Traitor

El Paso, Texas

June 3, 12:00 CDT

"Alpha Squad! Move!"

Nightwing leaped at the soldiers somehow dodging all of the lasers that came at him and hitting them. Blue Beetle leaped into the air and fired his plasma cannon, wide dispersal, and knocked almost all of the soldiers into bushes o the upstairs window of a house.

Wondergirl was on the front lines along with Liam, Batgirl, and Nightwing. The four were taking out bad guys left and right. Cassie could see frustration growing on Vandall Savage's face as he watched his troopers get destroyed.

"Cassie!" Beetle yelled. Cassie turned around and put her wrists in a defensive position over her face. The dart fell to the ground and Deathstroke frowned, sliding his mask back down over his face.

"Batgirl! With me!" Nightwing yelled, charging at Vandall Savage, completely ignoring any troopers who didn't get in his way. Nightwing leaped at the large villain who merely swatted him aside. Batgirl managed to get some batarangs in at Savage, but she too was thrown to the side.

Wondergirl leaped into the air, blocking darts and daggers from Deathstroke. When the Team had been ambushed, she hadn't had time to pull her felpa off.

"Look out!" Liam yelled, leaping into the air to try and catch a dagger heading towards Cassie from the side. He under-calculated his jump and fell to the ground, not moving.

"LIAM!"

Mount Justice

June 5, 9:31 EST

Cassie stayed behind in the grotto as the rest of the Team departed. Beetle and Robin gave her a sympathetic face, but she merely looked at the hologram of Liam before sighing.

Cassie jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around to find Samuel Grant standing there.

"You." Cassie growled.

"Cassie, I'm—"

"Don't te dare say you're sorry!" Cassie yelled. "You're the reason he's dead!"

Revenge stood there and took the brunt of Cassie's blow. He listened as Cassie continued to yell at him.

"You had the chance to stop Ravager! te had the chance to stop his killer! Once and for all!"

"Heroes don't kill." Red Revenge said.

"But you're not a hero." Cassie detto in a cold tone Revenge had never heard from the girl before. "You've detto countless times you're a vigilante. Vigilantes. Kill. Bad. Guys."

"I have my reasons." Revenge said.

Cassie yelled and punched Revenge in the chest, knocking him back into the wall. Revenge grunted and stood up, clutching his ribs. "Cassie, I really am sorry—"

"LIAR!"

Revenge ducked as Cassie's fist carved a hole in the wall. She grabbed him da the collare and rammed him into the wall. She reached back to punch, punzone him again and Revenge spoke up.

"Suit, Activate tazer charge."

Cassie yelled and flew off the Black Hero. Sam stood up wearily and undid his giacca revealing his chest plate. He slid his mask on his face and looked up at the staggering and smoking blonde.

"Bring it."

Cassie yelled and leaped at Revenge. Revenge dodged to the side of the flying teen and threw daggers at her. They exploded and Cassie yelled in pain. She growled and leaped at Revenge again, tackling him to the floor and sitting on his stomach, punching him again and again.

"I left my chicken whizzies. Bart will steal them again if I don't get—Que Pasa?! Chica! Get off!"

Beetle and Robin ran down, trying to separate Cassie and Sam. Revenge's chest plate was totally ruined, cracked, and his face was bleeding badly.

"What the heck happened?" Robin demanded, picking up Cassie.

"I tried to apologize and she assaulted me!"

"Your apology is worth nothing!" Cassie growled, almost animal-like. Beetle stepped back in fear. "You're the reason he's dead!"

"Cassie, that's a very serious accusation. Come on, lets go."

"Cassie—"

"Sam, leave. Now." Revenge could see Robin's eyes glaring and narrowing behind his glasses.

"Right. Leaving."

"Wait!" Beetle yelled. "I need to—"

Revenge was gone.

"—talk."

New York City

June 4, 10:09 EST

The phone rang. Sam sighed and put down the paperwork he was looking at. He had no clue that running the company would be so tedious. He picked up the phone and answered it. "Samuel Grant."

"Sam, it's Bruce."

Sam pressed a button and the line was secured.

"The line's secured. What do te want?"

"Ravager, Deathstroke, and Vandal Savage ambushed the Team three days ago. That's when Liam died. Ravager killed him."

"I looked at the footage, the assassin didn't meant to kill him. The dagger would've passed right da Wondergirl. The boy overestimated and—" Revenge was cut off.

"That's not why I called you. Cassie detto te were responsible for the ambush."

"She's pissed because I didn't kill Ravager." Sam said, almost calling the girl Rose. "She's emotionally distraught. I don't think te should be listening to her."

"Think of it as a loose end I'm trying to tie up." Bruce said.

Revenge sighed. "If te must know, it was my fault."

Silence. Slowly Bruce spoke. "Explain."

Sam sighed and looked at his scrivania, reception and the paperwork scattered on it.

"The Team is rusty. Nothing happens. It's too quiet. I thought I could test them. I didn't think the trap was too well planned. I didn't think anyone would die."

Bruce was silent. Slowly he spoke. "Don't come near the Cave again. I'll make sure Batgirl sends te your stuff."

"Understood."

The line went dead. "Joy." Sam muttered.

The Watchtower

June 4, 18:02 EST

"Sorry I'm late!" Flash said, speeding into the room and sitting down at the table.

"As long as you're here." Batman said. Everyone in the room was totally surprised.

"Well, we're all here. What is it?" Superman asked.

"We're not all here." Batman said. "Not yet."

The zeta tubes buzzed to life. "Recognized: Nightwing, B-01."

Nightwing waked into the room and nodded at the Justice League members seriously.

"Grow up not like Bruce." Wonder Woman muttered.

Nightwing took one of the empty seats at the table. Batman spoke up.

"There's a talpa on the Team."

"Again?!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"But this time, I'm confident who it is."

The Justice League was startled. "Who?"

"Red Revenge." Batman said, pulling up a holo-computer of the Black Hero.

New York City

June 4, 18:06 EST

"Robin to Batcave."

"Master Timothy. What has Bruce sent te to do now?"

"Believe it o not, spy on a fellow hero." Robin said, looking through the binoculars at Samuel Grant as he sat alone at a coffee table.

"Ah, is this a new hero who's identity we don't know?" Alfred asked.

"No, he's been around for ten years. Batman won't tell me what's going on. He just—whoah."

"What is it, Master Timothy?"

"Rose Wilson just sat down at the tavolo with him."

"The assassin?"

"The one and only."

"What could Master Grant possibly have to do with the assassin?"

"Good question." Robin replied. "Where's Bruce?"

"He's on the torre di osservazione, torre di guardia debriefing the Justice League."

"On what?"

"That he refused to say."

"Typical." Robin said, magnifying the zoom on the binoculars. "They're talking, but I can't make out what they're—damn!"

Rose had looked straight at him and winked. Robin rounded on Grant's chair, but he was gone. Robin felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to see Red Revenge standing there with his hand out. Robin sighed and handed him the binoculars and his ear-piece. Revenge crushed the ear-piece and held out his hand again.

"What?"

"There's no memory card in the binoculars."

"Maybe I didn't put one in."

"Please."

Robin grinned and stood up. "Come and—unh!"

Ravager grabbed his arm and pinned it behind him. "Come on Boy Wonder, give him the card before I have to hurt te more."

Robin sighed and released his fist, smoke bombs falling onto the roof.

Revenge made a mad leap at Robin and tackled him, wrestling with the sixteen anno old, trying to pin him to the ground. He managed to hold Robin down while Ravager removed his utility belt, and the data card from his hand.

"Bye Bye Bird Brain." Ravager detto with a smile and leaped backwards over the banister.

The Watchtower

June 4, 18:07 EST

"Red Revenge?!" Wonder Woman exclaimed.

"I know he's rough, Bruce." Superman said. "But he's no traitor."

"He personally admitted to betraying the location of the Team when they were ambushed three days ago! The giorno Liam was killed!" Batman yelled.

Nightwing's eyes widened.

"Well what do te propose we do?" Superman asked.

"I'm having Robin follow him." Batman said. "If he—"

"Recognized: Robin. B-20."

The Justice League looked over as Robin ran, stumbled, then fell into the Watchtower.

"Robin?" Batman asked. The Boy Wonder stood up and Batman's eyes narrowed. "Where's your utility belt?"

"Ravager took it. With her partner Revenge."

Batman's eyes widened beneath his cappuccio for just a moment before turning to the rest of the stunned Justice League. "Need anymore proof?"

"I say we double-check." Flash said. "I have a friend, a detective, who would be all too happy to help."

"Are te flipping serious?!" Nightwing yelled, standing up and slamming his hands down on the table. "He got one, maybe more, teenagers killed!"

"I'm just saying we need to be thorough." Flash said.

"I agree with Nightwing." Robin said, walking over successivo to the former Boy Wonder.

"As do I." Wonder Woman spoke up. Superman was hesitant.

"Clark?"

"I think we should all put this to a vote. All in favor of arresting Revenge for betraying the Justice League, raise your hand."

Nightwing, Wonder Woman, and several other members of the League raised their hands. Robin raised his but quickly brought it back down.

"All those in favor of going with what Flash said."

Most of the Justice League, including the two Green Lanterns, raised their hands.

"Very well." Batman said. "Flash, bring in your detective. No word of this leaves the Watchtower."

TO BE CONTINUED!