08:23pm

Wind rustled through the canopy overhead, sending several crepe-paper leaves flying back into the night.

It was cold, chilly that is, and the six visitors, clad in thermals and hoodies, huddled close in front of the rickety old door.

"Hardly a safehouse."

"It's hidden, that's the point." The eldest explained. "The funding's low, so ideally they'll be no need for force."

"Right, it's just nine hours." Artemis added on. "We hold onto this package for nine hours and then we can go home."

"No mess. No fuss."

Hesitantly, Kaldur reached out and unlatched the door which immediately swung out of his hand from a strong draft.

The shack was even shabbier on the inside-- abandoned and dismal-- the curtains smelled of mildew and the heavy dust was such that the leader needed to hurry outside to breath. The other five, with their stronger lungs, delved deeper into the cabin; it was mostly one room, with a desolate toilet off the kitchen, and a damp couch in front of the empty fireplace.

Dick set the package on the floor and kicked it under the couch, flopping down on the armrest. "nine hours."

"nine hours." M'gann mimicked emptily.

"They'll pick up the formula at five."

"Well I could see myself getting comfy here." Wally, the chronic optimist, announced, laying across the sofa.

"It's really not that bad." Artemis added. "It's about the size of our apartment."

"Well you live in downtown Gotham, the bar is on the floor." Dick replied earnestly.

"Well excuse me, not all of us can afford houses without exposed rusty nails."

Conner, rather detached from the group, wandered outside to keep Kaldur company. "Are you going to get sick?"

"No, I don't think so." The amphibian coughed, removing a particle mask from the mission kit and donning it. "I'm not sure I can stay inside, however."

Conner sat beside him on the stoop. "It's too crowded."

09:55pm

"Snacks." Dick announced, removing a plastic grocery bag and opening it on the rickety coffee table. "It's not much, but it will do."

"Thanks Rob."

"Cheers."

The teens, at least, those with signal, had spent the past hour or so on their phones, and showed no signs of slowing down, regardless of the lowering battery life.

"Everyone check the discord." Artemis said. The other three did, and there was a series of snorts and giggles. 

"Hold on, I've got one too."

Outside the cabin, the wind had slowed after blowing a thick cluster of clouds over the moon, bathing the clearing in darkness. The wind now did little more than tussle hair and dry out eyes, but there was something static in the air around them.

"Are you cold?" Kaldur asked.

"No." Conner lied, his erected arm hairs at odds with his superhuman pride.

Kaldur didn't get cold easily, not unless temperatures were below freezing, He removed his sweatshirt. "I'm warm." He said, placing in on Conner's lap. "If you start feeling cold you're welcome to it."

10:15pm

"Two tens."

"Two jacks"

"Two Aces."

"Damn you." Artemis smacked the boy next to her. The three of them were bundled around the inside of the doorway, Conner and Kaldur sat on the outside, the rickety cofe table jammed in the doorway so they could play.

"This game's fun." M'gann announced. "I wonder if any of the girls at school know how to play?"

"This is a dangerous game to play in school." Dick warned. "The teachers will totally report you for gambling-- even if it's just a little bit."

"Was Bats angry when he heard?"

"Nah, he was a really good sport about it." The boy began to reshuffle the deck. "Plus, I won, so..."

"Nepo baby." Artemis coughed, giggling at his expression.

"Said the pot to the kettle." He murmured.

"What's nepo baby?" Conner asked.

"It means someone who benefits from nepotism." Wally explained. "One could argue we all benefit from JL nepotism"

"Benefit how?"

"Good point." Laughter wrung up through the layered branches and into the thick grey clouds. As if woken from it's slumber, a thick drop fell through the branches, landing straight in the center of the table.

"Uh oh." Wally yanked the table from the doorway, holding the door open as everyone crowded inside. Almost immediately Conner began to pace in agitation, and Kaldur gripped his mask tighter, trying not to sneeze and hack  the foul odor of smoke and mold.

Robin leaned against the closed door, holding it shut. "Seven hours."

"Seven hours."

11:30pm

Wally was already asleep when the others decided to lay their heads down; his soft snores echoing through the rotten rafters of the cabin. 

"Do you think he's really asleep?" Artemis asked from her spot, curled up on the hearth. 

Dick shrugged, leaning over until his lips nearly brushed his friend's ear. "I love you the most," He whispered. "Out of anyone I've worked with."

Wally did not react.

"Let me try!" M'gann whispered. "Wally, you're my favorite human I think."

"Hey!" Artemis and Dick hissed, but that just made the Martian laugh.

"Wally." Artemis dragged herself across the threadbare rug-- and over Robin-- She pressed her lips up close to him. "I don't hate you, ribbing you is just part of our dynamic." She waited, watching him snooze peacefully. "Well, if that didn't spur a reaction, he must be out cold." The girl rolled back to her spot. "We should probably go to sleep, I think we're annoying Kaldur."

"Only a little bit." The boy replied from his spot by the drafty window.

The trio stifled giggles, and tried to go to sleep.

02:27am

Thunk.

"Hello?" Conner asked, blinking awake as he cast his eyes over the field of sleeping friends. "Hello?" 

thunk.

The boy left his corner and crossed the room, grabbing Kaldur by the arm and shaking him.

"What? What!" He shot upright in a panic, grabbing his friend's wrist. "Conner, stop, what's wrong?"

"I heard something." He said.

"What? What did you hear?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "It sounded like..." He wrapped his knuckles on the floor in a rather pitiful display.

"Conner..."

"I swear I heard something!"

"I know, but this cabin--"

Thunk.

Grey and blue eyes met in terror.

"Like that." Conner said.

Both teens raised their eyes to the door, rickety and unlatched.

There was a flash of light and Conner started violently, toppling backwards onto Robin and nearly crushing him

A rumbling crash drowned out Robin's voice and the cabin itself seemed to shake.

Conner yelped, covering his ears. 

"What's going on?" The tween wriggled out from beneath his friends, rubbing his dry, gritty eyes.

"We heard something." Kaldur said.

"Thunder?" The boy yawned, wrapping a wiry arm around Conner's back "It's okay supes, it's just a storm."

"No, we heard something else." Kaldur clarified.

"I mean maybe, I know storms dude and they can make wild noises."

"I don't think it was the storm." Kaldur said, as Conner was still rocking back and forth to sooth himself. "It sounded like something hitting the door."

"A... a branch? Newspaper?" Robin suggested, heartrate picking up.

"Guys?" Wally asked.

"Wally, did we wake you up?"

"Nah, the thunder,"  He replied. "You heard something?"

"Hitting the door."

There  was a squeak and a thump as M'gann dropped from the air. "G-- guys?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a nightmare." She swallowed, inching over. "Why are you all up?"

"Artemis isn't." Wally pointed out. 

"She grew up down town. no storm can wake her-- not even a gunshot. "Robin leaned over and shook her. "SCHOOL."

The girl shot up so fast she headbutted him, and both teens collapsed back onto the floor. As M'gann helped him up, Robin explained the situation.

"Well shit." Artemis said.

"I know."

"No, that." They followed her shaky hand under the couch to where the lone briefcase lay, slightly ajar.

"No... No! No! No!" Robin ripped the bag from beneath and ripped it open, staring in horror as the cracked glass of the containment cylinder. "...Fuck."

"What? What's wrong?" Kaldur ordered, wrestling the case away from him. 

"It's gone!" He squeaked. "Oh god, I kicked it under the sofa... I broke the glass."

"Don't blame yourself." M'gann insisted. "Anyone woulda kicked it, we thought it was like, papers in there!"

"Well what was in there!" Wally demanded.

"I don't know--" Kaldur was so animated he needed to stop, coughing up dry smoke and dust. "We need to find it."

"Dad's going to be so mad at us..." Robin said hollowly.

Thunk.

All six started.

"Come in!" M'gann called.

"Come in?!"

"I was nervous!"

No one came in.

"See? It's-- it's just a branch or something." Wally said. 

Conner would argue, but there was another flash of lightning and crash of thunder and the photo-audio shock incapacitated him again.

Dick reached out and took his utility belt, affixing it around his waist. Wally gave him a look. "What?"

"You don't seriously believe this, do you?"

"Just being safe."

"This is ridiculous." The redhead stood hesitantly, creeping to the door. "Hello?" His trembling fingers latched around the handle and the door flew open in a flood of cold air and fog that they hadn't noticed enveloping them. 

No body was there.

Thunk.

Twelve eyes shot to the opposite wall. "What?"

Kaldur frowned. "Wally, close the door."

He did, latching it. "How did they..."

"Everyone stay put." Kaldur swallowed. "They're trying to draw us out."

03:00am

It wasn't even an hour later when the crying started; a distant, far off wailing.

"But it sounds like a baby." M'gann objected. 

"It's not." Kaldur said.

"This is a tried-and-true kidnapping technique, don't fall for it." Artemis warned.

And so the wails continued.

"No luck." Wally reported, checking every inch of the floor. "Whatever was in there, it's gone now."

"Dad's gonna kill me."

03:15am

"Robin."

"No, I know that voice." He replied, every word haunted by lethargy. 

"You don't know that voice." Kaldur gripped his arm. "You just think you do. it's a trick."

"But--" 

"No." He replied. "I'm not letting you leave."

Conner, who was half way under the grubby sofa, whimpered in pain and overwhelm as the thunder clapped. M'gann reached out and patted his back gently.

thunk.

The room went dead quite.

"That came from the floor."

03:35am

thunk.

thunk.

thunk.

A percussion to the melodic cries, thumping the sofa and table that the teens had piled onto, watching the trembling floor. 

"How are they doing that?"

"I don't know."

Conner was too overwhelmed to speak, the pounding on his brain beating out any levelheadedness.

Through the thick smell of mildew and something sweet, Kaldur stifled his coughs with supreme effort. He rubbed circles on the super's back cautiously.

thunk.

thunk.

thunk.

"What if they don't know we're in here?" M'gann asked. "What if it's just a bear?"

"or a drug deal." Artemis added.

"Neither of you are helping." Wally scolded. "It's the storm. it's just the storm."

"Under the building?" Artemis snapped.

"Stop arguing." Kaldur told them, bookending the command with a coughing fit.

04:00am

Kaldur tried to level out his breathing so as not to wake his sleeping cohorts, piled over each other to stay off the floor.

thunk.

thunk.

Like a heartbeat the thrumming lulled them, the screams melding into a lullaby.  

Just one hour.

04:59am

The cabin was dead quiet, say for the gentle snores and shifting clothes. The storm had passed now, and a timid sun peaked over the horizon. 

somewhere, an alarm went off.

05:00am

Chaos reigned as six teens toppled off the sofa and scrambled to hit the alarm. 

"It's five." Wally panted, he got there first and turned off the phone. "We did it."

Artemis yawned. "What happened last night?" Her eyes widened. "Oh god--"

Accross the room, the rickety door opened, silhouetting two figures.

"B!" Dick exclaimed, rushing over. 

"Ollie! You guys made it." Atremis exclaimed. 

"There's someone here!"

"--The knocking--"

"Whoa, Whoa, what's wrong?" Oliver asked, rushing to her side.

"Someone knows we're here!"

"they wanted us out!"

"Slow down," Bats ordered. "Where's the formula?"

The teens got very quiet. "I'm sorry, sir." Kaldur produced the case, opening it to show the cracked cylinder. "It's my fault."

"Who's fault was it really?"

"Mine." Robin piped up. "Sorry."

Batman sighed heavily. "Alright, tell me what happened."

They did their best, each teen stumbling over each other to get their point of view out there.

At the end, the bat just sighed, taking the case from them."Do you know what was in this case?"

"No."

"An experimental formula for a fear Toxin vaccine... it contains a small portion of the toxin and a sedative."

"But--but the noises!" Wally demanded. "What about the noises we heard."

"Superboy heard it first?" "A shared hallucination, a side affect of the formula, After all, nobody heard the sound until they'd been told about it by the others."

"Right, yeah, that makes sense," The redhead assured himself. "The power of suggestion."

"What about the screaming?" Dick asked, pausing as he stretched his pained back. "We all heard that at once."

"that will... require further investigation." Bruce admitted. "for now you all need to go to bed, you've had a long night."