ALOHA! another chapter for you my lovelies! I hope you've all been enjoying yourselves. the story is starting to pick up thank god! But I still have so much more planned. I hope you like the last chapter. I thought that Babs wasn't getting enough attention so I brought her back along with Zatanna just in case you were wondering where she was! also! more mentions of Victor! YAY! hopefully I will be able to fit the Titans into the plot. If not there will only be mentions of them. sorry.
ENJOY!
WatchTower; March 28; 17:31
Clark floated from his room in the WatchTower to the main hall in sweat pants and a plaid t-shirt. His hair was neat and he was cleanly shaved but apparently not awake enough to wear any shoes or even slippers as he hovered two inches from the his hands were coffee mugs, both with their respective heroic symbols of Hope and Justice.
Bruce, of course, was wide awake at the main computer in full Bat-uniform minus the cowl. Selina sat on the floor before the giant titanium-steel reinforced window into space.
"Don't you two get any sleep?" Clark asked as he handed the Batman mug to Bruce.
"I got eight hours yesterday." was all the Dark Knight said.
Selina laughed from the floor, "Only because I snuck enough sleeping pills to put an elephant down into his coffee."
Clark observed the holographic map of Earth Bruce was studying.
"Still nothing?"
"Not even a heartbeat. Where ever they are, they're secure enough so they can't leave."
"And Conner of course didn't know anything."
"Only that Kaldur told him to stay low."
"Except that didn't work. Why tell them to stay low? From what? After Kaldur left both Roy and Dick went missing and apparently so has the rest of the Justice League. Think they know something we don't?"
Selina walked over to them, "Well duh! While everyone was running around looking for you six, Conner started playing New Superman in Metropolis, Roy and Jade became the dynamic duo of Star City and Barbra and Zatara's daughter began hanging out with a bunch of upstarts in Jump City."
"What upstarts?"
"Don't get off topic with me Kent. My point is that Dick was hiding for a reason. Kaldur was too and he knew that if whoever was stalking them saw them with you lot then trouble wasn't far behind."
"She's right." Bruce typed on the holo-computer. "Kaldur isn't stupid. With Orin not leading Atlantis there was bound to be attacks on his family and people. Like with Gotham. If Atlantis has been over run, which is a high possibility, the Kaldur would have to stop Orin from entering the city at any cost. Before you ask, yes I have contacted Orin. He and J'onn are returning and will be back within the hour. Clark, you saw Conner standing with Luthor. Aside from you, Conner's human DNA came from Luthor."
The Man of Steel grumbled. "Yeah. That means that with no Superman in his way, Luthor has found himself a younger hero to manipulate. But Conner hasn't done anything Bruce. Even if Luthor-"
"It's a mutual partnership."
Conner's voice echoed thorough the hall. He, M'gann, Artemis and Wally were all standing at the doorway, walking up to the elder heroes. Conner stopped right between Bruce and Clark.
"After you left we made a deal. Luthor would stop trying to destroy everything as long as I did him a favor once in a while. But aside from knocking Metalo away from LexCorp and making sure the city stayed safe, he hasn't asked for anything crazy like killing off another company."
"There hasn't been any mental stress on Conner either." M'gann told them. "I've been making sure that Luthor hasn't manipulated Conner in any way. We even got rid of the Red Sun command originally programmed by Cadmus."
Bruce looked at Artemis and Wally. "Have either of you been approached?"
"Once by my dad, but other than that no." Artemis said. Wally shook his head.
Clark looked at the younger clone of himself. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"
Conner shrugged, "It's supposed to be sort of a secret, but since you've been in my mind apparently, there isn't much I can keep from you now."
Clark was hurt. And angry, confused; conflicted even. Conner, as the new Superman, had made a business deal with Lex Luthor, his human DNA downer, and Clark's sworn enemy. Luthor had always been a bad man and Clark did not like the fact that he had Conner by a leash.
"Why?" Bruce asked what Clark was thinking.
"Because I sort of lost my mentor and the city was falling apart. Luthor had the money and the publicity to keep the gangs and rouges in line and to keep the public from going insane. No one was exactly willing to listen to a sixteen year old look a like claiming to be the new Superman. Luthor got them to accept me and in return I helped him keep the city safe."
Wayne Industries; California; 18:10
When the ships had landed in California earlier that evening, Kaldur and Tula had escorted Black Manta and their guest's, to the nearest LexCorp. owned business trade, which happened to be a Wayne Industries building. Renegade was able to secure the whole building from the front desk computer so no footage of the villain and his company would be recorded. Deathstroke then proceeded to kill one of the nearest security guards claiming that he could tell he was a liability and an undercover cop. Even took the dead mans badge and nobody questioned it.
Once on the top floor, Black Manta and Deathstroke stopped outside the meeting hall.
"Kaldur, Tula," Manta said. "You are to make sure no one enters or leaves this meeting without a direct order from the Light. Kaldur'Ahm, Deathstorke has agreed to place Renegade in your charge until further notice."
"Yes, father."
Slade glared at Renegade, who glared back. "Kaldur's in charge and you follow his orders to the letter. Nobody leaves this building. Nobody gets in. You're being put in charge of any security risks. You know what to do."
Renegade nodded, a slight smile on his face. The two Light members disappeared behind the double doors, leaving Kaldur, Tula and Dick alone in the hallway in a slightly awkward state. Neither Kaldur not Tula knew how to deal with the present situation that was Renegade the teenage mercenary. He was playing around with the security codes for the building on his gauntlet computer, paying the older duo no attention. Tula looked at her superior, mentally begging him to start the conversation concerning their predicament.
"So, uh-"
"Hold that thought." Dick's holo-computer was flashing red. A live video feed opened up in the screen and Kaldur leaned over Dick's shoulder to get a better look.
"Security breech?"
"Second floor. Looks like their trying to get into the main security hall. That's where you keep all your important info, right?"
"Mostly just records of each meeting. They're sent to each Light member then erased." Tula told him.
"Well someone wants them right now. And they look like FBI or some dumb government division. Amateurs." Dick shut the device off and started to the elevator, not waiting for the other two to follow him.
"If they are government then they have no place here." Kaldur said.
"So do I take them out or is it strictly League way?"
"They knew the risks when they chose to break into private property. We follow the Light's orders."
Renegade nodded and took the eskrima sticks from his back. The twin weapons sparked to life in a lively show of blue electricity. Apparently Renegade had had an upgrade. The elevator binged! and the doors opened to the second floor. Quickly, Renegade threw a couple of smoke bombs into the hall, throwing off the intruders and blinding them to his attack. Fortunately, this also blinded Tula from the gruesome scene as Renegade slaughtered the agents. Shouts of pain and screams filled the floor and Tula was tempted to cover her ears, but resisted. She had seen far to much of this kind of warfare to be overly uncomfortable at the sight of bodies and blood. Kaldur did not look concern. He was to used to it as well. He had given the order for Renegade to kill, something he had grown used to over the past few years.
A full two minutes had gone by when Renegade called out, "Okay! People are dead!"
The smoke had completely cleared and Tula and Kaldur walked out into the hall, stepping over the burned bodies until they reached the open security hall. A large room filled with computers and filing cabinets. More bodies of dead agents lay on the ground, blood pooling around those that Renegade had deemed a little more annoying, each with scorch marks on their chests, necks or face. Renegade himself was standing near an online computer, wiping blood off his eskrima sticks and standing casually next to the body of the infiltrator team's captain.
Kaldur ignored the dead, "How many in total?"
"Twenty-seven including the two in the next room. That's almost twice as many since the last time the pentagon tried to be brave."
"And the computer files?"
"Safe. Their captain had just finished downloading a single file onto this," he handed Kaldur a USB stick.
Kaldur studied the key before giving his orders, "I will report to the Light after their meeting. Savage will want to know about this. Tula, get a maintenance crew to clean up the mess and make sure nothing is left behind. No finger prints or video footage. Renegade, you will give a full report to Deathstroke and Ra's about tightening the Light's personal security with the Shadows. If a government agency was able to get past our perimeter then obviously we need a more advanced unit then the one we have been provided. Assist Tula with cleaning up your mess as well."
He left them there and rode the elevator back up to the top floor, leaving Tula with Renegade.
The older woman figured now was a good time to ask her younger companion, "So what do you remember?"
"Huh?"
"You said you would have remembered if you faked your own death. Well obviously you don't, so what is the last thing you remember?"
"Uh," Dick slurred. "Last thing I remember before waking up two days ago was M'gann making a ridiculous suggestion that we let Wally and Artty in on it. Then I follow Slade back to HQ and," he made a weird gesture with his hands as he put the eskrima stick's back in their holster. "Blackout. But those happen a lot so I don't really care."
"Slade probably wiped your memory again."
"Damn it."
"I'll call Victor tomorrow. Then we can see about getting the last three months back in your memory."
Dick looked at the floor, at the blood. "I really hate these people." He muttered.
Tula placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to call the cleanup crew. Make sure you get what you need then go give your report."
The younger boy nodded and Tula placed a finger on the com. piece in her ear. "Maintenance to floor two."
AHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
THIS IS F*CKING TOO LATE YOU MUST ALL HATE ME AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT BULDERDASH IT HAS BEEN HELL IN MY HEAD NOTHING WAS GOOD! THINGS ARE TERRIBLE AND STUFF IS DRIVING ME BONKERS!
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
stuff happened and then more stuff and more and more and school is sucky blah blah blah ENJOY AND REVIEW!
byebye~