Side Effects

Chapter 8

Robin's POV

It's been two weeks since Raven and Beast Boy left, but it feels like much longer. A lot has happened, and I'm not sure how I feel about how things have ended up. Even without Darkseid to lead them, Darkseid's armies attacked earth. They spread out for maximum collateral damage, as revenge for Darkseid's death. We had no way to convince them that we weren't responsible, and the ensuing battle cost the lives of thousands of civilians. And then the politicians swooped in.

A mass tragedy, caused by the apparent inefficiency of the Justice League? It was the easiest wave to ride since 9/11. And they treated it the same. A 'national and international' tragedy…give me a break. You might as well say 'a national and international opportunity to increase governmental power.'

Surely enough, after only a week in which the media crucified the poor management of the Justice League, the Terrian Metahuman Impressment Act was on the floor of Congress. Co-written by Lex Luthor (who was wise to keep himself out of further debate), this bill sought to turn the Justice League of America over to the United States Military. Because that can't go wrong.

In essence, the bill took the freedom of choice away from some powerful individuals while allowing freedom to the big-wigs of the JL. The fact that this bill had almost everything delicately balanced only a week after the incident told me that Lex was planning this for a long time. I could see it in some of the League's eyes that they hated this bill, but the general public was frightened and through almost complete support behind this bill. Its two biggest catches were the words 'Terrian' and 'Metahuman.' Terrian meant that the military could only control people originally from earth, allowing aliens to act as ambassadors or willingly join the ranks. Metahuman meant that only people with certifiable superpowers were eligible for control, so 'normal' humans such as myself, Batman, or Green Arrow were free to choose.

At first, this was something most every superhero was wholeheartedly against. However, with time to think, many people began to switch views; Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl were from militant people, so it was natural for them to agree with this decision. Superman was—in layman's terms—a sucker for whatever the people wanted, and wouldn't dare go against them. Green Lantern's aren't allowed to participate in politics, and Flash didn't really seem to care either way. Martian Manhunter passively disagreed with the bill, but wouldn't oppose it.

The bill allowed for Justice League leadership to integrate with the military's command, meaning that now decisions would be made by generals by influenced by the League's former leaders.

I hated even the idea of the military controlling superheroes, but I can't deny the merit of the idea. The JL has been allowed to operate as an unsanctioned third-party without much oversight, and that sort of power is unhealthy for anyone to wield. But then again, would it be any better for the military to control supers? What are they going to do, send Flash to take over Middle Eastern oil fields?

Hell, they might.

Either way, there is an opportunity for corruption. The Titans had plenty of issues with the League before, and as of right now the only member of the team who would be affected by this is Cyborg. We've had a few talks about it, and he seems surprisingly optimistic: apparently the chance to handle government tech makes up for anything they might have him do. In all probability, his combat opportunities would decrease as I know generals who would love to stick Cyborg in a weapons-advancement lab.

The biggest problem for me isn't the choice: it's the problems that the choice poses for others. There have already been heated discussions, and a few people have taken leave for a few days—we suspect that they are preparing a safehouse should something go awry.

I can already see what coming—I know Batman does too, and it greatly concerns both of us. Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen have already had private business meetings, and I'm certain that they've got some sort of game plan. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I can see everything moving that way. Raven already stormed out on the League, so her feelings are plain; there are bound to be others who resent this bill (should it pass, which it will), and they won't join willingly. I know that the transition is supposed to be a 'peaceful and respectable' one, but according to my contacts things are being prepared for the worst anyways. Including Slade's Suicide Squad.

Oh yes, hell froze over by the way, because the League welcome back 'Deathstroke' again. You would have thought that after he neutralized Batman and Superman during the Darkseid meeting, that they wouldn't be so kind. But no, he was sent to us in horrible shape as if he had his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Almost brought a smile to my face, especially when we found out that he had been double-crossed by Raven. By all means, I was having a good day at that point until the League decided he could be of use.

"If he's truly pissed at Raven, he'll stick around and help until she shows herself again…"

Freaking hell, let's put a vindictive Slade in charge of the Suicide Squad program! Not like he's hurt us once before…

Well, at least we're planning on using him as a fall-guy just in case things go wrong with the Suicide Squad. After that massive data leak (that I have a feeling that Raven and Cy had something to do with), the League was able to wipe some uber-sensitive files from the web before anyone could dig that deep. They thought they contained the Squad's secrets, but it never hurts to have a backup.

It seems like we've been having a lot of 'backups' no matter who you are, and that they've all been stretched to their limits recently.

I guess I shouldn't lose more sleep about Slade; I mean, he is working with Amanda Waller now…

And that's how I've come to my decision. I won't give any opinion on the bill at all. 'Politics isn't my place' is what I'll say to anyone who asks. If—when—the bill passes, I'll join the military willingly and try to keep things from spiraling. Sort of a silent watcher.

And if this bill causes conflict? I suppose I'll stick to the side of the people, no matter how much it may hurt me to do so.

POV BREAK (BEAST BOY'S POV)

Overall, I'd say that these last two weeks haven't been bad at all. Well, at least for me. I found a genius nap-spot that Raven is yet to find, which is extremely rare considered all these new powers she's been trying out. I guess she never thought to look inside her own mind!

Yep, that's right! My secret hiding-place is Nevermore! Specifically, Timid or Knowledge's realms. Timid is so shy that all I have to do is morph into a cat or a dog, and she'll nervously huddle against me while I sleep. Occasionally, on better days for her, she will just stay up and scratch behind my ears! It may sound silly, but something about being a cat turns that sensation into pure ecstasy!

Okay, maybe not pure ecstasy. Probably the stuff they give you once you're already hooked. But ecstasy nonetheless.

And then Knowledge is just quiet; all she does is read books in her library, so again the cat-nap technique works great. Lots of high shelves and odd boxes mean that, as a cat, the place is nap-city.

Aside from that, I spend time in the other realms too. Well, not all the realms…there are a few I avoid in particular. *coughcoughRagecoughcough*

But it really isn't that bad. Usually, whenever I show up they all flock to me. Even Rage likes to show up, and she's always willing to help me get some space if I'm being suffocated. I still can't get over how funny it would be if Cy found out just how much of a celebrity I am here. I also can't get over my fear of Raven learning just how much time I spend here. She really isn't a fan of this. Talk about jealous.

I try to visit often, at least once every few days, because I feel bad for how alone the 'Emoticlones' are. Raven never visited very often before, and now that she doesn't struggle with her powers, she hasn't been back. So that means that I'm a celebrity in Raven's mind for two reasons: I'm the only visitor, and I happen to…uh, know…the owner.

Another reason that Raven hasn't really found my hiding spot yet is she's been so busy staying in contact with other heroes. That stupid bill just got passed, which means there will be a two-month period for heroes to surrender to the military. Not that it matters to me, seeing as I'm already kickin' it on the run, but this is something that's tearing the superhero world apart.

And it is bad enough for the heroes, but any superpowered villains that are caught are now technically prisoners of the military, meaning there are only three places to go from there: Suicide Squad, Guantanamo Bay's 'Super' Area, or the under-construction Lunar Max prison. If you think that people with start treating heroes bad, just wait till you hear how the villains are doing. They said that this was to deter Metahumans from breaking laws, but it seems like this bill is only going to cause problems.

Which is why I'm sitting next to Raven in the living room, which looks more like a war room. Across from us, on the only other couch that isn't covered in papers, sit Jinx and Kid Flash. For the most part, Raven and Jinx have been discussing potential allies and movements of AWOL heroes. There have been a lot of those recently. KF and I are sitting in on this because: A) we are dating Jinx and Raven respectively, and B) we have a decent amount of contacts that we can use.

"Alright, that's almost everything. Last thing I wanted to know about: the emergency plan…" Jinx really wasn't asking; it was a request, but Raven was more than willing to reply either way.

"Emergency plan? I think you just mean the plan, now. It's just a matter of when the Suicide Squad gets called into this. From what I'm still able to gather, there are a few hot targets that they are eyeing closely. There are still so many people rogue that they don't want to attack unless they know that someone is a direct threat."

"So you're certain that they will be called into action?" Kid Flash asked almost rhetorically.

"Absolutely. Only about 40% of the ex-Justice League have joined the USMF willingly. That leaves about 59% unaccounted for, and there is only two months to round these people up. What I fear is that instead of uniting against the USMF, there will just be multiple small bands of heroes that will fight against the world. There's no way this can be done if we've been divided."

"So what do you need us to keep doing?" Jinx asked.

"Lay low, keep your ear to the ground, and make sure you don't appear on their radar. We need to find out how many people we can expect to recruit when things go ugly. Jinx, you also might try contacting those 'fringe' criminals and see who all would hear us out…"

Jinx nodded and stood up, followed soon after by Kid Flash. Raven tried to get up to see them 'out' (really, to a portal), but I quickly morphed into a Ragdoll cat and sat right on her lap. Raven's annoyed huff made our guests laugh, and Raven waved them off towards the portal she had just created. They stepped through while saying goodbye, and once they were gone Raven shot me a death glare. She tried picking me up from her lap, but because Ragdoll cats are extremely lazy and flexible (they should be classified as liquids, really), I almost molded around her hand.

"Fine. You win." Raven huffed while summoning some book or another.

*Do you think this will all work out for us?* I asked through the mental link she created.

^I don't know…I hope so. I don't know how much longer I can babysit you here…^

POV BREAK (ROBIN'S POV)

Two months. Well, not quite two months. Tomorrow is the deadline for peaceful impression to the Unites States Metahuman Forces, and we currently only have about 65% of the old Justice League, and only 30% of the Honorary Titans.

In these two months, things went from looking bad to horrendous to cataclysmic. I've haven't focused as much on who is allying with who yet; I've been focused on working my way up the hiarchy of the USMF. Being Batman's first protégée, the military quickly decided that my talents were best suited for leading a squad. The fact that I established a network of superheroes before I was 20 also helped.

After two months, I've finally worked into a role that I've helped create: in essence, I'm a manager. I get to know the men, direct drills and workout for various teams, and stand as a silent guardian watching the squads. After a while, the head brass realized the potential value of my position, and I've been granted higher security access.

That's what I spent one month doing: learning the system from the inside out and getting promoted for it. After that, they want me to shift focus on 'potentials;' that is, those Metahumans who are on the run but are still potential assets. Given my history with detective work (which means my tracking of Slade), they think that having me work intel is a primary concern right now. All the better for my goals.

It didn't take me long to get notice for my work in this area either. All it took were a few good, insightful reports within the first week and my division's Director was already giving me more sensitive jobs to work on. I pulled some strings and found some key pieces of intel, and last week I was called into a group call with my Director and Amanda Waller herself. The talk we had was…interesting and disturbing.

"Robin. I'd wager that you already know what this is about…" Amanda started.

I kept my face neutral. Everything I've heard said that Amanda Waller is not someone to lose your cool in front of.

"The Suicide Squad. Tell me you aren't going after any of my friends." I answered sternly. My Director seemed surprised, more that I wasn't tucking my tail between my legs than that I was being disrespectful to a superior.

"Well, Cyborg's a star in the labs from what I hear, Starfire is an alien princess, and nobody has a damn clue where the other two are. I'd say their safe…" Amanda replied, in the only 'reassuring' way she could.

"…for now…" came a gravelly voice from the background. Waller shot a glare off to the side, where I now assumed Slade was. One of my hands instinctively made a fist.

"This call is about intel. The deadline is coming up, and it's obvious that there will be resistors. I've been instructed not to let any rebels to unite, which means I need to find a critical target for…elimination."

My eyes narrowed slightly. She wanted to kill someone, and from what it sounds like, it would have to be a former hero who is trying to unite other Metahumans against the USMF.

"The USMF was created rather hastily, without much thought of backlash. We don't want to make that mistake here. We want you to find a single, ideal target. Deliver a report to us by the deadline on who the best target is, why, and what could come of the operation. Any questions?"

Actually, I had a lot of questions, but I would save those for a different time.

I shook my head to indicate no, and my Director dismissed me.

I'm not dumb enough to think that whoever I pick will be the one killed, but I hate the situation this puts me in. I've decided that if I pick a fringe target, then they are not likely to agree with my assessment and I will have escaped the guilt of having to die.

However, that means I have to give a report detailing why we should kill a former Titan.

Director; Waller:

It is my opinion that the most effective target is known as 'Speedy.' The protégée of Green Arrow, Speedy is also known as Red Arrow to some. Technically, Speedy is not currently a Metahuman, but his history with the Mira Kuru serum qualifies him as such if we really needed it to. This may seem like a stretch, but we are looking for influential targets.

It is no secret that Speedy has a hot temper, and voices his displeasure as he pleases. Not only does this make for a bad team member, but he also is known to be against the idea of the USMF. Our intel suggests that he openly and blatantly encourages Metahumans to resist us, and his communications have spiked over the last few days, leading me to believe that he is coordinating something.

That's it. Short and sweet. Off-books reports don't need to be lengthy, just direct. If anyone has a problems with the report, they'll ask you; you don't need a full explanation on paper. Nor do you need to sign it, because then it becomes an incriminating document against you.

I hand-delivered my report to the Director, and walked out while hiding a smug grin. They wanted my help, and I gave them good reasons to go after an obviously-horrible choice. I had won this battle.

ONE DAY LATER

All squads had stopped training, and had instead gathered around the TV sets. Breaking news had just come across the screen that I always have preset to the news. The headline read "SUPERHERO ASSASSINATED ?".

I was sick to my stomach the moment that the news came across the screen.

"I'm reporting live in downtown Boston where the former Titan known as 'Speedy' and 'Red Arrow' has been shot and killed by a sniper. Police have the surrounding areas closed off and are actively searching for the killer, but right now we haven't heard any news. I'm being told that Speedy was waiting at a café, likely meeting someone, and that was his reason for being in town. Let's take you back to our studio for more updates…"

The screen shifted to a news desk where a man and a woman both we ready to pick up.

"Thanks, Anna. Reports are coming in that the mysterious Suicide Squad mentioned in various reports from the Justice League's date leak could be involved, though those rumors do seem a stretch. This morning was the deadline for superheroes to join the USMF, but Speedy is a known human without powers and therefore is not required to sign up." The man stated.

"Yes, though there is some speculation that, since Red Arrow was an outspokenly…against…the formation of the USMF, he was considered an enemy, all of these reports have yet to cite any credible proof." The anchorwoman completed.

From there, the news started bringing in 'experts' to blow hot air until they could get an official report. Everyone continued to watch, but I found that I couldn't focus on what was being said until I overheard the name of our Director on the news.

"Alright, now we have an official statement in from one of the departmental Directors at the United States Metahuman Forces. The report says that the 'USMF is aware of the continued presence of a 'Suicide Squad' for overseas-only operations; as soon as this tragedy reached my ears, I was in contact with [name withheld] in charge of that program and [he/she] assured me that they had nothing to do with it. Red Arrow was not to be prosecuted on the grounds that he was not Metahuman, although he was monitored and known to be in contact with possible opponents of the USMF; it is out current working theory that these relations broke down and Speedy was killed during what he thought was a meeting in a public area.'"

I stayed to listen to the whole statement, brief as it was, before I quietly made tracks for the Director's office.

The door was open, despite the fact that he was on video-conference with someone.

He was expecting me. So was Amanda Waller, who was on the line.

"You want to tell me what the hell that was!?" I barked out.

The Director calmly stood and closed the door; my question was cleared jaded towards Amanda.

"You should know. That was your suggestion, after all. I'm not certain why you would be surprised…" She responded. I could tell that she knew I intentionally chose a bad target, and it was almost like she was taunting me. "Director, leave us for a moment."

The Director nodded, and silently slipped out.

"I know what you were up to, Robin. It was obvious; I was surprised that you even turned a name in at all, until I realized that you were trying to leave me with worthless intel."

"Then why kill Speedy?" I asked, none too kindly.

"I'll be honest, I thought you had won this one. Of course Speedy was a pointless target, but right as I started to look into him, he got in way over his head. It was a rather odd coincidence, but when we started to directly monitor him we found out that he was contacting hot targets and attempting to set up a base in neutral countries."

"Speedy?" I asked, truly surprised.

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought, but since I did have a target recommendation, I decided to make an example of him. The police will find and release his activities, and this event will serve to reinforce our legitimacy. Your friend's death wasn't pointless, Robin." She assured me, not that she was helping.

"That doesn't help." I said, before walking away to clear my head. I walked right past the Director on my way out, without so much as an acknowledgement to him.

POV BREAK (SLADE'S POV)

Enter.

There, that should finish that. I arose from my chair, and walked to my kitchen. My right eye-socket had been itching recently, so I found my preferred salve and applied a little bit. This stuff is extremely rare, as the company went out of business a few years ago, so I had to raid a sad warehouse to get a crate of the stuff. I mean, a single security guard, and he was asleep. Almost beneath me, but I can't snipe anyone with an itch under my patch.

With that finished, I decided it was time for a small celebration. After all, I did make the news (anonymously) and that meant it was time for a small splurge. Even bad guys eat snacks; a man's gotta eat.

I sat on my recliner, and turned on my rarely used television. In the glass on the table next to me rested my half-empty glass of Dr. Pepper, and I had a bag of chips in my lap.

"It is amazing how far science has come…" I mused aloud, "…that I can make my own, fresh batch of soda with the original cane sugar recipe and enjoy chips that taste curiously like Garlic and Cheese Bread."

I switched channels until I found the largest news channel I had access to.

"This just in: evidence leaked by an employee of the Suicide Squad program affirms that it was on the Squad's order to kill Red Arrow! Coming up in five, we reveal the exclusive evidence leaked directly to our Editor!"

Oh, good. I didn't miss my moment of glory. I really outdid myself this time, didn't I?

The news returned, and they started playing the video I sent them.

The video is played from a POV camera, capturing whatever the user is facing.

One video screen has information and a picture of Speedy, and the rest of the monitors are split between camera feeds of and trackers on the members of the Squad.

"Deadshot is in position." The cameraman's voice announces.

"Dammit, Slade, I told you its protocol to use their Handle during missions." A stern, powerful-acting black woman replied.

"Director, are you telling me that I'm going to jinx the mission?"

"Just do it, Mr. Wilson."

"Is it also protocol to assassinate an 18 year old kid on U.S. soil?" Mr. Wilson asked redundantly.

The Director shot him a glare as if to say 'not the time,' and that was that.

"All agents report." Mr. Wilson voiced into a nearby microphone.

"Marksman, in position. I have a shot."

"Driver, in position. Engine is running."

"Escort, in position. Escape route clear. I have eyes on the target, will confirm the kill."

"Good. Wait until Director Waller gives the Scorpio before firing." Mr. Wilson replied, then looked expectantly to Director Waller.

Here the video was paused and a label popped on-screen: "View discretion advised…the following footage is considered disturbing by most who have viewed it."

The video resumed, and Director Waller walked up to the central monitor. The view was from a camera attached to Marksman's rifle, and showed simulated cross-hairs for where Marksmen was aiming. Waller stared at the image of Speedy, who was casually reclining in his chair on the street-side patio of a café, before nodding to herself and turning on her microphone.

"This is Director Waller, identification code [static covered the actual numbers]; you have Scorpio on target Red Arrow."

"Received." Replied Marksman

The next second, a gunshot echoed softly through the comms, and the feed shook slightly from the recoil. Speedy had been clearly caught between the eyes with the bullet: an undisputed kill-shot.

The video faded as orders for extraction were being shouted.

Slade grinned in his chair. He had long-since finished his beverage, and his bag of chips was nearly empty.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day for the end of Waller…" He chuckled to himself at the irony of how he phrased that. It reminded him of ending the world which, he noted, was easier than taking down someone like her.