Injustice: The Path to Hell
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter III – Schooled
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Telepathic Speech."
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
Location/Time
Monday 3rd August, 13:20.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
"What're you doing?"
Looking up from his laptop screen, Naruto saw Barbara stood in the entryway to his room clad in her Batgirl outfit with her mask pulled back.
"Hello, Naruto?" She called out his name, waving one hand as she entered into the room. "You in there?"
Shaking his head, Naruto smiled apologetically. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I was asking what you're doing?" She asked once more, coming to sit down on the other end of his bed, picking up one of the discarded files and flicking it open to read through the file on one Albert Michaels aka, Atomic Skull. It was one of the many files the Justice League had created with a detailed report on the villains history and powers. There was one for every villain the Justice League had encountered with some being more detailed than others.
"Oh, I'm reading up on the villains." Naruto said, chucking the file he had been reading onto the pile Barbara was sat beside. "One thing I've realised is that I don't know as much as I'd like and if I'm going to be in charge of this team, I don't want to be caught unawares by villains that I don't know anything about. It happened with Sportsmaster and the Kobra Cult, I'm not gonna let it happen again."
Barbara nodded her head in admiration to his dedication, placing the file she was reading back on the pile. "That's good, I never really doubted your ability to lead, but it's nice to see you're taking this seriously."
"I take a lot of things seriously." He argued and Barbara just smiled.
"I know and I didn't mean it like that." She replied. "I'm just saying that you're really trying to be a good leader and it's admirable." Barbara then took a closer look at Naruto. It wasn't difficult to see that his new powers were active, his nails had lengthened into claws much like his canines into fangs, his eyes had turned a blood red, the pupil had become slitted in shape and whiskers had appeared on his cheeks. Above all that, was just an aura of rage and yet, she didn't feel concerned at all.
He wasn't going berserk nor did he seem to be losing control. In fact, he almost looked at ease, which was a far cry from how he had been with his powers before. When he had first tapped into them, he had nearly lost control until Superboy knocked him out. Since then, both Aqualad and Superboy were on hand to put him to sleep should he risk losing control. While he had gotten better, he still struggled to remain in control and more often than not, exhausted himself very quickly as a result.
It was one of the reasons as to why he avoided using it on some of the few missions they had received over the past few months. Preferring to stick to his 'base' form as they had all grown to call it simply because he was a better fighter in that state.
"How's it going?" She indicated to him and while she didn't specify what she meant, Naruto understood anyway.
"It's going alright, I guess. I've found that just sitting around in it like this has definitely helped my control, but I'm going to avoid using it in an actual fight for a little while longer if I can help it. I don't quite feel comfortable using it in that way just yet." He explained.
Barbara made a sound of understanding before her curiosity got the better of her. She had avoided asking simply because Naruto had always looked uncomfortable using his powers, especially after the fact. Whether it was because of how he got them or because of what he could or in his case, couldn't do with them, she didn't know.
So she had avoided asking, but seeing him at ease with them, she deuces to go for it.
"What's it like?"
Naruto looked up. "Hmm? Oh! Right my powers, eh." He took a few moments to think it over. "It's difficult to explain really, it's powerful, wild and extremely difficult to control." Both knew that was an understatement if there ever was one. "Every time I tap into them, it's like I'm tapping into an endless supply of rage-filled power. But at the same time, it's feels limited."
"Limited?"
"Yea, like right now, I'm at my absolute limit without losing control. I've drawn in as much power as I could and I can still feel more, just waiting there. And yet, I can't tap into it."
Barbara frowned in thought. "Do you want to?" She asked and Naruto seemed to consider it. "I mean, you talk about how difficult it is to control and we know from personal experience that not only does your rage grow in response to the amount of power you draw upon, but also vice versa. Do you want to draw on more of that power?"
Naruto was silent for a little while as he mulled over her words. "I guess, I'm going to have to at some point, why not get started now." Seeing her confusion at his words, Naruto quickly clarified. "Look we both know there are some extremely powerful and dangerous guys out there. Someday, we're going to have to face them and we're going to need all the power we can get. Power like what I have but can't control, might as well get a head start now while things are relatively peaceful."
"I guess." She agreed begrudgingly.
As Barbara thought over his words, Naruto looked to the clock in surprise. 'I didn't even realise how much time had passed.' He thought in wonderment, surprised at how long he had managed to stay in this form without losing control. 'I really am improving.' Taking a deep breath, Naruto slowly allowed the power coursing through him to trickle back into his body and while he couldn't see it, what with his eyes closed in concentration, his body began to return to normal.
Opening his eyes, Naruto looked across at the mirror to see that he looked almost exactly the same, as he had done before Cadmus.
'Except I feel older.' He muttered internally, tracing the skin of his cheek where his whiskers would come out of. "Shall we, Black Canary will be here in a few to take us through combat training?"
Barbara nodded her head, taking Naruto's hand and allowing him to help her to her feet as they walked down towards the main training area.
"Stick around, class is in session." Black Canary called and as they rounded the corner they saw Superboy stood a little ways away from the group, arms crossed over his chest and a prominent frown on his face. Still, he didn't make another move and instead waited as the simulator activated beneath her feet. "I consider it an honour to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you, everything I've learned from my own mentors," Black Canary winced as she took off her jacket. "And my own bruises."
M'gann leaned forwards in concern from beside her uncle as she noticed a Black Canary's pain. "What happened?" The senior hero smiled at her concern.
"The job." She answered simply, tossing her jacket to one side. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict." Naruto couldn't agree with her more, when he had fought Killer Croc he had been in control throughout and it had been one of his easiest fights to date, only beaten by his fight against Victor Zsasz.
Though he doubted that could actually be considered a fight and more of a slaughter.
"Putting the battle on your terms." Black Canary continued. "Always acting and never reacting. I'll need a sparring partner." Wally, as many had expected was more than eager, raising one hand into the air while still eating his banana.
"Right here. Yea." Walking forwards, Wally smirked cockily as he came to stand in front of their teacher. "After this, swish." He tossed the banana skin to one side. "I'll show you my moves."
Naruto shook his head in exasperation. "I don't know whether to hit him or feel bad for him." Barbara and even Superboy smiled, though the latter was much more stone-faced. "Does he have no shame?"
"I doubt Wally even knows the meaning of the word." Barbara said.
"Or that it exists." Naruto finished, the three of them watching as Black Canary smiled indulgently. Then in a burst of motion that caught all of them by surprise, threw a straight jab that Wally hastily blocked. Even then, he was unprepared for the low sweep that took his legs out from underneath him.
"Ow." Wally moaned as the simulation beeped indicating his loss. "Hurts so good."
There was more than a few who tried to stifle their laughter amongst the room, even Martian Manhunter cracked a small smile at the speedsters antics.
Moving forwards, Black Canary helped Wally to his feet. "Good block, but did anyone see what he did wrong?" Never one to miss an opportunity, Dick raised his hand like an eager school child with the accompanying noises that attracted everyone's attention.
"Oh, he hit on the teacher and got served?"
"Dude!" Wally exclaimed in shocked surprise and Naruto couldn't deny that he found the little byplay very amusing.
However, Black Canary did not find it as amusing. "He allowed me to dictate the terms of-"
"-oh please." Superboy spoke up in disgruntlement at the whole thing. "With my powers, the battles always on my terms." To further accentuate his point, Superboy pointed his thumb at himself. "I'm a living weapon and this is a waste of my time.
'I think someone is forgetting the few times I've beaten him and the fact that he has yet to beat Aqualad in a fight.'Naruto thought, though his gaze did stray to Black Canary to see how she would deal with this. To his surprise, she was smirking confidently, as if this was what she wanted all along and Naruto wouldn't put it past her. Especially if Batman has mentioned something to her, the guy had been on his back since the formation of this team to get the others to train harder.
While Kaldur, Barbara and Robin didn't need pushing, the others did and while M'gann had started to take her training a little more seriously, it still wasn't saying much, she currently just didn't have the mentality for it. As for Superboy and Wally, they had yet to do more than the bare minimum, which was no different to how they had been before.
"Prove it." Those words ignited the reaction all of them had expected as Superboy stalked forwards, the glare on his face becoming much deeper and angrier. Wally, wisely backed away leaving Black Canary and Superboy stood face to face and while both were relaxed, Naruto already knew the way this battle would go, as did many.
The two lowered into a stance and while there was a brief pause, it didn't last long as Superboy opened up with a powerful punch. If it had landed it would put her out of the fight instantly, yet she had predicted it. Hard not to really, Superboy's attacks were not only basic, but highly predictable and telegraphed.
As a result, she easily stepped back grasping his wrist in both hands, using the clones own weight and momentum against him to throw him away. There he landed with a dull thud, the simulator beeping once more. Yet while satisfying to watch, Naruto's lips dropped into a frown, he and Kaldur sharing a short glance.
Both knew very well that Superboy's with his already large temper would not take this loss very well. Especially not with Robin laughing away, something Kaldur quickly put a stop to. But even then, they could all hear his muffled laughter clearly and it only served to enrage Superboy further.
Getting to his knees with grit teeth, Superboy growled like an animal as he glared at Black Canary. "You're angry." It was not a question, just a simple statement of facts. "Good, but don't react. Channel that anger and-"
Superboy was beyond the point of reasoning at this point and charged forward with a roar. With great ease, Black Canary flipped over Superboy's wild punch, landing in crouch behind the clone. Yet, Superboy quickly spun round only for his back fist strike to miss Canary, brushing through her hair while she swept his legs out from underneath him.
In most cases, her leg would have just bounced off the stronger Kryptonian. But his balance was off, his footing unstable and so he once again found himself on his back, the simulator beeping as if taunting him.
"That's it, I'm done." Superboy growled out, the humiliating reminder that he could in fact lose being far too much for him to bear at this moment in time. It was one thing to lose to Kaldur, he had superior fighting skill along with superhuman strength. Black Canary was only human, with no enhanced strength and his loss was humiliating.
"Training is mandatory." Canary explained firmly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, only for Superboy to shrug her off. The two once again had a stare down, Superboy's blue eyes glaring into Canary's calm gaze with great anger.
Yet, before anything could happen, a holographic message came through.
"Batman to the Cave." A screen with Batman appearing in the middle of the cave, the simulator automatically shutting off. "Five hours ago a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary." The screen of Batman, shrunk in size allowing the image of what looked to be a humanoid robot or Android with orange hair and pointed ears to appear. "The attacker was capable of studying and then duplicating the power and abilities of his opponent."
The screen zoomed in on the figure showing an image of the robot catching Superman's punch before using the Man of Steel as a club. Swinging the Kryptonian around in a circle, knocking Red Tornado and Flash away before throwing him away. Then he fired off a number of lasers from his eyes causing the few Batarangs undoubtedly thrown by Batman himself to exploded harmlessly.
"Green Arrow called in reinforcements which proved disastrous. As the menace gained more and more power with each new combatant." Batman spoke ominously and Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine. There were many members of the Justice League Naruto would not feel confident in facing and beating, there were a few he could probably face and win, but even then he would like to avoid that outcome for a while until he grew stronger.
'But someone who can replicate the powers of every Leaguer?' The thought sent a shiver down his spine. 'Yet Arrow probably made the right decision.' Green Arrow was a human and despite her sonic scream, so was Black Canary. It would make sense to stick to only none superpowered beings to take down the android. But not only was that number limited, it would also be a fight with a great amount of casualties. No, while bringing more superpowered beings to fight against someone who could copy them on paper, was a stupid idea. In reality, it was the best decision to make considering the circumstances.
"Woah, one guy with the powers of the entire League." Wally muttered in awe, a tense silence filling the Cave as they realised exactly what this meant.
Batman appeared on the screen once more. "In the end, it took eight leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android."
"Who made it, T. O. Morrow?" Robin asked and Naruto was left confused as to who exactly the guy was. While he had been reading up on the various enemies the Justice League had fought, he hadn't read up on T. O. Morrow yet.
"Good guess, Robin." Batman said as Superboy looked away in jealousy. "But Red Tornado doesn't think so."
"The technology bares a signature of Professor Ivo." Martian Manhunter informed, once again leaving Naruto in the dark as to who Ivo was. A reminder that while he had been improving as a fighter, improving his knowledge on the world should also be a top priority.
"Ivo?" Kaldur muttered in disbelief. "But Ivo's dead."
"So we all thought." Black Canary answered. "Or hoped."
Batman once again took control of the situation. "To make certain this threat is permanently neutralised where sending two trucks containing the android parts to two different facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation." Another screen popped up showing a map with two red blinking lights to show the location of the facilities. "Every precaution is being taken. You'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone else attempts to recover the remains."
A smart plan, but Naruto couldn't help wondering if they were overlooking something. If it was Ivo or a copycat, they were obviously smart enough to create the android, creating a tracker that only they could track would certainly be within the realm of possibility.
"You will split into two undercover teams to safeguard the trucks."
"Yes, road trip." Wally joyfully cried.
Superboy on the other hand was not so pleased. "So now we take out your trash." He spat out and a Batman remained unmoving.
"You had something better to do." More than a few people winced at Batman's sharp words, all of them aware of how Superboy might possibly react. The clones temper was wild and uncontrolled, the last thing they needed was someone to just light the fuse, which Batman seemed to be actively trying to do.
Yet, Superboy didn't react violently or aggressively, instead his eyes averted, looking away from Batman.
Feeling his phone vibrate, Naruto pulled out to see the coordinates of the trucks. "Right, lets go." Naruto ordered before using Superboy's moment of almost docile-like behaviour to his advantage. He doubted it would last but he wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.
Monday 3rd August, 20:00.
Connecticut,
Litchfield County.
Releasing a happy sigh, Naruto leaned back on his bike dressed in a black and burnt orange biker outfit as he sat on his old, Yamaha. He had missed his bike and had thought he wouldn't see it again, but he was certainly glad to find out that Jim had kept it along with his old stuff. And after being reunited with it, Naruto hadn't been able to keep the smile off his face.
Then Batman had taken it away to give it a few upgrades and while hesitant, Naruto had reluctantly agreed. Now that they were reunited, Naruto once again couldn't keep the smile off his face.
Looking to his left, he checked on the others, each of them hidden in the tree line like him as they watched over the android being packed away by various men and women from Star Labs. They in turn watched over by a few members of the Justice League such as, Superman, Flash, Captain Atom and a few others.
"Miss Martian, link us up." He ordered and as quickly as he said it, he could feel the minds of the others on his team in contact with his own. "Everyone on?" He received various agreements and grunts from the members of his team in response. "Good. Aqualad, you and your team follow truck B, me and mine will follow truck A. Keep in contact for sightings of anything suspicious. Avoid radio contact with the League unless absolutely necessary. We need to keep this quiet."
Again, Naruto received a number of affirmations from the team members and as the six trucks took off, half going one way and the other half going the other, the teams set off. Maelstrom, Batgirl, Miss Martian and Kid Flash going one way with Aqualad, Robin and Superboy the other.
They cruised along the road for a while till they reached a junction in which the lead two trucks peeled off with the rear truck continuing on straight. With a nod of his head to Kid Flash and Miss Martian they turned off following after the two two decoy cars. While Naruto trusted Batman and the League's tactical thinking with decoy trucks. Naruto was going to make sure that anyone following them – if they somehow figured out they were protecting the real truck – would be convinced.
That was why he had Kid Flash and Miss Martian peel off.
They'd continue down that road for about a mile before making their way back onto the motorway. It should force anyone that might be following them to reveal themselves or go completely out of their way if they choose to follow Miss Martian and Kid Flash.
Even then, if they didn't follow those two and instead followed him and Batgirl and decide to attack, Kid Flash and Miss Martian could get her quickly to assist. Was it foolproof? No, it was a risk he was willing to take, especially considering no tracker has been found on the parts of the android.
"So Ivo, who exactly is he?" Naruto asked over the radio to Batgirl.
"You don't know?"
"Besides that he creates androids and should be dead? No, don't know him." Naruto only knew that much because of what he'd picked up from the Cave earlier. It wasn't much and Naruto didn't like that as he had learned quickly that being uninformed was a very dangerous thing.
"Well, he's a mad scientist that's being obsessed with immortality. Actually achieved it at one point, creating some sort of immortality serum before he gave it up. I don't know the whole story behind that, but he was once business partners with T. O. Morrow. The guy who created a Red Tornado so yea, quite a history." Batgirl briefly touched in the story, both knowing there was more to the story than just that.
But one part stood out to Naruto more than the other information. "An immortality serum?"
"To be completely honest, I'm just as confused you as to how that's possible as you." Batgirl agreed to Naruto's dubious question. "But after all the shit I've seen, I'm inclined to believe it's possible." Naruto couldn't help but agree with her.
"If you've fought undead ninjas from an organisation that was nothing more than a scary story your parents told you, then I'm open to anything at this point." Batgirl laughed in complete agreement to his words as they continued to ride down the winding road.
"Yea, hard to believe how much stuff has gone down since then."
There was silence between the two, both of them realising just how little time had actually passed. Considering how much they had done in the space of year and a half, especially those first three months, it was insane.
"You." Naruto began but hesitated. "You ever wonder what life would be like if we didn't do this shit. Just lived normal lives."
"All the time, but to be honest, I think life would be boring. I certainly wouldn't mind having a life like that at some point, but not right now." Naruto nodded his head. "You?"
"I doubt my life would be much different. I'd either still be living in fear of Black Mask or I'd eventually snap and become Black Hood anyway. I don't see how my life could be any different to how it is." Naruto admitted sadly, knowing that a normal life for him just wouldn't be possible considering his circumstances.
A fact they both knew very well.
"For what it's worth, I think you're stronger than you think. Not many people could live your life and not snap. Most that do become every bit as bad as Black Mask." Naruto snorted, finding the statement amusing despite Batgirl being completely serious.
Suddenly, a number of robotic monkeys that glowed green burst out from the cornfield and swarmed the truck. "Miss Martian, Kid Flash, get here now!" Naruto ordered, both he and Batgirl, switching their bikes to battle mode, the front wheel pulling in to serve as the lone wheel, while the back one separated and formed a drone.
Reaching down to his side, Naruto pulled out his machine pistol and fired upon one of the monkeys on top of the truck. It took six bullets to bring it down and with a click of his teeth, Naruto took out five more before having to eject his extendable clip.
"Aqualad, our truck is under attack." Batgirl informed over the radio, Miss Martian's telepathy unable to reach the distance between the two teams.
As Naruto reloaded his pistol he fired once more as he and Batgirl pulled up to the truck. The drones above firing down upon the robot monkeys, but more kept on coming. "We know, ours is under attack as well." Aqualad affirmed.
Switching the bike to autopilot, Naruto propped his feet up on the seat and jumped up onto the truck. His feet lashing out as he flipped through the air kicking two monkeys away as he landed on the roof of the truck in a crouch. Quickly, he unclipped his extendable staff and began swinging and thrusting it at the robot monkeys.
They were durable, capable of taking a number of bullets before exploding. However, Naruto was capable of exerting enough force that a single swing caused them to explode or malfunction.
"Batgirl, take control of the truck, we can't let these things take us off the road." On more than one occasion in the past few seconds, Naruto had nearly slipped and fell off the truck as the driver swerved along the road. He could hear his panicked shouts as the monkeys swarmed the front of the truck much like they did the rest of the truck.
"On it." Batgirl responded, accelerating her bike so that it pulled up in front of the truck and after switching hers to autopilot, Batgirl leaped back, a single kick knocking a number of monkeys off the windscreen. Looking through the windshield, she stared right at the driver who stared back fearfully into her helmet visor. "Get out."
There was moment of hesitation on the guards part, but that changed when Miss Martian and Kid Flash appeared rushing towards them from the front.
With great speed, the speedster rushed along the side of the truck destroying a number of robot monkeys. Miss Martian on the other and took to the sky, her eyes glowing as she picked up five monkeys with her telekinesis and slammed them together causing them to explode. She then used the spare parts, pushing it at great speeds along the other side of the truck taking out a few more monkeys.
Shakily, the guard moved over to the other side of the truck and after opening up the door, leaped out, rolling along the ground to mitigate the damage he would take. "Right, I'm in." Batgirl said over the radio, slowing her speed as to make it more manageable for Naruto.
Said person, ducked under a few green lasers blasts fired from the monkeys eyes, hearing the sound of one of them exploding, no doubt having been caught by the beams. He then rushed forward, a single powerful thrust to the head causing the staff to pierce through and smack another monkey behind it with enough force to cause it to explode.
"Good." A spinning hock kick knocked another monkey that had attempted to attack him from behind into a group of its compatriots, each of them falling off the side. The sudden jerk of the truck as it ran over them nearly caused him to fall. "Miss Martian, take my position, Kid Flash, cover the sides. I'm gonna get into the truck."
As Miss Martian flew up, her body sprouting a number of other arms as they knocked aside any moment key that got close, Naruto pulled out a small pen shaped object. Clicking a button in the side a small red blade appeared that when he placed against the truck roof, caused the metal to melt. Methodically, he cut open a small hole, just big enough for him to fit through and dropped down.
The sound of hissing as something cut against the bottom of the truck caught his attention, more so than the commotion outside. 'Should I stop them?' He questioned internally. 'The monkeys are highly advanced and it would be smart to find out who wants the android. It could even be the creator of the android.'
As a small hatch opened up, a number of monkeys burst through and instead of attacking them, Naruto just watched, his gaze momentarily looking to the unconscious guards to check they were alright. A few monkeys studied him, waiting for him to attack as the rest picked up the crates containing the dismantled parts of the android.
"I'm too late." He informed over the psychic link. "They've already got them." There was a ripple of shock from his teammates outside but Naruto paid them no mind as he watched the last monkeys fly out of the hatch they had made with the crates.
Jumping up through the hole, the truck slowly ground to a halt and Naruto watched them fly away over the cornfield. Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Batgirl soon joining him.
"Aqualad, what's happening?" Naruto demanded and there was a few moments of radio silence.
When Aqualad did respond he sounded irritated. "They got away and," there was a tense silence. "And Superboy's gone rogue." Clicking his teeth in annoyance, Naruto looked to the others, each of the, looking as concerned as he felt. "Don't bother reaching out to him, he's discarded his radio."
"Alright." Pulling out his phone, Naruto looked at the moving red light that indicated the androids parts and the tracker he had placed on the final box before it disappeared. "I'm sending you some coordinates, head there but do not engage."
He received an affirmative from Aqualad and Naruto turned to the rest. "So, what's the plan?" Kid a Flash asked.
"I placed a tracker on one of the parts of the android. Now I've got their location. It's in Gotham City." He raised his phone to show them the screen. "Let's find out who wants this android so badly, shall we?" There was a few smiles all around as they quickly took off, him and Batgirl on their bikes, Kid Flash on foot and Miss Martian through the air.
Monday 3rd July, 20:45.
Connecticut,
Litchfield County.
Cruising along the highway at a steady pace, Aqualad turned his gaze from the truck he was following to his two teammates, Superboy and Robin. Despite having less members on their team, it was arguably one of the most powerful team formations that could be put together. Something Aqualad realised was the reason for the selection in the first place.
Robin in terms of skill, was tied for first with Batgirl and Maelstrom out of everyone on the team. Even he could admit that as the closest to their level, he still doubted he could beat them in a battle of skill alone.
Then with him and Superboy, they were the two strongest members on the team, not even Naruto could match either of them without tapping into his power. And considering he struggled to retain control of himself, let alone use it in a proper battle, it was safe to say that they were the strongest.
As a result, Aqualad would admit to being wary at unbalancing the team so much. Even with less members in his team, Aqualad had no doubts in his mind that this line up was the strongest of the two. But there ways one very clear problem, Superboy. His anger and issues with controlled said anger could and would cause problems if he didn't control it. Considering Superboy's track record, Aqualad doubted that would be the case for a while.
And with today's events, what with his rejection at the hands of Superman – it hadn't been difficult to figure out despite Superboy never saying it – and his humiliating defeat at the hands of Black Canary. Well, it was safe to say Superboy wasn't in the best of moods, something both Robin and Aqualad picked up on.
"If dislike is the opposite of like. Is disaster the opposite of aster?" Robin asked curiously, causing both Superboy and Aqualad to look at him in confusion. Both wondering as to exactly why Robin was asking such a strange question. "See, instead of things going wrong, they go right." He explained with a shrug and Aqualad smiled in bemusement while Superboy looked away. "Eh, clearly you're not feeling the aster."
Seeing Superboy's disinterest and knowing what the problem was, Aqualad attempted to reach out to him with words. "You know, you can tell us what's wrong, Superboy. We are your friends."
There was silence from Superboy as if questioning whether he should answer or not. "Canary." He eventually answered. "What business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" The irritation in Superboy's voice was clear and both the sidekicks frowned at his words.
"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig." Robin clarified. "Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman, Batgirl, Maelstrom and well, me."
"Robins right." Aqualad continued. "I am not as strong as you, nor as fast or as durable. Yet I have learned not to rely on my superior physiology. Before choosing to become Aqualad, I was going to join the Atlantis Military, I was training to be a soldier. I learned to fight so that my powers didn't become my main source of strength, but instead they are an aid."
Superboy was done listening however, revving his bikes engine, the clone accelerated forwards temporarily doing a wheelie as he did so. With a sigh, he had Robin also sped up to keep Superboy from getting too close to the truck.
"Aqualad, our truck is under attack." Batgirl called over the radio and at that exact moment, a number of robotic monkeys burst from the cornfields and swarmed the truck.
"We know, ours is under attack as well." Aqualad affirmed as he pulled out one of his handles revealing it to be one of his Water-Bearers, a whip of water forming as he drew upon the chamber of water inside his bike. With a single strike, he lashed out taking out a number of monkeys that had been using their eyes to create a whole in the back of the truck.
"I hate monkeys." Superboy growled out, his earlier anger rising to unmanageable heights.
"Robot monkeys." Robin on the other hand just laughed happily. "Totally Ivo's tweak style." A quick press on the screen, and a Robin turned his bike into battle mode as did Aqualad who continuously used his water whips to take out the monkeys within his reach. "Hey ace, switch you're ride to battle mode."
Despite his words being loud and clear, Superboy was beyond the point of listening. "No point." Jumping off his bike, Superboy landed on the truck with a thump and glared at the monkeys with rage. However, his bike no longer with a rider went out of control and while Aqualad managed to swerve around it, Robin was not.
With a shout of panic, Robin jumped off his bike just in time as the out of control bike knocked into his. Then, with trained instincts, he fired off his grappling hook that pierced into the back of the truck that had been cleared of monkeys by Aqualad.
As Robin climbed up to join Superboy who was in turn using his helmet as bludgeoning weapon, Aqualad sped up to the side of the truck to help clear the sides of the truck.
With a roar, Superboy gripped one monkey by its arms, ignoring the monkeys clinging to his back. Using only a fraction of his strength, he ripped its arms off and went to rid his back of the monkeys, when two beams of green lasers struck his eyes.
A cry of pain ripped from his lips as a group of monkeys lifted him up by his clothes and dumped him a few meters back. Blinded, Superboy landed with a grunt, clutching his inflamed eyes as he slowly rose to a crouched position. Knowing full well that the convoy was still under attack, he tried to see if he could see it only for his vision to be blurred.
And so, he discarded his sight and instead focused entirely on his hearing. He remembered easily the annoying laughter the monkeys made on repeat and just like he expected, he heard it loud and clear.
Pushing off the ground, Superboy leapt through the air after the truck.
Meanwhile, Robin flipped up onto the top of the truck, two escrima sticks twirling in his hand before he rushed forwards. His arms cut through the air, the escrima stricken knocking the robots to one side as he cleared the roof of any unwanted visitors.
Just as he made it to the other end by the driver, Aqualad still busy dealing with the monkeys on the side, Superboy landed almost knocking the truck off course due to the force of his landing. Luckily, those monkeys that had landed just before were knocked into the air, something Superboy used to his advantage and began to tear them apart.
"Superboy, Robin, get off of there!" Aqualad ordered as he spun round to come on the other side to see a pair of monkeys firing at the tyres of the truck. It was too late though, as the tyres burst and the truck went out of control.
Robin reacted quickly, rushing to the front of the truck and ordered the driver out of there. Both of the, jumping out into the cornfield as Aqualad brought his bike out a halt. Superboy on the other hand, did not escape in time and as the truck flipped over, he found himself clinging to the roof.
Taking off his helmet, Aqualad watched the truck roll across the ground before eventually coming to a stop. Then, the back burst open with an explosion, the monkeys flying out with the boxes containing the dismantled pacers of the android in their hands. Yet, he didn't try and stop them, it was already too late.
And as he watched them go, the sound of the truck being flipped over made him turn to see Superboy rubbing his eyes. Then, upon seeing the clones glare, Aqualad knew exactly what he was going to do. "Superboy, no!" But his shouts fell on deaf ears as Superboy leapt through the air following after the monkeys.
"Where the hell's he going?" Robin asked as he came up to stand beside him.
Aqualad just frowned. "Aqualad to Superboy, radio your position."
"Don't need help, don't want any."
"Superboy?" Aqualad called a few more times, but quickly realised that either Superboy had turned off his radio, or had discarded it all together.
"Aqualad, what's happening?" Maelstrom demanded over the radio and Aqualad sighed, turning to Robin slightly for help on how to put this. The young sidekicks just shrugged his shoulders and with set shoulders, Aqualad raised one hand to his ear.
"They got away and…and Superboy's gone rogue." Hearing Maelstrom click his teeth in annoyance, Aqualad knew that their leader didn't like that at all. "Don't bother reaching out to him, he's discarded his radio." He informed, knowing it was more likely that Superboy had discarded his radio rather than simply switching it off.
At the same time, Robin crouched down beside one of the broken monkeys. The question that had been in his mind this entire time was how exactly the monkeys knew which trucks to target. If they had attacked the decoy trucks they would have heard about it, but they hadn't.
Pulling out a cord, he plugged into the monkey and began to hack into its mainframe. It was difficult what with the many encrypted codes Ivo or whoever was the creator of these robot monkeys had put in as a protection but to him it was child's play.
"Robin, we've got a location on where the parts are been taken." Aqualad said, looking at his phone where it showed the coordinates of Maelstrom's tracker.
Robin on the other hand frowned in confusion as he too looked at the map on his holographic screen. "Both parts are converging on, Gotham City."
Monday 3rd July, 21:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Academy.
"Miss Martian, how are you feeling?" Naruto asked as he looked up to the alien woman in question. Considering the area they had been travelling too, only Kid Flash would have a chance of getting there in time so he had sent the speedster on ahead. Then it was the problem of him and Batgirl getting there.
Miss Martian could get there relatively quickly as well, her ability to fly allowed her to avoid the winding roads and head straight to Gotham. As a result, he had considered sending her on ahead as well until Miss Martian offered to use her telekinesis to carry them both there.
It was a little humiliating for sure, but he was fine with it considering they were getting there over five times faster without having to stick to the roads. As a result they got to Gotham relatively quickly, even though Miss Martian looked exhausted.
"Robin says the parts are at Gotham Academy." Batgirl said looking extremely concerned as she did so. "He, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Superboy have already engaged…Amazo? And he's every bit as powerful as Batman made him out to be."
Nodding his head, Naruto looked to Miss Martian to see her sweating profusely, he face scrunched up in deep concentration. "Miss Martian, when we get to Gotham Academy, I want you to stay out fo the fight. You've exhausted yourself by doing this."
"I can still help." Miss Martian argued.
Naruto's just flashed her a comforting smile. "I know, but you don't need to, you've done more than enough already." Miss Martian still looked like she was about to argue. "Right, bring us down here." Despite wanting to argue against his decision to sideline her, Miss Martian still followed the order and began the descent down on to the roof of the gymnasium where they had tracked the rest of the team.
And they could hear the sound of the fight going on inside.
"You ready?" Naruto asked and Batgirl nodded her head as Miss Martian watched on with a frown. "Miss Martian, link us up."
The feeling of numerous minds connecting to his own was a familiar one and Naruto reached out. It was a little something, Miss Martian had taught him to do. With it, he could see through the eyes of whoever was connected to his own mind, it required trust between both participants, something only he, Batgirl, Miss Martian and Aqualad had truly worked on.
While Robin and Superboy trusted him as a leader, both were wary about letting people in their mind. It was something Naruto could understand and so, it was usually limited to just those four people in question.
He had actually gotten the idea after the incident on Santa Prisca when Miss Martian had shown the image of Sportsmaster to him and the rest of the team. So they had worked on something similar.
Even then, despite its usefulness, it came with its downsides. Mostly, the fact that he would be seeing double, but that was quickly rectified by him closing his eyes. As a result, he watched as the android, Amazo as they had learned used extendable limbs to hit Robin's Batarangs causing them to explode.
This was then followed up by a downward swipe, that Naruto watched descended towards him and Superboy, more specifically Aqualad and Superboy as they lay crumpled in the bleachers. "Right, everyone pull back. This guy took on the eight Leaguers, we can't beat it head on." He ordered and while most were willing, Superboy was and he leapt from the bleachers and came down upon Amazo with a fist drawn back.
Naruto had long since stopped looking through Aqualads mind, he and Batgirl having entered the gymnasium to see Amazo turn to him slowly. "Access. Superman." The mechanic voice droned as he plucked Superboy's fist out of the sky and landed a devastating right cross that sent the clone flying across the room.
"So, what's the plan?" Robin asked as they warily stared at Amazo who stood calmly in the middle of the gymnasium, it's mechanical eyes studying each member closely.
"We keep it at a distance. If we get too close he'll just use the techniques and powers of the Justice League giving us no chance. Keeping him at a distance will allow us to at least predict what powers he can use." Naruto's answer received mutterings of agreement before Amazo sprung into action
"Access. Flash." With barely any time to react, Amazo rushed forwards towards Aqualad who barely had time to dodge the first blow before finding himself under assault from numerous fast blows. The metal body of the android added more power behind the already powerful strikes and it was only thanks to the Atlantean's natural durability that he managed to survive the first second.
Luckily, the rest of the team sprung into action to save him.
"Access. Martian Manhunter." The flurry of Batarangs flew through the Amazo's intangible body giving Aqualad the chance to put some distance between himself and Amazo. "Access. Superman." At that moment, Kid Flash who had closed the distance between himself and Amazo foolishly, was picked up in a bear hug, the strength of Superman crushing down on his body causing him to cry out in pain.
Naruto, upon seeing this rushed forwards as did Aqualad and Superboy. Yet, before they could get close an arrow was shot with pinpoint accuracy directly at Amazo's head. "Access. Martian Manhunter."
Unlike with Aqualad, Kid Flash couldn't get away, the pain racking his body was great as he collapsed to the ground. Upon seeing this, the three heroes continued forward towards Amazo to keep his attention off Kid Flash as Batgirl moved into drag him away.
"Access. Superman." From it's burst two red beams that Naruto just barely dodged in time. On the other hand, without even looking at them, Amazo easily parried both Superboy's and Aqualad' punches to one side. Two backhands sent them flying leaving only Naruto as he continued forwards, staff held securely in one hand as jumped up and he went to smack the androids head. "Access. Captain Atom."
In midair, there was no chance for Naruto to avoid the blast that fired out from Amazon's left palm. All he could do was manoeuvre the staff in front of him to try and take some of the damage.
It didn't do much.
The power behind the blast broke through the staff with ease and the explosion that followed sent Naruto flying across the gymnasium where he collided against the wall.
Batgirl watched this all in muted horror, her shock at the sight enough to cause her to freeze, which turned out to be the wrong move. It was only thanks to Robin's timely intervention that allowed her to avoid getting hit by another blast of energy as the young protégé tackled her to one side. Even then, they were both caught in the shockwave and launched further through the air.
With a grunt, Naruto pushed some of the rubble off chest, shaking his dizzy head as he did so. 'Damnit, this is fucking insane.' He cursed internally. No matter what they did, this machine had an answer to it not only thanks to his powers, but also because he had the skills of the Leaguers he fought as well.
It was always a commonly debated theory as to how strong Superman would be if he had the skills of Batman. Right now he was seeing what it was like to have that plus numerous other Leaguers on top of that and safe to say, the few short seconds had been enough to show how dangerous of a threat Amazo was.
'I really hoped to avoid using this for a little while longer.' He thought as he reached deep inside of him. 'But I don't have a choice, I'm sitting ducks out there and it's not like Amazo can get any stronger.'
With that thought in mind, Naruto's felt the power deep inside him burst free, flooding his body with the potent and angry energy he had come to familiarise himself with other the past few weeks. Despite this familiarisation, he had to once again fight to keep control of himself as he always had to.
'Come on, Naruto. Get ahold of yourself.' He growled at himself, feeling as his canines and nails lengthened.
Then after a few seconds upon which he watched as his team desperately fought a losing battle against Amazo, he finally felt himself calm down. There was a brief moment upon which he nearly lost control as he watched Batgirl get caught up in a Canary Scream, but he didn't.
With a low growl, Naruto cracked his neck before smiling viciously at Amazo.
Tensing his legs, he pushed off the ground heading straight towards the android with speeds far surpassing anything he had moved at before. In a fraction of a second, he closed the gap between himself and Amazon and lashed out with a powerful punch.
"Access. Superman." In response, Amazo caught the punch in one hand with ease, something Naruto had expected. In the few times he had sparred against Aqualad in this form, the Atlantean had been able to match him in strength quite easily and Amazo had been beating even Superboy in a contest of strength. Considering Superboy was stronger than Aqualad, it would be surprising if Naruto managed to actually do any damage at all.
However, that was not Naruto's aim as he came up with an uppercut that Amazo dodged by leaning his head back. This was a disguise as Naruto also came round with a roundhouse kick that struck Amazo's face whipping it to one side.
'Now I can keep up.' He thought victoriously as he continued to dodge and parry Amazo's numerous blows, Aqualad soon joining him as they tag teamed the android.
"Analysing…" Amazo announced as he swung Aqualad into Naruto knocking the two off their feet. "Analysis. Failed." He then simultaneously swung round, lashing out with a powerful punch that sent Superboy flying back into the bleachers once more.
Nothing they did seemed to stall Amazo, not even Batgirl and Robin's constant assault of Batarangs as they ran interference. Even Kid Flash who was spending his time dragging everyone out of close calls would occasionally come into try and land a few quick blows only to have to bail in order to save his own life.
"What?" Ivo exclaimed in shocked outrage, rising to his feet as he did so. "That's impossible. My amazing Amazo was designed to analyse and copy all powers. How is it he's incapable of copying yours?"
Spitting out some blood, Naruto smirked. "Maybe your android isn't as good as you think he is."
Ivo scoffed at the very idea. "That's not possible, Amazo copied the powers of Superman, the fact that Amazo can't copy yours is a curiosity. Amazo, bring me that one alive, priority alpha. And kill the rest, they're powers are such poor copies of the originals."
"So everyone keeps saying. It makes me angry." Superboy said, eyes narrowed in anger before he leapt towards Ivo. The scientist in question let out a scream of fear, only just managing to scramble away in time as Superboy landed, both hands smashing into the bleachers upon where Ivo's head would have been. "Wanna see me a channel that anger."
"Great, he's gone ballistic again." Naruto would have shared Kid Flash's sentiments, if he hadn't picked up on the smirk he had given just before his outburst.
And he wasn't the only one to notice.
"Maybe not." Robin muttered with a smile on his face.
"Batgirl, Robin, Kid Flash. Play keep away with Ivo, we'll make Amazo more focused on protecting his creator than us." Naruto ordered as he then looked to Aqualad. "Superboy, on my signal come away and help us deal with Amazo."
"Right."
Meanwhile, Ivo fearfully looked at Superboy. "Amazo, protect your master. Priority alpha." With the new orders, Amazo lifted up one hand directing it at Superboy.
"Access. Captain Atom." Aqualad was already in motion and swung his Water-bearers round and the whip of water struck Amazo's hand knocking it off course allowing Superboy to escape unharmed. At the same time, Naruto and the rest of the team burst forwards.
"Anyone wanna play keep away?" Robin asked, coming up behind Ivo who was being lifted off the ground by his robot monkeys. A roundhouse kick to the back of the scientist knocked him to the ground.
"Oh, oh, me, me." Kid Flash exclaimed happily, bursting after Ivo.
"Superboy, now!"
Amazo however noticed this. "Access. Superman." Naruto used Amazo's lack of attention to his advantage, grabbing the android by the hand and chucking him towards Superboy who slammed a double haymaker into the robots face. The force behind it knocked him straight into the ground, the gymnasium floor caving in underneath the androids body.
What followed was a short but brutal faze of back and forth action.
Batgirl, Robin and Kid Flash making sure to knock Professor Ivo around the room. All the while, Amazo tried to save his creator, only for his inability to pay attention to Naruto, Aqualad and Superboy to give those three the chance to land a number of blows. Unlike before where Amazo was working under the protocol to eliminate the team, now his main protocol was to save his master.
Despite everything, Amazo was a machine and he didn't have the same ability to improvise that humans had. Something the team used to their advantage with devastating results.
Lashing out with a spinning hock kick, Naruto suddenly found himself flung away when Amazo caught his ankle and threw him across the room. Superboy used this opening to land a jab, cross, hook and then an uppercut before being struck by a backhand that threw him away.
All the while, Naruto used the momentum to flip through the air and land on the solidified water hammer that Aqualad created.
With a grunt, Aqualad launched Naruto back towards Amazo where he tackled the robot to the ground. The two rolled across the ground with Naruto eventually ending up top where he pummelled the android into the ground, each fist smacking the androids head to the point it put a large hole in the floor.
"Access. Black Canary." Naruto instantly moved to get away, but it was too late and the scream struck him with the strength of a speeding truck.
Crying out in pain, Naruto flew through the air where he landed on the ground with a bounce. The power of the scream was damaging enough for a normal person, but for someone with enhanced senses, especially hearing.
It was torturous.
Despite him being down, Aqualad quickly took charge knowing that now was the perfect opportunity. "Batgirl." He called, seeing Batman's protégé the closest to them. "Aim for his head." It wasn't very specific, yet Batgirl knew exactly what he meant and spun round, a handful of Batarangs already in one hand and launched them at Amazo who had only gotten to his knees.
"Access. Martian Manhunter." As he became intangible, the Batarangs flew through its body, Amazo having not being in a stable position to actually use any other power to block it. This little tidbit of information was something Aqualad had noticed throughout the course of their fight. While he had the powers of eight Leaguers, he usually stuck to a small number of powers, that made him predictable.
He liked to use Superman strength to beat them down.
Captain Atom's energy blasts to strike from a distance.
Black Canary's powers to strike at midrange.
And Martian Manhunter's intangibility to avoid attacks.
He mainly stuck to those four powers, rarely ever using the other Leaguers ones. A strange choice for sure, but Aqualad wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
And so, as Amazo rose to his feet, still intangible, Superboy rushed forwards. "Access. Superman." But it was too late, as the android solidified to use Superman's powers, Superboy's fist was still where his head was.
There was a brief pause, less than a fraction of a second before Amazo's head exploded.
With bated breath, the team of young heroes watched as the headless android collapsed backwards, each of them just waiting to see if Amazo would get back up. "Quickly, help me disassemble him." Robin demanded, not willing to take any chances.
"Dude." Kid Flash deadpanned. "The guy has no head."
"Don't take any chances." Aqualad ordered.
Batgirl on the other hand came up to Naruto. "You alright?" Batgirl asked extending one hand to help him to his feet.
"Yea." He winced at the sound of his own voice, taking a moment to wipe the blood coming from his ears. "I'll be fine in a few." He then looked to the others and frowned when he noticed something. "What happened to Ivo?"
Despite his hopes, Naruto didn't receive an answer.
Tuesday 4th August, 01:05.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
Mount Justice.
"The Amazo Android is in pieces again and being analysed at the two separate Star Labs." Naruto informed the senior heroes in front of him, though a frown soon came upon his face. "Unfortunately, Ivo managed to escape before we could apprehend him."
"Capturing the professor will be a League priority." Black Canary responded firmly.
"But we understand, your assignment encountered other…complications?" Martian Manhunter questioned from beside her. While he gave no names and the team did not point fingers, they all knew exactly as to who the Martian was talking about.
Before Naruto could say anything in defence, Batman beat him to it. "Complications come with the job. You're ability to handle them has impressed the League."
"The whole League?" Superboy asked hopefully.
Batman gave nothing away. "Given time, yes. Kryptonians as you know, have very hard heads." It wasn't much in the way of comfort, though it certainly made Superboy happier. "Of course there's no shame in asking for help. That's why the League exists. Because there's some problems even we can't handle individually."
"Please, if we needed help we would even get the chance to ask." Robin argued, reaching down to his side. "Look familiar. You were following us. Babysitting us, you still don't trust us." The rest of the team remained silent, each of them agreeing with what Robin was saying.
"We didn't follow you." To further back up Batman's words, Green Arrow took the arrow Robin presented and pulled out one of his own. With the two side by side, they could all plainly see that they were entirely different.
"And, that's not your arrow."
'That's an understatement.' Naruto snarked, a frown coming onto his face as the realisation hit him. 'So there was someone else there with us, but who? Were they there for the android or for some other reason?'
"But that means?" Robin's voice took a happy tone as a large smile came onto his face.
"Speedy." Kid Flash concurred.
"He has our back." Naruto looked between the three in confusion, he knew who Speedy was. He was Green Arrow's sidekick, or former sidekick from what he had heard, but why would he be in Gotham of all places. And from what he knew, his arrows were red, not green, something he could tell the senior heroes were also thinking about considering the frowns on their faces,.
A/N: So another chapter is done, not my best and while I think the beginning and end was decent, I wasn't so pleased with the middle part. Hopefully you enjoyed it all the same as I couldn't really change much about this episode unlike with the last one. I tried and I changed as much as I could without going completely off the rails while keeping people in character.
For the most part, this episode was focused on Superboy's development and I tried to keep that while it mostly being through Naruto's perspective and I think I did a pretty good job.
And now, onto the questions:
uchihaNaruto247: Yes, kind of. I won't say anymore pas that's entering serious spoiler territory but if you're really interested, then PM and I'll be more than willing to explain it to you. And thank you very much, I'm glad I managed to get it just right. And yes, Naruto's going to work hard. It's not going be an instant thing, but it will come around a little quicker than in the first book. The reason for that is because unlike in the first book, Naruto actually has foundations from which to build upon. I did a little construction work when I was younger and one thing I can tell, you is that building the foundations can take a while. But after that, building up becomes much quicker.
That is the same with Naruto in this fic. In the first book his foundations were shoddy and as a result, he basically had to relearn which took even longer. But thanks to his training with Deathstroke, Naruto has solid foundations, good facilities and a number of experienced heroes and comrades from which to learn from. This will make his growth much quicker, but even then, don't expect instant growth.
tamagat: Possibly, I won't spoil much on that front.
Sultan Asil Arslan: Yes, Naruto will stay and lead the team up until the end of Season 1, then he'll go and do his own thing. As for killing, that will play a part, but it won't be the full thing. However, Jason will be one of Naruto's biggest failures.
NaruLemon Stories: No, while I understand that in Young Justice, some of the stuff Superboy does isn't all that impressive, I have amped his powers a little more to be a little more in keeping with his comic book levels. Sure he doesn't have the full totality of the Kryptonian powers and those he has are a little weaker, but Superboy is still incredibly powerful. It's the same with Kaldur who is Atlantean and while Atlanteans are nowhere near as powerful as Kryptonians, there now weak by any stretch of the imagination.
In terms of physical strength, Kaldur is capable of matching a two tails Naruto and with his magic and combat skill, he's able of matching a three tails Naruto in power. As for Superboy, he's capable of matching a three tails Naruto and like all Kryptonians, the more sunlight he absorbs the stronger he gets, though at a lesser rate than superman. Even so, Naruto still has a long way to go and at the end of the day, it's not all about strength.
In terms of pure skill the only people on the team capable of matching Naruto are Barbara and Dick (who have been trained even harder by Batman after their defeat to Naruto) however the enhancements his serum give put him at a level where one-on-one that he will win 9 out of 10 times. Not even Kaldur is a match for Naruto, Barbara or Robin when it comes to skill.
Samuel Santillan: Naruto is not a clone and Kushina and Minato did give birth to him. He's a natural born boy, but there is one member of the Light especially interested in Naruto, just not yet. He doesn't know about the very thing that makes Naruto interesting yet, though he will eventually.
Yakuza2010: The Black Hood supporters have not been forgotten and will make an appearance later on. As for Black Hood and the mantle, we haven't seen the last of it yet, it will make an appearance in the future. As for Megan reading Naruto's mind she hasn't yet, I get the opinion that the telepathic link she creates simply connects to the other most edges of your mind, you know where your thoughts are rather than actual memories. Other female villains, possibly as for the Court of Owls, they are done. However, Talon is not, he will be returning and stronger and more dangerous than ever.
RQ Quest: Your story idea seems interesting but I'm afraid I'm focusing more on my uni work as well as doing a little writing on the side so I'm afraid I won't be able to do it.
Want to thank you all and hope you have a Happy New Year.