Young Justice -:- The Lion's Den

Summary: Tag to 'Hooked'. Wally reflects on the roles of each member of the team on Rob's first mission back.

Setting/Spoilers: Set early season 1, about two weeks after the end of Hooked/No spoilers

Pairings: Some pre-Spitfire, but it's not the focus

Genre/Rating: Friendship/T, because all my fic's are…

Disclaimer: If I owned YJ I wouldn't spend my time on FanFiction… cause I'd be able to play with the characters for real!

Author's Note(s): So this is another one of my random trying-to-get-my-muse-to-co-operate one-shots artially inspired by TheBlueFoxtrot-A-Samba's 100 Word Prompt challenge. This follows the events of my previous fic Hooked, and it would probably make sense to read that first, though it's not overly necessary.

Fulcrum noun: the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body

The Lion's Den

It was supposed to be a recon mission.

A covert recon mission at that. A simple, get in – get the intel – get out, without being seen, mission. As per usual for the team though; things had not gone as planned. Wally didn't even know why Batman bothered stating the 'covert' part in briefings anymore. Literally, the only member of the team that seemed somewhat capable of the c-word was Robin, and that was purely because he was a ninja.

In fact, the Boy Wonder had vanished thirty seconds in (around ten seconds before the stealth approach had been shot to hell for the rest of them) and no one had seen or heard from him since.

But Wally wasn't worried. Robin's disappearance just meant that at least one of them was still on-mission. Everyone else was knee-deep in goons.

They were in a warehouse (because seriously, it's the only place that bad guys know to hang) that at one point may have been a packing plant of some kind. The building was huge, technically made up of three or four warehouse smushed together, the main part three storeys high with an unintentional skylight in the roof. Floating platforms suspended from chains were dotted around the cavernous space and connected together by precariously hung catwalks – the whole thing looking like one huge health and safety nightmare.

Several dilapidated conveyor belts split the ground floor into weird shaped segments, the long-abandoned machinery connecting them together and providing cover for the teen heroes. The numerous faceless mooks that seemed to fill every available space tried to gun them down, preventing most of them from really being able to fight.

The hail of lead did little to hold Superboy down, however. The Kryptonian clone simply stood in the centre of the warehouse, drawing the majority of the enemy fire, an incredibly unimpressed look plastered across his face. After a moment of just letting the goons waste their ammunition on his steel-hard skin, Superboy rolled his eyes (just like Wally had taught him! The speedster noticed) and started to turn the tide.

As Wally watched their (technically) youngest teammate plough through goons like they were made of paper, he couldn't help but let his high-speed mind wander. He was still focused on the battle (he wasn't a rookie, after all) but his powers let him think at a faster rate than the average human, allowing him to multi-task his thought processes.

The six of them together had barely been a team for a week now, but Wally could already see them settling into a dynamic. They were an odd bunch of misfits (but then again, wasn't the League?) but they complemented each other – each one of them taking up a certain role on the team. Kaldur was obviously the Leader; that having been unanimously decided after that fiasco in Santa Prisca, and with that role he brought a tactical intelligence and unbeatable level-headedness that kept their team together; even when their initial plan inevitably went to hell in a hand basket…

…Such as it was now.

Superboy continued taking out the goons (proving beyond a doubt that he was clearly the Powerhouse of the team) but two more seemed to spring up for every one that he would take down. Aqualad was rallying the rest of them into the delta formation from their last training session with Black Canary, but it was hard for the non-bullet-resistant teens to really make much impact.

Which meant that it was Wally's turn to prove himself. Finding a brief lull in the bullet-storm (at least where he was crouching) Kid Flash put on a burst of speed and set about evening the playing field. In under twenty seconds he had half of the mooks disarmed and blinking stupidly at their empty hands. He moved onto the other half, allowing the rest of the team to come out and fight, and then paused briefly to assess where he was needed next. Because that was Wally's role, the Back-Up.

Miss Martian had taken to the air in camo-mode, using her telekinesis to pick up the goons and throw them out of play. Artemis had vanished the moment she was freed from having to take cover, leaving Aqualad facing off against an uncountable crowd of mooks. Kid Flash quickly sped to the Atlantean's side, wordlessly offering support as they fought back-to-back. They traded punches with the goons; Kid Flash with his super speed attacks and Aqualad with his water bearers, but Wally still found his mind wandering.

Even as he fought, his quick-fire eyes darted from each visible team member to the next, revelling in how they all fit together. He glanced momentarily at M'gann's semi-invisible form and grinned to himself. He could feel the mental link that kept them all in contact buzz reassuringly in the back of his mind and knew that in technical terms, the green-skinned girl was the Communications officer. But she was also so much more than that. With her optimism and her ability to see the good in everyone, she was the Heart of the team.

'WALLY!'

M'gann's mental cry blasted in his skull, and Wally spun just in time to see a green fletched arrow explode against a goon's chest; knocking the knife that was intended for the speedster's back to the floor. Wally turned again to follow the arrow's flight path back to it's owner, spotting the blonde archer crouched on a catwalk above them. Evidently, Artemis had sought out high ground when she had seemingly vanished earlier, providing them with aerial support.

'Are you alright?' Connor asked over the link, his position on the other side of the warehouse preventing him from seeing what had actually happened – all he had to go on was M'gann's panicked shout, leaving him understandably worried.

'I'm fine,' Wally replied as he roundhouse-kicked a goon that was trying to sneak up on Kaldur. He then glanced up at Artemis and rather begrudgingly thanked her for the save. She smiled smugly back.

Wally was not Artemis' biggest fan (She had prevented Red Arrow from joining the team, after all, and she was annoying, and snarky, and pig-headed and stubborn and…) but he did have to admit that she fitted on the team as well. She had briefly served as their token human member while Robin was out of commission and while Wally hated the idea of replacing his best friend, Artemis did have some ninja skills of her own. Now that Robin had returned the team dynamic had resettled, making Artemis their Long Range specialist and Lookout. And Robin?

Well, Robin was whatever they needed, whenever they needed it. If Kaldur was stuck as to their next move, Robin was his tactical advisor. If Connor found an obstacle he couldn't punch through, Robin found him an alternative. If Wally was the one that needed back-up, Robin was there. If M'gann lost contact with any of them through the link, Robin would find a way to get them back in touch. If Artemis needed a second pair of eyes, Robin would find a perch too.

Wally flashed back to the moment when he had heard his best friend admit that he had considered quitting the team because he believed that he couldn't keep up with the metas. Didn't Robin realise just how important he was? Sure, they had survived the two months that he had been absent – but only just!

This was their first mission since Robin's return, and though the younger vigilante had appeared confident for the team's benefit, Wally had seen through the mask. Robin was feeling just as insecure as he had been before his run-in with the Joker. There had to be something Wally could do to make the Boy Wonder realise that he was needed on the team.

'Got the intel,' came Robin's voice over the link – the first time he had made contact since he had disappeared at the start. 'Transmitting it to Watch Tower now.'

Well, there was a point in Wally's favour – if Robin hadn't have been on the mission, they probably wouldn't have completed it, considering that the entire rest of the team were still stuck in the middle of the world's largest goon army.

'Very good, Robin,' Kaldur replied, a trace of a smile on his lips as if he had been thinking the exact same thing as Wally. At least when they gave their report to Batman they would have some good news. Maybe they could even skip the part where they went from covert to overt and engaged the enemy in a miniature war… 'Regroup with us. It would be wise for us to retreat now that we have what we came for.'

Wally agreed with that – it was getting kind of ridiculous how small an effect they were having against the goons. He couldn't tell if replacement mooks were actually springing up out of nowhere, or if these guys were just tougher than they looked and refusing to stay down for very long. Either way, they weren't getting very far.

'Artemis!' M'gann cried, snapping Wally's attention away from the guy currently attacking him and up to the catwalk above him. It wasn't because he cared, per se, it was more because Artemis was a teammate and as he had established earlier, it was his job to back them up. But it was clear that this time around, there was no way he could do anything helpful in time.

Artemis was now standing in the middle of the catwalk, backed up against the far railing, as she was approached on both sides by several goons. The thick chains securing the metal platform to the ceiling groaned under the increased weight, the whole structure swaying and bowing under pressure. Artemis was stuck – she was too high to jump down without breaking something, and as she turned, Wally could see that her quiver was empty. She was down to her crossbow, which she pointed at one group then the other; unsure how best to proceed.

The rest of the team watched, trying to figure out how they could help. M'gann attempted to grab the blonde telekinetically, but was taken out from behind before she got the chance. They were all still trapped in their own battles – there was nothing they could do…

'Take two steps to your left.'

Wally blinked at the firm order that came over their link; especially as he had no idea where the owner of the words was. He looked around as he kept fighting, but there was nothing but shadows. Artemis was clearly just as bewildered by the instructions as Wally was. 'What? Why?'

'Just do it!' Robin and Wally snapped at the same time, which made Artemis' eyes widen though she still obeyed. The moment she shuffled over, the shift in weight made two of the supporting chains warp, threatening to snap at any moment.

Artemis glanced at the chains warily as the goons surrounding her continued to advance. 'Whatever your plan is ninja boy, you'd better hurry up!'

'Keep still and trust me,' was the only reply.

And then the chains snapped.

Wally froze, uncaring of the fact that he was in the middle of a battle royale. He watched the expression on Artemis' face morph from fear, to surprise, to resignation. His heart literally stopped as he watched her fall.

And then the Boy Wonder came flying out of nowhere. The end of the grapple line was invisible in the rafters as he swung in a graceful arc. Artemis had only dropped about eight feet before Robin collided with her. She let out a grunt of surprise and pain as his arm wrapped around her waist and gripped her close. Their momentum carried them smoothly over to another catwalk, the pair of them landing with the silent grace of ninjas. Seeing them safe, Wally let out a sigh of relief. And then…

"MOVE KF!"

The catwalk was still collapsing, bringing with it the twenty or so goons that were freefalling through the air. All of them heading straight at the speedster – promising him a rather painful end.

Thankfully, he heeded Robin's warning milliseconds before he would have been crushed. Kaldur had darted away too, while Connor was with M'gann; protecting her from the goons still standing. Wally saw that all his team was safe and relatively uninjured – their little band of misfits still standing even after their simple covert recon mission had gone horribly wrong – and grinned.

"I think we should go now," Robin deadpanned, gesturing at the mess all around them. Wally studied his best friend's stance and expression; the small smirk telling him that the boy's confidence was back – and this time it wasn't an act for their benefit. Maybe they wouldn't have to have that talk after all.

"Agreed," Kaldur nodded as he began directing them out of the building.

Wally sidled up beside Robin as they walked towards the bioship, the younger teen surreptitiously supporting a slightly shaken Artemis (nearly falling to your death is never a fun experience, so Wally decided not to tease her… yet) "So… do you reckon Batman will believe us if we say nothing happened?"

Robin just shook his head and gave a little laugh. "Not a chance, Dude."

Of course they can't lie to Batman. He's Batman. :)

I promise you that I really am trying to work on the Identity sequel – I am currently stuck on a scene in chapter two and it's getting really frustrating, but I'm sure I'll sort it out! I have two more one-shots that I'm working on in the meantime. Both of them will be about the batbros because I love them so much!

Please drop a comment! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy!