'Anything up there?', Connor walked down an alley and spared a look up as M'gann flew over head.
'Nothing that I can see, Rocket?'.
'Nadda on my end to', she replied and M'gann stopped to hover before taking a wider look of the city.
'We have searched the entire city, he has obviously moved on', Wally groaned in his team mate's heads.
'We found his cache! Team regroup', Robin informed the others who each located him on a side street staring at a rusty fire ladder.
'How do you know this is it, looks like a dirty old building', Zatanna bit the inside of her cheek. The building was an appalling run down old apartment that the youths were surprised still held tenants.
'He uses a program I set up so my computer was able to locate the signature and by the looks he has been here tonight', he tapped away at his arm while the others looked around.
'Miss M, Rocket top side if you wouldn't mind', Kaldur looked to the two who had flight. M'gann offered her hands to Zatanna and Artemis while Rocket used a force field to bring the others to the roof. When they were all above they split up to look around for any trace of a direction Roy may have taken.
"I got blood!", Wally shouted as Robin joined his side.
"And we got destruction", Connor touched the air vent, his fingers gliding over an indentation in the metal.
"I know that weapon, its hammer. Sports Master.", Artemis whispered before looking at Wally.
"He is Red Arrow's handler why would he attack him?", Zatanna brushed her hair back. Robin stood up debris in his hand. Looking them over he took a small sample of the blood as well and began typing on his holo-computer.
"The capsules are Red's and so is the blood, by the looks of it he is injured bad", he looked to Kaldur who had come to stand beside him.
"So they have turned on him", he stated before looking to the rest of the team. "With a wound that can prove to be fatal he wont be able to leave the city. Robin, Wally take the hospitals. Connor and M'gann the clinics on the west and south side, Artemis and Zatanna the north and east clinics. Rocket and I will cover travel and the other cache here in the city.", the team all mobilized without further need for orders. Kaldur had no doubt that they were doing the right thing in defying Batman but he was strongly hoping they found Red Arrow alive at this point.
…...
Cheshire stood looking down at the small GPS in her hand and growled softly, its lack of movement told her that Roy had ditched it. Flying blind she lifted her eye to Star City and tossed the GPS tracker in a near by dumpster. Having tailed him many a time under Ra's al Ghul's orders she knew of two places he would travel to such a big city for. As she neared the building she drew into the shadows as two figures approached.
"Do you think he is alright?", Artemis's voice reached her and Cheshire smiled, so her sister and her little friends were on the look out as well.
"I don't know, there was a lot of blood, if he doesn't seek medical help…", the magic girl answered but trailed off not wanting to finish her statement. When they were out of sight she stepped from the shadows and looked to her target building. Red Arrow had been hurt? By who?
Convincing her self that she was interested solely because it was her mission to kill the archer clone she scaled the fire escape with speed. After sparing a glance in the window she noted his absence and headed for the roof. Above Star City she found the same scene that the team had, the blood, the destruction. As she kneeled beside the splattered blood she couldn't help but sigh.
"Don't worry your toy got away", his voice made her want to turn around and strike with a few very sharp shuriken.
"This was my mission!", she rose and turned on him. Lawrence Crock stood feet from her a duffel in his hand at his side.
"And it still is, I was just speeding up the process. Your getting weak little girl", she hated that nickname he used for her so often.
"Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.".
"Then do it", he turned away from her and she had to stop her self from stabbing the cocky bastard in the back. Turning back to the blood that was now staining the rooftop she bit the inside of her cheek. Cheshire had to track him down, with him being injured her chances at striking him down were greatly lifted.
Moving across the roof tops with silent steps she scanned the area for more traces of blood. Skidding to a stop she looked to an alley below her as a strip of yellow flashed through it. She had completely forgotten about the side kicks that were probably scattered around the city in search of the vary same thing she was. Being careless could cause a run in with them and it would take her away from her mission if she fought them or got jumped by them.
With a sigh she removed her mask and ran a hand through her tangled hair before returning it to its rightful place. Sports Master's constant interference was starting to really irritate her, did her master not trust her to complete this mission?
Though in the past when she was younger her involvement with Speedy set her on the watch list when it came to the hero, she doubted it mattered now. It was childish curiosity then. Now she was grown and her interest in the archer had faded, but in its place a different interest began to rise. An interest that she needed to destroy so she could continue on as if non of it had ever happened. Now all she had to do was find that clone.
…...
"It has healed very well but that is thanks to your lack of movement over the past few years", Roy laid still on his bed while Ivo checked over his damaged arm. It felt so alien that he no longer had half of his right arm. Looking up he smirked at the small robotic monkey that had perched its self on his head board and watched him.
"Three years….it feels like I have been sleeping for a week.", Ivo shrugged and rolled his stool to the tray a few feet from him he had set up earlier.
"Are you ready to wield a bow again?", the young archer looked at him with a raised eye brow before lifting what was left of his right arm.
"I think that might be a bit difficult Professor".
"So you think", the older man smirked before opening the metal box that rested on the tray. As a few MONQIs removed the top Ivo retrieved the contents and turned to Roy, who's eyes widened.
"What is that?".
"It is a bio-robotic extension, took me three years to perfect the mechanics of this design.", he looked at the arm with pride. Roy wet his lips as he looked at the object with calculating eyes. It looked like a normal arm, elbow and wrist, individual digits. But it was a wrap of metal and portions that glowed a soft red and black like liquid.
"How does it work?", he touched his right bicep and thought of what they would need to do to fix the biotic arm to his body.
"Well half of the program is already set, apologies but the surgery was preformed during your three year nap", he set the arm on the bed beside a bewildered Roy, "I implanted a neurotransmitter into the base of your neck that relays the actions for your right arm to the biotic arm, its as if you never lost it".
"So what is the other half?", he touched the back of his neck now but felt nothing out of sorts so he calmed and watched as Ivo grabbed a few tools from the tray.
"Attachment", looking at his arm Roy felt slightly nervous as he thought on this decision. What if this was all a trap set up by the baddies?
Taking a slow breath he looked to the Professor slowly and nodded his head before lifting his arm and offering it to him. Ivo offered a calm and lax smile before nodding back and preparing to work his technological magic on the boy.
"Your going to feel a nasty pinch", laying back Roy smirked and rolled his eyes.
"Cant be to bad, I got my arm taken off remember?", he chuckled at him self but the feeling of cold metal pressing into his skin made him fall silent. There was pressure and a tightness before a few 'clanks' and 'clicks' reached his ears. "That wasn't so bad", he started to sit up but then the pressure turned to pain and the tightness a burning. Falling flat on his back he arched in pain and released a horrible shout.
"Strap him down, Giga fetch me a tranquilizer.", Ivo made his adjustments while his MONQIs secured straps around the teenager, the one that had been perched on the head board flew to the counter.
"No I can handle this", he looked at the boy as he hissed between clenched teeth. He knew the pain must have been blinding but he respected Roy's request and called off Giga, who returned to the head board and chirped softly.
"It'll be over soon, one more adjustment", he finished quickly and stepped back as Roy's body seemed to fall limply on the bed. His skin was slicked with a sheen of sweat and his chest rose and fell as he tried to regain his breath.
"Nasty pinch huh?", he panted as he looked to Ivo with half lidded eyes.
"Not so bad right? Now rest, your body will need to recharge after that jolt", Roy nodded and looked up to the whimpering Giga.
"Im alright boy", he closed his eyes and felt exhaustion claim him within minutes. The Professor smiled down at the boy as Giga landed on his shoulder and cooed, patting the robots head he looked down at the attached arm. The skin around the attachment site was red and starting to bruise from the trauma caused during the whole process. Roy had held up against the procedure like a champ, something Ivo was not expecting but he was happily surprised. The boy was tough and given time the Professor knew that he would be able to continue on and reclaim his life. Turning for the door he listened as Giga chirped and released a series of noises, looking at the robot he smiled.
"We did good Giga…we finally did good".
Hope everyone enjoyed…contemplating discontinuing this story, lemme know what you all think?