Chapter 13

Um…hi.

I know you're tired of hearing my apologies, but I really am sorry for such slow updates. I want to thank you all for being so patient. You all have supported me through and through! I would have given up a long time ago if it weren't for all your kind words to keep me motivated. So thank you all again!

Oh, one more thing. I added something to Chapter 7. I forgot to include a small part in the story where Jinx is formally introduced to the Team. I had no place to put it, seeing as this current chapter is waaaay ahead of introductions at this point. It's only a small part, like a flashback. You'll know it when you see it, so go back and check that out!

Anyways, let's get to it!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS OR YOUNG JUSTICE! (I'm getting old, do people still do this? It's been a while…)

Enjoy~!

Kid Flash skids to a halt with Artemis in his arms in front of the damaged entrance of Mt. Justice. He gently places the archer back on our her feet as his eyes scan the rubble and fallen debris for any movement.

"Crud…" Kid Flash mumbles under his breath. "Who do you think could have done this?"

"Probably another secretive group of people from your past." Artemis sarcastically retorts as she begins rummaging through the debris. Kid Flash glares at the blonde archer, who glares back just as heatedly.

"Would you cut it out, Artemis? Honestly, I don't understand why you have such a problem with all this." Artemis rolls her eyes.

"Gee, I wonder why? Maybe because you guys have been keeping secrets from us?! We're supposed to be a team—"

The red-haired speedster cuts her off with a scoff. "Oh, like we all don't have our secrets! I know nothing about your past, but you don't see me trying to dig up what you want to keep hidden."

"I—"

"Señior rapido!" The two heroes spin around toward the unison voices and see Superboy with the twins carried under each of his arms. The two boys slip loose from Superboy's grips and attach themselves to Kid Flash for comfort. The three are covered from head to toe in dirt and soot.

"Mas y Menos! Thank the Speed Force, you're okay!" Kid Flash says, returning their embrace as he pats away the some of the dirt sprinkled onto the tops of their heads. He peeks over their heads to look over at Superboy. "Where's Jinx?"

"She's still in there. She was with M'gann when the explosion happened." Superboy explains, patting away the soot and gravel on his clothes. Kid nods, pulling away from the twins to look them in the eye.

"Are you two alright? Any injuries?" They shake their heads into his suit before pulling away to continue speaking over each other at the same time. Kid puts a hand up to stop their panicked babbling. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, kiddos. I can't understand if you're both saying different things at the same time." Kid had a hard time keeping up with what they were saying, but thank goodness he read up on a Spanish dictionary these past few weeks in order to be able to understand them again.

"Kid!" Kid looks over his shoulder to see Robin land softly on his feet behind him with Batman not far behind, buckling the grappling hook back into his belt. "What's the status?"

"Well, for starters, someone blew up our supposedly top secret hideout." Kid relays, meeting Robin halfway. "Superboy and the twins were just about to tell me what's happening." He gestures a thumb behind him at the twins, who are casting frantic looks around them, seeming to stiffen with tension at the slightest sound. Superboy, on the other hand, had a walkie-talkie in his hand—a makeshift communicator Robin had given the Team ever since this whole Slade ordeal began—and spoke firmly into the speaker before attaching it back onto his belt.

"I just got word from Aqualad through the walkie-talkie. Three potential threats. Two confirmed metahumans, one fully armed with weapons." Superboy explains, "Miss Martian is taking care of one as we speak. The other two are still in the remains, along with Jinx and Aqualad." As Superboy speaks, the twins shake their heads vigorously and begin talking over each other once again.

Kid puts his hands on the twins' shoulders to stop them from continuing. "Mas y Menos! Take a deep breath. We can't understand you if you're talking over the other."

The twins share a glance before taking a deep breath.

"¡Los Titanes se han vuelto locos! (The Titans have gone crazy!)"

Just as the words escape the twins' lips, a body crashes down onto the ground in front of them by a beam of green light. The impact leaves a large crater in the ground, and when the smoke clears, Kid Flash can make out the unconscious figure of Miss Martian.

"Miss Martian!" Artemis shouts as Superboy jumps down to the green-skinned alien's side. He cradles her gently in his arms and searches her for any injuries.

"M'gann? Can you hear me?" Superboy asks frantically. Miss Martian groans in response before her head lolls to the side as she loses consciousness.

"Greetings, Robin." Kid snaps his attention up to the air where a person flies down, hovering just slightly above them. "Oh, and Ex-Friend Kid Flash is here too! It makes the act of capturing quite easier when I eliminate the bothersome pets."

"Star?" He hears Robin utter as the Boy Wonder pushes past him in an instant. "Starfire? Why are you—" Robin reaches out for the orange-skinned alien, only for Batman to tackle the Boy Wonder out of the way when a starbolt is thrown in their direction. Kid Flash barely manages to pick up the twins by their collars and dash out of the way before another set of starbolts are shot at them.

"I don't think your old teammate needs a reunion hug, Robin." Batman says grimly, getting back up on his feet. Robin follows in suit, reaching down into his belt for his bo-staff.

"Let me guess," Artemis says, grabbing an arrow from the quiver on her back to load up her bow, "another blast from your past?" Kid only shoots a glare at the blonde archer in response.

"Geez, how many of you are there?" Superboy grumbles with a still-unconscious Miss Martian in his arms.

"I guess now we know what Slade's done to all the captured Titans…" Kid says to Robin as he places the twins back on their feet.

Mas and Menos nod their heads vigorously, eyes wide with realization. "Ahora recuerdo (Now I remember)," Mas starts nervously as Menos finishes, "Fue Miss Bumblebee quien nos atacó esa noche en el bosque. (It was Miss Bumblebee that attacked us that night in the forest.)"

"So Slade got Bumblebee too," Robin affirms quietly to himself. "Who knows how many more Titans he has under his control."

They run out of the way as Starfire throws more starbolts at them. "It is unwise of you to let your guard down in front of your enemy." Starfire bellows as she charges up more starbolts. Artemis unleashes three arrows, two of which Starfire manages to grab and snap in half. The third arrow, however, explodes into a cloud of smoke before it even makes contact with the orange-skinned alien. Starfire uses her arms to shield herself from the smoke but is blown backwards by the impact.

Batman uses the momentary distraction as a chance to bark out orders. "Mas and Menos, you two need to get Miss Martian out of here, and use this to contact Red Arrow. Tell him to alert the League that we are going Code AWOL and to head out to the coordinates programed in this device. It will send you to the nearest transporter that will take you straight to the Watchtower. We will follow after this is done." Batman tosses a round object to the twins.

Mas catches the object as Superboy hands over Miss Martian. They nod at the grim-faced hero, the two seamlessly manage to carry the unconscious alien whilst still holding hands, before dashing away in a strip of red and white. Batman turns his attention to Kid and Superboy. "Kid Flash, you, Robin, and Artemis search for Jinx and Aqualad back in the remains of the cave. Superboy and I will keep the Tamaranian distracted—"

"No!" Robin interjects firmly. "No, I'm staying. I'm the only one who can get through to her. I need to stay. For Starfire." Batman's scowl tightens and opens his mouth to refuse, a dozen starbolts shoot out through smoke.

The smoke clears, and Starfire hovers over the heroes. "I am done playing the nice. We will be taking Jinx, and we will destroy those who get in our way." Her eyes begin to glow bright green as her hands charge up with more starbolts.

"It is, how you Earthens say, game over."

With that, she lifts her hand and unleashes her starbolts.

"Gah!" Jinx yelps as she crashes roughly into a piece of debris after dodging another one of Cyborg's blasts. She stumbles to find her footing but doesn't stop to rest and is off running once again as she dodges another blast shot her way. She tumbles behind a hunk of wall still left standing and tries to catch her breath. She holds her breath when she hears footsteps approach her hiding spot.

"You might as well give up now, Jinx." Cyborg taunts as his sonic-blaster arm charges up for another shot. "Master Slade will catch you sooner or later."

"Cyborg, please." She gasps out, "You have to fight this. Slade is brainwashing you—" Her eyes flash pink, and Jinx jumps out of the way as her wall hiding spot is blown to bits by a sonic blast. She rolls over fallen debris, wincing as a sharp piece manages to cut her arm. Jinx places her hand over the cut, feeling the warmth of blood seep through her sleeve. She curses inwardly before haphazardly throwing a hex behind her.

Jinx hears a brief grunt, which signals her that she managed to hit her target. She runs in the opposite direction, trying her best not to stumble on any of the rubble on the ground. Unfortunately, her boot snags onto some fallen debris and gravity pulls her down hard. She closes her eyes and braces for impact.

But instead of being met by the rough ground she falls into a pair of protective arms. Jinx opens her eyes and connects with emerald green ones. Kid Flash's lips curl into a reassuring grin as he tightens his grip on her. "Hey, Lucky. Although, you must not be feelin' so lucky, huh?"

Jinx rolls her eyes at the use of her old nickname, but she lets her shoulders sag slightly with relief. "Slade's hypnotizing all the Titans he's captured. Cyborg was attacking me earlier. Kaldur and Beastboy are roughing it out somewhere here. And Starfire—"

"No need to explain. We've had a little run-in with said princess at what used to be the Cave's opening," Kid Flash explains as they turn a corner.

Jinx's eyes widen with fear. "Does that mean—what about Miss Martian?! Is she okay?!"

"She's a little unconscious at the moment, but the twins took her to safety. I gotta get you out of here before—" Kid Flash is cut off in mid-sentence as a blue sonic blast misses them by a hair's breadth. This distracts Kid enough from seeing the upcoming piece of debris on the floor, and he and Jinx crash onto the ground ungracefully.

Kid coughs away some of the dirt that got on his face. "Ex-boyfriends really don't know when to give up, do they?"

Jinx winces in pain, but still manages to give a snarky reply. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm still at least hoping to change that by the end of all this." Kid says smugly as he stands up. Jinx also stands and bites back a groan as the aches in her body scream for her to stop and take a rest. She hears Kid Flash inhale sharply, and she snaps her attention to the speedster.

"What's wrong?" She watches as Kid Flash leans his weight on one leg and flinches at his own actions.

"Crud…" He leans against some remains of a wall. "I think I sprained my ankle in the fall."

She snaps her head in his direction. "What?! Are you kidding me right now?!"

"Don't worry, I just need a few minutes for the speed-healing to kick in—" A blast can be heard being shot in the distance, sounding closer and closer by the second.

"Well, we don't have a few minutes!" Jinx shouts back, running a frustrated hand through her hair. She can hear thundering footsteps headed their way. It was only a matter of time before Cyborg caught up to them. She's exhausted and lost quite a good amount of blood from the cut on her arm. Kid Flash couldn't possibly get far with a sprained ankle and her being carried in his arms.

They were a dead-end with no way out.

The sound of Cyborg's sonic blaster charges up reaches her ears. She spins around and sees him aiming at her and Kid with his sonic blaster arm. "Time to end this." Cyborg says without a hint of remorse. Kid Flash steps in front of Jinx, shielding her with his body. She notices his slight wince in pain as he does this, and she grabs his arm to keep him from keeling over.

"What does Slade even want with me?" Jinx asks as she charges up a hex with her free hand.

"You are necessary for the succession of his plan." Cyborg states with practiced ease. It was strange for Jinx to hear Cyborg speak in such a blank, numb tone. It hurts to see him like this and not able to do anything about it, but she pushes away the hurt to focus on the reality of the situation at hand.

"And what exactly is this plan of his?" Kid shoots back.

"In due time, the answers to your questions will come to light. Master Slade does not want to spoil the fun by revealing his cards so soon in the game." Cyborg says cryptically. "Now, choose, Jinx. Surrender, or be forced to watch as I eliminate Kid Flash. Your choice."

She summons every ounce of power left in her to flow into her hand as her eyes fill with the same pink light, filming over the whites of her cat-like pupils. If she was going to get captured, she most definitely is not going to make it easy for him.

"How about…" Jinx glares at the robotic man and raises her hand. "...Neither."

Before she could unleash her attack onto Cyborg, a body collides with the robotic man, knocking him into the rubble. Another figure begins to approach them with rapid footsteps. Jinx just barely has enough moonlight from the crumbled raptures above to make out Kaldur's face in the darkness.

"Are you two okay?" Kaldur shouts, running over to them with Artemis in tow. Jinx powers down and lets her hands fall back to her side, exhaling a sigh of relief at the sight of the two heroes. Or, well, the sight of Kaldur put her at ease. Artemis's heated glare has been pointed at her the second the blonde archer had stepped onto the scene.

Artemis turns away to keep an arrow poised at the spot where Cyborg and Beastboy (at least Jinx assumes that was Beastboy who was just thrown) crashed into, looking ready to fire as many arrows as she can as Kaldur helps Kid Flash up.

"I'm fine, but Kid might have sprained his ankle and can't run on his own." Jinx tells them. Kaldur grabs Kid's arm and places it around his neck, letting the speedster lean against him for support.

"My speed-healing is a bit slow at the moment." Kid explains as he limps by Kaldur's side. "Anyone got a candy bar or something? The sugar would help speed up the process a bit." He pauses before wincing inwardly and adding, "Okay, that pun was pretty weak even for me."

Jinx scoffs. "Yeah, definitely not one of your best."

"Ha! So you admit I've actually had better ones?" He wiggles his eyebrows at her suggestively, making Jinx roll her eyes. She opens her mouth to retort, but Artemis beats her to it.

"Gee, as much as I love staying in a single place to chat while people are trying to kill us," the blonde archer cuts in sharply, "but people are trying to kill us. So how about we take this conversation to go, please."

"Well, at least she said please." Kid Flash adds lightly as they're off sprinting out of there once again.

Robin flips over a piece of debris as a range of starbolts explode onto the ground where he once stood. He had somehow managed to lose sight of Batman, but he last saw Connor chucking every heavy item he could get his hands on at the alien princess. By the sounds of angry grunting and things soaring into the air, he assumes Connor is still working on it.

That is, until a flash of green light explodes behind him and silence begins to settle over the area that Robin begins to worry.

"Robin, I know you are playing the hide and seek." A starbolt crashes onto the debris beside him, but he manages to duck and roll out of the way just in time. He peeks over the debris he's hiding behind and sees Starfire lower herself down onto the ground as her alighted green eyes skim around the area. "Don't you think it's time to stop with the games?" Robin takes a deep breath and stands up, exposing himself to the alien princess. Starfire smirks and raises her hands to charge up another starbolt.

The Boy Wonder puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Star…Please, don't do this. I know you're still in there." The starbolt in her hands flickers just slightly before Starfire throws a swing at Robin, who swiftly dodges the punch. Starfire bellows out her frustrations and reels back another punch. Her hand shoots out, but Robin catches it before she can make contact.

"You have to fight it; Slade's controlling you." Robin continues as Starfire struggles to remove her hand from his grip. He notes how strange it is that she's trying so hard to remove it when she's a lot stronger than he is and could merely crush him with the flick of a wrist. But her hands feels slightly weakened against his, and he only hopes that must mean the real Starfire is fighting back.

"You are wrong—Master Slade has merely shown us a new way of life." Starfire tries to swing another punch with her free hand, but Robin grabs onto that wrist as well to keep from getting hit.

"Are you even hearing yourself? Slade is the enemy, not me. I still care about you. I still—" love you, he cuts himself off, unable to get the words out. So he shakes his head and instead says, "This isn't you, Star."

Starfire grabs onto his wrists and pushes him away to put some distance between them. Before he can even make a move, a starbolt is shot his way, and he is thrown backwards by the impact of it. He hits a block of debris and groans in pain as he slides down onto the ground. "Do not call me in such a familiar way. For I am not your friend, but your enemy." She's nursing her hands to her chest as if he had burned her with his touch, but they fall back to her side as she stands up straighter. "You have thrown us away. Thrown me away. For that, you shall pay with your life."

Her hands light up once again, and Robin's head is too hazy to get his body to move. She slowly makes her way to him, the light of her starbolt getting brighter and brighter the closer she gets. "Star, don't—" He mumbles out as she stands over him triumphantly. He closes his eyes just as she reels back her hand, and waits for the final blow.

The green light disperses from behind his closed eyelids, and yet he feels no pain. Robin opens his eyes and sees Starfire grabbing onto her other hand, the starbolt flickering in and out of sight. Starfire struggles and crumbles into herself. "R-Robin. You must get out of here."

Robin stumbles to stand, but manages to pull himself together. "Starfire?" He reaches out for her, but she brushes it away as she leaps back in fright.

"I cannot hold back the controlling of the mind for much longer. You must hurry—ah!" She grips the sides of her head, pulling at her auburn hair as her eyes shift from red to green. She closes her eyes, distress written over her face as she shouts, "It is not safe. I am not safe."

"Star? Star, look at me. Where is he, Star?" Robin asks frantically, taking a step forward. He doesn't know how long she could keep control, so he quickly takes this chance. "I can't get to you if I don't know where Slade is hiding."

"Home. I want to go home." Starfire shudders as she shrivels into herself. She reaches out and grabs Robin by his forearms. Her fingers digging into his skin as she continues to mumble nonsense. "Go home. Go home, Robin."

"I know, Star. I know. When this is all over, we can both go home. Together." He reassures her, but she shakes her head. Her fingers begin to tremble.

"Go. Home." There's something about the way she says this that triggers something in his mind, but his mind is unable to decipher what it could possibly mean.

"I'm gonna save you." Robin says with resolution. His gloved hand caresses her cheek, and she leans into his palm. "No matter what it takes, I'm gonna get you guys back. Just wait for me, Star. I'll defeat Slade, and get you guys back."

Her face softens as she whispers, "I believe in you, Robin. I always have."

"Robin!" The Boy Wonder snaps his attention over his shoulder to see Jinx, Kid, Aqualad, and Artemis running out of the remains of the Cave.

In this distracted moment, he doesn't notice Starfire opening her eyes to reveal a pair of red irises. Starfire grabs the front of Robin's uniform and tosses him to the side, where he tumbles into some debris. She charges up starbolts in her hands and prepares to shoot them at the Boy Wonder. Just as she attempts to unleash them, Superboy springs out from the side and tackles her to the ground. They struggle against one another before Starfire kicks Superboy off of her and shoots back up into the air.

A ray of blue light explodes from behind the remaining four heroes, who are blown away by the impact. Cyborg and Beastboy emerge from the cloud of dust. Starfire flies down in between them. "We have done what we have been ordered to do. Master Slade wishes us to return." Starfire informs them before grabbing onto Cyborg and flying off into the sky.

Beastboy prepares to follow and morphs into a pterodactyl but stops in his tracks when a mechanical leash latches on around his neck. Red electric shock waves spark out of collar, and the green shapeshifter lets out a roar of pain before losing consciousness.

He drops to the ground, and, seemingly out of nowhere, Batman pounces immediately, snapping on a pair of meta-inhibitor handcuffs onto Beastboy's wrists. The intimidating hero heaves the unconscious shapeshifter over his shoulder. "Quickly. Before any more of them comes."

The heroes don't waste any time follow those orders. Only Robin stands unmoving, eyes staring at Starfire and Cyborg's silhouette until it is nothing more than a dot in the distance. "I'll get you all out of there. Slade won't win; I won't let him." Robin says to the open night around him before spinning around to follow the other heroes out.

"Stay strong, Star. I'm coming."

Wonder Woman is the first face to greet them once they arrived at the Watchtower. "Batman, please explain the situation." She asks Batman as he takes long strides up to meet her halfway.

"An old enemy, highly dangerous from what I surmise, of Robin's previous Titan team has returned to kidnap this sorceress." Batman gestures over to Jinx, who gives a short awkward wave in return.

"Titans? As in the Teen Titans? Had they not disbanded the group years prior?" Wonder Woman shifts her gaze over to Jinx, eyeing the girl intently. Jinx felt uncomfortable under her stare. "I'm sorry, it seems I am not familiar with who you are. Are you a new hero? Or maybe a hero in training?"

"Well, technically I've been a hero for about five years. At least before the Titans split."

"She also used to be a dangerous meta-criminal and leader of a small villain group, the HIVE Five."

Wonder Woman raises an eye in recognition. "The petty thieves from Jump City?"

"Hey, we weren't petty. We just really liked free stuff." Jinx retorts defensively.

Batman scowls. "They weren't free."

"Yeah, well, stealing made everything free."

"And that ideology is what made you end up in jail." Jinx opens her mouth to respond, but Batman turns back to face Wonder Woman. "Wonder Woman, status report. Have Red Arrow and the twins manage to transport here safely?"

Wonder Woman nods. "Red Arrow and Mas y Menos got here safely with an unconscious Miss Martian. Miss Martian had just regained consciousness only moments before your arrival. A few bruises, but there weren't any severe injuries. I left her back in the infirmary when I heard of your arrival. The twins and Red Arrow are currently residing in the meeting hall, awaiting further instruction."

"Good. If you may, bring this prisoner into a level four containment before returning to the meeting hall. Alert the League for an emergency meeting. This has gotten out of hand far enough." Wonder Woman nods as Batman transfers over the unconscious Beastboy to heave over her shoulder.

She glances towards Jinx again, looking her up and down. "Sorceress, you say…She does not look like the half-demon."

"No, that's because you're thinking about Raven. I'm Jinx."

"Oh, yes, I've heard much about you as well." Wonder Woman says, nodding in acknowledgement. "Regardless of the facts, it is a pleasure to see a changed soul. I wish we were to have met under better circumstances, but I guess we must all make do," she states politely. "For now, I shall take my leave." With that, she bows her head as a curt goodbye before exiting the room with the unconscious Beastboy in her arms. Batman turns, cape billowing behind him like a looming shadow, and walks off. The remaining heroes share a look and takes this as a sign to follow after the masked crusader.

Jinx whistles as she looks around. "Honestly, I never thought I'd ever get the chance to come to the Watchtower. It looks a lot more spacious than in the pictures."

Batman pauses, attention shooting over to Jinx with narrowed eyes. "What. Pictures." Realizing what she just said, Jinx covers her mouth and lets out an awkward laugh.

"Well…" She tugs on her ponytail nervously. "That one time when I was trapped in the Bat Cave I got bored and…mayhavehackedintoyourmonitors." She rushes through the last few words as Batman's glare intensifies. She continues to fumble through a reasonable explanation. "I mean...you should thank me for finding out about the breach in your security and should look toward the future into investing in coding a better firewall? If you want, I can look right into that for you after this whole Slade thing blows over." She's nearly melting under Batman's incriminating glare.

Batman sighs and presses his index and thumb to the bridge of his nose. "This matter will be put on hold for another time. Just know, that it'll be added onto a list of a hundred other things that need to be discussed." With that said, he strides forward and walks further ahead. Robin takes his place at her right side as Kid Flash takes the left.

"I can't believe you hacked the Bat Cave." Kid repeats incredulously with a slight look of pride.

"It took me at least a year to fully crack those codes, and I lived there." Robin adds in disbelief before putting out his fist. "Respect." Jinx taps her knuckles with his.

"Okay, sure. Praise her for her criminal behavior." Artemis snarls, pushing past the three. Jinx rubs her shoulder where Artemis pushed through and glares at the back of the blonde's head.

"What's your deal?" Jinx exclaims harshly. "I haven't done anything to you, and you're acting like I murdered your family right in front of you."

Artemis glares at the pink-haired sorceress. "'My deal' is that, because of you, the Cave got blown up, M'gann could have gotten seriously hurt because of your stupid friends, and now we all aren't safe to even go back to Earth." Artemis responds, ticking each reason with her fingers on her hand. "Also, you're an ex-villain, and I'm supposed to just believe you're one of the good guys after appearing out of nowhere? For all we know, you could be working for that psychopath that's out to get us!"

Kaldur steps up and reaches for the blonde archer. "That's enough, Artemis—"

"Like you're one to talk, Artemis." Everyone startles at Robin's curt voice, turning to the Boy Wonder. He steps in between the girls in front of Jinx, in surprise. "I read your file—I know about your past. But I kept quiet because I wanted to give you the benefit of doubt: a second chance."

Artemis pales at the words coming out of Robin's mouth. "Y-you know?"

"Know what?" Kid Flash asks suspiciously.

"It's not my secret to tell. I respect you too much to just blurt it out in anger." Robin's gaze never falters from Artemis's as he continues, "I really don't understand this hostile mistrust you have about Jinx, but just lay off, Artemis."

"Enough, you two. We have more important matters that need to be discussed." Batman interjects as he stops in front of a set of heavy doors. He pushes them open and walks in; the rest of the Team follows in suit. A flash of red and white zooms up to Jinx as she is tackled into a bear hug.

"Señorita Jinx, que están vivos! (Miss Jinx, you are alive!)" The twins exclaim in unison as they tighten their grip around Jinx's petite form. A smile twitches onto the pink-haired sorceress's lips as she gently pats them both on the head.

"I'm glad you guys made it out safe too." Jinx says, glancing around the room. "Where's Red?"

"Fue al baño. (He went to the bathroom.)" Mas answers as Menos adds, "No podía esperar hasta que ustedes volvieran. Dijo que se había meado el pantalón si esperaba más. (Couldn't wait until you guys returned. Said he'd peed his pants if he waited any longer.)" Jinx nodded in understanding and pulls away from their embrace.

Batman clears his throat. "If you're finished with your hug-fest, I'd like to continue on with the situation at hand." He directs his attention to Superboy and says, "Superboy, please relay what happened before the Cave exploded."

"M'gann woke me up and told me she heard a weird banging noise coming from outside the Cave. Then intruder alarms went off, and I told M'gann to get Jinx while I got the twins and Aqualad." Superboy explains, "I had just grabbed the twins when the explosion happened."

The firm scowl on Batman's face deepens. "Were there any suspicious activity beforehand?" As he asks this, Batman turns to look at everyone in the room. "Not just from the outer situation, but within the members of the Team?" At those words, everyone in the room tenses and falls silent.

It's Artemis who speaks up first. "What are you trying to say?"

"There's no possible way for anyone to have known Mount Justice's location." Batman says, looking each person in the eye.

"There might be a traitor among us."

Red Arrow walks down the hallway of Watchtower, humming a tune under his breath as his fingers drag across each room. He counts each door he passes, his humming turns into carefree whistling as he gets closer to his destination.

He gets to the end of the hallway, where a metal door looms menacingly. Beside the door is a golden plaque with the word 'Communications' engraved. Red Arrow smirks. "Bingo." He says, taking a step forward.

The door slides open at his presence; Red Arrow snickers at how easy this will be. He passes the mini screens and computers and heads straight for the main frame against the back wall. He rummages in his pocket for the battered Titans' communicator that had be reprogrammed for this sole mission. Red Arrow's fingers scatter across the keyboard, typing in the correct codes and bypassing the security system. The screen flickers green, and Red Arrow's smirk widens. He plugs the communicator into the monitor and waits for the download bar to complete its end.

"Bye, bye, Justice League." Master Slade's voice echoes with his as bright red flashes behind the domino mask adorning his face. "Checkmate."

I hate how I have plotted how this story is supposed to go, but the overall writing part of it is giving me a hard time. For some reason, I can't get my vision on the paper correctly; I keep blanking on how I want to write it.

Anyways, two things I'd like to point out: one, I had deleted the timeline info-chapter that stood in at chapter 8 and had moved it to my profile. So if you're curious about where the story is placed, you can check it out over there!

Secondly, I'm not sure if I explained this in the story or not, but just in case I haven't (I'm too lazy to check rn), I'm going to explain it here. So I've added in some parts that Jinx's eyes flashes pink at times before something, like an attack, happens. It does this bc of her bad luck powers, she's able to sense quickly when something bad is about to happen. It's more of a hyper-survival instinct, that's why she can't full on predict something to happen way beforehand. Like in this chapter, her eyes flash pink, and she is able to dodge Cyborg's attack before it even happens. It mostly happens a few seconds before the 'bad luck' event happens. I forgot where I got this idea from, I think it was one of OG Jinx's (from the comic) actual powers, so I transferred that idea over to this story. Or I completely made it up, it's been a while.

Sorry, that was a lot longer than I intended. Until next time!

~Superbluestar428