Chapter VI:

"This is not good."  Artemis said.

"Thanks genius." Wally replied.

"Well he's not dead." Robin said. "His life signal is there, but weak."

"So what do we do?" agrifoglio asked from the bed.

"We do nothing." Aqualad said.

Everyone simply looked at him for a quiet moment before bursting out in exclamations of disbelief. Aqualad silenced them da holding up a hand.

"We," he repeated. "Will do nothing. Holly, will."

Everyone looked at Holly.

"If agrifoglio is up to it, she can return to the former Soviet base and track Revenge's signal. Before it is too late." Aqualad said.

"That's too dangerous for her to go alone!" Megan protested.

"The Team can not accompany her and leave the banquet unguarded." Aqualad said.

"Surely we can spare one!" Robin said.

Aqualad thought for a moment. "One and one only. Who will accompany Holly?"

No one spoke up for a moment. Artemis stepped forward. "I will." she said.

"Then it is settled. te must depart immediately."

"Take this." Robin said, handing them a device that could pass as a cell phone. "It scans for his life signal."

Artemis slipped it into her utility belt. The Team diviso, spalato up to get dressed.

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agrifoglio walked into their hotel room. Revenge's heat gun was laying on the letto along with a few daggers. agrifoglio pocketed them and slipped on her uniform.

She had just finished slipping her boots on when she heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in!" agrifoglio called, her mask still on the bed.

Artemis walked in dressed in full uniform. Her bow was hanging da her hip and her sheath was full of arrows. Her normally sleeveless camicia looked like a jacket. Her hands were covered da black leather gloves instead of her usual green, fingerless.

agrifoglio picked up her mask and slid it on. "Let's go." she said.

Artemis looked at her before moving to allow the heroine out the door.

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Revenge groaned. His suit had provided insulation from the blast, but it was shredded now. He was stranded underground with no major explosives to get out and little supplies necessary to keep himself alive.

Revenge looked at his suit. His boots were mainly intact thankfully, but his pants below the knee were shredded beyond repair as was most of his shirt. His bulletproof/stab proof vest was mainly intact, but the camicia over it was ruined. He ripped what remained of it off.

His mask was mainly intact minus a strip above his right eye where he was bloody. His sunglasses were destroyed and his cape was virtually non-existent.

Revenge stood up and grabbed a flashlight. He shone the light around and saw the same hall he had been in before. In front of him, the hallway stretched on; behind him, the hallway was caved in completely.

Revenge picked up his utility cintura and strapped it back on. He had a few daggers left, but no explosive ones. Most of his smoke bombs had burnt up in the explosion. It looked like he was going to have to fight da hand.

Which, knowing him, it wouldn't take long before he would have to.

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agrifoglio and Artemis managed to beat a few punks up and steal their car. They drove down the road at superiore, in alto speed.

"Artemis!" Robin's voice echoed over their comm system.

"I'm here." Artemis replied. 

"I've detected a surge in Revenge's life signal."

"So he's conscious!" agrifoglio said.

"Or in a lot of trouble." Robin said.

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Revenge found the hangar easily enough. It was the getting an airplane that was going to be hard.

The Soviet base was much larger than he had expected. He had planted enough explosives to detonate everything within three miles, thankfully it hadn't, but the base was much larger than that. 

Revenge had walked about three miles before he had discovered the underground hangar. It was relatively undamaged and the guards were playing poker in the corner.

If Revenge could get an airplane, he could escape. He ran into the hangar and was halfway across when he heard a voice yell out "Stop!"

"Damn," Revenge said, ducking behind a column as gunfire erupted.

The soviet's machine pistole rattled off rounds at his position. Revenge pulled out a smoke bomb and tossed it into the main area, it detonated and Revenge ran out into the hangar, his movements unnoticed da the Soviets.

Who naturally shot blindly into the smoke cloud.

Revenge got hit a few times with bullets in the chest, but powered on towards a jet.

Unfortunately, there was someone in the jet. Revenge punched him, put as he went to throw the guy out, he slipped and fell, falling to the ground unconscious.

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Revenge woke up again. He tried to sposta his arms, but they were chained to a board aloud with his legs.

His bulletproof vest was missing and he had a large knot on the back of his head.

Two soldiers and the dictator walked out of the shadows.

"I killed you." Revenge growled.

"You can't." the man replied. "I'm immortal."

"Let me down so I can test that theory." Revenge said.

"No, no my friend. Today," he flicked out a knife. "We test your mortality."

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The car screeched to a stop outside the ruins of the former Russian base.

"Oh my God." Artemis said, taking in the damage. "What the heck did te plant down there?"

"Several C-4 explosives." Courage replied.

"Several?!" Artemis exclaimed. "How the heck did anyone survive that?"

"Dunno." Courage said, looking up from the scanner. "But he did."

"So where is he?" Artemis asked.

Courage looked at the scanner for a few moments.

"I can't pinpoint his location. His signal is still underground, so it's marred. He's that way though." Courage looked at where she had pointed.

"That's a lake." Artemis said.

"Swim o Float?" Courage asked.

"Float, I hate the water." Artemis replied.

The two girls headed towards the shore.

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"Gaah!" Revenge said. Blood trickled down his chest.

"Certainly not invincible." the man said, stepping back and admiring his work.

"So, what do I call you? Evil dude? Physcopath? Loopy?" Revenge spat.

"None of those work, call me da my name." the man replied.

"Very well, Stalin." Revenge spat the dictator's name. "How did te survive and what's your plan?"

"My plan? My plan? My plan is simple: Rule the world!" Stalin replied. "As for how I survived, I hid some of my genes and my scientists have been building me a new body. They succeeded so here I am."

"Your crazy!"

"Am I?"

"Your not really out to 'Better Russia'. Your lying to your soldiers and fellow officers!"

"You're one to talk."

Revenge glared at him when realization dawned on him. "You..." he said.

Stalin laughed. "Of course! Who else could get away with killing-"

"I've heard enough!" Artemis said. Three arrows flew, hitting Stalin's bodyguards. The third Arrow flew towards Stalin, but he caught it in mid air.

Artemis shot Arrow after Arrow at Stalin, but he caught them all. Artemis ran forward, attempting a physical attack, but Stalin knocked her down. He went to kill her, but Courage punched him in the face, knocking him back.

"Ah, the new girl." Stalin said. "Costume's too dark and I miss the goggles, but not too shabby, not too shabby 'tall."

"What?" Courage asked, blocking a blow to her torso.

"Ignore him!" Revenge yelled.

Courage managed to get backed up against the bacheca before she remembered she had her utility cintura on.

Stalin backed up, coughing as smoke filled the air.

"Until we meet again!" he said, still unable to see the heroine, and departed the room.

Artemis groaned and sat up while Courage broke the locks holding Revenge. He fell to the ground, but she caught him.

Artemis stood up and walked over to Revenge. 

"Where's most of your uniform?" she asked.

"Explosion." Revenge detto as Courage supported him on her shoulders.

Artemis looked at him closely. "Blue eyes, huh?" 

"Shut up." Revenge said, limping out of the room.

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"What happened?" Aqualad asked.

The Team had rendezvoused back at the hotel. Artemis and agrifoglio were mostrare M'gann the proper way to dress a wound while Aqualad interrogated Revenge.

"I shoved agrifoglio out and was defeated. Luckily I was dragged far enough away from the explosion so I wasn't turned to dust." Revenge said. "But that thing goes for miles! I traveled three miles from the edge of the impact site to a hangar, and there was another hallway on the other side of the hangar."

"Luckily it seems the Soviets, and Stalin, have fled. We have contacted the authorities and they are investigating the base. Continue with your story please."

Revenge explained his failed attempt to escape and Stalin's torture. agrifoglio finished wrapping the bandage around his arm. She knew he wasn't mentioning the last part of his and Stalin's conversation. She respectfully kept her mouth shut, as did Artemis.

"Very well." Aqualad said. "Rest and get well. We head home the giorno after next. Unless te wish to-"

"Not on your life fish-boy." Revenge said.

"Didn't think so." Aqualad detto with a smile. He and the rest of the Team walked out.

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agrifoglio woke up to the sound of someone coming out of the bathroom. She turned on her lamp and saw Revenge attaching his cape. 

"Aren't te supposed to be asleep?" she asked groggily.

Revenge slid his mask on. "I've got some unfinished business."