(Aden's P.O.V)

"Ever wonder how someone wakes up one day and just decides to be a modern take on a character from Peter Pan?"

I wondered aloud while floating around the air. Artemis weaved around the hook attacks while occasionally shooting out trick arrows.

"No clue. Maybe it's a cry for help."

I chuckled while keeping watch. It wouldn't do for someone else to slip past us while we were occupied by…

"Hey, what's his name by the way?"

I casually asked as the metallic hook whizzed by my face. I clutched the chain and pulled the guy to me.

His eyes widened and my fist impacted the hasty one hand block from his left arm. The bone snapped with an audible sound and he winced in pain, landing on the ground painfully. He tried to rise up but Artemis shot a few arrows around him that exploded with the force of a flash grenade, momentarily dazing him.

She stepped closer and threw a round house kick, sending him to dreamland. Artemis went towards the unconscious mercenary and hefted the huge hook while smiling at me. My mouth opened.

"No way. His name is Hook? That's like the most unoriginal name I've ever heard!"

"Maelstrom, we need that back up now."

Aqualad informed us.

I looked at Artemis and she waved me off.

"I'll tie him up, go."

My body turned and shot off towards the school building. I crashed through the skylight of the class and blocked the shurikens aimed at Dr. Roquette.

They bounced to the side and I stepped in closer to a woman wearing a white creepy mask. Underneath her green costume, she had curves for days and was packing some dangerous weapons. I caught a glimpse of some kunai and knives strapped to her thighs when she flipped behind chairs for a modicum of cover.

Aqualad was on the floor kneeling with one leg while breathing heavily. His Water bearers were held loosely in his hands. I frowned at Aqualad's condition which was probably due to the poison on Cheshire's weapons. The only thing I didn't expect was the many passed out shadows inside the room. I frowned. This wasn't canon. In the original timeline, they had only been attacked by three villains. Could this be a butterfly effect due to my interference?

"Aqualad are you hurt anywhere?"

I asked him through the link, while watching Cheshire carefully.

"The doctor and I are fine. Just be careful not to get pierced by any of their weapons. Especially hers."

" Miss M, Kid Flash how are things on your end?"

"There are way more Shadows than we expected. We are currently occupied at the gym."

Miss Martian told me through the link.

"Maelstrom, you need to take the doctor and go. I'll provide you with cover."

I thought it through…

"I can carry you both. No one is getting left behind."

"Kid Flash and I have the gym secured. If you can get here, we can regroup and come up with a plan."

Miss Martian informed us.

"Well well, and who might you be?"

Cheshire cat brandished her sai at me, while stalking around us. I blinked and the whole room was swarmed with over a dozen more figures dressed fully in black.

"You promised you would protect me!"

Roquette was shaking when she said this.

"Stay behind me doctor."

"Artemis, I need you here."

"Coming."

"Nice get up. I have a question though, what's with the creepy mask? If you ask me, it makes you less approachable."

The assassins were patient, seemingly waiting for the signal from Cheshire.

" Aaw. And I thought it was the best thing about me."

I smirked.

"If you're going for the intimidating factor, sure. Personally, I'd like to see if your face matches your voice. Irresistible."

"Oh my, are you sure you should be flirting with the enemy?"

She asked me while twirling her Sai.

"Not really but I won't tell if you won't."

"I'm in position above you."

"We need cover to relocate the doctor somewhere else."

"Ok. In 1…"

"Step aside then… I'd hate to ruin that perfect jaw line."

She crooned.

"Sorry beautiful. Some other time."

Arrows dug themselves around us and I grabbed a hold of Aqualad and Dr.Roquette. The woman screamed in alarm as I flew us out through the skylight I'd broken through earlier.

Artemis drew a few more arrows and let them loose inside the classroom and then followed after us on the rooftop while I flew away to another section of the building. I held Roquette in my arms while Aqualad was floating beside me inside the bubble of air I had constructed to carry him.

"Miss Martian, where is the gym located?"

"On your left."

She answered and I changed my course.

I looked back at Artemis and saw her running in our previous direction. She stopped a few times and shot arrows towards the shadows pursuing us.

"I'm gonna lead them away from you. They can't see you in the dark properly while you're in the air."

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She explained.

"That's a good idea. Hopefully by the time they realize it, we will be far away."

I replied.

"Slight problem even if you bring Dr. Roquette here, she won't have access to a computer to finish creating the virus."

Kid voiced something we had overlooked.

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

We listened to Miss Martian's plan and I remembered it as surprisingly the same plan that they had come up with in canon. Basically, Miss M changed her appearance to match Roquette, while Aqualad and Kid Flash acted as guards. Meanwhile I flew Roquette towards a cyber cafe in town to complete uploading the virus.

20 minutes later, I was standing guard Infront of Roquette as she hurried to finish the job. She breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled at me,

"It's done."

My fingers went to my earpiece.

"Maelstrom to Robin, do you copy? the virus is ready."

Robin's voice came out hurried and urgent.

"Right on time. The fog is going for Wayne industries! If they copy the information from their servers… It's going to be bad!"

His voice cut off.

"I'm going for the one controlling the fog. How many teeth should he be missing?"

I chuckled at Superboy's statement.

"Aqualad, did you get all of that?"

"Yes but be careful. The assassin in the white mask is probably headed your way. Artemis is in pursuit."

I sighed and turned to Roquette.

"Stay behind me doctor. Seems like its not over."

"What…but…but I finished the virus. They have no reason to kill me now."

She started panicking.

"Hey, hey," I held her shoulders. "We promised to protect you. That hasn't changed."

"How touching."

My hand shot out to hit the projectiles heading towards us out of the air.

I waved a hand and a gust of wind threw back the second volley of shuriken.

"Relentless aren't you?"

I commented. Cheshire lowered her body into a ready stance.

"I could say the same thing. But that's about to end. Roquette is mine."

"It's too late. You were instructed to kill her to stop the Fog from being rendered inert. It's already done. That means your mission has failed."

Cheshire looked unsure.

"I don't believe you."

I turned the monitor around and showed her the screen displaying a successful upload.

"Well I'll be damned. It's not often I fail. Well played…"

She trailed off, wanting to know my name.

"Call me Maelstrom."

She cocked her hip to the side.

"Maelstrom huh. Cool name. Fits you perfectly. I'm…"

I held up her hand before she could introduce herself. A small smirk appeared on my face.

"No need. I'll find that out for myself during the interrogation."

Instantly, she went on guard. Though from a lesser discernible eye, her body posture remained loose and relaxed.

"Confident you can take me down? I thought you were smart."

I chuckled.

"Trust me, I'm not the dumb one here. You followed me alone."

She sighed.

"Why are the cute ones so egotistical?"

Cheshire leaped over the table and palmed her Kunai. They left her hands and cut through the air with impeccable accuracy. 4 were aimed at my vital areas and 2 shot towards Roquette.

A tornado appeared before us and pushed everything away. Computers, chairs and papers alike. I grabbed Roquette and pulled her to my back away from the shurikens that dug themselves on the wall behind her.

"I said behind me Doctor. Not beside."

A monitor was kicked at me and I swiped it away, sending it to smash through the glass door of the Cafe. Cheshire had used that brief cover to pull in close to me. I lifted my leg off the ground, evading the leg sweep.

She spinned around and threw one of her Sais at me. I grabbed it out of the air and returned the favor, sending it back at her. She quickly ducked by leaning her body backwards.

The Sai passed above her, curving a line across her mask and detaching it from her face. Then the Sai planted itself on the wall behind her, digging in deeply into the bricks. Cheshire extended her body back completely and transitioned into a flip.

Her eyes widened when she found me so close to her. My fist shot out before she could respond and landed on her left hand. Five more hits to her chi points and Cheshire slumped against me with zero control of her limbs.

"Oh my god. Did you kill her?"

Roquette came up from behind me and asked. Cheshire glared at me as I removed zip ties from my utility belt and fastened them on her wrists and ankles.

"How is she going to walk like that?"

"She's not." I lifted Cheshire and held her close to me.

"Showing sympathy for the enemy doctor? You do know she tried to kill you a minute ago."

Roquette started stammering upon my question.

"Still.. that's…that's not ethical, putting a girl in such a position!"

I sighed.

"I'm an Advocate for gender equality. Now stay here. I need to go out and look around to make sure none of those other assassins are headed towards us." She made to talk but I interrupted her. "And yes, Doctor. I'm taking the deadly assassin with me."

I opened the door to the cyber cafe and walked outside. Just as I'd expected, Artemis was waiting outside looking unsure.

"Hey. Where are the others?"

"They're yet to arrive. I left them rounding up the assassins at the school."

"Cool. I caught this one and the virus upload was successful so the mission is complete." I stated and just to make her even more desperate…

"Can you imagine how much we can learn from her about the league of shadows?"

Artemis made contact with Cheshire's eyes and Cheshire smiled knowingly.

Artemis drew her bow.

"I can't let you take her in."

She told me with her hands shaking. I tightened the hold on Cheshire and got into a ready stance.

"What do you mean by that Artemis?"

She closed her eyes.

"Please, Maelstrom. I'll… I'll explain it later but you have to let her go."

We faced off for a few seconds before I sighed and removed the zip ties from Cheshire's wrist and ankles.

Luckily, I had anticipated all this and the hits I had landed on her were not that hard, so after five minutes, she now had enough control of her limbs to move about.

Cheshire got up and stretched, then she caressed my jaw with a smile on her face.

"You really did a number on me darling."

"Don't."

Artemis told her with a hard tone.

"Spoilsport."

Cheshire muttered, blew me a kiss and escaped into the darkness.

I turned around and started walking away.

"Wait."

Artemis called out.

"Thank you. I owe you one."

I nodded solemnly and continued inside the cafe. On my face, there was a small smile.