Joining Young Justice

Chapter Three: Out of Place

The teams disappeared after the mission briefing leaving Dick and I alone in the cave. He had pulled up a series of cameras and tabs detailing information about the three supervillains that were being monitored tonight. I stood slightly behind Nightwing, my arms crossed. There was nothing else to do. It didn't help that Alpha Squadron seemed to be communicating telepathically. Bravo and Gama weren't very entertaining.

"When did Ned start selling weapons?" Dick asked.

"I was young. Probably about ten or eleven," I replied. "I knew it was immoral, but I didn't get involved until I was thirteen."

"That's young."

"I seem to recall that you hit the streets in a costume when you were nine."

"But I had a mentor that I was following."

I had a mentor too, I wanted to say.

A transmission interrupted our conversation, saving me from having to respond.

"Robin to Cave. Bravo has eyes on the Colonel and things aren't looking too good."

Nightwing pulled up a video feed that was labeled "Robin Suit Cam" and we leaned in. Sure enough, the Colonel was standing in a warehouse amid stacks of boxes talking to another man.

My heart sank. I had been so adamant only to be proved wrong after twenty minutes. It hurt.

"That's Ned," I said. "There's your proof."

"Watch, do not engage," Nightwing ordered. "When Ned Engelmann leaves, let him go. Beast Boy, I want you to tag Colonel Future and whatever he takes with him. Don't get spotted. Maintain radio silence until you are clear. We are unsure what else Ned Engelmann is equipped with."

The camera feed cut out and Nightwing started typing.

"I'm hacking into the city CCTV system. Maybe I can get an angle from near by," he said hopefully.

"I can't believe he's back at it!" I exclaimed, still caught up on the fact that all my efforts still hadn't been enough to stop Ned. "I'm gonna walk it off if that's okay."

"Sure. Just don't accidentally leave the Cave," Dick replied. He's somewhat distracted by monitoring the teams, as he rightfully should be.

I left the hub and started down one of the hallways. My self guided tour led me past the kitchen and the library, through the training rooms and the medical bay, past bedrooms and a trophy room. I poked my head into a garage at one point and somehow found my way back to the main room. It seemed to have the most function. Zeta beam access, an open space for meeting and training, plus the computers.

"Bravo Squadron is coming back now," Nightwing reported. "Still radio silence from Alpha. Delta is in place but they haven't seen anything yet."