Chapter 4-


"Artemis, Wally. Scout ahead." Robin whispered.

"You are joking, right?" Wally asked.

"Of course, you two would blow the mission over the color of the sky." Robin said. "Babs, you and Artemis take point. Wally and I will provide cover."

"Got it." Batgirl said. "Lets go Artemis."

The two females dashed from behind cover to a truck on the other side of the parking lot.

After a moment, Batgirl motioned that the area was clear. Robin and Wally dashed out and headed for the two girls.

Wally tripped halfway across and knocked over an empty barrel. It clanged to the ground and Robin froze. Suddenly, purple alarm lights started flashing and Joker's maniacal laugh sounded over the speakers.

"Intruders!" Joker's voice yelled. "Get them!"

Paintball guns popped up and began shooting. Wally would have mistaken them, but wherever the paintballs hit, the ground exploded.

"Yikes!" Wally exclaimed, dodging paintballs at superspeed and joining the two birds and the archer behind the van.

"Fastest boy alive and you still trip over your own feet!" Artemis said. "Then again, they are clown feet."

"They are not!" Wally said. A paintball hit an oil barrel in front of them and Wally jumped in front of Artemis.

"You two can make up when we get done with this." Robin said. He and Batgirl pulled out batarangs/birdarangs and charged the turrets.

Wally and Artemis stuck their heads out from behind the safety of the van to watch in awe as the two worked in perfect unison, as if they had been doing it forever.

Robin took out the turrets Batgirl missed while she expertly dodged paintballs.

In no time, the two had taken out all the turrets.

They were grinning in triumph, but a turret rose up behind them.

"Look out!" Artemis yelled, shooting the turret with an exploding arrow.

Batgirl turned around quickly, batarangs out. There was no need however, Artemis had gotten the final turret.

"Lets get this clown." Artemis said, pulling an awe-struck Wally out from behind the van. He walked up to Batgirl.

"That was extremely hot." he said.

Artemis smacked him in the back of the head.

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"No sign of the Joker." Batgirl said.

"Doesn't mean he isn't here." Robin replied.

Artemis and Wally sat off to the side while the two birds argued about whether to go in guns a blazing or sneak through the base.

They settled on guns a blazing.

Artemis worked in perfect unison with Batgirl and Robin, hitting any target from long range; it left Wally feeling left out, only able to hit people and turrets at super-speed.

Joker was evidentially having a blast. His voice could be heard over the speakers saying whether the four teens were getting warmer to his location or not.

Eventually, Joker shut up as the four entered what looked like a throne room for mad man clown criminals.

Suddenly the doors closed and locked themselves. A yellow gas began hissing out of the vents around them.

"Joker Venom spores!" Robin exclaimed. "Don't breathe!"

"How are we supposed to do that?!" Wally exclaimed.

Joker's face appeared the screen. "It won't kill you! Just make you have a good long laugh!"

"Laughing gas?" Wally asked.

"Modified to kill you." Robin said, slipping on a re-breather and handing one to Batgirl. Artemis pulled one out of her utility belt and handed a second one to Wally.

"KF! Can you vibrate through walls yet?" Robin asked.

"No, still a bloody nose!" Wally replied.

Artemis looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Its not funny!" Wally exclaimed.

But Artemis didn't stop or reply. She kept laughing and laughing, and Wally noticed her grin developing into an infamous Joker grin.

"Robin!" he yelled, gesturing at Artemis.

Before any of them could do anything, a voice rang loud and clear.

"Nunc et Disiperre!"

The gas slowly dissolved and Artemis collapsed to the ground, clutching her throat, the grin gone.

"Party Pooper. No cake for you." Joker said, and his face disappeared.

A familiar female walked over to Robin.

"So," Zatanna Zatarra asked. "Who's your girlfriend?"