As the batarangs were stopped in mid air Nightwing frowned from his hiding place and touched a button on his arm. The batarangs emitted a powerful electric shock that, thanks to the water, spread out further than it normally would have.

Sting Ray was reaching into the orb to take hold of batarang when the electric shock hit her. She was much more despicable to being shocked due to the increased amount of water in her body. Batman has tried to make it harder for this to take her down by making her suit more shock proof.

But it still packed a punch. She screamed, falling to her knees. The screen on her goggles was flashing red, warning her she couldn't take much more. Her muscles tensed up as the currant when through her body. She couldn't move.

Aqua Lad bit down on his mouth piece as he fall to his hands and knees and soon unconscious.

Kid Flash yelped and fell back as the shock wore off. He shook his head, "Yeowch." but at least he was still able to get back up-just as Nightwing swooped in to deliver a kick to his chest. Kid flash went flying back into the water next to the team's submarine.

Nightwing turned his attention to Ciara, shooting his grappling hook at her to bridge the gap between them. It grabbed her by the wrist and he yanked to pull her forward so he could kick her in the face.


((I may have played too much Arkham City and now know all their moves XD))

(( oh really?))

Being pulled forward was just enough for her to swing her other arm infront of his kick. But she still went falling back. Sting ready pulled out a flash bomb andthrew it at his feet. While the flash filed the room, with her eyes closed, she rippedoffhercuffsand drive into the water after Kid Flash.
"Aqua Lad is down, Night wing is here!!!" She thought as hard as she could, her muscules still tucking beyond belief.

((At least all Batman's. I haven't played much nightwing yet unfortunately))

Kid Flash was managing to make his way back to the surface, thanks to Ciara's swimming lessons, but he still had a lot to learn in the water.

Nightwing withdrew as his eyes readjusted.

"Keep at your posts" Robin replied through the mind link, "he'll move on as soon as he decides he can't escape that way."

Just as Ciara and Kid Flash were reaching the surface, Nightwing hurled several nitrogen pellets into the water, creating a layer of ice to cut them off from the air. Kid flash reached out and began banging on the ice in a panic.

((Yeah, I don't have Robin or Batman or Harley Quinn yet. And the only way to buy them now is to buy the game again. >> So unfair))

Ciara grabbed Kid Flash's arm, she'd ripped her gas mask off and had pulled out her water breather from her belt and popped it into his mouth.

'He's trapped us under Ice.' Sting Ray reported, 'I'll try to get us out.' She turned to Kid Flash, 'Just stay calm ok? I'll get us out of here, promise. We'll have to share this alright?' She took another breath from the breather and swam to the middle, the weakest point.

From the surface of the water, it looked calm till the sound came. BOOM.BOOM.BOOM.BOOM.

It was no use, it was too thick to break. Maybe she could...

'Kid, when I tell you. You go, alright? Wrap your arms around me alright?'

A bright blue glow came from the center. The ice began to shake and tremble and slowly a cracking noise around the edges could be heard as the thick layer of ice began to lift from the surface of the water.


Below the raising layer of ice, came hundreds of columns of water and in the middle out came a rather focused blue glowing water mutant, holding her hands up on the ice. Her body was trembling, biting her lips and a furrow brow.
Once she'd brought them fully to the surface she yelled, "KID RUN, NOW!"

((Baallllssss))

Nightwing was kneeling over Aqua Lad when Kid Flash bolted from the water and slammed his whole body into Dick. Nightwing was thrown back, flipped over a few times and landed on his feet. He and Kid Flash began to face off, not that the kid stood a whole lot of a chance but his speed did give him a good enough edge to occupy Nightwing long enough for one of Robin's batarangs to come out of nowhere and force Nightwing to finally retreat.

The greenish fog was moving back across the water and by now it was in Aqua Lad's lungs because his mouth-breather had fallen out when he was knocked unconscious. Robin tossed something to Kid Flash and then bolted from the room while he explained, "inject Aqua Lad with that. Nightwing's using a type of Joker poison, it's diluted thankfully because of the area it has to cover but it's still deadly. Anyone exposed needs a dose of the antidote" by now he was out of sight and panting. He had run from helping out the last group to here, and now he was off trying to keep up with Nightwing again, "Stay at your posts until I call. He might double back."

Ciara was sweating bullets as she attempted to move herself toward the edge. The ice tilted toward the floor and Ciara hissed, moving back to the center. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hold it up and move to the saftey of the floor. And the green gas was making it's way to her...

It was something she didn't want to experience again but she didn't have a choice, her arms gave way and the ice slapped down onto the surface of the water, pushing Ciara back down.

'Don't.. w-worry about me,' She though trying not to sound scared. 'I'll just go into survival mode. I'll be fine.' Kid Flash had the mouth breather.

Kid Flash looked back at the water as the ice fell, "oh shit..." he zipped over to Aqua Lad, injected him quickly and then sped over onto the ice. "uuhh... just hang on Sting Ray." he encouraged and began spinning in a circle, eventually drilling his way through it and falling into the water himself.

Sting Ray looked up at Kid Flash and tried to smile positively but it took him too long. She was out and sinking fast.

A blur past Kid Flash and dove into the water. A few moments later, Aqua Lad resurfaced with Sting Ray in his arms.

Kid Flash floundered back to the surface and scrambled up out of the water, "sheesh." he gasped, "feeling better then?"

"I'm fine." Aqua Lad lay Sting Ray down on the solid floor. "I awoke rather suddenly from a pain in my arm." He looked down at Sting Ray rather seriously. He only knew one person who could do what she was doing... After all, he'd seen it first hand after Atlantis had fallen. But how could she have been in more than one place at one time? Batman and the mutant community surely had something to do with it.

"Kid, keep a look-out while I revive her." Aqua Lad said, tilting Ciara's head back and began CPR.

Kid Flash nodded and turned his back on the two as he scanned the room.

Nightwing got the surface entrance before Robin, he glanced around suspiciously then hurled a batarang out of the dark that knocked the mouth-breather from Superboy. He started coughing, "he's here..." he groped for the mouth-breather but Nightwing was on him.
Dick however wasn't much of a match for Superboy's strength and the part kryptonian threw his adversary from his shoulders and the two started fighting.

Robin watched, hidden from the side, the gas didn't seem to be affected Superboy as much as an average person but it was starting to get to him. "Everyone, start making your way to the surface entrance. Block up all vents, seal doors along the way. Break open all the plumbing and let the water spill across the floor."

Sting Ray gasped, turning herself onto her side and coughing up the water. She coughed for awhile, very pale in the face "Gods I hate doing that." She sat up, a hand on her head. This process always took a lot out of her. And she had already been pushed a lot already that day.

Aqua Lad put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright, Princ- Sting Ray?" He said catching himself as he spoke.

Sting Ray looked up at him, rather shocked, "Kaldur you kn-"

"Night Wing is still out there. Can you stand?" He interrupted, this wasn't the time for it.
"Damn it, I told you to leave me...." Robin's mental message came through. "That process really takes a lot out of me, it'll be awhile-"

Aqua Lad knelt down in front of her, "I'll carry you, think you can break the pipes as we go?"

She nodded and slipped onto his back.

As Kaldur ran, Sting Ray held on with one hand and held the other out toward the wall as pipes busted open behind them.

Superboy was on his knees, fighting back a choking laughter while Nightwing approached to finish the final blow. That was when the water began pooling around his feet and he glanced around quickly in confusion.
Robin dropped down the rafters above, tackling his friend to the ground and placing something on his back before flipping away. A shock of electricity went through Nightwing's body, sending him to his knees but it was brief. He ripped the thing off his shoulder and threw a batarang at Robin in retaliation.

They started going at it while Superboy became a giggling mess on the floor. While Robin provided the adequate distraction he was mentally calling out orders to the others as they arrived. ~Kid Flash, give Superboy that antidote. You'll have to attach it to the oxygen in his mouth breather because of his impenetrable skin. Artemis, use an ice arrow to freeze Nightwing's feet. Miss Martian, start working down his mental defenses, it won't be easy to shut him down without brain damage so be careful. Sting Ray and Aqua Lad, use the water to tie him up and get that belt away from him.~

Miss Martian started hacking away at his mental defenses, like a bunch of men with a battering ram.

Artemis came running around the corner, bow already loaded and fired, freezing Nightwing in place.

Water slid up the ice and around his belt, ripping it off him while a snake of water bound his arms. Sting Ray was supporting herself on Aqua Lad with one arm around his shoulders.

Nightwing's belt dropped into Sting Ray's hands. "B.B... Can your scarab get this off of Nightwing?" She asked, staggering forward and lifting Dick's hair line up to reveal the beetle.

Several of them gasped, Miss Martian was almost done knocking Nightwing out.

"Woah... Is that.. It looks just like mine." Blue Beetle started, it looked just like his beetle only smaller.
"The Reach put it on him, Can you remove it?" She huffed as Aqua Lad came back over to support her.
"Right, just let me ask." ~ You heard the lady, what do you think?

I think that thing is an abomination. the beetle replied as it scanned the device, It's attached to his spinal cord. Killing one will kill the other. They must be trying to replace me but unfortunately for them the proper data and schematics have been lost for ages. We must eliminate this threat before it becomes substantial. Remove the human's head and the beetle will die.

Nightwing was frozen in place, beaten down and exhausted. The beetle on his neck was fighting to keep him moving but there was no more energy to pull from.

"That's not an option. And no more killing my friends ideas from you, got it?" Blue Beetle said moving in to get a closer look, "Can't we just I dunno... hack into it and shut it down?" He asked.

Friendship is unnecessary. We have each other the beetle reasoned Any attempt at hacking holds a ninety-three percent chance of corrupting my own data. If you wish the meat bag to live, the most likely course of action is to locate the one who installed the device.

~Well I'd consider you a friend... a rather annoying friend who never leaves me alone~ "No go. He says we'll most likely even up corrupted ourselves if we do. We have to find the person who installed it."

Miss Martian floated down, after finishing to knock out Nightwing. "That scientist that was with him when we rescued him."

"They must have done this to him, " Aqua Lad finished.
"Which means we have to give the Reach another visit." Artemis raised her arms over her head, "Great."

"What are the chances they'll still be in the same location?" Miss Martian asked, positively.

"First we must make sure Night wing does not try and escape again-" Aqua Lad began

"...Why shouldn't we let him?" Ciara piped up.
"Are you crazy?!" Miss Martian began.
"No, she has a point. If Night wing was escaping, he would surely return to the Reach, wherever they are." Blue Beetle added, understanding where Ciara was going with this.

Ciara nodded, "We can check where we found their last ship. See if they're still there... No one would think to look there. It's the last place anyone would look for them right? And if we can't find them on our own, we let Nighwing escape. Make it look like he forced his way through so that thing doesn't realize what we're up to."

"A most promising plan." Aqua Lad nodded. "But for now."
"For now, we keep him locked up." Sting Ray turned to Pietro, "Think your Dad wouldn't mind sending one of those square encasement boxes over here for us?" It was an easy way to keep someone who was good at escaping from escaping. Tie them up in various ways, ducktape, rope, chain, and wire, then lock them in a metal box, with their head poking out the top.

"I can ask" Pietro shrugged, "as long as he's not a teleporter or phase shifter, no one's ever gotten out of one. But you are gonna have to tell him where this place is."

"Come with me, I'll handle the coordinates." Robin replied, heading off to the control room with Pietro, "man I'm glad that plan worked. My last resort was to electrify everyone to passing out in the water."

Kid Flash sighed, "Speaking of water... I'll get a mop -_-"

"And I'll start clearing the air ducts again so we can get rid of this gas" Superboy stated with a frown. He had not appreciated the affects it had. "Artemis, will you help me?"

Artemis shrugged, "Yeah alright."

Sting Ray sat down in the water across from Nightwing, keeping the water bindings nice and tight. "I'll keep an eye on him till your Dad can get us a cube prison." She made a mental note to tell Batman her suit did crap against his own toys. Thought she supposed that was on purpose in case she ever went evil and needed to be taken down. The voltage in his toys had much more of a punch then others. She looked up, Aqua Lad was staring.

He probably had several questions about the whole Sting Ray get up but he turned. "I'll help you clean up, Kid Flash." And with that he started moving the water with his rods.

"Thank you" Kid flash replied with enthusiasm, "At least somebody around here still has decency" he had been looking at all the water very dauntingly.

Miss Martian went off to help with the clean up as well. Red Tornado went around with a blow torch, mending all the pipes.

Blue Beetle choose to stay and guard with Sting Ray. The beetle mentioning something about clearly the female was in no state to guard another and something about killing her would be a good idea.

Sting Ray sighed, gathering the rest of the water in the room around Nightwing. She looked very pale. And something on her forehead was flickering. Her goggles covered most of the gem in her forehead up.

"You ok?" B.B. asked, "You don't look so well."
Sting Ray looked over, "I just some rest. Being shocked and drowned really take a lot out of me."
"You Drowned?!" B.B. blinked, surprised.
"It's alright." She reassured, "My body just switches to survival mode. I begin to absorb air directly out of the water through my skin. It's just... not a fun process-"
"Drowning?"
"Yeah. And I can't bring myself out of that state without being revived."
"Wow... That sucks."
"Tell me about it." She chuckled. "So how are you liking it so far?"
"Hm? Well, it's been great. I've been by myself for such a long time. It's nice to be with others. Especially those who other person can hear."

They both laughed.

"Miss Ray?"
"Hm?" She looked back at him.
"Why is your forehead flickering?"
"You know how you have a little beetle in your head all the time?"
"Yeah..."
"Well I have a whole different person in mine. I'm guessing the only reason I'm not passed out right now is because he's keeping everything afloat."
"Wait, so you have someone in your head."
"Yup."
"And you're not crazy?"
"Nope. Another mutant planted a part of himself in my mind as a fall safe and he's kinda become his own being. Fully aware and everything. It's probably sounds really weird doesn't it?"
"Like out of a comic book."
They both laughed again.

Robin couldn't seem to convince Batman that letting Magneto into the base was a good idea, so they were forced to transport Nightwing to another location. Thankfully he didn't wake up.

The team met Magneto in a warehouse owned by a subsidiary of Wayne industries off the east coast. They turned it into a secure holding facility and Magneto wrapped Nightwing up nice and snug in a ton of iron.