Summary: Takes place around November of this year (2012), so 11 months after Auld Acquaintance.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
Ever since the team's victory on Santa Prisca, Cheshire had gone rogue. She was still a merc for hire and now-former member of the League of Assassins, but she started helping Red Arrow out more with his search for the original Roy. Call it guilt, call it redemption, whatever the case, she had used some of her old contacts to lock down a possible location for where the Light was keeping Speedy. Roy was reluctant to ask the team for help considering he had walked away, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to take the facility without backup. And so he reluctantly reached out to his friends...
Dick had brought Donna to the cave to visit, after having pestered her about it for over a year with some help from Diana. FINALLY! Maybe this is a first step to her joining...He Zeta'd in and authorized access for Wonder Girl, who nervously stepped into the cave.
"Wow, you guys have really renovated it, huh?"
"Yeah. Last time you saw it, this place was a dump. We've kinda made it home." The rest of the team walked over to meet her. Wally and Kaldur ran up and hugged their old friend, and Zatana saw her act very friendly with Dick. Arty noticed her best friend's suspicious look and snickered a bit before whacking her behind the head. She walked up to Donna.
"Hey. Name's Artemis." Donna smiled before shaking her hand. Dick had kept her up to date on basically everything that happened ever since the team formed, so she was well aware of everyone here.
"Yes, the new archer. Dick speaks quite highly of you. I'm Wonder Girl, but you can just call me Donna." Megan floated up and eagerly greeted her, and Connor grunted, though he let a small smile form on his face when Donna shook his hand.
"Kara would love to meet you, I'm sure."
"Oh, we met a few days ago. She's great." Donna smiled before turning to Rocket.
"Nice to meet you. It's about time Kaldur got a girlfriend." Raquel's blush was barely noticeable as she shook Donna's hand. She then turned to face the magician, who was hesitant to meet this new girl Dick had brought, but walked up nonetheless. Donna grinned before shaking her hand. "You must be Zatanna. Dick speaks most about you. Glad we finally met." Both Dick and Zee blushed a bit, and Dick elbowed Donna. Batman Zeta'd in, throwing a small smile at Donna before asking the team to convene in the monitor room. Donna followed Dick and the others to their briefing. To everyone's surprise, Roy was waiting for them. Oh...this is awkward. Everyone except Dick, Donna, Kal, and Wally ran up to greet him. Those who didn't go looked to Donna awkwardly, knowing their history. Donna looked away and Dick placed a hand on her shoulder before going up to meet Roy.
Upon seeing Donna, Roy shrank back a bit, but Batman ignored all the pleasantries as he activated the holo-computer. "Cheshire has provided Red Arrow with a lead on Speedy, and he requires backup." Arty's eyes widened at the mention of her sister, so Roy explained.
"She's been helping every now and then with my case. She used her old contacts in the Light to get this data." What's the Light?
"The Light?"
"It's what the bad guy alliance calls themselves. Vandal Savage leads it, Luthor and Ra's Al Ghul provide resources, Queen Bee and Klarion are high-level operatives, and they have dozens more members. I have bits and pieces of my Cadmus programming still in me, enough to remember some key points." Immediately Batman asked about the missing 16 hours, but Roy denied knowing anything about that. He then provided coordinates for the facility Jade had told him about, and the team prepared to get ready.
Dick approached Roy as he prepared. "Uh, hey, man."
"Hey. I'm...I'm sorry I wasn't around much recently."
"Nah, I get it. If you ever do need help, though, you know who to call." Roy smiled and nodded. Dick tried to converse more with him, but he was quite reserved. He didn't want to hurt his friends any more than he already had when he was a puppet to the Light. Roy eventually left Dick and tried to talk to Donna, but it didn't end very well. Dick noticed this and went up to the Amazon himself.
"Hey, uh, you comin'?"
"Yeah. I don't trust this info. No way I'm letting you go alone."
"Alright. Um...listen, about Roy, I...I think him dumping you was just part of his Cadmus programming and stuff. He did a lot of things out of character back then..." Dick saw Donna slightly glare at him, and he adjusted his words. "I-I'm just saying, maybe cut him a bit of slack. He may not be at complete fault. He was brainwashed and all." Donna sighed and nodded slowly before getting ready to board the ship. Dick explained the team's mind-link, Bioship, and generally covert-but-not-really-covert missions. Zatanna was slightly peeved off at all the attention he was giving Donna, but she caught herself. I'm being WAY too possessive. She's just a friend. Like Barbara or Arty. Plus, he probably hasn't seen her in person for a while.
The flight was more or less quiet, tension relatively high between Donna and Roy. Dick, Wally and Kal had mentally told the others of their...history, and so everyone understood not to bug them. The team made their way to the facility, where Red Arrow, Artemis, Robin, Wonder Girl, and Zatanna split off from the others after Kaldur instructed them to.
Tension was rather high within the group as they followed Roy's lead. He was in command due to his knowledge of the mission parameters and having scoped out the scene beforehand. Dick would have scoped it out too after the briefing, but he was rather preoccupied talking to Donna and...socializing with Zee, so he just went with Roy's plan.
The group made it down to the lower level only to be met with Guardian. This guy again? What now? Roy stepped forward.
"Guardian. I need your help. We're looking for-" The golden-plaid warrior didn't even let Arrow finish before throwing a grenade to blind and disorient the group. Dick and Roy's masks filtered the bright light out, but Guardian charged them. Robin and Red Arrow took the "hero" on as the others struggled to regain clarity. Eventually, the stun grenade wore off, but Guardian had called in reinforcements to hold the others off. Lexcorp?! Okay, what the hell has gotten into this guy?! Starro-tech? I'm pretty sure we already treated him! Robin and Red Arrow made quick work of the warrior, tying him up before turning back to the others. Zatanna smirked at Dick, the troops lying unconscious all around the group. Dick's eyes widened before smirking back. Damn, that's badass.
The team awaited Guardian coming to before interrogating him. Guardian, however, was confused out of his mind. Okay, WHAT IS GOING ON?! Did the last 5 minutes just leave his mind? Dick reached out to the others in the mind link, asking for M'gann specifically. The others arrived soon after, and M'gann reached into Guardian's mind before gasping.
"What? What is it?"
"H-he's...he's like you. He's...a c-clone. O-of Speedy." Roy's eyes widened and Connor facepalmed. God, I'm such an idiot! He told me Red Arrow's his nephew! How did I not-gah! Kaldur unmasked him to reveal an older-looking Roy. Everyone looked in awe, and Guardian looked as if his world had fallen apart.
"I...I'm a clone?" M'gann nodded, sorrow in her eyes. She used her powers to trace and wipe any and all Cadmus programming from his brain, and Dick undid his restraints as he stood up. The team explained their situation to the new "Roy", and he nodded, doing his best to remember his programming for any info they may not know.
"Uh...what can we call you?"
"Wha-oh. Jim. Jim Harper was my name. Before...before all this." Roy placed a hand on his shoulder before taking over the questioning.
"I'm looking for...him. The original. Is he..."
"He's not here. I...I think Luthor tipped Cheshire false info to lead you all into a trap. And...I was head of the Cadmus facility in D.C. for a while...Roy...I'm sorry..."
"Sorry? Wh-why?"
"Cadmus policy...it was to...to delete the source material. It's what we tried to do to you three when you all assaulted Project Kr last year. Roy...I don't think Speedy is still alive. I'm...I'm sorry." Roy's eyes widened more and more, and he eventually faltered, nearly falling over from shock. Donna walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kaldur did the same, and the others looked on in sorrow.
"N-no, you're wrong! He-he's alive. He has to be!" Roy gritted his teeth before walking off. "If he's not here, he's somewhere else. I will find him." Donna ran after Roy, trying to comfort him or get him to see reason. Either way, Dick was lost in thought. He turned to Guardian.
"Do you know when the original was..."
"Y-yes. I...I think it was about...6 years ago. B-before any of you met. That's...that's all I can remember from my programming. I only know that since I was head of Cadmus for a while..." That means...I...I never met the original? Ro-Red Arrow...HE'S the Roy I've known for the past half-decade! Kaldur placed a hand on Jim's shoulder.
"It is clear you have some things to work out. Please, Jim. Let us take you to the League. They can help situate you." Jim nodded before walking off with Kal, dropping his helmet and shield on the way out. The rest of the team was in shock at the revelations they had been through, and, out of some need for comfort or stability or whatever, Zee had taken hold of Dick's hand. He gave her a squeeze before they followed their teammates back to the ship.
Back at base, the team debriefed Batman, who immediately got to work setting up a new life for Jim. Dick and Zee approached Donna. "So, you're leaving?"
"Yeah...sorry, but I need to help Roy. Or at least get him to see reason. But I'll be back. No way I could leave you knowing you finally got such a killer girlfriend." Zee blushed before shaking Donna's hand. "Keep bird-brain out of trouble, alright?"
"You and I both know that's not possible." Donna laughed before hugging Dick.
"I really like her." Dick smiled as he watched Donna Zeta after Roy. And just like that, she's gone. She'll be back, though. She always comes back...
Not the best I've written, this was more of an exposition dump for the team since I needed to explain how they would find out about some stuff that happened during the 5-year-time skip (which, by the way, I hate. Why couldn't we have gotten another season with the original team and Dick as Robin, showing him naturally leave the Robin mantle and take up the Nightwing mask? That woulda been kinda cool, plus we woulda gotten more Chalant, but idk. Call me salty, but a pretty big part of my hype for s4 is dimmed knowing Chalant won't be a thing and Wonderbird likely won't be either considering where Tim and Cassie left off in S3, which seriously sucks. Either way I'll watch it and probably enjoy it, but it's sad these two just broke up with like 0 screentime. I doubt I'll incorporate much of it into this book's universe unless there's something I really think was an interesting idea, but no way I would sacrifice something already set up in this book for that, especially not Chalant). Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.