Author's Note:
From here on out, I am planning to release chapters of this story in weekly installments on Fridays. Should I not be posting a chapter on a specific Friday, I will let you know before hand.
Note: There's a reference in this chapter to the funeral of Ray's father in the future tense. This is because this chapter happens only days after the dinner between Ray and company, and the funeral has not yet happened.
As always, I enjoy reviews and/or PM's should you have any criticism, praise, or questions. Whatever be the issue, let me know.
None of the characters are owned by myself.
"Is this 'cause of the prank," Flash's carping tone inquired.
J'onn J'onzz shook his head. "We have members who we have not seen in action, Flash. This is an opportunity to see how they can work together, despite their differences."
"Yeah, sure," Flash replied, sounding unconcerned, "but Wyoming?"
"A bank in Wyoming was robbed 25 minutes ago. Sending down a team to apprehend those responsible strikes me as a fair way to test how these members would work together."
"I still say this is about the prank," Flash grumbled.
"This is important, and I wouldn't flatter yourself," J'onn added with a small grin, "rigging buckets to drop water on you is so last year, as Supergirl would say."
"And I take it I am not to interfere?"
J'onn nodded. "Just observe and assess. We'll await your findings once you return."
Flash sighed. "Let's get this show on the road, then."
The intercom rang out, and in a loud voice, J'onn announced, "Crimson Fox, Red Tornado, Question, Shining Knight, and Stargirl, report to the bridge. I repeat, Crimson Fox, Red Tornado, Question, Shining Knight, and Stargirl, report to the bridge."
As soon as the intercom turned off, Flash said, "Question? This is so punishment."
Before J'onn could scold further, a red whirlwind came up to the two, followed by a rather large robot suit and a perky, staff-wielding girl.
"Red Tornado, reporting for duty," the now-calming whirlwind announced, his voice clinical and hollow.
"Same here," STRIPE added, standing next to Red Tornado.
J'onn looked curiously at STRIPE. "You were not among the names I called."
"Yeah, but if Courtney's going along, I thought-"
"I'm sorry, STRIPE, but this mission is partly about trust. Stargirl won't always have you beside her on missions, and you won't always have her. We must learn to trust each other - all of us."
STRIPE stood silent at this, and Red Tornado turned to him.
"I will make sure she is unharmed, friend," the android said, holding his right hand out to STRIPE. "I give you my word."
As STRIPE, with only a moment of hesitation, took it, both Shining Knight and Crimson Fox joined the small grouping.
"Oh, iz 'e coming along," Crimson Fox asked J'onn, her French accent piqued in curiosity.
"No, no," STRIPE replied, "just checking in to see if any additional help is needed."
"Don't worry, Pat," Stargirl spoke up. "I'll be fine, I promise," she stressed, the annoyance she felt close to the surface of her words.
STRIPE nodded and began walking away, passing Question, who came up to the group, hands in his pockets.
The ragtag group looked around at each other awkwardly. Flash noted that Shining Knight was looking skeptically at Question, and Crimson Fox eyed Stargirl in an almost distasteful manner.
This should be a blast, Flash sarcastically considered.
"Hark! The mission at hand is what," Shining Knight inquired.
"30 minutes ago, the Rocky Mountain Bank, in Hoback, Wyoming, was robbed of 60 thousand dollars by three men, armed with handguns. Local authorities place them somewhere in the surrounding forests. Though no one was killed, three are wounded. You will be responsible for apprehending these men before they can cause anyone else harm."
"And 'e iz what, our babysitter," Crimson Fox asked, thumbing at Flash.
Flash was about to reply when J'onn cut in.
"Flash will be overseeing you, yes. He is your superior, though, so I may advise you demonstrate a bit more respect, Crimson Fox."
She bit her lip and docilely nodded. "Sorry, sir."
"Are there any additional question," J'onn asked.
The group stood silent.
"I guess it's go-time, then, guys," Flash spoke up, his tone lacking the enthusiasm of his words. With a nod of the head to J'onn, he led the mismatched group to the teleportation platform.
As soon as they touched Wyoming soil, conflict broke out.
"We should make contact with the local authorities," Red Tornado stated. "We need to see if they have any additional leads."
"Why not just fly overhead and see if we can spot them that way," Stargirl counter-proposed. "That way, they wouldn't have a chance to get any further."
"And the police may not know anything new," Crimson Fox added, "so it might be a waste ov time."
"I say thee nay," Shining Knight shook his head. "If thou doth blind thyself to the knowledge possessed by the authorities, thou doth condemn us to failure."
"Come ov it," Crimson Fox fired back, rolling her eyes. By this point, Flash has leaned against a nearby tree, his face unimpressed with the scene before his eyes. "We don't know if the police know anything we don't."
"We could know, however, if we ask," Red Tornado, with a slight edge in his voice, replied. "More so, look at this forest," he added, "do you really think you'll be able to see anything through the canopy?"
Stargirl spoke up again. "Guys, how about you," directed at Red Tornado, "and Shining Knight go to the police. Me and Crimson Fox can look for them overhead ourselves."
"Are we allowed to do that," Red Tornado inquired, looking over at Flash.
The Scarlet Speedster yawned. "I gotta admit, I don't know. I'm far more curious where Question ran off to."
Everyone groaned.
"Doing great so far," Stargirl quipped under her breath.
"Were Vigilante here, indecisiveness would not strike discord into the team," Shining Knight stated to both Flash and Crimson Fox, as they walked toward central Hoback. "Instead of quibbling, we'd be making progress."
They had split off from Red Tornado and Stargirl with the hopes of meeting up with the local authorities. Red Tornado, despite his opposition to Stargirl's plan, went with her to scan the area, for as far as Flash could see, two reasons: 1) his promise to STRIPE, and 2) the fact that he could fly, whereas Crimson Fox couldn't.
"You really think highly of Vigilante, don't ya," Flash asked, while Crimson Fox grumbled quietly to his other side.
"Aye, truth," Shining Knight confirmed. "A better ally could not be found."
"And he has a fantastic television set," Flash added, thinking Sheesh, if we had kicked Vigilante out of the League, who would Shining Knight be palling around with?
Haughtily, Crimson Fox said, "The fact that you care more about a television set more than solving this crime iz just sad."
"Hey, I'm not supposed to even be talking to you guys," Flash criticized back, his voice rising. "If I were doing what I'm supposed to, I'd just be watching over you guys quietly, like I'm Batman or something. This isn't my crime to solve. It's yours, and so far, I'm not impressed whatsoever with how you guys have been doing."
An awkward silence followed this as they walked onward.
"Okay, listen guys, I'm sorry," Flash said, truly sounding it. "I have no idea where Question went, and I really don't think either Stargirl's plan or your plan, Shining Knight, will get us what we need. That all being said, bank robberies were never really something the Justice League got involved in. Heck, in Central City, I have it easy most of the time. I just need to go to a single bar, and bam, I get most of the answers I need."
"So in short," Crimson Fox asked, "it haz been a stressful day?"
"Yep," Flash replied. "This is out of my element too. Believe me. But I trust that you guys will be able to handle this. So does J'onn, or he wouldn't have sent us down here."
"Hark! The authorities are just ahead," Shining Knight proclaimed, pointing forward at a parked cruiser.
Flash crossed his fingers as the group walked up to the car. Under his breath, he muttered, "Wish us luck."
"Ya know, Pat was just being melodramatic," Stargirl said conversationally to the whirlwind flying beside her. "I really don't need anyone watching over me to make sure I'm okay."
"People often say the phrase 'better safe than sorry,' do they not," Red Tornado replied, seeing nothing in the area aside from trees, bushes, and more trees.
"Yeah, well, those people have no fun," Stargirl dismissively stated. "Pat's great, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself."
"If he let you go, and you ended up hurting yourself somehow, he'd never stop feeling guilty."
"That doesn't make any sense," Stargirl whined, simultaneously enthralled with the size of the forest below them, "if I asked him to give me some space, and I got hurt, it'd be my fault. Why'd he blame himself?"
"Because that's what parents do," Red Tornado wisely replied. "Logic, more often than not, plays no part."
Stargirl remained silent at this. "I'll say one thing for ya, Tornado," she eventually said after a few moments of silence, "you're right, this is getting us nowhere."
Red Tornado nodded, and the pair of them turned around. After half a minute, he replied, his voice sounding much more human, "Told you so."
Despite the annoyance at being proven wrong, the teen girl couldn't help but grin ever so slightly.
Before Stargirl even landed, she sensed a tense atmosphere among the three heroes. Crimson Fox seemed particularly displeased.
"Waz a waste of time," Crimson Fox moaned bluntly to Stargirl. "Like we thought."
"'Twas not a complete waste of-" Shining Knight began, but was cut off by Flash.
"It really was, buddy," Flash patted him on the back. Looking at the new arrivals, Flash added, "The police have no information that we don't. They just suspect the three perps are somewhere here," holding his arms out to the forest. "What's next, guys?"
"Well, we didn't see anything overhead," Stargirl admitted, "so I, well..."
She trailed off. The message was clear, though - she had no idea how to move forward.
"This iz stupid. 'ave none ov us ever solved a crime," Crimson Fox lamented.
"Well, it's not been great so far, I admit," Flash said, "but c'mon guys, use your heads. Bank robbers are in the area. Potentially a danger to anyone who runs across them. You can do this. What's next?"
"Where is Question," Red Tornado suddenly spoke up.
At this, everyone shrugged. "I hate to say it," Flash replied, "but I think he's a lost cause. Personally, between me and you, he didn't really seem like a team player. I think this sort of cinches it."
A voice spoke up, making all of them jump.
"The three men, Abraham Warren, Dwayne Burton, and Kent Patterson are holed up in a wooden shack near Snake River. Apparently, if we go down West Johnny Counts Road until we hit Hoback Junction South Road, it should be pretty easy to find."
The group stood silent at this proclamation as Question strolled out from behind a nearby tree, until Flash replied, "Seriously, dude?"
"I saw a light boot print outside of the bank, which matched three pairs of boots recently sold up at Jackson. One of them, the owner knew, being Dwayne Burton. The other two were strangers, and, according to Burton, 'from out of town.' Digging into Burton a little, it turns out his wife left him last year, and as the story goes, he started drinking heavily, getting him fired from Snake River Sporting Club, about seven minutes south of Hoback. The other two men, it appears, worked with Dwayne in the past, committing robberies across Wyoming from 1992 to 1996. I got Warren's name from an arrest record back in '96, and a common acquaintance of his was Patterson, who had done some time for larceny. Neither Patterson nor Warren have been heard from in over a year, though authorities around these parts are occasionally on the lookout. The Teton County Sheriff is new, and when I inquired about these names, he knew none of them. Long story short, Red Tornado and Stargirl can fly over there in four minutes and take them out, probably without much problem."
Stargirl, her mouth agape during Question's explanation, promptly shut it and shook her head. "No way."
"Marry," exclaimed Shining Knight, his face in deep shock.
"Well," Flash replied, regaining some of his composure that dissipated during Question's explanation, "that certainly sounds like a lead we can follow."
As Question had guessed, the three men were easy to deal with. From Flash's point of view, it was well over before it began.
"And stay down," Crimson Fox yelled at one of the men, her foot on his back. Red Tornado and Shining Knight kept close watch of them, while Stargirl walked out of the shack, announcing that the money seems all to be accounted for.
Question stood at the edge of Snake River, watching the steady stream of the water and debris flow by, apparently in silent contemplation.
"Well, the Teton County police will be here in half an hour. We just need to stay put until then," Flash replied, with a sigh. "I guess, well done, guys."
Unexpectedly, Stargirl stomped her right foot on the ground and began crying.
"I can't believe we were so," she started, angrily wiping the new tears from her eyes, "ineffective."
"Hey, walk with me," Flash said, motioning for her to follow him. She did, all the while still attempting to dry her eyes. Once away from the others, he turned toward her. "Listen, we found those responsible and got back the money. Maybe not how we hoped we would, but it still got done. That's what's important."
"But," Stargirl replied, clearly bothered, "it all came down to one guy. Not us, not a team. One guy."
"I know, which I think is a lesson for both sides here," Flash replied. "Look, you, Crimson Fox, Shining Knight and Red Tornado couldn't figure out how to move forward. That's fine, it happens. One of you guys knew, though. Question knew exactly what to look for, but instead of pulling you guys in, he went off solo. And instead of thinking about making contact with him, checking to see how he was doing, we just wrote him off. There's blame to go on both sides here, kid. Listen," he added, glancing over his shoulder at Question, who was still standing in front of the river, "I don't like Question. Not really. He's just too kooky for me, for lack of a better word. Plus, the whole faceless thing he's got going really freaks me out. It's not something I think that fosters a sense of camaraderie, as Superman would say. But that's part of why J'onn sent us down here - we have to learn to work together. Today was difficult, but there might come a time in which we need to go all out to save this planet. And if that means working with someone like Question, then we have to do it."
Stargirl looked over him, surprised, and expecting more, seemingly. At this, Flash chuckled. "That's my spiel. That's all I've got. Let's just try to work together as best we can, and show the skeptics it can be done."
The young girl sighed, her eyes still red, but drying. "Thanks for that. I'll try to keep it all in perspective, I guess."
"That's all I'm asking," Flash replied. "That's all I'm asking."
"You know, dude," Flash spoke up, standing next to Question on the banks of Snake River, "you could have told us you had an idea. Because we didn't work together, some of us are feeling really dispirited."
"You guys don't trust me," Question replied simply, not turning toward his superior. "I heard what you said. 'I think he's a lost cause.' Shining Knight doesn't like me. Stargirl's uneasy around me. With that all in mind, it would have been quicker to handle this myself, which I did. That's the extent to it."
"You ever think people would trust you more if you actually bothered speaking to us," Flash couldn't help but ask. "I mean, that could only help, right?"
"Do you know the Bilderberg Group," Question inquired.
At this, Flash sighed. "No. Who are they?"
"It's an annual meeting of over 100 elites from both North America and Europe, experts in their respective industries, who come together to promote cooperation between the two continents, and more recently, try and spread the idea of Western free market ideals throughout the world. There are some who believe this group has intentions most sinister. Some believe them to be working toward a one-world government, others, that they are planning on forcing capitalism throughout the world. People who believe this are called crackpot conspiracy theorists."
"What do you believe," Flash asked, his voice betraying the fact he didn't see the point.
"I believe in the truth," Question replied. "And the truth is far more sinister than what even those 'crackpots' believe."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with-"
"Based on the little you know about the Bilderberg Group, would you be inclined to say that they are a negative force in this world?"
"I'd need to read up on them a bit, but that sounds a bit far-fetched."
"Exactly," Question stated. "Even the most mundane of alternate beliefs on the world we live in seems 'far-fetched' to you. What I know to be true is far more than mundane."
"So you don't relate to us. That's fine," Flash replied. "That doesn't mean you can't trust us."
"I don't trust anyone," Question replied, finally turning to face Flash. "I will work with you, and I think I can help you guys out, but I cannot trust you. This bothers people. Shining Knight wouldn't be able to grasp it. Stargirl certainly wouldn't understand. Unsettling and unconventional. A crockpot. A lost cause. People can think of me what they want, I've heard it all. My one objective is to get to the truth. As long as the League does that also, there won't be a problem."
Exhaling loudly, Flash shook his head. "I'm sorry you see it that way, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry I said what I said. I hope, though, that in time, that can change."
Turning back to Snake River, Question stood silent. Flash, feeling dismissed, made to leave, but Question then spoke up again. "Time will tell."
I think that's as good as it's gonna get, Flash considered, and left Question alone on the bank.
"How did it go," Superman asked Flash, who stood before the senior members, fidgeting.
"Well, there's good news and bad news," Flash began. "What did you guys want first?"
Batman put his head in his hands and Green Lantern groaned. "Wally," Wonder Woman said, "were you guys able to apprehend the culprits?"
"We were, yes," Flash replied. "But, well, to be completely honest, Question did most of the work."
Before anyone could say anything, Flash went on. "Shining Knight and Red Tornado put too much faith in the local authorities, while Stargirl and Crimson Fox thought it best to track them down just by looking around. Question left the group about as soon as we got there, but was able to identify the three robbers, and determine their location. He came back to let us know, and as a group, we took them down."
"I must admit, I am not terribly shocked," J'onn began, "but where they all able to work together, save Question?"
"Red Tornado and Stargirl clashed a bit," Flash recounted, "but I think they made up. Shining Knight and Crimson Fox don't see eye-to-eye, so some work may need to be done there."
"Speaking of Stargirl, on a sidenote" Wonder Woman spoke up, "have you all heard about the 28th? The funeral of Ray's father? Ralph, STRIPE and Stargirl were considering getting some League members to go to it."
"I can't come," Batman swiftly replied. "Bruce Wayne showing up would have too many people asking questions. I support the solidarity shown by attending, though. I'll talk to Ray afterwards," he added, seeing the look both Wonder Woman and Flash was giving him.
"Hopefully, everyone else can attend," J'onn stated. "More so, we may want to thank Stargirl, Elongated Man, STRIPE, Atom-Smasher, Speedy, and Hourman for helping Ray through this difficult time officially. I suggest, though," he continued, "we save that discussion for later. Insofar as today went, Flash, do you have any additional thoughts?"
"Just this," the younger man replied, "Question is very aware of how some of us, myself included, feel about him. He doesn't trust us, any of us. I know we expected this, but I feel it's something we really should try and work on."
"Wally's right," Green Lantern stated. "I have no idea how on God's green Earth we gain his trust, but it's something we need to do."
"Indeed," J'onn replied. "That's something we can also discuss at a later date. Many thanks, Flash, for overseeing this mission."
Flash nodded. "Sure thing. Sorry I was making a big deal out of it earlier."
"It's understandable." J'onn glanced around the table of his peers as Flash, done with his presentation, sat down. "What's next on the table?"