Chapter 14: Hollow Origin
Robin's face paled at the admission. "Th-third?"
Aristide's stoney face offered no answer.
"THIRD?" Robin lunged for the woman and threw her against the wall, his hands wrapped around her neck. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
"ROBIN!"
"ROB!" Both Batman and Cyborg struggled to pull the lead Titan off of the woman.
"YOU BUILT ANOTHER DAMN MONSTER?" Robin was on the verge of hysteria now.
"IT! WASN'T! US!" Aristide shot back in between gasps of air. "Alma did it herself!"
Robin shook off the holds of Cyborg and Batman, still seething.
"What-Happened?" He pointedly snarled.
Genevieve composed herself and, with the help of Mapes, sat down in her chair behind her desk.
"After the disappearance of your F.E.A.R. unit, a Delta Force squad was sent to rescue me-"
"Rescue?" the former pointman asked incredulously. "OUR mission- F.E.A.R.'s mission was to take you down!"
"The squad was sent by a… sponsor of mine from the government. I was being brought in for protection."
"To cover this sponsor's ass I suppose," Robin shot.
Genevieve waited a moment to see if Robin would continue his tirade. When he didn't she did. "The plan went awry. We were compromised by ATC security forces and Replica attacking us. The worst was Alma. We had hoped to throw her off by using a device that would attract Alma to one of the soldiers."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Device?"
"It…in a sense, rebuilt the test subject's brain, recalibrating his brainwaves to mimic your own. It even gave him the enhanced reflexes you have."
Robin's eyes widened. "You tricked her into thinking he was me?"
"And it worked… a little too well." Aristide's eye twitched. "When she came to realize the farce… it didn't stop her…"
A suspended aura of tension hung in the air as Aristide dreaded to continue, airing her failure for all to see.
"She… forced him to help her create another child… like you and Paxton."
Robin forced the feeling of his stomach churning at the revelation. He had a bad feeling he knew what was implied.
"What is she-?"
"Revenge," Aristide answered. "She intends to take revenge against those who did her wrong."
"Revenge against who?" Robin demanded. "All the members of Project Origin are dead! She killed them all!"
"Not them," Norton Mapes interrupted with an edge of annoyance in his voice. "The WORLD man. She wants payback against the world."
"If she's got all these powers," Cyborg interjected. "What does she need this virus for?"
Aristide was the one to answer. "The virus the Replica forces stole was a unique one that is known to have come from North Korea. Should this country be attacked with such a tool,"
"It would trigger a war…" Raven finished.
"Duuude…" Beastboy mumbled.
"This is her final revenge," Aristide explained as calmly as if she was talking about the weather. "She intends to destroy us all."
"Where…" Batman growled, stepping forward.
The woman looked up. "Excuse me?"
"Where is she going?" Robin snarled in response.
"To where it all began of course."
Robin pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Auburn…"
"Yes." The woman confirmed. "But we have a chance to stop them."
She looked Robin right in the eyes. "You."
Then she turned to Raven. "And you."
Robin's eyes widened as he and Raven regarded each other. The woman continued.
"Alma's level of psychic potential as all but gone out of control. The only way to counter it is with another psychic. From what Norton has told me, you should be enough to handle it. With the two of you working together, you should be able to stop Alma."
"What you mean," Batman interjected. "Is to use him as bait and the girl as the trap."
Raven's eyes narrowed a tad at being referred to as a simple "girl," but let it slide for the moment.
"It's the only way this will work."
The room was silent for a moment before Robin spoke up.
"Cyborg, getting working on the cure. Raven and I will get going."
"WHAT?" Beastboy shouted.
"We don't have time for this now!" Robin shouted. "If Fettel is on his way to Auburn…"
He stopped for a moment. "The water supply…" he whispered.
It had over a year, but Robin clearly remembered where his first mission began, where Fettel had first appeared.
He held a hand to his face. "There's something in the water…"
"What?" Aristide interjected.
"Aldus Bishop…" Robin answered. "His…ghost. He said there was something in the water… the water treatment plant in Auburn."
Realization hit the room like a brick.
"The water plant is still active," Batman spoke. "It supplies the entire Midwest. If the virus were introduced there…"
"It would poison everyone in the region," Aristide answered calmly.
"It was all a test…" Robin hoarsely realized.
Everyone in the room turned to regard him.
"The taskforce…" Robin's teeth no clenched. It was all coming together. "That's what YOUR taskforce found!"
He pointed to Norton Mapes.
"EH?" The fat man recoiled like he was being accused.
"When all of this began!" Robin cried. "Residents were complaining about headaches, ATC found out there was something in the water supply!"
Aristide crossed her arms.
"It turned out to be a false lead. Their headaches were just a result of Alma's psychic energy resonating underground in our secret facility and seeping through the cracks."
"But it started in the water supply!" Robin shouted. He was near hysterical as he put the pieces in place.
His mission, his team's death, the destruction of Auburn, his… failure…. It all had meant something.
"It was a test…" Robin said again. "She… Alma was testing the water supply…"
Aristide's eyes expanded and her pupils shrunk to needle points. "My God…"
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Mapes cried. "YOU MEAN- ALL OF THAT!"
"Was a cover…" Robin exhaled. He began to calm down as they began to understand.
"She's been planning this all along?" Cyborg half-shouted.
"She was just testing her limits," Robin deduced. "She knew her power could only go so far, so she was looking for a carrier. The water supply was it. She just needed a weapon."
"And this virus," Starfire finished. "Is that weapon."
"Destroying Auburn," Batman's voice was the only still stable. "It was a way for her to clear out the area. Now Fettel will be able to launch his attack with no one to stop him."
"That's what he thinks," Robin growled. Despite his anger, he had a grin on his face. It all finally made sense. Everyday after his days at F.E.A.R. he had asked himself over and over why. Why Alma done what she had done. Why had he been left alive? Why had his team died? Why had it all happened? And now it made sense.
Alma had killed everyone, his fellow soldiers, civilians, the ATC personnel, everything in Auburn had been reduced to rubble. It was all for her to get a safety buffer. With it, Fettel could work unimpeded. Or so he thought.
"Now we understand," Robin spoke with a bitter satisfaction in his voice. "Now we can stop it."
He turned to his team. "You all know what you have to do."
He turned to the empath at his back. "Raven, let's go."
"One more thing," Aristide's voice stopped him. "Have you ever wondered why Fettel appears older than you?"
Robin's eyes narrowed. "What?"
The woman smiled, reveling in the fact she still held one more piece of information that no one else had. "He's taller, older than you, yet he was born after you. So why?"
Robin's nose scrunched. He'd had it with riddles. "Is this relevant somehow?"
"We injected him with growth hormones," the woman explained. "After you were deduced to be a failed product-UGH!"
Starfire had lunged at her so fast no one had seen her, much less have the chance to stop her. She now held the woman by her throat up against the wall. She had heard enough of the woman's talking. She had understood very little of what the woman had said so far tonight, but she did not like the manner in which she said it. But the last little quip had been the last straw.
"If you dare…" the venom the alien girl's voice was one Robin had never heard before. "Refer to him as a… 'product' again, I promise you will REGRET IT!"
"Star! Let her go!" Robin shouted.
"I do not care about the way in which he was brought into this world," Starfire either didn't hear or didn't care about Robin's protest. "The only thing that matters-"
"STAR!" The more forceful shout from Robin had gotten through this time. Aristide's eyes were wide with real fear as she looked down into the rage-filled glowing green eyes of the alien Teen Titan.
With clenched teeth, Starfire dropped the woman to the floor. The ATC CEO violently coughed.
Robin walked over and crouched in her face, noticeably getting between her and Starfire.
He crouched down to meet Aristide face to face. "What about them? These growth hormones?"
"They're defective," She answered. "They are causing him to age to fast. It will kill him."
Robin frowned. "I tried killing him with a bullet. Didn't seem to work."
"His mind," the woman clarified. "The hormones cause not only his body but his mind to age. After he was determined to be a-" she eyed Starfire warily. "successful…candidate, we introduced the hormones to accelerate his growth into adulthood so we could start Project Perseus."
"That created the clones, the Replica." Robin finished.
"And now he can't stop aging," Arisitide repeated. "Ultimately it will kill him."
"You're point?" Robin asked.
"Don't worry too much about him," she explained. "His hourglass is just about out of sand. Focus on Alma."
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No one spoke as the T-ship cruised along silently in the slipstreams of the darkening sky. The thick atmosphere was crushing to Robin's already tiring body.
"Robin." A voice called for him over the radio.
And he was not in the mood for another argument.
"Cyborg…" he sighed. "Don't-"
"This is a bad idea," the Titan insisted.
A moment of silence ensued before Robin broke it. "I'm the one she's after, so I'll finish it. Anyone else will just get caught in the crossfire."
"But to go alone…" Cyborg lamented.
"I'm not alone," the Titan leader answered, regarding Raven with a sideways smile.
"I still think it would be better if we all had gone," the half-robot insisted.
"You need to keep working on the anti-virus," Robin insisted. The former soldier could hear the sound of a keyboard being typed on through the radio. "How's that coming along anyway?"
"Looks like the Wayne Enterprises guys and the CIA almost had the job done. They were able to deconstruct the virus and reverse-engineer it for a formula. The blueprint is almost done, I just need to tinker with it a little more. Besides I'm… getting a little help."
Robin didn't need to ask. "So is… Batman doing anything right now?"
Even over the radio, Robin could imagine his friend being discreet as possible, looking over the imposing superhero as he worked. "The guy's pretty good with science," Cyborg whispered into communicator.
Robin allowed himself a wry smile. Yes he was…
"What about Aristide?" Robin's smile dropped at his own question.
"BB and Star got her under lock-down," Cyborg answered. "She's not going anywhere."
The Titan leader smirked at remembering Aristide's reaction, frantically trying to negotiate her way out of arrest. Too bad, Robin would not let escape a second time. "Good. Call me when you have the anti-virus finished."
"ROB WAIT."
Cyborg's shout stopped the Titan leader from cutting the line. "There's a chance the radio waves are still screwed up in the region. We might not be able to talk until you get back."
If I get back… Robin kept that thought to himself.
"So…" the other Titan finished. "Good luck."
"…You too." Robin answered. Then he cut the line.
The T-ship silently slipped through the night sky. Various pin-pricks of light from towns and homes shone through the clouds from the ground, offering a small respite from the ominous dark clouds ahead. Perhaps it was in his mind, but the skies where they were headed seemed to be an alien purple hue. The hair on his neck stood on end. The clouds were overhead of the Auburn district of Fairport, and he had a sense of dread knowing what caused the anomaly.
"I know you're listening." Appeared to speak to himself.
The radio piece in his ear was silent for a moment before a voice answered back.
"You friend is right Robin: this is a bad idea."
"It's not your call, Batman," the boy responded.
An uncomfortable silence followed Robin's snap.
"…How is Wayne involved in this?" Robin asked. Both knew the true meaning behind the question.
"Wayne Enterprises plans to buyout Armacham Technologies."
The answer made Robin's eyes grow wide as saucers. "What-?"
"The technology is invaluable and can be used for a lot of good with Wayne management, but the practices of the company have been questionable to say the least."
Robin stayed silent, letting his surrogate father continue. "It was the fastest way to shut down what Armacham was up to. Plus on top of that there was a competitor trying to buy out Wayne."
Robin's eyes now narrowed. Someone else wanted ATC? "Who?"
"A corporation call Cadmus."
Robin paused for a moment. "Never heard of them."
"They've held multiple dealings with them in the past and know a lot about Cadmus operations. Cadmus was trying to buy them solely to keep their secrets buried."
Robin was putting the pieces together as fast as Batman was spewing them out. The intelligence value of ATC was no doubt as important if not more so than their actual technology. Of course also…
"And she knows who you are."
And that was information that his surrogate father would not be letting see the light of day anytime soon. Robin briefly pondered over just what Batman had planned for her. It wasn't like anyone would miss or come looking for Aristide, himself included. The woman had caused enough damage. It was best for her to vanish for a number of reasons.
"Look them up sometime, Cadmus, they're going to be a problem." Batman's voice held finality, signaling they were done talking on the matter.
"Do you trust her?"
The "her" Batman was referring to was not lost on his former sidekick. He once more regarded Raven from the corner of his eye.
"Completely," Robin answered.
"Then that's all that needs to be said."
Robin could almost swear his heart skipped a beat. That… was it?
"Good luck." And with that, Robin knew that his radio was truly off now.
"He trusts you."
Robin jerked his hi head around to Raven's voice. She had known who Batman really was after their minds had linked for the first time.
"Do you?" Robin asked.
Raven gave him a look with one eyebrow raised.
"To finish this?" Robin clarified.
Raven faced forward again, not answering. She had been against the idea of him going in the first place. As he had said himself, Alma was after him. Raven could have gone alone to finish it, but noooo. Robin was the big hero, so he had to finish it himself.
"What do you plan to do Robin?" The empath asked.
"End it." He simply answered.
"You mean kill her?" Raven asked simply. She eyed him, watching for his reaction.
"What prison would hold her?" He asked somewhat roughly. "She needs to die. For all she's… done."
He stared listlessly ahead as the dark purple clouds drew closer.
"It ends tonight."
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"Here we are again…"
The echoing words caused him to stir.
"Where it began… it shall end…"
His eyes peaked open to blurred colors of black and red and orange, mingling and mixing in fluid motion. All the while, heat warmed his face.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he shook his head, feeling something holding the back of his head. He tried to reach, only to have his arm be stopped. The thing that his head was laying against, along with stopping his hand it turned out, was the ground.
He was lying on his back.
Opening his eyes again, the colors focused into tangible things. The black turned out to be the night sky, and the red and orange reveled to be fire, accounting for his warmed face.
His senses returning, especially his fight of flight responses, flight took over and his body rolled quickly away from the flames. Rolling to his feet, Robin fell into a sitting position, disorientation still lingering over his mind. His vision was clear though, and his throat hitched at what he saw.
The flames were coming from the T-ship, which had crashed. The ship itself was inverted, with one of the wings broken off and laying on the road. The nose was crushed in. The road it had landed on had been dug up from the ships skid after the crash. Looking behind him, Robin could see where the ship had made impact and then dug up the ground as momentum carried it forward.
Robin ran a hand through his hair, his mind reeling from the shock of what he saw and frantically trying to piece together how it had come to be. Slowly, he shakily stood on up on trembling legs and carefully made his way to the T-ship.
The wrecked aircraft offered few clues as to what brought it down. No signs of any sort of ammunition hitting it, at least from what he could tell.
He never even remembered going down. The last thing he remembered was talking with-
"RAVEN!"
Madly leaping over hunks of wreckage, he pounded on the glass of Raven's cockpit. The canopy was cracked, making it hard to see inside. But through the cracks…
"Blood…." was seeping through.
"No…nonononono."
He unslung his rifle, and with one mighty crack of the stock against it, the glass shattered from his strike… revealing an empty seat.
"R-Raven?" Hope and despair both engulfed him at once. The cockpit was empty. Raven wasn't inside.
But then where at the…?
He looked down at the shards, picking up one that clearly had been covered with blood. The liquid was dark, but what he had through was blood was actually fuel.
Robin nearly laughed out loud until he realized…
Fuel… and fire….
The shard dropping from his hand, the boy ran like a maniac from the ship-turned-bomb he was standing upon. He had barely gotten five yards when the machine exploded behind him.
Turning around, Robin hissed in frustration. The ship was nothing more than scrap now. They would have to find another way home.
"RAVEN!" Robin cried out again. No one responded.
Closing his eyes, he again called out for the empathy with his mind. He could still sense the link, but no voice returned his calls. Only his own voice echoed in his mind.
Reaching for his communicator, Robin tried once more.
"Raven! Do you copy?" He spoke into the device.
Nothing but static answered him back.
Not here, not in his mind, he couldn't even contact her. Raven was gone.
So much for the plan.
He turned around in place for a moment, just now fully taking in his bearings. They had crashed onto a road, but little distinguished where they were. Empty country side surrounded him.
Until he turned around.
Robin's jaw dropped, and communicator nearly went with it. Before him were the imposing skyscrapers and lights of a city just ahead. He took off into a run towards the lights.
His radio suddenly crackled.
With a jump, he pulled it to his mouth. "Raven?"
"…."
"Raven, do you copy?"
"….home…" a small voice whispered.
"Raven?" It sounded like her… but higher. Like a child's voice…
"...come…home…." The voice became deeper.
Robin stopped running. Slowly he lifted the communicator to his mouth…
"…who is this…" He demanded in a low voice.
"Welcome home…brother."
Fettel.
Robin's face twisted into a scowl. He was about to utter an explicatively-laced retort but was distracted by a sign that stood alongside the road.
Age and rust had eaten away at the sign, but what Robin could make out made him grimace.
NOW ENTERING AUBURN.
His radio crackled to life one more time.
"Welcome home brother. Welcome home."
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To be continued…
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I apologize for the inconsistent updates, but I have lot going on these days. I will be trying to wrap this up soon. I hope you still enjoy it.