Eight years. Eight years lost, so easily. Eight years, stolen, not lost. They weren't misplaced, but taken, like his arm was.
He still feels that phantom limb, after he takes off the cyborg arm for the night and imagines how it felt to hold his bow. He feels like he has a ghost arm, still lingering, and he often woke up, the first night in the hospital, desperately trying to reach without the limb.
He can't sleep; he had eight years of it, too much. He's had his fill and he feels like his life might slip away again if he closes his eyes too long. It has been too long, too cold, and he feels like everything is too far gone to reclaim it again. He's still addled by drugs and painkillers and he wasn't lying when Ollie and Red Arrow had asked him what he remembered- a whole lot of nothing, mostly at that point.
But, it started coming back, in fragments and flashes. However, he still can't get much of a hold on what he should remember; it's less substantial than air.
"It's Cadmus policy to delete the source material!"
Voices. He could hardly focus.. why was it so hard to move? Look. Listen. Pain. Where was he?
"So, why is he still alive?"
He needed to get out of here.. He couldn't move. Someone was shining a light. Too bright. His eyes were burning. Goddammit. Take the goddam light away!
"He'll still be of use." He knew that voice. Who was it? Focus, Roy!
"The longer he's kept alive the more dangerous it becomes for all of us. The league might find him." Yes, Ollie would be looking for him. Please, Ollie hurry. Dinah, Barry, Hal, Batman, Superman, anyone, please, help me, save me. Don't let me die here.
"Nonsense, they believe him to be safe and sound. The clone will infiltrate the league for us."
Clone? They cloned him? He felt white hot anger in his veins. GET UP! He screamed in his head. MOVE! But, his body wasn't responding.
"He was never our friend."
He had saved Roy Harper. Or had he only resurrected a shell of the boy who had been captured? He remembered what Wally had said and it was true. They thought Roy to be dead, that he should have given up and lived his life like that Roy should have had. It was cruel that he had gotten Roy's life, his rightful place. But, still he had kept searching and finally, liberated Roy Harper.
"Speedy was abducted before any of us met."
What did it matter? He was still the first Speedy? He still needed to be saved!
"All done? You want to salvage someone's soul?"
Salvage whatever might remain of the left for dead Roy Harper's soul.
"Hello there, Speedy."
Roy was able to open his eyes. He tried to move. He couldn't.
Someone was standing in the shadows off to his left. "Who are you?" he demanded, hoarsely. His voice was dry and scratchy, like he had been screaming for days.
"I'm as close to a friend as you'll get in this place. Don't speak out loud from this point on."
The voice was in his head. A monster stepped out of the shadows, upright like a person but with horns and blue skin. What the hell?
He felt incredibly itchy, bugs felt like they were burrowing in his skin, he tried to move his right arm. Nothing. He turned his head. It was gone from the elbow. Jesus Christ. "What did you bastards do to my arm?!" he yelled in a panic. Why would they do a thing like that?
"They amputated your arm to have enough genetic code to produce clones with." Roy struggled again against his bindings, it was useless, he fell back against the metal, his mind was too fogged to process much of this.
"The Light will, of course, use your clones for their bidding." The blue horned man continued.
"It's going to bring down the League?"
"And one will remain here. At Cadmus."
"What is Cadmus?" Roy felt bile rise in his throat, all these clones would be using his face to bring down the Justice League.
"You will find out soon enough. They are coming down here, now." He began to approach Roy, syringe in hand.
"Wait!" he yelled it out loud. Shaking, he wondered what body part he would lose if they drugged him again. "Please, wait."
He paused, the tip of the needle hovered over his bound left wrist.
"Please, just contact Green Arrow or somebody, don't do this." He was begging, he hated how weak it sounded, but there was no other option, he didn't want to die here.
The creature shook his head. "It's Cadmus policy to delete the source material. You would be dead if Luthor hadn't suggested another use for you."
"That's right." Lex Luthor said , as he walked in. Roy felt his heart stop. The Lex Luthor, the one who's company he was investigating when he was captured.
"You bastard!" he thrashed in his bindings. "It doesn't matter if you replace me! Everyone will figure it out! And then you're dead Luthor!"
Lex Luthor only smiled. "Really? It appears everyone has taken to the clone and they suspect nothing. Green Arrow was relieved to have found you, alive and well."
"No." Roy whispered. No. How could Ollie do this to him? He was going to die here.
"Luckily, I have found another use for the original. I would hate to have you just sitting around frozen, taking up space. You will be going on covert mission for me. The rest of the time, you will be returned to your pod and frozen for safe keeping."
"I refuse."
"I thought you would say that. But, you don't have a choice in the matter." Luthor picked up one of the syringes. "See that? That's Deathstroke's serum. The same drug he uses on his daughter, to make her cooperative. You will have no complaints after this. And the best part, it's addictive."
The needle was plunged in. The world faded to black.
"Goodbye, Roy Harper."