Chapter 9
A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back! Anyways, remember, I just own the story, none of the characters are mine.
/comms/
Telepathy/Flashbacks/Dreams
Gotham City, August 27, 4:49EDT
"Aqualad, are you linked?" M'gann asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes Miss Martian," he answered, "your psychic link is functioning perfectly."
"That's a relief. We couldn't hear you, it was like your every thought was a million miles away."
Aqualad didn't answer, only glancing behind back at them for a moment before continuing to lead the way through the maze of sewer tunnels.
"We've been walking for hours," Remnant groaned dragging a hand down his face tiredly. "We don't even know where this thing is."
A strange rumble echoed through the tunnel causing them all to look between each other in confusion. The sewer water exploded, and muddy claws grabbed them and sent them slamming into the grime covered walls.
"You just had to say something," KF growled.
"Well, hey, we found it!" he shot back, struggling against the muddy grip pinning his arms to his side.
Aqualad pulled out a water-bearer, a glowing blue blade forming. Swinging down, his blade slashed through the hand holding him allowing him to drop into the water. Landing on his feet he raced over and swung again freeing Superboy as he struggled to free himself from the clay. An explosion rocked the monster as Robin jammed one of his explosives into its arm, launching the small boy across the sewer while M'gann used her telekinesis to free herself.
The monster roared in anger, throwing both Mike and Wally at their friends. More focused on catching their comrades, the missed as the creature melted back into the sewer water.
"That was unpleasant," M'gann muttered. "It was like tangling with a rabid ma'alefa'ak on Mars.
"Unpleasant sure," Wally said sitting up and wiping mud out his hair, "But it was kinda easy. That thing was a pushover. What the heck was Batman worried about?"
His question was answered as something slammed into their backs knocking them into the sewer walls.
"You were saying?" Remnant groaned.
/Batman to Team. Report status. Have you encountered the creature?/
"Unfortunately."
"Yes," Aqualad answered. "Though our encounter was far from successful."
/Tell me everything that occurred. I want details/
"Ask Batman where Artemis is?" Wally growled. "How come she gets to skip this super fun party?"
-.-
5:53EDT
"Man, I really need a shower," Wally groaned as he stepped out of the Bioship's changing room. "I mean, what's the point of putting on a clean costume when I'm not fresh."
"At least you have a clean costume," Superboy deadpanned as he tried to shake the clay off his arm.
"Yeah, an old costume," the speedster complained. "No stealth mode! It stinks!"
"Actually, I think the stink is you, freshness," Robin quipped.
"More like all of us," Mike huffed, pulling hardening lumps of clay from his hair. "And, can I say, I cannot wait to take a shower."
"But what about the creature? Batman wanted us to track it."
"But why settle for just tracking it?!" Kid Flash protested. "Ok, sure, it got the drop on us the first time. But now we know it's tricks!"
"Yeah," Robin of all people agreed, "We split up, track the bastard down! Whoever finds old clayface radios the team."
"And we converge as kick his ass," Superboy agreed.
"Dudes, it just kicked our asses," Mike reminded. "Besides, I thought we weren't supposed to engage."
"It'll be fine," Wally waved him off. "We know it's tricks."
"I beg to differ."
"Aqualad, what do you think?" M'gann asked.
"What?" the Atlantean startled. "Oh, yes. It seems we have a plan."
"See, that settles it."
Running a hand down his face as the Bioship descended in front of a warehouse, Mike sighed, "This is going to end horribly." Pushing himself up from his seat, he followed the others down the ramp, crossing his arms as he looked at the building. "So, what makes us so sure that the blob is in there?"
"I managed to throw a micro-tracer at him when he was throwing you and KF," Robin answered.
"…He's goo. Are we not sure he didn't lose it?"
"Only one way to find out," KF grinned, elbowing him. "So, we all split up, search the building."
Without even waiting for an answer, the speedster shot inside. And the others didn't comment on it as they began going their own directions. "Am I the only one who's ever seen a horror movie?"
Shaking his head, Mike reluctantly followed his friends inside. "If we die, I'm going kill them."
-.-
Superboy walked through the towers of crates looking around warily. Making a turn, his brows furrowed as he saw something smeared on the ground. He quickly jogged over to it, kneeling down and wiping it with his fingers. A dark muddy material came up off the ground. "Clay," he muttered.
Cracking his knuckles, he stood up seeing the trail of mud going deeper into the maze. It wasn't long before he reached the end of the trail, but who he found there wasn't who he expected.
Instead of the monster, Miss Martian was standing with her back turned to him. "Miss Martian?" he asked stepping closer as she didn't respond. "M'gann? What's wrong?" He set his hand on her shoulder only for his eyes to widen as clay covered his fingers. Blue eyes snapped up and he was greeted by the monster's grotesque face.
"SUCKER!" it taunted grabbing his head and ramming the clone's head into its chest clay wrapping around and engulfing him.
-.-
Miss Martian flew down one of the aisles looking around. "Over here," a voice called from behind her. Coming to a stop, she turned around and flew over into another aisle where Superboy stood. "Bad news gorgeous. He caught me off guard and got away."
The Martian blushed. "You…you think I'm gorgeous?"
"Well sure," he smirked, "who wouldn't?" She didn't expect to have a clay battering ram slam into her the moment he stretched out his arm.
-.-
"Hey Green Cheeks," Wally greeted as he stumbled across M'gann. "Any luck?"
"No," she pouted.
"Hey, I'm sure we'll find the bad guy," he reassured.
"Thanks," she said turned to him and kissing his cheek and hugging him.
"Babe, I knew you'd come around," he grinned leaning into a kiss.
-.-
"Whichever one of you can say my middle name is the real Kid Flash," Robin said looking between the two Kid Flashes on either side of him.
"That's easy," one said.
"Yeah," the other one smirked, "For me!"
The Boy Wonder's eyes as both began to deform. "Chump!"
"Sap!"
-.-
Wood cracked as Mike pried the next crate open, looking inside for some sign that their rouge mud-man had decided to hide inside on the off chance that Robin's tracker hadn't fallen out. But, of course, it was another box full of what looked like machine parts.
"Any sign of Clayface?" Aqualad called up to him.
"Clayface?" Robin chimed in coming around the corner, "Uh, no, not here."
Hanging off one of the bars, Mike looked down at the team leader, "Not so far. Don't think he's smart enough to hide in any of these thousand boxes. He's probably still in the sewers."
Aqualad scowled, turning around, "Any word from the others?"
Robin's arm began to turn into a club causing Mike's eyes to widen. Ok, maybe he'd underestimated this thing's intelligence. "Aqualad!"
The Team leader whirled on his heel at their warning, get hit in the face and slammed through one of the crate piles. Through the newly formed gap, Mike could make out the form of the others already lying unconscious on the floor.
"Shit."
Jumping to the other scaffolding, he swung through the gap; similarly to when he'd quickly swing through the vents into the party rooms back at his former place of employment. A metal door screeched as Aqualad collided with it, cracks spreading out from the site of impact. Cursing again, Mike was almost tempted to just dump the contents of his utility belt onto the ground. He really should've remembered all of what Batman had been kind enough to provide him. This was what happened what his first instinct was to hit the nearest enemy with a wrench.
Reaching into a random pocket, he pulled out something and threw it. For once, the universe was on his side as it exploded the moment it hit the clay monster's back, splattering it across the walls. "Yes!"
His relief was short lived as the mud started slither across the floor as the creature reformed. And it looked pissed.
"Oh fuck!"
He was saved from becoming the blob's newest punching bag by the familiar form of the Batman bursting through the window above them. Glass reigned down around them as the Dark Knight tossed two batarangs at the monster, smaller explosions blasting its arms away as the man landed. Before it could react, he pulled out a taser.
Clayface screeched as the electrified wires made contact with him, and he melted into a puddle of goo.
"What happened?"
Oh, shit they were in trouble.
-.-
Mt. Justice: 7:45EDT
"I need to talk to Aqualad," Batman stated as the team bridged in. "The rest of you, hit the showers, get your injuries treated, and head home."
"Home? I am home," Superboy muttered walking past.
Mike groaned, looking back at the Zeta Tube, "You couldn't have said that back in Gotham? I could've showered at home."
Actually, that sounded like a much better plan. He wasn't too keen on communal showers, especially with all his scars. Turning around, he strode back towards the teleporter, typing in the coordinates of the Gotham Zeta Tube.
"Just Aqualad," he heard Batman remark, followed shortly by the sound of footsteps retreating.
"I am sorry the team performed poorly—" Kaldur began.
"The team performed adequately, the problem was you. You're their leader and your head wasn't in the game."
Oh, please for the love of God, power up so he could leave. "Recognized: Remnant—B07."
"Thank God," he whispered, all but jumping into the bright light. He was ready to go home, take a shower, and flop in bed for the rest of the day.
-.-
Gotham, 8:50EDT
Mike sighed in relief, drying his hair with a towel. Hopefully that finally got the gutter goo smell out of his hair. Though his uniform was gonna be a bitch to deal with. No way was he going let anyone else deal with it.
Even if the butler his uncle hired was insistent that handling such things was literally what he was paid for.
Mike hadn't even been aware his uncle was looking to hire a butler. Sure they were apparently rich and all, but he didn't think they needed a butler. Of course, when he asked, Henry had smirked and said someone had to keep an eye on him when he had to go on business trips.
Though, the teen would admit he was more than curious as to where Henry found a butler that was so chill with all the…weirdness. The man hardly blinked when he first met the man by almost barreling into him. And he didn't seem to say anything about the fact that Mike had come home at the crack of dawn covered in sewer slime.
But still, Mike was not about to punish someone with sewer stench.
Striding to the corner of his room where his laundry was, he was reluctantly ready to take the stuff down to clean. Only to find his hamper was gone. Looking around his room, Mike spotted something on his bed. Picking up the paper, he read the note with a grimace.
Welp, so much for not forcing the poor butler to not deal with the mess. Man had already taken his stuff. Hopefully he got a good bonus for that.
Setting the paper aside, he frowned as he noticed the notebook lying under it. Initially he just assumed Henry had taken one of his old journals to leave the note about his clothes, but now, he could tell it wasn't one of his. It looked brand new actually. Picking up the book, he was surprised to find a set of drawing pencils and a set of watercolors.
There was a note on the inside too.
Hey kiddo,
Just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be out on business today. And sorry I wasn't able to give you this in person (I've been waiting a month for this thing to arrive). I planned on giving it to you before I left for work, but I didn't know you'd come back from fighting what I can only assume was a compost pile so late.
So, here's the very, very late birthday present. Enjoy!
With Love,
Your Favorite Uncle
Smiling to himself, Mike leaned against his headboard, opening to the next page as he grabbed the pencil pack. Staying up a little longer to sketch wouldn't kill him.
Besides, from the way it looked like Bats was about to tear into Kaldur, he would bet he would have more than enough time to rest over the next couple days anyways.
