Brick Ballads
Chapter Seven: "Falling into Place"
In retrospect, Matt probably should have realized that the link between Dick Grayson's tip and this current case would be in Terry's restricted folders. He'd tried guessing the pass-code, even hacking, but Terry had learned his computer skills from Bruce and Max. Matt didn't stand a chance against the security. Each time he tried to crack it, he was promptly logged out of Terry's account and the computer shut itself down. The only good thing that came out of it was that alerts were sent to Superman, and even that was a mixed blessing. Matt was caught somewhere between frustration and embarrassment when Superman came into his quarters.
"Why are you trying to access Terry's files?" he asked once the door closed.
"I got a tip last night on the case," Matt explained. "They told me to check through Terry's recent case files. There's a possible connection to Cadmus and this case."
There was a look of relief on Superman's face. "Let me put in the master pass-code."
Matt gratefully stepped away from the rebooting computer and let Superman sit down. When the login page appeared, he typed in the master pass-code, giving him unrestricted access to the Justice League database. Noticing the impressed look on Matt's face, Superman added, "Just one of the perks of being the leader." He opened Terry's folder and found the archived cases. "Which ones are you looking for?"
"Two high tech robberies in Blüdhaven," he answered. "Neotech and Gillis Industries."
Superman scanned through a few files before asking, "Are these the ones you're looking for?"
Matt skimmed the reports and answered, "That's them. Major technology, almost on the level of Cadmus."
"If there is a link, I wouldn't be surprised if it is Cadmus tech, or something developed from it," Superman replied. Matt shot him a semi-confused look.
"But Cadmus tech is illegal, isn't it?"
"It is, but remember: it was restricted before it was illegal. Back when it just had limitations on it, technology began to incorporate elements of Cadmus tech, and those new discoveries were just too important to ban. A lot of the technology we have today comes from Cadmus research: organ cloning, seamless integration of computers into everything. Even your suit's circuitry evolved from technology Cadmus experimented with." Matt blinked in surprise. He'd never considered that Cadmus could be beneficial and not just destructive.
"So the Neotech and Gillis robberies were to obtain Cadmus tech for some plan against the JLU?" he deduced. "This sounds way too complicated for just a few guys to pull off. There's got to be some kind of alliance."
"You caught onto that pretty fast," Superman complimented. "I think you're right; there's definitely a larger group of our rogues working together." He frowned. "This won't be good, if we've learned anything from the Injustice Gang and the Legion." At the confused look on Matt's face, he added, "Way before your time, Matt."
"I think I still get what you mean, though," he answered. "More people can accomplish a goal as a team than on their own."
Superman nodded. "That's the entire principle the original League was based on. We'd defeated a powerful enemy by working together. It made me realize that I couldn't save the world on my own, and neither could the rest of us. And even though we were so different, we formed the Justice League because we knew it was the only way we could fight another crisis like that when it came. That was also the reason for calling the world's heroes together for the second League after the Invasion."
"But villains don't always think that way, right?" Matt questioned. "I mean, the League can work together well because they're willing to put every personal thing aside in order to accomplish something. And you don't exactly tolerate it when people don't work as a team."
"What are you getting at?"
"I don't know," he confessed. "Just remembering something about my fight with Stalker. He knew right away that I wasn't Terry, so he wasn't willing to fight me. He even went so far as to make sure Parasite didn't kill me and then called everyone to retreat when Warhawk and I were down."
"Well, Stalker is obsessed with fighting Terry…"
"No," Matt replied. "It didn't seem like that. He said something when he called them back. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it sounded almost like he'd had an argument with them before. I'll ask Bruce if the suit archived the battle."
"It's bothering you that much?"
"The Iniquity Collective was attacking Graves Corp. I may not have gotten through all the files, but I know Graves Corp hasn't been attacked outright since Mercy Graves completely took over from Lex Luthor. I also know that Luthor was involved in Cadmus."
"So you think that the Iniquity Collective was involved in this case?"
"It's too coincidental. Waller was attacked the same night. There are only three people Waller would feel comfortable contacting: you because you worked with her when she was liaison, Warhawk because his parents did, and Batman because the public believes one of those reasons or the other. And isn't it convenient that Warhawk and Batman were caught up in a battle with the Iniquity Collective? Most of them are Batman's rogues, so his squad would be sent out."
"You have a point," Superman agreed. "Can you prove anything?"
Matt sighed. "First, I'd need to find out exactly what it was that Stalker said. Then… I think I'd have to contact him somehow." Superman gave him a look that indicated his feelings on the idea. "I'm not going to fight him or anything—there's no way I'm screwing this up again—I just need to ask him. Just confirm my suspicions and everything. He knows Terry's identity because he knew to kidnap me."
Superman caught onto his train of thought. "So he would have known that Batman would have been out of town, and whoever was in the suit now was obviously not him."
"But still, he attacks Graves Corp even though it won't benefit him. Granted, if it's part of a plot to bring down the League, it's not going to be done immediately, so he'd have time to wait for Terry to get home."
"That's not exactly his style," Superman replied. "I've fought him a couple times. He wants to be the one to take down Terry. He thinks of it as a hunt. Too many hunters would destroy the point of it."
"No honor or thrill in it," Matt commented, remembering Stalker's words about killing cubs. "Add in that Terry's a part-timer, and there's less of a chance that he'd be involved in the battle. Then there'd be no reason for Stalker to do it."
"You have a good theory," Superman agreed. "You'd probably have to talk to Bruce about your idea. He wasn't happy about that battle, so you'll need to work to convince him about this."
"Figured I would," Matt replied. Someone knocked on the door. "It's open!"
The door slid open, revealing Green Lantern. "Superman, Batman, we need you down in the Simulation Room. Shinobi's found something."
"All right," Superman decided, getting up and walking out. Matt took the opportunity to turn to Kai.
"I thought Akira took time off like the rest of us," he whispered. "Did he spend his entire break running simulations?"
"The case was bothering him too much," Kai whispered back. "He searched Waller's house and reconstructed the scene in the Simulation Room. He's been in there for the past twelve hours."
"Did anyone try hauling him out of there?" Matt asked.
"I did," Superman answered, obviously having listened to their conversation the whole time. "Twice. Got him to eat and use the bathroom, and that was it." Lower, to Matt, he added, "If it was your brother or Bruce, I probably wouldn't even get that far." Matt blinked at his back. He knew of their stubborn streaks, but he never thought they were so bad that even the Man of Steel couldn't move them.
They were the first three to enter, and Shinobi didn't look too happy about that.
"Kai, I thought you told Rex and Merina to come too," he remarked.
"I told Merina," he replied. "She went to find Rex so I could get Kal and Matt. They should be here in a few minutes."
Matt looked at his friend with concern he never thought he'd feel for the guy when he first argued with him. "Akira, what's wrong? Are you usually this anxious?"
"He's not," Kai answered.
"It's something important," Akira insisted. "But we need to wait for Rex and Merina. Especially Rex."
"You think he can help with whatever you discovered?" Kent questioned.
"Yes," Akira replied. "Matt too."
Matt stared at him in surprised. He didn't see how he could contribute much to this; he'd just been following leads and trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together the whole time. He was about to ask this when Merina and Rex entered, the former somewhere between annoyed and amused, and the latter somewhat embarrassed and dripping water everywhere he stepped.
"Sorry," Rex apologized. "I was in the shower."
"What's the emergency?" Merina asked, visibly turning her attention away from Rex.
Akira brought up a small-scale hologram of Waller's compound and explained, "Waller said that one of her guards was killed in a different way from the other two: of a broken neck rather than disembowelment. That indicated that there were two intruders—one to ensure the other got into the compound and retrieved the data." The hologram shifted to display a guard-post. "This second intruder made his way through, destroying the cameras along the way. Unfortunately for him, the guard at this post saw him. He had to quickly kill him as effectively as possible before deleting the security files and stealing the Cadmus data."
"It makes sense," Kent agreed.
"But how did that guy manage to destroy the cameras getting caught?" Matt asked. "He'd have to come within viewing range in order to do it, and by the time he got the first few done, Waller's security team would have been all over him."
Kent looked at Akira and asked, "Magic user?"
Akira nodded and sighed, "Magic user."
"And that's what you want me and Matt to take care of," Rex realized.
"Yes," Akira agreed. "Your Nth metal harness will protect you, and they won't be so eager to attack if their magic gets disrupted."
"Wait," Matt interrupted. "I think you're forgetting something: I don't have any Nth metal on me. I'm prone. And isn't it difficult for humans to mine?"
"Fourth compartment on the right in your utility belt," Rex instructed. Confused, Matt checked and pulled out a batarang with silver edges. A slight charge was already building in it.
"Nth metal batarangs?" he asked in surprise.
"Nth steel, actually; I helped Terry make them specifically to fight magic users," Rex explained. "Although, they did come in handy during the Thanagarian peace talks." Matt raised an eyebrow underneath his mask. Somehow, he was starting to doubt that talking had actually happened at all during the mission to New Thanagar.
"Don't worry," Kent assured, noticing how Matt was still hesitant. "This isn't like old fantasy novels. We don't come across anything like instant killing spells. There's an equivalent exchange principle in magic: you have to give up enough in order to use a certain spell. The cost is usually magic, but if non-magic users need a spell's effects, they need to give up something else. An instant-kill curse would use far too much power to be worth it."
"They usually settle for just trying to maim us," Rex added. Matt shot him a look that clearly said "You're not helping." "But since you and I have Nth metal defense, we'll be safer than anyone else."
"Exactly," Akira agreed. "You two draw the magic user's fire while Kai and Merina handle the other."
"It's a good strategy," Kent replied. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Akira answered. "We should try and catch them tonight. The sooner, the better. We bait them into entering an area with us waiting for them to show up. When they do, we quickly subdue them and find out where the Cadmus information is."
"What do we use as bait?" Kai asked. "We can't possibly use Waller."
"I think I have an idea," Matt said. "But we'll need to delay Akira's plan until tomorrow at the soonest. I have a lead I need to follow first."
"You're going to ask while you're there, aren't you?" Kent guessed.
"Ask what?" Merina questioned.
"Tonight, I'm going to find Stalker," Matt stated calmly. Just as everyone began to argue against him, he added, "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to ask him something. Kent says he trusts me on this, and it's probably the only lead we have to finding these guys. When we faced the Iniquity Collective, they were attacking Graves Corp. That used to be LexCorp, so there may still be some Cadmus tech stored there under hundreds of loopholes in the law that keep the CEOs from getting arrested. If that's what they were after, they were probably involved in this plan against us."
"But you don't think they are anymore," Rex observed.
Matt shook his head. "I need to see if the battle was archived, but Stalker said something that implies that he didn't agree with the rest of them. If I confront him, I might be able to get some clues about what they're planning."
"Or he'll kill you," Akira stated flatly. His gray eyes met Matt's blue, and for a minute, they were back in that hall almost a week before. But this time, Matt wasn't going to let his volatile emotions get in the way.
"I know it's a possibility, but he specifically told me that he doesn't hunt cubs. I'm too immature to interest him. That alone might help. I don't think he'll underestimate me, but I'm pretty sure he won't kill me."
"But what if he doesn't tell you anything?" Merina asked.
"Then I'll try to play by his rules. Make him see that there's no benefit to letting someone else win the hunt. I hate having to think like that, but we need that information."
"I hope your plan works," Rex commented. "It's all we have."
"I know," he replied. "I won't let you down." Seeing that there was no more business to discuss, he got up and left the others to strategize the rest of Akira's plan.
He'd gotten about ten feet down the hall when Kai called out, "Matt."
He turned. "What, Kai?"
"You do know that the Justice League is a life sentence."
"What?"
"When you agreed to join us as a part-timer, subbing as Batman, you made a commitment to be part of us for the rest of your life, unless Superman decides otherwise." Kai looked like he wanted to leave it at that. The look on his face was serious, but Matt couldn't figure out why he was saying this.
"And?" he asked, too confused to let the issue go.
"Even though you're quitting, Matt, you're still part of the League. We may not call on you ever again, but we're not leaving you."
And suddenly Matt understood. Kai had been with the League since he was very young. They had been his family, or the closest he'd probably ever had. He treated them like family too, joking with Rex and Merina when Rex got lost, going out of his way to befriend Matt and train with him to get his mind off of his self-doubts, grabbing Akira and visiting him after they discovered the clones... They were the youngest of the seven League members who kept the Batman Beyond secret, and Matt realized that they'd become close friends in the short time he was there.
"I'm not planning on leaving you guys behind anyway," he finally answered.
"I'm coming with you when you question Stalker." There was no room for argument. Matt wasn't going to.
"All right. Bruce will probably agree better if he knows I'm not going alone."
Kai took out a boom tube generator. "Let's go then."
The portal opened inside the Tower and ended just outside Wayne Manor. Matt blinked for a few minutes, unused to the pulsing bright lights, and Kai waited for him to adjust back to the semi-darkness. It was his first time using the boom tube. It was efficient, but slightly painful.
"We're sticking to flying next time, all right?" he commented. Kai laughed.
Bruce was waiting for them inside. The way he looked at Matt indicated that he knew exactly what they were planning to do. Matt couldn't figure out if Superman had told him or if he'd just known from the start. Either way, he was still glaring.
"You're going then," Bruce stated, not questioning.
"I have to," Matt insisted. "This is the only lead we have."
"And you're not even sure if it is a lead," Bruce argued. "It might be a dead end."
"I'm willing to take that chance."
"Are you sure you're not going to lose your temper again?"
"Kai's coming too, to either help me or hold me back, whichever I need."
Bruce looked directly at Kai, who held himself with military composure he'd probably learned from the Green Lantern Corps. "Be sure nothing happens to him." To anyone else, it would sound like he didn't trust Matt. But Matt and Kai both knew what he meant.
"I will," Kai promised. "I don't abandon my friends." There were other meanings behind what he said, revealing everything he'd tried to help Matt with in the past few days. Between Kai's promise, Bruce's concern, and Terry's pride, Matt was glad he'd gone through all he had.
"We need to see if the battle with the Iniquity Collective was archived," he said. "I need to know exactly what it was that Stalker said before I question him."
"All right," Bruce agreed, taking them down to the cave.
He sat at the computer and motioned for Matt to come closer. Kai stood behind them as the Batcave's mainframe connected to the nano-computers within the suit. Matt watched the entire battle replay in his visor exactly the way he'd seen it that night. It was dizzying, especially when the video shifted to the ground from when he'd fallen, but he managed to concentrate on everything. Finally, the part he'd been waiting for came up.
"This is it," he whispered, more to himself than to the others.
He listened carefully and heard Stalker call out, "Come! As I've said, this is not worth it."
"'As I've said,'" Matt repeated.
"You got it?" Kai asked. Bruce stopped the replay when Matt nodded.
"He said 'as I've said, this isn't worth it,'" Matt replied. "That means he was arguing with them about it." Turning back to Bruce, he added, "Thanks."
"Just go," he answered. Matt nodded and led Kai out.
Kai and Matt had split up to search the city for Stalker. Kai was the one who found him and told Matt to make his way over to the Wayne Enterprises building. Stalker would be waiting on the roof.
Matt had flown over as fast as he could, but stopped when he was about a block away. The Wayne Enterprises building wasn't the tallest in Gotham, but it cast the longest shadow. The original building had been demolished sometime in-between the Near Apocalypse and Terry's first mission, but it still had more history than any other structure in the city, except for the Manor. Flying up to it didn't seem right. Just like everything else he'd accomplished in this job, Matt would have to work to reach its heights.
He shot a line from his wrist as he stood on the edge of the first rooftop. It was hard work swinging over to the second; even with the enhanced strength the suit offered, Matt could feel the strain in his arm muscles from holding him up so many stories above the ground. His landing was worse: he tripped and landed on his face. At least six new bruises had formed on his chest, but groaning, he stood up and retracted the line, ready to try it again.
Sweat was pouring down Matt's face as he fired the last line. He had a whole new level of respect for Bruce, Drake, Grayson, and the Commissioner for managing to do this almost every night for years. He was in good shape, but it didn't prepare him for this. He gulped air before swinging over to the Wayne Enterprises building. His swing didn't get him high enough, and he was forced to grab hold of the side of the building and search for every handhold and foothold in order to climb up. He slipped twice and nearly fell only on the first. After that, he forced himself to ignore the throbbing pain in his arms and the stitch in his side.
"You are wasting your energy, cub," Stalker told him from the roof. "You are weak. Give up and rest."
"Not planning to," Matt gasped out between clenched teeth.
Stalker looked almost pleased. "You are stubborn."
Three agonizing minutes later, Matt managed to pull himself onto the roof, breathing heavily. He could feel his blood pulsing into his face, and he sat down until he felt strong enough to stand. Even though he'd relied on his arms most of the way, he couldn't manage the strength to get to his feet. Finally, once he caught his breath, he stood up and tried not to fall over.
"Are you all right?" Kai checked.
"Yeah," Matt assured. "I'm fine."
"You are growing stronger, cub," Stalker commented. "I watched you the whole time. You did not quit each time you fell. Others I know would turn away. You have earned my respect." Matt nodded in reply. "What is it you wanted to ask me?"
"You attacked Graves Corp when we fought," he stated. "There's very high-tech equipment there that used to be used by the government. Meanwhile, two unknown people snuck into the home of a former government liaison to the Justice League. I have reason to believe that these two cases are related."
"Is this the conclusion of a detective or of a small boy who can't let go of the past?" Stalker questioned.
Matt stared at him evenly. He didn't feel the least amount of anger this time. "When you called the others back, you said that you'd told them before that what you were doing wasn't worth it. I thought you meant the battle itself, but now I'm sure that you meant something bigger. Right now, a possible collaboration of League rogues has information that can take us down."
"You are maturing," Stalker noticed. "Yes, cub. The Iniquity Collective had been asked to help in this plan to eliminate the Justice League, using information the government kept on them before the Near Apocalypse. Inque, Parasite, and Shriek agreed to it immediately. I, however, did not."
"Because you knew the real Batman wasn't going to be around for you to hunt," Kai stated. "Are we right?"
Stalker looked at Kai with distaste before turning back to Matt. "Do you need your friends to fight for you?"
"Green Lantern is here to be sure I don't do anything I'll regret," he answered calmly. His words signaled Kai to ease off slightly. "Now, Stalker, are we right?"
"Yes," he replied. "I did not wish to waste my energy on anyone other than the real Bat."
"Which is why you pulled them back in the end," Matt deduced. "But at the same time, you don't want anyone else hunting Terry."
"Clever," Stalker commented. "Trying to appeal to me to reveal who is hunting you. Your brother would do the same."
"I'm not my brother," Matt said, feeling each word deep in his soul.
There was a moment of absolute silence as Stalker and Matt stared at each other, each daring the other to answer or leave. Matt let himself forget everything: his kidnapping, the battle, even the fact that Kai was still there. Nothing mattered until the moment when Stalker finally spoke.
"It's a loose alliance. There is no name because they do not plan on remaining allies. The leader is Altima." Matt noticed Kai's eyes widen at the name.
"What?" Matt questioned. "Who's that?"
"Altima is one of the most dangerous criminals to come from Apokolips," he explained. "He was one of Darkseid's generals before betraying him eight years ago. He's a cunning tactician, and even though he's partially crippled on his right side from fighting Darkseid, he can more than hold his own in a fight. The Green Lantern Corps has him ranked as an Omega Class threat."
"Omega Class?" Matt repeated, his eyes also wide behind his mask. He did not need Kai to explain what warranted an Omega Class label. Just the use of the last letter of the Greek alphabet was a good enough hint. "God, Terry's gone not even two weeks, and already it's the end of the world."
"We need to tell Superman," Kai decided. Matt nodded.
"But first, Stalker, is there any way you can get a message to Altima?" he asked. "He doesn't even have to know it came from you."
"What is it you wish him to know?" Stalker questioned.
Matt looked at Kai for a minute before answering, "The League will be guarding some incredibly sensitive information the government kept about a project called Batman Beyond." Kai blinked in surprise, but Matt continued, "Altima only has some references to the project. He doesn't have everything."
"And why should he believe that I would be willing to help him then?" Stalker asked.
"Because you've just discovered that the guy in the mask right now isn't Batman," Matt answered. "You want the real Batman. As long as Altima spares him, he can do whatever he wants to the replacement."
"Matt…" Kai warned, but he wasn't listening.
"Do we have a deal?" he asked.
"You are cunning, cub," Stalker complimented. "Perhaps more so than your brother. I will pass along this information to Altima. Although I don't condone the slaughter of cubs, I will not be able to keep him from killing you. You will have to protect yourself."
"That's what I expected," Matt replied.
Stalker left, and Kai turned to Matt, his green eyes far more serious than normal.
"You do know what you're doing, right?" he checked.
"Not really," Matt confessed. "But it's the only thing we have." Kai sighed. "I'm not going to get myself killed."
"I hope to God you don't," he answered. Matt didn't say anything more, and neither did Kai. Silently, Kai activated a boom tube, and they made their way back to the Metro Tower.
Graves Corp isn't canon, but Mercy Graves did take over LexCorp after Luthor was arrested. In the Justice League episode "Tabula Rasa," you see that she's in charge. I figured the best way for her to formally break all ties with him would be to change the name of the company.