The Medic: Chapter Eight
Title: The Medic
Author: Asase
Rating: PG 13(just to be safe)
Genre: Action, friendship, fluff
Characters: OC, Robin
Summary: Robin takes Cira out on patrol.
Word Count: 1,740
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or organizations from the Young Justice cartoon, comics, or expanded DC universe.
The Medic
Chapter Eight
Gotham
February 12, 19:45 EDT
The night was nice and clear. Upon the city’s roof tops, well above the smog and smoke, Cira and Robin observed the busy streets.
“Have you ever used one of these,” Robin held up his grappling hook.
“Far too long ago, and honestly I prefer to be on the ground,” Cira said sourly.
“Are you afraid?”
“Fear has little to do with it. I just don’t lack common sense. Flying isn’t for everyone Baby Bird.”
Robin bristled at the pet name. He jumped off the edge of the building and then fired his grapple, landing safely on the opposite building.
“I remember enough to know that that is not proper procedure!” Cira yelled over to him.
Robin just gave her a cocky grin.
Cira was not interested in turning this outing into a competition. However, the thought of how she would have reacted if was still thirteen, dashed any self righteous thoughts. Back then she would have broken something twice trying to outdo the naturally gifted acrobat. She shot her grapple before jumping, skidding a little on her landing because she came in to fast.
“I guess it will do for now,” Robin crossed his arms. “We’ll just have to keep -“
He was interrupted by loud voices rising from the streets. Robin hurried to the opposite edge of the building, Cira not far behind. Two men and a woman, obviously out for a night of friendly fun, were cornered by muggers carrying pistols and knives. One of the men sat on the ground holding his arm. Cira felt out with her power. It was thankfully a minor cut. The woman stared defiantly at the attackers, her concern for her friend stronger than caution. The second man stood in front attempting to placate the muggers.
Robin jerked his thumb to the scene below, “Ready for a test run?”
***
“It’s the kid!” A mugger cried in alarm as Robin cackled, announcing his presence. Birdarangs shot from the shadows knocking the weapons from the mugger’s hands.
“We can take the kid it’s not like the-” the second criminal stopped mid sentence, his jaw dropping.
The brightness of Robin’s costume made him hard to miss and easy to identify. Still wrapped in the darkness of the badly lit ally, Cira looked considerably more menacing. They only saw a form much larger than Robin, the cape billowed behind her, lending to her presence.
“It’s the Bat!” the third mugger yelled.
“Wait. It’s not the Bat…,” a fourth announced when Cira finally stepped into the light.
“There’s a bat-chick?” asked the first.
“That’s not too bad,” Robin commented to Cira. “Not the chick part, but what about Batgirl?”
“No,” Cira moved forward. She motioned to the muggers to ‘come on’.
One of the muggers growled in response. He picked up his knife from the ground and charged. Cira deflected his wild lunge. She halted him with a palm thrust to the forehead and then swept the feet from under him. Robin rushed forward and took out two more with considerably more grace and flair. The last mugger ran. Cira sped after him, her long legs catching up easily. She slammed into him, pushing him into the side of a nearby building. She used the pair of batcuffs within her utility belt to restrain him, and walked him back to the others.
“We got the whole set!” Robin exclaimed .
“Can you take him for me?” Cira pushed the mugger forward; Robin caught the criminal and led him to the light pole where his friends were tied. Cira approached the group of friends. “Do one of you have a cell phone?”
The woman rummaged around in her purse and pulled one out. She offered it to Cira with shaking hands.
“Keep it. Call the cops.” Cira realized that she must look monstrous, dressed in black with a cold expression. In the fray she must have reverted to how she behaved during her spy days. She made a mental note to become better at switching between mission mode, and something closer to a ‘bed side manner’. She smiled attempting to make the group comfortable. “Can I see your friends arm?” Cira knelt and readied the medical supplies provided by her utility belt.
***
They patrolled for a few hours, and foiled a couple of break-ins. It was quiet, Cira expressed as much, her glare halting Robin from giving the ever faithful ‘Yeah, Too Quiet.’ response. Instead he grinned and suggested getting something to eat. They stopped at local pizzeria, the workers and patrons called out Robin’s name enthusiastically. They peered shyly at Cira, whispering amongst themselves. Robin passed over starched bills in exchange for the two boxes of pizza. Cira didn’t share the boy’s enthusiasm for pineapple as a topping.
The cashier smiled and tugged at his cap. “So, there’s a Batgirl now?” He asked the question on everyone’s mind. Cira scowled and stalked out of the restaurant, Robin’s giggles trailing behind her.
***
They ate on top of a building in the heart of the city, leaning over the edge and watching the festivities. A movie premiere was happening below. The rich and famous filled out of limousines and into the theater. Robin pointed out all of Gotham’s celebrities to Cira.
“There he is!” Robin said excitedly.
Bruce Wayne stepped out of a limousine. He then turned to help a shapely young woman in a slinky, dark dress, with short, black hair out of the vehicle.
“Selina? I thought he was going with Silver?” Robin muttered.
Cira didn’t hear; she was too busy choking. Batman’s life signature was coming from Wayne!
“You okay?” Robin moved to her side.
“Y..Yes,” she stammered, “That’s Wayne?”
“Yep, richest man in Gotham.”
Cira wasn’t sure if she was expected, or allowed, to know the secret. For now she stuffed her mouth full with another slice of pizza to keep from responding.
***
They lay on their backs looking at the night sky, digesting their meal. Robin filled her in on his teammates and the type of missions they go on. Cira nodded and made agreeable noises, the Boy Wonder spoke enough for the two of them.
“Can I ask a few questions now?”
“Shoot.”
“Batman let me read your file.”
“He did?”
“Er..Well, he left it somewhere that I could get to.”
Cira didn’t have to look at his face to tell that he grinned. “Go on.”
“What exactly is the Wonder Girl project? Your file mentions it but details are missing.”
Cira was silent, collecting her thoughts.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean-“
“The Government was scared,” she started, “Aliens, vigilantes, meta-humans. When your mentors began superhero-ing they caused quite the storm. The government wanted a force they could control, some still do.”
“So they were creating a super army,” Robin mused.
“Luckily cloning people wasn’t possible back then. This Cadmus you told me about, if they had that technology back then-“
“Let’s not think about it,” Robin shuddered.
“It is a disturbing thought,” Cira agreed, “Have you ever met Director Bones?”
“No, I’ve only heard stories.”
“We’ve all only heard stories; here is another one. The rumor is that a Dr. Love experimented on pregnant women. He injected them with a mutagen and the children obtained powers because of it. Director Bones is supposed to be one of those children.”
“That explains the glowing skeleton thing he’s got going on. Was a similar process used in the Wonder Girl Project?”
“Yes. Dr. M., the head scientist for the Project, used genetic material acquired from Wonder Woman to create a mutagen. They found volunteers, poor women, and they offered them a better life in exchange.”
“Your mom gave you to them?” Robin asked alarmed.
“No. Dr. M. had an obsession with Wonder Woman and her female only society. He wanted to try and recreate it. We all lived together as mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters; in an underground perversion of Paradise Island.”
“What is it with these labs being underground? We found Superboy underground too.”
“I guess it makes them easer to hide? One year a girl lost control of her powers, she took out one of the digital ceiling panels. We had a chunk missing from our ‘sky’ for a week!” Cira laughed at the memory.
“I assume that they wanted to make another Wonder Woman, but your powers aren’t the same.”
“The mutagen was unpredictable. They settled for mimicking some of her abilities. Some of us could fly. Others had super strength. I’m supposed to have her reflexes. My powers can allow me to read people in battle so I can react faster than them, so it sorta works.”
“What went wrong?”
“The mutagen made a lot of us unstable. We were either slowly going insane or dying. When I was ten, the mothers finally had enough and rebelled. Most of our moms were killed during the rebellion. They told us that the rest were put in prison.”
“You don’t believe that,” Robin stated.
A strained silence stretched between them until Cira answered, “I don’t…The government put the surviving girls into foster care. But the mutagen continued to break our bodies down.” Cira continued, her voice shaky and hoarse. “I’m a bit of a fluke actually. The other girls passed away suddenly when they turned 16. I still don’t know if-“
Robin sprang to his feet. He dashed over to Cira and touched the toe of her boot.
“Tag!” he was off before she could react.
“What are you doing?” She yelled after him.
Robin’s head popped up from the side of the building. “We’re wasting moonlight. You’re supposed to be training!”
“By playing tag?”
“It’s a tracking exercise!”
Cira groaned as she slowly stood. The conversation was becoming rather depressing anyway. She stretched then sprinted after the boy.
They chased each other across the city. Cira using her senses to track Robin down. Robin using his athleticism and knowledge of the city to avoid her. Cira suddenly halted. She’d always been sensitive to strong emotions such as fear, anger, or lust. The chemicals and hormones the body released when in those states triggered several involuntary physical reactions, making them easy notice. Fear especially: increased heart rate, churning stomachs, and dilated pupils, nearby a large group of people were in a frenzied state. She could feel their bodies breaking down under the stress. Someone was torturing people, literally scaring people to death.
Chapter Seven
Chapter Nine
Author: Asase
Rating: PG 13(just to be safe)
Genre: Action, friendship, fluff
Characters: OC, Robin
Summary: Robin takes Cira out on patrol.
Word Count: 1,740
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or organizations from the Young Justice cartoon, comics, or expanded DC universe.
The Medic
Chapter Eight
Gotham
February 12, 19:45 EDT
The night was nice and clear. Upon the city’s roof tops, well above the smog and smoke, Cira and Robin observed the busy streets.
“Have you ever used one of these,” Robin held up his grappling hook.
“Far too long ago, and honestly I prefer to be on the ground,” Cira said sourly.
“Are you afraid?”
“Fear has little to do with it. I just don’t lack common sense. Flying isn’t for everyone Baby Bird.”
Robin bristled at the pet name. He jumped off the edge of the building and then fired his grapple, landing safely on the opposite building.
“I remember enough to know that that is not proper procedure!” Cira yelled over to him.
Robin just gave her a cocky grin.
Cira was not interested in turning this outing into a competition. However, the thought of how she would have reacted if was still thirteen, dashed any self righteous thoughts. Back then she would have broken something twice trying to outdo the naturally gifted acrobat. She shot her grapple before jumping, skidding a little on her landing because she came in to fast.
“I guess it will do for now,” Robin crossed his arms. “We’ll just have to keep -“
He was interrupted by loud voices rising from the streets. Robin hurried to the opposite edge of the building, Cira not far behind. Two men and a woman, obviously out for a night of friendly fun, were cornered by muggers carrying pistols and knives. One of the men sat on the ground holding his arm. Cira felt out with her power. It was thankfully a minor cut. The woman stared defiantly at the attackers, her concern for her friend stronger than caution. The second man stood in front attempting to placate the muggers.
Robin jerked his thumb to the scene below, “Ready for a test run?”
***
“It’s the kid!” A mugger cried in alarm as Robin cackled, announcing his presence. Birdarangs shot from the shadows knocking the weapons from the mugger’s hands.
“We can take the kid it’s not like the-” the second criminal stopped mid sentence, his jaw dropping.
The brightness of Robin’s costume made him hard to miss and easy to identify. Still wrapped in the darkness of the badly lit ally, Cira looked considerably more menacing. They only saw a form much larger than Robin, the cape billowed behind her, lending to her presence.
“It’s the Bat!” the third mugger yelled.
“Wait. It’s not the Bat…,” a fourth announced when Cira finally stepped into the light.
“There’s a bat-chick?” asked the first.
“That’s not too bad,” Robin commented to Cira. “Not the chick part, but what about Batgirl?”
“No,” Cira moved forward. She motioned to the muggers to ‘come on’.
One of the muggers growled in response. He picked up his knife from the ground and charged. Cira deflected his wild lunge. She halted him with a palm thrust to the forehead and then swept the feet from under him. Robin rushed forward and took out two more with considerably more grace and flair. The last mugger ran. Cira sped after him, her long legs catching up easily. She slammed into him, pushing him into the side of a nearby building. She used the pair of batcuffs within her utility belt to restrain him, and walked him back to the others.
“We got the whole set!” Robin exclaimed .
“Can you take him for me?” Cira pushed the mugger forward; Robin caught the criminal and led him to the light pole where his friends were tied. Cira approached the group of friends. “Do one of you have a cell phone?”
The woman rummaged around in her purse and pulled one out. She offered it to Cira with shaking hands.
“Keep it. Call the cops.” Cira realized that she must look monstrous, dressed in black with a cold expression. In the fray she must have reverted to how she behaved during her spy days. She made a mental note to become better at switching between mission mode, and something closer to a ‘bed side manner’. She smiled attempting to make the group comfortable. “Can I see your friends arm?” Cira knelt and readied the medical supplies provided by her utility belt.
***
They patrolled for a few hours, and foiled a couple of break-ins. It was quiet, Cira expressed as much, her glare halting Robin from giving the ever faithful ‘Yeah, Too Quiet.’ response. Instead he grinned and suggested getting something to eat. They stopped at local pizzeria, the workers and patrons called out Robin’s name enthusiastically. They peered shyly at Cira, whispering amongst themselves. Robin passed over starched bills in exchange for the two boxes of pizza. Cira didn’t share the boy’s enthusiasm for pineapple as a topping.
The cashier smiled and tugged at his cap. “So, there’s a Batgirl now?” He asked the question on everyone’s mind. Cira scowled and stalked out of the restaurant, Robin’s giggles trailing behind her.
***
They ate on top of a building in the heart of the city, leaning over the edge and watching the festivities. A movie premiere was happening below. The rich and famous filled out of limousines and into the theater. Robin pointed out all of Gotham’s celebrities to Cira.
“There he is!” Robin said excitedly.
Bruce Wayne stepped out of a limousine. He then turned to help a shapely young woman in a slinky, dark dress, with short, black hair out of the vehicle.
“Selina? I thought he was going with Silver?” Robin muttered.
Cira didn’t hear; she was too busy choking. Batman’s life signature was coming from Wayne!
“You okay?” Robin moved to her side.
“Y..Yes,” she stammered, “That’s Wayne?”
“Yep, richest man in Gotham.”
Cira wasn’t sure if she was expected, or allowed, to know the secret. For now she stuffed her mouth full with another slice of pizza to keep from responding.
***
They lay on their backs looking at the night sky, digesting their meal. Robin filled her in on his teammates and the type of missions they go on. Cira nodded and made agreeable noises, the Boy Wonder spoke enough for the two of them.
“Can I ask a few questions now?”
“Shoot.”
“Batman let me read your file.”
“He did?”
“Er..Well, he left it somewhere that I could get to.”
Cira didn’t have to look at his face to tell that he grinned. “Go on.”
“What exactly is the Wonder Girl project? Your file mentions it but details are missing.”
Cira was silent, collecting her thoughts.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean-“
“The Government was scared,” she started, “Aliens, vigilantes, meta-humans. When your mentors began superhero-ing they caused quite the storm. The government wanted a force they could control, some still do.”
“So they were creating a super army,” Robin mused.
“Luckily cloning people wasn’t possible back then. This Cadmus you told me about, if they had that technology back then-“
“Let’s not think about it,” Robin shuddered.
“It is a disturbing thought,” Cira agreed, “Have you ever met Director Bones?”
“No, I’ve only heard stories.”
“We’ve all only heard stories; here is another one. The rumor is that a Dr. Love experimented on pregnant women. He injected them with a mutagen and the children obtained powers because of it. Director Bones is supposed to be one of those children.”
“That explains the glowing skeleton thing he’s got going on. Was a similar process used in the Wonder Girl Project?”
“Yes. Dr. M., the head scientist for the Project, used genetic material acquired from Wonder Woman to create a mutagen. They found volunteers, poor women, and they offered them a better life in exchange.”
“Your mom gave you to them?” Robin asked alarmed.
“No. Dr. M. had an obsession with Wonder Woman and her female only society. He wanted to try and recreate it. We all lived together as mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters; in an underground perversion of Paradise Island.”
“What is it with these labs being underground? We found Superboy underground too.”
“I guess it makes them easer to hide? One year a girl lost control of her powers, she took out one of the digital ceiling panels. We had a chunk missing from our ‘sky’ for a week!” Cira laughed at the memory.
“I assume that they wanted to make another Wonder Woman, but your powers aren’t the same.”
“The mutagen was unpredictable. They settled for mimicking some of her abilities. Some of us could fly. Others had super strength. I’m supposed to have her reflexes. My powers can allow me to read people in battle so I can react faster than them, so it sorta works.”
“What went wrong?”
“The mutagen made a lot of us unstable. We were either slowly going insane or dying. When I was ten, the mothers finally had enough and rebelled. Most of our moms were killed during the rebellion. They told us that the rest were put in prison.”
“You don’t believe that,” Robin stated.
A strained silence stretched between them until Cira answered, “I don’t…The government put the surviving girls into foster care. But the mutagen continued to break our bodies down.” Cira continued, her voice shaky and hoarse. “I’m a bit of a fluke actually. The other girls passed away suddenly when they turned 16. I still don’t know if-“
Robin sprang to his feet. He dashed over to Cira and touched the toe of her boot.
“Tag!” he was off before she could react.
“What are you doing?” She yelled after him.
Robin’s head popped up from the side of the building. “We’re wasting moonlight. You’re supposed to be training!”
“By playing tag?”
“It’s a tracking exercise!”
Cira groaned as she slowly stood. The conversation was becoming rather depressing anyway. She stretched then sprinted after the boy.
They chased each other across the city. Cira using her senses to track Robin down. Robin using his athleticism and knowledge of the city to avoid her. Cira suddenly halted. She’d always been sensitive to strong emotions such as fear, anger, or lust. The chemicals and hormones the body released when in those states triggered several involuntary physical reactions, making them easy notice. Fear especially: increased heart rate, churning stomachs, and dilated pupils, nearby a large group of people were in a frenzied state. She could feel their bodies breaking down under the stress. Someone was torturing people, literally scaring people to death.
Chapter Seven
Chapter Nine