[IC] Young Justice

[dreamingflowers]

_{E P I S O D E SIX : R E F L E C T I O N S}

DIRTY BUSINESS

SOUNDTRACK

T H E E V E R G L A D E S

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^{September 17th, 2021 | 14:55pm. | Everglades National Park, Florida}

The airborne members of the team had successfully managed to locate Kobra’s swamp base of operations. The dreadlocked man that Stormcaller had seemingly knocked out, poofed into a plume of smoke. A plume of smoke that clearly moved of its own accord to flee, but left a trail for them to follow. In turn Daphne and her team had managed to escape the alligators unscathed, seemingly through no effort of their own.

They were reunited behind a cluster of trees. Some of the Team members were starting to feel the effects of trudging through this heavy terrain for a good few hours. Unfortunately the toughest part of the mission was still ahead of them. So despite being tired and covered in crusted mud they set their minds to completing their objective.

Kobra’s base was intentionally made to look like a water treatment plant, complete with a warehouse. Only instead of a bland collection of factory workers in jumpsuits, there were armed Kobra agents crossing bridges and using boats to move between the different buildings.

[Crimson Flame]

After some shenanigans, the group reunited behind a clusters of trees. They finally found where Kobra was hiding. Having to navigate the swamps of the Everglades was exhausting. His suit was caked with mud, he was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and he was pretty sure he saw a crocodile look at him like dinmer…

Regardless, the swamps were done, and the hard part was just beginning. The Kobra base was teeming with agents. Zach scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’ll handle this!” Then he pointed his wand and muttered. “Leep ananab”

Instantly, a banana peel materialized in front of a Kobra agent crossing a bridge. He tripped and fell on his butt. Zach giggled at the sight. “They can’t all be flashy and sparkle. Sometimes the classics do the job just fine.”

[Daxam]

Location: Mosquito Hell (I wanna go home...)
Interactions: The Team

---

Vincent stood behind the treeline along with his comrades, out of sight as they observed the complex. He would have believed it to be a simple water treatment plant if it weren't for the armed guards patrolling the perimeter. He found himself wondering if it had been built by Kobra, themselves, or if they had "repurposed" it from the people who had worked there. Then, he decided it didn't matter. Kobra was there, now, obviously up to no good, and he was more than eager to start knocking heads together.

His thoughts drifted back to the dreadlocked stranger. He hadn't been given a chance to question the man before Stormcaller dropped from the sky, seemingly knocking him out. At least until he turned into a puff of smoke and skedaddled back to the treatment plant. He wondered about the man, who he was and what he was doing there, but Vincent decided he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

As the rest of his team continued to observe the plant, Vincent began to pace back and forth, much like a caged tiger, eager to break out and sow chaos. He was starting to get impatient, yet he continued to do his best to stay on his leash, at least for the time being. At one point, he had to stifle a laugh when he watched Zach make a guard slip. Before long, he leaned against a tree and started fiddling with a small piece of iron, using it to form random shapes. "Just let me go out there and start cracking some skulls," he eventually suggested. "I'll make enough noise for the rest of you to slip inside. I can handle whatever they throw at me and we all know I'm useless when it comes to sneaking around, anyway."

[Courtaud]

"If we're prioritizing stealth, send me in." Quiver was confident in his ability to make his way into the facility undetected - the life he had once lived had given him the skills necessary to do so. That however was a double edged sword, as he had carried over more than his fair share of less than admirable traits. But he was feeling this was another chance to demonstrate his value to his teammates. He was perched upon a heavy tree branch above Talos. In spite of his eagerness, he could feel a tightening in his side from the still-healing wounds he had received in his fight with Metamorph. His pride refused to call it what it actually was - a mauling. He waited for further instructions from his team leader. He was dedicated to acting exactly as he was ordered, in order to make up for last time. Stay communicative, stay frosty. No distractions.

"I'm already counting more than 16 visible Kobra. No telling on if any of them are metahumans. Are we expecting to run into more than a few specials?" Quiver asked out loud to the whole team.

Quiver reviewed his current stock of arrowheads, trying to consider which of them might be more viable now that he was more ensconced in the climate here.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Mirage was probably the only one unaffected by the muggy Florida air. She found it quite nice, actually. The wetness of the air was pleasant, and the mosquitoes didn't seem to like her at all.

The only thing missing was her beloved KJ. He would have been a great help with the strange alligators. But they'd talked and cuddled and kissed before she set out. The rest of the team had been absolutely unsurprised when they walked in holding hands after their mutual heartfelt confessions. Alisa even emailed a few hours after, a message that simply read 'I TOLD YOU SO' in sparkly font.

When they approached the Kobra base, she chugged a full bottle of water. "If stealth is the plan, then I'm going with Quiver. Unless they've got some extremely high tech, I won't be noticed either. Perhaps some of you cause trouble and draw attention, while we sneak in?"

[FunnyGuy]

Location: Somewhere in the Everglades
Interactions: Nymph
Mentions:

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Zatara, Mirage, Quiver

Despite the obstacles faced, Viktor was satisfied with the team’s progression on this mission. However, the altercation involving the man who was reported to have turned into “smoke” upon apprehension raised a flag or two. So, Kobra has enlisted more metas to their cause… Viktor tightened the grip on his rifle, yet the hint of a challenging smile adorned his face beneath his visor. The upgrading of personnel had to mean their efforts were raising the concerns of their enemies. The team just needed to keep up the momentum and rise in the face of each adversity Kobra threw at them. Even without the added muscle, their security appeared much tighter as the roving guards left little to no windows of opportunity for someone to dart by without notice.

Viktor had kneeled beside Daphne while the others processed and commented on the situation. He appeared to be hovering but that was quite far from his intention. She hadn’t been in the best condition earlier on, so serving as her readily available aide in guiding the team was where he found himself the most suitable. At the moment, the team was becoming eager to act, and not without reason. Those guarding outside were more than likely expecting them due to the meta that was able to retreat. Zach had tried something quite silly with a banana peel while Will and Kassy inquired about utilizing their talents in stealth.

“What do you think, Nymph? We can run it similar to La Hoya. A dedicated infiltration squad partnered with a diversion squad that’ll reduce enemy oversight. Instead of waiting around watching, the other group will pull attention away from our foes.”

[dreamingflowers]

Location: Kobra's hidden base in the Everglades
Interactions: Rain, Talos

---

Daphne was processing everything happening around her, from studying Kobra's movements to the Team's suggestions on how to approach. She listened to Viktor sitting beside her. They'd really come a long way since la Hoya. It wasn't easy to put it into words, but things were definitely different between them. There was a sense of trust and confidence that wasn't there before.

"I think that's a good idea."
Before going to Vincent she turned to him. She had a habit of looking at Viktor while he was wearing his helmet and guessing where his eyes would be.
"I will help Vincent distract the enemy"
Months ago she would have preferred to stay behind and not take the initiative. It wasn't to say she was comfortable putting herself in the fray, but she didn't let the anxiety hold her back.

Daphne pulled up to Vincent and grabbed his hand.
"Let's fly" She said with a wink.

A cloud of petals descended on the first duo of agents standing one of the many connected raised platforms. Before being engulfed by Daphne's pheromones one of them managed to sound alarm.
"They're here! Get the meta's ready!"

Daphne continued to subdue individual and smaller groups of enemies effortlessly. They couldn't shoot her down or stop her approach, not with regular weapons. One of the meta's standing back was catching on to what Daphne was doing, spotting her weak spot. The meta pushed and pulled her hands together in a very strange way, like a spider doing push-ups on a mirror. Slowly a glowing orb of green energy formed in her hands. It pulsed continuously, shooting from her hands up into the sky. It homed in on Daphne who was fluttering close to three agents that were halfway subdued by her powers. The orb wasn't particularly fast but it grew in size as it moved, drawing in small objects from the outside.

[Daxam]

Location: Kobra Base, Everglades, Florida
Interactions: Nymph

---

Vincent arched an eyebrow at Daphne when she volunteered to jump into the fray with him. He had never pegged her for being a frontline fighter and he could tell from the look in her eyes that she didn't seem entirely comfortable with the idea, but he couldn't help but respect her for wanting to fight at his side, regardless. With a grin, he unfurled his wings and replied, "Hell, yeah, let's do this!"

With that, he shot straight up into the air as Daphne descended on the complex. He let himself rise above the treetops, his wings glinting in the sunlight as he drew the attention of the guards that weren't already focused on Daphne, before he dove toward the base. He could hear the rapport of gunfire, the snap of bullets flying past him as guards opened fire on him. Most of the shots missed, others pinged off of his wings, and others still ricocheted harmlessly off of his hardened skin. At the last moment before meeting the ground, Vincent reinforced his legs with carbon and flipped in the air. His feet dug furrows into the ground as he skid to a stop, but even during his landing, he didn't let the opportunity to do some damage pass him by as he stuck his carbon-hardened arm out, crashing it into the face of a guard as he passed by.

"Keep the pressure up!" a guard yelled out as he opened fire, the bullets bouncing uselessly off of Vincent's armored skin. "If we can't put him down, we'll make sure he stays put!"

Vincent watched as guards began to gather, each one firing at him as they formed a curved firing line. He covered his entire body in his carbon armor, then further reinforced it by wrapping his wings around himself, the steel shaping itself to conform to his body like a suit of armor. "You really think you can keep me locked down with those peashooters?!" he yelled over the gunfire. He felt his armor tug at his body as he used his power to speed toward the guards, charging in a straight line with no effort to throw off their aim. He grabbed the face of the closest guard, the one who had ordered the others to pin him down, and threw him into another pair of guards. "It's gonna take something a hell of a lot bigger to keep me pinned!"

Despite being close enough for his powers to disable their guns, Vincent let the guards continue to fire at him while he took them down, one by one. It was a waste of concentration when they couldn't hurt him and he couldn't deny the thrill he got by showing his enemies how useless their weapons were against him. He had been holding the last guard by one of the shoulder straps of his bulletproof vest, steel-clad fist raised, when a green light drew his attention. He looked up to find a slow-moving, yet steadily growing sphere of green energy homing in on a group of guards accosted by a cloud of petals. Lowering his gaze, Vincent then noticed the woman performing some strange gesture with her hands. Putting two and two together, he realized the woman was responsible for the sphere of energy and as he tried to figure out how to help Daphne, an idea came to him.

His helmet opened up as he looked at the guard in his hand with a grin that made the man nervous. The guard barely had time to realize what was happening as Vincent's armor slithered down his arm and spread across the guard's body, protecting him from what was about to happen. "All passengers, fasten your seatbelts! We're about to experience some major turbulence!" Vincent yelled as he threw the screaming guard at the energy sphere, hoping the meta's attack would dissipate once it hit something. While the sphere was out of his range, Vincent was able to use his power to give the improvised projectile enough speed and power to reach its target. Without waiting to see if his plan had worked, he charged at the meta responsible for the attack to knock her out before she could fire off another.

[FunnyGuy]

Location: Kobra Warehouse
Interactions: The Team and Enemies too
Mentions:

---

Viktor hadn’t expected Daphne to charge with such haste into the fray. Her loose guidance was something Viktor wasn’t entirely comfortable with. For him, there were too many variables, even if one did trust their team. Or perhaps this was just another instance of nuance being his most formidable enemy in and out of the field.

Daphne and Vincent drew the attention of the Kobra agents with their diametric approaches to combat. The guards were either humiliated by soft petals or bludgeoned by hardened strikes as the two heroes crashed into their enemies.

“Adequate distraction… but…” Viktor didn’t want to be the guy to undermine the plan so he quickly bit his tongue. Perhaps he could just push a few things into place. “Let’s just move. Kass, aid in concealing our approach. Quiver, take point. Iceburn, get up front with him. I'll cover the rear.” Viktor gave the group a firm nod as he held his rifle at the low ready.

The cloaked four-person stealth team moved swiftly to the side of the facility furthest from the commotion Vincent, Daphne, Zach, and Cora were making for the guard force. What came next for the stealth team was simple. The warehouse's owners had briefly sacrificed secure access to the facility by having much of their guard force currently outdoors. Quiver, being the point man would be responsible for entry, something he was no stranger to. With him, was Iceburn, who displayed her ability to breach and seal entry points with her powers. Once inside, the group would find the wide corridor filled with four armed guards who hadn’t noticed them enter just yet. Interestingly enough, the weapons the guards possessed were all too familiar to the team.

The sonic emitter, shockwave gloves, hardening foam rifle, and the electrified bola launcher. These Kobra guards had at least one or two on their person while also wearing red armbands to differentiate them for some reason.

Kobra had somehow also obtained these weapons…

The four guards were the only visible obstacle for the group if they wished to continue forward. A sign above the door ahead reading “GARAGE” made this path’s destination obvious. A garage area might be where the team would be able to obtain a potent sample of whatever chemical compound Kobra was working with since there was likely to be a method of transporting the mysterious chemical compound.

On the other hand, an alternate path, a narrow corridor to their right might allow the team to avoid being spotted entirely but there didn’t appear to be any helpful labeling to show where this path led if it led to anywhere at all. The team had little time. Someone would have to either make the call or they’d all be spotted anyway.

---

Meanwhile, outside…

As Vincent found himself closing in on the meta focused on Daphne, he’d feel bolas wrap around his ankles from behind to trip him before applying its electrical shock. The guards using standard munitions were quickly reinforced by guards with red armbands. Floating high above the commotion was a bald olive-skinned man with a thick full beard with his arms crossed as he calmly observed the team engage the guards below. Another man, with short wavy blonde hair and light stubble, stood behind the hi-tech weapon-toting guards flexing his hands with a slight smirk. Like Vincent a few minutes ago, this guy was itching for a fight. Both men wore similar uniforms with the blonde’s body armor appearing to be more reinforced. His hands began to crackle with multicolored electricity of sorts as he pendulum-stepped in place.

[Crimson Flame]

And

Viktor said something about one team being the infiltration squad, and one team being the distraction squad. Zach was quick to volunteer to be on the distraction squad. “Distractions are my specialty! I’m sure me and Lightning Lass over there can give them a show they won’t forget!” Zach said, gesturing to Cora.

”Yeah, I think we can.” Behind her helmet, Cora grinned at the prospect of some super powered mischief. ”What’re we thinkin’ magic tornado? Thunderstorm? Maybe you make some magic portals and I throw lightning bolts through ‘em?”

Zach’s eyes went wide with excitement. “All of it! Throw everything we got! It’ll be so epic, these goons won’t know what hit ‘em! Etativel” He started hovering in the air, and waving his wand in circles. “Mrots cigam!” Purple storm clouds started to gather, and bolts of purple magic started to strike the ground.

”Oooohhhh yeah. Just watch your eyes, wizard boy.” Cora took a running start and leapt off the ground, propelled into the sky once more by her powers. She weaves through the storm clouds made by Zach’s magic. The lightning strikes didn’t scare her- after all, nothing but her own powers could electrocute her. So in the chaos of the storm, and began to rain down her own bolts of vibrant, neon teal lightning.

The concussive sounds of thunder and the blinding bursts of metahuman lightning lit the swamp up like a Christmas tree.

Zach started laughing like a madman as the goons standing guard outside were panicking at the chaos that was unfolding. “Congratulations lovely people. You get a private spectacle from Zatara the Great and his assistant Stormcaller. Lucky you!”

Cora wasn’t aiming for anything in particular, since if she did, it might give the goons a chance to triangulate where she was through the clouds. Rather, she just floated to and from one cloud to the next, raining them down indiscriminately along the walkways they were using to stay dry. They could take a shot, but they’d risk being too immobile to get blasted.

Zach however did take a shot. He made no attempts to stay hidden, and fired blobs of purple magic at goons that came his way. “Aw… is that…the best you got?” Zach taunted in between gasps for breath. Doing this magical hurricane was taking a lot of magic, and it was taking it’s toll. He started getting red in the face.