Santa Prisca 1

"Blackhawk?" Batman called, getting all eyes to turn towards the Thanagarian who had on his thinking expression on. All eyes landed on him but he ignored it, he didn't like how this situation sounded. Batman noticed it, though he would like to hear what the young Thanagarian had to say.

"I understand the part where you are sending us in as reconnaissance Batman", Blackhawk started as he looked up at the briefing hologram, "But what I don't understand is why you are sending us after one of your rogues. After all this is your turf, and I don't think you'd like it if we stole your thunder."

The team looked at Blackhawk with widened eyes, staring at him as if he were playing with fire. Batman was already giving him a glare, though the Thanagarian simply looked at the Dark Knight and raised a brow at him. For a moment there was an eerie silence between the two, then came Batman's cold voice that broke it before it could continue. "This mission was forwarded by me because I believe that you are all up to the task", Batman addressed, "You have to be in Gotham to be in my territory Blackhawk."

A small smile came to the Thanagarian's lips as he nodded and allowed the Caped Crusader to continue. "There will be no deviations to the plan, only recon, report what you find, then the League will handle it." Batman finished.

"Whose team leader?" Robin asked.

"Figure that out amongst yourselves."

[Two Hours Later, Santa Prisca]

Blackhawk sat within his seat, looking out the Martian ship that M'gann arrived in. He pressed a button on the center of his harness, the symbol giving a faint red glow before going off. He was letting them know his location since he would be dropped off into the air. As the Thanagarian moved to the center of the ship, he watched as the floor beneath him give way for him to drop. As soon as he fell through, he sprung his wings out and began to fly upwards. He watched as Aqualad was next, dropping into the sea and using it to traverse to the island. The young Thanagarian nodded his head, and watched as his helmet formed over his head.

Blackhawk then switched to infrared vision, working as the eyes in the sky as he ascended higher and higher into the air. It wouldn't be long before he caught a glimpse of the factory. The lights could be seen from the height that he was up at. He could see robed men and women moving about when he zoomed in with his helmet's visors. Narrowing his eyes, he recognized them as the Cult of Cobra. He had a distaste for cults, especially the fanatical ones. Banking left, he made a U-turn to rendezvous with his team. That was when he heard gunshots going off in the forest below. The Thanagarian looked down to find Cobra cult members and Bane along with his gang having a firefight. Then he saw a speeding blur moving towards the gun fight. "Oh for the love of..." He uttered dryly then dove downwards as his wings pulled in.

The young Thanagarian knew exactly who that was, it was Kid Flash running in the blind. Speaking into his helmet's microphone, he called out to his team. "Kid stop!", he ordered, "You're running into an ongoing gunfight!"

Unfortunately the Thanagarian's warning fell on deaf ears. The speedster slipped and got in between the two warring factions. Before either side could open fire, Blackhawk came in and sprawled his wings out. He did a fly by and made his shield form on his arms. With a passing shield bash, he knocked out two men who had taken aim at Kid. The speedster immediately started running as soon as Bane's men and the Cobra Cult targeted them. Robin soon arrived, taking out two Cult members stealthily and began to berate Kid. For the moment, Blackhawk ignored the two and found himself getting shot at by five men. Continuing to move, he raised his shield to block the incoming bullets. It wouldn't be long before the bullets stopped, causing the Thanagarian to check and see why. The shooters had been made to levitate, then flung to the side like ragdolls.

Blackhawk knew immediately that it was M'gann, or rather Miss Martian as she calls herself in the field. Coming to a fluttering halt on the ground, he spun around to send a punch with his shield into a cult member. He knocked a few of the man's teeth out before turning to find Bane charging at him. Narrowing his eyes, he prepared himself, knowing full well not to underestimate the man. The moment that Bane drew near, he used his wings to flap and distract the drug lord. The large bird like wings came in and flapped right in front of Bane's face. Then came a fist that was planted in the drug lord's right cheek. Bane grunted, then quickly reached out and grabbed Blackhawk by his forearm. The Thanagarian felt himself getting pulled, instead of resisting he moved with Bane's pull. Then he twirled in the air before using his elbow to smash into the drug lord's face.

The young Thanagarian made sure to put some force behind the blow, to make sure that Bane would feel that. He was honestly expecting for the man to hulk out and show off his muscles whenever he had his venom substance. Bane's nose crunched under Blackhawk's elbow, showing that it was broken now. Then with another spin as soon as the Thanagarian's feet touched the ground, he swept the drug lord's feet right from under him. Just as Bane was about to rise, spouting profanities in Hispanic, a shield bash from Blackhawk was what put him back into the ground. Bane was out cold just as the rest of the team were finishing off the other combatants. The fight was over before it could escalate any further, allowing a soft breathe to leave the Thanagarian who began to drag Bane over to where the others were.

As Blackhawk drew near to his team, he could hear Robin and Kid still bickering. He had ignored it before, now he was starting to regret it. The moment that he dropped Bane and began to tie him up along with the rest of his men. He turned to Robin and Kid with an annoyed glare. Neither one of them were aware of his glare, though Aqualad did and made a wide berth as soon as he saw it. Marching over to the two boys, he grabbed both Robin and Kid by the backs of their necks, virtually paralyzing them and shutting them up. "Listen here....", Blackhawk scolded, "I don't care whatever disagreement that the two of you have, but if either one if you don't shut up and focus...I will personally deliver you back to either Batman or Flash in a wheelchair. Got it?"

Both boys tried to nod their heads, but found themselves unable to due to the Thanagarian's tight grip. Feeling that the two were focused, Blackhawk released them. Both boys fell to their knees as the Thanagarian let out a sigh. "What were you two even arguing about?", Blackhawk questioned, "Sex? Girls?"

"What?", Robing asked sounding disgusted.

"No dude, like who would be better as team leader!" Wally added.

"Oh...well I can tell you who would be better as team leader....neither one of you", before they could argue with him he continued, "Robin, you barely communicate with anyone about what you're planning. You are use to working with Batman to the point that you're both in sync. The only time that you speak is when you want to make fun with others or make small talk. So no, as you are you'll never make the cut as leader of this team."

Looking to Kid Flash, the Thanagarian simply looked him up and down and shook his head. "And you? You really think that you can lead a team when every bad situation that you're in leads to even worse ones? You're a horny teenager who whose about to go through puberty. Nothing that you do unless Flash told you to do it is something that you came up with. You are not responsible or mature enough to lead a team of superheroes whose lives are in your hands. Any decision that you would make would lead to further disaster."

Both Robin and Kid were silent, understanding what the Thanagarian were saying. So much so that they looked down in embarrassment as they knew that what Blackhawk said was true. With a grunt, he turned to look at Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian who were staring at him like children. They knew that the Thanagarian could become harsh when he chose to be. So instead of getting caught in him berating the two youngsters, they simply decided to stand back and leave well enough alone. Blackhawk's expression softened as he looked to the now awake Bane. The drug lord's nose was dripping with blood as he sent a death glare to the Thanagarian. "Look alive people, El Machador has awakened." The Thanagarian mocked.

The rest of the team set their eyes on Bane, who gave them all a once over. There was a brief silence before Robin was the first to ask a question. "What are the cult of Cobra doing on Santa Prisca?" The Boy Wonder interrogated.

Bane simply smirked, then let out a dry chuckle before speaking. "Ah ah niños, if you want in then you'll have to take me with you." Bane stated, practically giving them an ultimatum.

"Read his mind." Kid ordered M'gann.

"But you said that reading minds was bad.." Miss Martian said sounding nervous.

"It's okay to do that to the bad guys!" Robin assured.

Not long after the Boy Wonder said that, Miss Martian's eyes gave off an emerald glow as she started to enter the drug lord's mind. However Bane simply smiled at the Martian, already mentally distracting her. "Ah ah chicka, you need me and I need you." Bane reminded.

Letting out an annoyed breathe, M'gann turned to her team with an apologetic look. "He's repeating Futbol scores in Español....this could take a while " She announced.

Right as Bane was about to speak, that was when Blackhawk's wing smacked him across his face. The team and the drug lord looked at the Thanagarian as he stepped forward and stared down at Bane. "You're pathetic, asking for young heroes to help you with a problem that you're too weak to deal with." The young Thanagarian mocked.

"You-" Bane was interrupted by a slapped from Blackhawk's wing again. Causing the drug lord to simply stare at the Thanagarian annoyed. "I will-" Bane was slapped once more by the Thanagarian's wing as soon as he tried to talk.

'M'gann can you hear me?' Blackhawk thought, waiting for the female Martian to respond.

'Yes, what are-" Before the Martian could question what he was doing, Blackhawk interrupted her.

'Read his mind, now!' He thought with order.

Immediately she began scouring through the drug lord's mind as he glare up at Blackhawk. The Thanagarian simply smiled before opened his mouth to speak. "You think that getting me to speak will help you pendejo?" Bane questioned, then watched as Blackhawk glanced back at Miss Martian.

"You got it?" The Thanagarian asked, and found the Martian nod her head as her eyes stopped glowing.

"Yeah, there's a secret entrance not too far from here." M'gann replied.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what just happened?" Kod asked while looking between Blackhawk and M'gann.

"It's simple really", Blackhawk stated before looking at the drug lord, "I got him mad enough that he'd leave his mind wide open for intrusion. Meaning you gave us the way in...puta."

The team stared at their Thanagarian friend wide eyed, impressed. None of them would have came up with that idea. As Blackhawk turned, he looked over the team and gestured for them to go. Bane was gritting his teeth frustrated, his beady pupils glaring holes at the back of the Thanagarian's head. Right as the group left the tied up criminals, Blackhawk stopped as soon as they reached the entrance to the tunnel. "Hawk?" Kid called, causing the rest of the team to stop and turn to the Thanagarian.

"I'm no good in tunnels or enclosed spaces, I'd do better in the sky." The Thanagarian stated, and with a turn he prepared to take flight. What stopped him was a firm hand that was placed on his shoulderplate. Looking to see who had stopped him, he found Aqualad staring back at him. The young Thanagarian raised a brow at the Atlantean and halted his departure for a moment. "Make it quick Aqualad."

"What is the plan?" Aqualad asked, causing Blackhawk to stare at him for a moment.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you are clearly the only one responsible enough to take command of the situation."

"He's got a point, you always make sure that we stay on target." Robing adder.

"And you made sure that that we didn't feel left out." M'gann agreed.

The young Thanagarian looked over his friends wide eyed, surprised that they want him to be team leader. He shook his head at them while letting out a slight chuckle. "As nice as that sounds, I'm gonna have to say no", Blackhawk denied, "I can't lead you because I have responsibilities outside the team. So much so that I have to look after things when my parents are away. That said I know who can lead us instead, and it's pretty obvious."

All eyes landed on Aqualad, who looked at everyone even more surprised than Blackhawk was. "You would choose me?" The Atlantean questioned.

"You're the only one of us with military training." Blackhawk pointed out.

"Most mature out of all of us." Robin added.

"And the only guy who makes sure that looks out for us outside of Hawk." Kid agreed.

Aqualad looked to M'gann and Superboy, finding both of them nodding their heads.

"I mean, you are more responsible than me." Superboy spoke up for the first time.

Aqualad then nodded and looked to Blackhawk, the two stared at one another before the Atlantean straightened his body posture. "Very well, I will humbly take my place as team leader." Aqualad relented.

"Good, now tell us the plan?" Blackhawk asked and watched as Aqualad turned to the rest of the team.

"First we need to find out what all the Cobra Cult is up to and why they have taken over Santa Prisca", Aqualad briefed, "As well as find out if this is a larger operation than it appears to be. Hawk, you'll be our eyes in the sky. Robin, once we're inside, find and download any data that you can find. Kid, Miss Martian, Superboy? You're with me, we'll need to be ready in case things go south."

Finding no one disagreeing with him, thr Atlantean nodded and looked to Blackhawk. "Right then, execute." The Atlantean ordered, and watched as the Thanagarian flapped his wings. In seconds his feet was off the ground, and in the next minute he was off and into the air.

Blackhawk sent a glance back to find the team having turned to advance into the tunnel. When he faced forward, he sent his gaze on the factory further away. The young Thanagarian's wings flapped as he got higher into the air, making his way over to the factory to play as the team's eyes in the sky. "Alright guys, I can tell you now that you're probably gonna want to try taking out the big guns first", Blackhawk reported through his mic, "My infrared is picking up a large heat signature, something and someone big. Like Desmond Miles big, not sure what it is but be careful."

"Thanks for the heads up." Robin replied through the comm channel.

The young Thanagarian banked right as he surveyed the factory, looking over everything and everyone. His eyes locking onto numerous Cobra cult members who were either guarding, patrolling, or moving crates. He did a chemical scan, trying to view the contents within the crates. He found traces of Venom and something else entirely. Just as the Thanagarian was about to report his findings, he heard the distinct sounds of an approaching helicopter. Quickly he soared upwards to get out of sight of whomever was coming. "Kaldur, we've got company", he reported but found that the channel was static, "Aqualad? Shit, I'm out of range."

Blackhawk soared overhead, switching back to infrared. His helmet's visors locked onto the helicopter as it landed. He pressed a button on his bracer that had started his helmet's recording feature. He ended up getting this made when he had to take down a corrupt businessman two years ago. Now he was using it to record who all were here. Stepping out of the powering down helicopter was a hockey masked man. Blackhawk identified him as Sportsmaster, a B-List villain who uses every type of sports tool as a weapon. He had never faced off against the man before, though he has heard that he was formidable from his mother. The young Thanagarian watched as Sportsmaster approached Cobra, the cult leader.

While watching the interactions despite not being to hear what they were saying, he noticed a heat signature that had popped up. Narrowing his eyes, he zoomed in to find...

"Lynx?" Blackhawk questioned, then watched as she began sneaking her way towards the factory. He frowned, unsure as to how she had arrived there. Then again he thought about if she had affiliations with the Shadows. If that were the case then she could get in anywhere she wanted without being spotted. Just as he locked his eyes back onto Sportsmaster and Cobra, an explosion went off at the factory. Eyes widening, Blackhawk turned his helmet's visors towards the factory to find the team battling the Cobra Cult. "Of for the love of!" He shouted, then pulled his wings in as he dived down towards the battle.

The wind rushed past the Thanagarian as he called forth his shield, then had his Nth Metal mace form in his other hand. The moment that he felt that he got close enough, his wings sprung out just as he got behind a group of armed Cobra cultists. With the force behind his dive, Blackhawk sent men flying to the ground as he landed right on top of them with his wings out. Then he flapped his wings, and flew into the base to find Superboy battling a mutated humanoid. Blinking twice, a quick flashback to Desmond Miles popped into his mind. Before allowing himself to head down memory lane, he rushed in the help Superboy. The clone got sent backwards by a devastating punch to his chest. Blackhawk came in and electrified his mace, and with a battle cry, he sent the weapon right into the back of the mutated human's head. The blow sent the mutate forward, crying out in pain. Superboy using this chance got to his feet, and sent an uppercut into the humanoid's jaw.

The mutate flew off his feet, and had his back colliding with the floor. Superboy looked to Blackhawk before pointing at him. "Where were you, we've been calling you!" The clone exclaimed.

"I was out of range for the comm channel, don't blame me for faulty hardware!" Blackhawk shouted back, then the both of them turned to find the mutated human rising back to his feet. The mutate gritted his teeth, his grotesque fists balling up in anguish. Then the mutate let out an inhuman roar at the two young heroes. Blackhawk and Superboy got side by side, both in a fighting stance as if they had practiced this.

"You still remember the Slamdunk?" The Thanagarian asked.

"Yeah, wanna try it on him?" The clone replied.

"Oh yeah, let's give it to him."

"I guess they were right, great minds do think alike."

Both Blackhawk and Superboy smirked, then charged forth at the mutate just as they finished their small conversation. The team's best defense against bigger enemy's was about to show off some of what they had worked on together. Though unbeknownst to them, a certain feline woman was watching atop of one of the catwalks.

"Would you look at that, Hawk's here too." Lynx commented, then felt a playful smile come to her lips. She was headed for the control center for the factory. For a purpose that no one but her knew.