FOUR BOYS: The Path We Seek
Chapter 23: The Mole
"There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us, you blinked."
...Mount Justice...
Red Tornado called them to the main hall, there was Batman awaiting for them already. Ren smiled at the man, the bat nodded though remained stoic and serious, 'Was there something wrong?'
The holographic screen appeared with the photo of a known member... they stood frozen.
"The mole was Red Arow." Batman said not looking at them.
"Roy." R muttered he exchanged a glance with Water.
"No way!" L interjected.
Artemis nodded, "Batman that cannot be, he has been working with me, and he was Green Arrows protege as well."
"Unfortunately the one we have known as Roy Harper since the start is another Project Cadmus clone."
The four flinched, the three girls did as well. 'Leave it to the emotionless machine to tell them the news.'
"The real Speedy was abducted and replace immediately after becoming Green Arrows sidekick... The clone was preprogrammed." Batman continued.
R was scared of asking but he had to, "Preprogrammed, for what?"
Batman looked at him for a second assessing the 4 teens, "Your guess, Roy attempted to betray the League to Vandal Savage."
...
"Woah woah woah wait.. did you know this?" L said backtracking, he stared at R.
R grimaced, "I would hope I was wrong, but I kept the possibility that there was a mole inside the League already, until Water confirmed it however. I didn't know it was Roy though."
Water nodded.
S sighed, not the trust issues again.
"Fortunately. We were prepared." Batman said.
"Batman, how-" R stared, something did not quite add up.
"Savage was subdued but Red Arrow escaped." Red Tornado said.
"We can seek for him." W added.
"Negative," the hero replied, "Red Arrow is part of the Justice League, leave him to us." With that the Dark Knight turned around not giving them another glance as he walked toward the zeta beam.
"Tornado, stay with the kids." He said ignoring R's call to him.
There was definitely something wrong and judging by the atlantean's gaze, he was suspicious as well.
/
Late night turned into early morning.
Water walked to the empty kitchen, or so he thought it was an empty kitchen.
"Can't sleep?"
"Renegade." Water said getting out of his surprise. It was R. He was awake, in the kitchen, his face illuminated by the computer.
The smaller nodded and continued working, "...Did you feel something off about Batman, as well?" W said.
"...Yes. Not only his way of treating us, he has never called us kids. I also... I think there is something odd, his aura is different."
To his surprise the atlantean nodded, "I felt a mystical force emanating from him- and from Red Torna-" boys set of eyes widened feeling the new presence turning around the robotic hero walked from the shadows into the dim illuminated kitchen.
Red Tornado nodded in greeting, "I am aware humans need to rest in order to reach their full capacity."
"Cover me." R said as he tapped rapidly on the computer, a loading bar soon appearing.
Water got in front of the former leader shielding him, "Yes we are aware, thank you for the advice Red Tornado, we will soon go rest." Water said trying to lighten the mood but equally as tense as his teammate who's eyes did not leave the computer screen.
Then they felt it, two other figures closing in...
'How could he miss their presence. L, S, It was just one thing after the other.'
R cursed as he felt himself becoming frozen, Water besides him as well. They both saw the three figures standing in front of them with void expression.
'Wally, Conner, Red Tornado.' the computer was crushed by Superboy, R hoped it would have been late enough not to stop the process he was in.
...
R, L, S, W and Red Tornado headed to the zeta-tube. Red Tornado walked to the keyboard to set the location but froze in the process completely shutting down. R turned to look at W, they nodded turning around launching against their teammates.
L and S stood up after the sudden attack both glaring at their teammates. It was obvious, their secondary programming had kicked in, the programming which Water did no longer have thanks to Megan and R never had thanks to his scientist, a man that thought that the ideals of The Light where not for the world´s sake and thus showed R to follow a better path, a path he was able to choose.
Superboy roared as he launched to the atlantean, Water did his best to stop him, clenching his teeth, he was not 100% healed. L had started running around R punching him every time he could.
'We have no time for this.' He thought, feeling the air inside the tornado being caught us.
'M'gann, M'GANN!' She woke up wih a gasp, 'who was calling... Ren!' Getting up and outside her dorm she heard the sounds of battle, she quicky headed next door to Artemis who understood the situation and alerted an almost lost Rocket.
L was thrown to the wall and S followed suit. Megan wasted no time levitating her crush ignoring the shouts and growls directed to her. Rocket trapped Wally inside a bubble.
"What happened?!" Artemis said, and saw a frozen Tornado. "Guys!"
R and W flinched, they were tired and tense. "They are under the control of the Light."
"Then why don't we call the League!" She said moving to the main computer, "Artemis stop! Our bet is that they have all been controlled. We can't alert them cause that mean we'll alert the enemy." She hesitated, whats was she supposed to do. Was it the word of the League vrs the four teens who were created to destroy the heroes, but they weren't that, it wasn't their fault, they were friends and once again she found herself believing. She nodded.
"So what now?"
"We need to download Red Tornado's consciousness into the other body. He is a machine judging by the frozen state I think he managed to stop the control from taking over completely." R said.
"Okay okay..." she said and thought, "wait what other body?"
R smiled a bit strained, "His party body, 3rd lab on the room at the right."
"Cannot believe." She stated huffing and running to get it.
R took our some mini pads from the utility belt Batman had given him after the had gotten Water, saying that he should never be without it cause it may come in handy any time.
The atlantean looked at the pads, "Are those?..."
"...Yes, I hope they work." He turned to the Martian, "Miss M can you bring him down." She nodded and as much as S struggled he could not get out.
As soon as the pad was one he gasped before falling unconscious, the story repeated itself with the speedster and now they waited for them to wake up.
Artemis had brought the 'Party body' and R had started to work.
"I need to head out for a bit."
"What wait where are you going? You are the only tech-savy amongst us R." Artemis commented.
R chuckled, "L should wake up any minute, he will take on. I'll be back don't worry."
He nodded towards the atlantean, the other nodded in return.
With tha R left somewhere out of the mountain by the street zeta beam. The other stood on guard at the cave.
...
"What a mess, first Roy, then the league, and now you guys..." Artemis muttered as she watched over Red Tornado.
Kaldur sighed, "I'm sorry. We have brought many casualties over the league and you as well."
Rocket huffed as she turned a bit from looking over L and S with Megan, "Hey! I know i've only be here for a day or two but pretty much everybody in the League knows about you guys, how you helped them with Cadmus, how you frustrated many of your master's plans! How four boys managed to not only get advantage over the bad guys but also become respected amongst heroes, you guys are awesome!" She said enthusiastically.
The atlantean flushed, 'were they really thought upon like that?'
A low whistle sounded, L had woken up and laid back against on the floor with his hands behind his head, "We are awesome right."
"Wally! You're awake!" Artemis said joyfully then gasped, "I mean, it was about time carrot head."
Wally looked at her sideways before smiling casually, "Did you miss me?"
She blushed and turned back around to the android.
Superboy growled as he began to sit grabbing his temple, "What happened..." he growled, "Roy."
"Gone. It was a trap S, we should've known. " L said sitting as he glared at the floor.
R had been right... again. The possibility about a mole already inside the League was something they had talked about. Still Wally had wanted to make friends, to visit places like a normal teenager. Of course he didn't know Roy was the mole, but could you blame him? The desire to experience normality was something he longed for since he opened his eyes at the other side of the pod.
Megan kneeled in front of S looking at the angered, regretful eyes. Her eyes softened as well, "If it weren't for you," she looked at the three teens, "the Justice League would have failed by now, the Light would have taken control of the planet. We weren't aware of anything, if it wasn't for you the clone Roy may still be a mole in the league, Artemis could be in danger, as for me and Rocket we wouldn't have had the courage of actually forming part of a team, many things would have ended for the worse."
"-Are we a team?" Rocket said.
"Yes." Both Artemis and Water said the others nodded as well. L laughed he was happy looking around his new friends and as close to family as he could ever known, except- "Where is Ren?"
"Ren went to get something outside the mountain while we watched over you guys, guard the mountain and fix Tornado here." Rocket said.
The speedster walked to the two tables one with the hero and the other one with a robotic human wearing a barbados short? "Is thaaat..?"
"A party body yep." Artemis summarized.
"Sweet." Artemis huffed but actually smiled at the dumb antics of the speedster. L looked at her, she looked away muttering, "doofus"
._._._._._._.
...Gotham City, Crime Alley...
The zeta beam illuminated the darken alley before a young teen dressed in black pants and shirt, wearing dark lenses and a cap, stepped out.
'Now to the manor.' He thought, he started walking rapidly getting the feeling that Gotham city was dangerous. Not as much as him, but he couldn't blow his cover.
He was almost there when he felt he was being followed, turning back there was nobody, right on the street just some cars passing by, left the darkness of the alley but he heard it a whisper, "The Gray son", he shivered. He better move faster.
/
...Wayne Manor...
Alfred sighed, it was the third time he had dusted the pearly vase on top of the chimney. Had the manor always felt so lonely?
He had a talk with the charge many days ago, about the kid. Alfred had made it clear that if he intended to bring the boy to the manor and share his secret identity he might as well adopt him.
Bruce had said it was not his decision to make, but he hoped it was one Richard would consider. After that the man had been too busy to return home, the boy hadn't come back either, so that left the butler without any idea of what was happening.
Alfred frowned, he would have a long talk with both of them when they returned.
The ring of the main gate came as a surprise to him, he clicked on the panel, "Wayne Residence?"
A young voice came from the other side, "Are there still cookies in the pantry?" The butler smiled, "...For you my dear boy I'll cook a fresh batch."
...
Once the boy was inside the house he wasted no time and hugged the butler. In other times Alfred would say it was not appropriate or he was not keen of physical touch but he knew Richard enjoyed hugs and company even if he didn't seem like it. One of the facts the two adults had agreed on before, the boy needed a family, each one of them deserved a family.
"Good to see you are alright, young lad."
R smiled softly, Alfred raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps you have come here for something other than cookies am I right?"
Richard shuffled with his feet, would the old man agree? It was fair if he didn't but he had to try. "Alfred, do you know if B has any kryptonite?"
"..."
The butler raised a brow, silence followed as neither said anything just staring at each others eyes. Alfred turned around and signaled the boy to follow, stopping suddenly 5 steps ahead making Richard almost collide with him, he looked above to find stern but caring eyes, "I expect a full on explanation of you two when you get back home."
Renega- Richard- Dick nodded. "I promise."
He was happy to have met them. 'Home' it was a word he had longed for since he opened his eyes at the other side of the pod.