บท 21: Chapter 21 War Of The Bounty Hunters 5
United States, Happy Harbor, Rhode Island.
Mount Justice.
...
"... Hey…. looks like you're waking up".
Intermittent sounds were all that Megan could hear. Flashes of light occasionally seeped past her eyelids as they gradually opened from their previously shut state.
"...ugh…". Megan groaned heavily as her eyes opened. Her vision was somewhat blurry as a bright light assaulted her vision.
Yet before she could properly adjust to it, she felt a splitting pain from the side of her neck, causing her to wince.
".... Heh... Easy girl, it's ok… just take it easy. ." The soft, comforting voice that flowed into her ears was all too familiar to her.
"Ar…. Artemis?" Megan called out uncertainly. Her eyes soon adapted, restoring her blurry vision, and what came into view was a place she hadn't found herself since she came to reside in Mount Justice.
The Med Bay.
She turned her head around to see her recent yet familiar teammate sitting at the edge of the bed right next to her.
"Welcome back Megan. It's good to see you awake". Artemis said, with dark circles around her eyes. She had been sitting beside Megan's bed since the incident happened, with her heart filled with worry.
Even though they hadn't been teammates for a long period of time, seeing her wake up brought a smile to her weary face.
For someone like Artemis who aspired to be a hero but grew up in a family of villains, the friends she had made in this team were precious to her. Even the annoying Wally West.
"Artemis, where are we?" Megan wasn't familiar with this place, as she had only been here once since her arrival.
"In Mount Justice. You're in the Med Bay".
"Med Bay?" Megan asked doubtfully, trying to recall why she was here. Flashes of memories came to her head, reminding her of what happened before she woke up in this place.
Megan involuntarily tensed up as fear overwhelmed her senses.
"It's ok, it's ok. Don't worry, you're safe. We all are". Artemis said reassuringly as she placed her palm on Megan's hand.
"What happened?"
"Well to sum it up in a few words, we got our asses kicked. We're lucky someone came to help us in time". Artemis replied candidly.
"How long was I out?"
"About a day".
"Oh…." Megan gave a small sound as her muscles relaxed. She rubbed the area around her neck that felt really sore. The green skin didn't look green in that area anymore and was taking a shade of red.
"Welcome Miss Martian. It's good to see you're awake". A robotic voice with a gender-neutral tone spoke then. Light footsteps that gave out a soft metallic clang could be heard as someone entered the Med Bay.
He wore a blue cape and the surface of his being sported a metallic red. That's if he could be considered a he to begin with.
"Thank you Red tornado". Megan said as she saw the Android appear. Her inner cheerful personality made her give out a subconscious smile.
"My pleasure". He said as he approached the bed.
Megan turned her head around and discovered that apart from the three of them, no one else was here.
"What about the rest of the team?" Megan asked Red Tornado. The latter didn't reply, and Artemis suddenly grew silent.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to them?" Megan's voice suddenly increased by several notches.
"Your team is alive, Miss Martian, although not all of them are in their best state". Red Tornado answered her.
"What do you mean?"
"I believe someone else will enlighten you on that. Now that you're awake, it's required for you to be in the mission room. Batman will be there to give you all a briefing". Red Tornado brushed her question aside.
After dropping his message, her turned around and left.
Megan turned her head to look at Artemis and the latter subtly shook her head, indicating not to talk about it.
...
Mount Justice.
Training Room.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
A male figure wearing a black top and Jean trousers punched a metal target in the center of a room with unprecedented ferocity.
The red colored S on his chest was especially striking as well.
Conner continuously punched the metal target with all his strength. Time and Time again, yet his inhuman strength caused no practical damage to the testing machine as all the energy from his punches were absorbed like a thirsty sponge.
"Rarrghhh"
A last punch landed on it as Conner stopped attacking while breathing heavily. He had been going like this for hours.
He was the first person in the team to wake up, save the already conscious Artemis.
And recalling his ... failure, he had come here to let off some steam. More than nine hours of nonstop venting had left him somewhat exhausted.
Thankfully, there was a shock absorber in the base capable of withstanding his full-strength attacks.
Conner placed his palms on his knees as his body bent forward. His clothes were soaked with sweat, yet the rage in his soul was far from allayed.
A gust of wind suddenly blew into the wide room. Conner turned his head to see Kidflash standing behind him.
"You done pal?" Connor let out a snort and turned his head away.
Wally seeing this let out a slight sigh.
"Tornado wants us at the Mission room. There's gonna be a briefing". Wally gave the message.
"I'm not going". Connor replied with an angry huff.
"Megan's awake". Wally wasn't surprised by Conner's words and gave a reply of his own.
Conner's figure stopped.
After a few seconds….
"I'm coming". Wally let out a slight smile. It was already known among the team that Megan and Connor had a little thing for each other, even if they hadn't done anything official yet.
A gust of wind blew past again, leaving the spacious room to Superboy alone, who needed to take a shower now.
.....
Thirty minutes Later. Megan and Artemis could be seen walking out of the hallway. As they stepped into the mission room, a few figures appeared before their eyes.
Artemis had her face darken a little, while Megan gave out a slight gasp. Her hand was covering her mouth.
Everyone stood assembled in the mission room.
Wally, Connor, Artemis, Megan, and Kaldur.
Kaldur however, was sadly in a wheelchair.
"Megan! Good you're up. We were worried". Aqualad said with a smile. The majority part of his body was wrapped in white bandages, as well as casts on both arms.
"Oh Kaldur!" A teardrop slid down Megan's cheek as she walked towards aqualad.
"It's ok Megan. Not much to worry about. At most, I'll be out of the field for a while". Kaldur said with a smile on the part of his body that wasn't bandaged.
"Hey! No one asked how I'm feeling". Wally raised both arms in false dissatisfaction.
"You have Super speed, you've basically already healed". Artemis retorted plainly.
Wally had a broken arm as well as a fractured bone in his leg. Luckily for him, his super speed also came along with super healing.
"Glad you're up". Connor gave out few words.
"Thanks". Megan smiled happily. She then turned her head around only.to finally realize that something was wrong.
"Guys! Where's Robin?"
"Well um…." Wally was thinking of how to respond when the cave experienced visitors.
[Recognized: Batman 02]
[Recognized: Green Lantern 05]
[Recognized: Green Lantern 14]
Three people stepped into the mission room through the Zeta tube.
Batman and both green lanterns Jordan and Stewart.
"Good, you're all here". Bruce said I'm his usual gruff voice. It was more gloomy than usual.
It only took a few seconds before the three of them stood in front of the five juniors.
Batman sent his sharp glare over all of them. His gaze lingered a little longer on Kaldur before he opened his mouth.
"Good to see that most of you are alright. In light of the recent opponent you just faced, it can be considered noteworthy that none of you died". The first part of his long speech came to an end, leaving the team with mixed feelings.
While the others were uneasy, Superboy felt the most irritable. He would rather not admit it, but the memory of his easy defeat weighed heavily on his mind.
His frown directly showed his displeasure on the fact that they were even discussing this topic.
"That however, doesn't change the fact that your actions got all of you almost killed. The heavy injuries that some of you have incurred are textbook proof of that". Batman said, with his gaze landing on aqualad.
The guy was literally wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
"Engaging an enemy that is clearly way out of your league. Despite how obvious it is, I still find myself asking what in god's name were you thinking?"
Batman said. His tone and narrowed eyebrows had a forceful edge to it.
The five teenagers shifted uncomfortably in their standing positions.
"It wasn't their fault, Batman". Aqualad sighed and spoke up, fully ready to claim responsibility.
"We couldn't just stay away after we saw what he did. This is my fault. It all happened because I didn't give the order to retreat when we discovered who we were dealing with".
Batman heard his explanation, his face still expressionless.
"And why didn't you?"
"... We thought we could take him" Kaldur responded in a low tone.
"You thought you could take him? It seems you have difficulty estimating your capabilities, Aqualad". Batman didn't reply this time. Instead, it was Red Tornado who appeared at the end of the hallway, floating in a mini tornado.
"...". Kaldur remained silent.
"So what!" Connor asked aggressively. "Robin already contacted the league. We thought we could at least delay him until you guys showed up. This isn't our first time dealing with big threats".
"You were the one who led the attack first, Superboy. How did that work out for you?" Batman asked Connor. The latter reserved the right to remain silent.
The fact that he had been knocked out with just one hit was as embarrassing as it was infuriating.
"If it wasn't for the timely arrival of Green Lantern, you would be much worse than you already are. Either crippled or dead. Your actions, although brave, were reckless and a complete endangerment of your lives. That is only counting half of the troubles caused by yesterday's incident".
Batman said tacitly.
"Half? What do you mean?" Wally asked in puzzlement. They had been cooped up in the base for a while and no one was in the mood to check the latest findings.
They most they knew was that Green Lantern was seriously injured by the enemy and the fact that the person they attacked was now a bona fide citizen.
The mention of this actually made Superboy angry to the extreme.
Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do about it, as even the league was helpless.
Batman didn't reply, but Hal Jordan made a move with his ring. A holographic projection showed a report of the hidden things that remained unknown to the media.
"The video of your fight with the alien was recorded. While the discussion within wasn't the most revealing, the tips let out were more than enough to bring out substantial information that has caused damage to the league". Red Tornado began giving out the report like a well-trained assistant.
"Now, the World Council knows of the actions of your black ops team, while others are trying to crack down on your secret identities. Some Leagues..... Operations have also been brought up to light, unintentionally causing us to have to relinquish possession of the Amazo Android". Batman said.
His words drawled a bit when it came to the League's Operations, causing Hal Jordan to flinch a bit in embarrassment. The fact that he had used his ring to hack into government secrets didn't sound very hero like at all.
Batman himself had tried to do similar things with the Watchtowers computer. The only difference being him and Stewart had much thicker skin.
Batman's words caused the Junior team's faces to fall. Especially when they heard that their secret identities could be exposed.
Of course, it didn't matter much to Kaldur, Superboy and Megan, but it did for the other three in the group.
"Can they... You know, find us?" Wally asked.
"Cyborg has cleared that up, so there shouldn't be any worries on that front. But you guys fought without your identities covered. This shows irresponsibility alongside recklessness". Batman said, unknown to him and the rest of the league, that their secrets might not be as safe as they thought.
"Now for the main reason I gathered you all here. It's to inform you that until this storm blows over, and the league says otherwise, your missions will be suspended until further notice". His words caused their faces to turn ugly.
However, after everything that had happened, no one said anything to object.
"What about the.... You know, alien?" Wally asked.
Batman raised an eyebrow will Hal's face became unsightly.
"The league is momentarily caught in a bind concerning how to handle him. With what has happened, there's little we can do".
"Little? The guy literally hurt us. Since he's a citizen now, what's stopping us from suing his sorry ass in court?" Wally asked with vigor.
He felt mad whenever he thought about that fight that was even worse than their battle with Amazo.
"One, taking this case to court will reveal your identities. Two, because you were the ones to throw the first blow, and three because we say so". Batman's glare deepened, leaving Wally a little frightened.
"Now, you are all going to be situated here without permission to leave for the next few days until we say otherwise. Any objections? Good".
Batman said, without waiting for anyone to voice their thoughts.
"Lanterns, do your thing".
Batman suddenly stepped out of the way.
Both Lanterns nodded and turned to face Aqualad, leaving him to raise an eyebrow.
Before anyone else could process what was going on, both of them turned their rings up and shot green energy ray's towards him.
....
Four minutes later.
"Thank you for your help". Aqualad said sincerely as he bowed his head down.
"No problem. Just a little willpower". Hal said with a slight smile on his face, as well as a little sweat. The capabilities of the Lantern Ring were truly outstanding. Worthy of being named the most powerful weapon in the universe.
With its healing capabilities, Kaldur was back to normal in less than five minutes.
It's too bad that their team didn't have a teen lantern.
"Good. Now that that's done, let's go to Robin". Bruce said with a slight nod as the trio walked towards the hallway.
"Where are they going?" Megan asked with slight confusion.
"Probably to do the same thing to Robin they did to Kaldur". Wally said affirmatively.
"Robin? What happened to him?" Megan asked with worry.
".... He broke his spine". Wally said after a moment of silence.
The whole cave was silent as Red Tornado had slipped out of the mission room at god knows what point.
.....
Bruce stood beside Dick's bed. Seeing him lay peacefully in a coma like state, although his face didn't change, his fists subconsciously clenched.
Robin hadn't woken up since the previous day. The kick that drilled him into the ground had damaged his spinal nerves.
A hand was placed on Batman's shoulder.
"I know how you feel, Bruce. It's ok, your boy wonder will be fine". Hal said with a smile. Stewart, who was beside him, nodded in agreement.
John Stewart was a man of few words whenever his Green Lantern uniform was on, and wouldn't speak much unless he needed to.
"I know. But still, that doesn't mean I'll let him get away with it". Bruce said solemnly.
The 'he' he was referring to, meant Amari.
"One step at a time, Batman". Stewart finally opened his mouth to say something.
Batman didn't answer but asked Hal a question.
"Hal, is there anything about him, you noticed that we don't know yet. Something important".
"Apart from the ability he used against me, which I think you already know. Nothing else". Hal replied. When thinking of that short battle, his heart couldn't help but quiver.
He had almost died.
If not for the passive protection of his ring and Barry's quick reaction as well as the healing effect of the ring, he would probably be dead right now.
"You said he was an alien, right? Well, I haven't seen or heard about any aliens with his set of capabilities". Stewart said with a frown.
"At this point, I have a speculation that he may not be alien at all". Batman suddenly said at the moment, grabbing the attention of both Lanterns.
"Really? Then what do you think he is?" John couldn't help but ask.
"Someone from another dimension. Another earth probably". Batman gave his deductions.
"Whatever made you come up with that idea?" Hal was astounded by Bruce's words.
"A few things. But I'm not sure yet". Bruce narrowed his eyes as he spoke. He stood there for a few seconds before turning around and leaving the room.
"Where are you going".
"To investigate".
And so with that, Batman left".
The two green lanterns looked at each other and sighed slightly before turning their attention to the injured Robin. A few minutes later, Robin lay on the bed, still asleep.
They didn't think it would be necessary to force him awake.
Right as they wanted to turn around to leave, both their rings glowed.
Hal and John exchanged glances as they looked at the rings, signifying someone wanted to send them a holographic message.
They accepted and both their rings lit up with a small figure hovering over the ring.
"Lantern Tuk?" John Stewart called out uncertainly. He just met this lantern a few hours ago. What happened that caused him to call them?
"Greetings Lantern Stewart:, Lantern Jordan".
"Greetings! Is there something we can help you with?"
"That is not the case. I call to inform you that several fleets of ships have arrived within your sector space. Most are identifiable with certain planets in distant star sectors, while others are rogue. But the point being that they have all arrived within your sector and are heading towards your planet. I have received news of this, and I fear you may not like the reason".
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