"… or because we're stretched thin at the moment?"
No one likes to be reminded, but the fact of the matter is that they're down members Dick wish he had. Wally and Artemis, along with Roy, were tracking down Kaldur.
The Atlantean had gone home for some time off. It was something typical, expected—he did it every few months, taking a week or two for himself.
But when two weeks had turned to three, and then to four, without a word of communication, the team began to worry. Roy had started looking into it on his own at the three week mark, talking to Aquaman. Aquaman, though, had shrugged it off and said something about the boy just needing some extra time.
At four weeks, without any sign of Kaldur, the team began to mobilize. Wally and Artemis refused to not take part in the search, and it was all Dick could do to keep M'gann and Conner from joining in as well.
But the trio had been on the search for over a week now, and communication with Atlantis was limited and difficult at best. The last Dick had heard was that the Atlanteans had heard talk of Black Manta being involved, and the thought dropped a block of lead into Dick's stomach. Not only was Kaldur quite possibly alone in dealing with a force like Black Manta, but now his teammates were likely going to get tangled up with it as well. Underwater, no less.
And none of that even mentioned the fact that Arrowette was busy in Star City with Green Arrow.
Still, it was the absence of Wally and Artemis that had him most concerned. Had it been two of the younger members he was missing, the team wouldn't feel their absence so strongly. But without some of the primary leadership figures, squads were harder to organize into an arrangement Dick was comfortable with.
That's why the Gamma Squad made him nervous—there was so much untested there, and the risk made Dick antsy.
He didn't have a choice, though. That much was clear.
"Just don't die, okay?"
pretty sure I'll be posting these throughout the week...