There's something weird going on with my account, I can't see my views anymore or look at my story stats, which is kind of irritating, but don't worry, I'll still continue with my updates. I'd appreciate it if I could get some reviews to see if that's still working, and also since I can't see views anymore, to make sure y'all still like it. I know this transition wasn't the best, but I want to know what you guys think about Brek and who you want to see Mallory end up with. I'm writing year 4 right now, so it won't be long before I'll be writing season two, which is going to be pretty set in stone, so give me some feedback before we get to that point. Hope you like the chapter, please review!
The morning of the Kobra mission, Mallory stumbled out of bed and took a hot shower to wake herself up, then she went through her bag to make sure she had everything. She took the glass figure off and put it in her dresser drawer with the kryptonite necklace, remembering how close she'd come to losing it the first time. She'd washed her hair with the dye shampoo, so she braided her black hair loosely and got dressed in jean shorts and a yellow crop top. She glanced at her reflection once, making sure that nothing stood out about her, then she slid her feet into sandals and grabbed her pack, walking to the living room. She tossed the bag on the sofa and poured herself a bowl of cereal, waiting for the rest of the team to come. Within ten minutes, the entire team was assembled in the living room and kitchen, waiting for Batman to give them the ok to start out.
"I'm so bored," Zatanna said after they had been waiting for twenty minutes. Robin shot her a look that she promptly ignored. "He shouldn't be much longer," Robin told the group.
Mallory sighed and rested her head on the counter. She could've gotten up fifteen minutes later and still not have missed anything. The zeta tube whirred to life and the team turned around to see who it was. Batman appeared a few seconds later and strode to the training room without a word. The team followed him, many of them irritated at being kept waiting.
"I've made contact with our contact, John Gigliani. He's been in the new cult since it started up, so he should be above suspicion. He's agreed to sneak the eight of you in with some new recruits he's picking up from the town today. Once you're inside, however, you'll be on your own. He will not be able to help you without blowing his cover, and we still need him to be a member in case something happens in the future." The team nodded, and Batman pulled up a holographic screen with blueprints of the base. "Some places you should search are the catacombs and Kobra's old quarters. When you've completed the mission, try to sneak out quietly. We want the base in one piece this time."
He was staring at Mallory when he said this, and she opened her mouth to defend herself, but he narrowed his eyes and she shut it again, shaking her head slightly.
"All right, if everything goes according to plan, you should be back here in three to four days. Good luck," Batman continued, and he shut the screen down and went back to the zeta tube. The team headed for the hangar and piled onto the bioship.
"How long will it take us to get to the town?" Tula asked from her seat at the back of the group.
"'Bout an hour," Wally replied. The original team heaved a sigh and got comfortable, settling in for the long flight.
Megan landed the bioship about ten minutes out of town, and the two groups who were leaving filed out of the ship.
"We'll go in from the east, you go in from the north," Robin suggested. They agreed, and Mallory, Artemis, Megan, and Tula started walking, getting to town before the other group.
"Where are we supposed to meet this guy?" Artemis asked.
"At the shack we got kidnapped at last time," Robin replied.
"Great. I swear, if we have to get knocked out again, I'm going to burn that shack down when we're done," Mallory said, remembering the first time they joined the cult all too clearly.
"Ok, just try not to stand out. We don't need you picked for another possession ritual," Wally put in.
Mallory rolled her eyes. "You should be glad I was picked and not some random girl. The only reason we were able to win was because I kept the goddess out of my body."
Wally didn't answer, and the girls continued down main street towards the shack. There was a large group of people ranging from fifteen to thirty gathered outside the small building.
"Ok, join the group two at a time, mingle with them but don't draw attention to yourselves," Robin instructed.
Mallory looked at her group and nudged Tula gently, nodding towards the group. Megan would just camouflage herself, and Artemis knew how to sneak around. Tula, however, didn't seem like she knew how to blend in. The Atlantian nodded and she and Mallory moved out, keeping to the shadows, but not necessarily trying to hide. They sidled up to the group and started slowly moving towards the center to catch some conversation before they were picked up.
"I can't believe we were chosen for this," a boy said to no one in particular.
Mallory avoided eye contact, but she directed her attention to him, waiting for him to say how they had been chosen.
"I know. Before this, my life had no meaning, and now I will be a part of something that is truly bigger than myself," a girl near him replied. Mallory took a breath, choking down the scoff.
"How were you selected?" Tula asked beside her, and Mallory looked up, slightly panicked, but the people around her barely looked at them. They eagerly started talking over each other, telling their stories.
"I was homeless, sleeping on a bench in the states. An ambassador of Kobra helped me, gave me food and a place to sleep, and told me to come to this place to be made one with the man who will free everyone from the bonds of poverty and despair. He spent hours with me, telling me about Kobra and his great works around the world. I am so grateful to be a part of his mission to save the world," one girl closest to Mallory said.
She made out a few more similar stories told by the people around her. "Guys, it sounds like they're recruiting homeless people," she told the team.
"We're hearing the same types of stories over here," Zatanna said.
"Guys, heads up, you have a truck coming your way," Wally told them. Mallory glanced around discreetly and saw the cloud of dust in the distance. "Megan, make sure everyone stays on the link. We cannot lose anyone once you are in the base," Kaldur said. A few minutes later the truck pulled up to the shack and four men got out. Mallory watched the men carefully, making sure none of them circled around the the back. She didn't particularly feel like getting knocked out that day.
"Ah, thank you all, brothers and sisters, for taking our humble invitation to join the glorious brotherhood of Kobra," one of the men said. Several people in the crowd nodded and murmured in agreement or acknowledgement. "Of course, Kobra's ranks must be pure. In order to ensure this, each of you will be tested to prove that you are ready to pledge your undying loyalty to the brotherhood and great Kobra himself."
"Well, that doesn't sound good," Zatanna said. Mallory took comfort in the sudden voice in her head. She wasn't here alone.
"John said he would be able to get us in, but we're going to have to do whatever they tell us once we're in the ranks," Robin reminded them.
"Yeah, but does that mean we have to go through the initiation, or is he just going to sneak us straight into the ranks?" Artemis asked.
"Initiation took weeks before. Batman said we were only going to be here for a few days," Mallory said, glancing around the crowd, needing to find at least one of her teammates. Tula shifted beside her, her body language mirroring the crowd's.
"This initiation, you don't think we will have to kill anyone, do you?" The Atlantean asked nervously.
"No, everyone calm down. If things go according to plan, we shouldn't have to go through initiation, and we'll be back in the cave in three days."
"Since when do our missions ever go according to plan?" Conner asked. No one said anything, they all knew the answer, and the team in the field concentrated their attention on the men who'd come in the trucks.
"Now, brothers and sisters, come with us, accept your new lives in Kobra's nest," the speaker said, and he got back in the driver's seat of the truck. The other three men loaded as many people into the back of the truck as would fit, and they told the rest of the people to follow along. Mallory sighed and started walking along with the fifty other people not lucky enough to be in the truck.
"You just had to convince me to come back," she said, only half joking.
"Oh, stop complaining. We all know you love missions," Wally retorted.
Mallory refrained from rolling her eyes. "I'm so lucky to have you know me so well," she said.
"Love you too, little sis," Wally replied, and Mallory could picture his grin perfectly.
"Guys, really? We're in the middle of a mission. Save the banter for back at the cave," Artemis ordered.
Mallory waited for Wally to give Artemis a comeback, but all he said was, "anything you say, sweetie."
The chatter on the link died down as they walked the five miles to the base. The precession finally came to a stop at the outer fence, which Mallory noted had been reinforced since they'd last been there.
"Stay to the outside of the group, near me," Robin told them, and Mallory and Tula eased to the outside of the group. Mallory spotted Zatanna and she and Tula slowly moved towards the magician. Robin was just a few feet away, and soon Megan, Artemis, Garth, and Raquel made their way to the outskirts. The group was let into the fence and the truck started rolling again. Just before they got to the main building of the base, Robin disappeared, and Megan put herself into camouflage mode in preparation of disappearing.
"Guys, go to the shed," Robin said, and the eight field members disappeared from the larger group one by one. Mallory was the last to reach the shed, and she saw a short, balding man about forty-five in a Kobra robe with the hood down standing in front of the group.
"Is this the last of you?" he asked, gesturing to Mallory. Robin nodded, and the man sighed in frustration. "You shouldn't have brought so many. If they discover that I helped you, I could be thrown to the vipers."
Zatanna handed Mallory a robe and mask from the pile the man had brought, and the rest of the team started putting them on. "Thank you for helping us," Robin said, and the man nodded and scratched his bald spot nervously.
"Just, just don't tell anyone. This is my last mission, and then I'll go free. I don't want to die now."
Robin assured him that they wouldn't tell anyone, and the man gave them all cards with their new names on it. Mallory's read Nehebkau. She rolled her eyes and put on her mask.
"Where do we get into the base?" Artemis asked, scanning the main building.
"You will have to go in the main entrance, just make sure you get in before the new recruits, or your presence will be noticed." The group thanked the man and he slipped away, heading for the base.
"We sneak in by twos, partner up," Robin said, turning to face the group. Raquel and Mallory ended up together and Tula went with Zatanna.
"Rob, what did he mean, this was his last mission?" Mallory asked as Artemis and Garth hurried to the base entrance.
"He's been helping the government with hard missions that they don't want to risk their agents on," Robin explained casually.
"I thought he was a small crimes guy, I mean, I've never even heard of him," Zatanna mentioned.
"He was, but a few years ago he got involved with the Roman crime family in Gotham. Batman helped him get out of the mob, but he turned him over to the FBI for his protection. The government offered him a deal, if he did these missions for them, they would cut his sentence short and give him a whole new identity, new face, new name, even new prints. Once they're done with him, he'll be untraceable, unless he goes back to crime."
Mallory nodded, impressed and slightly unnerved. She'd known the technology was out there, but she hadn't known the government was handing it out like some kind of diploma.
Megan and Robin went next, then Mallory and Raquel were up. They hurried across the yard and slipped into the door while the guards were busy searching the new recruits. They slowed down once they were in the hallway, their masks and robes concealing any identifying qualities about them. They followed the hallway down to where it branched into two, then paused and asked the team where to go. Zatanna and Tula caught up to them while they were waiting, and they went down the left hallway per Robin's instructions. The team regrouped in the barracks, which was empty. Everyone seemed to be on hand to help screen the recruits.
"Ok, spread out. We're not here to blend in this time, just get the information we need and get out. I'm going to start with Kobra's old quarters." He started to slip away, but Kaldur's voice stopped him.
"Stay in pairs, you will need backup if you run into trouble."
Zatanna slipped away with her boyfriend. Garth and Megan ended up together, and Raquel and Artemis.
Tula and Mallory slipped out of the barracks and started down the halls. Mallory led the way, she still knew her way around for the most part. They went to the lieutenants' barracks and Mallory started looking around at the back, and Tula looked at the front, doubling as a lookout. After a thorough search, Mallory rejoined the Atlantean at the front of the long room.
"Find anything?" Tula asked.
Mallory shook her head. "You?" Tula shook her head.
The girls slipped out of the room and Mallory led the way to the temple, which was near the catacombs.
"What is this place?" Tula asked.
"This is where Kobra's followers did sacrifices and stuff to him," Mallory replied distractedly, moving towards the platform Kobra would be standing on. Tula stayed by the door, her eyes darting between Mallory and the door. Mallory went to the other side of the pulpit and froze. "Uh, guys," she said, her voice conveying her shock. "What are we looking for again?"
"Anything that will tell us what the cult's planning and who's leading them," Robin replied.
Tula appeared at Mallory's shoulder, and the girls exchanged a glance. "Well, I think I found it," Mallory said, staring at the map spread on the pulpit. The coordinates marked on it was Washington DC, specifically the Hall of Justice, and a dagger was stuck in the location, the words 'Hail, Kobra" scrawled in red liquid below it.
"Ah, it is good to see you again, Havu," an all too familiar voice said behind them, and Mallory whirled around. Her surprise ceased, and she narrowed her eyes in disgust and determination. "Hello, Cass," she replied.
Again, please review. I really want to make it to the end of this fic, and reviews keep me from losing interest in it.