto Robin's gloved hand before he was able to tap his commlink as a thought ran through her head.
She couldn't remember where from, frankly, she couldn't remember much at all, but Reese distinctly remembered Batman telling her and Robin to "maintain radio silence at all times.".
Silverbird wasn't entirely sure whether or not that was viable at the moment, but if Batman was worried about it, it'd be best if they didn't disobey him.
"Maybe you should...hold off on calling Batman," Reese said, still holding onto Dick's hand before it was able to connect his commlink.
Robin gave a slow nod before he flipped off the alcove he and Silverbird were currently perched on, Reese following a few seconds later.
When she landed on the sand, Silverbird noticed that Robin had walked over to a small rock, picking up what looked like a piece of fabric that had been sitting there.
"What's that?" Reese asked softly, her voice still a bit scratchy, but all Dick did was shake his head.
"I'm not sure," he answered, before holding the fabric out towards her. Warily, Silverbird grabbed it, immediately recognizing the familiar red shield.
"Superman?" she asked, but Robin only shrugged.
"When have you ever known Superman to wear black?" he questioned, and Reese had to admit that Dick had a point.
"Well, then," she retorted, crossing her arms. "What do you think is going on here?"
"No idea," Dick answered simply. "But, for some reason, I put a beacon right...there," Robin pointed to a particular spot on his holo-map once he had pulled it up again, and Reese raised an eyebrow.
"You think we should check it out?" she asked, and Dick nodded, just before Reese coughed a bit, her throat feeling a bit like sandpaper.
"You okay?" Robin asked her, mask lenses narrowed worriedly.
Unlike Batman and Robin, and Green and Red Arrow, for that matter, Silverbird's domino mask didn't contain mask lenses, so you were able to see her eyes at all times.
"My throat's just a bit scratchy," Reese answered. "I think I swallowed some sand," Dick quickly reached into his utility belt, but instead of pulling out what Silverbird assumed would be some sort of mini water bottle, Robin instead pulled out a golden arrowhead, which sparkled in the desert sun.
"What's this?" Robin asked, studying the small object, but all Reese could do was shrug.
"I have no idea," she answered. "But, keep it anyway. Maybe it's important," Robin gave a small nod in response, before slipping the arrowhead back into his utility belt.
Then, after Dick had reached into another compartment, he pulled out the mini water bottle and held it out towards her, but Reese didn't take it.
"What if you need it?" she asked, but Robin only shook his head.
"I'll be fine," he answered. "You obviously need it more than I do," he held the small bottle of water out further, but Reese just shook her head.
"Boy Wonder, we're in the middle of the desert," she told him. "What if you get thirsty?"
"I'll be fine," Dick repeated, practically shoving the water into Reese's hand. "Now, drink,"
"Fine," Silverbird muttered, before unscrewing the blue cap and taking a small sip, only to be caught by Robin's consecutive disapproving look.
"More," he said simply, and Reese glared at him, but complied anyway, drinking the water until the small bottle was empty.
When she was done, Silverbird tossed the bottle towards Robin, who caught it out of midair and put it back in his utility belt.
Reese would never admit it to Dick, but she already felt better.
"There," she said sharply. "Happy?"
"Very," Dick answered, before turning around and pulling up his holo-map. "Come on, if we want to find out why exactly we're here, we have a ways to go,"
-----
By the time the two of them got to wherever it was that Robin had placed a tracker, it had turned to night, and honestly, Silverbird felt like her legs had turned into wet noodles.
"Wish I could remember why I put a GPS marker here," Dick muttered as he and Reese reached the top of a sand dune, only for Robin to pull Silverbird down to the sand as he hit the dirt.
For a split second, Reese was able to see a large black box sitting in the center of a small sand clearing.
"Huh," Robin spoke up after a second. "Guessing that's why,"
"Oh gee," Silverbird shot back. "You think?" Dick sent her a dry look in response, before peeking over the top of the sand dune again.
There didn't seem to be anyone around, but Reese had a bad feeling. So, just as Robin went to hop over the top of the dune into the clearing, Silverbird grabbed his hand again, yanking him down next to her and making Dick land on his back with a soft 'oomph'.
"What was that for?" he asked, but Reese held a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Then, Silverbird closed her eyes, reaching out with her super-hearing and listening for any sounds that wouldn't belong in that of the Bialyan desert late at night.
For a good five seconds, she didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, but then she pushed her hearing further, and the sounds of several heartbeats reached Silverbird's ears, most of which obviously didn't belong to her and Robin.
"There we go," she whispered, opening her eyes again, and turned to Dick, seeing the Boy Wonder look fairly confused. "Ambush," Reese mouthed, and Robin's mask lenses widened the tiniest bit.
Slowly, Silverbird reached over her shoulder into her quiver and drew out a single arrow, one that would give her and Robin some much-needed cover.
But, before she was able to shoot it, over a dozen soldiers stood up from their spots in the sand, guns pointed right at where Reese and Dick were hiding.
"[Her Majesty wants them alive!]" one of the soldiers shouted in Bialyan, and Silverbird's eyes narrowed as she processed his words.
But, before she could think too much on it, Reese shot her arrow and the cylindrical weapon landed true, right smack-dab in the middle of the soldiers, where a choking gray smoke appeared.
As the soldiers coughed and wheezed, trying to get the smoke out of their eyes, Robin and Silverbird moved in, working in tandem to defeat the soldiers and to hopefully avoid causing an international incident.
While Robin took down three soldiers at once, Silverbird found herself corned, two soldiers on either side, but before they could capture her, Reese shifted her bow so she was holding it horizontally, and then slammed it into one soldier's stomach, pivoting on her right foot and throwing her left in a high kick that knocked two others out in one fell swoop.
But, that still left one more soldier completely fine, and the one Silverbird had winded with her bow. Though Reese was only able to see the soldiers' eyes, considering their mouths and noses were covered by fabric masks, she could guess as to what their expressions were.
Both soldiers lurched towards Silverbird at the same time, and Reese crouched down, just as two bolas flew towards them, wrapping around the soldiers and knocking them to the ground.
Silverbird turned her head up in time to see Robin's arms lowering again, and Dick sent her a crooked smile. Over Robin's shoulder, Reese caught sight of a soldier creeping up behind him, and she quickly shot an arrow over his shoulder, the arrowhead opening up and causing a boxing glove to appear, hitting the soldier right in the face and knocking him unconscious.
"Where'd you find that?" Robin shouted as he kicked away two other soldiers, and despite the potentially dangerous situation they were in, Silverbird found herself laughing.
"An old trick GA taught me!" she answered, popping up beside Robin as the Boy Wonder threw his birdarangs at three soldiers, the blades knocking the guns off of two of them.
As Dick ran towards the last one, whose gun was still within his grip, Reese went up against the two who had begun to chase Robin, sticking her foot out and causing the two soldiers to trip over each other.
Robin leaped up onto the shoulders of one of the soldiers, twisting around and throwing him into two others, landing and sliding back on the sand.
Silverbird stood next to him just as one of the soldiers, presumably the one in charge, yelled to the others in Bialyan.
"[Enough!]" he cried. "[Open fire!]"
"Move!," Silverbird shouted, just as a spray of bullets came flying towards her and Robin, prompting both birds to flip away from them. There had never been another moment that Reese was more glad that Dick had taught her acrobatics.
But, just as soon as the gunfire began, it stopped, and Reese tilted her head, moving her hair away from her face in time to see a streak of shadowy red and black run in front of the soldiers, and when it disappeared, the soldiers' guns were gone from their hands.
"I'll hold that," a relievingly familiar voice called out, and Silverbird found herself smiling. "Thanks,"
Kid Flash, for some reason dressed in a black costume contrasting to his usual yellow, skidded to a stop in the sand, dropping the now-confiscated machine guns on the ground before running forward again and joining Robin and Silverbird in their fight against the soldiers.
Footsteps from behind her made Silverbird spin around, arrow at the ready, but before she was able to shoot, the two soldiers went flying backward, and for a moment, all Reese was able to do was blink in shock.
She turned around, seeing that Robin was just as shocked as she was, before they both turned to look up, just as a levitating girl with green skin and an outfit reminiscent of Martian Manhunter's appeared in the sky.
Wally grabbed another soldier by the boot and spun him around for a few seconds, gaining momentum, before the teenage speedster let go, letting the soldier slam two others down to the ground.
From the corner of her eye, Silverbird saw another soldier running away, and she went to shoot another arrow, but before she could, someone else's arrow flew over her head, splitting into a bola and wrapping around the soldier's legs, throwing him to the ground.
Confused, Reese turned around, along with Robin, Kid Flash, and the green girl, to look up at a nearby sand dune, where another girl stood, maybe a little shorter than Wally, dressed in a green ensemble with a long blonde ponytail, holding a bow.
"KF!" Robin exclaimed excitedly, going forward and exchanging a fist bump with Wally. "Man, it's good to see a familiar face,"
"Hey, Rob," Kid Flash greeted back before Reese suddenly found herself being spun around at superspeed by the red-haired speedster. "And Robin's pretty bird,"
Silverbird was too dizzy at the moment after KF had set her down to glare at Wally for teasing her about Dick's nickname.
"Memory loss?" Wally asked as Reese straightened up, setting a hand against her forehead and nodding.
"Six months," she answered wearily, mentally willing everything in front of her eyes to stop spinning. No matter how many times she had told Kid Flash to stop spinning her around, he never listened.
"Let's hogtie these creeps and compare notes," Robin said firmly, setting a hand on Silverbird's shoulder and glancing at Reese worriedly before turning to glare at KF, who just gave Dick a nervous smile in response.
-----
"So..." Silverbird began slowly once Miss Martian, who seemed to be the green girl, had explained everything that had apparently happened. "We're a team?"
"The five of us and Superboy," Miss M answered, and Robin's eyes widened.
"Then this must be his," Dick observed, holding up the piece of fabric he and Reese had found earlier.
"Yes!" Miss Martian exclaimed, taking the fabric from Robin and holding it in her hands. "Did you see him?"
"I think we did," Artemis, the blonde girl who had come with Wally, said before Reese was able to open her mouth as KF rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Feral boy?" Wally asked. "Some teammate. He attacked us,"
"He didn't know who we are," Artemis tried to reason with the speedster, before gesturing to herself. "I don't know who we are,"
Robin and Silverbird glanced at each other for a moment before Reese spoke up.
"I remember Batman saying we needed to keep radio silent," she shrugged. "Our team probably works for him," While Dick nodded in agreement, Wally, it seemed, wasn't convinced.
"How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" the speedster asked, and Reese crossed her arms.
"I'm sure the day the Flash creates a team is a day that Batman reveals his identity to the world," she answered simply, and Wally glared at her, before he poked a finger at the lightning symbol on his chest, causing his suit to turn from dark gray to its usual yellow.
"This is so cool!" he exclaimed, and Silverbird quirked an eyebrow as Wally kept poking himself, his suit continuously changing from black to yellow to black to yellow, over and over again.
Robin and Artemis tried as well, but they weren't having much luck, and Reese slapped Dick's hand away from where it kept poking his R-emblem because frankly, it was starting to annoy her.
"We look ridiculous!" Artemis exclaimed after a moment, before turning to glare at Wally. "Quit touching yourself!"
As Wally and Artemis continued to argue, Reese groaned to herself, pressing her palms against her face. God, did these two always fight this much?
"We need our memories back," Artemis said finally, turning to look at Miss M, who had been wringing her hands together up until this moment.
Miss Martian placed her fingers on either side of her head, and the next thing Silverbird knew, she, Robin, Kid Flash, and Artemis were standing inside a room that had various facets all around that distinctly reminded Reese of tv screens.
After a moment, Miss Martian's voice came through, only this time, Reese felt it inside her head, which was weird on so many levels.
'I've brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far,' Miss M said. 'But, I need your help.'
Then, Miss Martian fully appeared "inside her mind", and she began to talk normally again.
"Together, our broken memories can form a whole, if you open your minds to mine,"
Reese didn't really see a problem with it, but Artemis, on the other hand, was most definitely not on board with this whole thing.
"You want to paw through our private thoughts?" the blonde asked, stepping back a bit, and causing Silverbird to raise an eyebrow again in suspicion as Miss M quickly held up her hands.
"I have no wish to intrude," the martian admitted. "But--"
"You need to hack our minds to figure out what happened to us," Robin finished her thought. "Got it. Go,"
"My brain's all yours," Wally added. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you,"
"Or underwhelm you," Reese retorted, glaring slightly at Wally as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hey," Robin spoke up suddenly. "Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" To that, Reese was only able to shrug.
Artemis, though, still seemed a bit skeptical, but reluctantly agreed once Wally had gently grabbed her hand.
"Last six months only," the blonde archer said firmly. "And only what you need,"
Miss Martian gave a nod before four massive glowing blue hands appeared and flew slowly towards Reese and the others, landing solidly on each of their heads.
And, holy crap, did she really spend that much time with Dick when they weren't with the team?
But, before Silverbird could worry too much about it, Batman's voice came through, and Reese suddenly what exactly had happened before she woke up in the desert and almost shot Robin with an arrow.
---
"The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman was saying, pulling up a holo-map inside the cave. "Spectral analysis has revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site, what landed there. Bialya is a rogue state ruled by Queen Bee,"
As he continued his briefing, Bruce pulled up another holo-screen, this time showcasing the ruler of Bialya. "It is not a member of the League's UN charter. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times. Silverbird, how is your Bialyan?"
Reese found herself staring up at Batman, a bit shocked. "Fluent," she answered simply. "Why?"
"As the Team's best linguist, it will be your job to try and negotiate with the Bialyans should things go south," Batman explained, before turning back to the holo-map, oblivious to the simple ton of pressure he had just dropped on top of Reese's shoulders. "You'll land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two clicks from the hot-zone,"
---
"All clear," Robin said once they had landed the Bioship in the Middle Eastern country, and as Superboy set up the machine they were using to test the site where Batman had spectral-analyzed, Silverbird went with Robin and Artemis to peek over the dunes.
"The Bialyans control the sight," Artemis observed as the three of them peered down at a desert-camouflaged tent in a nearby clearing.
"Set up here," a then-unfamiliar voice said, and Superboy set down the machine, which he had been carrying like a backpack across his back.
"We'll be up and running in no time," Robin said as he began powering up the machine, Silverbird peering over his shoulder at the small computer screen that was on the side of the machine.
"Jackpot!" Wally exclaimed. "The site's lousy with zeta beam radiation,"
"Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent," Robin spoke up, as M'gann walked forward.
"I'll check it out on camouflage mode," the martian said.
"Good idea," the unfamiliar voice said again. "Go,"
But, Silverbird couldn't help but have a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she glanced towards Miss Martian as she got ready to leave.
"Be careful," Reese and Superboy said in unison, just as the final member of their team, Aqualad, walked in front of Miss M and Superboy.
"And maintain telepathic contact," he said simply, and M'gann nodded.
"I will Aqualad,"
---
"Aqualad!" the five of them cried out, and Reese discovered they had all exited M'gann's mind and were now back in the Bialyan desert.
"Where is he?" Silverbird asked worriedly.
"What happened next?" Robin added, but M'gann only shook her head.
"I don't know!" she exclaimed. "That's the last thing I--we remember,"
"We landed twenty-four hours ago," Wally spoke up, rubbing his head nervously after he and Artemis realized they were still holding hands. "If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long, well, that's not good for a guy with gills,"
A thought suddenly ran through Reese's mind, and she smacked her hand against the back of Robin's head, knocking Dick forward a few inches.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?"
"I told you we should've kept that water," she hissed, but Robin scowled.
"Well," he began, crossing his arms. "Excuse me for not wanting you to die of dehydration, pretty bird,"
"I don't have gills, Boy Wonder," Silverbird shot back. "Unlike Kaldur, I breathe oxygen, not water,"
"You still need water to survive,"
"Not as much as Aqualad does,"
"Ahem," The sudden sound of a throat-clearing cut into Reese and Dick's mini argument and the two birds turned to see both Wally and Artemis staring at them with identical smirks, which in turn made twin scowls appear on both Silverbird's and Robin's faces. "Are you two finished?"
"Right," Dick said quickly, pulling up his holo-map. "Now that I know to look for him. He's close!" Robin exclaimed after a moment of studying his map. "But he's not moving,"
Luckily, Dick was right, and the five of them managed to locate a delirious Aqualad, who was, Reese realized, in desperate need of rehydration.
Carefully, M'gann sat Kaldur up, but their leader was currently muttering incoherently in Atlantean and wasn't making much sense.
"I can't restore his memories in this state," Miss M said morosely.
"He needs immediate rehydration," Robin spoke up. "Call the Bioship,"
"It's out of range," M'gann answered, before turning to Wally. "But, you can get him there fast,"
"He's too heavy," Wally said, sounding as if he were almost out-of-breath. "And I'm too low on fuel. Right now," he jerked a thumb towards Artemis. "I couldn't even carry her,"
Artemis scoffed, pushing away KF's hand before she spoke. "Why not just...levitate him back?" she asked.
"I can't," M'gann answered firmly, laying Aqualad back on the sand. "I have to find Superboy. Six months ago, he didn't exist. He has no memories, just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him,"
"Superboy's practically indestructible," Silverbird spoke up, gesturing to Kaldur. "Aqualad's the one who needs you right now,"
But, M'gann only grabbed her head. "No!" she shouted. "Superboy's in pain!"
"M'gann, wait!" Artemis shouted as Miss M began to fly away like a rocket, as Robin cupped his hands around his mouth.
"We still don't know what erased our memories!" he cried. "It could happen again!"
But, it was too late, M'gann was already gone, and Reese was left with Artemis, Wally, Dick, and an unconscious Kaldur, with no way to get him back to the Bioship before he completely dried out.
"Perfect," Silverbird muttered sarcastically, walking a few steps away and kicking the sand angrily. But, when she did, she must have dislodged something, because the next thing Reese knew, she was falling down the hill.
She let out a small scream, not loud enough to be a Canary Cry, but loud enough to catch the attention of Robin, KF, and Artemis, who all looked around, shocked at the sudden disappearance of their brunette teammate.
"Reese?" Robin called out, but when there was no answer, he began running. "Rhysalin!"
"Down here," a small voice called back, and Dick poked his head over a particularly large boulder, giving a sigh of relief when he saw a dazed Silverbird sitting at the base of the hill, rubbing her head.
Quickly, Dick slid down the hill, skidding to a stop beside Reese and gently pulling the brunette to her feet, making sure she wasn't injured.
"You okay?" he asked softly as Artemis and Wally joined them, the speedster dragging Kaldur behind him by the ankles, and Reese gave a small nod.
"I'm good," she answered, before shifting some sand, revealing two long wooden poles and a large piece of canvas. "And, I think I have an idea,"
Quickly, with Robin's help, Silverbird had tied the canvas to the two poles, creating a sort of gurney/stretcher, which the four young heroes used to carry Aqualad towards the Bioship.
Well, Artemis and Wally dragged the gurney behind them, while Dick used his holo-map as a way to find their way back to the Bioship, and Reese acted as their lookout, listening for any Bialyan soldiers that might be headed their way.
Suddenly, a noise hit her ears, and Silverbird held up a hand, signaling everyone to stop, which they did so immediately.
"Quick!" Robin whispered hurriedly. "Over here,"
Then, the four of them, plus a still-unconscious Kaldur, quickly darted behind a rocky column, just as more Bialyan Army Humvees drove across the sand.
As the Humvees passed, Robin peered around the outcropping, before turning back towards Silverbird and the others, where Kaldur was murmuring in Atlantean.
"Shh, Kaldur," Artemis whispered. "Quiet now,"
"What's he saying?" Robin whispered to Silverbird, and Reese clenched her eyes shut.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Normally it takes a few minutes for--" her eyes flew open, glowing silver for a moment as the new language entered her brain before they turned brown again, and Silverbird shook her head, the cloud inside her mind clearing. "Nevermind,"
It was odd, the way her omnilinguistics worked.
In order to fully absorb a new language, Reese need only hear a sentence or two spoken fluently before the entire language itself would enter her brain, causing her to be able to speak the language, whether it be Romanian, Bialyan, or even Atlantean.
Reese wasn't entirely sure if it would even work with alien languages, she had never tried.
"So?" Wally's voice made Reese glance towards the speedster. "What is our oh-so-powerful leader muttering about?"
Silverbird sighed. "He...He wanted to stay in Atlantis," she said quietly, and the eyes of Robin, Kid Flash, and Artemis all widened. "But, it's also not my place to admit things. If Kaldur would like to tell us about it, he can do it on his own terms. Not right now,"
"She's right," Robin said quickly. "But, we also can't risk a firefight with Aqualad KO'd like this,"
"It's not just him," KF added, rubbing his neck. "I'm way out of juice,"
"And I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis exclaimed, slightly exasperated, but before Silverbird was able to add anything to the conversation, Robin had already grabbed her hand, dragging Reese with him as he went off to who-knows-where.
"Come on," Dick whispered quickly, before glancing over his shoulder. "Think you can provide a distraction for a few seconds?"
Reese, unlike Artemis, had hardly needed to use any of her own arrows, surprisingly, so her quiver was still three-quarters of the way full.
Silverbird nodded, and Robin gave another crooked smile before the two birds diverged, with Dick going one way and Reese the other.
Ducking behind a sand dune, Silverbird peered over the top to see another squad of soldiers standing within an open clearing.
Carefully, she nocked an arrow and drew back her bowstring, before shooting it over the heads of the soldiers, the subtle flash of the metal arrowhead diverting their attention long enough for Robin to deposit his birdarangs.
All too soon though, the two of them headed back towards where Artemis, Kid Flash, and Aqualad were stationed, only to find the first two arguing, per usual.
"Amnesia, remember?" Artemis was scowling, oblivious to the fact that Robin and Silverbird had returned. "Completely forgot how truly annoying you are,"
"Oh, like you're the Goddess of Congeniality?" Wally shot back.
"Yeesh," Robin cut in, making both turn towards where he and Silverbird were crouching beside Aqualad. "Get a room,"
"Dude," Kid Flash cut in. "Where were you two?"
"Breaking radio silence,"
Reese found herself smirking as there was a buzz before Dick's telltale Robin cackle echoed through the desert night air, causing the soldiers to go off and investigate, leading to an explosion and a cloud of smoke.
"That's our cue," she said simply. "Move!"
Once again, Artemis and Wally grabbed Kaldur's stretcher, dragging their leader and friend across the sand as the soldiers were distracted by Silverbird and Robin's own "distraction".
Q U R A C
September 5, 02:32 EEST
Finally, finally, they made it back to the Bioship on the Bialya-Qurac border, and Artemis and Reese quickly hooked Kaldur up to an IV that put water back into his veins.
Before long, M'gann's voice entered Silverbird's head.
'Hey, everybody!' the martian exclaimed. 'I've got Superboy. He's back to normal and we're on our way,'
Kaldur suddenly shot up from where he was laying on a makeshift hospital bed within the Bioship, looking fairly shocked.
"Who are you?" he cried out, surprisingly in English. "And how did you get inside my head?"
As Reese and Artemis gently pushed Aqualad back down on the bed, M'gann spoke again over the mental link.
'Hello, Megan!' she exclaimed. 'Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something.'
'Aw, man,' Wally suddenly groaned mentally. 'Me too. I didn't get a souvenir from the mission!'
'Don't worry,' M'gann answered. 'Got the souvenir thing covered,'
For a moment, Reese wondered what M'gann was talking about. Then, she met the weird alien ball thing that Superboy brought to the Bioship, and she figured it would probably be better if she didn't ask.
-----
Wow, two updates in three days, I feel proud of myself.
So, once we get to the Invasion arc, I'm adding in two more OCs, and one's primary weapon is basically a double-sided lightsaber. My Star Wars knowledge extends to The Mandalorian on Disney+ and no farther, so we'll see how that goes.
Next Up: Targets.