YJ: Finding Robin: Chapter 6
The flight on the bio-ship to New York City was filled with nervous silence. The closer they drew to New York the more agitated Robin seemed to get, he kept glancing over at Superboy to calm himself. Sensing this Megan moved the two boys' seats together. As the ship approached the Lex Corp building Robin had ended up in Superboy's lap. The team landed on a roof a few building away from the Lex Corp building the Bat-plane landed next to them. It was so cold Megan could see her own breath.
"We don't know what is down there. If I say we pull the plug on this operation you are under no circumstances to question my judgement." Batman said seriously looking at each of the children his eyes lingering on Artemis. "My word is law or you can stay behind. Got it?"
"Yes sir."
The team following Batman's lead was able to sneak through the building's back entrance without being detected. They found the elevator and saw that the elevators led to fifty different floors beneath the building.
"We don't have time to search them all. There is just too many floors." Wally gaped. "Even with super speed this could take all day." Before anyone could answer Robin reached out and pressed the button for the twenty-seventh floor.
"What's down there Robin?" Wally asked. The boy doesn't answer at first he just stared nervously at the elevator door and gripping Conner's hand tighter. As the elevator began to move Robin replied not taking his gaze off the door.
"Mother."
As the elevator door slid open the team found themselves in a wide sterile looking hallway only half the lights were lit. Everything was eerily silent. Robin moved over to a panel on the wall, plugged in his wrist computer and began typing away at the keyboard. Watching Robin work the others saw a shadow of the old Robin, but as Robin finishes the boy did not turn back to smile triumphantly at them instead he gave them a blank look and headed down the north hallway.
With Robin in the lead the team moved through the deserted halls all the while keeping their guard up, occasionally they would hear guards somewhere in the maze of hallways but Robin seemed to know their patrol and they were able to avoid any encounters. After nearly half an hour of weaving through the seemingly endless hallways Robin came to a stop at a non-descript room. Robin looked at Superboy and nodded at the door. Superboy understood and grabbed the door ripping it from its frame.
"Mother!" Artemis cried racing into the room towards the unconscious woman in the wheelchair. "Mother!" Artemis was nearly hysterics when the woman didn't respond.
"Calm down she is alive. Just sedated." Batman told her as he checked over the unconscious woman. Batman pace a small vile under the woman's nose and with a gasp the woman woke up.
"Mom!" Artemis cried tears slipping from her eyes.
"Arty?" The woman cried still hazy from the drugs.
"Artemis! Thank god you are okay." The mother and daughter embraced. The teens had all piled into the room to witness the beautiful reunion, all except Robin. Robin stood at the door unable to look at the scene unfolding in the cell a tortured and haunted look filled the boy's eye blue eyes. Conner noticed and found his way back to Robin's side and took the boy's hand supportively.
"Let's get out of here." Batman said breaking the reunion. "We don't have much time."
"Not yet." Robin said as the group piled out of the cell. "Have to find Robin." The others looked a little confused at Robin, but the boy's gaze down the hall was unwavering.
"Alright." Batman said finally. "You kids take her back first." Batman looked briefly at Superboy who stepped closer to Robin. "We will go with him. We will be right behind you."
"We will come back, once we get her to the ship." Kaldur said looking up at the man half expecting Batman to dispute his plan but the man didn't he just gave Kaldur a curt nod.
"Don't get caught."
Superboy followed close behind Robin as the boy walked briskly down the hall Batman walking beside them, ever since the others left Robin seemed more and more agitated his body twitched ever so slightly as if holding himself steady was taking all his effort and concentration. The halls came to an end at a wide solid wall with a pair of large doors. Robin went and worked on opening the door without a word.
"What's here Robin?" Batman asked the boy didn't answer, but their answer was soon revealed as the door slid open. The room was large and there was chair in the center of the room with several surgical devices on a tray next to the chair. Superboy could not help but notice the arms and leg harnesses on the chair. Batman on the other hand was busy looking at the shelves that lined the walls of the room. Each shelf contained a hard drive each labelled with a code. Batman went over to the nearest computer terminal began trying to access the terminal but Robin stopped him and took over typing.
"It's a secret. No one is supposed to know." Robin said with a small sad smile. "But Robin heard it. Heard it from his mind, it speaks so loud even though he tries so hard to make it silent. All these people… copies of what they once were. What I once was… sleeping, in disks… data… be…before they came in to our heads and broke us." Robin had to stop typing to calm his breaths. "Saved so they can play pretend, put it on top, hide the weapon… reintroduce to society." A list appeared on the computer screen, names corresponding to the codes on each of the drives. "You need to know Batman. Who has been replaced…" Batman gaped at the computer scanning through the names on the list, the subjects ranged from regular civilians to government officials, Cadmus was bigger than any of them had realised.
"Robin. What are you doing?" Superboy's voice drew Batman's attention to the boy who had moved away from the terminal. Robin had pulled a drive labelled C9987 from the shelves and loaded it onto the terminal by the chair.
"It's Robin, your Robin… no soul, a copy… but whole, not broken…" Robin said showing them the drive. "Delete the weapon… dangerous… get Robin, Dick Grayson, friend, son… back." The tremble in Robin's voice was unmistakeable; the boy was terrified. Batman stared at the boy trying to comprehend what he was trying to say, but Superboy seemed to have made up his mind.
"No." Superboy said snatching the drive out of Robin's hand. "You can't do this. It will be like killing yourself."
"But this is not the Robin that should be." Robin said gesturing at himself shaking his head. "You don't understand… dangerous… can't continue… it will almost be the same…" Robin smiled up at them sadly. "You will forget… Robin is not real." Superboy couldn't listen anymore, he smashed the hard drive onto the ground. When Robin tried frantically to salvage the broken bits Superboy pulled Robin into his arms.
"No. I don't want the old Robin back if it is not real." Superboy said holding the boy firmly against his chest. "You are you. You are still here. You are just different now, and we need to accept that." A tear escaped Robin's eyes.
"With the information we have here I will try and help make it better." Batman said kneeling down as Superboy released Robin. With a gentle hand he wiped away the tear and stroked Robin's cheek. "I would never want to replace you. Robin is not lost, he is right here." Batman said putting his hand over the boy's heart. "Still a friend, still my son, still a hero."
"How touching." A chilling voice shattered the moment. Batman and Superboy looked up instinctively placing himself between the intruder and Robin. The man who spoke was thin and wiry clad in a white lab coat and a surgical smock beneath that smiled eerily at the group, "I must say Robin you continue to perform beyond expectations." The man smiled at Robin adjusting his glasses. "Even without the compiling phase and the cover implant you still managed to complete your primary objective." The scientist looked at Superboy then his gaze shifted over to Batman, "You even brought us a bonus."
"No...nonononon..." Robin murmured in horror.
"Now if the two of you would just..." Batman did not let him finish, he threw a smoke grenade at the man's feet, gathered the shaken Robin up in his arms and motioned for Superboy to follow him towards the door. As the room began filling with smoke Batman gestured towards the double doors. Superboy didn't waste any time ramming into the door putting his full weight behind it. After the third strike the warped metal gave way and the group found themselves face to face with two identical looking blond girls holding hands standing in their way.
"Did you think I would let you get away so easily?" The man said stepping out of the smoke behind them, Batman noticed him put something in his ears. "Girls?" As Batman pieced it all together it was too late a ear piercing screech came from the girls driving stakes of pain into his head. Beside him Robin and Superboy were doubled over, covering their ears and screaming in pain.
"That's enough girls." The screaming stopped leaving the heroes weak and disorientated. "Isn't it magnificent? You see Superman wasn't our only project. We even improved on the Canary Cry. It's funny how sound can trigger thing in our minds isn't it?" The girls opened their mouth again but this time they began to sing in different yet complimentary tunes.
"No!" Robin cried out his hands over his ears again. "Will… not… obey." Superboy on the other hand became very silent, his hands dropped to his side and he stood up began walking towards the scientist.
"That's right you belong to us, not them. You are our weapon. We created you."
"Stop!" Robin screamed still clutching his head looking desperately at Superboy. "Superboy!" At the sound of Robin calling to him the clone stopped and turned to look at the boy. For a moment Superboy was himself again just long enough to realize what was going on before the girls increased their volume and captured his mind once more. The man laughed maniacally.
"Good boy. Now, incapacitate Batman and dispose of the boy. I don't need a tool that is broken."
Without anymore prompting the clone charged towards them aiming for the clearly shaken Robin first. Batman pulled himself together in time to pick Robin up and get out of the way as Superboy's fist created a small crater on the ground.
"Robin. Stay here. Fight it." Batman said setting the catatonic boy down on the ground and turned just in time to throw an exploding Batarang at the charging Kryptonian slowing down his advances. Batman poised himself to face Superboy as the clone came charging at him again. Dodging a punch Batman used the momentum to redirect Superboy into a side wall. The wall didn't seem to slow Superboy down at all, the clone was back up with a roar of anguish his hand grasping at Batman's throat. Batman stood fast in front of Robin shielding the boy so he could not dodge the large boy completely. Superboy's crushing strength closed around Batman's shoulder and knocked the man to the ground pinned under the teen.
"Superboy! What the hell?" Kid Flash's voice made the clone hesitate long enough to allow Batman to throw Superboy off as the teens came running down the hall towards them.
"Batman!" Aqualad looked towards the man fending off Superboy trying to get a sense of what was going on.
"Superboy is being controlled..." Batman said dodging a hit and punching Superboy in the stomach. "Take out the girls!"
"Kid Flash go! Artemis cover him. Miss Martian try to get through to Superboy."
"Got it. The singing was getting creepy... It's a shame though they are so cute." KF said before taking off Artemis shot him a dirty look and aimed an exploding arrow at the scientist.
"Ahhhhh!" Superboy screamed dropping to one knee clutching his head as Miss Martian closed her eyes and started to try and reach Superboy's mind.
"Protect Robin." Batman ordered Aqualad before dashing forward past the teens to get to the scientist but he stopped abruptly as all the doors in the hallway simultaneously opened with a resounding click.
Then all hell broke loose.