Chapter 4
"One by one, the pieces are falling into place…"
I gagged as I realized just how stereotypically bull that what I just said was, but after considering it for a few moments I had to shrug, it was true wasn't it? I had gotten the nominal support of the light, and gotten them to bankroll my living the island/mansion equivalent of right across the street from Mt. Justice.
Now, it was time to enact the next stage of my fiendish, fiendish plan.
BEACH DAY!
Scene Break
I sat outside, luxuriating in the feeling of the sun on my chest. It was honestly making my lungs feel less tense and knife filled, so I was going to milk it for all I could.
I reached down to one side and grabbed a beer from the plastic cooler, one of the benefits of being in cahoots with a global super powered crime organization, they can get me fake I.D.'s up the wazoo.
I was in the middle of taking the first, glorious sip of the divine alcoholic beverage when I heard a 'heads up!' From further down the beach.
Without looking up, I whipped a throwing knife out from where it was strapped to the bottom of my beach chair and whipped it in the direction of the incoming projectile. With a pop-hiss, a beach ball with a black, rubbered handled knife embedded in its rainbow skin rolled to a halt, just short of where I was sitting.
Bemused I wrenched the knife out of the rubber and flipped it idly as four figures came into view.
Superboy, sour as Shit, and twice as angsty.
Kaldur'ahm, or rather, Aqualad, cautiously observing me.
Robin, distrustful, and a pace behind and to right of Superboy, prime positioning to use the tougher boy as cover.
And finally, M'gann 'Megan' Morzz in her human form.
I carefully smoothed my face into a frown as the four sidekicks approached me. There were a number of facial ticks and twitches that told me the martian had them linked up. I waved with my free-hand nonchalantly as they approached and began to surround me in a circular formation.
Robin, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, gave me a look.
"Who are you and what are you doing on our beach?"
Wow, looks like Batman never taught the little Shit about manners. I felt one eyebrow raise at rich orphan boys lack of manners.
"Techicnaly your section of beach ended about a few thousand yards that-away."
Kaldur quirked one eyebrow.
"And that somehow justifies you sticking a knife in our beach ball?"
I gave a smile.
"Well, I don't know about your beachball, but I don't think a popped beachball deserves four such, unique individuals surrounding me."
Robin stepped forward, his legs slightly bent, arms slightly forward, he was ready for combat.
"And what do you mean unique?"
I scoffed and gestured towards Robin.
"Just look at the way your standing! Judging by the way you're angling your fee and you're shoulders, you've been trained by someone with a major basis in League of Shadow's style training."
I turned and pointed at Kaldurs gills, tattoos, and then at the webbed fingers.
"He's so obviously an Atlantean that it beggars belief."
I then pointed at Superboy.
"The scowl-y kid over there, he looks so much like a young Superman, I figure he's either his kid or his clone."
And then finally I gestured at M'gann.
"And since she looks identical to a girl from an old T.V. show, I assume she is some sort of shapeshifter."
I had to restrain some chuckles as they all looked at each other in shock before I felt the mental twinges of what I had to guess was the Martian peeking into my mind before it stopped and M'gann dropped like a rock to the ground, her human form melting into her green skinned, red haired version as she dry heaved.
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that.
"Well! From that little peek you just took, you must be a Martian! Fascinating, but it was rather rude to have her peek into my mind without permission. If you had asked I could have told you it would have been useless."
Robin looked at me, and then at Superboy who's face reddened, as he glanced down at M'gann.
Scene Break
Robin looked at the man reclining on the beach chair with a nonchalant air. He was wearing sunglasses what obscured what Robin was sure were a pair of gleeful eyes. His salt and pepper hair was cropped tight to his skull. His bare stomach was slim and taut, skin pale and slightly red.
'Im okay Super Boy, It was just unexpected, his mind… It was somehow diseased'
Robin's eyebrow rose, and the man still sitting calmly seemed to smirk. Kaldur, linked up mentally with his other teammates questioned Megan.
'What do you mean diseased M'gann?'
'His mind feels tainted, diseased, almost like his very mind is somehow rotten.'
Kaldur looked disturbed at the Martians revelations.
'Robin, we are leaving, for all we know, he's telling the truth, and so far the only ones who have committed aggressive action are us, we will retreat, determine if the man is really the owner of the land, and then come back to, interview, him.'
Superboy grunted but picked up M'gann while Robin cast one last suspicious look at the man who just waved cheerfully and took another sip from the drink in his off hand. Kaldur bowed slightly, his pride stung, but he knew that he had to at least make the opening for an excuse to interact with the man again, but after a quick apology, the Atlantean left at speed, catching up to his teammates, they entered the cave just in time to see Green Arrow, Batman, and someone that none of them recognized come out of the Zeta tubes.
Batman took one look and the growled out a question.
"What. Happened."
Scene Break
I sighed as a floor board creaked.
"Really? You guys sent a bloody ninja after me?"
Suddenly there was a dark, ominous shape that dropped down in front of me, and growled out a single question.
"Who are you?"
I had to stomp down on the fan-boy squealing at the pointy ears, flowing cape, and prominent bat emblem on his chest.
I grinned at the Dark Knight.
"So, I guess the kid in sunglasses was Robin then?"
Abruptly I felt hand around my throat as my back impacted the wooden wall of my house so hard the boards cracked.
"I'll ask one more time. Who are you?"
I felt the manic grin of fan-boyish glee spread across my face.
"Amadeus Grey, now Batman, let go, or crap gets serious, cause your trespassing."
Batman growled and cocked one fist back.
