Chapter Two
Some time later, alone in one of the rooms at Cadmus Labs, was Amanda Spence. A young woman, with dark skin, slightly darker eyes, and even darker hair, wearing thin oval-framed glasses and a white lab coat over a brown polo neck and a black pencil skirt. She sat peacefully and quietly as she fully concentrated on typing in a few formulas and reports into the latest datafile, eventually finishing and signing off. The monitor continued to glow and bathe Amanda's face within the dimly lit room.
Just then, her ears caught the sound of a faint sound, forcing her to turn around in her chair and look across the room, only to find no other form of life in sight. Just as Amanda slowly turned back to the screen again, that sound emitted again, slightly more audible. It almost sounding like buzzing, a very strange and uncanny buzzing. A off-putting sound that couldn't be made by any normal insect, or even any natural life-form confirmed to exist for that matter.
Amanda got up from her chair and slowly walked around, shifting her brown eyes all about and focusing her ears in order to find what even was the source of this synthetic buzzing. But even as it grew even closer and louder, she still couldn't even properly pinpoint where it could be coming from. By the time she was about to catch the sound right between her ears and behind her head, the sound ceased. Already the desolation was getting to her, teasing and irritating her relentlessly. Was something or someone else even in the same room with her right now?
But before she could figure out a remote answer to such a question, Amanda found herself frozen in her steps and tensed up, not literally frozen with the mild room temperature, but certainly motionless. Her eyes widened and her irises shrank while her lips parted as she noticed a strange scent as well surrounding her, a pheromone. Pheromones that almost seemed like those usually released by bees, ants, and other insects, but not identically matching any existing species. Her mind once plagued with small hints of anxiety and fear was now relieved into a state of trance and bliss.
Somewhere behind the enticed Amanda, another familiar figure stepped forth and out from the shadows, the Killer Wasp. Smiling with dark glee behind his antennaed helmet, he leisurely walked up to her right up from behind. Laying his gloved hands upon her tensed shoulders, he gently rubbed and massaged them until they gradually relaxed within his presence.
"I've heard about you, Doctor Amanda Spence," Killer Wasp said deeply into Amanda's ear. "Your experience and intelligence. I think we can put that into some very good use. What do ya say?"
After a few brief seconds of silent, uneasy hesitation, the enthralled Amanda Spence finally spoke back and answered. "Yes, sir..."
Very much later, up within one of the higher floors of Wayne Manor, the four Robins had already gathered on the sofa: Richard "Dick" Greyson, aka Nightwing; Jason Todd, aka Red Hood; Timothy "Tim" Drake, aka Red Robin; and finally Damien Wayne, aka Robin. As they each took a sip of their own drink, the news turned up on the telly, bringing with it some rather eye-catching revelations.
"Amanda Spence, head director of Cadmus Labs, had been reported missing several hours ago," the newscaster on TV reported. "She was supposedly last seen in the main area the other night. While currently, no traces or evidences leading into her disappearance or her whereabouts have been found yet, police were able to confirm that the security cameras and footage, inside and outside the labs, were most likely tampered with and sabotaged. Who or what was behind this strange occurrence are yet to be discovered".
"In other recent news, Bludhaven mayor Melinda Greyson-Lin had opened up with a speech apparently condemning superheroes and metahumans at large," the newscaster continued. "Stating as quoted, 'They're corrupted by pure power, fascism is engrained within their DNA, spreading more violence and harm than repelling it. This city alone deserves order without authority or power".
"What?" Dick exclaimed, all flabbergasted.
"When questioned about this sudden and radical belief, Melinda declined from answering or explanation," the newscaster concluded. "That's all for BBC News at-" The TV switched off before he even finished, from the pressing of a remote.
The four Robins sat forth and still, eyes widened and mouths slightly open from this particular turning event; especially Dick, seemingly the most affected of the four.
"I guess we can say you are just whelmed?" Jason spoke to Dick.
"How could this even be?" Dick stammered, stunned from what his half-sister had just said and expressed. "Why would she even said such things?"
"You suppose it might be a clone or doppelgänger?" Tim speculated. "Or maybe she's under some kind of mind control?"
"It's possible," Dick uttered as he clutched his fists. "It's gotta be possible".
"Wouldn't surprise me, honestly," Damien added.
"It shouldn't," Dick stood up and corrected. He then pointed to Jason with command and authority. "Jason, you and Damien contact our friends and search for Amanda Spence. Tim and I are gonna go to Melinda to try and reason with her".
"You suppose there might be a connection between Amanda disappearing and Melinda saying what she said?" Jason took a wild guess. "Like someone went and kidnapped her, then tried to frame heroes like us?"
"Could be," Dick took a deep thought about it. "But who's behind it is the question".
"Those 'Light' guys, perhaps?" Jason finger-quoted.
"High chance," Dick said. "Very high chance..."
To be continued...