Protect The Batboys

mother knows best

"-and for the last time, mother, call him yourself. He is away on business. Stop calling me." Damian hissed into his phone as he entered the dining room three days later for breakfast, interrupting Wally's scolding of Tim for drinking too much coffee.

"Was that Talia again?" Dick asked through a mouthful of cereal, watching his youngest brother toss his cell phone in the garbage disposal and turn it on. Dick raised an eyebrow, chewing careful while his friends watched in mild horror as the disposal destroyed a perfectly good phone. When the noise stopped, Dick sighed. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes, it was very necessary. Mother won't stop calling, so I had to get rid of her way of contacting me." Damian shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay, family drama aside, what are we going to do today?" Wally asked, taking the coffee pot away from Tim despite the younger teen's protests.

"We could go swimming?" M'gann suggested, gathering up the dirty dishes and placing them in the dishwasher. "Or a movie marathon?"

"Oh! I know!" All eyes landed Wally as he had a sudden epiphany. "We have our own reenactment of the Hunger Games, without our powers. Your yard is big enough."

"That...actually isn't a terrible idea." Artemis smirked. "I have a clear advantage."

"How will we know who is 'dead'?"

"Simple, we use paintball. Don't tell me you don't have enough paintball equipment for all of us." Wally smirked, knowing the answer.

So the squad made their way outside, albeit with some grumblings from Damian, who claimed this was just like a regular paintball match. Tim flicked him on the forehead for 'not being in the spirit'.

"Okay, once the timer goes off we scatter, got it?" Conner announced, setting a timer on his phone and placing it in the middle of the huddle.

As it counted down from thirty, all friends felt their adrenaline start pumping and their hearts race. When it got to three, none of them were expecting vines to erupt from the ground and take hold of Tim's body, propelling him into the air.

"Sorry to interrupt the little party, children, but I have bone to pick with your father." Everyone turned to see the one and only Poison Ivy on the far side of the field, glaring maliciously at the group. She tightened her fist and the vines let go of Tim, dropping him towards the ground.

Luckily Wally has super speed and was able to catch him before he splatted on the ground.

"What do you want, Ivy?" Damian asked, exasperated.

"Who cares? She is a threat that needs to be eliminated." Artemis snapped, running at Ivy. She dodged the vines coming out of the ground to land a solid kick to the red head's face.

Ivy went flying backwards, catching herself on the tree branches she extended. She snarled at Wally who came speeding at her, tripping him with a root and sending him tumbling.

A little help, Waynes. You know her best.

And we can't reveal our identities, all the rogues would find out and then we would be toast.

Her powers are pheromone based and plant based.

English?

Knock her out before she can gas you.

Got it.

M'gann used her telekinesis to lift Ivy into the air while Conner punched down the vines that threatened the Wayne boys. Wally sped off to grab Artemis and Kaldur their weapons, returning a split second later. Artemis loaded up an arrow with knock out gas, aiming it at Ivy. She fired, cheering when the rogue passed out from the arrows toxins.

M'gann lowered Ivy to the ground and Kaldur tied her up while Dick phoned the police. Tim sighed dramatically, pulling out his phone to text Bruce.

Tim: Ivy just attacked us. What'd you do this time?

Bruce: Literally nothing. I refused to fund her research which she was going to use the money from to fuel Harley's shenanigans. So, I did nothing.

Tim: Thanks for the heads up, B.

Bruce: Welcome.

When Tim looked away from his phone he noticed that his brothers and friends were starting to head inside, clearly no longer in the mood for paintball Hunger Games. With a groan Tim followed them into the lounge where Conner deposited Ivy on a couch, still passed out.

"So, movie time now?"

"What do you want to watch? Horror? Comedy? Drama?" Dick asked, walking over to the many shelves full of movies.

"How about a family film?"

All heads snapped towards the doorway when the voice of none other than Talia Al Ghul rang out. Damian grit his teeth. "What are you doing here?"

Talia tsked, sounding so much like her son it was uncanny. "My son, we have much to discuss and I do not appreciate you ghosting me."

The squad exchanged glances as Talia glided into the room, patting Damian's head as she went by. Nobody said a word, out loud, that is. Through the mind link Wally was screaming in high pitched voice:

Did Talia Al Ghul just say 'ghosting'?