Chapter 74: 74

| Kobra's Stronghold, Santa Prisca - July 22 Sportsmaster was having a terrible night. What should have been a simple retrieval of goods had spiraled into a complete fiasco. Instead of a clean extraction, he was now fighting for his life against a pack of teenage heroes. He ducked under a powerful water-infused strike from Aqualad, pivoting on his heel to deliver a sharp counterattack with his escrima sticks. Aqualad blocked with his Water-Bearers, absorbing the force of the strike and retaliating with a fluid motion that nearly caught Sportsmaster off guard. This kid was good. Better than he expected. "Not bad, fish boy," Sportsmaster quipped, twisting away from another strike. "Got some solid technique. But technique ain't enough." Aqualad remained silent, his pale green eyes locked onto his opponent, calculating, waiting for an opening. Sportsmaster scowled. He hated the quiet types. Tapping his comms, he barked, "Get the helicopter ready. We're leaving—now." Static crackled before a panicked response came through. "The helicopter's been sabotaged, sir. It'll take time to get it operational." "Then hurry it up!" he growled, blocking a strike from Aqualad and kicking him back to gain some breathing room. His eyes flickered across the battlefield, assessing the situation. It was bad. Starfire had just finished subduing the massive mutated cobra and Kobra's assistant, Shimmer. Now she was trading blows with Kobra himself, who was clearly struggling to keep up with her sheer power. Nova was singlehandedly tearing through what remained of the cultists, sending red-hooded bodies flying left and right with precise strikes of his yellow bolts of energy and what seemed to be telekinesis. Mammoth was still in a brutal slugfest with Superboy, but the factory they had landed in was completely wrecked, and from the looks of things, Mammoth wasn't going to last much longer. Then, to make matters worse, more of the sidekicks showed up—Robin, Kid Flash, and a martian, working to disable the transport vehicles and plant explosives. Sportsmaster clenched his jaw. This was a lost cause. He wasn't the type to stick around for a losing fight. Fortunately, he had already acquired a small sample of the Kobra-Venom earlier—a single vial tucked safely in his gear. It wasn't the full shipment, but it would have to do. The Light wouldn't be pleased, but they'd adapt. They always did. "The chopper is operational!" his comms reported. That was his cue. Kicking off Aqualad, Sportsmaster reached from his back and threw an explosive javelin at the ground between them. The blast sent up a cloud of fire and smoke, forcing Aqualad to shield himself. Taking the opportunity, Sportsmaster sprinted toward the waiting helicopter, leaping inside just as the blades started whirring. From his vantage point, he saw the young heroes regrouping below. He clicked his tongue in irritation. He hated leaving loose ends. Just as the chopper lifted off, the tail section erupted in flames—another explosion, courtesy of Robin and his team's sabotage. "Son of a—!" Sportsmaster cursed as the aircraft lurched violently. He had no choice. He grabbed a parachute from under his seat, threw it on, and jumped just as the helicopter spiraled out of control, crashing in a fiery explosion in the forest. ** Nova watched the explosion from above, unfazed. He hovered over the battlefield, scanning for Sportsmaster—and found him descending toward the ground under a parachute. How convenient. Nova smirked and took off, flying toward him. Sportsmaster spotted him and gave a dry chuckle, shaking his head as he adjusted his descent. "I think that's enough fighting for one night, don't you agree?" Sportsmaster called out, clearly hoping to talk his way out of the situation. Nova's smirk widened. "Yeah," he replied. "After this." With a quick burst of speed, he closed the distance and delivered a clean, well-placed punch to the mercenary's jaw. Sportsmaster's body went limp, instantly knocked out. Nova grabbed him by the harness and deactivated the parachute, letting him drop unceremoniously to the ground near the rest of the team. The others looked up as Nova landed beside them. "Sportsmaster is down," he announced, dusting off his hands. The team stood amidst the remnants of the battle—Bane, Mammoth, Shimmer, and Kobra were all either unconscious or restrained. The Kobra-Venom shipment had been destroyed, and whatever sinister plans Kobra had in mind had been put to an abrupt halt. Now there was only one thing left to do. "We need to find whatever is blocking our signal, destroy it, and contact the League," Kori said, stepping forward. Despite the slight exhaustion in her voice, she still carried herself with authority. Leadership suited her well. "Agreed," Aqualad nodded. "Robin, can you locate the source of the interference?" Robin was already on it, pulling up his holo-interface. "Working on it. Give me a sec..." His fingers flew over the screen before he gave a triumphant nod. "Got it. Signal jammer is located in the main control tower. I can shut it down." "Then let's move," Kori commanded. Nova glanced at the battlefield one last time before following the others. He had to admit—this mission had spiralled into a bit of a mess, but in the end, they got the job done.