Mount Justice; August 8th; 09:58 EDT
Wanda stood when she heard a knock at her door, opening it to find Robin standing right there. "Hey, um," he cleared his throat, "Batman wants us to meet our new teammate. Apparently it's Green Arrows niece." She went to grab her wrist guard, slipping it on before following him to the main part of the cave.
"Really?" They walked in and as they did she felt the same mind that was in the gym here. At first she was gonna say something but decided against it when she felt the nervousness coming off of her.
"Team, this is my, uh, niece Artemis," Green Arrow introduced.
"Hey."
M'gann was the first one to speak amongst them. "Hi, i'm M'gann. That's Kaldur, Robin, Wanda and Superboy. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she said bluntly.
"Welcome to the cave," Kaldur offered.
Before anyone else could say anything Wally beamed in speeding to the group, about to speak but stopped when he saw Artemis. "Uh, who's this?"
"Artemis, your new teammate," she said, almost teasingly.
"Kid Flash. Never heard of you." Wally continued in the same insultingly teasing tone as Artemis.
Green Arrow stepped up. "Um, she's my new protogé."
Wally's eyes went wide. "Wha-what happened to your old one?" he questioned, clearly worried, but couldn't ask further as the Zeta-Tubes behind him were put in use.
Recognize: Speedy; B-0-6
"Well for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore," Roy stated, walking out of the Zeta Tube. "Call me Red Arrow." The three original protogé are both relieved and tensed to see him in the mountain, but it was Green Arrow who reacted the fastest.
"Roy. You look-" Green Arrow began, but Red Arrow cut him off as he walked to the center of training circle.
"-Replaceable." He nearly growled, his gaze zeroing in on Artemis.
"It's not like that." Green Arrow tried. "You told me you were going solo."
"So why waste time finding a sub?" Roy rhetorically questioned angrily. "Can she even use that bow?"
Artemis stepped up to defend herself. "Yes, she can," she said, almost chipper sounding as she got right in Roy's face.
"Who are you?" Wally finally questioned .
"I'm his niece." Artemis and Green Arrow said at the same time.
Kinda weird how she shows up without a trace.
I'm with you on that. Up for some investigating tonight?
Always.
A subtle grin appeared on Wanda's face as her link with Robin closed. "But she is not your replacement," Kaldur assured, speaking to Roy. Stepping up as Roy actually turned to look at him. "We have always wanted you on the Team, and we have no quota on archers."
From his left Wally pipped up, cheery once more. "And if we did, you know who we'd pick."
Artemis stepped up once more. "Whatever, Baywatch, I'm here to stay."
Roy immediately walked away from her. Right by Kaldur who stopped him by speaking up. "You came to us for a reason."
"Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette." Roy admitted, looking to Robin who tensed immediately at the name, making Wanda slightly worry.
Then smiling he pulled up the data on his hologlove. "Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City- vanished two weeks ago," The boy wonder stated as screens around the whole circle came up.
"Abducted two weeks ago by a blue blur. Most likely working for the League of Shadows." Roy corrected.
This grabbed Wanda's attention. "A blue blur?" Roy turned to look at her.
"And you are?"
"Do you have footage from when she was taken?" She continued, ignoring Roy's question. He looked at her one more time before pulling it up for everyone to watch. They saw as a blue blur surrounded the Professor, sucking the air out of her before disappearing. "It's him."
Wally sighed. "Great. So now your brother is working for the League of Shadows."
"Whoa, that's your brother?" Artemis asked. She didn't respond to her question still staring at the footage.
Robin' got back to the task at hand. "So you want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" he asked as he, Wally, and M'gann all stepped up.
"Hard-core," Wally agreed, offering a fist to Robin. Which the Boy Wonder hit on top, then underneath, then on top again.
While Roy replied tensely. "I already rescued her." Walking towards the lined up holo-screens. "Only one problem," He pulled out a small grey box which brought up a larger screen in front of the ones Robin put up. "The Shadows had already coerced her into a weapon," Glancing at the screen to make sure the data was up. "Doc calls it the Fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots, nanotech infiltrators, capable of disintegrating anything in their path- concrete, steel, flesh, bone.- but it's true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen data to the Shadows." Roy stood before the group, letting the horrible information fully sink in. "Providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting edge science and tech." he finished.
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, and power broking." Artemis picked up, decidedly ignoring the angry look from Wally and the knowing look from Robin. "Yeah. Sounds like the Shadows."
"Like you know anything about the Shadows," Wally scoffed, a smirk falling onto his face, but what he didn't expect was for her to smile tauntingly at him. His smirk fell and he looked confused before finally shouting out what was on his mind. "Who are you?!"
Roy deliberately ignored the spat. "Roquette's working on a virus to render the Fog inert."
"But if the Shadows know she can do that..." Robin began, quietly.
Roy agreed with him instantly. "They'll target her. Right now, she's off the grid." The picture changed again. "I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."
"You left her alone?" Wanda questioned, shocked.
"She's safe enough for now." Roy rebuttaled.
"Then let's you and I keep her that way," Green Arrow offered stepping closer to the young man he mentored.
"You and I?" Roy questioned, sounding both angry and surprised. "Don't you want to take your new protogé?"
Before Green Arrow could say anything, Batman placed a dark hand on his shoulder. Stopping the blonde in his tracks. He glanced back at the Dark Knight before turning back to Roy. "You brought this to the Team. It's their mission, which means it's her's now, too." Green Arrow said calmly.
Roy scoffed. "Then my job's done," he said walking back towards the Zeta-Tubes.
Recognize: Speedy-
"That's Red Arrow, B06. Update." Roy corrected. The Zeta Tube beeped, recognizing the update, and transporting him away. Behind his turned back Wally turned to Artemis with a glare, M'gann looked over as well, but she was more confused than confrontational. Artemis looked away from the gingers' looks. Robin noticed as Wanda stared after Roy as he left, she felt his eyes on her so decided to question him.
When was the last time you saw Roy?
On independence day, the same day we found you and SB. Why?
She ignored his question as they were given their assignment.
............................................................................
Happy Harbor; August 8th; 21:59 EDT
Outside Happy Harbor High, M'gann and Superboy were on the roof with the Bioship camouflaged over their heads. While inside the school Aqualad checked the window to the hallway by the Computer Lab. "Miss Martian, link us up. We do not want the Shadows intercepting our comms." From outside Miss Martian found the other minds with ease, connecting them quickly.
Miss M-Everyone online?
A-Ohh. This is weird.
Wanda watched as Artemis sat down on the desk Dr. Roquette was working at to keep from losing her balance.
DR-And distracting. Coding is a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen-think in my skull?
Wally sat on the window ledge eating a granola bar, while Robin was looking out on of the partially opened blind of the same window row, but hidden by the pillar.
KF-Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?
A-Pot, Kettle. Have you met?
KF-Hey, hey, i do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team.
A-This is not on me.
DR-Fate of the world at stake.
KF-She started it!
Wanda winced at the pressure building up in her mind. Artemis noticed this, pushing herself from off the table.
A-How about i just go help Superboy and Miss Martian patrol the clinic perimeter?
K-Good idea.
Wanda decided to block herself out of the link, saving her the pain. Everything went on according to plan, Robin and Superboy leaving in the bioship to go after the Fog. As they waited there, Wanda felt the presence of another mind, so she decided to slip away undetected by Aqualad. She ran down the hall stopping when she felt Wally near by. Her journey came to an end as she entered the pool area. "You didn't happen to see a shadow, have you?" Before she could respond, he ran past her into a different room but tripped on small spheres, landing on his back with a grunt. She saw as a woman came to him, kicking him in the face, knocking him out. Wanda readied her hex but before she could release it, she felt her brother's mind enter the school. She turned around but not in time for her to block the lightning he threw at her. This sent her back, hitting the wall. She tried to move but was met by the lightning going through her body.
Cheshire kicked Kid Flash into the pool as Pietro walked up to her. "Took you long enough," she stated.
He smirked at her. "Had to take a detour." She looked back at Wanda who was twitching every now and then. "She's paralyzed. It'll be a while before she could move again."
"Throwing lightning at your own sister? I didn't think you had it in you, Tiger."
He picked her up, speeding out of the room, leaving Wally to drown and Wanda to wish unconsciousness consumed her. She tried to use her hex to get Kid out but every time she moved even the slightest, a jolt would course through her again. Her mind felt fried to the brim, making it almost impossible for her to reach out to someone.
M'gann stopped, turning the other way to find them. She burst through the double doors, her eyes landing on Wally immediately, using her telekinesis to lift him out of the pool. He coughed out water a few times before sitting up letting out a gasp. "I don't think i'm gonna go swimming for a while." Wally followed her gaze when she didn't respond. "Oh no." He sped to Wanda's body, examining what happened. There was a huge scar on her abdomen, probably the source of some of her pain. M'gann tried to touch her but quickly pulled away when she saw the lightning.
"We have to get her to a hospital."
"No, i'll take her back to the cave. Maybe Flash will know what to do." He picked her up as gently as possible but still her body twitched as another jolt went through her. Wally ran off with her, trying to be as fast as possible. "Kid to cave. Anyone copy?"
It was silent before he heard someone. "This is Batman. Report."
"Wanda was hit, bad. Get Berry to the cave. He'll know what to do."
"Copy that. Over and out."
As Wanda groaned in his arms, Wally increased his speed. He went through the bay door of the mountain, skidding to a stop in front of Batman, Tornado, Arrow, Canary, and Flash. "What happened?" Berry asked as Kid put her down on the table.
"I-I don't know. It happened when i was out." He looked at his holo glove before looking back at them. "I gotta go, the others need me." With that he sped away.
Batman pulled up the security footage of the high school pool area where Wanda and Wally were. They all watched as her brother threw lightning at her, hitting her in the abdomen. He looked to Berry who was looking at her vitals. His eyes widened as he read them. "She was hit with 400 jolts of lightning? One of mine only contain 200."
"Which means that this should've killed her?" Canary questioned.
"It would've killed an average human, but she's a meta so i think that's what helped her case."
............................................................................
Mount Justice; August 8th; 12:08 EDT
The Team stood in the center of the training room reporting back what had happened during the mission. Though today was a success, they couldn't help but feel awful about what happened to Wanda. Batman dismissed them but they didn't move. "What about Wanda?" Artemis asked, worriedly.
Wally scoffed. "As if you care."
"Why wouldn't i care?" She watched him cross his arms over his chest
"Oh, i don't know, maybe it's because you've only known her for 10 hours, barley a whole day. I don't think you even really care. You're just asking so you can sleep peacefully tonight-"
"You don't get to go around making assumptions about me, Kid Flake. She's my teammate too-"
"You don't even know her-"
"That's enough, both of you." They turned away from each other, still fumed. "Clearly the tension between some of you is still high. Go home, get some rest, and clear your heads. You'll get an update tomorrow." He turned away from them, back to the screens. Eventually they began to disperse, M'gann and Conner retreating to their rooms, Kaldur, Wally, and Artemis leaving the cave through the zeta tubes. Even though his back was turned, he could still tell Robin was there. "What is it, Robin?"
He looked up from the ground with an uneasy look. "How is she?"
At first the Dark Knight was going to dismiss him but when he saw the boy wonder's reflection through the screen a part of him softened. He pulled up her charts on the screen. "The lightning went through her body but luckily it didn't damage any vital organs. Flash got it out just in time but if Kid Flash didn't bring her when he did, he's sure she wouldn't have made it." Robin's eyes widened at his statement. "There isn't any permanent damage, only her bruised ribs. We won't know anything further until she wakes up."
His head hung low as he clenched his fists, knowing the truth. "You mean if she wakes up." Batman sighed.
"If she wakes up."