22nd July
20:06 GMT -4
Reconnaissance on a Santa Priscan drug factory? Sounds straight forward enough. I should be able to get most of the information we need via ring scan. Unfortunately, I can't get my head around the idea of the combat drug Venom being a major problem in a world with guns, not sufficiently well to do so long distance anyway. I also don't understand why the US government hasn't done something about Santa Prisca before now. From what Batman was saying it's leading exports appear to be drugs, guns and mercenaries. It has basically no friends internationally. Baffling. Batman said that the Justice League would intervene if necessary, so, here's hoping we find something.
We're on the bioship, heading out over the Caribbean Sea. Wallace and Robin have the front seats. Kon and I are at M'gann's right (hooray for shape shifting decks) and Aqualad is at her left. Everyone except Kon is in uniform. Thinking about it, I suppose he doesn't really have one. I can't think of a material which would stand up to the forces he puts it under.
Fact is, when it comes to stealth? I'm a huge liability. I mean, I glow orange. A lot orange, when I'm actually fighting. As a result, Batman's instructions to me were to remain airborne while my team mates go in on the ground. I'll provide mapping and -if necessary- fire support. If I get high enough I should be mistaken for either a plane or a star. I suggested waiting under water off the coast instead, but he was concerned that would affect my response time.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca."
The bioship's mind… or whatever… relays its sensors directly to M'gann's head via her telepathy. I thought about creating a construct map for everyone else to follow, but that might be rude, and the orange glow would be 'off theme' for stealth. Everyone else seems focused, and pretty sombre. I'm relaxed. After leaving Wallace and Kon in the gym and having a quick look through the BBC's current affairs section to try and get some idea what we would be doing. Nothing jumped out at me, so I spent most of the rest of the time either practising rapid construct formation or meditating. Maybe I just have less emotionally invested in this than a group who've idolised their mentors for as long as my team mates have.
Through the wind I can see clouds and -I think- a mountain top. The map Batman showed us had locations marks but I didn't pick up onrelief features. And then I know it's Monte Amarcoré, named after the home village of the captian of the first Spanish vessel to land here. The aboriginal name for it translated as something like 'desolate look out point', but since the aboriginal groups were completely broken up during the colonial occupation no one uses it.
Is the team ready? We can coordinate our efforts much better thanks to the training Aqualad organised. We haven'tcompletelygelled yet, but we're getting there. During the briefing Robin asked Batman who was in charge. I honestly had assumed that he'd be directing us from the mountain himself. I even offered to set up an uninterruptible communication link, but apparently that goes against the purpose of the exercise. Makes sense, really. Batman wants us to pick a team leader, but it's obviously Aqualad. We haven't even needed to discuss it.
"Drop zone A in thirty."
I thought about getting off the ship early, but since neither part of the group should be moving on the objective until everyone is down it really makes more sense for me to stay on board until the ship reaches the mid point. Otherwise, people looking up might wonder why the star is moving.
Kaldur stands and presses his belt buckle, turning his red vest dull grey. That technology isn't widespread. Either it's very expensive -which wouldn't make sense, otherwise he'd just have two vests- or no one in the Justice League is thinking about the fashion possibilities.
"Ready."
"Putting bioship in camouflage mode."
I wonder if camouflage drains power, or tires the ship out? If not we should have been in camouflage mode since we left the US coast. If the people below have radar… does this ship show up on radar? Have to ask afterwards.
The ship drops down to just above sea level, and Aqualad dives out through the floor hatch. If I had any doubts about his more than baseline Human physique before, I don't now. We're moving darn fast, and he hit the water without any indication of discomfort. There are anti-submarine nets around this part of the shore -not sure why- so he's going to cut through and make landfall on an empty stretch of coastline to nobble the ground based sensor network. Advanced infrared sensors and AK forty sevens. Weird. Not to mention the fact that the sensors don't have anyone looking after them on site. Or minefields.
*Heat and motion sensors are patched. It is now on a continuous loop. Move in.*
Wallace made some noise about wanting to use radio, but part of our group training session was devoted to getting used to telepathic communication and we're fairly used to it now. After our away sessions together even Kon didn't complain.
I'm out next. In order to minimise the chance of my light being seen my environmental shield will be on absolute minimum. I'll be very nearly hanging off the ring until I get to two kilometres up. My active power level is so low that the sigils on my chest and arms have returned to the grey of the rest of the material. I rise and walk to the back of the ship. Hands clasped at my chest I lean into the rear door, which opens around me as I fall through the gap. It's a bit like diving. The ringarrests my motiononce I'm clear and the ship carries on to the deployment zone for the rest of the team. I rise, with the ring notifying me of our height at intervals.
I could use OrangeVision to watch the ship, but that might brighten my aura. I'm rising at around ten meters per second, so I'll be ready in about three minutes.
*Drop zone B.*
Telepathic communication also has the advantage of keeping team members separated from the main group notified on their progress. If M'gann had just spoken that, Kaldur and I wouldn't know they'd arrived.
Wallace just shifted the colour of his armour to black.
How do I know that?
Information did not come from this ring. Most plausible alternative is image sharing via telepathic link.
That can happen?
Affirmative.
Not getting that from Kaldur… So, I get it from M'gann because she's maintaining the link?
This ring lacks data on which to make further observations.
*Very impressive.*
M'gann just changed the colour of her own clothes, though I note with a mental eye roll that she left the big red cross over her centre of mass in place. I asked earlier and it isn't a Martian law enforcement thing. Martians don't usually bother with much in the way of clothing and straps across the chest were once used for carrying tools and other objects. Later, it just became fashion.
Hm. If I'm getting more detail from her…
I try thinking the image of a sniper noticing and taking aim at the red cross in the dark. I feel her surprise as she receives it, and I smile as she darkens the cross to a less noticeable dull red. Progress!
*No capes, no tights. No offense.*
Just about the only thing about Superman which Kondoesn'tadmire. I'll have to see what happened to his original bodysuit, the one ruined during his escape from Cadmus. If the League can replicate the technology that it used then he might end up with a skin tight costume that actually makes sense. Superman could end up using the material as well. Might help them have a conversation.
I get why Superman finds being around him weird, but a single conversation wouldn't kill him, surely? I asked Diana about it, and apparently Kal-El isusuallyvery interested in everything Kryptonian. I suppose it's the American thing of obsessing about your heritage, like how many New Yorkers will describe themselves as Irish despite never having been to Ireland. Maybe me describing him as Kon-El's father was a bit much. I said it because I thought that was how Kon thought of him, and it is biologically true…
*It totally works for you.*
Seems M'gann likes the way he looks now just fine. And without thinking about it I send her the image of a sweaty Kon pumping iron. I feel her eyes widen. Shouldn't have done that.
*Ih ih ih ih in that, that you can totally do good, good work in those clothes.*
Nearly as smooth as Wallace. I feel her hide her blush with invisibilityandher cloak.
From up here you can see the lights around the touristy parts of the island on the west coast. Quite a nice place to visit, if you don't mind the armed guards and can ignore the occasional peasant getting beaten up in the alleyways. Most hotels are on the beach, so the interaction between foreigners and 'free-range' locals is kept to a minimum.
I feel a squawk of alarm from M'gann as she, Robin and W… Kid Flash -mission now- dive aside as Superboy jumps down from the bioship without a harness. He seems to like doing that. Maybe he's testing his might against the ground?
*Knew I didn't need a line.*
*And yet, creating aseismic eventmight not have helped us much with thecovert.*
M'gann decides to do the job.
*Aqualad, Orange Lantern. Drop B is go.*
*Orange Lantern at altitude.Beginning scans.*
An orange sphere appears around me. One of the things I really liked about the film 'Avatar' was the computer monitors where a hand gesture could transfer a document or program from one terminal to another. My WarSphereTM construct feeds information from my scans onto orange screens on the interior surface, and they respond to my touch. I originally tried having them respond to my thoughts but that got a bit chaotic. Having actual monitors would help as I'd get colour. Maybe some sort of liquid crystal thing that could roll flat? I could stick it in subspace, and it wouldn't actually need any processing capacity.
*Main team, head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP.*
*Roger that.*