Post by Admin on Jun 27, 2018 14:36:50 GMT -5
Previously in…Young Justice
School’s out for summer, and that means one thing: trouble. The Terror Twins, teenage delinquents with more muscle than brains, have escaped from juvenile detention and gone on a rampage across the South. Now, the Terror Twins are holed up in a bank with seven hostages in Smithfield, Virginia.
Teenage heroes Robin, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Artemis, and Superboy are tired of being treated like sidekicks. Determined to demonstrate that they are ready for the big leagues, the five costumed crimefighters are en route to Smithfield to take down the Terror Twins! Can they really take down these dangerous metahuman criminals? And what will their mentors do when they discover that their ‘sidekicks’ have disobeyed orders?
The small town of Smithfield, Virginia, had never attracted a feeding frenzy of reporters and camera crews quite like this. Three helicopters buzzed overhead. Fire trucks, ambulances, and two-dozen police vehicles from three different police departments, blocked off Main Street where the Terror Twins were holed up inside the local Metbank.
The street looked like a war zone. A blackened squad car was coated in dried foam. Fire had consumed several buildings. A second police cruiser, upside down this time, had been thrown through the front window of a Big Belly Burger. One door was still resting on the sidewalk and the street was covered in broken glass and chips of concrete.
Uniformed officers tried to push back the crowds of onlookers taking video on their phones from behind blue barriers, to little effect. News vans were parked on the sidewalk, cameras sweeping across the crowd and up the street towards the friendly exterior of the bank. A dozen newscasters were lined up in front of the barricades in front of their cameramen, talking seriously into microphones with suitably grave expressions.
Lieutenant Sammy Bukowski, Smithfield Police Department, scowled at the reporters. They were making things worse. The two metahumans-- Gawd, they were just kids-- holed up inside the bank were already strained to the breaking point. He knew that the media frenzy was just the thing that could push them over the edge. He read that media attention was dangerous when metahuman criminals were involved: metas were worried the reporters would attract the Justice League. Worse, some wanted the attention and started a fight just to get on TV.
Thus far, there had been no sign of the Justice League, and Bukowski doubted that anyone was coming. Hell, this was small potatoes for the likes of them.
He turned his back on the chaos and stomped back to the command post, rubbing at his bald spot. Lieutenant Bukowski was Smithfield’s only hostage negotiator-- hell, he was the only hostage negotiator for three counties. He’d spent twenty years talking down panicked kids that had gone one step too far, people on the verge of suicide, and abusive husbands holding their wives or kids hostage during custody battles-- the worst were always the domestics.
Until now. Bukowski had never tried to talk down a metahuman criminal. There’d never been a super-powered criminal in Smithfiled before, not while he was on the force. But he’d dealt with human criminals that sounded the same-- manic. Unstable. Dangerous.
Unfortunately, Captain Kurt Reynolds of S.W.A.T. had underestimated the “costumed punks” and gone in guns blazing. It was a minor miracle that no one had been killed and that they’d only suffered a few broken bones and concussions.
In the eyes of Sammy Bukowski, Reynolds was the worst kind of cop—a bully. He and his ‘boys’ had shot and killed a fifteen-year-old kid just last year. Now, Reynolds’d gotten a few of his men trapped inside the bank with two panicked hostage-takers-- just for a failed chance to get his face on the evening news.
Sammy Bukowski hung his head. He’d lost control of a few situations in the past-- it happened to everyone in his line of work-- but if the FBI or the National Guard didn’t arrive soon, if someone didn’t arrive that could save the hostages, he had a sinking feel that this situation was going to end in blood.
Tommy Terror swallowed and let the vertical blinds fall shut as he backed away from the window. The inside of the bank was dim and quiet. The light slanted through the long blinds the Terror Twins had drawn across the windows. The glass doors to the bank were barricaded shut and the floor was covered in broken tiles and splinters.
Tommy could hear his own ragged breathing echoing through the silent room. He squeezed his fists and pressed the stolen gun to his forehead. He didn’t need the pistol, but it made the pigs think twice about breaking down the door again! Those idiots respected a gun more than they respected his raw strength. That was the only way to explain why S.W.A.T. had tried to take them out. Damn it, why would no one take them seriously?
Tommy licked his upper lip. Maybe he should put a few bullets in one of those cops they had stuffed in the vault. Then they would take him seriously. Then they would fear his…wrath, or something. Tommy’s sister was pacing back and forth in front of the broad doors to the rear of the bank, her muscular arms covered in sweat and dust. “Come on, Tommy! You can’t just stand there, what are we going to do?”
Tommy turned on her with a scowl, “I’m thinking, li’l sis, shut it!”
“You shouldn’t have thrown those cars.” Tuppence lashed out with her foot and sent a mangled rolling chair flying across the room, “Look at all those reporters! We’ve attracted too much attention. The kind of attention with super-powers, Tommy!”
Tommy shook his head mulishly. “I ain’t heard nothing about that yet. We’re too small to attract the likes of the Justice Losers. They’re probably off…I don’t know, dealing with space aliens.”
Tuppence scowled. “There are more super-powered do-gooders out there that could come down on us”
“When did they ever care about the likes of us before, li’l sis?” Tommy sneered. “Besides, they can’t do nothing yet out there, not while we’ve got the hostages in the vault. And two of them cops, too.”
Tuppence shook her head with a hiss. “That doesn’t matter, Tommy, how are we going to get out of here? We should’ve bailed like I wanted!”
“I’m thinking!” Tommy snapped. “We need to negotiate. We need a helicopter.”
Tuppence just laughed. “Great idea, moron. So it’s even easier for them to catch us and throw us back in jail. I don’t wanna go back to that place, Tommy. I don’t want to deal with no more fucking experiments!”
Tommy gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against a column. Chunks of plaster flew across the room. “You come up with somethin’ then if you’re so smart!”
“I was waiting for you to ask, big brother,” Tuppence spat. “Let me think! Let me think.”
The Batwing tore through the air over Maryland. Flying low to the ground at subsonic speeds with stealth systems engaged to avoid detection, they would arrive at their target destination in just a few minutes. Trying not to think about what was going to happen when Batman discovered that he was missing, Robin selected autopilot and released the controls. He had already deactivated the homing beacon and disconnected the plane from the Batcomputer. Of course, nothing was going to stop the World’s Greatest Detective from discovering what had happened but, with any luck, they could make it to their destination before anyone could find them.
“I’m going to spend the rest of my life locked in the manor,” Tim whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Robin twisted around in the cockpit. “Just thinking out loud.”
“Right,” Artemis muttered.
The archer was in the rear seat-- where he should be sitting. Robin gulped. He had stolen the Batwing. No, I am going to spend the rest of my life locked in the cave. Tim always did this-- visualized the worst-case scenario. Visualized every potential scenario. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose sight of the most probable outcomes or, worse, lose track of relevant data. Come on. Focus on the mission.
Robin cleared his throat and tapped his wrist. “Communications check, this is Robin, can you hear me?” Robin waited. “One, two, three. Radio check-- can you hear me?”
“Wow! I can hear you!” Wonder Girl said over the radio with a laugh. “This is so cool!”
Wonder Girl flew beside the Batwing, arms outstretched and silver bracelets flashing in the sun. She floated on her side and waved at the cockpit. “Can you hear me?”
Robin rolled his eyes. “Identify yourself on this channel, Wonder Girl.”
“Oh, right. This is Wonder Girl! Can you hear me now?”
“Copy that, Wonder Girl. I can read you.”
“This is stupid.” Superboy flew through the air with his arms crossed, bobbing up and down slightly in the air currents.
Robin tsked. “Identify yourself, guys. In a firefight, it can be hard to tell--“
“No one’s going to shoot at us.” Superboy rolled his eyes. “Come on!”
He spread his arms to reveal the red S on his shirt and then dove out of sight. Robin rubbed his temple with one hand. Behind him, Artemis snickered.
“This is Artemis. I can hear you, Robin. Can you hear me? Over and out.”
Robin sighed. “Thanks a lot, Artemis.”
Artemis smirked.
Robin’s computer sent him a notification. “Interesting.” Tim scanned the screen. “Guys, I’ve accessed police communications. This is going to be harder than we thought. The perps are Tommy and Tuppence Terror. They have enhanced strength and limited invulnerability.”
“Perps?” Artemis stage-whispered in the back seat.
Robin ignored her. “It looks like they have at least seven hostages-- five bank employees and two members of local S.W.A.T.”
“Great.” Artemis’ sigh sounded like static and Robin decided to upgrade the earbuds later.
“What are we going to do?” Wonder Girl asked, looping around the Batwing in her excitement.
Tim scrolled through the police chatter. He pulled up the schematics for the bank. This can work. “I have a plan.”
Tuppence Terror was still trying to think of a way out of her situation when she heard the distant roar of jet engines. She looked up with a flash of fear-- was it the National Guard? Were they going to bomb the bank? The windows rattled as the jet swept over the building.
“What was that!” Tommy squealed.
“I told you we attracted the wrong kinda attention!” Tuppence snarled as she marched over to the window and peeked through the blinds.
Her heart was pounding. The whistling roar of the jet was coming closer again-- there! Her heart stopped. She felt cold terror seize her neck and back in a vise. “T-T-Tommy! It’s…it’s…the Bat!”
Tommy leapt to the window. His breath was rattling in her ears as he peered through the blinds. A sinister black jet was hovering over the cleared street in front of the bank. Jagged black wings made minute adjustments in the air behind an angular cockpit sealed with dark red glass. The searing exhaust from the turbines washed across the street as the plane landed on the road. Wafts of coolant billowed out of the machine and vaporized in the warm sun. The cockpit slid open and two figures dropped towards the ground. The first settled onto the ground, knee bent, and wrapped in a billowing black cape.
It’s HIM!
“Holy shit, holy…shit! We gotta surrender, Tuppence!” Tommy moaned, “I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life breathing through a tube! I’d rather go back to juvie!”
It can’t be him, it don’t make any sense... “Wait! Wait!” Tuppence gasped, “It’s not him! It’s…Robin!?”
It was Robin! Tuppence didn’t even recognize the other one-- some blonde bitch wearing a sleeveless red costume and carrying a bow and arrow. The archer was even taller than the little boy in front of her. Tuppence felt her terror recede in a wave of trembling relief. Ignoring the sudden surge of bile in her throat that made her feel like she was going to throw up, Tuppence snarled, “Those fucking losers sent the Boy Wonder to take us down? Who do they think we are, Condiment King!?”
Still shaking a little, Tommy let out a panicked laugh, “R-right! So, who’s the other one?”
“It ain’t Batman, so who cares!” Tuppence hissed.
“Yeah...” Tommy cracked his neck as a smile spread across his face. “Yeah! This is perfect, li’l sis, we’ve finally got a plan! We pound on these losers and take their jet! The hostages are safe in the vault and there’s no way the cops are going to do anything while the capes are fighting. Then we’re outta here!”
Tuppence gave him a feral grin. “For once in your life, Tommy, you’re right. Let’s do this!”
Artemis unfolded her bow. The gears hissed and the bowstring whirred into place with a gentle thrum of tension. She adjusted the dials until the laser sight and optical sight were in perfect position and took a deep breath. The sun felt hot on her hair and bare shoulders. She could hear sirens wailing in the distance and the distant grunting whine of the turbines shutting down. Sweat ran down her neck and back and she resisted the sudden urge to scratch the padded headband that protected her head and ears.
Suzanne really was trying not to think about what was going to happen next.
It was always like this before the action started. It had been the same when she was competing in archery tournaments. The constant stream of orders from her mother was like nails on a chalkboard. She always started shaking and sweating until she finally just drew her bow in one smooth motion...and then, it was like everything floated away. Her mother, her anxiety, her indecision. Hopefully this would be the same.
Artemis drew an arrow from the quiver on her belt and nocked, ready to draw. She raised her eyes and, just like that, everything was calm. The blinds fluttered in the window of the Metbank across the street.
“Soooo…” Impulse’s voice hummed over the radio, “what’s happening guys?”
Artemis rolled her eyes. Robin sighed. “Just wait, Impulse, and be quiet.”
“Hey! I’m waiting!” Impulse said. “Just, you know, hoping for some action any time now. Any time now--”
“We get it!” Artemis snapped. Impulse was ruining her concentration.
There were around five seconds of silence. The summer sun was heating the top of her head and-- “Any sign of them?” Wonder Girl asked plaintively over the communicator.
“Hey! Why does she get to talk?” Impulse said.
“Shut! Up!” Superboy snarled. “I can barely hear myself think.
Silence fell. Artemis exhaled, staring at the bank. At this point she was eager to fight.
“I never have this particular problem with Batman,” Robin whispered.
There was a definite note of tension in his voice. Artemis frowned and glanced at Robin. His hands were curling and uncurling on his bo staff.
“The plan is going to work, right, Robin?”
“Seventy percent.”
“What?”
“I’m seventy percent sure this is going to work,” Robin repeated quickly, “The Rogues can never resist taking a crack at me if they don’t see the Batman.”
“But…why?”
“It’s simple criminal psychology,” Robin shrugged.
“Right,” Artemis said. “Like anything is simple about Gotham. So…where are they?”
“If they won’t come out, we need to draw them out,” Robin said. “Goad them to leave the bank so that Wonder Girl and Superboy can rescue the hostages.”
Artemis squinted at the Metbank, fingers flexing on the hilt of her bow. “Right,” she said with a nasty smile. “HEY! TERROR TEENS! Come out and fight, you hormonal losers!” Artemis smirked. “How’s that?”
“That’s good,” Robin said, leaning on his staff. “I can see them on thermal. Try again.”
Artemis inhaled. “I thought you were the Terror Teens, not the Loser Twins! Come on, are you afraid of the Boy Wonder?”
“Thanks,” Robin said dryly.
The front door to the bank burst open in a shower of glass and the Terror Twins appeared. Artemis stifled a laugh. They just looked so ridiculous. The Terror Twins struck a pose a few feet in front of the Metbank in a rain of plaster dust.
“It’s the Terror Twins, assholes!” Tuppence Terror pointed at the Boy Wonder. “So, Batman couldn’t be bothered to show up himself? You’re going to regret this.”
Artemis’ fingers drummed on the handle of her bow nervously. “Very original, Terror Teens.”
Robin smirked. “What are you supposed to be-- Clockwork Orange rejects?”
“I’m going to enjoy hurting on you, Boy Wonder.” Tommy let out a vicious giggle.
“Look, just give us your jet and we won’t shoot a hostage.” Tuppence blinked sweat out of her eyes.
“Right. Now,” Tommy Tanner said cruelly, and drew a semiautomatic pistol behind his back and pointed it straight at Artemis.
Artemis gulped. “Robin,” she whispered, “was this part of the plan?”
“One of them,” Robin subvocalized.
“I’m not Batman, Robin!” Artemis hissed. “Care to let me in?”
“Let me handle this,” Robin stepped forward, holding out his arms. “You won’t shoot anyone, Tom.”
“Name is Tommy Terror,” Tommy spat, “and I sure as hell will shoot anyone I want!”
“No you won’t.” Robin smirked. “You still have the safety on, Tom.”
“No he don’t.” Tuppence cracked her knuckles. “You’re trying to trick us!”
“The police use a double safety,” Robin lied glibly. “It’s simple. Just look at the bottom of the clip. There’s a yellow switch.”
Tommy blinked, looking slightly confused. Artemis glared at the Terror Twins, willing them to listen. Her muscles ached from constant tension. This better work, Wonder Boy.
“I’m trying to stabilize the situation,” Robin said in a soothing voice, pointing at the semiautomatic pistol. “Trust me...Mr. Terror.”
Tommy swallowed. “Watch ‘em, li’l sis.”
“Don’t!” Tuppence said. “It’s a trick!”
Tommy couldn’t help himself. He tilted the gun to one side to check the bottom of the barrel. Robin moved like a viper. The Batarang zipped through the air and knocked the gun out of his hand with a ringing sound; the pistol skated across the sidewalk, impaled and useless. Tommy howled, “You dirty little sonofa--”
Tommy Terror seized a metal garbage can, ripped it off of the sidewalk with a roar, and hurled it towards them. Robin and Artemis dived to either side; Artemis released her first bolt. The red arrow whistled through the air and smacked against Tommy Terror’s chest. He spun to one side from the force of the shot but, just as expected, the arrow failed to penetrate his skin.
“Wonder Girl, now! Go for the hostages!” Robin said over the radio as he rolled to his feet, “You hold off Testosterone Teen, Artemis!”
Tommy Terror picked up a shattered chunk of sidewalk and hurled it through the air towards her. Artemis ducked to one side and snapped off another arrow.
Great plan, Robin. Artemis scowled. Really great plan.
Superboy dropped through the ceiling in a shower of plaster and tangled aluminum. He landed with a boom and cracked the granite tiles under his feet like thin ice. Brushing dust out of his hair, he examined the vault door in front of him. Yeah, he could do this.
Wonder Girl dropped through the hole and landed lightly, her blonde hair rippling onto her shoulders. “Nice!”
Superboy nodded. “I got this.”
He rolled his shoulders ostentatiously and then drove his arms forward-- plunging both hands into the metal. The metal shrieked as he seized two handfuls of ripped steel and pulled. The steel door flexed. He slammed his heels down into the ground with a grunt, cracks flashing through the floor, and heaved once more. He felt a sudden, tingling surge all across his body and, suddenly, the vault door felt light as air! Superboy ripped the vault door out of the wall with a spray of concrete and dropped it on the ground with a clang.
Woah. What was that?
Screams echoed from inside the vault and Wonder Girl jumped over the fallen door with a smile. “No need to panic! I’m Wonder Girl and we’re here to rescue you!”
Wonder Girl blinked. There was ringing silence inside the bank vault.
Superboy rolled his eyes and stamped across the door-- the steel moaned and bent beneath his foot-- and into the vault. There was an open metal gate behind the vault door and a metal table in the center of a room piled with empty safety deposit boxes. Six people were cowering behind the table in various states of disheveled fear; the seventh hostage, a member of the S.W.A.T. team, was stretched out on the floor, unconscious. His forehead was caked with dried blood and dust. The other police officer stepped forward, “What…are you?”
“Does it matter?” Superboy flicked his thumb over his shoulder. “This is an exit. Who’s coming?”
Wonder Girl sighed.
Superboy grinned. He hoped that Robin and Artemis were still holding off the Terror Twins. They were going to fly each of the hostages to the street outside where Impulse would deliver them straight to the hospital. Once all the hostages were safe, they could deliver the final blow to the Terror Twins.
“Move back, people move back!” Lieutenant Bukowski roared, “Officer! Get these civilians back another five blocks, right now!”
Sammy Bukowski pressed his handheld radio to his sweaty temple, his heart pounding like the jackhammers outside his damned apartment every morning. God, he needed a smoke. No, he needed a piss. There was no time for either.
They’d already pushed the police barriers back another two hundred feet, but who knew what a safe distance was from a battle between metahumans. One of them was shooting exploding arrows all over the place, for the love of God.
Bukowski rubbed at his bald spot with the radio. Kids. They’re all just damned kids.
Captain Reynolds and his men were gearing up to move in as soon as they had a chance. The S.W.A.T. Commander was enraged at the idea that the costumed crimefighters might steal his glory.
This was going to get ugly if a reasonable adult didn’t step in and sort things out. For the life of him, Lieutenant Bukowski had never wished more devoutly that the Feds would arrive and take charge of the situation.
There was another sudden BOOM and a pall of dust rose into the air from the direction of the bank. Bukowski jumped about half a foot in the air. “Gawd-damned kids!”
If they got someone killed throwing any more cars through the air or… or… Bukowski eyes widened. “Gawd Almighty, we gotta get the gas main shut down before someone tears a hole in the damn street! Where’s the FBI when you need those bastards?”
Lieutenant Bukowski started fighting his way back towards the command post, shouting orders into his radio.
There was a sudden rush of dust and air and a loud clang from inside the bank. It sounded like Superboy had opened the vault in his usual subtle fashion. Robin tisked in irritation as he checked his wrist-mounted digital clock. Just within expected parameters.
The caped crimefighter bounced backwards, avoiding another jab from Tuppence Terror. He just had to keep them away from the Batwing. Not that he was worried these two ignoramuses would escape, but they might damage the jet. That would be really bad. They just needed to stay out of range-- getting hit was not good-- for a few more minutes, keeping the Terror Twins distracted and focused on the fight and preventing them from hurting anyone else.
Robin’s breathing was starting to come in labored grunts. Stay steady, Tim. Just a few more minutes.
Swearing and shouting with thwarted fury, Tommy was rolling around on the sidewalk as he struggled to untangle himself from an elastic net. Artemis was perched on the blackened police car; she looked almost casual with one arrow nocked but not drawn. “Robin-- you good?”
“Yes.” Confident, Robin took a step back and drew a breath. “It’s over, Tuppence.”
“Darn it, they’re in the vault, Tommy!” Tuppence screamed towards her brother, “How could they get in the vault!?”
“I don’t know!” Tommy replied. “Get me out of this thing!”
Robin grinned. “Not so bright, is he?”
“That’s my dumb brother, you little shit!” Tuppence charged forward in a blur of speed.
Robin threw himself to the side to avoid-- “Gack!”
Tuppence had seized his cape. Robin was lifted into the air and slammed into the street with a gasp of shock. His suit absorbed most of the impact but his head was still spinning. Tuppence grabbed him by the cape and hauled him into the air. “Now you…”
An arrow flashed through the air. The teenaged hoodlum grunted as the arrow bounced off her back. “Your damn arrows don’t hurt me, girl!” Tuppence said. “But I can hurt you!”
“Artemis, now!” Robin gasped.
“Finally!” Artemis drew a trick arrow and fired.
The cylindrical head popped open and four sharp prongs stabbed into her target’s back. The arrow flashed and there was a sharp sizzle of light as the arrow pumped 60,000 volts into Tuppence Terror. Her instant scream became a strangled moan as the electricity coursed through her muscles. Insulated by the rubber in his suit, Robin dropped to the ground. The arrow died with a whine and a puff of smoke. Tuppence went limp.
“Tuppence, no!” Tommy surged to his feet like an enraged gorilla and ripped the net in half, the polymer strands snapping like rubber bands. “I’ll kill you!”
Robin re-estimated Tommy Terror’s strength. Uh-oh. “Artemis!” Robin barked. “Watch out, he’s stronger than I--!”
Too late-- Tommy Terror careened into the archer with a snarl of rage. Artemis yelped as they bounced off the ruined car and onto the street. Robin started to run. He flicked his wrist, rotating one small section of his staff and locking it in place. The tip stared to crackle with electricity.
Artemis was propelled into the street and her head bounced off the asphalt. Her ears were ringing. Her shoulders felt hot and wet. Her head rolled to one side and she saw her trick arrows were scattered across the street beside her. Huh. Okay... I need a new quiver...
“I’ll kill you!” Tommy Terror crouched above the fallen archer.
Oh. Right.
Artemis’ brain restarted. She twisted her head and shoulders to one side with a panicked gasp as Tommy smashed his fist into the ground. Shit!
Fighting nausea, Artemis seized an arrow in her fist with her right hand.
Howling, Tommy raised both hands for another blow. “I’ll kill--”
Artemis stabbed the arrow into the side of the metahuman’s head and flicked the button on the side of the arrow.
Tommy Terror was hurtled to the left as the sonic arrow released a concentrated shock wave. Groaning, Artemis threw the spent arrow away. Her smart earplugs had protected her eardrums from the blast of sound. Still dazed, she rolled onto her side and had to bite her lip to stop from screaming as she scraped her torn shoulder. Okay. Okay. Have to…have to move.
“Artemis!” Robin appeared, his cape flaring out behind him.
He struck with his bo staff and discharged a billowing arc of electricity; Tommy Terror spasmed and choked as the current swept through his body. Smoking, he staggered backwards.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay!” Artemis spat as she rose to one knee. “Is he down?”
“Oh, he’s down.”
Tommy’s roared as he surged to his feet and grabbed Robin by the throat. “I’m not down, Birdboy.”
“C-c-cool,” Robin choked out. “You’re more resilient…than I…initially calculated.”
The metahuman threw Robin to one side. Robin flew into the Batwing and smacked off the side of the jet, falling to the ground. Robin groaned, “Not the Batwing!”
“Robin, get up!” Artemis growled as she grabbed another arrow from the ground and held it like a knife. “Come on, Wonder Boy!”
“That ain’t gonna stop me, girl, you just wait,” Tommy snickered. “Tuppence! Are you okay? Tuppence!”
“Keep your shirt on, Tommy.”
The blackened police car started to shake and then lifted into the air. Tuppence Terror held the car overhead like a pro-wrestler, eyes burning. “What’s up, big brother?”
Artemis menaced the Terror Twins with her arrow. “Uh, surrender now! It’s over. The hostages are free and you’re going to jail for...a really long time!”
Tuppence’s face twisted with rage and she raised the ruined car higher over her head. “If I’m going down, you’re going down with me, b--”
Artemis flinched as a gust of hot air drove small pebbles and chips of debris into her face and chest. Superboy appeared, ripped the car out of Tuppence’s hands, and the vehicle soared through the air and smashed through a storefront with an enormous crash. “Huh.” He swept one hand through his hair. “Whoops?”
“Bastard!” Tuppence Terror crouched and drove her fist towards the Boy of Steel.
His head snapped to one side as she hit him on the jaw and he bounced backwards a step, “Wow! That...almost hurt.”
Superboy gave her a cocky grin, rubbing his jaw with one hand, and Tuppence Terror shrieked and hurtled forward to deliver another blow-- Superboy caught her fist with a resounding crack, like a baseball struck with an aluminum bat. Tuppence screamed as she was forced to one knee, eyes watering with pain.
“Whoops,” Superboy said.
He drove Tuppence into the asphalt with another loud BOOM. She was out for the count.
Superboy put one foot on her chest and brushed off his hands. “Are we done here?”
Tommy Terror roared as he charged forward-- and Wonder Girl streaked through the air and delivered a massive blow to Tommy Terror’s jaw. The teenage hoodlum lifted into the air and skidded across the street, smashing into a fire hydrant. The hydrant exploded with a spout of white water. Tommy slumped, unconscious, as water splashed over his prone form.
“Now we’re done here,” Cassie said, blowing on her fist. “Come on, I couldn’t let you guys have all the fun.”
“We...tired them out for you,” Artemis groaned. “Do you know...how many volts...those guys just took?”
“Thanks, Cissie!” Wonder Girl blew her a kiss.
Artemis rolled her eyes.
Impulse skittered to a stop next to Robin, his boots squealing on the asphalt. He brushed sparks off his shoulders and then removed his goggles. “Aw, man! You guys finished them off without me!”
Artemis grinned weakly. Now it was over. “Ow.”
Superboy grinned as he surveyed their success. The sun felt warm on his face and hair and his cells felt supercharged with energy. The Terror Twins were both unconscious. The hostages had been delivered to the nearest hospital. This is what he was supposed to do, this is what he was meant to do.
Wonder Girl floated an inch above the ground with a frown, looking down at the pair of unconscious metahuman robbers. “What do we do with them?”
“Who cares?” Superboy rolled his shoulders and neck with a contented sigh. “It’s over, right?”
“It better be,” Artemis groaned.
Impulse zoomed over to Robin and stuck out his arm, “You okay, Rob?”
Robin patted the landing gear of the Batwing. “Yeah, thanks.”
Impulse pulled him to his feet.
Robin brushed at his cape. “Come on, we have to talk to the police and get a containment unit down here for the Terror Teens, and…well, we should contact the Justice League.”
Superboy’s acute hearing detected the sudden footsteps pounding up the street. “Someone’s coming, guys.”
The four young heroes turned and saw a platoon of S.W.A.T. officers advancing up the street, weapons held at the ready. “You! Freeze! Hands in the air!”
Superboy scowled. “Hey, we’re not the bad guys!”
“I don’t care who you are, punk.” An enormous officer stepped forward, the muzzle of his military-castoff plasma rifle pointing at the ground in front of them, “But I’m Captain Kurt Reynolds, S.W.A.T., and if any of my men were injured in this shitshow, I’m putting you under arrest. Now put those hands in the air and smile for the cameras.”
“What?” Artemis said, dumbfounded.
Superboy growled, “Not going to happen.”
“Whoa, let’s stay cool.” Robin stepped forward with his arms spread wide-- not raised, but open and unthreatening. “We’re on the same side here, Captain. Your men are safe at the local hospital.”
“Shut up,” Captain Reynolds snarled. “This is my turf, kid, so--”
Beams of golden and silver light flickered across the street and there was a rush of cool air. Wonder Woman descended from the sky and floated to a stop above the street. Her voice rang out, firm and unyielding, “Thank you, Captain. We’ll handle this from here.”
School’s out for summer, and that means one thing: trouble. The Terror Twins, teenage delinquents with more muscle than brains, have escaped from juvenile detention and gone on a rampage across the South. Now, the Terror Twins are holed up in a bank with seven hostages in Smithfield, Virginia.
Teenage heroes Robin, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Artemis, and Superboy are tired of being treated like sidekicks. Determined to demonstrate that they are ready for the big leagues, the five costumed crimefighters are en route to Smithfield to take down the Terror Twins! Can they really take down these dangerous metahuman criminals? And what will their mentors do when they discover that their ‘sidekicks’ have disobeyed orders?
YOUNG JUSTICE
Issue Two: “School’s Out”, Part 2
Written by Oblique
Cover by Joey Jarin
Edited by Mark Bowers
The following takes place before DC2 Most Wanted.
SMITHFIELD, VIRGINIA:
The small town of Smithfield, Virginia, had never attracted a feeding frenzy of reporters and camera crews quite like this. Three helicopters buzzed overhead. Fire trucks, ambulances, and two-dozen police vehicles from three different police departments, blocked off Main Street where the Terror Twins were holed up inside the local Metbank.
The street looked like a war zone. A blackened squad car was coated in dried foam. Fire had consumed several buildings. A second police cruiser, upside down this time, had been thrown through the front window of a Big Belly Burger. One door was still resting on the sidewalk and the street was covered in broken glass and chips of concrete.
Uniformed officers tried to push back the crowds of onlookers taking video on their phones from behind blue barriers, to little effect. News vans were parked on the sidewalk, cameras sweeping across the crowd and up the street towards the friendly exterior of the bank. A dozen newscasters were lined up in front of the barricades in front of their cameramen, talking seriously into microphones with suitably grave expressions.
Lieutenant Sammy Bukowski, Smithfield Police Department, scowled at the reporters. They were making things worse. The two metahumans-- Gawd, they were just kids-- holed up inside the bank were already strained to the breaking point. He knew that the media frenzy was just the thing that could push them over the edge. He read that media attention was dangerous when metahuman criminals were involved: metas were worried the reporters would attract the Justice League. Worse, some wanted the attention and started a fight just to get on TV.
Thus far, there had been no sign of the Justice League, and Bukowski doubted that anyone was coming. Hell, this was small potatoes for the likes of them.
He turned his back on the chaos and stomped back to the command post, rubbing at his bald spot. Lieutenant Bukowski was Smithfield’s only hostage negotiator-- hell, he was the only hostage negotiator for three counties. He’d spent twenty years talking down panicked kids that had gone one step too far, people on the verge of suicide, and abusive husbands holding their wives or kids hostage during custody battles-- the worst were always the domestics.
Until now. Bukowski had never tried to talk down a metahuman criminal. There’d never been a super-powered criminal in Smithfiled before, not while he was on the force. But he’d dealt with human criminals that sounded the same-- manic. Unstable. Dangerous.
Unfortunately, Captain Kurt Reynolds of S.W.A.T. had underestimated the “costumed punks” and gone in guns blazing. It was a minor miracle that no one had been killed and that they’d only suffered a few broken bones and concussions.
In the eyes of Sammy Bukowski, Reynolds was the worst kind of cop—a bully. He and his ‘boys’ had shot and killed a fifteen-year-old kid just last year. Now, Reynolds’d gotten a few of his men trapped inside the bank with two panicked hostage-takers-- just for a failed chance to get his face on the evening news.
Sammy Bukowski hung his head. He’d lost control of a few situations in the past-- it happened to everyone in his line of work-- but if the FBI or the National Guard didn’t arrive soon, if someone didn’t arrive that could save the hostages, he had a sinking feel that this situation was going to end in blood.
Tommy Terror swallowed and let the vertical blinds fall shut as he backed away from the window. The inside of the bank was dim and quiet. The light slanted through the long blinds the Terror Twins had drawn across the windows. The glass doors to the bank were barricaded shut and the floor was covered in broken tiles and splinters.
Tommy could hear his own ragged breathing echoing through the silent room. He squeezed his fists and pressed the stolen gun to his forehead. He didn’t need the pistol, but it made the pigs think twice about breaking down the door again! Those idiots respected a gun more than they respected his raw strength. That was the only way to explain why S.W.A.T. had tried to take them out. Damn it, why would no one take them seriously?
Tommy licked his upper lip. Maybe he should put a few bullets in one of those cops they had stuffed in the vault. Then they would take him seriously. Then they would fear his…wrath, or something. Tommy’s sister was pacing back and forth in front of the broad doors to the rear of the bank, her muscular arms covered in sweat and dust. “Come on, Tommy! You can’t just stand there, what are we going to do?”
Tommy turned on her with a scowl, “I’m thinking, li’l sis, shut it!”
“You shouldn’t have thrown those cars.” Tuppence lashed out with her foot and sent a mangled rolling chair flying across the room, “Look at all those reporters! We’ve attracted too much attention. The kind of attention with super-powers, Tommy!”
Tommy shook his head mulishly. “I ain’t heard nothing about that yet. We’re too small to attract the likes of the Justice Losers. They’re probably off…I don’t know, dealing with space aliens.”
Tuppence scowled. “There are more super-powered do-gooders out there that could come down on us”
“When did they ever care about the likes of us before, li’l sis?” Tommy sneered. “Besides, they can’t do nothing yet out there, not while we’ve got the hostages in the vault. And two of them cops, too.”
Tuppence shook her head with a hiss. “That doesn’t matter, Tommy, how are we going to get out of here? We should’ve bailed like I wanted!”
“I’m thinking!” Tommy snapped. “We need to negotiate. We need a helicopter.”
Tuppence just laughed. “Great idea, moron. So it’s even easier for them to catch us and throw us back in jail. I don’t wanna go back to that place, Tommy. I don’t want to deal with no more fucking experiments!”
Tommy gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against a column. Chunks of plaster flew across the room. “You come up with somethin’ then if you’re so smart!”
“I was waiting for you to ask, big brother,” Tuppence spat. “Let me think! Let me think.”
LATER:
The Batwing tore through the air over Maryland. Flying low to the ground at subsonic speeds with stealth systems engaged to avoid detection, they would arrive at their target destination in just a few minutes. Trying not to think about what was going to happen when Batman discovered that he was missing, Robin selected autopilot and released the controls. He had already deactivated the homing beacon and disconnected the plane from the Batcomputer. Of course, nothing was going to stop the World’s Greatest Detective from discovering what had happened but, with any luck, they could make it to their destination before anyone could find them.
“I’m going to spend the rest of my life locked in the manor,” Tim whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Robin twisted around in the cockpit. “Just thinking out loud.”
“Right,” Artemis muttered.
The archer was in the rear seat-- where he should be sitting. Robin gulped. He had stolen the Batwing. No, I am going to spend the rest of my life locked in the cave. Tim always did this-- visualized the worst-case scenario. Visualized every potential scenario. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose sight of the most probable outcomes or, worse, lose track of relevant data. Come on. Focus on the mission.
Robin cleared his throat and tapped his wrist. “Communications check, this is Robin, can you hear me?” Robin waited. “One, two, three. Radio check-- can you hear me?”
“Wow! I can hear you!” Wonder Girl said over the radio with a laugh. “This is so cool!”
Wonder Girl flew beside the Batwing, arms outstretched and silver bracelets flashing in the sun. She floated on her side and waved at the cockpit. “Can you hear me?”
Robin rolled his eyes. “Identify yourself on this channel, Wonder Girl.”
“Oh, right. This is Wonder Girl! Can you hear me now?”
“Copy that, Wonder Girl. I can read you.”
“This is stupid.” Superboy flew through the air with his arms crossed, bobbing up and down slightly in the air currents.
Robin tsked. “Identify yourself, guys. In a firefight, it can be hard to tell--“
“No one’s going to shoot at us.” Superboy rolled his eyes. “Come on!”
He spread his arms to reveal the red S on his shirt and then dove out of sight. Robin rubbed his temple with one hand. Behind him, Artemis snickered.
“This is Artemis. I can hear you, Robin. Can you hear me? Over and out.”
Robin sighed. “Thanks a lot, Artemis.”
Artemis smirked.
Robin’s computer sent him a notification. “Interesting.” Tim scanned the screen. “Guys, I’ve accessed police communications. This is going to be harder than we thought. The perps are Tommy and Tuppence Terror. They have enhanced strength and limited invulnerability.”
“Perps?” Artemis stage-whispered in the back seat.
Robin ignored her. “It looks like they have at least seven hostages-- five bank employees and two members of local S.W.A.T.”
“Great.” Artemis’ sigh sounded like static and Robin decided to upgrade the earbuds later.
“What are we going to do?” Wonder Girl asked, looping around the Batwing in her excitement.
Tim scrolled through the police chatter. He pulled up the schematics for the bank. This can work. “I have a plan.”
Tuppence Terror was still trying to think of a way out of her situation when she heard the distant roar of jet engines. She looked up with a flash of fear-- was it the National Guard? Were they going to bomb the bank? The windows rattled as the jet swept over the building.
“What was that!” Tommy squealed.
“I told you we attracted the wrong kinda attention!” Tuppence snarled as she marched over to the window and peeked through the blinds.
Her heart was pounding. The whistling roar of the jet was coming closer again-- there! Her heart stopped. She felt cold terror seize her neck and back in a vise. “T-T-Tommy! It’s…it’s…the Bat!”
Tommy leapt to the window. His breath was rattling in her ears as he peered through the blinds. A sinister black jet was hovering over the cleared street in front of the bank. Jagged black wings made minute adjustments in the air behind an angular cockpit sealed with dark red glass. The searing exhaust from the turbines washed across the street as the plane landed on the road. Wafts of coolant billowed out of the machine and vaporized in the warm sun. The cockpit slid open and two figures dropped towards the ground. The first settled onto the ground, knee bent, and wrapped in a billowing black cape.
It’s HIM!
“Holy shit, holy…shit! We gotta surrender, Tuppence!” Tommy moaned, “I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life breathing through a tube! I’d rather go back to juvie!”
It can’t be him, it don’t make any sense... “Wait! Wait!” Tuppence gasped, “It’s not him! It’s…Robin!?”
It was Robin! Tuppence didn’t even recognize the other one-- some blonde bitch wearing a sleeveless red costume and carrying a bow and arrow. The archer was even taller than the little boy in front of her. Tuppence felt her terror recede in a wave of trembling relief. Ignoring the sudden surge of bile in her throat that made her feel like she was going to throw up, Tuppence snarled, “Those fucking losers sent the Boy Wonder to take us down? Who do they think we are, Condiment King!?”
Still shaking a little, Tommy let out a panicked laugh, “R-right! So, who’s the other one?”
“It ain’t Batman, so who cares!” Tuppence hissed.
“Yeah...” Tommy cracked his neck as a smile spread across his face. “Yeah! This is perfect, li’l sis, we’ve finally got a plan! We pound on these losers and take their jet! The hostages are safe in the vault and there’s no way the cops are going to do anything while the capes are fighting. Then we’re outta here!”
Tuppence gave him a feral grin. “For once in your life, Tommy, you’re right. Let’s do this!”
Artemis unfolded her bow. The gears hissed and the bowstring whirred into place with a gentle thrum of tension. She adjusted the dials until the laser sight and optical sight were in perfect position and took a deep breath. The sun felt hot on her hair and bare shoulders. She could hear sirens wailing in the distance and the distant grunting whine of the turbines shutting down. Sweat ran down her neck and back and she resisted the sudden urge to scratch the padded headband that protected her head and ears.
Suzanne really was trying not to think about what was going to happen next.
It was always like this before the action started. It had been the same when she was competing in archery tournaments. The constant stream of orders from her mother was like nails on a chalkboard. She always started shaking and sweating until she finally just drew her bow in one smooth motion...and then, it was like everything floated away. Her mother, her anxiety, her indecision. Hopefully this would be the same.
Artemis drew an arrow from the quiver on her belt and nocked, ready to draw. She raised her eyes and, just like that, everything was calm. The blinds fluttered in the window of the Metbank across the street.
“Soooo…” Impulse’s voice hummed over the radio, “what’s happening guys?”
Artemis rolled her eyes. Robin sighed. “Just wait, Impulse, and be quiet.”
“Hey! I’m waiting!” Impulse said. “Just, you know, hoping for some action any time now. Any time now--”
“We get it!” Artemis snapped. Impulse was ruining her concentration.
There were around five seconds of silence. The summer sun was heating the top of her head and-- “Any sign of them?” Wonder Girl asked plaintively over the communicator.
“Hey! Why does she get to talk?” Impulse said.
“Shut! Up!” Superboy snarled. “I can barely hear myself think.
Silence fell. Artemis exhaled, staring at the bank. At this point she was eager to fight.
“I never have this particular problem with Batman,” Robin whispered.
There was a definite note of tension in his voice. Artemis frowned and glanced at Robin. His hands were curling and uncurling on his bo staff.
“The plan is going to work, right, Robin?”
“Seventy percent.”
“What?”
“I’m seventy percent sure this is going to work,” Robin repeated quickly, “The Rogues can never resist taking a crack at me if they don’t see the Batman.”
“But…why?”
“It’s simple criminal psychology,” Robin shrugged.
“Right,” Artemis said. “Like anything is simple about Gotham. So…where are they?”
“If they won’t come out, we need to draw them out,” Robin said. “Goad them to leave the bank so that Wonder Girl and Superboy can rescue the hostages.”
Artemis squinted at the Metbank, fingers flexing on the hilt of her bow. “Right,” she said with a nasty smile. “HEY! TERROR TEENS! Come out and fight, you hormonal losers!” Artemis smirked. “How’s that?”
“That’s good,” Robin said, leaning on his staff. “I can see them on thermal. Try again.”
Artemis inhaled. “I thought you were the Terror Teens, not the Loser Twins! Come on, are you afraid of the Boy Wonder?”
“Thanks,” Robin said dryly.
The front door to the bank burst open in a shower of glass and the Terror Twins appeared. Artemis stifled a laugh. They just looked so ridiculous. The Terror Twins struck a pose a few feet in front of the Metbank in a rain of plaster dust.
“It’s the Terror Twins, assholes!” Tuppence Terror pointed at the Boy Wonder. “So, Batman couldn’t be bothered to show up himself? You’re going to regret this.”
Artemis’ fingers drummed on the handle of her bow nervously. “Very original, Terror Teens.”
Robin smirked. “What are you supposed to be-- Clockwork Orange rejects?”
“I’m going to enjoy hurting on you, Boy Wonder.” Tommy let out a vicious giggle.
“Look, just give us your jet and we won’t shoot a hostage.” Tuppence blinked sweat out of her eyes.
“Right. Now,” Tommy Tanner said cruelly, and drew a semiautomatic pistol behind his back and pointed it straight at Artemis.
Artemis gulped. “Robin,” she whispered, “was this part of the plan?”
“One of them,” Robin subvocalized.
“I’m not Batman, Robin!” Artemis hissed. “Care to let me in?”
“Let me handle this,” Robin stepped forward, holding out his arms. “You won’t shoot anyone, Tom.”
“Name is Tommy Terror,” Tommy spat, “and I sure as hell will shoot anyone I want!”
“No you won’t.” Robin smirked. “You still have the safety on, Tom.”
“No he don’t.” Tuppence cracked her knuckles. “You’re trying to trick us!”
“The police use a double safety,” Robin lied glibly. “It’s simple. Just look at the bottom of the clip. There’s a yellow switch.”
Tommy blinked, looking slightly confused. Artemis glared at the Terror Twins, willing them to listen. Her muscles ached from constant tension. This better work, Wonder Boy.
“I’m trying to stabilize the situation,” Robin said in a soothing voice, pointing at the semiautomatic pistol. “Trust me...Mr. Terror.”
Tommy swallowed. “Watch ‘em, li’l sis.”
“Don’t!” Tuppence said. “It’s a trick!”
Tommy couldn’t help himself. He tilted the gun to one side to check the bottom of the barrel. Robin moved like a viper. The Batarang zipped through the air and knocked the gun out of his hand with a ringing sound; the pistol skated across the sidewalk, impaled and useless. Tommy howled, “You dirty little sonofa--”
Tommy Terror seized a metal garbage can, ripped it off of the sidewalk with a roar, and hurled it towards them. Robin and Artemis dived to either side; Artemis released her first bolt. The red arrow whistled through the air and smacked against Tommy Terror’s chest. He spun to one side from the force of the shot but, just as expected, the arrow failed to penetrate his skin.
“Wonder Girl, now! Go for the hostages!” Robin said over the radio as he rolled to his feet, “You hold off Testosterone Teen, Artemis!”
Tommy Terror picked up a shattered chunk of sidewalk and hurled it through the air towards her. Artemis ducked to one side and snapped off another arrow.
Great plan, Robin. Artemis scowled. Really great plan.
Superboy dropped through the ceiling in a shower of plaster and tangled aluminum. He landed with a boom and cracked the granite tiles under his feet like thin ice. Brushing dust out of his hair, he examined the vault door in front of him. Yeah, he could do this.
Wonder Girl dropped through the hole and landed lightly, her blonde hair rippling onto her shoulders. “Nice!”
Superboy nodded. “I got this.”
He rolled his shoulders ostentatiously and then drove his arms forward-- plunging both hands into the metal. The metal shrieked as he seized two handfuls of ripped steel and pulled. The steel door flexed. He slammed his heels down into the ground with a grunt, cracks flashing through the floor, and heaved once more. He felt a sudden, tingling surge all across his body and, suddenly, the vault door felt light as air! Superboy ripped the vault door out of the wall with a spray of concrete and dropped it on the ground with a clang.
Woah. What was that?
Screams echoed from inside the vault and Wonder Girl jumped over the fallen door with a smile. “No need to panic! I’m Wonder Girl and we’re here to rescue you!”
Wonder Girl blinked. There was ringing silence inside the bank vault.
Superboy rolled his eyes and stamped across the door-- the steel moaned and bent beneath his foot-- and into the vault. There was an open metal gate behind the vault door and a metal table in the center of a room piled with empty safety deposit boxes. Six people were cowering behind the table in various states of disheveled fear; the seventh hostage, a member of the S.W.A.T. team, was stretched out on the floor, unconscious. His forehead was caked with dried blood and dust. The other police officer stepped forward, “What…are you?”
“Does it matter?” Superboy flicked his thumb over his shoulder. “This is an exit. Who’s coming?”
Wonder Girl sighed.
Superboy grinned. He hoped that Robin and Artemis were still holding off the Terror Twins. They were going to fly each of the hostages to the street outside where Impulse would deliver them straight to the hospital. Once all the hostages were safe, they could deliver the final blow to the Terror Twins.
“Move back, people move back!” Lieutenant Bukowski roared, “Officer! Get these civilians back another five blocks, right now!”
Sammy Bukowski pressed his handheld radio to his sweaty temple, his heart pounding like the jackhammers outside his damned apartment every morning. God, he needed a smoke. No, he needed a piss. There was no time for either.
A line of uniformed officers was trying to move back the crowd of bystanders-- half on the verge of panic and the other half pressing forward to try and take their own video of the fight through the milling crowd of police officers, firefighters, and reporters. The abandoned street behind them was littered with discarded plastic water bottles, scraps of newspaper, cellphones, and even one high-heeled shoe lost in the initial stampede.
They’d already pushed the police barriers back another two hundred feet, but who knew what a safe distance was from a battle between metahumans. One of them was shooting exploding arrows all over the place, for the love of God.
Bukowski rubbed at his bald spot with the radio. Kids. They’re all just damned kids.
Captain Reynolds and his men were gearing up to move in as soon as they had a chance. The S.W.A.T. Commander was enraged at the idea that the costumed crimefighters might steal his glory.
This was going to get ugly if a reasonable adult didn’t step in and sort things out. For the life of him, Lieutenant Bukowski had never wished more devoutly that the Feds would arrive and take charge of the situation.
There was another sudden BOOM and a pall of dust rose into the air from the direction of the bank. Bukowski jumped about half a foot in the air. “Gawd-damned kids!”
If they got someone killed throwing any more cars through the air or… or… Bukowski eyes widened. “Gawd Almighty, we gotta get the gas main shut down before someone tears a hole in the damn street! Where’s the FBI when you need those bastards?”
Lieutenant Bukowski started fighting his way back towards the command post, shouting orders into his radio.
There was a sudden rush of dust and air and a loud clang from inside the bank. It sounded like Superboy had opened the vault in his usual subtle fashion. Robin tisked in irritation as he checked his wrist-mounted digital clock. Just within expected parameters.
The caped crimefighter bounced backwards, avoiding another jab from Tuppence Terror. He just had to keep them away from the Batwing. Not that he was worried these two ignoramuses would escape, but they might damage the jet. That would be really bad. They just needed to stay out of range-- getting hit was not good-- for a few more minutes, keeping the Terror Twins distracted and focused on the fight and preventing them from hurting anyone else.
Robin’s breathing was starting to come in labored grunts. Stay steady, Tim. Just a few more minutes.
Swearing and shouting with thwarted fury, Tommy was rolling around on the sidewalk as he struggled to untangle himself from an elastic net. Artemis was perched on the blackened police car; she looked almost casual with one arrow nocked but not drawn. “Robin-- you good?”
“Yes.” Confident, Robin took a step back and drew a breath. “It’s over, Tuppence.”
“Darn it, they’re in the vault, Tommy!” Tuppence screamed towards her brother, “How could they get in the vault!?”
“I don’t know!” Tommy replied. “Get me out of this thing!”
Robin grinned. “Not so bright, is he?”
“That’s my dumb brother, you little shit!” Tuppence charged forward in a blur of speed.
Robin threw himself to the side to avoid-- “Gack!”
Tuppence had seized his cape. Robin was lifted into the air and slammed into the street with a gasp of shock. His suit absorbed most of the impact but his head was still spinning. Tuppence grabbed him by the cape and hauled him into the air. “Now you…”
An arrow flashed through the air. The teenaged hoodlum grunted as the arrow bounced off her back. “Your damn arrows don’t hurt me, girl!” Tuppence said. “But I can hurt you!”
“Artemis, now!” Robin gasped.
“Finally!” Artemis drew a trick arrow and fired.
The cylindrical head popped open and four sharp prongs stabbed into her target’s back. The arrow flashed and there was a sharp sizzle of light as the arrow pumped 60,000 volts into Tuppence Terror. Her instant scream became a strangled moan as the electricity coursed through her muscles. Insulated by the rubber in his suit, Robin dropped to the ground. The arrow died with a whine and a puff of smoke. Tuppence went limp.
“Tuppence, no!” Tommy surged to his feet like an enraged gorilla and ripped the net in half, the polymer strands snapping like rubber bands. “I’ll kill you!”
Robin re-estimated Tommy Terror’s strength. Uh-oh. “Artemis!” Robin barked. “Watch out, he’s stronger than I--!”
Too late-- Tommy Terror careened into the archer with a snarl of rage. Artemis yelped as they bounced off the ruined car and onto the street. Robin started to run. He flicked his wrist, rotating one small section of his staff and locking it in place. The tip stared to crackle with electricity.
Artemis was propelled into the street and her head bounced off the asphalt. Her ears were ringing. Her shoulders felt hot and wet. Her head rolled to one side and she saw her trick arrows were scattered across the street beside her. Huh. Okay... I need a new quiver...
“I’ll kill you!” Tommy Terror crouched above the fallen archer.
Oh. Right.
Artemis’ brain restarted. She twisted her head and shoulders to one side with a panicked gasp as Tommy smashed his fist into the ground. Shit!
Fighting nausea, Artemis seized an arrow in her fist with her right hand.
Howling, Tommy raised both hands for another blow. “I’ll kill--”
Artemis stabbed the arrow into the side of the metahuman’s head and flicked the button on the side of the arrow.
Tommy Terror was hurtled to the left as the sonic arrow released a concentrated shock wave. Groaning, Artemis threw the spent arrow away. Her smart earplugs had protected her eardrums from the blast of sound. Still dazed, she rolled onto her side and had to bite her lip to stop from screaming as she scraped her torn shoulder. Okay. Okay. Have to…have to move.
“Artemis!” Robin appeared, his cape flaring out behind him.
He struck with his bo staff and discharged a billowing arc of electricity; Tommy Terror spasmed and choked as the current swept through his body. Smoking, he staggered backwards.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay!” Artemis spat as she rose to one knee. “Is he down?”
“Oh, he’s down.”
Tommy’s roared as he surged to his feet and grabbed Robin by the throat. “I’m not down, Birdboy.”
“C-c-cool,” Robin choked out. “You’re more resilient…than I…initially calculated.”
The metahuman threw Robin to one side. Robin flew into the Batwing and smacked off the side of the jet, falling to the ground. Robin groaned, “Not the Batwing!”
“Robin, get up!” Artemis growled as she grabbed another arrow from the ground and held it like a knife. “Come on, Wonder Boy!”
“That ain’t gonna stop me, girl, you just wait,” Tommy snickered. “Tuppence! Are you okay? Tuppence!”
“Keep your shirt on, Tommy.”
The blackened police car started to shake and then lifted into the air. Tuppence Terror held the car overhead like a pro-wrestler, eyes burning. “What’s up, big brother?”
Artemis menaced the Terror Twins with her arrow. “Uh, surrender now! It’s over. The hostages are free and you’re going to jail for...a really long time!”
Tuppence’s face twisted with rage and she raised the ruined car higher over her head. “If I’m going down, you’re going down with me, b--”
Artemis flinched as a gust of hot air drove small pebbles and chips of debris into her face and chest. Superboy appeared, ripped the car out of Tuppence’s hands, and the vehicle soared through the air and smashed through a storefront with an enormous crash. “Huh.” He swept one hand through his hair. “Whoops?”
“Bastard!” Tuppence Terror crouched and drove her fist towards the Boy of Steel.
His head snapped to one side as she hit him on the jaw and he bounced backwards a step, “Wow! That...almost hurt.”
Superboy gave her a cocky grin, rubbing his jaw with one hand, and Tuppence Terror shrieked and hurtled forward to deliver another blow-- Superboy caught her fist with a resounding crack, like a baseball struck with an aluminum bat. Tuppence screamed as she was forced to one knee, eyes watering with pain.
“Whoops,” Superboy said.
He drove Tuppence into the asphalt with another loud BOOM. She was out for the count.
Superboy put one foot on her chest and brushed off his hands. “Are we done here?”
Tommy Terror roared as he charged forward-- and Wonder Girl streaked through the air and delivered a massive blow to Tommy Terror’s jaw. The teenage hoodlum lifted into the air and skidded across the street, smashing into a fire hydrant. The hydrant exploded with a spout of white water. Tommy slumped, unconscious, as water splashed over his prone form.
“Now we’re done here,” Cassie said, blowing on her fist. “Come on, I couldn’t let you guys have all the fun.”
“We...tired them out for you,” Artemis groaned. “Do you know...how many volts...those guys just took?”
“Thanks, Cissie!” Wonder Girl blew her a kiss.
Artemis rolled her eyes.
Impulse skittered to a stop next to Robin, his boots squealing on the asphalt. He brushed sparks off his shoulders and then removed his goggles. “Aw, man! You guys finished them off without me!”
Artemis grinned weakly. Now it was over. “Ow.”
Superboy grinned as he surveyed their success. The sun felt warm on his face and hair and his cells felt supercharged with energy. The Terror Twins were both unconscious. The hostages had been delivered to the nearest hospital. This is what he was supposed to do, this is what he was meant to do.
Wonder Girl floated an inch above the ground with a frown, looking down at the pair of unconscious metahuman robbers. “What do we do with them?”
“Who cares?” Superboy rolled his shoulders and neck with a contented sigh. “It’s over, right?”
“It better be,” Artemis groaned.
Impulse zoomed over to Robin and stuck out his arm, “You okay, Rob?”
Robin patted the landing gear of the Batwing. “Yeah, thanks.”
Impulse pulled him to his feet.
Robin brushed at his cape. “Come on, we have to talk to the police and get a containment unit down here for the Terror Teens, and…well, we should contact the Justice League.”
Superboy’s acute hearing detected the sudden footsteps pounding up the street. “Someone’s coming, guys.”
The four young heroes turned and saw a platoon of S.W.A.T. officers advancing up the street, weapons held at the ready. “You! Freeze! Hands in the air!”
Superboy scowled. “Hey, we’re not the bad guys!”
“I don’t care who you are, punk.” An enormous officer stepped forward, the muzzle of his military-castoff plasma rifle pointing at the ground in front of them, “But I’m Captain Kurt Reynolds, S.W.A.T., and if any of my men were injured in this shitshow, I’m putting you under arrest. Now put those hands in the air and smile for the cameras.”
“What?” Artemis said, dumbfounded.
Superboy growled, “Not going to happen.”
“Whoa, let’s stay cool.” Robin stepped forward with his arms spread wide-- not raised, but open and unthreatening. “We’re on the same side here, Captain. Your men are safe at the local hospital.”
“Shut up,” Captain Reynolds snarled. “This is my turf, kid, so--”
Beams of golden and silver light flickered across the street and there was a rush of cool air. Wonder Woman descended from the sky and floated to a stop above the street. Her voice rang out, firm and unyielding, “Thank you, Captain. We’ll handle this from here.”