Chpt. XXX: Outsiders

Dick shut his bedroom door close & took a deep breath. He turned around and surveyed his bedroom. There was four pizza boxe lying across the floor. Two of them had already been eaten, & a third was almost finished beside the green boy & the half-robot man. They were clearly starving. The mysterious prisoner with the dark hair was sitting beside the window with his knees held up towards his chest. He was staring at everyone else with a clear look of anxiety across his face. Rachel was sitting beside Kori, who were both sharing a pizza box together. Kori was barely eating the pizza. Rachel ate her slice regularly, but was holding Kori with one arm around her. She was taking care of her. Roy was beside Jim on Dick's bed. Roy & Jim were talking, catching up almost.

Harper emerged from Dick's bathroom & looked up at everyone. She turned to Dick. "Well, I guess the pizza was a good idea."

Dick sighed. "I thought it'd be good for them to get something to eat since we weren't followed."

Harper nodded. "And...bringing them here…"

Dick shook his head. "Where else could they go, Harper?"

Harper was silent for a moment. "Well, on your way here, I continued to hack through Cadmus' servers & looked into the ones you broke out of the base."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "What'd you find?"

Harper cleared her throat. She looked around the room and nodded towards Jim. "That one was apparently cloned. Cadmus abducted him & engineered a superhuman clone capable of abnormal strength, healing, & speed. He's basically indestructible."

"Wow," Dick murmured to himself. "What else did you find?"

Harper nodded to Kori. "They established that Kori was an extraterrestrial being, & they extracted a few blood samples & reproductive cells from her."

Dick looked down at Harper, trying to find any sort of falter in her to indicate shock. She seemed to have already had her moment of surprise when she first looked into the server.

"Now, those two pigs over there are interesting," Harper said, gesturing towards the green boy & the half-robot man. "The kid is named Garfield Logan. He's 15 years old, & apparently his parents were both doctors who worked at Cadmus. They worked in some biology sector when they came across a kind of virus that infected them. They were unaware that they were sick when they came home & brought it to their kid. The doctors died, but when they did, Cadmus took Garfield in to study the effects of the virus. I didn't get to read what it had done to him, but apparently the virus is now dormant & non-threatening at this point in his life.

"The man is Victor Stone. He's only 20. He was a handyman at Cadmus. He didn't get paid a lot, & he didn't see a lot of what Cadmus really was. He would fix some computers, vehicles, some medical equipment. He was your average Joe. One day, while trying to fix one of Cadmus' military helicopters, the whole thing fell and crushed the poor guy. Cadmus fixed him up, but they used him as the first for their Cyborg Initiative project. They wanted to engineer the first half-man/half-robot in the world. They studied him for a while, but he was never able to test his abilities."

Dick looked at the two. They had such tragic stories, but Dick was staring at the two filling up their faces with pepperoni pizza & bonding. They couldn't be any happier to have been freed.

"What do you think will happen if Victor eats that pizza?" Dick asked. "Like, do you think it'll clog up the 'robot' in him, or…?"

Harper sighed. "The other dude back there, I looked up his prisoner code. SC-619 is registered as a classified project. I would be careful with him."

Dick nodded. He looked back at the prisoner by the window. "Something is off about that dude. He's a little different."

Harper scoffed. "Dick, look around your fucking room. There's something off about everyone in here. Everyone here is a little different."

Dick chuckled. "You're right. We all are."

Harper nodded slowly. "Well, I'm headed out. Good luck with all of this."

Dick grabbed Harper's arm before she stepped towards the door. "Don't think I've forgotten about your little brother, Harper. We're going to find him."

Harper looked up into Dick's eyes with a look of fear. It quickly turned into rage. "Make sure Nolan Drake suffers a long & painful death, Dick."

Dick stared at Harper with shock. Harper jerked her arm from Dick's grip, & then exited the bedroom.

Dick sighed to himself. He shook his head and turned to face the rest of the room. The SC-619 prisoner was still sitting by himself. The green boy & the cyborg were sitting together, continuing to enjoy their pizza. Rachel & Kori were both sitting with their backs against the foot of the bed, trying to relax. Roy was beside Jim on the bed, talking.

Dick moved towards Roy & his brother. The two shared a sort of comforting aura that Dick gravitated towards. He approached them with a solemn smile. "Hey, guys," he said.

Roy looked up at Dick. "Hey, man," he said with a smile.

Dick turned to Jim. He held out his hand. "We didn't actually meet. I'm Dick Grayson."

Jim grinned & shook Dick's hand. "Yeah. Thank you so much for what you've done."

Dick nodded & removed his hand from Jim's. He knelt down in front of the two brothers. "How are you feeling, Jim?"

"Great," Jim answered. "Amazing. I don't know if it's the adrenaline pumping in me, but I'm feeling incredibly energized right now."

Roy turned to Dick. "Yeah, he feels good. I'm pretty sure it's safe to leave now."

Dick shook his head. "Well, I don't know…" Dick sighed & rubbed his face with his hands. He bit his lip, then spoke again. "Roy, remember what we saw in the cell beside your brother?"

Roy stared at Dick. Dick could tell the gears were turning in Roy's head, & finally, he could see the realization in Roy's eyes. Dick turned to Jim. "Jim, you're not...YOU. Cadmus used you as part of a cloning program. You are the result of a successful superhuman clone. You apparently have enhanced strength. You have speed & healing abilities too."

Dick watched Jim for any sort of sign of comprehension. Jim looked more disappointed than anything, however. Jim nodded slowly, then finally spoke. "See...this kind of makes sense," he said. "After I awoke at Cadmus, they said something about...an advancement in science. In biological engineering, or something. I heard them mutter the word 'clone' before, but I wasn't sure if it was THAT kind of cloning."

Dick glanced at Roy, who was staring at Jim, then turned back to Jim. "You...can't tell…?"

Jim raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Dick turned back to Roy, trying his best to find the right words. "Can you tell that you're a clone?"

Roy stood up. "Okay, Dick, thank you so much for your help," he spat out, "but I think I've got this."

Dick stood up & faced Roy. "Excuse me?"

"I've got this," Roy repeated.

Dick shook his head. "Roy, you can't just leave. I just got your brother out of that Frankenstein lab."

"No, Dick, WE got my brother out of there. MY brother. From here on out, I got this."

Dick ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Roy, you & Jim could get captured by Cadmus again! You need to take a few nights to stay here & hide out."

Roy took a step towards the door. "Look, Dick, I can handle a few soldiers, believe me. And from what you're saying, Jim can handle himself too. We're good. We don't need to bunk out." Roy glanced to Jim & nodded towards the door. Jim sighed & stood up to follow Roy. Roy turned back to Dick. "Thanks for your help, Dick. Really. I can't thank you enough. But this is where we bounce."

Dick opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word in, the brothers were already making their way out of the bedroom door. As they shut the door behind them, Dick groaned in frustration. He sighed & paced across the room with his head hung low. He wanted to help. He NEEDED to help. He got Jim Harper out of Cadmus. He was Dick's responsibility now. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to Jim after escaping. It would destroy Roy.

Dick shook his head. He was over reacting. Roy was right. He could handle things if anything were to happen, right? Both Roy AND Jim. They could...couldn't they? Dick shook his head to himself. If Roy needed help, he would let Dick know.

Dick nodded to himself & took a deep breath. He turned back to the room. The first person he looked at was Kori, who happened to be looking right up at him. She quickly turned back down into her lap as Rachel stroked her hair & rested her head on her shoulder.

Dick approached the two & sat on the floor across them. "Hey, ladies," he said softly.

Rachel looked at Dick. She seemed annoyed to have him greet her. "'Sup," she snorted rudely.

Kori looked up at Dick with her bright green eyes & a cheerful smile. "Thank you ever so much, Dick, for saving me from that horrible facility. I am forever in your debt."

Dick felt his cheeks grow warm & red. He looked down at his lap, smiling. "Gee," he said humbly, "you're welcome, but...I hope you don't literally mean that."

"As Rachel always says, I take things too literally sometimes, so by that logic, I must mean it."

Rachel looked between Kori & Dick & rolled her eyes. "Gosh, you two bug me together," she groaned. "Kind of wish we left you over there, Dick."

Dick turned to Rachel & scoffed. "Yeah, well, if it weren't for me, Kori wouldn't be here sitting by your side."

"Oh, quit the fucking bullshit!" Rachel growled. "Dick, stop acting like this was your fucking holy crusade or something. We all went there tonight. I came for Kori, & I have her now. Roy went for his brother, & they're together now. We got who we went in for. You brought those other three dipshits, but it's fine. Everyone is happy, & everyone is safe. SO if you don't excuse us, we'll be headed out now."

Rachel rose up onto her feet & just as she was about to walk towards the bedroom door, Dick stepped in her way. "No, not you too!"

Rachel clenched her fists. "Don't make me throw you across this fucking room, Dick."

Dick held his hands up defensively. "Rachel, I'm not trying to piss you off. I just want you two to be safe."

Rachel shook her head. "Dick, how the hell are we safe here? We're in a secluded mansion that can be easily traced & broken into. If Cadmus were to track us down & kill us, they could easily do it. We're not safe here, Dick."

"Rachel, look around! You're a fucking supernatural woman, & Kori is a fucking alien! We've got a cyborg & two guys who have abilities that we have yet to even discover! I think we're more than capable of protecting ourselves here, especially altogether."

Rachel took a deep breath & shut her eyes tight, then opened them up again as she spoke. "Dick, for the love of God, just let me take Kori somewhere else to protect her."

"Rachel, I know you want to protect Kori, but just let me protect YOU!"

"I don't NEED you, Dick! I just need to get the hell out of here!"

Dick stared at Rachel for a moment. He bit his lip, but slowly nodded. He took a step aside & gestured towards the door. "Go for it," he said softly.

Rachel stared hard at Dick, trying to determine how genuine his agreement was. "Go for it, Rachel. Take Kori with you, & go back. Back to wherever you think you'll be better off. Chinatown? Or will you find another hole in the city to hide in? Because look how great that turned out to be."

"What happened that night was YOUR fault, you son of a bitch!" Rachel cried. "If you hadn't brought Constantine to Chinatown, Cheyenne would still be here right now!"

"STOP IT!" Kori cried out. Her scream almost pierced Dick's hearing. He rose a hand over to his temple & massaged it. His head was truly rattled by the sudden cry.

Kori stood up & walked to Rachel & Dick. She stood in between them. "I do not wish to listen to any more of your petty feuds. I do not enjoy enduring these frightening conflicts amongst friends. Please, let us rejoice in the very miracle of our survival after tonight's events. Also, I am incredibly tired. I am too tired to want to travel anywhere else for quite some time."

Rachel looked deep into Kori's eyes. "Kori…"

Kori shook her head. "Rachel, I appreciate your concern. I truly do. But, after all of this time that you & I have spent together, have you ever once considered what it is that I feel is best for you & I…?"

Rachel kept quiet. Her face showed a sudden shock. Kori had a point. "Our friend is offering refuge in his humble home. We should be ever so grateful for him to even provide us with this opportunity. I, for one, am thankful, & would wish to stay the night. I hope you will stay too, Rachel."

Dick glanced between Kori & Rachel. He could see Rachel glance back at Dick & pierce into his soul with a deadly stare. She looked back to Kori & sighed in her final defeat. "Okay, Kori. I'm sorry."

The two quietly sat back down beside the bed. Dick scratched the back of his neck awkwardly & glanced towards the green boy & the cyborg. He sighed & decided to walk over to them. Dick plopped down across from them & nodded. "Hey, guys," he said softly.

Both glanced up at Dick with slices of pizza in their mouths. The green boy smiled softly. He continued to chew the piece of pizza & began to speak with his mouth full. "Yo," he said.

The cyborg finished his slice of pizza & wiped his mouth with his bright blue & white hand. "So, um," he started. "We should thank you for saving our asses back there."

The green kid choked on his pizza for a sec, then swallowed roughly. He nodded his head fast. "Yeah, yeah, right, my bad!" he apologized. "Thanks dude, for, like, saving us, & buying this pizza too."

Dick nodded. "Yeah, man, you're welcome."

"And also for convincing those two smokin' hot babes to stay too," the boy said, nodding towards Rachel & Kori. "What's the story on the goth one?"

The cyborg elbowed him. "Dude," he groaned.

Dick chuckled softly to himself. The two were funny. He enjoyed them, despite how strange they really were. He cleared his throat. "I never properly introduced myself. My name is Dick Grayson."

The cyborg smiled. "Victor Stone," he said. "He's Garfield Logan," he answered for the green boy, who was pizza finishing the last slice of pizza.

"Yeah," Garfield said with a full mouth, "but call me Logan. Everyone calls me Logan. I like Logan better."

Dick nodded. "Sure, Logan," he said with a smile.

Logan looked up at Dick with a raised eyebrow. "So, uh...Dick. Your mother named you that, er…?"

Dick shook his head. "No, my parents just called me that. It's short for Richard, but I grew up as Dick."

Logan nodded. He turned to Victor. "Dude, you should get the other box of pizza from those two hot babes."

Victor rolled his eyes. "Logan, you horny little shit of a pig, would you calm down for ONE second?"

Dick let out a soft laugh. Victor was naturally funny to Dick. He loved it. Dick calmed himself down & began to focus. "Okay, guys, I've been meaning to ask you," he started, "how do you two...feel, being out of containment from Cadmus?"

Victor & Logan looked at each other, then back at Dick. Logan shrugged. "Fine," he said. "Still hungry. They don't serve me pizza at Cadmus."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "What did they serve you?"

Logan scratched his head, thinking. "Like, Jell-O & peas & mashed potatoes & beef & rice & the occasional slices of cake. Really random shit, but never in my life was I given pizza inside of that stupid cell."

Dick bit his lip. "You were in there for a while, huh?" he asked.

Logan nodded. "Yep. Since my parents died from whatever killed them."

Dick slowly nodded, remembering what Harper had told him. "Logan...your parents worked for Cadmus. They were experimenting with a virus that had infected them. They infected you too, but they died from some reason, you never did. Cadmus took you in to study you & the virus."

Logan stared at Dick. The words were sinking in his head. He nodded. "That...makes sense." He looked down at the empty box of pizza, then began trying to scratch off a melted bit of cheese from the cardboard. "Where, uh...where did you hear that?"

Dick nodded towards the door. "The blue haired girl who left earlier hacked into Cadmus' database. She showed me the files they had on you two."

Logan nodded. Victor sat in silence, looking up & down his body. He sighed softly. "So," Victor started, "you know how I became like this."

Dick nodded. "Yeah, man...you're the first, apparently."

Victor nodded. He looked up & down his robot arp, which whirred as he flexed his robotic joints. "I guess that counts for something, am I right?"

Dick gave a weak smile. He was proud that Victor had already had some time to accept his condition. The first successful human cyborg.

Logan cleared his throat. "Did the file say whatever the virus did to me?"

Dick shook his head. "No, we don't know what happened to you."

Logan nodded. He looked down at himself. He flipped his arms around & scanned his elbows. "I'm not a robot," he said softly.

Dick stared at Logan, who continued to stare at his arms. Dick slowly turned to Victor, who shrugged. Dick turned back to Logan. "You're green."

Logan looked up at Dick. "What?"

Dick blinked in confusion. "Dude, you're green," he repeated.

Logan looked down at himself. He looked like he was searching for something on his skin but couldn't find it. He looked back up to Dick. "Like, green with envy?"

Dick scoffed. "You're kidding, right?"

Logan stared at Dick. He looked down at himself, totally lost. "What…"

Dick bit his lip. He removed his wallet from his butt pocket & slide a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet. "What color is this?" Dick asked.

Logan looked at the dollar bill & quickly looked back up at Dick. "Yellow," he quickly answered with such confidence.

Dick let out a deep breath & stuck the dollar bill back in his wallet. "Wait, I don't win the hundred dollars?" Logan asked jokingly.

Dick sighed. "You're colorblind, Logan, & your skin is green. Like, really green."

Logan stared at Dick. "Huh," he said softly. "That makes sense. But wouldn't my doctors have said something?" Logan paused to recall whether they did. "The doctors at Cadmus called me something once, & said something about my vision. Something with a D..."

"Deuteranopia," Rachel called from the bedside. "It's a form of colorblindness. Your doctors told you that you were colorblind."

Logan turned to Rachel, to who he smiled at. He laughed softly, continuing to grin at her. "I may be colorblind, but I can still see you're gorgeous in any color."

Rachel imitated a gagging expression. "Oh god, don't make me vomit."

Kori's face lit up. "I can fetch a waste bin for you to regurgitate into!"

Rachel shook her head. "It's an expression, Kori."

"Oh," Kori quietly said, looking down in disappointment.

Logan turned to Kori. "What you COULD do, baby, is slide that box of pizza over here & we can share it together."

"Uh, boy, you're sharing with ME," Victor called.

Logan groaned. "Dude, I'm trying to finesse over here!"

Victor shook his head. "Kid, the only thing you're about to finesse is tomorrow morning's shit down the toilet."

Logan & Victor continued to bicker while Rachel shut her eyes, attempting to tune out the sound of the two. Kori looked back & forth between the box of pizza & Logan, unsure of whether she should give it to him or not. Instead, she took a slice of the pizza & began to eat it.

Dick sighed & stood up. He glanced between everyone, then noticed the dark haired boy still sitting by the window. He was staring at Dick when Dick looked up at him, but quickly looked down at his feet. Dick sensed an immense amount of shyness from the guy.

Dick bit his lip, but walked over towards him. As Dick got closer, the boy seemed to begin to panic. He glanced from his feet to the bed straight across from him to the ceiling to the group of teens with the pizza to Dick, then back to his feet. Finally, Dick sat across from the boy & smiled. "Hey," he said softly.

The boy continued to stare at his feet. He refused to look up at Dick. Dick tried to remember whether the guy even spoke English. He did, didn't he? Dick recalled hearing him yell at Dick back at Cadmus.

Dick scratched his head. He cleared his throat to try again. "Hello. My name is Dick. What is your name?" Dick articulated.

The boy slowly looked up from his trance, up into Dick's eyes. He seemed to almost be crying. He shook his head. "I don't know what my name is."

Dick stared at him, totally caught by surprise. He didn't expect that answer. The guy had forgotten his own name? What the hell did Cadmus do to him?

Dick let out a deep breath & nodded. "That's okay. I'll help you try to remember."

The boy's face contorted softly. He struggled to find the proper words. "I...remember some things. I think. Somehow...I can talk, & speak. I know if I wanted to, I could fight, or fly, but...I don't know anything about myself…"

Dick watched him as he struggled to put the pieces together. The boy suddenly clung both hands to his head, as if trying to keep his head from exploding. "You're able to remember your abilities, but not your previous life," Dick suggested.

The boy loosened his grip on his head. He looked up at Dick, then dropped his hands. "I think so," he said softly.

Dick nodded. "That's okay," he said. Dick turned & gestured to the rest of the group sitting at the other side of the room. "Everyone sitting over there is like you. Each of them have abilities like you, one way or another. Each of them are special, like you. I'm going to help you all, though. I'm going to keep you guys safe for a while."

The boy nodded. "Okay," he said with a soft smile. "I'd like that."

Dick gave a weak smile back at him. Dick had suddenly felt guilty into promising him a safe haven in Wayne Manor. Dick was unsure how long it would be until Bruce found how that he was harboring military experiments in the spare bedrooms of the mansion. Suddenly, Alfred crept into Dick's thoughts. That old sack of shit would find out about the group easily. Dick cursed to himself. He'd have to convince Alfred to just trust Dick & not tell Bruce about the lost teens. Dick sighed to himself. What the hell had his life become?