Fire and Lightning (Book One) [Young Justice fanfic]

Chapter Twenty-One- The Hunt For Red Tornado

October 10, 2010. 20:22

En Route Yellowstone National Park

~~Willow~~

Connor seemed to relax after Aqualad's statement, but something inside me was on the edge. Something Aqualad had said about Superboy and Red Tornado being more than weapons at their master's bidding sounded oddly familiar.

But I didn't have any memories, according to Martian Manhunter, remembering anything before the forest was impossible, and even before I became a hero I was just a civilian, right?

"We're here." Miss Martian announced, and I could feel the bioship descending. It was dark, so I couldn't see much, but I could make out a couple mountains in the distance and saw a huge jet of water suddenly spurt out from the ground. Better stay away from that.

"Stealth mode," Aqualad commanded as Miss M opened a hatch at the back of the ship. I pressed one of the buttons on my jacket and it turned gray, along with my pants and boots. Dragonfire tapped the buckle on her utility belt and her brightly colored uniform turned to shades of gray and black. It looked so sad and dreary, not "bold" as she liked it.

"You should stay behind," Aqualad suggested to Zatanna.

"Is...that an order?" she asked with a suspicious tone.

He shook his head with a smile, "No, you must do as you see fit."

Zatanna said something I couldn't understand and she was instantly in a magician's uniform similar to her father's.

"Well, Wally?" Artemis asked, glancing between Kid Flash and our new friend's sudden transformation.

"She's wearing two layers of clothing. Or her clothes can shift organically, like M'gann's." He said dismissively.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Zatanna stepped up next to me, also curious.

"Wall-man here doesn't believe in magic." Dragonfire sighed, annoyed.

"It doesn't exist! Everything can be explained through science," Wally emphasized by waving his arms.

"But...Isn't he right?" I asked. "I mean, layers of clothes or transfiguration is a much better explanation than saying it just happens because it can."

Several of my team members looked at me with wide eyes.

"I thought you liked Harry Potter!" Artemis exclaimed.

I shrugged. "That's just fantasy. It's not real."

"Focus," Aqualad reminded us, standing over Robin, busy at his computer.

"We have found Red Tornado's signal."

We headed off the bioship and into the underbrush, and I noticed how Dragonfire made an effort to stick close to Aqualad.

"Hey," Connor said, extending his hand to me, "I'll guide you."

I smiled at him gratefully, whispering a thanks I don't think he heard. But with the super-hearing you could never be sure.

We stopped at the edge of the trees, just beyond a suspicious-looking clearing.

"Ivo was right, something's down there," Dragonfire said over the mindlink as she and her brother scanned with their computers.

All of a sudden, the wind began to pick up. We all looked up and saw a certain red android flying above us, supported by nothing but a tornado of a similar color. He raised his hands, and a circle of smaller tornadoes surrounded us, trapping us. Well, at least they weren't choking us like last time.