CHAPTER 39
Kara, Bruce and Tornado fall to the hard floor when the teleportation shuts down completely. The machine was programmed to shut down and never reveal the last location of arrival when the emergency code was activated.
Bruce stood up, going straight to the control panels on the nearest wall to reconfigure everything, activate traps and open screens on the wall that showed the surveillance tower. It was a network that nobody, not even Robin, knew existed, just like this place.
Tornado remained unplugged on the floor as Kara stood up and looked around, the lights were on and she could hear the traffic outside.
She didn't believe her eyes at first.
"I thought there wasn't a Titan tower on this Earth.''
"There isn't.'' Bruce replied as he looked at the cameras. Damn it, Savage had entered the surveillance tower, along with several other villains. There was still nothing on Clark.
Kara looked around. It was the same decor as the Titans' main room in the New York tower. She approached the windows and was surprised to find herself in the center of Jump City. The city was easily recognizable by the numerous shop signs bearing the city's name. For a moment she thought Bruce was crazy, until she realized that the tower emitted noises to the outside as if it were an ordinary office building.
That was incredibly bat-like. They were hiding in plain sight! And it certainly wouldn't do for the league to look at them twice.
''If this isn't the Titan Tower, what is this place?''
''A base of operations. I was hoping to transfer the team here once it was ready, but to anyone else it's just an office building under renovation.''
''And you're sure they won't find us?''
''Yes.'' Bruce zoomed in on the screen as Clark entered and all the heroes bowed to the villains. Kara stood silently behind him watching. Especially when the Terminator entered along with none other than Damian and another masked boy. A boy Bruce knew well.
He felt his blood run cold.
"Oh my God.'''
The voice made them both turn towards the door where Alfred and the team had entered. It was Megan who spoke.
"Please tell me that's not Richard.'' Alfred muttered, but Bruce didn't reply.
"We have to do something.'' Superboy exclaimed.
''We need a plan first, we can't just attack, that would end in tragedy.'' Kaldur interrupted his friend.
"Aqualad is right. Bruce looks away from the cameras. ''First, let's make an antidote, something that neutralizes the component that is infecting them, the contents of the pendrive was the formula of those microchips, am I right Alfred?''
''Yes sir.
''Good, then with the information we have we'll get an antidote, you and I will work on it, we'll try to wake Tornado to help us, but with this body being corrupted I don't think he'll cooperate.'' He looks at Kara, Kaldur and Kid Flash. ''You'll go to Mount Justice to retrieve the body Tornado was working on, we can transfer his consciousness there. Go with the bionicle. Artemis and Megan, you go to San Francisco and find Zatara, explain what happened, he'll use his powers to unite as many heroes as possible and teleport them to a place where he thinks it's safe. We'll meet them there. He looks at Superboy. "You'll help us here.
xxXXXxx
Damian approached Dick in the corner of the room, half an hour had passed, and he knew he had to be even more careful now, especially now. "You look good in black.'' He commented, trying not to think about the Nightwing uniform and how much he wanted to see that stupid uniform again.
"The last thing I want to do is wear that uniform.''
This phrase was starting to become common between the two of them. No matter what the world.
They were both quiet when Superman entered the room and bowed, next to him was the red-haired alien girl.
"That's Starfire. You're dating in my world.'' Damian points with his chin.
Dick's masked face changed to one of surprise as he looked from Damian to the girl.
''What...''
''I'm only talking because I think that with the light controlling everything, maybe you two will be together.''
Dick looks at the girl again. Okay, she was beautiful, but how...
"I thought you wouldn't be controlled.'' Damian suddenly changes the subject, surprising them both.
''You can't drop that bomb on me and change the subject like that.''
''You're both very sweet, and I'm not in the mood to hear questions about her, I commented out of courtesy, a union between the two of you would be very useful in the future and it seemed a waste for her to go unnoticed by you.''
That was another way of saying, I'm distracting your mind from possible escape plans that would be overheard by J'onn or from feelings of disgust and fear for the uniform and everything it represents. Dick wanted to thank Damian for that. Man, and to know that he only discovered this because Bruce would throw random conversations at him when he didn't want Dick to think about a specific subject. This kid really was a Wayne. It was following this line of reasoning that made him reply.
"I think he lied. I know the chip is in me, it's just waiting to be turned on.''
''Slade is a lot of things, but not a liar.''
''What do you mean by that?''
''Everyone can be bought for the right price, and the light gave that price.'' He winked and stepped aside. ''But it's only up to him to keep his end of the bargain, isn't it?''
Dick couldn't hide his confusion, what did Damian want? To buy Slade?
Damian hoped Clark had heard as he approached his grandfather. The only thing he could do while he had no backup was to destabilize the light. He knew he could be controlled at any moment, so he would take advantage of it as long as he could. His grandfather was already suspicious of Slade, he just needed to make the rest do the same. As well as making Slade suspicious of the rest.
It wouldn't be the easiest thing to do, but he...
A scream interrupted his thoughts and he turned around just in time to see Dick, or rather Renegade, glower and fall to his knees as he screamed. It was getting strong again. He ran alongside his brother when he stopped glowing and a glow appeared behind them. As he ran he had the impression that Kori took a few steps towards him, as if to help, but he didn't have time to think about it when the new Robin appeared.
A tall boy with black hair, a green mask and dressed as Robin was kneeling on the ground, as if he had just gotten up, judging by the sticks in his hands he was either training or in a fight. The funny thing was that the boy bore a lot of resemblance to Dick Grayson, and could easily pass for a brother.
''Ok dad, that was a strong one, but...'' The boy stopped talking when he looked at them, confusion taking over his features before he raised his sticks again, ready to fight. His confusion, however, was his mistake, for he collapsed the next moment when the Martian Manhunter put him to sleep.
"Put him with the others after they arrive. I don't want a mess in my tower. ''Savage turned to the computers again, the plan couldn't stop.
Dick and Damian looked at each other, who was that boy?
Roy, who was standing a few meters away, seemed to stagger back, not that anyone noticed. "What...''
He looked at Oliver taking the new Robin out of the room, he looked at everyone in the room, more specifically the villains and his expression changed, to rejection, to fear, to astonishment. He had done it, he... he was the sleeper agent... he.
He was only a few steps away from the tubes. So he threw himself into them without a second thought.
xxXXXxx
Wally was tapping his foot at high speed as they headed for Mount Justice.
Kaldur looked apprehensively at the path as he guided the ship and Kara concentrated to make sure they weren't being followed... well, she tried.
"Wally! Will you please stop?'' She turned to him.
"Sure, because we're not about to enter a place that's probably full of controlled heroes who probably want to make us look the same.'' He replied ironically, but stopped tapping his foot on the floor of the ship.
"I don't think Batman would send us there if he didn't have an escape plan.'' She replied as she turned to face forward, returning her attention to her surroundings.
"It would have been nice if he had shared it with us!
Kaldur swallowed, he had to agree with Wally, they were going blindly to the hideout, which was now probably crawling with enemies.
''It'll be all right, I trust Batman. I know he'll have an emergency plan.
Wally and Kaldur looked at each other, both trying to ignore the tightness in their stomachs as they approached the mountain.
Getting in was easy, the ship was outside and they used an air vent to get in. Kara hadn't identified anyone in the cave, but you can never be too careful. They followed the ducts to the tornado room and only entered when Kara had made sure that there was no one or any traps.
''I don't think we'll be able to take it back the way we came.'' Kaldur observed the air duct.
"No, we'll have to go out the front door.'' Kara replied.
''Why did you have to say that?''' Wally asked indignantly.
Kara picked up the body Tornado had been working on and looked at the other two teenagers. ''Ready to run?''
Kaldur climbed onto Wally's back as the redhead sighed.
"Let's get out of here.''
Kara opened the door and they both took off running/flying and managed to reach the main room of the mountain without incident, near the exit, when an explosive ball hit Kid flash and he and Aqualad fell. Kara stopped as soon as they fell, she was ready to try to catch them by the arm and fly away when she felt too weak. She looked around and indeed, there were several Kryptonite stones scattered around. How was that possible?
Kaldur drew his sword when he saw the answer.
Emerging from the shadows of the central room, the Robins appeared, Batarangs in hand, combat stances, expressionless faces.
Controlled. All controlled.
The three of them grouped together, Kara using her strength to hold her body up while Aqualad and Kid Flash surrounded her, they needed to get out of there now.
"And I thought I'd find Roy Harper when I crossed those tubes. Jade, Artemis' sister, approached as well.
"I thought there was no one here.'' Kid muttered.
''There wasn't.'' Kara muttered.
''She's right, I've only just arrived with them. You don't know how useful it will be to have an army of people trained by Batman, but we'll see about that now.'' Lynx smiled.
Before anyone could say anything, Roy Harper jumped over the Robins and got into formation with his two friends.
"I think I found him.'' Lynx laughed.
"Roy?'' Wally looked over his shoulder.
"I'll explain later, please trust me, I'm not with them.''
"How heroic of you to say that after giving us a free pass to the watchtower.'''
The three heroes' eyes widened.
''I was being controlled, I broke the control or I'm no use to them, please I want to help.'' He muttered.
Kara could still hear his heartbeat. "He's telling the truth, we'll sort it out later.'
Lynx opened his arms. ''Attack.
Quick as ninjas, the Robins left their positions and attacked in one unit, it was a quick fight and the three heroes were on the ground, awake but tied up, Kara isolated in a corner still holding Tornado's body. Bruce was about to tie her up when he heard a bird whistle and looked up just in time to dodge the swoop of a small bird. Kara ran to where the other three were, but was knocked down by Tim, who launched a batarang. They regrouped around the quartet.
The bird had stopped on Kara's shoulder and was chirping non-stop at them. In the glare, everyone could see that the bird was a little Robin, he had a small mask on and was wearing shorts and a belt.
Although he wasn't in the best position, Wally laughed. A Robin bird. He'd just been knocked down by a robot Robin and 40 minutes earlier he'd met a starfish Robin, but to see a Robin in... clothes? Robin? That was hilarious.
He wasn't the only one who laughed, Lynx also laughed as he approached.
"Batman must have really lost his mind in one of those worlds.''
The bird continued to chirp, this time indignantly. This distracted them from the small smoke screen that was concentrating around the bound heroes.
A voice came through the air, causing the controlled robins to take a step back, as did Lynx. ''What the fuck?''
Zatara appeared between the heroes on the ground and casting a spell, made the group disappear in the next moment.
''NO!'' Lynx shouted.
"What do we do now?'' Stephanie asked.
''We'll go to the tower and warn Slade.''