"Alright," John said, "favorite actor." John and Raven woke up nearly the same time the morning after everyone went to the club. They had spent the past half-hour getting to know each other better that day, so far they had gone over past missions (John kept a few secret but only told the funny ones) and things they did in their pass times. Raven was hesitant to answer so John said his favorite first, "Clint Eastwood."
Raven shrugged, "I don't watch that many movies, but if I had to pick one…" she thought for a while before saying, "Michael C. Hall"
"Who?"
"There's this show on Showtime, he's really good in it." She said, "His character inflicts vigilante justice…"
"Sounds like a guy I'd like," John mused.
"He's also a psychopath in the show…" That last comment made John shrug as he rethought his last statement.
John was about to ask another question when he heard the Titans' intercom system buzz to life as he heard Robin's voice over the intercom, "John, Raven, you'd both better get down here now, there are a few helicopters on their way here and they want to land, they look military."
He then heard Sarah's voice over the intercom, "John we weren't told about this, so it must be an emergency, which means it's him."
Sarah's last words made a look of puzzlement play across John's face and Raven saw it. She asked, "Who's him?"
He started walking towards the staircase that led to the living room of Titan's Tower with Raven walking next to him and it took him a while to respond to her, he was debating whether or not to tell her about him. But finally told her, "He is Colonel Drake White." John explained, "He oversaw training the field agents in project: ghost how to fight and survive in combat situations, he's been like a father to me Dan and Sarah. But he also runs a special counter-terrorism military unit, the bosses back in Washington and Langley only send him to us un-announced when either we screw up really bad or something really bad happens."
It didn't take long for the helicopter to land on top of Titan's Tower and for the seven military men inside of it to show themselves into the living room. Colonel White was a tall muscular man with short graying hair who looked to be in his fifties but in no way lost any of the intimidating air around him in his age. He wore a military uniform that you'd expect to see on a Colonel and was highly decorated and was followed closely by six other soldiers of much lesser rank who had M16's strapped to their backs and Desert Eagles to their hips.
The Colonel's hard chiseled face gave way to a smile you would expect to see from an uncle who hasn't seen his favorite family members in a long time. He opened his arms and hugged Sarah in a way that would make them seem like they were father and daughter. Dan approached slowly with a smile on his face and White broke away from his embrace with Sarah to give Dan a firm handshake like two friendly soldiers. He soon noticed the Titans.
"You the Titans?" Colonel White asked. They nodded, confused at just what the hell was going on. White extended his hand in friendship to the Titans and shook each one, except for Starfire who gave her characteristic hug, and said, "Colonel Drake White, U.S. Army."
"No offense dude but," Cyborg said asked, "Why are you here? I thought no one was supposed to know about Unit Zero and what they were doing here."
John and Raven arrived just in time as Colonel White responded dramatically, "There's been a development, an incident occurred early this morning and we might know who the leak is."
"What happened?" John asked, he had a bad feeling something had happened.
The Colonel looked in John's eyes and John saw something in there, but he couldn't place what exactly what it was, pity? "At three this morning local time," Colonel White said, "a Blacksite located a few miles outside of the city limits was located and attacked by unknown assailants whom we believe are aligned with 'The Salesmen'."
"What site was it?" Dan asked, "A prison, storage, what?"
"It was a top secret weapons storage site," The Colonel said hearing Dan curse under his breath, "impossible to find without a leak which is why we think its 'The Salesmen'…"
"Mason," Robin interrupted, "We found out his name is Mason Thorn."
"Anyway…" Colonel White continued, "The site was raided and a nuclear warhead was stolen."
"WHAT?!" everyone seemed to scream at once.
"Evidence was left behind at the crime scene," Colonel White reassured, "And it says who the leak is." His eyes trailed back to John again, what was he saying?
"Special Agent John Garret," he said in a tone that was filled with regret, "surrender your side arm." Immediately the six soldiers behind him sprang into action drawing their M16's and pointing them all at John like he was a dangerous criminal. "I'm under orders from the white house to place you under arrest for high treason."
Everyone stared at John unsure what to do, John himself stood in complete awe at what was going on. It took him a while to say, "Colonel, with all due respect sir, whatever evidence you have is bullshit, I'm not a rat. You know me, I'm not a fucking rat."
"The men that broke into the site used your login and password to activate the lift needed to steal the warhead, your fingerprints were found on the keyboard." Colonel White said raspily.
"No way that's impossible," Raven said, she had befriended a traitor before and it wasn't going to happen to her again, "he was here with us last night and all through the morning he came home with us from a nightclub for God's sake everyone here can vouch for him, right Cyborg?"
"Ya," Cyborg said with a slight lack of confidence, " but…"
"But?"
"Someone with training from the CIA would, could, possess the skills to escape the tower undetected." Cyborg finished, he didn't like it but it was definitely possible, John could very well be a traitor and enemy to the state.
"Just surrender the side arm soldier," Colonel White ordered in a gentler tone, like a father would to a son who had found his father's gun and was pointing it at his own head, "just don't be stupid and surrender."
John reached behind himself and produced his Five Seven pistol from the back of his jeans and handed it over the Colonel, one of the soldiers then started to hand cuff John. All the while he looked around at the unsure and disbelieving faces and said, "I didn't do this, you all know me better I didn't betray my country, I didn't betray any of you."
One of the soldiers asked where interrogation room was and then started to drag John there, he complied. But before he was showed to the interrogation room he looked into Raven's eyes and his eyes said it all to her, "I'm innocent. Help me!"
It took a while for everything to sink in. Everyone just stood there, unable to comprehend what was going on. "I don't believe it," Sarah said, "I just don't." she walked off down one of the hallways.
Beast Boy watched her walk away with concern and was about to go after her until Dan stopped him and said "Give her some time to herself, for all you know her brother just died."
Things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, then the call came. Robin's Titan's communicator began to vibrate, he opened it up and the screen was black with little red words reading ID BLOCKED. Then an altered metallic voice spoke to the Titans saying, "Good morning Titans."
Robin put the communicator down on the kitchen table and everyone gathered around as Robin asked, "Are you 'The Salesmen'?"
"Indeed I am."
Robin couldn't help but smirk triumphantly as he uttered 'The Salesmen's' true name, "Mason Thorn."
There was a pause before the voice continued with the altering technology now removed and the black screen replaced by a pale face. The voice rang out in a laughter that made the previous voice seem less monstrous saying in a playful tone, "Damn, you got me."
The face before him was just like the one seen in the picture only aged ahead farther than he was, he couldn't have been anymore than in his early twenties, maybe twenty two, but he looked older. His hair was black and cropped and his eyes were an icy blue surrounding black bottomless pits. He was dressed in an expensive black suit and he would have looked handsome if he wasn't known as a monster.
"What do you want?" Robin hissed through his teeth, angry at how much damage this man was responsible for yet acted like this whole thing was some sick game.
"Well, judging by the fact a U.S. Army Colonel is standing next to you, and a highly decorated Colonel at that, you already know about that nuclear weapon I've stolen. Correct?"
"Judging by your silence I guess I am correct… and don't bother trying to trace this call, if you do you'll simply find the signal is being bounced off from all over the world… Now I have a few clients who will be willing to pay me quite a lot of money for this nuke but since this is my home town and my country I am willing to cut a deal with you."
"Meet me outside the old city library at midnight tonight and bring five million dollars with you as well as lovely little Sarah," Dan's brow quivered, had John told him about Unit Zero? "You will meet me there, hand me the five million, then have Sarah perform a wire transfer of twenty million dollars in government funds to an account my choosing during the meeting, once this is done I'll give you the position of the nuke."
"Mason wait…" Robin said as he tried to get a word in edge wise but was quickly cut off by Mason.
"Midnight tonight, the library, Sarah, five million dollars. Those are my demands, answer them without interference or else America's enemies gain the power to level a city at double the current price." And with that final warning he hung up, his image disappearing from the video display of the communicator.
With Mason no longer present before them Dan cursed, "DAMN HIM TO FUCKING HELL THIS FUCKING EXTORTIONIST BASTARD!"
The Colonel gave a heavy sigh and then motioned to one of his soldiers who gave him a satellite phone.
"What are you doing?" Starfire asked.
"I'm calling Washington," he said wearily, "I need special permission to use aggressive tactics in extracting information for the prisoner."
It took a while to sink in but they knew what it meant and Raven was the only one who could actually say it, "Your going to torture John aren't you?"
