MoP
Harry Potter and the Myriad of Possibilities: Prologue
Chapter 7: Rebellion, Part 3.
Disclaimer: This is solely a not-for-profit fan activity and does not intend to infringe on copyrights held by Time Warner, DC Comics, Bloomsbury et al, and JK Rowling. Any characters that are original to this work remain the property of the author.
A/N: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources – including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon – that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments – including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) – and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.
A/N: Thanks to Mira Black-Snape, Scorpion97 aka the IamtheLastDragonLord, 6f5e4d and the members of the Caer Azkaban group for their help on this chapter.
Wildcat Gym
Gotham,
August 7, 12:06 EDT.
"Have you got a minute, Uncle Ted?" Dinah asked, as she walked up to where the former heavyweight boxer and mystery man was supervising a bout.
"For you, kid… always," replied the grizzled man, then turned back to his students. "Take five guys."
"Yes, Coach," chorused the two teen boys in the ring.
"My office?" he asked.
"Sure," Dinah agreed and followed him into his familiar shoebox of an office.
"What can I do for you, kid?" asked her uncle after he squeezed between the tiny gap between the desk and the wall and dropped into his battered desk chair.
"Have you ever heard of Artemis Crock?" Dinah asked as she dropped into one of the guest chairs, both of which were in better shape than his.
The grey-haired man paused to think, then nodded. "She's not one of mine, but I've heard a couple of the girls in my self-defence class mention her… she goes to Gotham North… good student, but keeps to herself unless someone's getting picked on…"
"And then she intervenes?"
"Usually, yeah," confirmed her uncle. "Doesn't seem to worry too much about the odds either."
"And her family?"
"I've heard a rumour or two," her uncle added. "Some say she's related to Huntress and Sportsmaster, but she seems like a good kid from what I've heard, and I don't like to judge."
Dinah nodded. "So, you'd be in favour of giving her a chance to be useful?"
"I would," he agreed. "I guess she's that archer girl you asked me about?"
"It's a theory," Dinah conceded evasively.
"I'm guessing that she was involved in that that mess over at Gotham Academy?"
"Possibly," Dinah replied blandly, then rose to her feet. "I've got a lot on, so I might be busy for a while, but I'll try and make it to your birthday next month."
"You're always welcome, kid," he told her. "Stay safe."
"I'll try," Dinah assured him. "But they play pretty rough nowadays."
"They always did, kid," retorted her uncle.
Mount Justice,
Happy Harbor.
August 7, 16:04 EDT.
"Ready?" Canary asked Superboy as they faced each other across the middle of the Mission Room's training ring.
The boy nodded, dropping into a combat stance, which Dinah mirrored a moment later.
They circled each other warily for a few moments, trying to take the other's measure, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Predictably, it was Superboy who broke first, lunging forward with a powerful right cross, but Dinah had been expecting it, and was able to block with her left, grunting a little at the strain, then rotates to follow the boy as he returns to circling.
I wonder if he's planning on wearing me down… Dinah wondered. It's probably his best option, but that would take patience… Deciding to act rather than react in case she was right, Dinah lashed out in a high kick, knocking him backwards.
Immediately, the result popped into view on the ring floor. "Superboy, Status: Fail."
Superboy growled a little in frustration but was clearly trying harder to stay calm this time. He rolled to his feet and then returned to circling. After a moment, he closed the distance and launched a spinning kick at her, which she was able to block, but again lost her focus just long that she wasn't able to counterattack until he had spun out of her range.
Not bad, kid, Dinah thought. But let's see how you do when you're reacting…
Then she went on the attack with a lightning-fast combination of attacks: First a high kick, which he blocked by crossing his arms… then a left hook, that stepped back from… but that left him off balance and she finished with her favourite move… the leg sweep.
Immediately, the result popped into view on the ring floor. "Superboy, Status: Fail."
"You really like that one, don't you?" Superboy observed as he accepted her hand to help him to his feet.
Dinah nodded, "It's got me out me out of a tight spot or two."
The clone nodded.
"Can I ask…?"
Superboy paused, "Why did I change my mind about the training?"
"If you don't mind," Dinah confirmed. "You were pretty against it the day before.
"I know," Superboy agreed, and then looked around cautiously.
Dinah guessed that he was thinking that the rest of the Team could appear at any moment, and he probably wanted some privacy. "Follow me, Batman set me up with a separate room for one-to-ones."
"Sounds good," Superboy grunted, and followed her over to one of the entrances and out of the Mission Room.
16:16 EDT.
"Everyone else was busy, and I was restless…" Superboy began.
"Even M'gann?" asked Dinah, a little surprised.
"Yeah," Superboy confirmed. "I think she was watching some television show from what I could hear. She seemed to want privacy anyway…"
Dinah didn't comment but filed the fact away for future reference.
"So, I decided to Zeta to Metropolis…"
"Why Metropolis?"
The clone shrugged. "Superman lives there, I thought that even if I couldn't find him maybe I could talk to someone who does…"
"Good idea," Dinah complimented him, which brought a small smile to his face. "Anywhere in particular?"
Superboy pondered the question. "The Daily Planet was going to be my first stop. Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen feature prominently in media reports about Superman," he replied in the stiff monotone that she'd heard before when he was repeating or drawing from his implanted memories.
You were going to approach Clark Kent to talk about Superman… Dinah thought to herself. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation… "But you didn't get that far?"
The boy frowned. "I came out of the Zeta Tube in STAR Labs, but I didn't stick around… I hate labs."
"Understandable."
"I was just leaving there, when I heard the sounds of a crash and headed towards it to help."
Dinah smiled.
"I'm not sure how, but a school bus had crashed into the barrier rail of the West River Bridge and was hanging off the side."
"Apparently the driver, Charlie Daggett, was trying to avoid some broken suspension cables, but then he sideswiped by a semi-truck and lost control."
"That makes sense," Superboy agreed, fortunately not asking why she knew. "What about the white car that crashed?"
"Bad driver?" Dinah suggested. "I haven't heard anything about them. It was a red sports car that knocked them over the sidewalk and through the barrier rail."
"That car was totalled," Superboy offered. "Driver looked fine though so once I'd lifted the sedan back onto the deck, I went after the school bus. It was starting to slip forwards… I managed to grab hold, but I couldn't lift it…" he paused, then frowned. "If Superman hadn't grabbed it, we'd all have been pulled over."
"You did what you could," Dinah told him. "Without flight, you need a lot more leverage than he does. What happened then?"
Superboy paused, then nodded. "He wasn't happy with my efforts… said I could have made things worse…"
Dinah said nothing.
"I suggested that he could help me learn how to use my powers better…"
"What did he say to that?"
"Nothing," replied the clone. "He seemed to be thinking about it, but he was distracted by Green Arrow's distress call."
That was bad timing, Dinah thought to herself.
"Once he signed off, he apologised and recommended the beef stew at Bibbo's for lunch before flying off."
"What did you do then?"
"The fire department and a couple of patrol cats turned up a few minutes later and I helped with the clean-up," he replied. "By the time I got to the Daily Planet, the three people I was looking for had left to go out on assignment and apparently couldn't be contacted. I waited around for a few hours, but they didn't come back. I decided to have any early lunch then returned to the Cave…"
"Did you go to Bibbo's?"
Superboy nodded. "The beef stew is good."
"Yeah, it is," Dinah agreed. "Was there anything else?"
"Just one other thing," Superboy replied. "When the android was fighting us… even going all out I couldn't get control, it was completely dominating the situation. It nearly crushed Kid Flash before Speedy's arrow made it go intangible and drop him… We had to out-think it and its master before we could win…"
"Which is what I talked about in the training session."
"Yeah," agreed the clone. "I think I knew it at the time, but… well as Batman said, Kryptonians have hard heads…"
In more ways than one, Dinah mused. "Then let's get started."
August 9, 18:16 EDT
"So, how are you doing?" Dinah asked once she and Superboy were settled in her office.
"I'm fine," he assured her. "We've been busy for the last couple of days."
Dinah nodded. "What do you think of your new team-mate?"
The clone shrugged. "She's… fine."
"Really?"
"She talks a lot," he added.
"You don't like it?"
"It's… embarrassing," he ground out.
You don't seem to mind when M'gann does it, Dinah thought. "Can we talk about the mission?"
The clone nodded, relaxing a little into a more familiar topic. "Batman called us in for a mission briefing after a day on the beach… he and Green Arrow had just introduced Arrowette, Green Arrow's niece as a new addition to the Team… when Kid Flash Zeta'd in… I think he'd been hoping for a night swim, but then Red Arrow Zeta'd in…"
"I believe that caused some tension?"
"Not with me," Superboy assured her. "Between him and Arrowette, and Kid Flash a little… Aqualad tried to keep the peace and get them on track. Red Arrow reported that he'd rescued Dr Roquette from the League of Shadows… Arrowette seemed to know all about them, which seeming to set off Kid Flash… Green Arrow offered to help Red Arrow to protect Dr Roquette, but Batman overrode him and gave it to us."
"How did you feel about that?"
Superboy shrugged. "I didn't mind, it made sense."
"Fair enough," Dinah conceded. "So, the Team headed for Happy Harbor High's computer lab to pick up Dr Roquette…"
Superboy nodded. "Aqualad, Arrowette, Kid Flash and Robin went inside to make contact, while Miss Martian and I stayed on the roof with Bio-Ship. Dr Roquette didn't seem to appreciate the psychic-link… Arrowette and Kid Flash started arguing again, until she decided to join us on the roof. She and Miss Martian were… talking… when Aqualad reported that Dr Roquette had located her technology, then ordered Robin and I to Philadelphia to retrieve it. We had just taken off when the Shadows attacked."
He paused. "We failed at STAR Labs, it was only rubble when we got there… but we caught with them at Wayne Tech. Robin went inside, while I took on Professor Ojo."
"He's no push over," Dinah noted. "Those eye-beams pack quite a punch."
"They're not that bad," Superboy disagreed. "The first hit nailed me in mid-air, but once I was braced I was able to withstand his second attack and neutralise him."
"I'm impressed," Dinah told him, and he smiled.
The Watchtower.
August 12, 07:16 EDT.
"Unless there's any other business?" asked Batman.
"I have something," Dinah said.
"Continue."
"Is anyone free to take a session with the Team tomorrow?" she asked. "Professor Deinhardt has asked me to do some extra hours at the clinic to get ready for the new term, so I won't have time."
Batman nodded. "I'm tied up with Wayne Foundation business myself."
There was a pause, with several members including Superman and Captain Marvel almost pointedly not speaking up, and Dinah was beginning to think that she might have to reschedule one or the other when Captain Atom spoke up. "I can make time."
"Thanks."
"When do you need me to be there?"
"Three o'clock?"
The airman paused to consider it, then nodded. "I'll be there."
"Is that everything?" asked Batman, then paused for several moments. "Then we're adjourned. Captain Marvel?"
"Yes, Batman?"
"You're on monitor duty until midday. Wonder Woman will relieve you at that time."
"Yes sir," agreed the hero and rose.
Mount Justice.
August 13, 15:25 EDT.
Superboy hadn't been sure what to expect when Captain Atom had turned up for their training session in place of Black Canary, and when the hero had had lay out some cubes to use as improvised desk and chair sets and summon a holoscreen "whiteboard" and began to talk, he wasn't exactly reassured.
"When your mission relies on subterfuge, resist the urge to go on the offensive…" Captain Atom continued to drone. "… Last thing you want is to risk exposing yourself and the Team… because a covert operation means keeping to the shadows… concealing your identities, infiltrating your targets… and that means advance research, study and long hours of stakeout… and, of course, you must always remain alert…"
Superboy had tried to hold it back, but the yawn finally came out and he felt the irresistible desire to stretch.
That caught the chromed hero's attention. "This is boring, isn't it?"
More your delivery than the topic, thought Superboy. "Yeah, boring."
"Oh, no, Captain," pipped up M'gann. "It's quite…"
"All right," said the captain, apparently resigned. "Let's learn in the field."
Yes! Superboy thought.
"This is a cold case," said Captain Atom. "Vietnam Era… Captain Nathaniel Adams, United States Air Force. Convicted in nineteen sixty-eight of murdering Air Force general Clement Lemar. Adams died in prison. But I've received a reliable tip he was framed. Your assignment: Investigate. Prove Adams' innocence or reconfirm his guilt and report back to me."
A case over a decade old? That's it? Superboy thought. "Really? You need super-powered operatives for this?"
"Right, then," responded Captain Atom. "I'll continue with the lecture."
"NO!" chorused the entire Team.
Las Vegas.
15:56 PDT.
"Recognised, Kid Flash B-Zero-Three; Superboy, B-Zero-Four," declared the computer as the two teens materialised.
Kid Flash glanced as his holo-glove. "Credit card records show that Henry Yarrow is booking in at the Rampart. At this time of day, he's probably on the floor."
"Let's go," said Superboy.
Kid Flash nodded, then paused and looked up at the sign of the building next to them.
It read Goldie's Grub Diner.
"Do you think we have time to stop for a snack?" Kid Flash asked.
Superboy gave him a look.
Kid Flash shrugged, "Hopefully the Rampart has a good buffet."
"Most casino's do," observed Superboy, which perked up his team-mate.
16:10 PDT.
It didn't take the pair long to find Yarrow as his photo in government records was recent enough that only the colourful aloha shirt was different.
"Lieutenant Yarrow?" asked Superboy asked the mouse-brown haired man.
"No," replied the older man. But before either boy could argue, he clarified. "Retired the uniform and the title. I'm just Mister Yarrow. But you can call me Henry." Then he glanced down at his cards. He had a two of diamonds and a ten of diamonds. "Hit me."
The dealer dealt him another card. It was a king of spades. "Twenty-two, bust," concluding the red-headed man. "And sir, no under twenty-one is allowed in the casino." He shifted his attention to the boys. "You are under twenty-one?"
"In weeks or months?" asked Superboy.
"Cute, you must be journalism students," observed Yarrow, rising to his feet. "C'mon, my luck's run out anyway. Let's find a place to talk.
'Somewhere' turned out to be the casino restaurant, and Kid Flash made a bee-line to the buffet before the other two had even sat down.
"Four dollars ninety-five all-you-can-eat!" repeated the ginger as he rejoined them, carrying two heavily loaded plates. "My kind of town!"
Yeah, you've probably been blackballed from every buffet in Central City, thought Superboy. "You were Nathaniel Adams' defence counsel?"
"His friend too," confirmed Yarrow. "Served together in 'Nam… the only survivors of Hill Four-Oh-Nine." He paused for a moment to pull together his thoughts. "Nate worked for Air Force Intelligence… He suspected a weapons smuggling ring and confided as much to General Lemar."
Was that a mistake? Superboy wondered.
"Lemar claimed to have heard the rumours too, ordered Nate to take a squad to Hill Four-Oh-Nine…" continued the older man. "It was an ambush. Nate saved my life, the rest of Nate's men weren't so lucky… Nate became convinced Lemar was part of the smuggling ring and had sent us into ambush. I tried to talk him out of it, but Nate insisted on confronting Lemar… only to black out moments later. Later, Nate would insist that he had been drugged and I believed him, cuz there's no way the Nathaniel Adams I knew would murder a man in cold blood.
"I took on Nate's defence… but the prosecutor – Lieutenant Kevin Blankly – provided Nate's service knife was the murder weapon and the medical examiner – Major Shirley Mason – testified that there were no drugs in Nate's system. So, the judge found Nate guilty and sentenced him to life in prison and that's where Nate died. But get this… that judge – Colonel Wade Eiling – married Nate's widow and raised Nate's two kids as his own! Tell me that doesn't stink to high heaven!"
16:32 PDT.
"He's not wrong," concluded Kid Flash. "I'm beginning to think that Captain Atom's tip was on the money."
"I am having similar thoughts," agreed Aqualad. "The question is, what to look into next?"
"Nothing here," Kid Flash replied. "You might get some out of his kids on Eiling though."
"Agreed," replied Aqualad. "Robin?"
"Worth a shot."
"If Adams was framed, then the next lead to check out is Shirley Mason, the medical examiner who said that he wasn't drugged."
"Miss M and I are already on our way to her place," reported Robin.
"Keep us apprised," instructed Aqualad.
Annapolis.
20:32 EDT.
It was almost dark when Kid Flash and Superboy rendezvoused with Miss Martian and Robin outside their next target.
Miss Martian was speaking telepathically as they walked up. (I know my grasp of Earth history is based largely on Earth sitcoms... but why would a North Vietnamese general be in a nineteen-sixty-eight photograph with a US general?)
(Good question,) Robin replied telepathically. (This General Trang was the first person that my facial recognition software identified… but that doesn't explain how Trang ended up living in a mega-mansion in the States. That takes money and connections…)
(Two things participation in an illegal smuggling ring might provide…) Kid Flash noted as they came alongside.
(So maybe Adams was right!) Superboy exclaimed as he scanned the mansion with his x-ray vision. (Wait a second! Trang's not alone in there… Someone's with him. Someone with a sword!)
(Shirley Mason was killed by a sword!) Robin reminded them.
(Then what are we waiting for?!) Kid Flash demanded.
(No,) said Robin firmly. (This is a covert op. We keep to the shadows. We don't take the offensive… like in Captain Atom's lecture.)
Out of the corner of his eye, Superboy could see Miss Martian pulling up her hood and then vanishing.
(Dude. You were listening?) asked Kid Flash.
Anticipating that she was heading towards the mansion, Superboy shifted his focus in that direction in time to hear Trang confirm that the swordsman – Rako – that killed the medical examiner and then decry Rako's lack of loyalty to him.
The assassin then attempted to attack the general but was disarmed by Miss Martian. However, to Superboy's surprise, Rako was able to strike the invisible girl with a vicious backhand that knocked her to the ground.
Deaf to Robin's orders to maintain his position, Superboy leapt upwards, crashing through the window just as Rako was about to strike Miss Martian with his electricified blade to 'dismantle the impressive security system'.
"Not going to happen!" growled Superboy.
But Rako silently slashed at him and to his surprise, the blade cut through not just his shirt, but also his skin. "I'm… I'm bleeding?" Superboy stammered, shocked at the sudden pain in his chest.
(Superboy, you're cut?) asked Miss Martian, concern heavy in her psychic voice. (But a Kryptonian can't be cut!)
Before Rako could follow up, Kid Flash cannonballed in through the window and bounced off the assassin's armour.
Then Miss Martian, having recovered from her shocks, grabbed Rako telekinetically and hurled him towards the ceiling. He replied by drawing a quartet of shuriken and throwing them at her, forcing her to drop him so that she could stop the weapons.
When Robin was backhanded away after trying to attack the assassin from behind, Kid Flash accosted Superboy. "C'mon Supey! Get it together!"
"What?" slurred Superboy, still groggy from the unexpected pain. "Oh, right… Let's take him!"
The four teens rallied into a group and ran towards Rako, but someone dropped a wall hanging on them, and by the time they were able to free themselves… General Trang was dead.
Metropolis.
21:45 EDT.
(Has everyone downloaded the annotated photo we found in the dead woman's hand?)
(Yes, Robin,) confirmed Miss Martian.
(Check,) added Kid Flash.
(Yeah,) said Arrowette.
(Yes,) replied Aqualad.
(Superboy?) asked Miss Martian.
(What? Yeah. Photo. Downloaded.)
(Is it your wound? Does it still hurt?)
(It's a scratch,) he insisted. (I'm fine. Move on.)
Robin took him at his word. (Facial recognition software has identified almost everyone in the photo… which we think was taken in nineteen sixty-eight, the year Adams was charged with murder. The only players not in the photo are Nathaniel Adams himself and General Wade Eiling, who was the judge at Adams' court martial. Eiling sentenced Adams to life in prison, where he died… after which Eiling married Adams' widow and raised his two children, Randall and Peggy.)
(This boy… could he be the assassin? The one that Trang called 'Rako'?) pondered Miss Martian. (Trang said he had protected Rako since he was a child. But Rako said he was loyal to someone other than Trang.)
(It's a good bet that that 'someone' was our missing CIA spook, Alec Rois,) asserted Robin. (His dossier lists numerous nasty specialities, including brainwashing…)
(This photograph is looking more and more like a hit list!) exclaimed Arrowette. (Somehow Rois and Rako found out we were investigating the Adams case…)
(And decided to tie up loose ends!) added Kid Flash. (That means either Sergeant Polk or Adams' old buddy, Henry Yarrow, are the next to die! And if so… it's kinda our fault!)
(So, what's our next move, Boss-man?) asked Robin.
(Our next move?) repeated Aqualad. (We split the Team. Half of us investigate Polk, here in Metropolis… while the other half heads to Las Vegas to protect Yarrow.)
Las Vegas.
20:18 PDT.
"Not too fancy," observed Robin as he, Kid Flash and Superboy took position outside Yarrow's bungalow. "Look's like Yarrow wasn't on the take like the others."
"Knew I liked the guy," said Kid Flash. "We should get in there. Warn him he's in danger."
Second's later, the silence of the night was broken when the residence exploded in a fiery conflagration.
"Yarrow was inside!" exclaimed Kid Flash, then rushed towards the ruins, accelerating into a circle, running around it fast enough to generate a tornado-like updraft.
"Fast work, KF!" exclaimed Robin as he and Superboy rushed to join the speedster.
"Not fast enough…" replied Kid Flash, despondently. "Yarrow's dead."
"Are you sure that it's Yarrow?" asked Robin, as they examined the head and arm sticking out of the wreck.
"Yeah," confirmed Kid Flash. "I recognise his tattoo."
"I don't get it," said Superboy. "Rako's MO was swords and shuriken?"
"But Rois' MO included demolitions," countered Robin. "Which confirms that they're working together to hit the hit list."
"And if Kaldur and the girls don't have better luck with Polk… then he's dead too," noted Kid Flash. "Along with any chance we have of breaking this case…"
St George.
23:26 MDT.
"Can we just get this over with?" asked Superboy.
"We can indeed," said a mystery voice from out of the darkness, before the lights of the warehouse snapped on.
"You're Rako…" Miss Martian said to the armoured swordsman, from where she hovered over the group. "General Trang's protégé.. all grown up to become his murderer…"
"Which means you must be the CIA spook, Alex Rois," Arrowette said to the new arrival in brown slacks and a black blazer.
"Alec Rois is dead," countered the man.
"So, you're his ghost," replied Arrrowette without missing a beat. "Whatever…"
"That just leaves the big boss…" began Robin.
"Henry Yarrow," finished Kid Flash.
"You don't seem surprised," observed Yarrow. "Did you also guess you were walking into a trap?"
"We did, actually," confirmed the speedster. "Not much of one, though… since we outnumber you six to three."
"After over a decade in the arms game, kid… let me offer you a little tip," said Yarrow. "Quality trumps quantity… unless you're talking about explosives."
At that moment, Rois reveals an explosive switch with a smile.
"My friend is holding a dead man's switch. If anything makes him unhappy… or causes him to let go… this whole thing goes boom."
He turned to look at Superboy. "You keep that in mind, son. I see that 'S', can guess what it means… but your little pals aren't invulnerable, even if you are…"
"Him?! Invulnerable?!" snorted Rako. "My sword proved otherwise!"
Superboy frowned deeply.
"You proved nothing, Rako," Yarrow admonished him. "Your sword was forged with our stolen government X-Ioniser… it could cut the real Superman."
Superboy's expression softened to a smirk.
"Perhaps we might return to the matter at hand…" said Aqualad.
"Apologises, old men are so easily distrac…" said Yarrow. "Wait a minute… where's the flipping Boy Wonder?!"
"Flipping your way now!" replied Robin, dropping out of hiding and kicking the villain hard in the chest, knocking him down.
"Rois! Blow this popsicle stand!" ordered Yarrow as he hit the floor.
"I'm trying!" yelled Rois, who was struggled with his detonator. "Something's holding my thumb down!" Then a foam arrow hit his hand, enveloping it and part of his arm. "No!"
"Yes!" declared Kid Flash as he flipped towards him and kicked him in the side, knocking him down.
Aqualad and Rako faced off. "You young fool! No sword stands up to mine!" boasted the assassin.
"Then I will not use swords," declared Aqualad, then shifted his water blades into two streams of water that he used to strike the swordsman in the face, and then sent a charge down the stream and shocked him, knocking him out.
"You should have let sleeping dogs lie, kid," claimed Yarrow as he pointed his pistol at Robin, then opened fire.
Superboy jumped into the path of the bullets, and they ricocheted off his chest, one of which struck Yarrow. "Huh," said Yarrow. "Guess the kid… was… invulnerable…" he noted, then collapsed onto his back.
Miss Martian flew down and began to probe the villain. (Henry Yarrow, we must know the truth…) she told the man, and her eyes began to glow…
Mount Justice.
August 14, 07:57 EDT.
"It begins and ends with Nathaniel Adams…" Miss Martian told Captain Atom as they and the rest of the Team stood in the training ring. "Adams uncovered evidence of a weapons smuggling ring… he brought intel of a weapons drop to his superior officer, General Lemar. Unfortunately, Lemar was part of the ring and saw Adams' intel was an opportunity. Lemar could get rid of Adams and the head of the ring, Henry Yarrow. Yarrow was only a lieutenant, and the general resented taking orders from him… so Lemar tipped off their North Vietnamese contact, General Trang… Yarrow was told Trang had simply been instructed not to show at the drop… but Lemar secretly ordered Trang to ambush the squad instead. All were meant to die including Yarrow… but Adams spoiled Lemar's plan by heroically saving himself and Lieutenant Yarrow."
Kid Flash took up the report at this point. "Now Yarrow had two problems… his incorruptible buddy Nate, who knew Lemar was part of the ring… and Lemar himself, who had tried to have him killed. So, Yarrow pitted one problem against the other… it wasn't hard to get Adams riled up against Lemar… or to drug Adams' drink either… Yarrow sent Adams to confront Lemar… the drug took care of Adams and Yarrow's man Polk took care of Lemar, using Adams' knife in order to frame him. The trial that followed was a joke… nearly everyone involved – Yarrow, Mason, Blankly and Polk – was a member of the ring…"
"What about Eiling?" asked Captain Atom. "The judge at the trial?"
"Eiling wasn't in the photo of the conspirators," Robin replied. "As far as we know, he truly believed in Adams' guilt."
Captain Atom turned to Miss Martian. "Yarrow's psychic 'death bed' confession didn't confirm that?"
"I'm knew at reading a non-telepathic mind," Miss Martian replied. "And Yarrow died seconds after we linked…"
"Yeah, for the second time," interjected Arrowette. "Of course, the first dead Yarrow was actually Polk, who had the same tattoo."
"When we searched Polk's home, we were meant to think that he'd packed a bag and fled," added Aqualad. "But the height of the body at Yarrow's residence matched Polk, not Yarrow."
"And when he found intel amongst the debris tipping us to the the airfield in St. George… We knew it was all too easy. We knew we were being set up."
"Team, I'm impressed," said Captain Atom as he and Superboy shook hands. "You did good work."
"Yeah, work that comes too late to help Nathaniel Adams," said Arrowette bitterly.
Captain Atom released Superboy's hand and turned to put a hand on Arrowette's shoulder. "But not too late for his kids," he reminded her, which brought a smile to her face. "Go tell them what kind of man their father really was."