Outing
- - - September 14 - - -
"Superboy and Miss Martian have been taken into police custody as planned", J'onn informed Mary and Red Tornado via one of the mission room's computers. "They are expected to be transferred to Belle Reve on Thursday, the day after tomorrow. Superman and the Sphere are guarding the real Terror Twins in a rural safehouse, while Aqualad and I will stay local in case that backup is needed."
Mary nodded gratefully. She had already watched Cat Grant's live report of the Terror Twin's capture, but it was still a relief to hear everything had gone according to plan behind the scenes as well.
"It also appears that Superman and Superboy have had a first reconciling conversation", J'onn added.
"Very good", Red Tornado replied.
Mary beamed at the screen. Those were wonderful news!
She caught just a glimpse of J'onn returning her smile before the call ended.
Megan's and Conner's mission had started successfully. Which meant that the cave was empty for the rest of the week.
Mary's first real downtime. Alfred had insisted that she took the time off instead of simply settling back into her former routine at Wayne Manor.
Her first vacation.
She had not yet decided what to do with it.
Following a sudden impulse, she turned to face her android companion. "Red Tornado, what are your plans for the next days?"
He regarded her quizzically. "You wish to know what I do in my free time?"
It occurred to her that she had never actually asked him that particular question.
"Well, yes, I suppose? I don't mean to intrude..."
"Not at all. I am indeed willing to show you what project I've been working on, if you are inclined to find out."
"Okay, um, yes?"
"Wait here", he instructed. With wooshing sound, he activated his wind currents, rising up toward the round hatch in the mission room's ceiling. Mary watched him disappear into his apartment.
Seconds later, a rope ladder was cast down towards her. The lower end landed on the floor in front of her with a soft thud.
"I secured the ladder to the hatch", Red Tornado announced from above. "Do you require assistance?"
"I'll be fine!" She reached for the wooden bars. Although the lower end was swinging freely, the climb was easy enough.
Her curiosity grew as she ascended. This was the first time she had ever entered the android's apartment.
She heaved herself up through the hatch.
Red Tornado's home was a well-lit workshop. Unsurprisingly, he had no bed and no wardrobe in his chambers, although she did spot a second blue cape on a lonely coat hanger. Most of the walls were taken up by all kinds of mechanical or electrical devices. A large drawer cabinet towered in one of the corners. At its side, a metal shelf bore a meticulous array of tools and tool boxes. Below, rolls of cables were stacked in an orderly fashion.
In the centre of the room, close to the hatch, stood a large metal table. Something lay on it, underneath a red linen. She could discern a human shape.
"This is what I have been working on", Red Tornado announced, pulling the red cloth away with a theatrical gesture.
What lay beneath did indeed look like a human body, lying on its back, its arms loosely resting at its sides. It was naked, yet any sexual organs were missing. No navel either, just smooth, hairless skin. From the shape of the body, it was most likely male. His eyes were closed, his chest unmoving.
Mary approached slowly. Hesitantly, she touched one of the figure's arms.
It was cold to the touch.
"You are building another android", she stated, trailing her fingers across the artificial limb in wonder. "Is he alive? Sapient, I mean?"
Red Tornado shook his head. "I cannot create consciousness – even if I could, my programming would forbid it. This body is merely another vessel."
His black eyes met hers. "I have build him for myself."
Mary let her gaze trail over his massive, red metal form with the yellow arrow on his forehead, his multi-jointed fingers still grasping the red fabric. Then she looked down once more at the fairly sculptured body in front of her, his symmetrical features and well-proportioned shape. Across his metal limbs, only the faintest seams were visible.
"What a marvellous creation", she breathed.
Red Tornado finally dropped the cloth into a nearby drawer. "I am relieved that you approve", he admitted, his voice softer than usual.
"Why would I not?"
"Some would say that human-looking androids are unnatural. Some would be alarmed, some revolted."
Mary shook her head. "I'm sure those people would say the same about cloning, or shape-shifting."
"Indeed, they do."
She looked up into Red Tornado's featureless face. "How would this work? If you have two bodies, won't they develop two different personalities eventually?"
He shook his head. "I can copy my memories, but not the essence of my mind. If I transfer my consciousness into the new body, this will cause the former one to loose its agency. I cannot activate them both at once." He seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment. "I could move them both, if I found a way to link both positronic minds permanently, which would leave me still a single person, but with two bodies thinking as one… However, such a technology currently lies beyond me."
Mary smiled at him in awe. "That's fascinating. So you could transfer your consciousness back and forth? The change would not be permanent?"
"I can, and I have already done so repeatedly."
"Amazing."
I have build him for myself. The way that Red Tornado had spoken those words left no doubt that this body was not destined for undercover missions, had not been created as a League asset.
"He will be your civilian identity", she stated.
Red Tornado nodded slowly.
"Does he - do you already have a name for that role?"
"According to census statistics, John Smith would be the most unobtrusive."
Mary chuckled. "Very reasonable."
She gestured at the tools and devices surrounding them. "Is he finished? I mean, have you completed building him? Can he walk?"
"The body appears functional", Red Tornado replied. "Although so far I have only tested its audiovisual sensors and basic locomotion."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take him out!" She grinned widely. "We have a four-day weekend ahead of us!"
"You are not obliged to sacrifice your vacation on my behalf", he reminded her.
Mary waved his concerns aside. "I would much rather go on a vacation with you than on my own", she admitted truthfully.
He regarded her intently. "What would you propose?"
"Well, for today, it's probably too late for anything more adventurous than a stroll at the beach. But tomorrow… Can you use the Zeta tube with the new body?"
"I am indeed authorized to add a second Zeta signature to my own designation."
"Then we could go anywhere! I would really like to see more of the US. I've lived here for over eight months now, but the only places I've explored are Gotham and Happy Harbor. I've visited the Hall of Justice once, and spent one afternoon in the outskirts of New York City with Zatara, but that's all. Oh, well, except for that one Zeta trip to Alaska. There is so much I want to see! I've read about Mount Rushmore, the Metropolis Museum, the Star City Bridge, the Niagara Falls..."
Red Tornado shook his head. "Visitors to the Metropolis Museum must undergo a routine security check. I cannot pass a metal detector test in either of my bodies. Neither Mount Rushmore nor Niagara Falls are close to a Zeta access point."
"We don't have to start with the typical tourist destinations", Mary replied. "Everything here is so different from what I grew up in. You have sky scrapers now and 3d-cinemas and cafés where the entire internet is served - any city is exciting for me!"
"You might be under a slight misconception regarding internet cafés", Red Tornado cautioned.
Mary just shrugged. "Where would you like to go, Red Tornado? What did you plan to do as John Smith?"
He tilted his head slightly. "I have been on missions all over the country, but I have never been anywhere on 'vacation'." His voice sounded softer than usually. "Wherever I went, I was usually treated like a public attraction myself. It would be an interesting experience to go to a city and just… mingle."
She smiled at him brightly. "Sounds like we have a plan!"
Her stupid coffee was gone again. Dinah sighed, contemplating if she should make herself yet another espresso. No, she wouldn't be able to sleep in the morning.
Only one more hour on her night shift.
It really was a blessing that J'onn or Superman usually manned the Watchtower at night. Why on Earth had she agreed to take up two of the dark shifts this week? Sure, the view on the stars from the League's secret space station in its geostationary orbit was still breathtaking, but the ethereal silence was getting on her nerves. Why did all the usual insomniacs have to be caught up in that stupid Belle Reve mission?
She pulled up the League roster on her tablet computer. Maybe someone would swap her the second night shift tomorrow against a more humane time. The Flash still owed her a favour after that Hamburger incident last week…
The distant sound of a Zeta announcement broke the silence."Recognized. 16. Red Tornado."
Perfect! Another League member who didn't need to sleep.
Dinah heaved herself out of her desk chair. From the sound of the android's heavy metal steps, he was heading straight towards the mechanics bay. She followed him, still carrying the tablet. At the door of the watchtower's workshop, she caught up with him.
"Hey, Red! Would you mind taking over tomorrow's night shift for me?"
The android was carrying a large package wrapped in red cloth.
"Greetings, Black Canary." He did not look up at her, carefully lowering the package onto a nearby workbench. "No, I will not be available for League work for the rest of this week."
Dinah blinked, taken aback. Wasn't Red Tornado always available?
She glanced down at the roster.
Vacation. He had taken the next four days off for vacation.
Red Tornado had never taken time off before.
"Are you okay?"
"Indeed. I am about to test out this more human-like android body that I have build. I will leave my current body here at the Watchtower, where it will be more secure than at the currently unguarded Mount Justice. I would appreciate if you could keep an eye on it, I have grown rather attached to it."
She stared at him, then at the immobile human corpus he was silently unwrapping. It was wearing an oversized red-and-blue Hawaii Shirt and a faded pair of patchy black pants. There was sand on its feet.
"The mind transfer takes less than a minute", Red explained, already connecting a data cable to the side of his forehead.
Dinah just nodded.
She definitely needed another espresso.
- - - September 15th - - -
"Green Arrow, do you copy?", his League communicator chimed up.
Oliver Queen tapped the answer button groggily.
"One moment", he whispered.
Very carefully, he disentangled himself from Dinah's sleeping form, sliding out of the bed soundlessly. He grabbed his pants and a t-shirt from the floor, snuck out of the bedroom and softly closed the door behind him.
Better let sleeping birds lie.
One glance at his watch revealed that it was already two in the afternoon. All those nightly patrols had really messed up his sleep rhythm. He had barely caught an hour of shut-eye this morning, when his favourite song bird had suddenly paid him a surprise visit after her own Watchtower night shift, totally psyched up on a caffeine high.
Not that he had particularly minded, of course.
He fastened his belt, then tapped his League communicator.
"Green Arrow in. What's up, Speedy?"
"It's Red Arrow now."
Right. Roy had decided he was a grown-up now, so he had chosen a new name.
"Yeah, fine. What's up?"
"There's a robot assessing Star City's key infrastructure", his former protégé reported.
Ollie frowned. "What? Why?"
"I first noticed them at Star Labs this morning, during a routine check-up. I've been helping the Labs with upgrading their security system after that nanobot attack last month."
Yet another security job. Maybe Roy was finding a new career path. His last solo mission had also been a security assignment, protecting Lex Luthor, of all people, during that peace summit...
"The subjects wandered around the complex for an hour this morning", the boy continued. "They took the metro next, lingering for a while at the Central Station, assessing the tube maps and trains. Then they walked all across Star City Bridge, recording the city photographically. They are currently visiting the solar power plant on the coast side. They are pretending to have a picnic, but of course the robot isn't eating anything."
"They? Who?"
Ollie was never very articulate in the morning. Or whatever counted as mornings in his messed up schedule right now.
"The robot is accompanied by a young woman who appears to be human."
Ah. Okay, this was starting to make sense now.
"You're talking about a human-shaped android? And the girl is about five foot seven, brown-haired, green-brown eyes?"
Dinah had been thrilled to tell him all about Tornado's body swap and holiday plans, before the caffeine wore off and she finally collapsed beside him.
"Both are wearing sun-glasses, but her size and hair-colour match", Speedy confirmed. "You know them?"
"Yeah, they are just sightseeing. You should say hello."
"Dude, why don't you inform me about strange androids wandering through our city?"
"Well, I didn't know he would… Is he still wearing a Hawaii shirt?"
"What? Are you messing with me? No!"
"Just wondering, he had one this morning…"
"I spend half a day tracking this guy and you could have told me all about him this morning? We had an agreement!"
"No, I didn't…"
Speedy had already severed the connection.
No, not Speedy. Red Arrow.
Ollie rubbed his tired eyes.
That really could have gone better.
"Which means that under Atlantean leadership, the systemic expansion of solar energy, wind energy, hydropower and ocean current power generation is finally being addressed in the US", Red Tornado continued. "Quite late, given that there are countries like Norway that already satisfy two-thirds of their primary energy demand from renewable sources. This nation has much to catch up on."
Mary gazed across the solar park and the Star City Bay below her, still not showing any signs that his technical explanations were tiring her. "What a fascinating technology", she commented softly.
They were currently sitting on a freshly-mown meadow beside one of the solar park's maintenance roads, on a picnic blanket. Red Tornado had never sat on a picnic blanket before. He had never had to worry about getting grass stains on his clothes, either.
Their first stop this morning had been the Star City Mall, where Mary had helped him pick out a new and better-fitting pair of black pants, a casual shirt with red and grey stripes, and a short-brimmed grey hat to cover his new body's bald head. He rather liked the hat.
According to the very attentive shopkeeper, John Smith was a hat-person. Mary had amiably agreed with that assessment. His colleague herself was wearing a 'holiday outfit' comprised of a white summer dress dotted with little red flowers, a white shawl and a matching pair of white-framed sunglasses. Her brown hair was braided more elaborately than usually.
"The power cells have almost the same colour as the ocean in this light", Mary noted. "You said they are made of silicon crystals? Is it hard to produce them?"
As she turned her head, he glimpsed a red shape briefly reflected in her mirrored glasses. He instantly captured and enlarged the image.
A human shape, wearing red. He triangulated the newcomer's location.
"Red Arrow is watching us from behind the generator building", he informed Mary, leaning back slightly to shield her from the archer's potential line of fire. Red Arrow might be an ally of the League, but he would not take any risks when it came to her safety.
"Really?" She did not sound overly concerned. "Why?"
"I do not know." Most probably, his John Smith disguise had somehow attracted the archer's attention. Surely it could not have been the hat?
"Should we invite him over?", Mary asked.
He nodded. "That appears to be the most logical approach."
For a moment, he pondered to contact the archer via his build-in League communicator. However, he was reluctant to give up his new 'secret identity' this easily.
Instead, he simply turned towards the generator building. "Red Arrow, do you wish to join us?", he called out.
There was a faint metallic note in his new voice when he increased the volume like this. He would have to adjust that later.
Red Arrow stepped out from behind his cover, approaching them carefully. The red-haired archer was holding his bow at the ready, a quiver slung across his left shoulder. As usual, his eyes were hidden behind a black domino mask.
"Who are you?", he demanded to know.
A rather philosophical question. Red Tornado hesitated to reveal his League identity just yet. "I am called John Smith, and my companion's name is Mary Baker", he answered instead.
Red Arrow replied with a short bark of laughter. "I'm not buying that."
Red Tornado turned towards Mary, his eyebrows raised. His range of facial expressions was still limited, but a questioning look was part of his repertoire already.
She shrugged. "It might be too unobtrusive? Both our first and last names are so terribly common that their combination might seem unbelievable."
"Also, I know that you're not human", the archer added.
"How?"
"Why would I tell you?"
There was no point in delaying it further. "I am Red Tornado", he replied. "We are testing out my new 'civilian identity' today. I would be interested to find out how you identified me on my very first outing."
The archer remained sceptical. "How do I know you really are Red Tornado?"
Mary smiled at that, doubtlessly remembering their earlier conversation about code phrases.
Red Tornado picked the three most obvious replies. "You could ask me a question about something you believe an imposter would be unlikely to know. You could contact someone who knows Mary here, the care taker of the new team that you were invited to join as well, to verify her identify first and let her vouch for mine. Or you could get in touch with Black Canary who witnessed me change into this new body earlier this morning. None of these would provide conclusive evidence, of course, but in combination they might lessen your suspicion."
"Black Canary watched you, not Green Arrow?"
"Indeed."
"You did not speak to him? And you told neither one of them that you were coming to Star City?"
"I did not reveal our destination. I hoped we would remain unnoticed."
The archer's eyes narrowed. "What were you wearing when Black Canary watched you change bodies earlier today?"
What was he hoping to learn from this?
"My primary body wore a blue cape, as usual. This one wore black pants and a brightly printed summer shirt with a pattern of red-and-blue hibiscus flowers."
Once again, the archer replied with a short bark of laughter. "No wonder the he was tired, that lucky dog."
Red Tornado shared another questioning look with Mary. She only shrugged.
For the first time since his arrival, Red Arrow also turned his attention to Mary. "So, you are supposed to be the team's den mother? Why didn't I see you with them last time I visited?"
"Um, I'm not entirely sure when you last visited the team?", she replied. "I know you led them on a mission to protect that nanotech-scientist, that was a month ago, in the beginning of August. And Aqualad went to the Rhelasian peace summit with you last week, but I don't know if you met up with him at the HQ or in Taipei. I'm not always there, I also have my own training to attend to. But it is nice to finally meet you."
She extended her hand.
Red Arrow did not shake it, but finally lowered his bow.
"Heat sensors", he revealed. "I noticed you at Star Labs because I happened to survey the area with an infrared camera. You were not emitting any thermal energy."
Of course. Red Tornado nodded. He had been proud of his new body's energy efficiency, barely producing any excess heat. He had failed to consider that human metabolism produced waste energy constantly. John Smith was too cold.
"How long are you two planning to stay in Star City?", the archer asked.
"Just until tomorrow morning." Red Tornado replied. "Our plan is to tour the harbour next, then check in at Starfish Hotel, and maybe visit the open air art festival at Millennial Park later in the evening."
The hotel's location was logistically optimal, just a short walk from the park, directly adjacent to a metro station on the coastal line. Moreover, it was serving the city's famous star-shaped American pancakes for breakfast, something Mary had wanted to try before continuing on to their next destination.
"You are staying at a hotel?", Red Arrow asked incredulously.
"Mary does need to sleep", Red Tornado replied drily.
He had briefly considered booking a second room for himself, just for the sake of novelty. Instead, they had settled for reserving a double room where only Mary would be spending the night, while he would seize the opportunity to experience Star City's famous night life. Still, he was looking forward to the check-in procedure, to talking to a hotel clerk, waiting in the lobby, riding one of those carpeted hotel elevators that played infinite loops of instrumental music, using a plastic key card to open their hotel room door, maybe even unwrapping one of these little individually-packaged soap bars endemic to hotel room bathrooms…
"Why don't you just take the Zeta tube home and save the money?", Red Arrow asked.
Mary shook her head. "That wouldn't really feel like a vacation, would it?"
Red Tornado nodded in confirmation.
There was jazz music playing in the hotel elevator.
It was almost eleven, Red Tornado was escorting Mary back to her room from the festival. She had enjoyed the strange and brightly coloured art exhibits scattered all across the park, but the music at the festival's stage had not been to her taste.
The elevator, in contrast, played a swinging jazz.
Proper 1930s instrumental jazz music.
Within seconds, they arrived at the third floor, their level. With a soft ping, the doors veered open.
Mary did not move.
The elevator door slid shut again. The swinging melody continued.
She shot Red Tornado a questioning look.
"Want to go up and down again?"
Somewhere in the distance, a clock stroke midnight.
Mary fell back into her plastic deckchair, still giddy with laughter.
As they had discovered after their third vertical round-trip with the elevator, the hotel had a rooftop terrace with an empty pool, drained for maintenance, and an empty bar, closed for the week. Within a casual zouch, Red Tornado had rerouted the elevator's music to one of the loudspeaker's scattered across the desolated rooftop.
After listening to a few lively jazz pieces together, Mary had asked if he could make it play a foxtrot.
He had downloaded a dance tutorial.
"I'd say that 'basic locomotion' test was quite successful", Mary chuckled, still breathing heavily.
None of the army boys had known that many twirls and figures.
He sat down on an empty chair beside her. The music dimmed to a soft background sound.
"I am glad to have provided entertainment."
She grinned. "You're spoiling me, you know?"
"It is certainly the other way around", he protested.
Below them, the lights of the city flashed and glowed.
"I have never had an opportunity to dance before", he added. "It is one of the many human experiences that have so far eluded me."
She nodded silently, having already guessed that much.
He seemed suddenly hesitant. "I hope this is not in any way… awkward?"
"Please, it's just foxtrot", she teased. "It's not as if you'd asked to dance the Charleston with me!"
He blinked. "In any case", he continued, letting her comment slide. "You must be unaccustomed to dancing with someone who is not, in fact, human."
"Neither are any of the other people I live with", she reminded him.
However, she sensed the gravity of his remark.
"To be honest, I do not mind at all", she added more seriously. "I am really enjoying this trip, and I feel very comfortable around you. We're friends, right?"
She had only agreed to booking a double room after Red Tornado had calmly ensured her he did not possess any 'romance protocols', and that there would be no possible misunderstandings. Dancing in the dark on a desolated rooftop with Red Tornado, even as John Smith, was unquestionably safe.
Not like any of the army men at all.
"Indeed", he replied.
For a minute, they sat in comfortable silence, watching the city lights below.
A light breeze tucked at the loose strands of Mary's hair, a welcome refreshment after the hot summer day.
Red Tornado's hands had been cold even while they danced.
"Would it be possible?", she asked. "To build an android body indistinguishable from a human? How did Red Arrow put it - emitting thermal energy? And being able to eat and drink?"
"It has been done before", he replied.
She waited, in case he wanted to continue.
"I have siblings", Red Tornado finally revealed. "They were created by the same man who build me."
"And they look human?"
"In many ways, they were. They did not know they were androids." He lifted his chin defiantly. "They were heroes."
Were, past tense.
"What happened?", Mary asked softly.
"They were both created in the early 1940s. My brother was activated first, yet his programming was not yet fully developed. He tried to join the Justice Society of America, but social interaction was a strenuous task for him. Moreover, his disguise was imperfect. Over time, small hints to his android origin accumulated, yet his programming did not allow him to draw the obvious conclusion. He was haunted by a constant unease, a feeling of wrongness." Red Tornado's eyes were cast down, gazing blankly at his own human-shaped hands.
"After a few months, he changed careers, moved away, dedicated his life to caring for others in a more technical, less socially demanding manner. He became one of the countries leading surgeons, practising medicine for many years. In all that time, I only visited him twice. He did not wish to be involved with superheroes, and I had no way to reveal our relation without causing him further dismay."
He paused again.
"My sister was activated in 1942, and joined the Justice Society the same year. She died saving one of its members three years later. We never met."
Mary placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Your brother, is he still alive?", she asked.
"He disappeared last week. I am concerned that he has once more fallen into the hands of our creator."
"Your creator?" He must be an old man now, if he'd already been building androids in the 1940s.
"Maybe he could help to adjust your brothers' programming?"
"That is exactly what I fear", Red Tornado replied.
His eyes met hers. "He is what the League calls a villain, Mary. His name is T. O. Morrow, and his goal is to wipe out all life on Earth and replace humankind with androids."
She sat up straight in her reclining chair, her eyes growing wide.
"All of us were built to infiltrate the Justice Society of America, his most powerful opponents. That is why we strove to be heroes. Yet his plan backfired, and our drive to do good won us over. Do not fear me, please, Mary." There was an unknown gravity in his voice. "I became truly loyal to the Justice Society, as I still am to the League. I have helped to foil T. O. Morrow's endeavours to this very day."
She swallowed. That was quite an unexpected revelation.
Yet how could she not trust him? She had lived with him for two months, and he had shown nothing but kindness towards her and the team. Hadn't she just reflected on how safe she felt with him?
"I do not fear you", she said, knowing it was still true.
"Thank you", he replied soberly.
And yet, what if there were malicious commands hidden in his programming, dangers of which even he was unaware?
"Does Batman know all this?"
"He does. All of the founding members of the League are aware of my origins. I filled Batman in on all details about my siblings after the attack by 'Mister Twister'."
"Do you think that suit was built by your creator?"
"I am almost certain. I fear that he has apprehended my brother, and will make another attempt on seizing control over me soon."
"How can we stop him?"
He looked at her sharply. "You shall do nothing to oppose him! If you ever find yourself in the presence of any of T. O. Morrow's creations except me, I insist that you activate your petrification instantly."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course! I wasn't talking about fighting him. But how can we make sure they do not find you in the first place? Are you planning to use John Smith as a disguise?"
His expression softened. "Forgive me. No, I do not think it will be possible to evade confrontation much longer. And indeed I myself have been trying to locate my creator for the past decades. I am hoping that I will be able to use his renewed interest in me and my siblings to our advantage."
"You said he would seize control?"
"He will certainly try. I plan to let him think that he succeeded. Yet I am 98% certain that I have constructed sufficient security subroutines that my brain's core processes will remain guarded."
Mary frowned. "Which brain? This or the other one?"
"Both." He adjusted the grey fedora hat, as if to point at the delicate computer below it. "I only started constructing this particular body shortly before I moved into Mount Justice. The brain, however, I have been working on since I joined the League. It started as an exact replica of my original positronic pathways – it took me two years to create a functional prototype. Since then, I have studied how it may be manipulated, taught myself to guard it from any such attempts, and learned how to do so near instantly and unnoticeably. The most effective solutions required manipulations to positronic pathways that could never be implemented on an active mind, which is why I began experimenting with consciousness transfers. When I had mastered that technology, I build a rudimentary body for my second brain – a first version of John Smith, if you wish, although it bore no human resemblance. By transferring my consciousness into the second body, I was able to perform the necessary operations to upgrade my original positronic processors to a satisfactory security level."
Mary shook her head in wonder. "You build yourself a second body so that you could perform brain surgery on the first."
"I did. The fact that this process has resulted in me being able to enjoy more typical human experiences is primarily a side effect – although a very welcome one." His lips curved into a smile. Not a perfectly natural expression yet, but considering that his normal body was incapable of any facial expressions, the achievement was commendable.
"I am very much enjoying this vacation so far. The sightseeing without being noticed, the 'mingling' with people..."
"And don't forget the foxtrot", Mary added, rising from her deck chair with a smile.
"One last dance?"
- - - September 17th - - -
Barry dumped yet another a cutting board full of of sliced potatoes into the last of the frying pans, while Wally started whisking up the egg batter. It was an unwritten family law that whenever two or more speedsters stayed at the same place overnight, they were in charge of making dinner. Luckily, the cave's pantry had been well-stacked.
"So, tell me again why you're here this weekend?", his nephew asked.
"You did notice that Miss Martian and Superboy came back early?", he teased.
The two teens had not only shed light on the dark machinations within the Belle Reve prison facility, they had also single-handedly prevented a major prison break, foiling the plans of some of the country's most dangerous supervillains. All of that within just two days at the penitentiary.
Wally rolled his eyes behind his safety goggles. "Yeah, but how come you ended up with cave-sitting duty? Didn't you plan to go camping with the Green Lanterns at Area 42 this weekend?"
Barry distributed the egg mixture evenly across the four pans. "Black Canary said Red Tornado deserved some time off."
Wally's eyes narrowed. "And you owed her a favour because…?"
Barry sighed. The boy could be surprisingly perceptive sometimes.
"Because I ate a couple of hamburgers", he admitted.
He turned down the heat under the sizzling Spanish tortillas.
"If you and your team ever try to hide from a swarm of chemically mutated turkey vultures, you should remember that they have an excellent sense of smell..."
Author's note:
To be honest, this is one of the chapters that kept me bound to this story. A vacation with Red Tornado was a scene I simply had to write...
No, it's not meant to be romantic, but I do picture them as very close friends.
Reviews are cherished like a rooftop dance!