Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

The Nightmare

Dang. Who would have thought that The Martian Manhunter had such a creative knack? Maybe I'd log this into my brain and use this as inspiration for a book. Maybe I'd be like J.K. Rowling and make like seven hundred kajillion dollars or however much she made.

I flexed my hands and adjusted my grip on my staff. My cheeks burned from the freezing Antarctica air and my breath steamed in front of me. The alien spaceship was approximately sixty or seventy feet in front of me, hovering above the ice quietly. It was shaped like the letter U, with a large red window on the front, and the disintegration cannon on the top of it. My eyes flickered to the chuck of ice behind it where I knew Robin and Kid Flash were hiding.

Wearing my polar stealth suit, I was perfectly camouflaged in the cold terrain. This costume was different from my regular one, as it was thicker and bulkier and more equipped for the harsher weather. I wore a pair of snow goggles over my mask, and my jacket was different too. The hood was enormous and fluffy to cover my ears.

From behind our cover of ice and snow, I could see the edge of Artemis's bow peeking out from my peripherals. She had an arrow drawn and kept it pointed at the forgoing craft. We weren't exactly sure what was inside, but we were ready to pounce in case they tried to escape our ambush. I put my binoculars to the sky again, checking for any more ships that might be on their way.

"We're clear so far." I confirmed through our mind link.

"Good. Commence the ambush." Aqualad said.

I couldn't see Miss Martian in the air because she was camouflaged, but I knew she was there. Moments later, there was a terrible screeching sound as Miss Martian broke off part of their ship with her telepathic abilities. I winced, clamping my teeth together and metal on metal grinded together. Blue sparks shot off from where the missing piece of machinery had been, and the hovering ship dropped to the ground with a heavy thunk.

"Propulsion disabled. Communications disabled." Miss Martian reported.

Now that the aliens were basically sitting ducks, Artemis drew back an arrow and shot it at the front of the spaceship. Purple foam exploded from the tip, covering the alien's windshield and view of us. My heart leapt into my throat as the ship began to fire blindly. I ducked under a yellow beam, hitting the deck and pressing my face up against the snow. I breathed heavily, my heart racing. Ugh, that was close. I looked to make sure Artemis was alright.

"And ET's are sealed inside!" Artemis announced.

The ice below our feet began to shake as Aqualad shot out from under the water. I covered my face with my arm when a freezing spray of snow and water splashed our way. I gripped my staff and watched the scene in front of me intensely in case I needed to run out there myself to help. This is all fake. It's just an exercise, I reminded myself.

Aqualad landed on the ship, his two water bearers gripped in his hands. The cannon briefly turned in his direction and tried to fire at him, but Wolf charged at the cannon, seizing it in his jaws and pushing it away before Aqualad could evaporate. Superboy quickly leapt next to his dog on the ship, grabbing the cannon before it could turn to fire on anyone else.

"Now!" Robin yelled.

From their cover, Kid Flash emerged with Robin on his back. In their polar stealth costumes, they seemed like an invisible blur, all for except Kid Flash's streak of bright red hair. Expertly navigating the broken icy terrain, Kid Flash quickly ran them to the ship. Robin leapt off his friend's back, flipping and landing smoothly on the alien spacecraft. I watched them anxiously, my finger tapping on my staff.

"You're doing well. I'm impressed." Artemis gave me a slight nod.

"What?" I tore my eyes away from Robin, who was instructing Miss Martian where to dismember the alien's cannon.