Chapter 4 Meltdown
We see Markus and Pyrrha watching the genetic treatment being done on Freon - Mary Michaels who was recovering well from the sickness, gaining her sanity back. It would take a while until she recovers and wakes up after the treatments. The pair have their own plans for the next following days and would talk with the former Red Hood about this new information they have gained.
And some surprising news would come onto their table very soon.
Markus and Pyrrha walked to the living room but found totally dark to their surprise as the lights were on where they left. More surprise, as they saw a figure in the dark, hard to see who but saw that this person wore this white cat-like mask for some reason before vanishing further into the darkness as it walk backward.
As soon the lights came up, the red-haired Amazon, the figure was gone and a folder was left behind on the table for them. The black-haired teen decied to go around and look for any sources of being bugged or how this unknown person came out. He found nothing and frowned, seeing that this was a pro. A very damn good ninja it seems.
"Damn ninjas," Markus commented.
"Yeah...we should tell father, mother when they come back home. It also seems that our visitor left us a message, information on someone," Pyrrha said, pulling out the information from the folder and showing it was someone, a metahuman it seems.
That's rare. Metahumans rarely appeared now, mostly used as tools for the Justice League United or the government. A race, it's a race to have the most weapons and mostly politics these days. It wasn't like back then when heroes grouped together to stop the threats and change things for the better, so there can be a chance for no more heroes to come. An era of peace is a childless dream but a pure one and that's what the first formation of the team was made.
So this mystery cat ninja has handed the pair a prize information about this metahuman being held up within a secret, off-the-books government lab that should have been shut down for years.
Jason and Artemis should know about this the moment they returned.
Time Skip
"Hmm interesting information and also troubling," Jason said, rubbing his chin in thought and having read the files on this metahuman.
"Agree. We should up the security around here," Artemis said, seeing a risk to security had happened and couldn't beleive one lone person got in here, just to give information without a reward.
"Indeed, mother. We checked the place, no bugs were planted nor forced entry," Pyrrha said, crossing her arms.
"Might be one of those assassins you told me about?" Markus said, recalling the certain group of elite assassins that work in the shadows for big goals and followed the demon itself.
"Maybe...I don't recall anyone of them being active at this time. Unless a new group is being made, then I am not sure what's going on," Jason replied, not seeing the League of Shadows back nor its leader sending a message to them without strings attached. It seems out of character.
"Should we help this metahuman out?" Markus asked, already made up his mind to help this person out and pulled out of the hell hole that those damn bastards placed him in.
Jason was quiet on that, seeing that both Markus and Pyrrha were interested in pulling off their first official mission together. A part of him wasn't sure about putting his daughter and student who's like a son to him in danger. But the other side of him wants to see what they can do in action.
"Let them, Jason. I think it's time they start on more recruiting and Markus begins his plans," Artemis said, seeing that the closest thing she had to a son needs to let his anger out and begin his path of revenge to later redemption.
"I know Red. It's time. Let's get you two suited up," Jason said, finally agreeing and allowing the two to finally take up what they have been training for.
Markus and Pyrrha are happy but kept their emotions under control and smirked a bit as today was their big day for their first mission. And first, step for the new hood to be reborn fully.
Washington DC - Underground Lab
Within an underground lab, just below the state of Washington, we see the pair making their way into the lab and dealing with private security. Pyrrha was dressed in her Amazon and Spatrian attire, carrying her spear and shield into battle. She was living up to her parents and becoming the new Amazonian Artemis.
We see Markus, now fully suited up and becoming who he was trained to become. He wore a grey suit meant for war, having great protection against bullets, laser blasters, and knives. The top had a red bird or bat-like symbol on his chest, three razor blades on the sides of his gauntlets, and this grey coat with a hood & sleeves ripped. On his back, he had a pair of red-bladed katana swords meant for cutting up anything. A pair of hip holsters on his hips for his costume pistols, a silver utility belt with a red symbol in certain of it, and wore white grey pants with black biker combat shoes with red outlines.
The last part that really stands out the most, was a familiar style red helmet with black sides, one black mark by his eyes that connects down to his side, and a pair of white eyes.
The new hood was ready, Red Hood Beyond was taking his first step.
"We are good to go?" Red Hood asked, his voice sounding different and having his metallic tone to it.
"We are. The metahuman is behind this vault door...and I have a key!" Pyrrha said as she then rammed her spear weapon and started to use her superhuman strength to pull the said door vault wide open like a can-opener.
"A pretty damn good key," Red Hood commented, impress by Pyrrha's strength.
"Damn straight," Pyrrha smirked, having both of them walk into this vault place and see who is this metahuman for themselves.
Red Hood and Pyrrha soon saw the metahuman himself who was a young man the same age as them but he had a different appearance than them. His skin was cold and blue as ice, with pure red eyes, and cold air leaving his said body into the air. He was trapped in this heating room to keep him from using his metahuman ice powers and be trapped in this room that going to a heatwave, slowly killing him but also keeping him alive as much as they want to. Those bastards and poor souls.
The hooded vigilante took out one of his katana swords before swinging it and stabbing it into the controls of the heated room. This caused the room to stop pumping any more heat into the said room and allow the ice-base metahuman to free the cold again slowly.
"A-r-e, are you here to kill me?" The ice metahuman asked, breathing heavily and regaining that cold air after what felt like so long.
Red Hood shook his head and said, "No, no I am not. I'm here to free you from this prison that the remains of Cadmus had placed you here for no reason. Rather than based on their fear of what you could become."
This surprised the ice metahuman.
"We also know who you are and what happened to you after your father was free, cured of his condition. Many of those corrupted bastards and even that shit-head leader of JLU allowed you to be captured in fear of becoming the next Freeze," Pyrrha informed as the pair were actually standing face to face with the son of Victor and Nora Fries, Ren Fries.
Ren was given that name by his mother after she was cured and remarried but now her son was her's and Victor's child. She wasn't sure how but knows and was proven true when he awaken his ice-based metahuman powers. And she was deep in pain when seeing her son being captured by people who were supposed to protect people, not chained them because of who their parent is.
"Are you also aware of what happened to your father?" Red Hood asked, getting a hiss of cold air in response, and saw the class window was starting to freeze up.
"I am...those guards mocked me about and how my father was a monster, die like one. And how I would die soon but it seems fate has other plans for me," Ren explained as he stood up and breath in that sweet cold air, as he can only live in cold areas now due to his metahumans evolving now and has a disability as his ice powers were starting to form onto his body now.
"They are wrong, you know that. Your father was not a monster, just someone who had a bad life and was given a second chance but that chance was destroyed by corrupted and arrogant people. Derek Powers had no intention of saving your father, only using him for his own gain, and even ordered many hits on him to have his organs for his own. Batman even allowed your father to die when the reactor blow up and had proof to show that Victor was not a villain but didn't show it and thus allowing the media to further push onto metahumans like yourself, Ren," Red Hood said, giving some very interesting information and a great number of them were true.
This deeply surprised Ren and caused him to have a lot of thoughts spinning in his head.
"What do you want with me?" Ren asked, breathing in and out cold out to be frozen admittedly when it came out.
"We just did it, you are free. My friend and I just want you to be free, Ren. Live your life as your own and make your own choices without those bastards controlling it. Or...you can join us? Join us in making a difference in this world and pay those that wronged you badly in blood," Red Hood replied, a promising offer to change things for the better, a true difference, and make those bastards pay for what they had done to him. And get revenge on Powers & Batman as well.
"...I'm listening," Ren said, being heavily interested and causing the red pair to smirk as they begin to tell their new friend more information.
The new red pair just gained a new friend, a very nice friend on their side.
Time Skip
We see at the top side, guards being gunned down, stabbed, and frozen in blocks of ice all of a sudden as the trip to Washington was coming to an end.
"Weather's a bit mucky...," A new voice boomed as three shadows start to leave the fog and step out of the underground lab's main doors for the rest of the guards to see.
Red Hood and Pyrrha were the first to step forward, weapons are drawn, and had a good workout to keep themselves warm. And third was Ren but different now and something to keep him alive when outside of cold areas.
Ren was now a large armored man, his suit showing to have been built for a large physic, made from special black armor that was both flexible and durable, covering him from toes to his chest and arms. His body however was frozen into a spiky block of ice, allowing his body to barely be seen inside but his almost glowing red eyes were able to be seen as the day, giving him a very cold and dangerous air around him.
"Freeze!" One of the guards shouted.
"As you wish," Ren smirked, bringing his right hand out, unleashing a powerful gust of cold wind toward the remaining guards, freezing completely into a block of frozen ice.
A new Freeze was born and coming out of the cold world to change this broken one into a better one.
"Good...let's head back to the safe house. I think our stay in Washington is gone bad. Weather is shity," Red Hood commanded.
"Indeed...I prefer a nice cold or stable weather," Ren or Freeze agreed.
"Let's move," Pyrrha said as the trio take their leave and escaped, being long gone before any guards, police, media, or heroes show up.
Like they disappeared into the wind, into the cold, and back to warmth soon.
