Metal Has No Heartbeat (A Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes [Young Justice] Fanfiction)

Sixteen: Irashaimase

"Score!"

"I do not get this game man."

Gar scoffs, "You looked at the controls like, eight times."

"What am I supposed to do? Remember them all with one look?"

"It's not that hard."

"I don't play Xbox Gar. I'm a Playstation kinda' girl," I say, dropping the controller with a sigh, glancing away from the words stating clearly that I was defeated.

"Whatever. Round two?"

I was going to reject him anyway, go back into my room and pick a song to re-debut with on the channel. But a voice cuts me off from the hall to the missions room.

"'Fraid not. Mahiko, if you're up for it, you have a mission."

Garfield and I look over the back of the couch, coming to face Nightwing. He's leaning against the wall, arms folded, wearing that half-smile-half-smirk.

"Sure!" I say eagerly jumping to my feet. "I'm up to it. One hundred and ten percent!"

If anything will keep me here on this team, other than Jaime and the friendships I have begun, it's the fact that I can finally put these experimental curses to some good use.

"Count me in!" Gar says energetically.

Nightwing shakes his head, "Sorry Beast Boy. Team's full, plan only requires the five of us."

Gar pouts, but slides back down onto the couch without argument. I hear him start up the game again as I reach Nightwing. Together we walk back to the mission room.

"Five of us?" I ask.

"Myself, you, Miss Martian, Superboy and Batgirl," he answers. Wow, I am seriously the junior of this Alpha squad. Except for six year old toddler Superboy. But, still. "This is a vital mission, directly from the League. They're busy with a situation in South America, so this has been left to us." The other three are dressed and ready. They turn to me with real smiles. 

I'm happy too; with everything that's going on, Lenore and school and mentality, I think a good mission is what I need.

"Glad you're back," Superboy says. I fight down the urge to blush.

"I am too," I say brightly, coming to stand in-between Batgirl and M'gann.

Nightwing taps away at the holographic screens, opening a file that spreads itself out in the air. I'm not sure where to look; there are images of what look like soirées and dinner parties, then different types of tech.

"In the past three months, four different technology giants have presented new equipment built to assist in resources for war-torn and third-world countries. Water purifiers, water materialisers, crop and farming tech. Big, life-saving ideas. Each item was presented to an audience of investors as companies do, but as a result at each presentation the equipment was sabotaged and destroyed during its modelling. Millions of dollars of work, wasted. After investigation into each presentation we have only narrowed down the physical appearance of the assailant. Our mission is to go under cover at the next event presenting resource equipment, track down the assailant and prevent the tech from being destroyed."

What kind of a jerk destroys equipment that's supposed to help people? That sounds like some screwed up super villain mess. I hope we get to beat down on this guy.

"Undercover how?" M'gann asks.

"You and Conner will stay together, so you can translate. M'gann, if you could pose as a Japanese investor with Conner as your American branch partner, you should be able to get around the room. I'll be doing the same, as myself, in the name of another American company. Mahiko, you'll play my translator. Batgirl you'll be external. There are vents above the Shiraki Centre that will give you immediate access, should we require your assistance."