FOUR BOYS: The Path We Seek
Chapter 4: The Masters
"It is a dark, unspoken truth that the powerful - the 'ruling class' - make up the rules as they go along."
...The Base...
The members of the Light sat in the meeting room of one of their underground bases at the outskirts of Metropolis, waiting for the head scientists and their precious weapons to arrive.
"This was not part of the deal." Luthor said as he rubbed his temple, he had invested a bunch of money in the facility and it was all destroyed now.
"Hahaha, you have to admit it was fun seeing everything blow up!" Klarion clapped.
"It is better that way, the information cannot be leaked. Besides, Dr. Luke, the leader of Crew R said the boy copied all the files in a memory drive and handed it to him." said the Brain.
"Mr. Luthor I assure this is only a small sacrifice for a better cause." Said Vandal Savage.
"I still think Renegade acted un-accordingly, they should have been able to defeat the league, secure the facility and leave." said Ra's Al Ghul.
"Well if you look at it that way Dr. Luke decided to leave them there to fight when the orders where to get out of there and rendezvous with us." Queen Bee added.
"The League found the way underground, all the information could have been in their hands by now, if it was not for the boy." The Brain countered.
The heated debate continued for 3 more minutes, each giving their points of view until Vandal Savage slammed a fist in the table, silencing everybody in the room.
"Enough! The loss was necesarry but as for Renegade, he will be disciplined for the lack of efficiency leading the team and destruction of the Cadmus base." Vandal stated.
Nobody dare to disagree... and so they waited for their 'weapons' to finally arrive.
...The Watchtower…
Batman type furiously at the keyboard, while the Scarlett Speedster flashed from time to time to get viles and microscopes, they were both investigating the sample Superman had gotten.
"I don't even know what this is." Flash said while looking at a tiny drop of sample in the microscope.
"Its foreign that's for sure." Batman said as he typed in the computer.
The doors slid open as Canary entered the lab. "Had any luck?" She said, she had bandages in her arms and favored a leg more than the other while standing but seemed otherwise okay.
"None" said Flash sighing "feeling better?" He added.
She slumped her shoulders a bit, and sat down at the nearest chair. "Physically yes, but that's the job all about. Mentally however, I just can't see who would dare to do that to kids, to even go as far as to create of Superman. They seemed so normal-"
Flash snorted.. "Normal as super-powered teens can be… One is a clone with super strength and possibly every other power superman possess, the other has gills, bet they aren't just for show, he could use those sword like he was born with them, there's even a speedster! They replicated my formula, what if there are many more?, and you saw the youngest, there is something going on with him, I couldn't even see him just before I felt an inhuman punch, It sent my flying!"
"You don't have to tell me about him.." She said grimly.
To that Batman stopped typing and turning around he asked.. "What happened before?"
"Oh yeah were did the huge robots come from." Flash added.
Canary looked at them and started.. "As you said , they are no ordinary kids, somethings going on with the small one especially."
"Superman and I descended to level 4, we entered a laboratory, thats where we got the sample, I took a box that was filled with 4 viles of different colored liquids. Superman took the blue one to see it closely, thats the one you have there. Something came flying making the box explode. As the smoke dissipated the boy was leaning against the door smiling, he told us something that it was too much of a secret to be known for now but he would make an exception … I didn't even catch on what he said after because there suddenly two giant robots standing beside us and attacked, I hate to admit it but they were practically indestructible, the last thing I remember is being carried by one of them, down on an elevator."
"An exception?" Flash said rubbing his chin.
"The vile." The Dark Knight stated, "he could've easily take it away while you were unconscious, but left it behind. I doubt he would of let anything pass." Batman said and turned away to look in the microscope.
The other two heroes soon realized it too. "Wait, does that mean the little one is on our side?" Flash said quickly.
"Not surely, but he may want us to find out, maybe they need help," Canary said hopefully.
"Or maybe he just finds it amusing." Batman said stoically as he turned to the computer looking for a new possible compound.
...The Base...
"Stay put until further notice.." A guard said as he guided S, L and W behind two huge metallic doors.
The place was huge, their future home. It was big, everything was gray, black and white, they had a sofa set, four rooms , a modern kitchen, a huge training area, a gym, and many more stuff. The boys would have been gaping and excited, but they were worried for R.
As soon as they got to the base, Ras Al Ghul called each crew leader except for the leader of crew R inside a room to discuss business. Soon enough Vandal Savage and Lex Luthor appeared, they said they had other plans, they had business to discuss with Dr. Luke and R, both for their lack of efficiency, judgment and an apparent suspicious behavior.
The other boys tried to argue against it, seeing R tense almost noticeably at the statement, but it was to no avail they soon were separated. Now they were waiting in their "home" for R to show up.
The guard turned to leave. "WAIT! Were is R?!" L said, the guard smirked and turned around a bit, "Renegade is undergoing 'Guidance'."
"Guidance, what is that? You are not making any sense!" L replied slightly angered.
Water intervened placing a calming hand on the speedster's shoulder, "Would you explain to us what does it entail."
The guard smirked, "All you need to know is 1) Its a correction method designed specially for you four, so you better behave as the good weapons you are trained to be. 2) Your leader will learn not to make the incorrect choices again." With that the doors closed and an audible click make them aware they were kept in lock-down.
L stood fuming staring at the door,
S went to try and open them but they didn't even budge.. 'thats weird, its like my strength is gone' he thought.
"Its locked tightly, and I can't even move it." He concluded.
"AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE STRONG?!" L said snarking.
"Lightning enough, all we can do now is wait for the outcome, we can talk with Renegade after." Water sighed.
"Do you actually think it's fair for R to go through whatever that is alone? What happened to your 'we are a team'. We couldn't stop those Leaguers in time, if we had, there wouldn't be a reason for R to blow up the entire damn building. He saved the damned files for heaven's sake..." He exhaled, "Forget I'll be in my room." And with that he zoomed to his room, which had a the same L insignia engraved in the door.
"You know… I guess he has a point. If we had stopped them this wouldn't have happened." S said with his arms crossed, he then walked to his room.
Water sighed and turned to leave to his assigned space too.
...The Watchtower...
"…Atlantean origin." Batman concluded, as he showed Aquaman the blue vile, the king stared at it wide eyed, as well as the other members of the league that were currently in the watchtower's meeting room.
"What do you mean, Batman?" Wonderwoman said.
Batman soon tapped a few keys. A screen displayed in the center of the table. "Over millennia, inhabitants of each city-state evolved, with many of them evolving features similar to those of aquatic animals such as fish, cetaceans and squid. The vile contains a similar substance capable of giving atlanteans' traits. They could be given to a human at a high risk but makes it possible for him to develop the same evolutions. The formula has led us to believe it is from Atlantean origin, but can also be created in a laboratory." Batman said as he noted in the screen each of the studies made by him and flash.
"Wait, so one of the kids you mentioned is an atlantean due to that formula?" Green Arrow said amazed. "Thats like magic right?" He continued to which the king of the sees answered while looking at the vile.
"Magic cannot be to far off I don't know how a human laboratory can device that kind of substance. The trade of magic or information on our people to land is strictly prohibited, how did they managed to do it, did they have help, a contact?"
"That's my question exactly, King Orin." Batman said staring at the King of the Sea. The King's eyes narrowed, but then he nodded in understanding.
Flash hummed, "It seems as if they have been working on it since a long time now. The substance seemed like one of the firsts developed, that was about 7 to 8 years ago, we are not quite sure ourselves." Flash said, it was weird seeing a serious speedster for too long, the other leaguers could only judge it was not a light matter.
"Those kids may have been trapped for years." Black Canary concluded.
Superman stared silently at nothing in particular, letting the information sink. "Uh Batman, about the boy do you think he is only playing tricks, or is he on our side?"
Batman answered, "Renegade as he calls himself is not a lead to be trusted, but he is everything we have til now."
"So are we gonna play his game?" Green Arrow said a bit upset at what was being implied.
"For now. Until we get another lead." Batman glared silencing anyone who would oppose.
'It might have been a secret to all but Batman and Red Tornado at the moment. The beeping signal that had only lasted 3 seconds in their radar had been the one that pronounced the location of said underground facility. Batman had a reason to believe, the signal had not been an accident, but was deliberately sent for them to notice.'
The meeting ended, King Orin left to Atlantis set on finding the being responsible for trading information and the buyers of said substance.
...The Base...
It was 1:03 am when L heard the metallic doors opened, he had been starring at the ceiling waiting for R to appear, he could not sleep knowing that one of his teammates was being unfairly punished. R and him didn't get along at first and they only met each other in person some hours ago, still he felt as if they were long-lost brothers. He got up and headed for the door.
"R!" He called as he saw the small teen walked to stand inside the room, he didn't ushered a word as his posture remain stiff and his eyes dull.
W and S soon joined a frowned at the sight. The raven haired had a gnome in his shoulder, he was also soaking wet.
The guard nodded satisfied, grabbed the creature and left, the metallic doors closing again.
L got infront of his leader, his eyes staring at pale blue ones "Ren?" He tried, his voice just above whispered. The silence hung in the place for a second before R's eyes closed as he collapsed in the ginger's arms.
"Ren!" "Renegade!" "R!" The three boys screamed and got around the youngest not knowing what to do.
A speaker came to life, "He has an advance healing factor, he should be physically fine in a day, return to your chambers until further instructions." the boys glared to the floor, they couldn't go against their masters. S picked R in bridal style and took him to the bedroom R was assigned, it had a nice letter in front as the others in there doors. Lightning and Water followed, getting towels in their way.
They wrapped the boy up, not talking to each other as they did, each had his own different thoughts swimming through, but they could all agree in one thought above all 'why hadn't it been them'.
A weak but commanding voice caught their attention, R was awake now and was starring intently at them, "L, S, W, get out and rest we have a mission in 4 hours." They stared at first…..and then their anger could be seen within miles.
"A mission. In just some hours. And you in this condition, what are they thinking!" L said. R sat up a bit and watched his teammates, S was glaring at the floor his hands in fists, and W had a face mixed in between pity and anger.
"Aren't we, their valuable weapons?" S added. Water looked as if he was going to say something, but stopped as the firm order from their leader was given in a voice that was clearly on edge
"I said, Get Out. Rest. We have a mission in 4." he then sighed tiredly, "Guys please."
The other three, stared wide-eyed for a moment. A 'fine' was heard then from the speedster as he flashed to his room. The other two nodded grimly and headed out. Leaving the raven haired alone as he laid on his bed, thoughts swimming through his head.
R extended his hand infront wincing in pain, 'You better decipher it, detective.' he thought before drifting into a restless sleep.