HIVE Facility
"Aye, Murph, you know what day it is, right?"
"Aw, no, don't tell me…"
"'Fraid so. It's…"
The Great Hall, 5 minutes later
"Good morning, ladies and germs!" Damien announced genially, swallowing a bite of blueberry muffin while taking a slurp of macchiato. "As you all know, it's Briefing Day! So who wants to go first?"
There was a cough as the assembly was quiet. No one dared to look the deadly trio onstage in the eye. Mr. Darhk was intimidating enough all by his lonesome but the Headmistress and I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. weren't anything to sneeze at either.
The eyes of their leader scanned the crowd before smiling dangerously and picking at random. "Murphy, what's the status of your division? Have you convinced Captain Hall to take my generous offer."
"Er, um, no sir." Murphy answered quietly, although it may as well have been artillery considering the quietness of the room.
"That damn fool. Can he not see we're trying to help him?!" Damien burst out before sighing to shake his head in pity. "No matter. He's ultimately inessential to our plans. He's a good man, though, it'd be a shame to slaughter him but such is life."
"Were any of you able to gather the intel I requested for the highly advanced computer chips?" The I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. stepped forward.
Murphy internally shuddered. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the sight of the machine man. The only human part of him was his ugly face with a skinny robotic torso and pincer-like hands. He still couldn't shake the memory of the day when he'd almost thrown up his lunch watching the chassis turn a full 360. Freaky as he was, the guy got results and was a part of HIVE's Inner Circle for good reason.
"The information is incoming, sir." A fellow grunt spoke out.
"Well, hurry up. We'll have to accelerate our plans for Operation Waterworks. Every advantage we can gather is vital."
"Orderlies, I am rallying the students after lunch." Ruve Darhk cut in. "Make sure the new arrivals behave and have the power-dampening rays prepared. The last thing we need is an incident in front of our guest today."
"Yes, ma'am!" The division of soldiers responded.
"We'll check in periodically throughout the day, so be prepared." Damien announced. "Dismissed."
The group of mercenaries seemed all too happy to disperse and get back to work.
Seemingly satisfied, Damien nodded and began to head for the labs, I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R. and his wife trailed behind him.
"My lord, since we're on the subject of Captain Hall, might we have to take similar action with the Mayor?" The machine construct asked.
"Not necessary. The Titans took the bait as we knew they would and their reputation was further soured. Even if the endeavor to scare Mayor McCuistion failed, Mr. Soze did his part and now owes me a favor. Remind me to send him a little goodie basket in exchange for his discretion." Damien decided.
"Of course, sir. But do we truly need a common thug like him on our side?"
Damien stopped in his tracks and turned to look up into his underling's eyes. "Understand this, my friend. I want every part of this city in my pocket. From the mayor to the volunteers at the soup kitchen. If there is any stone unturned, the city is not truly mine. If you want to be the king, you have to know your subjects. Even the undesirables."
"Of course, sir." He shakily agreed.
With that, Darhk continued his pace, reaching their destination. He paused to marvel at a humanoid form in a test tube tended to by a group of scientists.
"I.N.S.T.I.G.A.T.O.R., how's our little bun in the oven coming along?"
"As well as can be expected, sir. We believe he may be nearing completion. Unfortunately, we can't seem to age him into an adult yet. But the necessary programming and the requisite combat skills are all prepared."
"Goodie. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the aging snafu. If our resident pests across the bay have taught us anything, it's that power comes in all shapes and sizes. Besides, the kiddies might feel a little more comfortable around one of their own."
"Yes sir."
"Oh!" Damien snapped his fingers. "Somebody remind me to check on Dr. Stone and the "Cyclones", please. Don't wanna let him feel he's off the hook."
"Of course, sir!"
Pausing with his hands on his hips, the maestro of mayhem turned to his expectant wife. "So, darling, tell me how the students are progressing."
Ruve's mouth turned down into a sour frown. "I must confess, my love, I am slightly disappointed. Some of them seem more interested in goofing off than becoming soldiers for the cause."
Damien's mouth still held a ghost of a smile even as his eyes hardened. "Do you need me to come down there and…?"
Chuckling, the H.I.V.E. Headmistress laid a hand over one of her husband's own. "No, dear. I'm confident in my own abilities to whip them into shape. They'll get with the program soon enough. I promise you that." Retracting her hand, she exhaled. "The last thing we want is to get a call from Zandia."
For the first time all day, Damien's expression became nervous. "No. Definitely not that. I want him to know we've got things handled here. We wouldn't want him or the Master to get agitated, especially with the girl's presence here."
"What shall we do about her, Damien? Should we attempt to apprehend her?"
"No." Her husband readily decided. "We've been given explicit instructions to leave her alive and unharmed, if possible. It would be too dangerous. Besides, she's nowhere near ready yet. Let the child have her last few years. Her friends, however, might not be so lucky. We have free rein to do as we see fit with them."
"Speaking of reins, I'd better get back to the Academy and convince one of those urchins to seize them. They need a clear leader, though no one seems willing to step up."
"Private H.I.V.E. should be able to take care of that once he's ready, Ruve."
"And how long will that be, Damien? Besides, every leader needs a second-in-command."
"True." The man leaned over to kiss his wife before standing up. "Let me know who's willing to step up."
Ruve took a moment before begrudgingly speaking out. "Perhaps your presence would be beneficial this week. A wake-up call of sorts to let them know the free room and board only extends as far as their results."
Her husband grinned knowingly, as if he'd known she would come to this conclusion all along. "I can be by anytime you like after 2:00. 2:15, tops."
HIVE Lunchroom
"I keep telling you guys, we need to step up!" Jinx insisted, hands on her hips as she glowered at her two friends.
"And we keep telling you, what for?" Mammoth groused, pointing at her with a slice of pizza he promptly shoved down his piehole. "We got a pretty sweet deal, here, Jinx. We get room and board, free meals, and an 'education' that lets us wail on stuff regularly. What else do we need?"
"How about some respect? Don't you want real power? These guys are the real deal. We should be learning all we can from them. If we play our cards right, we could be on their level one day. No more working for somebody else, no more begging from scraps from someone above you. You really think that they keep us around because they like us? They're waiting for somebody to take charge. Why not us?" Pausing in her tirade, Jinx turned her gaze to the table's other occupant. "Gizmo, are you even listening?"
"Yeah, sure. Step up, power, blah blah blah. It's the same thing every other day, Jenna."
"It doesn't hurt to have a little ambition, Brendon." She shot back, using his real name in kind as she sat down.
"Well, Baran says both of you should shut up and eat your lunch before I eat 'em for ya." Mammoth cut in.
"Well, shoot, can Billy cut in?" A new voice spoke from behind.
The trio turned to face a young man with a close-cropped haircut, shades, and a red shirt flanked by a couple buddies.
"And who are you?" Gizmo asked.
"Billy. Billy Numerous. Pleasure to meet ya'll." When nobody decided to shake his proffered hand, Billy nonchalantly continued. "Anyhow, I couldn't help but notice you fine folks was talkin' about movin' on up in the world. Seems to me what ya'll need is some leadership."
Jinx scoffed. "From you? No thanks."
"Ah, darlin', ya jus' don' know me well 'nough yet, that's all."
"I think I'm gonna hurl." Gizmo sneered.
"Probably that doggone meatloaf." Billy smirked with mock sympathy. "Ain't nothin' like some good ol' downhome fixins'."
"What do ya want, Huck Finn?" Mammoth growled.
Billy's face hardened almost imperceptibly for a moment before his easy grin resumed. "I want ya'll to consider joining up." Gesturing behind him, he began to introduce his friends.
Pointing at what appeared to be a honest-to-goodness alien complete with antennae, saying, "This here fella is XL Terrestrial. Visitor from another planet. He's still working on his English but his fists usually do all the talkin'."
Next, he laid a hand on the shoulder of a girl with striking gold eyes and white wings protruding from her back. "Meet Angel. This little chicky flew the coop to show she ain't as angelic as she looks."
Respectfully keeping his distance, he gestured to a cloaked young man whose eyes burned red-hot. "No, this ain't Batman. This is Kyd Wykkyd. Not exactly on the side of the angels, present company excluded."
Finally, he slung an arm around a dark-skinned boy with bulging goggles. "Last but certainly not least, my good pal See-More. Fellow country boy who just needed a little…laser eye surgery."
The boy laughed as if he'd just made a hilarious joke.
"Wow." Gizmo spoke up. "Thank you so much for all that information that nobody asked for."
"'Jus bein' friendly, is all. Momma never teach you that?"
"Don't talk about my 'momma'."
"Ooh, touchy subject, huh? I know yer Pappy's in the pen and I doubt anybody else but Momma gives a hoot about ya."
Brendon hopped out of his seat and began to stalk in Billy's direction before Mammoth grabbed his arm and nodded to the security who was watching the exchange closely.
"Those guys givin' anybody else the creeps?" Mammoth asked, warily eyeing the mostly-silent security guards posted throughout the cafeteria.
While no one answered, they couldn't help but share Mammoth's apprehension.
The students' musings were cut short when the guards suddenly sprung into motion to form a line at the entrance. The silent question as to why was answered when Headmistress Ruve entered the room.
"Students!" She barked with authority. "This is your 2-minute warning. Finish up and clean up. Then follow me to the atrium. Mr. Darhk is coming for a visit this week and we don't want him to hear about any mishaps, do we? Anyone who steps out of line gets to train with Cinderblock!"
A near-simultaneous gulp rang out across the assembly once the news reached their ears. Nobody wanted to mess with HIVE's resident rock guardian. He was brought to life by magic and science and lived only to crush anything in his way, including students when called upon.
"This ain't over." Billy muttered to Gizmo as he and his friends walked away.
HIVE Conference Room, Later
"If you all would turn your attention to the screen…" Damien Darhk announced to his Inner Sanctum.
Said screen displayed an image of an Asian man in protective goggles and gear flanked by a group of mercenaries.
"This is Professor Shin Chang. Mr. Chang was exiled from his homeland on the supposed grounds of performing illegal experimentation without governmental consent. The real reason is because he was making a profit by selling his findings to other countries. Exposing his experiments was simply an excuse to be rid of him. Killing him would have been a little noticeable and obviously messy, and for a man as proud as he is, disgrace is almost worse than death."
Ruve turned off the monitor as her husband continued speaking. "Professor Chang's biggest accomplishment was the creation of the elemental power source known as Xenothium. Highly experimental, quite deadly, and undeniably useful. Naturally, he wanted to use his new toy against his old associates but they had the foresight to hire Deathstroke the Terminator to protect them. The Terminator was able to halt Chang's assault by, well…killing those who were assigned to carry it out. The job was purposefully messy and the Justice League caught wind and intervened, seizing the Xenothium and hiding it on their Watchtower. Until a few days ago. Superman and Batman have arranged for it to be sent to S.T.A.R. Labs for protection and further study. Unfortunately, Superman can't trust his old friend Dr. Emil Hamilton anymore so it was sent to the Jump City Branch."
"How do you know all this, sir?" One of the members spoke out.
"Well, for one, our friend Dr. Silas Stone is the department head in charge of handling the Xenothium and was gracious enough to clue me in as per our agreement. And two, only an amateur wouldn't spot Deathstroke's sloppy job. If he had wanted to keep this quiet, I'd hardly know he'd been involved, much less the Justice League. It appears he wanted the Xenothium out of China's hands. For a contracted killer, that man still stubbornly holds on to his ethics."
Pausing for a moment, Damien jumped off that train of thought to continue on the main topic. "Operation Waterworks was set to be on schedule. Unfortunately, 2 nights ago, we had a snafu. Mr. Chang and his band of mercenaries have come to town and stolen the element back. Obviously, this won't do for our plans but there are things to consider here. Despite his rough edges, the Professor could prove to be a valuable ally provided he sees things our way and I'd hate to get my own hands dirty with such an operation. That being said, it didn't take long for my contacts to find Chang's location within town. A few hours in the Torture Room saw to that." The last sentence was said nonchalantly as if he'd gone to the store for milk but his depraved smile hinted at the madness underneath. "Last time we met, we discussed the new merc who'd been hijacking our shipments in a seeming bid to get our attention. Well, let's just say the young man succeeded. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce our newest associate. The Ravager."
Taking the cue, a young man stepped out of the corner. He was adorned in a white bodysuit with red lenses and a sword strapped to his back.
"Now, as I'm sure you've heard, you are to infiltrate Chang's base, secure the Xenothium, and bring it back here. If you are not back here in 2 days, I will know that you have screwed me over." Stepping into the Ravager's personal space, his friendly visage dropped as he dropped a decidedly unfriendly hand on his shoulder. "Bad things happen to people who screw me over. You read me?"
"Loud and clear." The man spoke. "I'll hurry back."
Seemingly satisfied, the white-haired gentleman stepped away and turned back to the Inner Circle. "On that note, this meeting is adjourned. Hopefully, the next time we convene we'll have a heap of Xenothium at our disposal."
As the hooded figures dispersed, Ravager called out, "And what are you gonna use it for?"
Damien half-turned before simply saying. "You're not hired to know that information. But I'll tell you this much, son…what we're doing here will change the world. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a speech to write for a student body I need to address."
Facing forward, Damien went to the conference room doors, before stopping to say, "I trust that you can see yourself out. Happy hunting."
The door shut emphatically, the sound ringing through the empty conference room as the mercenary came to a decision.
That night
Chang's facility was pretty impressive, all things considered. It was nestled on a cliffside that appeared to hold an abandoned observatory. His research told him that the renovated observatory downtown had replaced this one. Supposedly, erosion was slowly rendering the seaside cliffs unstable. Risky place for a hideout but Chang had a history of living dangerously.
If the blueprints HIVE had provided were correct, then there was much more to this place than met the eye. Moving swiftly, he reached into a pouch on his belt and activated a device that would kill the cameras for 10 seconds. By the time they had kicked back in, the Ravager had gotten behind them and crawled past the hole where the defunct telescope resided. Once there, he scrambled up a pillar to hide in the shadows above.
From his vantage point atop the scaffolding, he surveyed the area. The place was full of terraces that descended deep into the ground with various equipment scattered around. Men in white hazmat suits were milling about on every terrace, either standing guard or working on various projects. His intel had told him the Xenothium would be in the deepest part of the observatory: Chang's office. No pressure.
With the infrared lenses in his mask as well as his foreknowledge, Ravager swiftly moved throughout the complex, quietly knocking some heads along the way. From what he'd heard, Chang's guys were well-trained but that didn't matter if they couldn't see him coming.
Before long, he had maneuvered his way down. Unfortunately, he hit his first snag. The path to Chang was blocked by an encoded steel door.
Mr. Darhk neglected to mention that.
"Hey, guys, I heard some noise, what's going…? Who the hell are you?!"
"That's not important. You know what is, though? You having a key to this door."
"And why would I give you that, assuming I had it?"
The mercenary's eyes narrowed. "Because your life might just depend on it."
Arrogantly whipping out his keycard, the guard taunted, "You want this, kid? Come and get it!"
"Hard way it is."
….
Professor Chang was having a peaceful evening for his standards. The Xenothium was in his possession and he was already lining up buyers, no one had come to bother him, and he might even have some time to catch up on TV tonight.
It seemed life had other plans, a fact he accepted as soon as his office door was kicked in and one of his men was dumped in a heap.
"I don't suppose this is a social call." The Professor sighed wearily.
"Afraid not." Ravager cheekily replied, holding the guard's gun up. "I'm guessing you know why I'm here."
"Mmm." Chang nodded. "So who sent you?"
"That's confidential. I'm building a rep here so I can't afford to screw my employers over this early in the game."
"How loyal of you. Trust me, that won't get you very far in this game, boy."
"Good advice. I guess as an exile, you'd know."
"Ooh, how cute. If that was your attempt at mental warfare, I've heard worse."
"You're right. It's not my forte. I'll stick to breaking bones. Any preferences which limb I go for first? Or maybe I should cut an artery?"
"You don't strike me as the killer type, boy."
"There are worse things."
"How true." Chang pulled out a vial of Xenothium. "For example, me breaking this against the floor."
"Something tells me you wouldn't throw away your life's work like that."
"Better it be destroyed than perverted."
"Relax, old man. I don't want all of it. I just want the protective gear and enough to power a suit."
"Who did you say sent you?"
"I didn't."
"Deathstroke doesn't hire out so it must be Darhk. I doubt those were the orders he gave you." Chang paused before breaking out into a chuckling fit. "You don't know who you're fooling with, do you?"
"I'm starting to. But I'm not in town for HIVE. I've got bigger plans."
"I have to see this play out. Take it, boy." The Ravager just barely caught the vial tossed in his direction. "But know this…this is the only freebie you'll get from me. Screwing with Damien Darhk ends well for no one. When you fail, and you will, I'll be there to pry the Xenothium off of your corpse."
"Thanks." Ravager quipped. "I'll be thinking of you when I'm perverting your life's work."
"That tongue will get you into trouble." The scientist bit out.
"Guess my mental warfare's getting better."
On that note, the merc fired a shot at Chang who ducked behind his desk. When he looked up, the gun was discarded and the mercenary was gone.
Well played, boy. Chang smirked begrudgingly. I'm going to enjoy killing you.
…..
"He screwed me over, didn't he?"
One could hear a pin drop in Damien Darhk's office as two of his lieutenants had come to report the Ravager being late to the drop off.
"Well, sir, perhaps he hit a snag." One put in.
"A snag." The man chuckled dangerously before violently slamming his fist on the desk. "A SNAG! Of course, Jefferson, why didn't I think of that?! We've been screwed OVER, you moron!"
The two men cowered in fear before Damien put a hand on his temple to steady himself.
"We need to put a…'positive' spin on this." Damien decided through clenched teeth.
Titans Tower
"In our top story this morning, a deadly element known as Xenothium was stolen from S.T.A.R. Labs last night. Sources say that the Justice League unlawfully flexed their power to turn it over to a private scientific branch rather than a branch of government. Nevertheless, this turn of events is equally upsetting as it is embarrassing. Under Mayor McCuistion's watch, incidents like this are becoming far too common. One wonders if this will come back to haunt him when his term is up for reelection. This is Bethany Snow on the Snow Report, signing off."
"Sarah and my Dad were supposed to work with that stuff." Victor noted, turning the volume down as he faced the assembled group of Titans. "Project's supposed to be top-secret. I don't know how Snow heard about it but city officials are pretty pissed. Dad and Sarah are upset about the missed opportunity more than anything else. Stuff like that could change the world, I hear."
"You heard right." Robin joined in. "If Deathstroke and the Justice League personally got involved with this stuff, that should tell you how important this is."
Before he could continue, a beeping sound went off and Robin opened his to communicator to find the image of the Man of Steel, arms crossed.
"Robin, it's Superman. We heard about the Xenothium hijacking. Could you and the Titans use an assist down there?" He asked, cutting to the chase.
"I appreciate the offer, Superman, but we've got it covered." Robin iterated firmly.
Nodding knowingly, Superman addressed the others. "Be careful, all of you. Feel free to contact the League with any new information. However, if Robin says you all have this handled, then I believe him."
"Thanks, Superman." Garfield said, awestruck.
The Man of Steel nodded warmly. "Anytime, son. Superman out." He finished, hanging up.
"So where shall we start, Robin? Are there any clues for us to find this Xenothium?" Starfire implored.
Robin paused for a moment before simply saying, "I'll look into it." The Boy Wonder began to walk away before stopping to say over his shoulder. "Forget about training today, guys. I'll be busy."
"Too busy to whip the maggots into shape?" Raven asked sarcastically.
Rather than answer, Robin disappeared into the corridor.
"Well, that was weird." Victor tossed out.
"No kidding." Gar scratched his head in confusion. "So who wants pizza?"
Fulgham River (The Junkyard)
Ravager crept slowly throughout the area, the muddy river churning like his stomach. He'd been lying low all day ever since he'd left Chang's. He knew word would leak before too long. The whole city, hell, the whole country was aware that the Xenothium was stolen by now. Damien Darhk assuredly knew and was assuredly not happy. He'd always known allying himself with the guy would be huge for his rep but sitting in on that meeting yesterday had left him with a sour taste in his mouth.
Those guys at H.I.V.E. were nutjobs and he didn't think he wanted any part of H.I.V.E.'s new world order. There was no way he was going to be the guy crazy enough to hand them the kind of power Xenothium would give them. Luckily, he'd done research on the stuff and thanks to Professor Chang's generous "donation", he was able to safely handle the stuff in the briefcase. Weaponizing it was a different matter altogether. But that's where Fixit came in.
Everybody in the Underworld knew the Junkyard was Fixit's territory. Nobody quite knew where he came from but learned to fear him soon enough. If someone in Jump needed a tech upgrade, Fixit was as good as it got.
Problem was, his help didn't come cheap and he was not somebody you wanted to piss off. Then again, Ravager had been making a habit lately of pissing off people he shouldn't so why stop now?
The mercenary paused in front of a non-descript warehouse nestled in the middle of the docks that didn't appear very hi-tech or impressive. But looks could be deceiving. If everything he'd heard about Fixit was true, then he'd been spotted long before he reached the doorstep.
Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, he found an entryway and kicked the door in. He gingerly stepped over the threshold, tentatively stepping inside. Once he'd cleared the door he'd knocked off its hinges, it sprung up and magnetically reattached itself to the wall, blanketing him in darkness.
The only warning Ravager heard was the heavy thud of armored footsteps before he was hoisted up and thrown into a wall before feeling a heavy force pin him there, keeping his hold on the briefcase all the while.
A glowing set of electric eyes glared back at him in the darkness before the lights switched on. The merc's eyes widened as he found himself being held up by a 9-foot-tall robot with surprisingly human eyes. It's color scheme was copper and gold with hands like mallets one of which was currently caving his chest in.
"You want us to finish him off, boss?" A voice from a catwalk above spoke.
"No, Adonis." An emotionless voice answered. "Let us see what Atlas has captured first."
Coming down the stairs, another hulking behemoth in red appeared. A human face was visible on this one but the rest of him was scarlet chrome with souped-up muscles.
The real eye-catcher was who came behind him. The figure was cloaked with piercing, pupiless blue eyes and diodes running across his frame. He had just enough expression to show he was at least partially human but there was clearly a large gap between his human parts and his mechanical ones.
"Fixit, I presume?" Ravager asked knowingly.
"You must be the young man who swindled Damien Darhk. In my experience, people who do that don't live long to tell the tale."
"I was hoping you could help me with that."
"My fees are steep. I assume you know that."
"Yeah, I'm a little light on dough right now. Didn't exactly get paid for my last job."
"Adonis, take the Xenothium."
Lumbering over, the big oaf grabbed for the case that the Ravager gripped tightly.
Adonis merely smirked. "Let it go, or I take your arm with it. I don't really have a preference."
Doing the smart thing, the merc let go and Adonis brought it to his master. Despite his emotionless veneer, Fixit appeared to hungrily clutch at it, attempting to unlock it with no success.
"Did I forget to say I encoded it with a password only I know?" Ravager's smirk was seen through his mask. "Silly me."
"I'll just have to beat it out of you, won't I?" Atlas rumbled.
"You can try."
Atlas reared his other hand back before Fixit's voice stopped him. "Let us hear him out. What would you ask of me, Mr…?"
"Ravager. And I need a suit."
"What's wrong with the one you got, dude?" Adonis cut in. "Seems pretty sweet to me."
"Sweet, but not resistant to radioactivity." The Ravager agreed. "I want it weaponized and compact. So, a suit."
"And what would I get in return?" Fixit queried.
"Whatever I don't need, I'll let you keep. This is all I need it and you for. You do this, you get the Xenothium and I never kick in your fancy door again. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"
A hush fell over the quartet as Fixit wrestled before coming to a decision.
"Step into my parlor." He finally said.
With those words, the far wall behind him shifted away to reveal a state-of-the-art workshop behind it.
Begrudgingly, Atlas released his hold, allowing Ravager to drop to the floor and catch his breath.
"Thanks, Tiny. Appreciate it." He coughed out, following him towards the workshop.
Atlas merely grunted.
Once Fixit stopped at a workbench, he sat down and steepled his fingers. "I admit I can't resist the chance and the challenge of working with such a rare element. Am I correct in assuming you'll want this transaction kept quiet?"
The Ravager nodded.
"Good. This conversation never happened. Now open the Xenothium."
Stooping down to open the briefcase, he dialed in the code before it hissed open to reveal the black and white protective gear. "This is what you'll be working with." Reaching into a pouch on his belt, he pulled out a lead canister, the red glow of Xenothium illuminating it. "You didn't really think I'd leave this stuff in the briefcase, right?"
"Just hand it over."
Doing so, he asked, "When can it be ready?"
"End of the week."
Curtly nodding, Ravager made to exit before Fixit called out to him. "Perhaps our working relationship need not stop here. There are some highly advanced chips being tested at a Dayton Industries facility on the outskirts of town. I am told Deathstroke himself is interested in procuring them."
The Ravager's eyes widened at that last bit of information before he whirled back. "Why?"
"He has his Dr. Isherwood working on a prototype suit using Ikon technology, if I recall."
"I can get them for you. Just give me the details. I figure Thing #1 and Thing #2 here aren't the greatest at subtlety."
Fixit raised his eyebrows at the man's sudden eagerness but filed it away for later. "True enough. I will give you the information when next we meet. But I caution you…double-cross me and Atlas and Adonis will come for you. They will bring you to me. And you will be begging me for a fast death. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Eyeing the two behemoths glowering at him, he added, "But I'd take my chances with these two."
Titans Tower, OPS Room
"I just got off the phone with my Dad." Cyborg announced. "He's been talking with Darhk again. STAR Labs is about finished with these highly-advanced cyber chips. Naturally, HIVE wants him. They're planning something big but won't tell him what. But the tech he used to make me…this…is a big part of their plans."
"Does every potentially dangerous invention go to your father's lab?" Raven asked dully to which Garfield began cracking up.
Robin wasn't amused. "When are they making their move?"
"Within the next day or so." Victor answered. "Dad says they have to accelerate their plans. Something about some assassin coming after them."
Robin's eyebrow quirked. "Really? Well, we should check it out." Robin stood up. "I have to go somewhere. In the morning, we'll go to Captain Hall. Rest up, guys. Tomorrow could be a long night."
With that cryptic remark, Robin all but ran out of the room.
"Robin seems quite…eager to take on this case." Starfire noted.
"Wonder why?" Beast Boy asked.
Raven knew why but also knew it wasn't her secret to tell. She just hoped for Robin's sake that his plan paid off. If his emotions were anything to go on, the boy was about to do something crazy and she didn't know who it would be worse for: him or whoever got in his way.
HIVE Classroom 309
Every student in the lecture hall was wide awake as Damien Darhk stood in front of them. Nevertheless, anyone watching could see his heart wasn't really in it. His jaw constantly twitched and his eyes showed his mind was elsewhere. The man had been going on for 10 minutes about killer instinct and competitive fire like he was reading off of a teleprompter, lacking his usual flair.
Damien's dissertation was interrupted by a sentry quickly rushing into the lecture hall and cautiously approaching the center of the room. He briefly paused to address the Headmistress before sidling to his master.
The students sat in enraptured silence as their leader seemed to grow agitated as he whispered rapidly.
Having grown tired of the suspense, Jinx stepped up and spoke out. "What's going on, sir?"
"My dear, this doesn't concern you. A job like this requires experience you students simply do not have."
"Well, how do we gain experience if we're not given a chance to prove ourselves?"
Despite feeling the room temperature drop a few degrees, Jinx pressed forward. "The HIVE Academy is all about the students putting what we learn in the classroom into practice in the field, right? There's no way we can do that without real opportunities. We shouldn't be left out of important discussions like this! This is what we train for. Keeping us cooped up in here and wasting our talents is not only a waste of everyone's time but a disservice to the students that you claim to believe in so much. "
Ever since he had been interrupted, Darhk had remained stiff as a board, the entire room enveloped in a hushed silence.
"You know, my girl, you're absolutely right. In fact, there's an urgent matter just begging for someone like you and your friends to tackle it."
"While I do admire your ambition…fail, and the consequences will be dire." He said gravely. Abruptly, he brightened, "Have fun."
…..
The figure crept silently through the facility, easily picking off the guards along the way. The process was laughably familiar. Soon, he found his quarry, silently entering the office.
"Shin Chang."
The man in question simply sighed before swiveling around in his chair. Once he saw who was waiting, he guffawed aloud. "Well, this is rich! Two arrogant young men in the same week. I assume you have my men incapacitated as well?"
Robin didn't respond, choosing instead to loom over the desk and try to look intimidating.
"If you're trying to threaten me, child, you should've brought your pointy-eared buddy. I don't suppose he's around here somewhere?"
"No, but he can be. It only takes a phone call."
"A phone call you can't make with a hole in your chest." Chang smirked, whipping out a plasma ray.
"My friends and the police know I'm here." Robin spoke quickly. "And I don't think you want the Titans, JCPD, and the Justice League bearing down on you. Not to mention Batman."
Lowering the weapon, Chang put his free hand on his chin. "You don't sound particularly keen to arrest me."
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to. Don't get me wrong, you're a menace, Chang. But I've got bigger fish to fry. And you're the bait."
"Oh, is that so? And what's the hook for me?"
"I leave you on the streets. You're not particularly violent and save for a few kidnappings here and there, your experiments are typically on the willing. So I'll let you have your little operation here. I'll draw the police and my friends off your scent."
"You take do-gooding to new heights, boy."
"Oh, I want something in return."
"Here it comes." Chang dropped his weapon and leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "This ought to be good. Out with it, boy."
"If Deathstroke or the HIVE come to you for help, you tell me and you help me stop them if I need it. Or else every resource at my disposal is coming for your ass."
There was a beat of silence as the offer sank in.
"You're taking a great risk here, boy." Chang spoke lowly, glaring at the young man.
"Been taking them my whole life." Robin shot back, glaring in kind. "Besides, what choice do you have? Do we have a deal?"
….
"Robin, I've gotten intel saying that Professor Chang had been spotted in Jump. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Keeping his expression on the work in front of him, Robin merely answered, "No, I can't say I have. I checked it out myself. It was a dead end. If he is here, I can't locate him."
"And you're sure you want to handle this yourself?"
"Completely." His protégé responded curtly. "Are we done here? I've got a lot of work left to finish."
Batman's eyes narrowed and even across the screen, the heat of his gaze could be felt. "I see. Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know who's lurking out there."
Once his mentor had signed off, Robin turned to his Deathstroke bulletin board and grimly whispered, "No…but I'd sure like to find out."
A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to slydog148 for his incredible input on this story and for providing me with the backstories for most of the H.I.V.E. metahumans.
I took a page out of the excellent Nomad88's book and saw this chapter as a sort of Interlude to set up the next phase of the story. As you can see, I added a lot of new characters and tried to flesh out the HIVE and how it works.
I am so sorry for leaving you guys hanging for 3 months. Life has been insane. I lost both my grandparents, got a new job, and went back to school. I struggled with this chapter a lot even before I got so busy but I'm happy to have it out and hope you guys enjoy it. Uploading this today is my birthday gift to myself and I hope to you all as well.
God Bless you guys and stay safe!
Next up: Red-X!
