Chapter 3- Strategizing
Lieutenant General Frederick Smithson paused a moment to straighten his uniform, making absolutely certain that nothing was out of place. He was not a vain man, usually, but this was hardly a usual circumstance. One didn't meet directly with one's Supreme Commander every day, after all, and General Immortus was well known for his absolute attention to detail.
Certain that he was presentable, Smithson stepped up to the mechanical double doors and held up his palm in front of the scanner. It hummed for a moment, and once it had verified his identity it blinked brightly. Then, with a hiss and a great deal of steam, the doors slid open and the Lieutenant General stepped inside.
The Forever Soldier's private quarters, situated atop the highest spire of his desert fortress, was a round, metallic room without a hint of humanity about it. The only concession to the fact that someone lived here at all was the desk with a small cup of water perched on it. Immortus claimed to have grown tired of most foods long ago- he lived on water, bread, and little else. Passing the table without a glance, Smithson entered a small alcove surrounded by windows from which one could watch the terrain for miles around. A high-backed chair sat in the alcove, turned away from the doors.
"General Immortus," Smithson said, clearing his throat. "We have received a report that our plans in America are progressing to the point where they will require your personal attention. Do you wish me to have your plane prepared."
"That would be most appreciated, Lieutenant General," a voice that sounded old as time rasped from the chair. "Very soon now I shall have the tools that I will require to bring this world to its knees." The chair swiveled around, and Smithson gulped as he found himself face-to-face with his commander's mummylike face and sharp, penetrating eyes. "You have doubts, Smithson?" The voice was flat as ever, but Immortus's lieutenant could not miss the accusing edge to it.
"I simply… question our dependence upon such an unreliable agent, sir," he finally managed to say. "I don't believe he can be trusted not to betray us."
Immortus chuckled dryly. "You question overmuch, my lieutenant. I know his type, and I know how to control them. He is ours as surely as if we had imprisoned him. He will well perform the task I have set. Do you question further?"
Smithson shook his head. "No, sir. I trust your judgment- I remember what a rabble we were at the Brotherhood before the Brain and his pet monkey brought you in to train us. You made us into a real army, and we will follow you to the end."
Immortus's eyes gleamed. "Indeed? Many have said that to me, and the dust of ages now covers their bones. Perhaps this is the time, though, when at last what I have striven for all my long life shall at last be attained."
As those ancient eyes bored into his own, Smithson couldn't help himself. He shivered.
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The T-ship hovered over the roof of Titans' Tower as the sun set in the distance. Robin didn't know where Immortus's base was, but it probably didn't have roads suitable for the car, and he certainly didn't want to have to walk there. The ship was also the most durable of the team's vehicles- if Red X was right, they were heading into a massive army, and needed all the protection they could get.
"Where is he, anyway?" Beast Boy asked irritably from the next pod over. "If X was so worried about this thing, then why's he taking his sweet time in getting here?"
"X likes to keep his own timetable," Robin said. "He probably thinks it's funny, keeping us waiting like this."
"Awww, Robin, I'm hurt!" a familiar artificial voice sounded over the channels. The air shimmered in front of the T-ship and formed itself into the black-clad form of Red X. "You don't know how much it wounds me that my allies have so little trust in my character!"
"I really feel your pain," Robin replied in a tone that suggested he felt no such thing, "but we've got a job to do. Now, we only have five pods on this thing-"
"I think I can manage," X said. In a single, smooth motion the thief leaped from the roof and landed on the side of the ship. As he began to slide back down, he flexed his fingers and long, sharp claws emerged from the tips of his gloves, anchoring him firmly in place.
"My paint job!" Cyborg wailed. He wasn't quite as protective of the airship as he was of the T-car, but seeing the long scratches still pained him deeply.
"I'm secure," X said nonchalantly, ignoring the continued protests of the half-mechanical engineer.
"Where exactly are we going?" Robin asked.
"Fly due north. I'll give you further directions from there."
Robin nodded, and then activated the engines. The t-ship rocked slightly, and then shot off towards the forests north of Jump City, where they would find General Immortus' base- and his secret weapon.
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It was fully dark by the time Red X told Robin that they'd arrived. The team leader brought the T-ship down in a forest clearing and he and the other Titans quickly disembarked. X landed lightly by Robin's side, looking every bit as relaxed as if he'd been standing there for the past hour, rather than being carried on the outside of a jet at very high speeds.
"There isn't anything here," Raven said darkly after the Titans had a chance to look around. "Why did you bring us to the middle of nowhere?"
"It's not the middle of nowhere," X said. "The base isn't far. I wanted Robin to put us down here before they detected us. If we walk the rest of the way, we should be able to slip under their sensors."
"Good idea," Robin said. "Come on, team, let's go."
They followed X through the forest for what felt like another hour, and then at last the thief motioned for them to stop. Robin crept quietly to X's side, and then bent to look through the trees.
The base was huge, taking up a massive swath of the forest. It was built like a fortress, its walls high and thick and sullen grey, with tall guard-towers on every corner. Another tower rose from the center, and from its top something sent out blue sparks every few seconds.
"Amazing," Cyborg breathed. "How come nobody knows about this place?"
"It's cloaked," X said. "We passed under it in the forest, but believe me- it's there. The first thing Chang built for this place was an advanced hologram projector. From the air, it just looks like empty forest."
"How are we going to be able to enter a fortress like this?" Starfire asked. "Certainly it would take an army to do serious damage." Despite her often bubbly personality, Star was a trained warrior from a line of warriors- she spoke exactly what was on Robin's mind.
"Watch and learn, girl," X said. "I've gotten into places much worse than this one." Pressing a button on his belt, X vanished.
"How do we know he has not gone to alert them?" Starfire asked when she was certain the thief was out of hearing. "I do not trust him."
"Neither do I, but we're here now, and the base is real," Robin said. "We'll have a fight on our hands either way."
Suddenly alarms flared from the top of every tower, and the sound of the guards' running feet could be distinctly heard. So X had betrayed them. Robin braced for battle, and then paused. It sounded like the guards were running away from the Titans' location- suddenly X's plan made sense.
The thief reappeared beside Robin a few minutes later, somehow managing to look smug despite his expressionless mask. "I tripped an alarm on the opposite wall," he said. "While they're all trying to catch me over there, we can break in over hear. Come on!"
The Titans and X hurried to the base of the gray wall, and X removed a red star-shaped weapon from his belt. He pressed it against the wall and it began to grow, glowing with heat as it did so. When it reached the size of a door it melted all the way through the wall, leaving a smoking opening.
"Ladies first," X said, bowing mockingly towards Starfire and Raven. As the team followed him through the impromptu entrance, Robin wondered not for the first time what they'd gotten themselves into.
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"They're in, sir," the officer at the plane's sensor board said, nodding in General Immortus' direction.
The old man smiled tightly as his cloaked aircraft circled the base. "Excellent," he rasped. "Everything proceeds according to plan."