Archfield, Texas

July 21st, 06:30 PM

Two hours of light left. More than Robin wanted. He supposed he could have asked to wait a bit longer, and Kaldur would very likely have listened. But he was not in the habit of requesting a change of orders. He was used to serving under Batman, who had a precise reason for every action he took and every order he issued. Though Robin had very little experience with Kaldur, he had seen in the Atlantean the same tendency towards being cagey with information, and also taking the best action possible based on available intel.

If Kaldur said 'go now', who was Robin to question that?.

In the end, Robin had chosen who he hoped would prove to be of the most use. Beast Boy, who could travel unnoticed virtually anywhere, thanks to a plethora of animal forms at his disposal. Blue Beetle, a heavy hitter, but also fairly sensible and cool-headed (usually). Bumblebee, whose scientific knowledge as well as her size-shifting abilities might be invaluable to the mission at hand.

Robin had informed Kaldur of his choices so that, when the time came, it was Kaldur who called the team and gave them their mission. If Robin had any luck at all, if anyone asked why they weren't being sent, Kaldur's answer would not be "because Robin didn't choose to take you with him".

That would be the last thing he needed. His relationship with Wonder Girl was already strained, and this could easily break it apart. And he didn't want to lose her. Not now, not like this.

"We're two miles outside of town," Robin told them "but readings indicate that there is a building just half a mile that way. Farther from town,"

"Middle of nowhere," Blue observed.

"Good place to hide something," Bumblebee put in.

"Which is why that's where we're headed," Robin told them "Beast Boy, scout ahead. Keep a low profile. If you see anything, get back here asap. No radio, we're doing this the old-fashioned way,"

Robin looked around and spotted a thicket and pointed the team towards it.

"We'll be waiting in there," Robin told Beast Boy "no risk taking, okay?. Just fly over, then come back, that's all,"

Robin had every intention of waiting in the thicket until nightfall if at all possible, but when Beast Boy returned, he was very flustered.

"There's a bunch of people," he said "but it looks like they're packing up to leave,"

"Then we better get what we came for, and fast,"

"What is that, by the way?," Bumblebee asked.

They had been told that this was another facility, like the ones they had been taking on for a week now. But it was clear to them that there was a hidden objective in the mission. Robin looked at her, but didn't immediately answer. Would it make a difference if the team knew?.

"Just askin'," Bumblebee said quickly "if we're gonna go, let's go,"

Robin nodded and the team set out, Beast Boy leading the way and pointing them around tripwires and hidden cameras. It was almost dark when they arrived, but not quite.

They approached the building from the East, where security seemed to be somewhat lax. Robin supposed that was because there was no door. Using his grappler, Robin entered through a window at the second floor. The others entered at various points as he had directed, with Beast Boy staying clear to provide cover should they need it upon leaving.

Robin had told them it was a fact finding mission. Bumblebee and Blue would no doubt be looking at computers for that. But Robin had a different objective. He felt as uneasy being secretive as he had about explaining everything in detail for the team. It seemed there was no right answer.

He found a control panel near a bunch of machinery he didn't recognize in the empty room. Plugging in, he soon located a building blue print. He downloaded it. There was a portion of the building that seemed to have extra guards and equipment, which was even now being removed from the site piece by piece.

Robin suddenly wished he hadn't split up the team. His hand went to his radio, but he remembered telling the team not to use it. It was possible that the radio had been what betrayed their presence on previous occasions. Of course, The Light was already evacuating, but if they were scanning for radio frequencies, then any transmission would help them locate intruders.

Robin sighed wearily. The situation was out of hand, and had been from the start. He could count off the mistakes he'd made up to this point, but did not take the time to do so.

Should he bypass the team altogether, radioing the Watchtower?. The machines still here might provide some much needed answers, but Robin had failed to bring with him enough firepower to secure it. Or should he keep acting on his own, complete the mission as planned?. Indecision gnawed at him as he spent a few precious seconds on the problem at hand.

He decided to complete the mission. There wasn't time for the League to arrive before the building would be empty, just like all the others.

The second decision was, it seemed, harder to make than the first. There were computers linked here with information that had not been at any of the other facilities. He could potentially download information that might prove valuable, simply by staying here. But that would take time, and his original objective would likely be gone before he finished. If he left his computer here to finish the download, he would be working without a map, using nothing but his memory.

It seemed unlikely that he could get from here to there undetected without a map to work with. Bumblebee's tiny size made her difficult to spot, and Blue's scarab had sensors which could detect hidden security devices. But Robin was on his own, and easy to spot.

The annoying flicker of light that had been plaguing him for days was mercifully absent, as if the warning it carried with it was not meant for this mission. Still, his every instinct was screaming at him that there was no right answer to this, at least, not an answer he could think of. No matter what he did, it would be wrong.

Alright, so he was wrong no matter what. What choices could he make that would not expose the team to unnecessary jeopardy?. To be caught would be to expose the team. But was that risk worth the potential reward of finally having somebody who knew what was going on, who could tell them how to cure the people who were even now suffering a fate worse than death?.

Even as he thought, Robin was absently searching through the computer files, downloading anything that looked like it might contain useful information. Why hadn't he told the team the plan?. Why hadn't he kept them together?. If they were here right now, he could send them after the scientist. He sighed.

Well, the others thought they were looking for facts. They'd be looking for them in computers. He'd just have to trust that they could download everything useful the computers had to offer while he completed the mission he'd come to accomplish. That made sense, right?.

I hope this is worth it, he thought.

It was the last thought he had for some time.