Risk It All: Winning Hand (ch. 19)

Sorry about the formatting -- my internet crapped out so I had to use my phone to upload the chapter. I'll fix it whenever my internet provider fixes my internet. 

...

My body tensed reflexively the moment I heard the sound of automatic gunfire. It was a series of pops that echoed in the distance in a loud chorus of noise. My attention snapped into the direction of the source, as did everyone else.



I didn't have to give the order. Despite my newfound position as leader, Kid Flash, Robin, and Kaldur all sprung into action. They sprinted towards the noise, diving into the pitch-black tropical forest, one of them much faster than the others. I spared a glance at the rest of the team before I took off running as well.



Flashstep, I learned, had a previously unknown weakness to me. In the urban jungle, where everything was flat it hadn't stuck out. Well, for the most part, the real jungle was anything but. I nearly fell flat on my face when my foot caught on the root of a tree, and I only barely managed to catch myself by Airbending to stop my fall.



The others didn't seem to notice as we headed toward what sounded like a warzone. Using the two abilities in combination, I sailed forward, able to keep up with Superboy running forward while Zatanna and Megan flew.



It wasn't long after that I saw the source of the combat -- two groups of fighters were firing at each other. Three, technically, because Kid Flash zipped down, only to slip on the muddy ground. Seems like I wasn’t the only one with mobility problems. The guns in the area had me on a hair-trigger -- it felt like my veins were filled with nothing but adrenaline at the continued chorus of gunfire, which was so much worse than the pistols I had been dealing with until now.



Though, because of it, I didn’t hesitate. ‘Miss Martain, Zatanna! Take their guns from them!’ I ordered Megan as the rest of us pressed forward. I sailed between the trees as I heard Zatanna speak backward. Between the two of them, the guns were ripped free of the hands of the soldiers, and it was only then that I realized I had screwed up. The mission was to do recon. The people on the island weren’t supposed to know that we were here.



But I quickly tossed the thought to the side when I landed on my feet, muck splashing up my legs. The mission wasn’t enough to stop me from flash stepping to the nearest combatant and slamming my bokken into his collar bone. To follow the mission objectives we would have to sit back and watch people kill each other. I didn’t have that in me. And, if that’s what the mission entailed, then the mission can get fucked.



‘It's Bane!’ Robin called out mentally, bringing my attention to a large man sprinting for me. He was built more like Grundy than a normal human -- closer to seven feet tall than six, with huge bulging muscles that had thick veins popping out underneath his skin. He wore a black and white luchador mask, but not even it could hide the snarl that twisted at his face as he rushed me.



‘I got him.’ I replied, flash stepped to the side, avoiding his punch, only to sidestep again when Bane followed the attack up with an attempt to clock me with the back of his fist in a swing that wasn't as wild as it appeared to be. He watched me out of the corner of his eye.



"Some tricks won't help you," he spoke in English that was heavily accented with Spanish. With surprising speed, Bane lashed out, predicting where I would flash step to next. I only noticed when a fist that seemed to be the same size as my head raced towards me’ but I reacted instantly. I put up a forearm to take the worst of the impact, and it felt like I had been hit by a concrete block more than a fist. I spun sharply, diffusing the impact, and used it to launch a high kick to the side of Bane's head.



My foot made contact, it just wasn't the debilitating blow that I hoped it might be. Lashing out with my other foot against his chest, I used a bit of Airbending to give myself some distance when he reached up to grab my leg. I had learned that lesson from Grundy.



Bane looked out at the others for a split second, "Seems like you aren't Kobra fanatics." He remarked, and it was easy enough to guess what he meant. The others were fighting the disarmed combatants, both groups. And some of us had very easily identifiable powers.



"You can save the enemy of my enemy is my friend speech," I told him bluntly. "Not interested," I added before I flash stepped in rapid succession -- I darted forward, then left, then right, then behind him. Bane reacted instantly, knowing that I was going to target his, which is why he was completely out of place to defend when I attacked him from the front. I rounded on him, channeling my ki to my bokken.



I lashed out at his stomach, driving the tip against his abs. I slammed the edge down against his elbow. I brought the bokken down on his knee. I smacked the wooden edge against his temple. All the attacks happened simultaneously. Bane went down to a knee, his leg giving out as he seemed to recoil from the assault of instantaneous blows. It brought him down to the perfect height to slam my elbow against his temple, following up the powerful attack with another.



Bane went down, face-first into the mud. I looked over to the others to see that they were mopping up. The forest was soon silent once again. I took in a deep breath, eyeing the fallen bodies to see if anyone was wounded bad enough to need medical attention . ‘Let's tie this lot up. Keep an eye out for more. And if any of them were injured during the firefight.’



Kaldur nodded, ‘Robin, Kid -- secure the perimeter.’ He followed up the order as he effortlessly hefted groaning bodies up. He then looked to me, ‘It would be prudent to interrogate the prisoners.’ On that account, I agreed.



Superboy ended up having to lift Bane up, but before long, the entire group was tied to a handful of trees courtesy of some steel cable wire from the Market. Bane was still out cold, but there were others that were coming around.



‘Bane mentioned that these guys are Kobra fanatics. Is that someone I should know about?’ I asked, looking at Kaldur.



'Kobra is a terrorist. Batman's run into him before -- the guy thinks he's some kind of living god. But I have no idea what they would be doing here. What would Kobra want with Venom?' Robin questioned, and I frowned.



'Corner the market? For his soldiers?' I spitballed, mulling the question over. If I were a terrorist, and if there was a drug that made people superhumanly strong, I'd want it for my soldiers. It made sense. Robin, however, didn't seem to think so.



Not Kobra's style. He dismissed without elaborating what exactly his style was.



'So, as a recon mission, we screwed up.' I remarked, earning some sheepish looks in response. 'But we technically have our answer about what's going on with Venom -- The Kobra guy is fighting for control over the island. We could leave without screwing up any further.'



In the end, we were a black ops team. People weren't supposed to know about us. And Batman made it clear that this was a recon-only mission.



'No way! We aren't leaving until I know why Kobra-' Robin began, and to that, I shook my head even if he couldn't see it.



'It's not up to you,' I interrupted curtly. 'It's up to everyone. As a recon mission, this was a failure. So, we can either head back now, and hope that by following the spirit of the mission, if not the letter, Batman doesn't decide we aren't ready for any other missions.'



Kaldur smiled faintly, 'Or?' He supplied, knowing what I was getting at.



'Or, we change the mission. We find out why Kobra is here. We round up the terrorists and drug lords. We wreck the venom production on the island. Then we call the relevant authorities.' I decided. We turn the mission from a failed recon mission into a crushing victory. That way, even if Batman does get mad, he won't be able to argue with the results.



'All in favor?'



…



The production center for the Venom was equal parts a hangar, and an airfield. Thanks to satellite imaging, we knew exactly where the base was. It was all a matter of approach. And as we approached the base, one thing was clear -- the Kobra Cult wasn't fighting to control the Venom production. They had already won. It was Bane that was on the ropes, fighting like a rebel to regain control of his facility.



As far as I knew, those that we had fought were the last surviving members of his gang.



'There's a lot of these guys,' Zatanna noted. 'How big is the Kobra Cult?'



'Either a lot bigger than we thought, or this is the majority of the Cult itself. And if it is, then it could mean that Kobra himself is here.' Robin answered, as we all sat at the edge of the forest. The building was a large, square building that reminded me of a warehouse back at the docks of Gotham.



I looked at the building, trying to puzzle out the best way to approach the situation. We had our goals, but how did we accomplish them? Head straight in, and throw hands at everything that has a pulse until everyone was knocked out? Go in stealthy, learn what we can, then ambush the leaders in question?



My gaze turned to the soft dirt underneath our feet. Earthbending would provide a way for us to get in unseen, but it did break my rule about keeping the power sets separate. Especially now that Bane and the others had seen Koi. But, I’d rather break that rule than put others in unnecessary danger. Wasn’t like I hadn’t used airbending already, even if it was much more difficult to detect than earthbending.



Zatanna, is there any way you could make us invisible? I asked, looking to her, and saw an uncertain expression that more or less gave me my answer.



Zatanna shook her head, ‘No, I don’t think so. My Dad probably could, but real invisibility is difficult enough on its own, much less on a big group.’ She sounded apologetic, but I paid it no mind. I was too preoccupied on mitigating risk.



‘Don’t worry about it. Robin, MM, Kid -- could you three sneak in?’ Robin was the stealth expert, Megan could turn invisible, and Kid Flash was fast enough to blast past any gap in security. Once they were in, it became possible for them to coordinate with the rest of us from the inside.



Megan nodded and Robin… had vanished. Kid Flash nodded before he similarly disappeared in a gust of wind. Megan followed suit a moment later, realizing that she was being left behind, and simply vanished from view with her invisibility. They made their way to the building, but it was impossible to track their progress.



Superboy approached from behind, “What are we waiting around for?” He asked me in a low whisper, still preferring to speak rather than communicate telepathically.



“I want to know what we’re heading into, and I don’t want any of the baddies getting away because we didn’t know where they were or if they were here at all,” I said. ‘Got that, you three?’



‘Yeah, yeah,’ Kid Flash dismissed, sounding unhappy with the diplomatic process. I chose not to comment because, in the end, I was also unhappy with the diplomatic process. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaldur frown to himself, but he didn’t offer a comment.



‘What are you three seeing?’ I asked, my body tense like a coiled spring. Should I have gone with them? Should I have sent Kaldur with them since he was the second in command? But, those three were best suited for stealth. There was a small beat of silence and, instantly, my mind leaped to the worst-case situation.



Then Megan answered, ‘There’s someone called Sport’s Master here? And Robin vanished when he saw him.’



My lips thinned for more reason than one. I had absolutely no clue who Sport’s Master was. But, more importantly, ‘Robin, use your words. Or we’re going to assume you need help.’ I warned, getting ready to flash step towards the base. However, Robin, the little asshole, quickly spoke up at the warning.



‘Don’t -- Sportsmaster is a mercenary. He’s working for Kobra, by the looks of it. He’s here for a trade-off or to pick something up. The thing is -- it’s the Blockbuster formula that we encountered at Cadmus! It’s been modified to work with Venom.’ Robin said, volunteering the information with the same ease as pulling teeth. Worse, I had absolutely no idea what any of that meant. Blockbuster formula? What?



And why did I have to fight to get some fairly important information out of him?



Kaldur leaned forward, “It may be prudent to cause a diversion. We can draw some of them away, while the rest of us move in." He said, and I nodded in agreement. It made sense to me and I trusted Kaldur's judgment. As one, all three of us looked to Superboy, knowing exactly who was most suited for the task.



Superboy, rather unfortunately, responded with action rather than words. He launched himself into the night sky, tearing through tree branches as he did so and I heard a fading echo of his roar as he sailed forward.



"Right. Let's sneak around," I said, heading around while hugging the treeline to avoid detection. It would have been better to wait until we were all in position… speaking of which, 'Superboy is causing a distraction. Did he get their attention?'



'Looks like it -- Kobra and Sportsmaster seemed spooked.' Robin answered. 'They're going to a chopper! They're trying to get out of here.'



I took a deep breath and looked at Kaldur and Zatanna. 'Zatanna, Kid Flash, you're on crowd control. I'll make sure the chopper can't take off-' as I said that, while I ran, I saw something erupt from the building. It was a massive creature that dwarfed Bane by a solid foot and a half, and it had Superboy clutched in its hands as it drove him into the dirt. I nearly missed a step when I saw the sight, but to my surprise, I felt my brain shift into a higher gear.



My panic and fear was so bad that I seemed to have looped around to being completely calm. 'MM, help Superboy. Kid, crowd control. Now.' I ordered, flash stepping to the building. Superboy slugged the creature in the face, launching both of them up into the air a few feet since the creature refused to let him go. They both crashed onto the ground as cultists spilled out of the hole that the creature had made in the hangar wall .



Kid Flash did as ordered, zooming into the cultists at speeds so fast that he was barely even a blur to me. The cultists went flying, allowing me, Kaldur, and Zatanna into what looked like a foundry of some kind. A wide-open industrial space with a crosswalk above us, with large machinery dotted around.



There were more cultists inside and my heart leaped to my throat when I saw six of them level their guns at us. This wasn't a mugger in an alley.



'Close your eyes,' I flash stepped forward, throwing myself into the thick of them. My bokken lashed out, catching one in the side of the head while I kicked another in the chest. They weren't knocked out, but it brought their attention to me. As they did so, the Gluttony Demon coiled around my body spat out two flash grenades.



Even through clenched eyes, I saw the flash and my ears rang from the concussive barrage of noise. But, even still, I moved. Before the cultists could start to fire blindly, I disabled another one of them with my bokken while Zatanna took down and bound the other two.



'Superboy, can you handle that thing?' I asked as I felt a gust of wind rush by me, and heard a door swing open. I looked around and found the door, and flashed stepped to to it as I waited for an answer, stepping outside to see the helicopter. Robin was subdued, and I don't know what had happened, but Kid Flash was in the dirt as well, though it seemed like he was still in the fight.



'I'm fine,' Superboy dismissed. I believed him. With Megan, they could suspend that creature in midair and let Superboy wail on him. It wasn't a fair fight by any means, but I didn't exactly fight fair. Kaldur arrived after me, as did Zatanna.



'Zatanna, disable the helicopter,' I ordered as I cautiously approached, eying the man that had Robin under his foot. He was tall, and had pale skin that almost seemed gray in the low light. He didn't wear a shirt, revealing a well-muscled torso, and had a head that was completely devoid of a single hair. He took notice of us, looking over his shoulder with a dull and unimpressed expression.



Behind me, Zatanna spoke, "Dneb!" She chanted, making the helicopter blades bend upwards. The man glanced up and I heard him curse lowly .



"Aren't you brats a little far from home? This place is too green to be Gotham City," A gruff voice twinged with annoyance remarked as another person stepped out from behind the helicopter. A man that was around my height, but he was clearly bulkier than me, with what looked like twenty pounds of muscle. He had blonde hair, but that's all I could tell about his features because of the hockey mask he was wearing.



I'm going to take that as a clue that he was Sportsmaster. And the weird-looking guy was probably Kobra.



"Not so far out that we can't kick your butt," Kid Flash said, picking himself up from the dirt.



'Close your eyes in ......!' I ordered, ignoring the banter, before having the gluttony demon spit out more flash grenades. They sailed towards the duo, and a second later, I was sailing towards them as well.



Kobra moved as soon I came to a stop after my flash step, intent on ambushing them. His expression and gaze were dull, unimpressed with the attempt to blind and deafen them. He lashed out with a palm to my face, and I felt myself move almost automatically to block the attack with my bokken. I slammed the edge into his stomach, and felt the impact travel up my arms as I got him in the ribs instead. I stretched a bit to hit him in the leg.



The blow was knocked off course by the assault of my other attacks, giving me momentum that I used to pivot and attempt to knee him in the face. However, Kobra backtracked, avoiding the blow as a look of surprise passed over his dull face.



"I see," he said, settling into a stance. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Robin get up, only to be attacked by a girl I hadn't noticed. I didn't get a good look at her, but Kaldur was taking the attention of Sportsmaster. "You are quite young to be a Master Swordsman. Especially one so proficient as to so easily use this cluster of universes to make multiple attacks."



Hold up. I was doing what now?



The corner of Kobra's lips tugged up into a smile, "Hm. Even a god can be mistaken. You are just a boy swinging a sword. I don't know if that makes your technique more or less impressive," he said, sounding faintly amused.



My lips thinned underneath my mask, not exactly pleased with the trash talk, but I was more stuck on the whole 'cluster of universes' thing to care about a cult leader talking smack. I choose to respond with action rather than words -- the guy was a terrorist and he referred to himself as a living god. There was no way I was trusting a single word that came out of this guy's mouth about anything.



Flash stepping forward, I closed the distance between us, using that momentum to launch myself forward. Leaping up, I lashed out with my blade, using double jump to control my trajectory, only to use it to dodge a high kick to the face. Landing on my feet, I flash stepped out of the way of a follow-up kick that would have landed on my temple. Darting forward, I swung my bokken at him, intent on striking him in the ribs again while he was exposed.



Kobra reacted near-instantly, his hands shooting out and clasping around the blade as I swung it at him, catching it, before his foot shot out like a speeding bullet to slam into my stomach. I grunted, having tensed in preparation. And to my gratitude that was vastly overshadowed by my annoyance, Kobra let go of my bokken. His expression could be best described as mocking.



"A truly fascinating ability, but it does seem to be wasted on you. A technique that cannot be blocked, a perfect kill every time, and you wield a stick for it," he said, not stopping his guard, and despite the discolorations where I hit him, the injuries didn't seem to be having any effect.



I pushed away my annoyance with some difficulty and adopted my Moon Breathing style. I felt my muscles strengthen, my power ebbing and rising. I dug my feet into the ground -- the guy was just a regular human, so I didn't want to go full throttle out of the gate. But, if he was so certain that I was just a punk swinging a stick around, then maybe this would wipe that smirk off of his face.



The Black Heaven and Earth Technique could best be described as lighting a fire inside my stomach . It felt like a bonfire had nestled itself deep in my gut, radiating heat throughout my body. I felt it rise to my chest, through my arms, down my legs -- a warmth that was on the verge of being too hot. In response, I felt my body grow almost numb. Like the warmth that I felt was smothering out any other sensation.



A slow breath escaped me, my gaze focused on Kobra. Even the sounds of combat behind me felt distant and muddled. My grip tightened on my bokken, my foot dug even further into the soft dirt.



Then I moved.



I flashed stepped forward, but it was different than all the other times I did so. I was faster. Normally, it felt like taking a normal step, only I could travel about a block or so with that single step. Comparatively, this felt like I was sprinting instead of walking -- near-instantly, I appeared before Kobra. His eyes widened as he began to react, but I had already moved on . In three bursts of movement, I appeared behind him, my bokken poised down at my feet.



I swung the blade in a near-full circle, tracing the silhouette of a full moon, my blade not touching him. The starry night sky and crescent moons followed the tip of my blade as I completed the motion. I utilized Tsubame Gaeshi as I did so to also swing my blade down in an arc, making a crescent moon inside it . At the epicenter, I brought my bokken down a third time at the same time, in a half-moon. And with my last simultaneous stroke I made a matching the swing on the other side, in the image of the waning moon.



The starry night sky and swirling moons hit Kobra in the back, and the point where all my attacks met hit him in the center. Kobra lurched forward, knocked away from the impact as he cried out in pain. The swirling moons cut into him, but they quickly faded and broke apart, not unlike they did with Grundy.



Kobra skid across the ground, his back bleeding profusely.



The girl that Robin was fighting noticed Kobra's defeat first. She whipped around, her eyes wide and her expression aghast. It opened her up to a kick in the stomach, folding her over Robin's leg. She barely seemed to notice as she dove for Kobra, only to see him be enveloped by roots that ripped themselves free from the ground. He was bound. Zatanna.



My gaze shifted to Sportsmaster. He was still fighting against Kaldur, a flail in his hands as he steadily retreated, giving ground to the Atlantian. Robin was closer, but I had already learned that we just got in each other's way. 'Zatanna -- help Robin.' I ordered curtly before I flash stepped the distance between me and Sportsmaster. He pivoted, lashing out with his flail as I suddenly appeared, while Kaldur capitalised on his distraction and went in with a mace made out of magically shaped water.



I flash stepped out of range of Sportsmaster's reflexive attack , letting Kaldur land his strike. It was a good hit based on the pained grunt that escaped Sportsmaster. My decision to fall back was base don the lesson that I had learned from my experience with Robin -- we both had good instincts on when to attack, but when we both attacked at the same time, it ended up creating opportunities for the enemy.



The moment that Kaldur landed his strike, I flash stepped in, my bokken going for the cable that connected the head of the flail to the handle. The edge of the bokken bit into the cable, not quite enough to cut it. However, as I poured Qi into the bokken, I managed to sever the cable at the cost of it crumbling to pieces afterward. I tossed the short handle that I now wielded into the air , the gluttony demon eating it before it hit the ground .



Sportsmaster used the remaining cable that he had attached to the handle in his hand as a makeshift whip to hold us back while he recovered from the blow Kaldur had dealt him. He attempted to hit me with it but I sidestepped, and in a few bursts of speed, I was behind him. One of Sportsmaster's hands went to his belt, retrieving a small pellet of a variety that I recognized.



"You kids-" he began, his tone mocking as he threw the pellet down. Right into my demon's waiting gullet as it snaked off of my body, responding to my will. I fought off a smirk as Sportsmaster's eyes widened, cutting himself off midway through his dramatic exit.



"Yes, us kids," Kaldur agreed, delivering the one-liner in a deadpan alongside a powerful uppercut with his mace, knocking Sportsmaster into the air for a short flight and a crash landing. I pulled up my Inventory instantly, going to containment options and finding a quick pair of cuffs, more manacles based on the size, and slapped them onto him the moment he landed with a quick flash step. Then I did the same for his legs.



Then I went ahead and bought the same cabling I had used on Bane and just started coiling it around his body before tying it off when he was completely bound. Kaldur looked at me, and I shrugged. Better safe than sorry when it came to ninjas.



'Superboy? Miss Martian? Kid Flash?' I asked telepathically, looking out and seeing that Zatanna had bound the girl that Robin was fighting.



'Fighting. I don't need any help,' Superboy stressed the word. I flash stepped to the building, seeing that Megan and Kid Flash had already incapacitated the entirety of the Cult inside. Now they were watching Superboy and that creature fight in the distance. It was a straight slugging match where both of them were just pounding on each other.



Superboy took a hit that sent him crashing through a few trees, reducing them to splinters. When he got to his feet after tumbling on the ground for a moment, he simply hefted a tree trunk and used it like a baseball bat to send the creature flying. It was an incredible display of power.



You saw videos of Superman or the Justice League performing feats even more incredible all the time, but there was something very different about witnessing it in person. The creature was Superboy's equal, able to trade blow for blow. And that was terrifying and inspiring in equal measure.



'Koi, you're going to want to see this,' Zatanna said, making me shake my head out of my awe. I swallowed thickly.



"Let Superboy do his thing. If it looks like he's losing, then help him," I told the two. Superboy had a huge chip on his shoulder. It was clear that he was trying to prove himself. Not sure to who since he had nothing to prove to me or the team, but he was clearly trying to prove something to someone. Helping now would just make that chip even bigger.



If he won, then perfect. If we all had to step in, then… well, I hoped it would be a lesson.



Heading back to the helicopter where the three villains were tied up, I saw that Robin was inside, with Zatanna and Kaldur keeping guard over them, and both of their expressions were grim.



"What should I see?" I asked, making Robin hold up a hand, and inside of it was a vial of purple liquid. I… had no clue what that was.



"This is something called Kobra-Venom," he said, pointedly looking at the three that were on the ground. "I'll spare you the details, but that guy Superboy is fighting? That's a guy called Mammoth. Did a little digging and found a few before and after pictures in the base's servers." He held up a phone screen, displaying two.



On one side was a scrawny runt. Bone thin, a mop of brown hair, and bags underneath his eyes. In the picture next to him was the seven-foot-tall behemoth that was currently throwing hands with Superboy.



I mulled that over for a moment, my gaze shifting from the picture to the vial in Robin's hands. Then I looked to the interior of the helicopter -- Robin opened a case, revealing that there were about twelve doses per box. And… there were rows upon rows of boxes. They were on pallets, secured into place, but…



"Oh…" I uttered, feeling a little numb as I dropped the fading Black Heaven and Earth Technique and my Moon Breathing. The pieces put themselves together in my mind as I did some quick math. Twelve doses per box, fifty boxes per pallet, six pallets in total. Meaning there were… three thousand and six hundred doses in total.



Meaning that there could have been three thousand six hundred Superboy's working for Kobra.



"Oh… shit…"