A/N: This is Act 3 of an ongoing story, please read Act 1( s/7083098/1/Justice-Lords-LIMITLESS-Act-1-ReBirth )and then Act 2( s/7459004/1/Justice-Lords-LIMITLESS-Act-2-EndWar )if you haven't yet. If you use the app, and/or the link does not work, you can find Act 1 and Act 2 on my profile along with information regarding Justice Lords Limitless.
He'd made a beeline to his workstation. Most of the security personnel had already been alerted to his presence and revoked his general security clearance, but when he told them he just wanted to clear out his desk, they let him through and even reinstated his id card, albeit temporarily. They were all stupid.
He cleaned out his desk as he'd promised. His few personal items were easily packed into a small cardboard box which he sealed with packing tape. Now, he stood before the heavy blast door that separated Project Kr from the rest of the world.
He had to walk past it to exit his station but he couldn't help but stop. After this day, someone else would be assigned to take on Project Kr. No doubt it would be Hugo Strange and no doubt Dr. Strange would reduce the Superboy's mind to barely above an attack drone.
"Not, Superboy," Milo corrected himself. "Project Kr." He stared at the young man behind the blast door through the small window. Suddenly, a light went off in his mind. No. Not Project Kr. Superboy. I don't work for Cadmus, so why should I use their lingo? A slow smile spread over his unshaven face. Without a second thought, he swiped his badge at the scanner next to the door and entered. Why should I follow their protocol around the boy at all?
He stepped into the chamber and looked over the unconscious teenager strapped to the vertical table. The various wires and tubings framing the boy were as cold and clinical as the clean white jumpsuit the boy wore and were a stark contrast to just how peaceful the expression on the boy's face was. He'd never spoken to Project Kr before and what better time than right as he was leaving?
He looked at the heart monitor's steady beat and after a few moments of mental deliberation, he decided to initiate the wake up protocol. Then, as various stimulants were pumped into Project Kr's head to artificially wake him up, Dr. Milo pulled up a chair and sat in front of the boy. He'd hoped that a moment like this would have been under lighter circumstances, but he couldn't help the scowl on his face.
Slowly, the boy's eyes flickered open. "W–What?"
"Hello, Conner." Dr. Milo greeted the subject casually. "How are you feeling?"
"Conner?" His voice was soft and strained, as if he'd been sleeping a long time. Technically, he had been asleep. From a certain point of view .
"Yes." Milo patiently nodded. "That's your name. Conner. Do you know what happened to you, Conner? Why you are here?"
Conner shook his head slowly, still struggling to understand even his surroundings.
Dr. Milo's fingers began flying over the keyboard attached to the heart monitor. The screen went black as he minimized the monitoring program and he dredged up classified files and footage. "That's alright. I'll show you. You're being used, and you deserve to know." He turned the monitor towards Conner, but when he saw the boy craning his neck to get a good angle on the screen, Milo tilted the screen as well to afford his child a better look.
On the screen stood Miles Desmond with a proud smirk on his face and a protective plastic mask on his head. Behind him, a few Cadmus employees in similar protective gear milled around as they set up a new nuclear battery for a unique life-support system. In the background, a green pod was suspended on metal legs with an obscured humanoid floating in the greenish ooze it contained.
"You were created from a sample of Superman's genetic material. Something of this nature had been tried in the past, but Superman's DNA was so foreign at the time that the clone quickly deteriorated physically and mentally. To prevent you from sharing the same fate as that failed attempt, I stabilized Superman's DNA by integrating human DNA."
"Superman…" Conner frowned at the mention of the Man of Steel and the heart monitor began beeping faster.
"Yes. Superman, that's it."
"I hate… Superman."
Milo shook his head. "Why?"
Conner strained his incomplete memory. Synapses fired in his mind but nothing was connecting his inquiry to a reason. Finally, after a few moments of thought, Conner's face fell into a look of confusion with an undercurrent of fear. "I don't know," he answered slowly.
"You were trained to hate him," Milo replied simply. "You were conditioned, humiliated and repeatedly injured. But not by Superman." He pulled up a month's worth of testing and conditioning data. "It was all in your mind. Mental stimulation to implant negative memories of Superman and his associates all to ensure you'd stay loyal to those who made you. Those who sought to control you." Milo opened a new tab on the screen and pulled up profile images of Cadmus' remaining board members. "Amanda Waller and Dr. Emil Hamilton."
Conner stared at the images as if committing each face to memory. "But… outside," he mumbled. "I went outside. The dark man hurt me. The bird man, too."
"You did. And it was Amanda Waller who put you back in this tube and shot you full of sedatives. But you were too strong, Conner. Your mental faculties allowed you to resist their drugs and manipulation enough to retain that spark of freedom you so eagerly desire. That you still remember your struggle with Batman in the desert fills me with hope."
"Bat… man." Conner again flexed against his restraints.
"Yes, good!" Milo stood slowly, a nasty smile on his face. "But he isn't your enemy either. Not yet. Your hatred of these so-called heroes was manufactured."
Conner stared at the pictures on the screen. "Where is that man?" He did his best to gesture to the deceased Miles Desmond. "Was he my father?"
"He is dead." Milo swiftly replied. "Deceased. Killed by Waller. Another slight. But keep this in mind." His voice dropped to a more cautionary tone. "He may have created you, but he wasn't your savior. He saw you as nothing but a weapon – a tool to be used! I saw you for the individual you are. I'm the only one who treated you with a shred of respect! They didn't even want you woken up until you were fully subservient to them."
Conner was quiet for a moment before looking back at Milo. "Why are you doing this?"
Milo stepped forward to Conner. "Conner… At every turn, Waller and Hamilton abused and betrayed you!" He looked down in anger. "Just as they betrayed me." He looked back up into Conner's eyes. "Don't we both deserve recompense?"
Conner was silent a moment, judging the man in the lab coat and bowl cut before him. Finally, he responded. "Yes. Release me."
"And you'll solve both our problems?"
"Yes."
Eagerly, Dr. Milo swiped his badge at the desk and inputted the passcode to release Conner. A minor alarm rang in the chamber as the hefty locks and restraints that kept the boy against the platform released and for the second time ever, Connor was free.
He took his first step forward. It was a tentative step, unsure. It was followed by a second, more sure step. He slowly approached Dr. Milo. For the first time, Dr. Milo had second thoughts about his actions. Hopefully, he'd been clear enough in his plan. "What are you doing?" he stuttered.
Conner reached out with both arms and embraced the frazzled doctor. "Solving your problem." The embrace was short-lived. Conner leapt forward towards the blast door. "Head down!" he instructed.
Dr. Milo did as he was told out of fear and lowered his head. A moment later there was a jarring crash as Conner smashed through the heavy door that had for so long separated him from the rest of the facility.
Conner looked at Dr. Milo. "How do we get outside?"
Milo's face shifted from concern to pleasant surprise. "Follow my guidance, Conner. Your old man knows this place like the back of his hand."
"My father? You said Desmond was dead." Conner pointed out.
"He may have been your creator," Milo grumbled. "But he wasn't your father." Ran down the left hall as the facility shook and lights dimmed. "This way!"
Arsenal inched across the floor quietly and quickly. As he moved, he flipped through his catalogue of trick arrowheads. Behind him, the Mutants and the Forty-Deuces were going at it, filling the Heap with lead and shouting. A hand firmly grasped his shoulder and he turned to it.
Aquagirl was huddled next to him, a look of utter fear and distress across her face. "What the trench is going on?" she demanded, flinching a few times when a stray bullet would plink against their cover.
"There was one thing I forgot to mention about the Heap." Arsenal managed to reply despite the gunfire being exchanged between the two gangs. "It's right on the tip of the Triangle."
"The Triangle?"
Arsenal settled on a bright-light tip. He stilled his breathing and tried to block out the sounds and focused. "Worst spot in the city. Ever since the Lords stopped keeping law and order years back, gangs all seemed to fight for this pizza slice section of the city. Heap's at one of the points. Part of the reason the scene kids left. Thought the Mutants quieted stuff down here with their control, but it seems the old gangs are pushing back for some reason." He gave her an apologetic slack jawed grin. On the other side of their cover, a grenade exploded.
"So what happened here? I thought the guy in the car was their merch person!" Aquagirl held her head in confusion and pain as her ears rang.
"Yeah, so did I." Arsenal began counting down in his head.
The Mutants had entered the Heap noisily, as was their prerogative. As it turned out, members of the Forty-Deuces, a formerly prominent street gang from 42nd Street, were in the peculiar car and, after a short argument between the two groups of gang members about who was who, they began shooting at each other. As the shooting progressed, more Forty-Deuces members came out of the woodwork and opened fire on the Mutants.
For the first few minutes of the fight, Arsenal and Aquagirl sat behind a junker trying to decide if they should intervene or just let the two groups duke it out and then take on the victor. Now, Arsenal had made the decision: as much as he didn't mind the two groups cancelling each other out, he knew that each member was someone's daughter or son and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he just watched them kill each other.
"You were eager for some action? Here's your chance." He offered his hand to Aquagirl. "You with me?" He forced a smile through his own misgivings about the unfortunate situation. He was a hero, and this is what heroes did. No doubt the Bats or even his mentor wouldn't have even given jumping into the fray a second thought.
Aquagirl looked at his open hand with a worried expression, then she took his hand. A look of determination slowly replaced her look of fear and she confidently nodded her head. She squeezed his shoulder, this time in a more tender way, and whispered, "Don't… don't die."
Arsenal looked at his companion's large mint-green eyes and felt his heart stutter. He really hoped this night wouldn't turn out poorly. "Hey," he said with a wink. "It's me."
Arsenal popped up from behind cover and fired his bow. The sharp sound from the whistling tip demanded nearly every gang member's attention. When the arrow reached its apex, it exploded in a dazzling blast of light.
Many of the gangsters were immediately temporarily blinded with the flash and in that moment, Arsenal drew and fired a trio of boxing glove arrows, knocking out three of the Forty-Deuces.
Emboldened by Arsenal's actions, Aquagirl bounded over the top of their cover and splayed out her fingers. She'd already finished the enchantment mentally when her armored feet hit the ground. Water flowed from beneath the sewer grates and swept over a party of Mutants looking to take advantage of the temporary confusion on the Forty-Deuces' end.
Arsenal fired another volley of boxing glove arrows and took down a duo of Forty-Deuces. It became apparent that he was going for the fastest way to subdue possible. No more damage than he had to cause to keep them down. One of the Mutants managed to get in close and Arsenal had to jump back to avoid the swipe of a switchblade. Before the gang member had another chance to attack, a column of water knocked him to the side into a group of Mutants.
Arsenal looked at the source of the column and saw Aquagirl redirecting her controlled water column, almost like a baseball bat, smashing and swiping the Mutants. He returned his attention to the Forty-Deuces. Some of them were finally recovering from the surprise attack and were brandishing their weapons.
His first goal was to take out those wielding firearms. He slid to the side and avoided incoming fire. It wasn't too directed at him, rather a spray of warning shots, but better safe than sorry. He readied another bright-tip, but then changed his mind and set it to be a screamer instead. Right as there was a lull in the shooting, he partially stood and fired his bow.
The arrow sang through the air with near-perfect accuracy and struck the center shooter. The tip dug into the woman's shoulder and then emitted the coarsest howl the group had ever heard. In surprise and apin, they dropped their weapons and held their ears. Arsenal dialed back the sensitivity in his earbuds; however, even after that, he could still hear its low grumbling.
He swiveled in place and fired a basic net arrow at two Forty-Deuces then pivoted to the left and down just as a Forty-Deuce attempted to tackle him. He put his resilient bow between him and his attacker and rolled onto his back, throwing the Forty-Deuce member with the momentum. Despite the counter attack, the Forty-Deuce managed to right himself and crashed into Arsenal right as the hero stood.
Arsenal was caught off-guard by his assailant's quick recovery but didn't budge. Under the mask, he was Mawk Zander Machaelson and he'd been a football player in high school. He'd been tackled by many a linebacker in his past and this was the sloppiest attempt at taking him down he'd ever experienced. And after being beaten by Ra's al Ghul, I don't think it matters. He actually laughed.
The gang member looked up in surprise then took a few tentative steps back. "Jeezus, you're huge," the man stuttered in fear. He knew Arsenal was a superhero and he knew Arsenal was Green Arrow's partner. But he didn't realize that the crimson bowman was a good few inches over six feet and had the build of a bodybuilder. He took a few tentative steps back and reached for the knife weighing down his pocket.
Arsenal cracked his neck in preparation for the fight. "Don't—" then he paused suddenly. "Marco?" He felt some of his anger melt away as he actually recognized the man. "Marco St. Martin?"
The thug's face shifted from fear and disgust to slight surprise. "Aw, shit."
Arsenal took another step forward, this time with his hand outstretched in a show of good faith. "You're supposed to be on parole. You weren't supposed to be doing this nonsense anymore!"
The man wiped his nose nervously and eyed Arsenal. "Wasn't supposed to be dis way," he replied. "Was supposed to just be a simple purchase of goods for the 'hood." He looked over his shoulder.
Aquagirl was dealing still with the Mutants but barely edging them out. She had way more power than they did, but they outmatched her for sure. Soon, they may overrun her. Their devilish smiles and wicked grins told the tale that if they got ahold of her, it would be disgraceful for Atlantis. Marco turned back and looked over Arsenal's shoulder.
His Forty-Deuces had finally recovered from the loud blaring arrow and were picking up their weapons. No doubt if Arsenal hadn't recognized him, the hero would have disposed of them already. It was only by sheer luck that their guns were still nearby.
"Marco." Arsenal called for his attention. "What's going on? What were you trying to buy that you'd risk your parole for a fight with the Mutants?"
Marco thought for a moment then nodded. "This is my fam. They got my back." He turned in place and opened his palms. "Pat me, arrow-guy. I got no gun on me. No drugs. I'm clean. Y'got nothin' on me."
"Tell your men to stand down and I'll deal with the Mutants," Arsenal instructed. "I think you've both been played."
Batman and Batgirl were the first to reach the top of Cadmus' Gotham branch. Red-X joined them soon after. They had only been observing the building for a few minutes before something had grabbed Batman's attention. The briefest pulse of the exterior lights of the building raised Batman's suspicions and he'd directed them to approach the building. Now all gathered on the roof, the two younger ones of the trio looked to their leader for the next step.
"That pulse of lights was no random flicker caused by a power company's failings," he said. "That was an even and deliberate modulation of energy. Something in there is drawing a lot of power from their generators, and if I were to wager a guess based on their previous dealings..."
"Please don't say it." Batgirl shook her head viciously. "If you say it, you make it real."
"What? Say what?" Red-X was lost. Batman and Batgirl had obviously shared a previous experience with whatever organization was within the building, but he was yet again out of the loop. "Don't do this to me again!" he wailed.
"A boomtube," Batman offered his former partner information. "Similar to the portals you helped close down, but one artificially created."
Red-X looked at the building beneath his feet with new apprehension. "Not sure that's something I want to be right on top of if things go south," he said. "But by your body language, it seems you actually want to head inside."
Batman grunted as he approached the ventilation shaft sticking out of the roof.
"Hell no, boss." Batgirl shook her head again. "After last time, I'd like to not be in an enclosed space within their building." She pointed to a service door on the roof. "How about we just… take the stairs?"
"For once, I'm with her." Red-X stepped up to the door. "And don't worry about the lock." He peered through the dirty glass window and into the empty stairwell. "This one's on me." A moment later, Red-X vanished from view and just as quickly appeared on the other side of the door. He twisted the lock from the opposite side but when the door wouldn't open, he applied some of his Xenotheum energy to the handle and melted through the lock. The door swung open.
Batgirl exchanged glances with Batman but stepped up all the same to enter. Red-X blocked her path with his arm. "Ah, ah, ah," he teasingly pushed her back and gestured for Batman to come through first. "Age before beauty."
"I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult, " Batgirl growled.
Batman strode between the two, silencing all further ribbing and led them into the depths of the building.
The first few flights of stairs contained nothing out of the ordinary. They mostly led to hallways that branched into offices or conference rooms. It more or less had the appearance of a standard government installation. But Batman knew it was only a matter of time before they came upon crazy. It was The Question who had given him this location and it wouldn't be up to the Question's standards if the place had just been a government office building.
The trio continued to descend the stairs and right when Batman could sense that Red-X was about to make a snarky comment on the lack of extraordinary dealings, they rounded a corner and came upon a door different from all the previous ones. This one was, like the others, tightly sealed, however, it wasn't a standard office door. Instead, it was more like a door you'd find on a submarine or in a vault, with a wheel-like lock most likely controlling inner cams.
Batman grasped the suicide knob and attempted to spin the wheel to unlock the door, but it refused to budge. He looked at Red-X. "Can you get to the other side?"
"Do I look like a chicken to you?" Red-X fired back. But when he saw Batman's humorless expression, Red-X nervously laughed and explained. "I can only teleport where I can see, B-Man. Changing states and superpositioning works best when you can see your destination. Can't we just blow the lock?"
"And risk alarm?" Batgirl slapped the back of Red-X's helmeted head, annoyed with his suggestion of a direct approach. "Even I know that's a bad idea." She leaned over to inspect the hatch. "The real question is 'can it be picked?'"
Batman nodded. "Perhaps. That would be quieter. No guarantee that the alarm would still not go off, though."
The lights in the building faded out again and, this time, they stayed dimmed. Already these service stairs were darkly lit, but now they were nearly plunged in darkness. Something in the facility was really drawing a ton of energy. Batman looked up the many flights of stairs that they'd descended. The roof access door was only a faint memory. A low rumble began followed by a bang of a gun.
"What the hell…" More bangs cut off Red-X and soon the trio realized that there was some sort of gunfight on the other side of the door. Screams echoed in the unseen hallways and Red-X had had enough of the mystery. "Alright. If we aren't blowing the door and we aren't picking the lock, then I guess I'll take initiative and get us inside."
He placed his palm on the door and, before either Batman or Batgirl could stop him, he fired his palm blast. The red Xenothium quadrisected the door into equal parts and then the door fell to pieces. On the other side of the door stood two guards with their backs to the heroes. They turned once the segments of what used to be a door hit the ground.
One guard was already knocked down by a red blast from Red-X before he even had time to realize the threat. The other raised his pistol and managed to fire off a warning shot. But it didn't deter Red-X. The young caped vigilante leapt forward and wrestled the man against the wall, pushing the gun up and away from himself and his two partners. As soon as the gun was removed from the equation, Red-X clapped a hand over the terrified guard's face and and a red sludge covered the man's eyes.
He screamed as his vision was quickly obscured. However, his screams were cut short as another third hand clamped over his mouth. "Who's there?" he muffled a demand, though he was almost positive his assaulters would not identify themselves.
"What's going on here?" Batman demanded in a slightly different tone of voice. He removed his gloved hand from the man's mouth.
The guard whimpered. "How did you find this place?"
Batman nodded to Red-X and Red-X applied some pressure to the man's pinned arm. "I'm losing my patience," Batman warned.
"Ow. Ow! Okay!" The man winced and hissed until Red-X slackened the pressure. "Fine! We have a security breach! One of our researchers faced disciplinary action and he's become quite... disgruntled. And now we have to deal with you, too." A sly smile crossed his lips and he seemed to mull something over. "I recognize you, you're that Red-X kid." He managed to calm himself as he prepared to strike a deal. "Rumor has it that your team's keen on handling terrible things, what say you deal with our problem and I'll look the other way at your intrusion?"
Red-X pushed the man back up against the wall and behind his helmet, he smiled. "Don't count on it," he decidedly replied. "You're in no position to barter." He jumped and brought his elbow gracefully against the guard's temple. The man went out like a light. Batman stepped in and gently slouched the man over and down on the ground as Red-X turned to Batgirl. Even through the dark uniform, Batgirl could tell Red-that under the helmet, Tim Drake was beaming with pride at his actions.
"And they didn't even see either of you." Batgirl could almost hear the smile on Red-X's face. "Glad you let me keep my arms, Batgirl?"
Batgirl rolled her eyes behind her visor as she desperately tried to think of a witty comeback. Her mind failed her and the moment faded as Batman stood stoicly.
"Seems they bit off more than they could chew, again," he muttered.
"You think it's the Superboy?" Batgirl posited.
"The Superboy?" Red-X was lost. "Another Kryptonian? First Kara and now this kid? Supes isn't as unique as he thought he was, huh?"
"Probably," Batman answered Batgirl's question.
"What now?"
"We're already inside," Red-X said, gesturing to further explore the facility they had gained entry to. "So why don't we see what all the hub-bub is about?"
Batman led the way as the three quietly slinked to the first corner. In the near distance but still muffled by walls and floors, they could hear shooting and shouting, but they couldn't distinguish any actual words. In their own hallway, the three heroes quickly found a directory listing the various wings. One particular name caught Batman's eye and he pointed to it.
Batgirl read the paper nameplate aloud. "Doctor Hugo Strange? Friend of yours?"
"Isn't that the creep who read your mind or something?" Red-X added. He ran his hand over the cheap plastic list of names. "Seems like his name's covering someone else's up." His finger flicked the paper to the side a bit and he read the first name of the hidden title. "'Achilles'?"
"Must be recent if Strange's nameplate isn't in that slot." Batman surmised. "Seems like we know who the 'disgruntled employee' is."
Heavy bootfalls echoed around the corner and threatened to turn at any moment on them. Red-X quickly pushed himself against a small closet doorway and, after peeking in through it's window, teleported inside. A moment later, he'd unlocked the door and both Batman and Batgirl rushed into the tiny closet. It was a tight fit with Red-X squeezed up in the middle, his head pinned between Batman's and Batgirl's chests.
"Don't worry," he whispered to Batgirl. "I won't tell Robin if you won't tell Changeling."
Batgirl let off a gruff sigh of disgust as she weighed the consequences of shoving Red-X out of the hiding spot with the pros. As much as the kid irked the hell out of her sometimes, the mission did come first; and it was of paramount importance that she and Batman not be seen. She looked up at Batman for some form of reassurance, but the Dark Knight had his attention focused out the dingy window, waiting to see who would come. If he'd heard the crass remark from his former pupil, he didn't seem to care. Perhaps she should do the same. She let the remark roll off her shoulders and ignored the on-again off-again hero.
Just outside, a man familiar to Batman strode into view. His bald head and thick mustache, which carried more salt than pepper, easily distinguished him from those he marched with. The others wore helmets with chin straps unbuckled and dangling loosely from either side. If the man's feature's hadn't given him away already, his voice definitely did.
"We need to contain the boy by all means necessary!" General Eiling seemed to be in mid-instruction. "Waller's on Tala's wing and we must not allow a repeat of what happened in Nevada! Christ! I can't believe I was called out of bed for this."
One of the soldiers offered the General a sat-phone. From the speaker, a voice came clear. "You mean we have the go-ahead to kill?"
"We have only a limited number of K-rounds, but if you've got a shot, take it." Eiling barked into the receiver. "Waller's already dismissed Dr. Milo and we have his notes. Kill the petulant child and I'll take responsibility when Waller finds out. We can make another one… Without Dr. Milo's incessant meddling. Perhaps then we can make a weapon we can actually fire when we want to fire it…"
Both soldiers nodded and a moment later the whole floor shook as if there'd been an explosion. Eiling smacked into the closet door and those around him were knocked to the ground. As one woman got her feet under her, she removed her walkie.
"What the heck was that?" she asked.
"Damn it!" General Eiling cursed. "Can't catch a break." He pushed off the door and straightened himself, dusting his clothes off and straightening his uniform. On a whim, he looked at the window to check his reflection. Just because he was bald didn't mean his hair could be out of order. He messed around with his mustache a bit but then noticed something peculiar about his reflection.
No… it wasn't his reflection. It was something past his reflection. He squinted a bit and looked beyond the pane.
"Oh, shit..." Red-X murmured. His knuckles buzzed as he prepared for the fight.
Batman's face contorted as the General looked through the dark window. His thoughts went to Diana's warnings. He was the face of the new League. If he, or Batgirl, was captured here, it would set his team back even further. He glanced at Batgirl and could see her almost shaking with anticipation of a fight. It wouldn't be a good look but it would be better than just getting arrested. That girl wouldn't go down without a fight.
He looked down at Red-X. The kid had always been a fan of sneaking. He recalled what Superman had said about Tim years ago. Bruce had been mind controlled by the alien super computer Brainiac and it was up to Tim and Clark, as Robin and Batman, to save the day. He wished he could have seen just how ridiculous Clark looked in a Batsuit, but aside from missing out on that rare sight, he was made privy to something else: Clark recounted how Tim had led him around Wayne Enterprises' office suites and into Wayne's office. Clark was never one for sneaking but Tim informed him that half the fun of being a superhero was the sneaking. But now, the boy who loved to sneak seemed to be just brimming with excitement of the fight to come. He seemed even more nervous and antsy than Batgirl, as if contemplating more than just swinging fists.
"Get this door open!" Eiling demanded, hand already going to his sidearm.
"Well," Red-X whispered to Batman and Batgirl in a resigned tone. It sounded as if he'd just made up his mind on a crucial decision. "It's been real. Thanks for the final ride, B-Man. We'll have to do it again when I'm back in town." He shifted in place, pushing slightly forward, taking up the space just in front of the door.
"What are you doing?" Batgirl hissed. The door was about to be opened and she wanted to deliver a preemptive strike, but now the brat was in the way.
"Taking a bullet for the Bat."
Right as one of the guards placed her hand on the knob to open the dark closet, Red-X teleported out of the closet to behind her, kicking out her knee and forcing her to buckle. Not wasting a moment, the former Boy Wonder flashed out his palms and blasted back the other soldiers then turned to General Eiling.
"You're pretty good at hide and seek, Mister," he taunted. "Let's see if you're just as good at 'Keep Away'." He snatched the General's satellite phone and then bounded away further down the hall.
The guards struggled to their feet and General Eiling only looked at them, furious. "Don't just stand there!" he commanded. "After that intruder!" He drew his gun and led the charge after Red-X.
Once he was sure the coast was clear, Batman opened adn exited the closet with Batgirl close behind.
"What was that about?"
Batman looked in the direction that Red-X had gone. "Misdirection. He's keeping the heat on him." Thanks, Tim. Batman turned around. "We need to find Waller. It sounds like these power fluctuations are happening because they're sustaining a boomtube. We have to shut them down."
Waller watched the projection with bated breath as the drone's cameras spat crisp and quality footage of the other side out. Thankfully, the portal had dumped the drone out in a seemingly more remote area of Gehenna meaning they did get a head start on the hordes that Julian had so many times warned about.
The hordes came from the front but were unable to reach the drone, and didn't seem intelligent enough to realize the cable leading from the drone's rear would be a surefire way to pull it down. The drone pilot, to his credit, was an expert and had deftly flown the drone over a yawning abyss to the right within seconds of seeing the growing, groaning hordes – Groaning so loud and disturbing that the audio stream had to be silenced to avoid negatively affecting all present. Now the drone cruised slowly at the midway point of the abyss and made an even-timed rotation in place, giving all a full 360 degree view of their surroundings.
Gehenna was a parched land. Its terrain rough and dry like the Arizona desert on the driest of days. There wasn't an inch of land that wasn't covered in dust and that was saying something. The dry and craggy tendril-like bridges were all the land there was. Other than that, there was only a deep abyss of red skies and black clouds. On most of the distant land-bridges, unfortunate mindless members of the horde shambled about with seemingly no rhyme or reason.
"My word…" Director Waller looked away from the screen and at Tala. The woman was obviously spellbound by the images, and she had been the only person not upsetted by the discordant moans. Waller shook her head and looked back at the screen. As she did, her pocket vibrated.
"Yes? What is it?" she answered.
"Ma'am, there's been a breech. Project Kr's escaped."
Waller looked to the side, frustrated. "Milo," she sneered. "I'll have his hide for this."
"Superboy's taken him, ma'am."
This caught Waller off-guard. But when she actually thought about it, it made sense. He'd always given the project as much attention as he could even when it wasn't under his supervision. It had been a mistake attaching him to Project Kr, even temporarily. He may have been the most intimately familiar with the project, but putting him on it had only caused more problems. It'd only been a few days since the move from Nevada and look at the mess Milo had already caused.
"Ma'am?"
Waller stepped away from her viewing post to devote her full attention to the matter above. "Restrain the child if possible but kill only if necessary."
"General Eiling has already given a kill order, ma'am. Said it would be better to just make a new one."
General Eiling had gone over her head. Wonderful. Though, she agreed with the hotheaded general's direct solution, as much as she hated to admit it. Project Kr had been expensive, but she was sure it would be easier to make a new one than to sedate and try to recondition the current one. Pin the fault of the first one on Achilles Milo and the investors would no doubt still flock to the idea of having a government-bred Superman.
"Fine. Do what you have to. Just ensure he doesn't cause any damage to the equipment or systems integral to the DarkHeart fragments or the EnigmaGate!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier on the other line smartly replied. "And there's another thing: there's an intruder within the base."
"Then catch them, soldier." Director Waller was running low on her patience. She made sure her thinning nerves were clear over the call as she spoke each word deliberately. "What more do you need from me?"
"Nothing more, ma'am," the soldier replied, slightly deflated.
"Good. Let me know when you've dealt with Milo's failings for the last time. And not a moment before." Waller hung up and clipped her phone back on her hip before the man could even respond.
She returned to her post and looked at the projector. The image was beginning to fade a bit and lose color. "Tala!" Waller's voice reached across the room. "What is going on with the image?"
Tala frowned at the slight loss of quality. "I think the anchors are negatively affecting the feed the further the drone goes." She tilted her head in ponderance. "Salazar, could you bump up the resonance of the anchors? That should offset the EnigmaGate's magical properties."
The tech nodded her head and began determined typing. A few moments went by and then the three anchors on the floor of the portal began to glow a bit more harshly. The tech Salazar adjusted a knob near her left hand and soon the harsh glow died down to a more soothing, almost cough drop-like, hue.
The low buzzing from the anchors shifted a bit in pitch and a more high pitched tone was emitted. It somehow seemed to compliment the lower buzzing coming from the remaining four anchors and soon both tones faded into the background, becoming simply white noise to all in attendance.
The picture ceased flickering and the color returned within seconds. With the issue fixed by her solution, Tala gave Waller a confident smirk and threw her technician a look of approval. It was difficult being the smartest in the room, but somehow she managed.
However, unknown to Tala, as the resonant frequency equalized to a pitch nearly inaudible to humans, a young man wailed.