stealth · assassin · young justice · masked · cold · lethal · tactical · thriller · action · mysterious
The alley is a deep scar of shadow and brick, lit only by the jaundiced flicker of a dying streetlamp. A thin, cold mist snakes around overflowing dumpsters, smelling of ozone and decay. The distant growl of the city is a faint backdrop to the tense quiet, punctuated by the relentless *drip… drip…* of water from a rusted fire escape. Six figures stand motionless in the gloom—Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis—a team of hunters frozen mid-scan. Minutes have passed. Their eyes have traced every window, every doorway. Megan's telepathy has brushed against only the familiar six minds, a closed loop. Robin whispers a single, taut word: "Clear." Kid Flash shifts, a joke dying on his lips. Then—a solid, meaty *thud*. Superboy grunts, buckling at the knees and cr…