Chapter 36: Beta Female
It's only been a few minutes of Indonesian jungle and we haven't found any sight or trace of gun wielding gorillas or any other kind of mad happy animal. We're walking on foot, wanting to save my ring's energy for later. I am, however, using it as a flashlight. Looking through the denser parts of the jungle.
Sar—White Canary is a few paces behind me, looking just as vigilant. The flight over to India gave me some time to think on my own. No distractions from her or everyone else.
The logical part of my brain is trying to convince myself that Aqualad and Canary kept this from us for a good reason. Or else they wouldn't have. If they both really thought there was a mole on this team, observing us all in secret would've been better than outright asking us. It's the smart, strategic move. But my emotions are countering back. Even though we're a team deployed by the League, we're also friends. I've known Wally, Robin and Kaldur for years. Since banding together, we've been through so much, as comrades and friends. I know it's not objective, but I could never imagine any one of them to betray us.
What hurts me more is the fact that White Canary… Sara was in on it. I know having her recon on all of us is a smart choice. She followed the four of us into Cadmus without ever being seen entirely. She's the stealthiest person out of us all so it makes sense. But even still, she never told me about any of this. I understand why. It's just… I'm finally considering actually seeing myself with Sara and this happens. Either I have horrible timing, or I'm destined to be alone forever.
I stop dead in my tracks. I turn to face White Canary. "I need to ask you something."
My statement snaps her out of her surveillance. She immediately straightens up and looks to me. "Anything."
I step forward, coming face to face with the blue-eyed warrior. "Did you ever honestly believe that I could have been this mole?"
The question takes her back, Canary blinking rapidly in response. "What? Kyle, no. I never thought for one second that you would betray any of us."
"Then why didn't you ever tell me about this?"
"Kyle, I couldn't. Aqualad and I had to be objective and survey everyone without ever being tipped. That meant no one knowing. And I know it doesn't make up for it, but I wanted to tell you so many times."
"I get why you didn't tell me. I do. My brain understands perfectly why you guys did what you did." I place my right hand, clenching, over my chest. My ring burns a bright green light. "But my heart… It just won't take it for some reason. I know this must sound stupid—"
"No, it doesn't", Sara says, placing her left hand on my hand. My ring's light dies down. "Kyle, you're one of the most compassionate people I've ever met. You wear your heart on your sleeve. It's one of the many, many things about you I adore. For most of my life, I've always been alone. Having to survive on my own. And then Dinah came into my life. Then Ollie and Roy. And now you and everyone from this team. You all are the closest thing I've had to friends in a very long time. But now, I'm afraid I've ruined everything with you and the others. I don't want to lose what I have with them… What I have with you Kyle. I can't lose you!" Sara wraps her arms around me. Her head falls into my shoulder, which muffles her crying and tears rolling down on me.
I'm such an idiot… This is hurting her more than it is me. She needs someone who can be there for her whenever she needs it. I want to be that for her.
"Sara", I say, calling her by her name for the first time today. I lift her head, my hands placed on her cheeks wiping her tears. Our eyes lock. "You will never lose me. Ever. We will get through this together. And not just you and me. The Team as a whole can get through this. It'll take time for this wound to heal, but it'll heal, nonetheless. We're all too good of friends to just give up on this… makeshift family." That last remark gets a chuckle out of her. "And you are certainly too strong to break. I believe in you, Sara Lance."
She doesn't say anything right away. The look on her face is just awestruck. I know I'm feeling it right now too. "Why do you have so much faith in me?"
"I have faith in you because I know you. Who you really are at your core. And probably the one person I feel I depend and trust more than anyone outside of Hal and Kaldur."
"You still trust me?"
"I've trusted you the day I let you take my mask off. Then and now and forever."
Sara's blue eyes start to tear up again. This time, it's paired with a big smile plastered across her face. "Thank you, Kyle. You have no idea how much this means to me. How much you mean to me…"
Even in the midst of this mission and jungle, I feel the moonlight hitting us just right. The light making her eyes shine brighter. As bright as this moonlight. And I can feel my face moving closer towards her. I know why. And as much as I have to stop, I can't. I won't.
Before anything can really happen, I hear rustling within the branches and trees. Sara hears it too, her head turning in the same direction mine does. Next thing we see is the biggest boa constrictor I've ever seen. Jumping out straight at us.
We both push each other away, avoiding the snake lunging towards us. This boa constrictor, now out in the open, is a lot bigger than it should be. Its body looks to be as wide as my own body. And it looks to be longer than ten, maybe fifteen feet even. I'm no zoologist, but even boa constrictors shouldn't be this big. Let alone two…
Looking past the snake in between us, I see Sara with shurikens and knives in hand. But looking even past her, I see another constrictor slithering towards her. "Sara! Behind you!"
She turns around to see the beast lurking behind her. It lunges at her, only for Sara to bend backwards. She stands back upright and throws her shurikens at the snake. Her projectiles hit, even sticking onto the snake. Which only makes it madder.
As for me, the snake I have to deal with tries to coil its body around me. I create a barrier construct around me, keeping its scales away from me. It even tries to bite into my construct. It won't give though.
When it does that, I notice something. The snake has a black, mechanical inhibitor collar near its head. Two giant collared snakes attacking us in the dead of night… Someone's making them attack us!
I lose the construct and fly above both the snakes. I land next to Sara and create a cubical construct big enough to hold both snakes for the moment. "Look! They've got collars on them."
Sara takes a closer look at the collars on the animals. "I recognize them! Those collars are from Belle Reve."
"My guess is if we get those collars off, they'll leave us alone."
"Or they could just keep coming after us, collar or not."
"You have any better ideas, Canary?"
"Actually, yes. How about we tie the knot?"
That last remark almost makes me lose my concentration. "Come again?"
"Knot as in the snakes!" Sara smacks me upside the head after.
"Okay then. You take the one on the right, I'll take the left. Ready?"
Sara takes out a pair of her ribbons and the biggest knife she has on her. "Ready."
With that, I drop the construct. This time though, we go after the snakes instead of them after us. For the next few minutes, we have them chasing our tails and trying to bite into us. There were a few times where I thought it would take a hold of my leg and eat me for dinner. Sara and I make sure we run past each other and our own snake respectively. By the time we stop next to each other, the snakes take one final lunge at us. Only thing stopping them is the fact that they're tied up within their own bodies. Like one giant two-headed snake balloon, all tangled together.
With the snakes safely secured, we're both able to remove and cut off the collars on their bodies. Once removed, the snakes actually seem a bit calmer. Even able to untangle themselves from one another. Once their free, they slither on back into the jungle. Leaving us alone again.
"Well as much fun as that was, I never want to play 'Tie the Snake-Knot' ever again", Sara sarcastically says.
"Someone was obviously controlling them. Most likely the same someone who had the gorillas attack Mayor Hill too. And using the same inhibitor collars from Belle Reve. That can't be a coincidence." How would someone be able to get those collars from Belle Reve? Have someone on the inside.
"But what could make them be that big? The average boa constrictor can get to be maybe eight to ten inches wide. It would have to take a superhuman growth hormone to make them the size they were."
"…or one dose of Kobra-Venom." Sara looks to me a bit confused. "Back on Santa Prisca, Kobra had developed his own version of Bane's Venom. He was selling to Sportsmaster until we got in the middle of their sale. But we made sure the factory burned, all of the product still in it."
"Unless Sportsmaster was able to save one vial of this Kobra-Venom. But one dose of that into two or how many other animals?"
"If he had the right equipment and a secure lab, he could reverse engineer the formula and produce enough to do all this and who knows what else."
"You mean someone smart enough to reverse engineer it" Sara corrects me. "Sportsmaster is a mercenary. He knows weapons and tactics. There's no way in hell he's smart enough to recreate a formula created by a cult leader."
"You have a point there", I add on.
"You think the others have had similar animal attacks?"
I raise my fist, with my ring glowing green. "Let's find out. Come in Aqualad. Do you read me?"
"I read you, Lantern. Report."
"White Canary and I were just attacked by a pair of animals wearing inhibitor collars from Belle Reve it seems."
"I'm hearing the same thing from Miss Martian. Hold for telepathic link-up with the Team."
"Holding." I lower my fist and my ring's light dies down. "Miss Martian's about to link us all together finally."
"What we should've done in the first place. Do you think everyone else is still pissed at Kaldur and me?"
"Honestly, I don't see them being any less angry than they were when this mission started. Hopefully the others will put their anger aside until after tonight."
"You expect Superboy to put his anger aside?" Yeah, she's not wrong there.
Link established, Miss Martian states.
Should you really still be giving us orders? And should you really be following them? Artemis asks.
"Guess I was wrong." I say to Canary.
Listen, please. Aqualad tries to talk, but everyone else won't let him.
Oh good, Aqualad's voice in my head. I've so missed that. Kid Flash says with sarcasm.
Hey, Kaldur, KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. 'Course, since we're moles you probably think we attacked ourselves.
If he did, he wouldn't tell you. Artemis adds on.
Okay, now you guys are sounding ridiculous right now, I say finally joining the conversation.
We sound ridiculous, really? Artemis adds.
Superboy, are you online or just pouting? Miss Martian asks the Kryptonian.
Busy. Call back later.
How can you defend him GL? After he lied to us, to you, about a mole in Mount Justice? Robin asks me.
Probably because he's crushing on Aqualad's woman on the inside. KF's last remark really gets to Sara, who's clenching her fists right now.
Hey now! I can send your ass onto the ground just as fast as Dinah did. He didn't say it, but we could hear Robin laugh at Sara's jab at Wally.
I'm defending our leader because he would never intentionally lead us into a situation where any of us could seriously be hurt or killed even.
Like if say, you and someone else had to save your team from a pair of androids who're apparantely related to the League's traitor? Artemis jabbingly says about Sara.
I never thought Tornado would've turned on us or the League. If I thought he would put us in danger, you would've been the first to know.
Whatever, spy.
What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us, KF says.
He should be chalant. Way chalant. Extremely chalant. Robin says chalantly.
How can we be a team if he doesn't trust us with his secrets? Artemis asks.
Of if Connor doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves? Miss Martian asks.
Did he really think you or I could have been the mole? KF asks.
We've known each other for years! Robin states.
Trust is a two-way street and you know they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them. Miss Martian adds in again.
Not that we'd do that. Never.
Enough. Aqualad finally puts his telepathic foot down and stops everyone's childish bickering. Captain Marvel has been captured and we must act as a team to save him.
Under your leadership? I don't think—
This is not up for debate. Aqualad does not let Kid Flash finish his sentence. Sara and I look to each other, grinning a bit for Kaldur. You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over, if you wish to select a new leader I will happily step down. But until that time, I am in command here.
"Now that's what I call being a freaking leader", Sara says.
"You really think Kaldur is gonna step down as leader?" I ask her.
"I haven't known him as long as you have. But I feel Kaldur will do what he believes is best for the team. And yet, I can't see anyone else better suited to lead this team. Well, no one except you."
That last remark has me looking at her with this look of total surprise. "You think I could be leader?"
"Yeah I do. You're calm in the heat of battle. You know how to strategize. You keep your objective in mind. And you also look out for everyone, making sure no one person gets left behind. So yes, I feel like you could lead this team one day."
I did not see that coming at all, let alone from Sara or anyone else. I'm not gonna say she's not wrong with all of her points in describing me. I do look out for my teammates and I am patient and calm minded when I need to be. I've just never seen myself as a leader at all. If Hal were here right now, he'd probably agree with Sara 100%. Maybe one day… But for now, Kaldur is my leader. And more importantly, he's my friend. I trust him as much as I do everyone else on our team. Everyone.
After our brief but necessary argument/discussion as a team, we followed Aqualad's lead and headed for the epicenter of the jungle. That's where we assumed where the animal tamer was held up at. As well as where Captain Marvel was too.
Arriving at the outskirts of the jungle altogether, we found what we were looking for. A steel-built fortress surrounded by trees and branches growing from the jungle. We couldn't see find any animals in plain sight. Probably hiding within the jungle or within the fortress. We did, however, see a row of at least a dozen pylons laid in front of us. More likely to be a high-tech electrical fence to keep intruders out.
Looking around, I find everyone observing the terrain ahead. To my far left, Robin and Kid Flash are laying low in the grass, the later using his goggles to get a closer look. Miss Martian in camo mode high up in a tree past the boys. Green Lantern, standing next to Miss Martian, with a binocular construct for himself. And I'm kneeling in the grass, with Artemis, bow in hand, and Aqualad to my right, looking for an entry point of our own. No bickering or insubordination of any kind. Aqualad finally got them to listen to him tonight.
I'll fly over, Miss Martian says.
Negatory, Kid Flash responds. The field extends like a dome over the whole compound.
Pylons are insulated, but one good shock could cause a momentary gap, Robin says.
I see a target, Artemis answers.
Then be ready to hit it. Be ready, all of you, Aqualad says with such confidence.
Aqualad rushes to the force field. He slams his hands against it, using the electric current from his Atlantean tattoos to make an entry point for Artemis. It takes a moment for the field to let out a small hole to break through.
Now!
Artemis shoots her arrow through the hole. It hits the target, shutting down the field and pylons.
Aqualad motions us to move forward, which he all do. Kid Flash runs to him, with Miss Martian and Green Lantern hovering over his way. Artemis, Robin and I walk towards the rest of them. But Robin and I stop dead in our tracks. We look to the top of the fortress. We see what looks like a howler monkey. Wearing a Belle Reve collar. Oh shit.
The howler monkey screams right then. A pair of alarms go off. The rest of the Team look up to the screaming animal. Then a handful of more howler monkeys jump from the fortress, making their way towards us. Fighting howler monkeys in an Indonesian jungle. Can cross that off my bucket list.