Masks

Part One

For MaximoMolasses and MsWatermelon12 I hope you enjoy it :)

Oh, P.S., in this the entire team is 16 (I'm lazy, sue me)

"Argh!" Artemis Crock groaned as she was roughly tossed into the cell, chains connecting her wrists and ankles to the wall behind her. She turned her head when she heard a chuckle, snarling at her teammate, Wally West. "What are you laughing at, Kid Flash?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that the great Artemis is finally caught off guard by something." He smirked, earning a kick to the shin from the blonde. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an ass."

"My friends, now is not the time to fight. We must focus on a way of getting out of here." Kaldur, or Aqualad as he is known on missions as, spoke up. "Has anyone seen Superboy or Miss Martian?"

As if on cue, the door slammed open and two familiar shapes were shackled to the walls next to them. Wally turned to Kaldur with a quirked brow. "Does that answer your question?"

"Are you guys alright?" Artemis asked her friends, pointedly ignoring Wally.

"Yeah, a little dizzy, but overall okay." Miss Martian smiled at her friends. "This is not how I imagined a simple reconnaissance mission to go."

"You can say that again." Superboy grunted. "Who would've thought the League of Shadows would have Kryptonite infused cuffs?"

A scoff sounded from the shadows across the room and the team instantly bristled. They hadn't realized they weren't alone. A figure pushed off the shadowy wall and walked forward, revealing a teenage boy around sixteen with pitch black hair and a skull like mask with a red 'X' on the forehead. He was wearing a black body suit with a blood red 'X' across the chest but seemed to be unarmed, an air of confidence radiating off of him. He inched closer to the team, placing a hand on his hip. "Why wouldn't the League of Shadows have kryptonite cuffs when we have the likes of you breaking into our base of operations?"

"You're a Shadow?" Artemis asked, watching as the teen nodded, the air of confidence never leaving him. "Then why are you in the dungeon?"

The teen chuckled, sauntering closer to the team until he was just out of their reach. "I am here as a punishment, of course. Why else does someone get sent to the dungeon?"

"What did you do to get sent to the dungeon, is what I believe my teammate meant to ask." M'gann clarified.

The mysterious teen shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"We're curious and bored?" Wally tried.

The teen spoke with a grin in his voice as  he turned to Wally. "Well, I can think of a few ways to spice things up."

Is he...flirting with Wally?

I'm not entirely sure...

I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

Me neither.

The teen cocked his head, sitting cross legged in front of the team and gesturing for them to do the same. "Let's play a game. Winner gets to go free?"

"You technically are free."

"I meant free from this prison." The mystery teen held up the guard's keys and gave them a jingle. "I swiped them when he wasn't looking. Anyways, yes or no?"

"If you have the keys, why not let us all free right now?"

"Because that wouldn't  be any fun, now would it?" He winked. "The game is simple, we each say one statement that is true and one statement that is false. Who ever stumps everyone gets to go free. Yes?" The team exchanged glances, begrudgedly agreeing. "Yay! Superboy, you go first."

"Why me?"

"Because I said so, now chop chop, come up with two statements, one true and one false." The teen clapped.

Conner Kent grunted, thinking up two statements before nodding. "Okay, here they are. I am comprised of Superman's DNA and Lex Luthor's DNA. My second statement is I have never taken anything to enhance my powers."

The team fell silent while the mystery teen just smirked, watching as everyone else debated it. He caught Conner's eye and winked. "I know your secrets." He whispered, watching as Superboy paled.

"Alright, our guess is that the false statement is the Lex Luthor one." Wally said confidently, watching sadly as Conner shook his head. "SB, when did you take stuff to enhance your powers?"

"After I learned about my true heritage...I just wanted to be the best version of myself I could be. I know it was stupid and dangerous and I'm never doing it again." Conner sighed. "Artemis' turn."

Artemis gulped. "Okay, um, my two things are Sportsmaster is my dad and Cheshire is my sister, and Green Arrow is my uncle."

The team scoffed. "We already knew GA is your uncle...unless...Artemis, is your family really apart of the Shadows?" Artemis nodded weakly.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." M'gann pulled the blonde into as much of a hug as the chains would allow.

"Uh, Shadow sitting right here?" The teen coughed. The team glared at him. "Alright, my turn."

"Why is it your turn? What if I wanted to go?" Wally huffed.

"Do you really want the team to know your secrets, Wally?" The teams' eyes widened when the Shadow spoke his true name. He chuckled. "I know all of your identities, but don't worry, I'm not sharing. Anyways, back to me because I know you are all super curious to get to know me."

"We aren't, actually."

"Hush now. My statements are as follows, I am the heir to the League of Shadows, the firstborn son of Talia al Ghul and grandson of Ra's al Ghul and I have killed so many people that I forget their faces." The teen chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well? What do you think?"

How can this guy be the heir to the League of Shadows?! He is so...not heir material?

But he also doesn't seem like a killer? Like, at all?

I bet they are both lies.

M'gann, can't you just read his mind?

I've been trying but he keeps repeating the same mantra over and over.

What is it?

X, Hood, Stray, Abyss. Just on loop.

I wonder what that is.

"I'm waiting." The teen sang, relishing in the glares sent his way. He was about to speak again when he froze. He tilted his head to the side, his whole body language shifting to alertness.  He rose to his feet and approached the team wordlessly, undoing their shackles and ushering them to a window. He threw it open and gestured for them to leave. "Superboy stumped everyone, you are free to go."

"What about you?" Artemis asked, half out the window.

"I still need to be punished." He shrugged. "Now go, quickly."

Wally hesitated at the window, turning back to the mysterious boy. "Which one was the lie?"

The teen's blue eyes shown through the eye holes in his mask as he shook his head at Wally, pushing him towards the window. "I remember every single one of their faces and names. Every. Single. One."

Wally was about to reply to those whispered words when he was shoved out the window and caught by the Miss Martian's bioship which sped off into the early morning light before he had a chance to look back at the teen once more.