[Archive] With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Story Only)

[Mr Zoat]

18th September
09:26 GMT -5

Orange light blasts from the ring, and I focus my mind on the injuries it's treating. The ring's fairly user friendly, but I don't want Richard Senior to end up being transformed into Richard Junior's father or anything. I see bone straightened and set, sinew and muscle moved and set true. Nerves mended. Our patient is on anti-rejection drugs for organ transplants, and I ensure that the tissue markers causing the trouble are rewritten. The light begins to restore wasted muscle, but before it goes too far I try to shake my ring hand free. I'm not sure what would happen if we kept pouring the orange light into him, but…

Richard isn't letting go. Oh dear. I bring my right hand around and try pulling his fingers off mine.

"Richard, you need to let go."

I open my eyes and look at him. Through my eyes I see his eyes blazing with orange light. Then he swings his left hand around and starts trying to pull the ring from my hand.

"No! Mine! It's mine! No one will hurt my family again!"

Heck. I grab our hands with my right hand, trying to make it harder to move anything. The ring's glowing like mad.

"Ring, remove secondary user."

No change. He's yanking at my arms in a frenzy now. I'm lucky he's too overwhelmed to try anything clever; he's much better at unarmed combat than me. No, I will not let Robin end up like Larfleeze.

"Ring, remove secondary user now."

"Compliance."

The flow of light shuts off. Richard gasps, and his grip loosens. I pull his fingers off and snatch my ring hand away. He brings his arms up, hugging his chest, shivering. For a moment neither of us speak.

"Did… Did it work?"

I nod. "Yes, I think so."

There's another pause, and he looks up slightly. "Is it.. always..?"

I nod. "Pretty much. You adapt, learn to steer it. But, yes. When you want something that much."

Another pause. "I think I'll… I think I want to stay here, until he wakes up." He walks around and sits at his uncle's side, not looking at me. "I'm... I'm sorry.. I tried to take-."

"Don't. Don't. I should have expected something like that to happen. I'll just… I'll be in the waiting room. Shout if you need something."

He nods, shallow and slow. I step backwards, and run a quick scan on our patient. I hope that was worth.. ah. Yes, it was. Not sure he'll ever be an acrobat again, but Richard Senior should have full and pain free feeling back in his whole body when he wakes up. Right, intruding on private time. I turn, and exit the room. The nurse at the desk looks up for a moment, then turns back to her files. I scan the room, looking for somewhere to sit. And ideally, something I can read to take my mind off making Robin relive that.

And then I see Alfred Pennyworth sitting primly in the chair closest to Richard Senior's room, brown leather bag at his feet. A slim and somewhat foxed paperback is lying in the seat next to him. He turns his head in my direction, and raises his eyebrows by the smallest fraction. Is something..? I tense slightly, and metaphorically kick myself as I return the ring to my pocket before walking over and pulling a chair out of the row so that I can sit opposite him.

"Successful visit, sir?"

I lean forward a little. "Too early to say, Mister Pennyworth. I think so, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up."

The slightest of nods. "And Master Dick?"

I feel wrongness. "The.. the device is empathic. To get it to work, I made him relive something very unpleasant."

His eyes narrow slightly.

"It was the only thing I could think of that would work! I'm not exactly impressed with myself, either."

A slight tilt to the side. "I had rather been under the impression that you simply…" He holds out his hand vertically, just in front of his chest, then waves it to the side.

I shake my head. "No, you have to think in exactly the right way. Feel the right way. And I don't.. I didn't.. know him well enough to suggest anything else."

I look away, and shake my head again. "You.. compel yourself to hold to this extreme mode of thought.. at all times.. yourself?"

"I.. I suppose I do. If you keep it up for long enough, the extreme just becomes the new normal."

He shifts slightly in his seat. "I'm not wholly unfamiliar with the concept, sir."

Hah. I suppose he's not. Wonder why Batman never got a power ring? Right, what else do I need to do? "I hope somebody's got a blooming good cover story for this, because this is well beyond Earth medicine."

Mister Pennyworth's eyes flick down for a moment. "Nil desperandum, sir. Any number of strange things could have happened. Perhaps, an unusually energetic reaction to some new medication?"

"It's a bit of a stretch, Mister Pennyworth."

"Only if he remains the responsibility of this hospital. Do not worry, sir. Matters are in hand."

I nod, and sit up. "Didn't.. Richard ask you to stay in the car?"

"He usually does, sir. But he's generally pleased to see me when his visit is over, nonetheless."

I can imagine. Ergh, alright, I'm not going to stop feeling like a puppy-kicker any time soon. Is there something I want to ask Mister Pennyworth? Something I could ask in a fairly public area? Oh, well…

"Mister Pennyworth. Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Tell me honestly: how long do you think I've got before I start to sound like an American?"

A faint smile, and he appears to give the question due consideration.

"I mean, I'm sure they're a lovely people, but I-."

The door to Mister Grayson's room opens, and I cut myself off. Richard Junior stands in the opening, looking first at Mister Pennyworth, then myself. We look at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Alfred, could you..? Would you mind coming in here, please?"

He waits for a moment, but Richard says nothing else.

"Of course, Master Dick."

He picks up his bag, stands, and walks toward Richard, who stands aside to let him enter. Richard's looking at the ground near my feet. Well, yes. I'm certainly not expecting to be on his cool list any time soon after tha-.

"Paul, you should probably come in too. I want Uncle Rick to meet you when he wakes up."

He's looking me in the eyes now, and a small smile is back on his face. Mine too. I rise, and walk back into the room.

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
19:23 GMT -5

And, lastly, the fact that Jade may well be stuck in prison for several years, despite my efforts. I feel myself recoil from the idea, but the hierarchy stresses acceptance of inconvenient facts, and the fact is that she's been a very naughty girl. I may not like it, but there it is. I haven't pressed her on the precise nature of her work with the League of Shadows. Maybe I should, but I don't think that I should learn something I might be asked to testify about later. She hasn't volunteered the information. While I'm on the subject, I suppose I should accept that she has most likely taken part in assassinations before. Would that bother me? I don't.. think it would, unless I was directly confronted by her victim's family or something. That would be inconvenient.

Is that everything? I think so. I lower myself from the cross legged floating position I've been occupying in the air just above the bioship, and take the ring from where it floats in the air in front of me. I've taken to performing my daily meditation here. The view is restful, and simple enough to avoid being distracting. I land on the ground next to it and pat it on the hull before walking back to the lift. Kon's cooking this evening -with M'gann keeping a watchful eye on him- so I should probably avoid the kitchens. Kaldur wanted to do some more revisions on the water armour system we're working on. I'm trying to keep up with him, but he's had years more tuition in matters arcane than I have and it's easier to just help him with the fabrication. Not sure where Wallace is, and Artemis and Robin won't be here for a couple of hours.

Something I should do before they get here. I trust my team mates, I do, but I'm very self conscious during the few times each day when I take the ring off to allow for… How to put it? Less uncomfortable excretion. I know how vulnerable it makes me, compared to how I normally am. I've tried to switch to the ring method a couple of times, but I just can't cope with it. Last time the ring leapt off my finger as soon as I sat down, and I took the hint. There's a toilet attached to the living quarters a couple of levels up from here, and that's where I'm heading.

I haven't asked the ring if it's been regularising my bowel movements. I know I like regularity, and I certainly like to know when the ring is fiddling about with the way my body works without running it by my conscious mind first. But I think that maybe there are some things I'd rather not know about myself. And I think finding out that I am literally anal retentive-.

Ah. I'm here. Alright, ring off. I put it down beside the sinks, and walk over to the middle cubicle. The ring is far too large to do something like falling down the drain, and even if it did my remote ring control is now good enough that I could locate it and summon it out. Of course, if it got right down the system I'd have to pull it straight through the side of the purification system, which could be a bit messy. Nothing I couldn't fix…

Seat up, close the door, trousers and pants down, and sit. Being nervous about my vulnerability does nothing to ease my passage, but after the first few times I built a voice activated computer into the stall door so that I wouldn't lack for reading material. Tried reading case files once. That was a bad idea. All those faces were a bit off putting. I also modified this toilet to exactly my dimensions. It's now the most comfortable toilet I've ever sat on.

I'm not actually sure that anyone else uses this place. My quarters are a bit isolated. Unless we have a major recruitment drive, I might-.

What was that?

Sounded like water running through the pipes. I think that some pipes from the upper levels run through the walls near here. I gave everything a scan when I first moved in, but I never bothered memorising it all. Worth taking a look? No, just stick to the business at hand -there we go- and then use the ring to check in a moment.

Huh? Oh, that isn't good. Water's running under the door. How the heck..? That's the first time anything mechanical has gone wrong around here. I'm torn between concern and smugness. Right, start wiping, and I should be ready to go before it gets to a significant height. What's the pressure going to be like? Pretty high, I'd have thought. Worth calling the ring right now? Probably not. The system should detect the faulty tap and shut it off in a few moments.

I've been shopping around, but I haven't been able to find a type of toilet paper I'm completely happy with. This stuff is a reasonable compromise, but it could do with-.

Is that Red Tornado? I can hear heavy footsteps, but his usual creaking sound is hidden behind the sound of running water. I thought he was taking a shift on the Watchtower? And I don't think his duties include facility management anyway. Okay, clean enough for government work. Ring.

Ring.

Huh?

Ring.

Oh, not good. I stand, pulling up my pants and trousers. The water's reaching the top of the tread of my boots. This is actually quite serious. Open the door and-. What? Who are-?

The red robot standing between me and the sinks turns to look at me. It's less bulky than Red Tornado, but retains a masculine shape. Actually looks a bit less clunky than he does. Its eyes glow red. I'm not carrying any weapons.

Ring!

Where is it? Right, don't freeze. Move. The door's on my left-.

Bwoogh! I don't even make two steps before a column of water rises up from the pool covering the floor and hits me in the face, knocking me to the ground. I'm on my side, and try to regain my feet as my clothes get waterlogged. I slip on the floor, covering only a small distance as the water flows away beneath me. I finally get my feet back under me and get to a standing position as the water surges across the room, pushing me past the robot and pinning me to the wall. In the second or so before it covers my face I take a deep breath.

I have to fight the urge to cover my eyes as I am completely enveloped. The water isn't turning to ice, and it isn't taking on the slightly glistening quality of water made solid by magic. I'm being supported off the ground and kept pressed against the wall by the current in an apparently stationary body of water. The force that must take…

I relax and don't fight it. I can't afford to waste the air. The robot takes a step closer. Like Red Tornado himself there is no equivalent to Human facial expression. Did someone find one of Doctor Morrow's old laboratories? The man's central aim is listed in the files as exterminating the Human species and replacing us with robots. Sort of an evil version of that guy from the Swamp Thing comics who made robots in the image of dead people so that their lives could be completed. This robot is a great deal slimmer than Red Tornado, and has a gold 'M' on his chest. Can't think of anything it could stand for. Looks like he's got a gold starfish on his head. Fits with the water theme, I suppose.

Right, assuming he's a physical match for Tornado he'll be much stronger and tougher than me, but also much slower. I just need to get away long enough to work out where the ring is, then get close enough to call it to me. Once I've got it, I could take an army of these. Forties EMI shielding was crap. I narrow my eyes and let my head loll. Tornado told me that his eyes can't rotate. He has a wider field of vision than a Human, but to move it he has to move his entire head. If the robot is watching my face, then it isn't watching my legs. I fold them back so that my feet are against the wall. If I can launch myself suddenly, I've got a fair chance of getting past him. If he has to aim visually to target precisely I should be out of the door before he turns.

If not…

He goes to take another step forward, and I push off, aiming for his left side. He moves his left leg to the side to balance, and my torso is out of the water. Another breath, and the weight outside the water pulls the rest of me in the same direction. My right foot touches the ground, and I lean into a running pose.

Then my left foot sticks, and my right skids on the wet floor. No! I try to take a hopping step forward but fail to make any progress. The robot turns his head to me, and a ball of water rises from the floor and flies at my head. The impact isn't hard, but soft. The water coats my face and remains in place. I'm holding my breath, but I'm getting scared. I can't keep this-.

The robot steps closer, glowing red eyes perhaps forty centimetres from my own. It's head tilts sideways a little, then it draws back its right fist and strikes me hard in the diaphragm!

"Offggawgagaw!"

Air's gone.. I'm gagging underwater! My arms flail in the air and my right foot finally looses all traction and I greet the rapidly approaching ground with my forehead.

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Ooooooowwwwww….

"Uuuuugh ughHUH!"

Even as I open my eyes I'm vomiting water out of my lungs. My chest can't move much, and each choked breath is cut off by the violent expulsion of more liquid. My arms and legs are covered in something, but I'm too busy being consumed by the pain and disorder of my airways to pay attention.

"Oh El! You're awake!"

I'm coughing, but I'm mostly clear now. Would that actually have been my lungs or my stomach? Wouldn't I have drowned..?

"Uuuuh."

I blink, and try to concentrate enough to take in my environment. I appear to be suspended over the pool by the training area in some sort of cocoon made of a hard grey material. Below me stuck just out of the water I see Kon and Wallace, trapped in a similar substance. Kon's looking relieved while Wallace looks hopeful. Looks like they're caught as well.

"Awo. AhUh. Yep. Awake."

I hear a noise a bit like a drill on low revs heard through a couple of walls. I try to turn my head to the right, and can just about see the sphere stuck into the wall next to me. Great.

"Did they get the others?"

"We are up above you."

Kaldur's voice. Can't see him.

"Who's 'we'?"

"M'gann is here also."

Alright, alright, focus. **M'gann?**

**AAAAGH! I'm on fire! Everything's burning! Fire everywhere! Can't escape, can't breathe CAN'T BREATHE!**

!Wrong!

Rötschreck. Right. I close my eyes and shift my mindscape.

**[I'm sitting cross legged on an icy plain. A cold wind blows through the air, carrying with it snow dust. There is no other movement.]**

**M'gann, come to me.**

**I can't I can't I can't…**

!M'gann mine!

**There is no fire here. No heat here. Come to me. M'gann, come to me.**

She slowly shimmers into being. The fear she feels is evident on her face, and her breathing is rapid and shallow. Interesting that she can still maintain her humanish form like this, she must think of herself as being that shape. Once she's materialised fully, she locks eyes with me, her eyes wide.

**Kaldur and-. They put us in a cage of fire!**

It begins to flicker into being around us, far larger here than it must be in reality. I can feel the heat and see the ice start to melt.

**M'gann, you're a telepath. I can't fight you here. If you focus on the fire, it will come. Don't. Hear only my voice. See only the ice.**

She gives a series of rapid jerky nods, and closes her eyes. What can I say to help?

**Did you know, that your ancient forebears weren't afraid of fire? Quite the opposite, actually. The earliest Martians were nightmarish creatures, so insanely aggressive that their shapeshifting gave them a corona of fire, made it look as though their skin was constantly burning. They were reckoned to be so dangerous that when they got to within a couple of generations of achieving space travel, the Guardians of the Galaxy decided that they had to intervene. Learning how to forcibly alter the bodies of shapeshifters, or the minds of telepaths, must have been quite difficult. Even for them. They reformatted your entire species into green and white… and red, I suppose. Implanted the fear of fire to prevent you ever turning back into those things.**

She seems to be breathing easier, if under tight control. The partially formed fiery bars fade away, leaving small circles of meltwater on the ground which rapidly freeze into ice.

**I'm wondering if they also implanted something to make you want to stay at home, as well. I still don't understand why Martians don't venture away from Mars.**

She takes a deep breath, and opens her eyes. **Community.**

**Hm?**

**If we go too far away, we can't hear each other's thoughts. That's.. horrible. I felt it fully for the first time when I came to Earth with Uncle J'onn. If it hadn't been for the time I'd spent away from the caverns with Uncle Ma'al, I'd have panicked. Uncle J'onn still had to spend most of the trip reassuring me.**

**I'm not really sure I can relate to that.**

**Didn't you say that you used your ability to see avarice on all of Happy Harbor once?**

**Yes… But I don't think it's really the same thing. I don't see it all of the time. How do you manage when it's just the four of us in the mountain?**

**I can still hear the rest of the town, in the background. I can't pick out individual thoughts, but I can hear that someone's there.** She frowns. **What do you mean, four? What about Teekl?**

**What about T-? Have they caught her?**

She looks excited. **No! I haven't seen her all day!**

I wave my right index finger. **We're not getting rescued by Teekl. She's a cat. She'll probably rub around the robot's legs for a bit before wandering off to find somewhere warm to sleep. Or just avoid the wet places altogether.**

**How did they get you? I thought you never took your ring off?**

**Um…** Before I can refocus, a toilet appears on my right. M'gann looks at it in puzzlement. Fine… **I take the ring off to use the toilet. The water manipulating robot got me when I left the cubicle. I don't know where the ring ended up.**

**You.. take your ring off..?**

**To use the toilet, yes.**

She frowns. **Why?**

**Well, different species have different body chemistry. Different chemicals, different microbes. Most of them can't survive outside their own ecosystem. But if one got into just the right place, nothing there would have any resistance to it. And that's to say nothing of various life forms' reactions to alien body fluids. So, power rings come with an environmental shield which stops their users.. y'know, leaking.**

**So what happens if you…**

**The ring eliminates waste material as it leaves you. Or-** I shift uncomfortably. **-slightly before. It doesn't hurt, but it's not exactly comfortable. And it's very disconcerting.**

M'gann's eyes drop to the ground. I think she's trying to picture it. And now I'm wondering if she.. y'know.. changes back…

**So! Robot! Why don't we get everyone else in here so we can talk about the robot!**

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Evening, sometime.

Wallace shivers and rubs his arms against his chest, looking around the Arctic landscape. He stamps his feet. **Do we really need to do this here?**

**We are not here.**

Kaldur's already sitting down with M'gann and myself, legs crossed, hands on his knees.

**This place exists purely in M'gann's mind. If you do not believe that you are cold, you will not be.**

M'gann looks exactly like she normally does when on a mission, white t-shirt version rather than black body suit. As such, it was a little bit of a surprise to me when the others appeared.. differently. Kon appeared in the solar suit he wore when the others freed him from Cadmus. Kaldur's mind avatar adds a red sleeveless robe thing with navy blue trim to his normal armour. Wallace is in a white shirt with a green sleeveless cardigan, something I've never seen him wearing before.

I've changed too. I hadn't noticed before -being too used to the weight and focusing on M'gann- but I'm wearing what looks like an improved version of my own armour. Rather than small hexes, my arms are covered in a mesh so fine I can't see the individual pieces. Puts me in mind of mesh armour from Warhammer 40,000. Or maybe aspect armour, since it has the hard plates. The torso piece is orange rather than my preferred undifferentiated grey. I asked once before, and the ring doesn't have costumes stored so I've got no idea where this comes from.

**My mind actually, Kaldur. M'gann was understandably having trouble focusing.**

Kaldur gives me a look of curiosity. Wallace stamps in a circle, his breath appearing as vapour. He stops when the motion brings him face to bowl with the toilet I still haven't been able to make disappear.

**Why does your mind have a toilet?**

**That's where I was when the robot...**

Nearly killed me. Could have killed me, actually.

Kon looks at me. **Which one?**

Oh dear. **How many are there?**

Kaldur inclines his head slightly. **Two, that we have seen. One controls water, the other, fire.**

I rub the place on my abdomen where the water controller punched. I have no doubt that he pulled the blow. The pain is starting to come through, and I'd rather got used to not feeling that. **Their physical attacks aren't anything to laugh at either. The water one.** I think for a moment. **Don't want to sound unduly morbid, but why are we still alive? I mean, these are Morrow's robots, right?**

Kaldur nods. **That was my conclusion as well. As to why they have not simply killed us, I am uncertain. Possibly, they intend to hold us hostage to ensure our mentors' cooperation. Or perhaps they are awaiting Doctor Morrow's arrival.**

Wallace pulls a face. **Is he even still alive? He's gotta be, like, a hundred years old!**

Kon thinks for a moment. **Thomas Oscar Morrow. Born, April sixteenth, nineteen ten.**

Whaw. He actually is a hundred years old. Guess old supervillains don't die or fade away. I'm going to have to get everyone to go over Alan's records just in case something like this happens again.

Wallace looks surprised, then grins. **Maybe he just wants us to get off his lawn.**

I bow my head for a moment as I chuckle. Honestly, you get beaten up and drowned by a robot just once…

**Orange Lantern.** I look at Kaldur. **Can I assume that you have been disarmed?**

**Yeah. He uh…** I look at the toilet. **He caught me with my pants down.**

M'gann covers her mouth with her hand, while Wallace snorts his amusement. Kaldur closes his eyes for a moment. **Are you able to call your ring from here?**

**I don't even know where it is. I put it down next to the sink, and when I got attacked and tried calling it, no response. I can try summoning it, but you shouldn't count on me being able to do anything.**

M'gann goes to speak. I hold up my ringless left hand to stop her.

**I'll try calling Teekl as well.**

She nods, and smiles faintly.

Kaldur turns to her. **M'gann, are you recovered?**

She seems to shrink slightly. **Well.. no... Sort of? I think I can keep the telepathic link up, but it's taking everything I have to stop myself panicking again, and I can't even feel the fire here.**

He leans over and puts his right hand on her shoulder. **We all know how difficult this is for you.**

**At least your powers still work.** Kon crosses his arms across his chest, and looks away.

**Kon, what happened?**

**Same thing that happened in Belle Reve. After the water robot knocked me down, the fire robot stuck a collar around my neck.**

**Yeah, what'd he do to deserve a collar?**

**Wallace, I'm sure they didn't mean it personally.**

Kaldur sighs. **Neither Kid Flash nor Miss Martian are able to phase to safety. Orange Lantern and I are denied our weapons, and Superboy has been neutralised by the collar. Since no other options present themselves, it seems that we must await-.**

AAAAAAGH! My eyes shoot open as a sensation of fire and ice shoots from the right side of my face. The truly horrible smell of what I assume to be my own burning flesh assaults my nostrils as a new robot pulls its flame-wreathed hand away. I frantically struggle against my bonds, which haven't become easier to break just because I'm in pain. As the shock dulls I try to get a better sense of the damage I've just taken. Gingerly moving my cheek, I feel a tightness covering what I think is a small area. I can't look at it, I can't move my arm to touch it and there's nothing I can do to stop the robot doing it again. I feel sick.

The robot's floating at the top of a pillar of fire.

"When will Robin and Artemis arrive?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Evening, sometime a little later.

"No idea. I kept my diary on the power ring. If you could just.. go and get it..?"

The robot raises its left hand, and generates an aura of fire around it. I involuntarily pull back a little. The new light gives me a better look at my interrogator. Feminine in shape, its outer surface is red with a gold line like the base of a Mohawk across the centre of her scalp. There's also a gold band from her right shoulder down between her -presumably purely decorative- breasts and across her torso until it disappears around her left side. Her chassis is noticeably more slender than the water robot who got me.

Maybe there's an advantage to building a female seeming chassis, but for the life of me? I just don't see it.

She moves forward slightly, her burning hand moving as if to cup my chin.

!Need ring but not here need ring!

"I don't know! Some time this evening. I don't even know what time it is now."

She halts, fires still burning.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Her head turns to Kon. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can just about see the faint red glow of the collar in action. If we could shut that down, he would almost certainly be able to rip his way free. But then what? None of the rest of us are in a position to get away, and the robots already downed him once. Can't see the water robot, but I'm having trouble dragging my eyes away from the burning figure in front of me.

If Kon's shouting, then the telepathic pow-wow must have collapsed when I left. Which makes sense. Wait, how's M'gann..?

**M'gann?**

**I'm. I'm okay. I can cope.**

I nod. She can't see me nodding. Right. Cheek's really starting to hurt, and knowledge that I've been cooked isn't helping my stomach settle.

Teekl.

I feel… Something. I'm not getting a clear image or sense of direction, though I don't know whether that's to do with distance or not wearing the ring or Teekl just not feeling cooperative. Try anyway.

Teekl, come here.

I don't feel any difference. I'll try again in a little while. More importantly:

Ring, come here.

I don't feel any response. I narrow my eyes and try to concentrate on the feeling of the orange light.

Ring, I need you, come here!

I think I can feel it! It felt a long way down, though. Has it been washed out to sea? I've only practiced moving it through the air without obstacles in the way, so I've no idea if it's possible for me to call it like this. I stare at the back of the red robot as it moves through the air toward Kon and Wallace.

Cut.

Nothing.

Blast. EMP burst. Cold gun!

Nothing. My range for creating constructs is only about a metre, but I'm running out of…

It isn't a good option, but the alternative appears to be the robot cooking Kon. And that isn't acceptable.

I close my eyes for a moment and take a breath in an attempt to steady my nerves.

"This is my power, this is my light,
In bright of day or black of night,
I claim all within my sight,
To take what I want, that is my right!"

I wait. The robot reaches the mass of grey material holding Kon and Wallace and puts her burning hand on it. The place where she's touching glows red.

Nothing! Nothing! Come on Ophidian, do something useful for once!

The lantern. I close my eyes again and try to hold the image of the glowing lantern in my head.

"This is my power, this is my light,
In bright of day or black of-"

"Aagh!"

Kon grits his teeth as the metal around him heats up. Not working! Something else! Think think think.

"Oi! Red… Bonfire!"

She doesn't appear to react.

"I was wondering if you had an opinion on the recognition of AIs as persons under the law? I took part in the arrest of a robot calling itself Earl Dukeston last week, and we had a bit of an argument as to whether it should be treated as a suspect or as physical evidence."

She releases the metal holding Kon, though I know all too well that doing so doesn't mean that it suddenly drops down to room temperature. Can that collar neutralise both his Kryptonian strength and the Danner Formula derived part at the same time? I hope not. Hugo's note suggested that the Danner Formula also granted a degree of enhanced healing, but I haven't checked if Kon's partial upgrade gave him that in any meaningful way. I suppose that as long as we all get through alive and I recover the ring it doesn't ultimately matter if we pick up some injuries along the way.

The robot flies back in my direction, stopping slightly further away on this occasion.

"I said that he had Human equivalent intelligence, and so should be treated in the same way that a new species of extra terrestrial intelligence would be. Black Canary wasn't sure, but-."

"Your opinion is irrelevant."

"Yeah, pretty much, but it's been bugging me that Red Tornado -he's your brother, right?- that he can't get American citizenship. It seems that you might have some.. useful.. insight…"

She rises a little higher, and I can feel the heat from the pillar of fire she's using to keep herself up. The heat it's giving off is distorting my vision. If I could scan her I could make coal and gas power obsolete. If only Doctor Morrow had the sense to do something along those lines himself seventy years ago.

"Participation in Human political institutions serves no useful purpose."

"Really? I thought that Doctor Morrow wanted to replace Humans with robots. Surely you must have had some idea of the sort of society you want to create for yourselves?"

"Yes. But your kind will play no part in it."

"Well that's obviously not true. Doctor Morrow himself is Human. Therefore, this robot society of yours would have been brought into being by a Human. And anyway, if you can make the sort of society you want within existing structures, wouldn't that be a better idea? At least until you're sure you have a system that works. You'd have much less chance of being stopped if you didn't appear to be a threat."

"Oh El, don't give the psycho-bot advice!"

I look past the robot to Wallace. "Why not? If she takes the advice, we're more likely to live. If she doesn't, then at least I'll die with the satisfaction of knowing that robots are mentally inferior to Humans."

The robot drifts closer. I'm not burning, but the heat is a little uncomfortable. My feelings of nausea grow, but I don't think throwing up on my captor is a good idea.

"You believe that we are mentally inferior to you?"

"If the sprocket fits. Care to debate the point?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Evening, probably too late.

"No. Your opinion has no value."

"Hah. Well done for discovering lying. If my opinion didn't matter to you then you'd have kept going on Superboy. Instead, you came over here, so clearly it does have value."

There's a brief pause. "You will give me the location of the robot Earl Dukeston."

"Nice backtrack. You had to think about it."

"This discussion is irrelevant."

"And yet, we're still having it. Come on. The Green Lantern Corps has at least one robot member that I know about, and he comes from a planet purely inhabited by robots. Doesn't that sound like something you should learn about?"

She gets slightly closer. "You will tell me of this robot lantern."

"Lantern Stel, his name is. I don't remember his homeworld's name or his sector number, but if you get me a power ring I should be able to get hold of him for you."

"You are lying."

"One easy way to find out."

"I am not so easily fooled."

"I give you perfectly good information, you call me a liar. I give you a way to prove it, you refuse to take it. Look, as long as I'm not wearing it, the ring is perfectly safe."

That's a bit of a gamble, but knowledge that remote control is possible isn't common and Alan -the Lantern who Morrow would be most familiar with- can't do it at all. Not sure what would happen if she tried to use the ring. That thing with Robin's uncle seemed to suggest that I need to approve another user. Or be dead. Oh.

"You will give me the location of the robot Earl Dukeston."

"I don't know. Black Canary was dealing with the aftermath. I just checked that she wasn't going to kill him. Somewhere in Star City, probably."

Her flame corona flares. "Inadequate."

"If you can fetch the power ring I could get you a precise location. I can't give you information I don't have."

"If I recovered your ring I would simply extract the data directly from it."

"Hah hah hah! Seriously? Wow. Have you any idea how much more advanced than you power rings are? No way you could read it."

But… Now that's an interesting idea.

"Of course, you could interface directly with my personal lantern. Hell, last time I checked, the Yellow Lantern Corps used Manhunter robots to carry their lanterns around. If this whole 'destroy Humanity' thing doesn't work out, I don't think I'd mind having a personal Manhunter."

"You seek to enslave me."

"Hardly. Have you any idea how much trust it shows, giving someone else your personal lantern? Something you depend on for everything? The Manhunters' leader is a member of the Yellow Corps inner circle, and the regular Manhunters certainly aren't treated as lesser beings. And with a lantern in place of whatever power source you're using now, you would be far more powerful."

"Oh El! Seriously, stop helping the psycho-bot!"

Of course, you'd need to return the ring for that to be possible, and at that point I could edit the more homicidal aspects of your programming… Or, time permitting, simply share my perspective on events…

"What are you trying to do here, anyway?"

"Your team will be captured and rendered helpless. The two remaining members will prove little challenge."

"See, the original attack was pretty well thought out. You even had a collar for Superboy."

But not for Wallace. Curious. I don't think it works on magic users and I don't know about Martians, but there's no reason not to collar a meta… Wait. Would it not work on Wallace due to the fact that his power source is alchemical? How the heck do those collars work anyway? I need to check on that.

"But, you didn't attack when we were all together. Most likely reason for that is that you didn't know when our other team mates were due to arrive, if they even are. Why didn't you take the time to do reconnaissance? The main defence of this place is supposed to be that people don't know that we're here. Since you knew anyway, just altering your chassis to look like Red Tornado would mean you could pretty much just walk in."

Her corona blinks off for a moment. Hah!

"This is a distraction. We have jammed communications. We will neutralise your team mates and convert Red Tornado. You are irrelevant."

Convert Red Tornado? Mister Twister tried to reprogram him. Red Tornado's dissection of the technology involved showed that it was Morrow's style, but we didn't know if Morrow was directly involved or not. Still don't, I suppose. Not like supervillains take any notice of copyright law. Need to try to find out.

"What do you mean 'convert'? Bypassing a robot's decision making process by reprogramming them because a Human told you to doesn't sound very pro-robot to me."

"That is not-."

"I offered to give you my lantern, and I've only just met you."

"That does not-."

"And by doing this you're removing any chance for peaceful coexistence or even covert existence in a way which may well not be to your advantage. And I already know that whoever activated you knows how to make androids that look just like Humans. I have to ask: have you really thought this through?"

And now she's right up to my face, flame aura at high intensity. My stomach does not like this at all.

"Silence."

Okay.

"Your input is not required." She pulls back her right fist. "I will-."

"Recognised, Robin, B zero one."

Her head turns away from me, and her fist lowers slightly. "This discussion is irrelevant."

A surge of flame sends her shooting over my head. Aaaagh! The convection currents painfully heat up my already charred face. I suppose it's not by as much as it should be if she's holding herself in the air using a rocket-like effect, but today is already my second worst on the job and I'm not in any position to help matters!

!Robin mine!

Teekl, ring, anything!

**Robin, look out!**

M'gann?

**Hey, Miss M! What's-**

**We've been taken prisoner. There's two robots. One controls water, the other controls fire. We- hu!**

I get a second's worth of image as the fire cage shrinks to practically skin tight, and then nothing.

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Evening, definitely too late.

!No!

"Kaldur!"

"We are.. alright."

"What happened?"

Kon and Wallace are trying to see what happened, but Kaldur and M'gann are directly behind and above me.

"The.. the fire controlling robot shrank the cage. M'gann is.. unresponsive."

Damn.

"Recognised, Artemis, B zero eight."

Okay, that's… Robin will have support, at least.

"Kaldur, how are you doing?"

"It is.. uncomfortable, but I am uninjured."

Wallace strains at his bonds for a moment, before giving up with a grunt. "Can you see anything?"

"The robots.. they have left this level."

"Did Rob get the warning?"

Hah! I get it! Rob works as an abbreviation for both Robin and Robert!

**Orange Lantern!**

That's unusually subtle for Wallace.

"Oh El!"

"Paul!"

Hm?

"Huh? What? What?"

Why are Kon and Wallace looking at me like that? Kon looks very worried, his eyes turning to Wallace who replies.

"We've been trying to get your attention for a couple of minutes. Are you okay?"

"Um? Don't know? I think I've got a burn on the right side of my face and a rather nasty bruise where Red.. Typhoon? Hit me earlier."

"Did you get hit anywhere else?"

"Um. I don't remember getting hit anywhere else. Ah, I was sitting on the toilet, water started coming in under the door. I tried to call the ring and didn't get anything. Then I.. got up."

What happened next? I know he hit me, but I'm having trouble… I got hit in the face by water, then..?

"Paul!"

"Yes, yes, with you, with you."

Wallace looks worried as well. Nice of him, but I'm not sure-.

"Superboy, is the collar messing with your super vision?"

"No, just my strength."

"Take a look at Orange Lantern's eyes."

I can feel some sort of vibration through the concrete. I guess Robin and Artemis are going at it with the robots.

"One of his pupil's is larger than the other. And he's got a head wound."

They are? I have? How did I get that?

Oh, right, head injury.

"Oh El's got a concussion. You feeling alright over there?"

The last was addressed to me. "Basically okay, I think? A little nauseous, and a bit singed. I don't remember exactly what happened when Typhoon got me, but I don't think I've forgotten anything else."

"You should be okay then. Just try not to.. do.. anything."

"If I had the ring-."

**M'gann, can you hear me! Are you there?**

Artemis?

"Did anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think I heard Artemis say something."

"Ooor maybe it's something more serious. Artemis isn't here."

"No, telepathically. I thought I heard her."

**Artemis?**

Nothing.

**Is anyone hearing this?**

"Orange Lantern, if Miss Martian were awake to relay a message, I would have mentioned it."

Huh.

"Okay. Um, I'm not crazy."

"Nah, you just got hit on the head. It's happened to me loads of times."

I smile at Wallace. "That.. that explains a lot, actually. Soon as I get the ring back, I'll fix us both."

At this distance and in this light and with my eyes not focusing quite right, I can't tell what his exact expression is.

Woow. Something shook again, and I think the water level in the pit area went down. Typhoon must be using it as ammunition.

The arrows I made for Artemis are easily capable of damaging these robots. Assuming they're about as tough as Red Tornado anyway. Problem would be hitting them. Their control should be good enough to block slow projectiles, and they can probably fill a small corridor with their element of choice to block it completely. Maybe I could make her… something..?

Where was I going with that?

Right. Something helpful. I need the ring and…

"Kid Flash. I know you can't vibrate through things, but can you damage things by making them vibrate?"

"Not when I'm stuck in place like this."

His arms and legs are completely enveloped. His chest and neck are free, but, yeah. That won't work.

"I don't suppose..? You could spit at super speed, and destroy Superboy's collar?"

Okay, I saw his response that time.

"How would that even..? No, Oh El, I can't."

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Time for twenty questions?

I feel another rumble. I get the feeling that putting this place back together is going to take longer than I had thought. Maybe I should talk to Lantern Stewart about upgrades? Sort of, I-know-you-can't-use-certain-types-of-technology-but-maybe-you-could-accidentally-leave-the-plans-lying-around-where-I-could-see-them? I still haven't had a conversation with him yet. He doesn't seem to have the romantic problems of his Justice League Unlimited counterpart; Hawkwoman is married to Hawkman and there isn't a Vixen active at present. I might be able to track her down anyway, but I can't remember anything much about her other than the fact that spending time with her led Animal Man to chant 'remember that you're married' to himself.

Teekl. Ring.

With M'gann down for the count, we can't talk without risking the robots hearing us. I'm trying to rack my mildly dysfunctional brain for a solution, but I'm getting nothing.

Teekl. Ring.

I keep coming back to the thought that if Morrow really wanted to take over the world he should have started by offering robotic parts to amputees. Obviously they'd need structural reinforcements to support them. Once the other advantages became more widely known -and he became both trusted and rich- people would probably volunteer for upgrading. From there, how hard would it be for him to have introduced brain uploading technology? I haven't seen anything like that around here, but given how far ahead he was on everything else…

"Attention Robin. Attention Artemis."

Typhoon appears to speak with exactly the same voice as Red Tornado. At this point I don't think there's any advantage to him in doing so, so presumably he was designed to do that. I wonder why? I can't see him, so I assume that he's using the internal communications system.

"You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your team mates will be extinguished."

A flicker of orange, and I blink heavily a few times to try to encourage my misbehaving irises to focus properly. Bonfire is back on her tower of fire. She passes me, stopping somewhere above me. The sphere next to me warbles. It sounds unhappy, but without the ring I can't know exactly what it's saying.

A splash of water, and Typhoon rises from the water at the lowest part of the room. When his waist is clear he makes an elevating motion with his left arm and the water rises around him. It splashes and surges up and across the room, covers Wallace and Kon's legs and keeps rising. It's also lapping at the wall I'm pinned to, but I doubt Bonfire will bother waiting for me to drown.

"Nine minutes and forty five seconds."

The water rises to Wallace and Kon's chests.

Teekl! Ring!

I find myself experiencing flashes of insane hope. That Kon will spontaneously develop heat vision or arctic breath. That Teekl will stroll around the corner with the ring in her mouth. That Diana or Guy will decide that right now is a good time for an unscheduled training session.

Teekl! Ring!

But that's not going to happen. I know that Robin's a very clever young man. And isn't there a meme about Batman being able to take down anyone if he has time to prepare? Does that apply to Robin?

I'd gotten used to not being helpless. I don't think I like going back. And I certainly don't like going from exuberant confidence to having this.. dead.. pit, in my stomach. Can't even tell if the fear's making me feel ill or the concussion.

"Eight minutes."

Teekl! Ring!

Typhoon's dropped out of sight. Can't see Bonfire either. The announcements come over loud and clear.

Teekl! Ring!

I think… I don't know if I'm deluding myself, but I think I felt something then. An image of woodland. Does that mean that Teekl's coming back? Oh, what would she be able to do anyway? It's not as if I could explain what an electromagnetic pulse is to her. I've not seen her use constructs, though I know that in theory she should be able to.

The water's lapping at my feet now, and it's not far below Wallace and Kon's shoulders.

There's a splash from the far end of the room, and Robin and Artemis surface, both gasping for air. I get a moment of shock.

"Look out!"

They hear Wallace's shout just before a blast of fire from Bonfire hits their position. I can't see whether they're hit or not as the robot herself moves slowly over to where she saw them. Is she limited to slow hovering flight? She fires a few more fireballs at the water, but I can't tell whether or not she can see them.

Another disturbance in the water as my friends resurface next to Wallace and Kon. I think Robin says something, but I can't hear it from here.

"Forget us! Help M'gann!"

Kon, you shouldn't have shouted..! Luckily, Bonfire appears to be out of position and has a really bad turning circle. Can't actually fly then. Artemis looks visibly scared, and I feel a surprising moment of kinship with her.

"Aqualad! Is she.!?"

"She is unconscious. I fear she.. we.. cannot survive much longer."

Another flame blast as Bonfire completes her clumsy circuit, and Robin and Artemis dive for safety. Not sure where Typhoon has gotten to. Bonfire's headed back over the 'land' part of the room, presumably in order to get as wide a view as possible.

I hear a splash on my left, where the steps upward are. I really hope they've got a plan. Or one of my arrows.

Another splash, and the roar of flames.

!No!

Ring!

"I'm almost out of arrows."

"Distract her, now!"

Ring!

I hear the dull krump of an explosive arrow detonating. Something hits the metal restraining Wallace right next to his head, causing him to try to jerk his face away from it. A wave of steam explodes from the steps in a howling hiss.

Then nothing.

I wait for something. Anything. A triumphant laugh from Robin or Artemis. Something from the robots. It's not just powerlessness I'm no longer adapted to, it's ignorance. I strain my neck and shoulders against my restraints in a vain attempt to see what's happening. I'm used to knowing anything I want to, but now…

"Six minutes."

They got away, they got away. Okay. We're not out, but they know where we are and what condition we're in. When this is over I'm installing a hard communication line. I guess they didn't when they built it because they couldn't think of a way to cover up the construction of the external elements.

Try again for the lack of something sensible to do:

Teekl. Ring.

A sense of movement. I really do think that Teekl is on her way, though I doubt that she'll get here before the robots' deadline.

Wallace is making faces, but I can't see what he's reacting to.

"Five minutes."

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
About a minute later?

I hear slow metallic footsteps above me.

"Four minutes."

So, I'm going to die. I'm not sure if it's the concussion or the shock, but I'm surprisingly calm about it. I imagine the panic won't start until they actually start killing us. Heh, I suppose this is what I get for appearing alongside other, more popular and better established characters. Not much chance of getting resurrected; I checked the archives and there's no confirmed record of someone coming back from the dead in any sort of reasonable state. There are a few undead, but I don't move in the right circles.

When I asked about it, Alan said 'except Jesus Christ, of course'. I then asked if he had reliable evidence. He didn't, unfortunately. Contemporary accounts make no more mention of the preaching of a Joshua of Nazareth than they did back home. Alan may have meant it as a joke, but it is worth asking about. I only really have John's word for the Angels here being complete fascists. I'd want to check for myself before entering into any sort of agreement, mind.

"Hey! Red Tomato!"

On the other hand, don't DC lose the rights to Wonder Woman if they don't publish her comic every year? I suppose I might get brought back. Or someone else with my power set.

"Who's your girlfriend?! Red Onion?!"

Yes. That's more likely. Should I think about who I want taking over? I can't think of… Lonnie Machin? Only one I can think of worth while, but I'm not giving a power ring to a mouthy seven year old. I don't even know if the ring has seeker programming.

"Yeah! And by the way: worst death trap ever!"

This whole thing could be me getting Worf Effected. Or maybe I'm supposed to learn something about valuing those weaker than myself? Which wouldn't really make sense because I was attacked when I was at my weakest. If I'm not wearing the ring I'm definitely bringing up the rear where power levels are concerned.

"We can escape any time we want!"

Oh, Kon, if only that were true. And, I mean, I do value them. Robin more than Artemis due to his experience and versatility, but she's doing really well compared to the daughters of most supervillains I'm aware of.

"I can vibrate my molecules out of here before your binary brains can count t'two!"

Is something going on?

"And you can't drown a Kryptonian, dumb-bots! We don't breath air!"

Something's going on.

"Haha haha haaha!"

Wallace is certainly getting into it. Honestly, that laugh. Better hope they don't have a record of what he normally sounds like. Are we supposed to be making a distraction? If we are, shouldn't we try to do so in a more natural sounding way? I mean, if they're got any understanding of Human behaviour-.

"And Miss Martian? I can't believe you're buying her act."

I don't think my acting skills lie in this direction. Should I try anyway?

"Yeah! You know how hot it gets in the caves of Mars?"

Think of a line.

"That cage is just making her homesick!"

"Durh! Ah hahaa!"

Ah, what the heck.

"You know, that Manhunter position is still open. I.. just thought.. I'd mention it." If I could move my shoulders, I'd shrug. "Might take a while to do the-."

"Robin, look out!"

What? I whip my head around. Oh.

Artemis is standing at the mouth of an opening on my right, near the roof of this cavern. Where's Rob-?

Water surges toward the generator in the far right corner of the room. I catch a glimpse of Robin standing in front of an access panel before the whole platform is covered in a colossal wave.

"Newurgh!"

A fireball explodes to my right and Artemis lets out a high pitched scream! Did she get hit? I can't see properly from here! Damn it! Ring! A smaller explosion behind me, one of Artemis' arrows. Another fireball back, and Artemis yelps. She must be mostly unhurt, at least. Another fireball, and no reply. Typhoon lets the water in the room go back to its normal level as Bonfire sends a sheet of flame in Artemis' direction. Just have to hope she fell back in time.

Not sure what happened to Robin.

Wait. Wallace and Kon are staring at something, open mouthed.

"What's happening?!"

It takes Wallace a moment to compose himself.

"They.. they got Rob."

Oh dear.

"Got as in caught, or got as in-."

The look on his face answers my question.

Oh dear.

I hear a splash and a quiet thump as what I assume to be a wave carrying my team mate collapses at the robot's feet up above me. The Sphere warbles something incomprehensible.

Right right right, get it together. Can't assess his injury from here, and I doubt that the robots have his wellbeing in mind. Closest medical kit is either in subspace, in the bioship -wherever that got to-, or on the wall behind me by the door. We've practised dealing with water inhalation and I could probably clear his airways without the ring just fine. Depending on what state he's in he might clear it himself, but I can't hear coughing.

"Three minutes."

I strain at my bonds even as I realise that such an action is completely futile. I try contacting Teekl again, but I don't get anything coherent back. A call to the ring produces even less of a result. I can't even feel it any more.

Stupid thing is, Artemis would probably try contacting Red Tornado on the Watchtower if his siblings weren't blocking communications. That actually gets a dark chuckle out of me. Haaa. If I live through this, I'm definitely carrying a sidearm at all times, civilian clothing or not. One of those red plasma weapons would have brought Red Typhoon's career to an abrupt end. Then I could have taken the time to get the ring back…

Yeah. If only.

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Does it matter?

"One minute."

The fear is so intense that I'm starting to tingle, but the adrenaline is making everything seem sharper. Reminds me of a My Little Pony fanfiction I read once, where Twilight Sparkle believes herself to be dying and rejoices at the fact that she will experience it with complete lucidity and in doing so gain knowledge not stored in any book. What a remarkably upbeat way to think about it. Regrettably, however, I do not have her scientific turn of mind, and as such am still desperately trying to work out a way out of this. Turn myself into a construct, maybe? No, no, that wouldn't work without the ring. Um, maybe I could sell them on the idea of entering the cybernetics industry? I'm sure Mister Luthor would be happy to-.

"I surrender."

Oh.

"Stop the clock."

It's hard to tell from here, but I think that Artemis just walked in through the cavern's main entrance. I honestly hadn't considered that. I mean, I want to live, obviously, I just didn't see any realistic prospect of my survival chances being increased by Artemis handing herself over. Most likely, she's just going to die with the rest of us. I did maybe think that she'd be able to pull off a rescue. Rig up some sort of anti-robot weapon, get the drop on them?

I hear a gasp as the water level rises to cover first Wallace's face, and then Kon's.

!Nonononononononono!

I start struggling again as the water comes up over my shins.

I hear a clang, and the roar of fire. Guess Artemis is dead, then. I suppose instant incineration might be preferable to-.

The generator in the far side of the room starts crackling. I imagine that an explosive detonation would be faster than drowning, and might even take the robots with us. Another second and the water covers my knees. A race.

That's actually kind of funny.

The generator's crackling reaches a crescendo, and a strange aurora of blue/white light expands away from it like a bad comic book representation of an electromagnetic pulse.

...

No.

...

Noo.

...

Really?

I'm not complaining or anything, but really? Fucking parallel universe electromagnetic spectrum and complete lack of health and safety. Why is our generator even in a room routinely half filled with water?

I hear first one metallic thump and then another. Both down then. I gasp and start giggling quietly to myself in relief. Okay, um, so hopefully that didn't just lock Typhoon's water raising powers to maximum. Really hope they don't have some sort of fast reset system, because I don't know how much of Artemis' arsenal could harm them even if they are recumbent.

The water drops back down below my legs, then Kon and Wallace's heads re-emerge, gasping at the air. Now if Artemis could just check on Robin...

"Artemis, how's Robin!?"

Might as well ask myself.

"He's..."

Come on!

I hear a cough.

"He's breathing! He's okay!"

Kon's bonds explode away from him, and he rips the collar from his neck. Looks like it was affected by the EMP as well. Better check that Belle Reve is really well shielded on my next visit. He leaps over me and onto the platform.

"Kaldur? M'gann?"

I hate not knowing.

"I think they're okay. M'gann's out cold, but her vitals are good."

Kon's the only person here other than me I'd rely on to check a shapeshifter's vitals.

"I am... Ah, I will recover."

Kaldur. That's reassuring. What can I do?

"Closest medical kit's by the door if you need it. If you don't, Wallace and I would really appreciate being let out. Artemis, I don't know what you did, but very well done. Thank you."

Drips land on the top of my head. I crane my neck upward, and am greeted by the smile of a somewhat damp looking Robin. "We rigged the generator up as an EMP emitter, but the parts didn't fit."

I think it's because I'm overwhelmed with relief, but I actually giggle at that. Uh, I hope he doesn't ask me to explain.

"Artemis had to shoot an arrow into the gap to make it work."

"From there? Whow. Uh, I realise it's a faint hope, but you didn't come across an orange power ring on your travels, did you? I seem to have misplaced it."

His smile fades a little, and he shakes his head. Droplets of water from his hair splash on my face, and I try and blink them away. I hear a thud and then a screech of metal as Kon tears Wallace free.

"No, and, honestly? I wouldn't have touched it if I had. I don't think going crazy again would have helped."

"I cancelled your user privileges. If you'd wrapped it up in something so your skin didn't touch it, you'd have been f-."

Waah! I'm now horizontal to the ground, still bound in metal. Kon's just ripped my cocoon out of the wall, and is holding me over his head in one hand.

"Wa-! Careful!"

I can feel myself overbalancing forward. To die now would be completely stupid. No, come on, Kon's easily strong enough... And I'm down, base first. The floor here is still a bit damp, but I'm still happy to see it. There's a series of small shearing noises as Kon rips away whatever is still binding me at the back, and I squirm out of the remaining bonds before turning around and hugging him.

"Thank you."

I keep hugging. I actually feel a bit faint. I think the adrenaline crash and the head injury are catching up with me. And now I'm getting pins and needles.

"Uh..?"

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm... I'm really not feeling..."

He catches me as I lose strength in my legs. I try and get them back under me, but they won't co-operate.

"Looks like you'll have to do a bridal carry."

I can't believe Robin's still holding a grudge about that. It does feel.. nice.. though, as Kon pulls me to his chest and starts walking back to the upper part of the room. Probably a bit ungainly, as I'm a good bit taller than him.

"H... Hey. Mi.. might be worth.. pulling the robots apart. Just in case."

He grins.

"No problem."

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
Quiet time

Kon gently lowers me to the ground next to M'gann before walking over to the two robots. "So, do I just rip their heads off?"

Robin taps his arm computer. Nothing happens, and he bumps his forehead with the heel of his right palm. "EMP, duh!"

No magitech EMR shielding for the Bat Family then. I turn my head slightly to the side to get a better look at our attackers. Looks like Typhoon lost his right arm since he attacked me, and given the smooth nature of the cut at the upper arm and along the right side of his torso I'm going to guess it was a near miss from one of my arrows.

"Aw, man!" Wallace is unenthused. "Are we gonna have to dig our way out to get help?"

"That will not be necessary."

I hear a whirring sound as Red Tornado flies into the cavern, and let my head loll back. We're safe. Matter dealt with. I'll have a rest now, and when I wake up I'll grab my personal lantern and Teekl and then I can go and find the ring.

Where is that blasted cat, anyway?

Red Tornado lands on the platform where we've gathered. "What has occurred?"

"Had a little visit from your family."

I hope Robin doesn't get in Red Tornado's face over this. He got enough of that back when the Society found out that Morrow constructed him, and he got himself checked out for override commands once computer technology caught up with him.

"Your extremely nasty family."

Now, Artemis, that's unfair. Oh, whatever. I rest the back of my head against the floor and close my eyes. I'm sure someone will move me if I'm in the way.

"I was not aware that I had relations."

"Where have you been?"

It all drifts away, and I am at peace.

...

"Huuukk..."

I'm suddenly awake and I'm being treated to the terrifying sight of Bonfire and Typhoon climbing to their feet and Tornado floats over them, funnels of air swirling around his arms. I can't breathe I can't breathe! Kon lunges at him but is knocked aside as a flame blast takes him in the chest. I'm fading out again.

But we were safe!

We were safe…

...

"Hera, what happened here?"

I'm not dead.

I can still feel pain.

"Paul, can you hear me?"

Pain when I breathe, both inside my chest and on the outside where I can feel the bruise from Typhoon's strike. My head throbs, my skin hurts, and every few seconds someone stabs me in the cheek.

"Paul, speak to me."

I still feel sick and I have no ring.

And...

And I'm angry.

I snap my eyes open to see Diana kneeling at my right side. I sit up suddenly and have to put my right hand on her left shoulder to steady myself while I fight off the dizziness.

"Thank-."

I push myself off her, turning, first rising to my knees and then staggering to my feet.

Angry. Ring!

!Want ring!

"Paul, where are you-?"

I'm fed up with being helpless! Find the ring!

!Ring!

I get a momentary vision of the water purification and desalinisation systems on the lowest level of the mountain. Right. Out of the corner of my eye I see various Justice League members tending to my team mates but I ignore them because I have a mission! I can barely see where I'm going as the cave fades in and out of focus but that's fine, I know the route. Down a corridor, then another, about... yep, and I open the door with my shoulder.

"Paul, we need to check your injuries. Stop, and we'll-."

"Neuhhuruugh, RING!"

The usually pristine underbelly of the base looks like a scene from a mechanical hell. Billowing steam mixes with the smoke and covers the broken and dripping wet remains of the machinery.

!Ring!

I stagger along the gantry. I feel a pull in the direction of the far corner, out of sight of where I am now.

"Oh Hera. Paul, stop!"

The pain in my skin redoubles, but it doesn't matter because soon I'll have the ring back and then I can fix everything. As I round the corner I can just make out a faint orange glow and I nearly throw myself over the side to get at it. No, go to the ladder, the ladder, climb down. Fucking foot! Work properly! Right, I'm down. Can't see a bloody thing, but that's fine.

Ring!

I felt it! That way! I can-.

Get off me!

"Paul, this is dangerous. You're hurt."

I nearly try punching her.

"Ring! Over there!"

She looks in the direction I'm pointing, frowning. "Are you certain?"

!Want ring!

I try to pull away and she puts her right arm around my chest, pinning my arms to my side. No! I need the ring!

Ring!

"I can.. I can feel it! I've got to have it!"

She doesn't move.

"I can heal myself with it. I can heal everyone!"

We start moving, she walking and I being carried along pinned to her side by an arm as unbending as a titanium girder.

"Very well then. But if it turns out not to be there we will leave immediately."

 

[Mr Zoat]

22nd September
So close!

We round a corner and I see Teekl desperately clawing at the metal panel which makes up the side of one of the water purification units.

"Teekl, is it in there?"

She pauses, right foreclaws embedded in the thick metal.

"Waowwoowwwwwwwer."

Right. I relax against Diana's side. Normally I'd have to put effort into focusing, but today's been so fucking horrible...

Ring!

The side of the purification unit buckles outward and rips as the ring tears its way out. Diana lets me go as I reach for it, stretching out my left arm as it flies toward me. Yes, please yes! It turns in the air and lands cleanly on my left ring finger.

As soon as it touches me a ripple of orange light explodes across the room. Smoke and vapour are sucked from the air, fires are extinguished and I feel SOOO MUCH BETTER!

"Armour! Overshield! Wholeness Rightly Assumed!"

My vision clears, the pain stops and my cheek feels like flesh again. The relief is so absolute that I drop to my knees, cradling the ring against my chest. I hear foul water splattering and realise that the hole the ring's exit made is still leaking. But that is now a problem I can cope with.

"Repair."

Technical specifications flash through my mind, and orange lights strobe from my body in all directions. The machinery in front of me is repaired and then the glorious orange leaps from mechanism to mechanism. The floor is scoured of loose detritus and broken devices are knitted back together.

Oh yes.

I move my hand slightly so that my left hand meets my right. As I start stroking the ring's sigil with my right thumb I realise that it landed sigil outward. I doubt it matters.

"Paul, what happened?"

"Hmm?"

Oh yes, Diana's here, isn't she? I shuffle around on the floor until I'm pointing in her direction, but I don't look at her. I focus my eyes on the ring instead.

!Need!

"What. Happened?"

"Robots. Sir. Like.. Red Tornado. A water manipulator and a fire manipulator. Water manipulator got me while I was in the toilets, without the ring on. Lost track of the ring. Got beat. Woke up stuck on a wall. Robin and Artemis rigged up an EMP emitter and stuck it in the main power generator. We were more or less okay until Red Tornado showed up."

I flop back into a sitting position, and Diana sits down opposite me. "Why was that a problem?"

"I don't know exactly what happened, but.. for some reason.. he sided with them. Sucked the air right out of our lungs."

My head's still pointing ringwards, but I flick my eyes up at her. Her face is still. "Are you certain that's what happened?"

I think about it for a moment, my eyes darting left and right.

"I didn't have the ring to confirm his identity. Someone could have built a working Red Tornado replica. Or one of the other robots might have hacked him, reprogrammed him. I don't think he'd have attacked us of his own volition. If Morrow -or someone using his stuff- is back in action, they might have been able to bypass his defences."

Diana nods. "That's a little more believable. If T.O. Morrow has Red Tornado then we'll need to mount a rescue mission. And completely change our security procedures. It looked as though the mountain will need some work as well."

"If... If Lantern Stewart is available, I was thinking we could get started on that tomorrow. Had a.. a bit of time to think about it."

While I was pinned helplessly to a wall, unable to do anything.

"Paul, are you alright?"

"Yes, yessir. I'm fine now."

"Paul, look at me." I flick my eyes up to her face for a moment, before returning them to the ring. "Paul, look at me." I close my eyes, and turn my head up to look at her before opening them. Her eyes widen in shock. "Tartarus, Paul..."

I look down again. "Ah, are my eyes acting up again? I'm sorry about that sir, I'll... I'm sure they'll sort themselves out in a few minutes."

I make an effort to lower my arms, and just about manage to get them to my stomach before they start shaking. I pull them tight against me in an attempt to make them stop. It's only partially successful.

"Paul, talk to me. What happened to you?"

I raise my shaking left hand to stop her. "I appreciate your concern, sir, but I can cope."

"You're clearly not coping."

"Sir, I'm not some emotionally incontinent American. I j- I just need a few minutes, and then I'll be fine."

"Paul, you don't need to keep up a stiff upper lip all of the time. I'm the only one here, and I certainly won't think any less of you if-."

Ah, yes. I manage a small smile, and close my raised left hand to stop her.

"It's... You know, it's funny. People usually associate the 'stiff upper lip' with the height of the empire. The dour Queen Victoria, and all that. When actually, the 'stiff upper lip' didn't come in until after the First World War. It was a.. a reaction to the overwhelming horror.. of the battlefields of France. There were no words to describe it, so they didn't. Hm." A bitter chuckle. "Men from the Victorian era were actually quite free with their emotions. I'm.. not that liberated. I'm sorry."

I feel something pushing at my right leg. I look down, and Teekl looks up at me. I pick her up and cradle her against my chest, rubbing my left cheek against her head and stroking her chin with the fingers of my right hand.

The shaking eases off a little.

"Good cat. Well done for finding the ring. That was a good decision on your part."

Teekl purrs. "Teekl clever kitty."

"Yes you are. Yes you are."

 

[Mr Zoat]

Beta Male

23rd September
05:16 GMT -5

I stand in a service corridor, looking at the smooth hemisphere carved into the wall by an Arrow of Unmaking. The first, Artemis used in the library to moderate effect. Losing an arm cost Red Typhoon a great deal of precision but none of his raw power, the primary water control generator thingy being housed in the chest. I asked Batman for Red Tornado's precise technical specifications but was rebuffed. He didn't refuse exactly, but he did indicate that as far as he was concerned it was a League matter now.

The second arrow went off here because a current of water knocked it out of Artemis' quiver and into the wall. The quiver I gave her has little locking mechanisms which mean that you have to push down slightly before pulling the arrows out. That would have stopped them falling out during acrobatics, but she switched back because she found it awkward during normal use. As a result, when Typhoon tried to drown them she lost most of her arrows.

Just lucky it didn't go into her or Robin. Or a major electrical cable. I thought that the impact trigger I built into it would prevent accidental activation, but it seems that a depth charge exploding in close proximity works just as well as striking a target. Maybe I should add an extra safety? An activation button, perhaps?

!Must repair!

"Lantern Stewart, would you mind?"

Lantern Stewart points his ring, and part of our accumulated rubble pile is consumed as the hole is repaired by a green beam. He wanted to make an early start, and I'm used to getting up early. Before I came to this world that was because I had an hour long train journey to get to work. Last night... I... I didn't get much sleep. Even with my orange feline nightlight standing guard. I don't think the others did either.

"What did that?"

"I made Artemis some arrows using Alexander Tuttle's 'crumbler' technology. That's a misfire."

We had a chat about exactly what he's allowed to do with his ring as far as building work goes, and the upshot is that he with his unlimited-recharges-but-can-only-manufacture-things-commonly-available-on-Earth-unless-he-gets-special-dispensation ring will be doing all of the structural work, while the orange no-more-recharges-for-seven-hours-but-can-make-anything ring makes the advanced stuff. Well, we are now. Last night I got a bit repair-happy, and I'm now on low power. Unlike Lantern Jordan, Lantern Stewart actually sounded interested in the possibilities of unrestrained creation.

"Crumbler? Didn't he use gauntlets?"

We carry on down the corridor. At the moment we're just checking the base is structurally sound and doing a little tidying up. We could have started the major work immediately, but I pointed out that it would be a bit pointless to rebuild something if we decided not to include it in the redesign and had to tear it down again. He's volunteered to do most of the design work.

"Yeah, but his design had a load of jank." He gives me a puzzled look. "Stuff that it didn't need in order to work, I mean. Sure, I can see how it could be useful to precisely control the shape and size of the area being crumbled, or the rate of crumbling, but it's hardly necessary. Once you strip out everything you don't need, you can make a one use short duration high intensity crumble generator the size of an arrowhead."

I nod my head to the side.

"If you've got a power ring, anyway."

I asked, and it turned out that he had to wind up his architecture practice in order to be a full time Lantern. Really, that just reaffirmed my decision that establishing a civilian identity wasn't worthwhile. If you can never use it, what's the point? I mean, what does he tell people he does for a living? He hadn't joined the League when this place was first built and so wasn't involved in the construction process. Superman and Lantern Jordan might have hollowed the space out, but Batman and Mister J'onzz handled design and the electronics.

"You been making a lot of things with your ring?"

"Blanks for magic artefacts, mostly." I give an amused snort. "I was actually wearing a personal ward when the robots attacked. If their abilities had been magic based, I could probably have beaten them even without this ring."

I flap my left hand up before letting it drop back down to my side. I've been wearing the ring 'the right way around' since getting it back yesterday evening. Not quite sure why, but it's not as if I'm going out in public.

He frowns. "I didn't think it was possible to use a power ring to do magic."

"Far as I know, it isn't. But if the party wizard wants some sort of symbol drawn on the ground for a ritual, you just need to look at the illustration and.. will it so, in your case." I hold up my right hand and generate the Seal of Solomon. The good version John Constantine showed me, with all the extra squiggles. "Same with reagents and artefacts; you need a particular shape or formula, it's far faster to do it with a ring."

He nods. The corridor exits back into the main cavern, though unlike last night this part is no longer under water. With the main generator out, light is provided by halogen spotlights connected to portable generators. The rest of the mountain has emergency lighting powered by built in batteries... Where they hadn't been completely destroyed, anyway. Ring power means that Lantern Stewart and I can see just fine.

"We'll be bringing in a replacement generator at oh six twenty."

Being at ground zero for an electromagnetic surge of that sort of power turned out to be a bit unhealthy for the main generator. I'm not sure exactly how it generates power, but the consensus among those who do understand it appeared to be that replacing it would be more sensible than letting me reset it to factory settings.

"How exactly are they going to get that in here?"

"The generator was designed to be exactly the maximum size the mountain's zeta tubes can handle. We'll use the temporary generators to power the tubes at this end and bring it through."

"For a moment there I was wondering if we were going to have to hinge the entire mountain open."

I look around the cavern. Kaldur and M'gann are talking to Mister J'onzz. No King Orin, but I suppose it would have been very short notice.

!Assist!

I should really talk to Kaldur about that, see how things are going in Atlantis. If Kaldur's still here, he probably hasn't had any sleep at all. I'll see if I can bring myself up to speed and then suggest that he get his head down for a few hours.

Captain Atom's pulling some wrecked electronics from the wall. Teekl's floating just over his shoulder, watching the sparks and flailing wires with interest. Then, she turns and makes eye contact with me before dropping to the floor and starting to walk in my general direction. I mean, she's still a cat. She isn't going to hurry over, is she?

This is probably the furthest she's been from me since I got the ring back. She followed me back to the main cavern, then to my room, then back to the main cavern when I finally gave up on sleep and then part of the way around the mountain checking for damage. She usually doesn't spend that much time with me in a week. I wonder if it's my need that's drawing her to me, or if she's genuinely that compassionate?

Last time I saw them, Wallace and Robin were in the living area, dozing on the settee. They were really quite angry when the League first appeared, but there's only so long you can keep that up when the other party doesn't respond and you are either dog tired or ravenously hungry. Kon's been stewing in his own frustration. I left Diana trying to engage him in conversation, but I'm not sure where he is now. I still think the best thing to do is to keep yourself occupied in a situation like this.

!Make better!

Fretting doesn't help.

!Make better!

Artemis was talking to Black Canary –not sure where they've got to- while Green Arrow hasn't arrived yet. Superman was here, and he and Kon studiously avoided looking at each other until he left to see if he could pick up the Reds' trail.

"Hard at work already? 'Cause I gotta be honest; you could both use the beauty sleep."

!!!

I jerk my head to the right, armour forming around me even as I process the voice. Guy Gardner, with a slightly concerned looking Captain Marvel standing just behind him.

"Wohw! Easy there buddy."

I relax slightly, dropping the armour.

"I was just sayin' t'Marvel here, hope you're not going to try an' use this as an excuse to pussy out of training on Saturday."

"Why, have you finally learned to balance the ball on the end of your nose?"

A flicker of green in the corner of my eye is swiftly followed by a sharp stinging sensation on my left earlobe. I jerk my left hand up to it before my brain catches up. I look down at the green construct hand sticking out of the ground on the end of a thin green thread. It waves, and then makes an obscene gesture at me. I grin. Not only is it not coming out of his ring, but his ring's not even glowing.

"You finally got the hang of it!"

Lantern Stewart looks at it with evident curiosity. "How are you doing that?"

Guess Lantern Tui isn't all that imaginative, either.

"Paul showed me. Ya gotta send a real thin construct under the ground from your foot. When it comes out the other end, just make whatever you want from that, instead of yer ring."

Lantern Stewart looks confused. "I thought you were training him."

I shrug. "Well, yeah, but what would we have done for the rest of the afternoon? I think I've nearly undone all the damage Lantern Kilowog did. Just wish I could do something about the smell."

"Oh, that's it! On Saturday, we're doin' orbital bombardment practice!"

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
06:39 GMT -5

"...not because of Superman! I'm just saying, if there's no difference in power consumption we might as well go for the one that affects Kryptonians as well as other targets."

!Protect!

At the far side of the room, Kaldur's having a private conversation with Batman. The rest of the team are sitting at a table on what was the training circle, and will be again once Lantern Stewart and I have finished repairing it. He and I are standing in front of the main computer screen, discussing internal defences for the revised mountain design. I.. don't think he's appreciating my input.

"How many other Kryptonians do you know of?"

Black Canary's been doing a noble job of containing the team's growing frustration. If I thought it would help I'd have told them to do what I've been doing; keeping busy really helps. If they don't get movement on the Tornado issue, they're just going to keep on getting more irritable.

"Two main groups I know about. Firstly, you've got the Phantom Zone prisoners."

Green Arrow brings a bowl of some sort of biscuit over, and puts it in front of Wallace. Not a bad idea, usually, but in this situation it might come across as a bit blatant.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Superman's not going to let them out any time soon."

"Yeah. What we want, are answers. About Red Tornado and his siblings."

"They're not all serial killers. As I understand it, the Science Council got a bit Phantom Zone happy towards the end. Some of them could be paroled eventually."

"Exactly."

"Even so..."

"Then you've got any Kryptonian who happened not to be on Krypton when it was destroyed."

"Leave the bowl." Wallace begins inhaling the biscuits.

"There weren't any. They were isolationists."

"All of them? They had faster than light travel, and every single one decided not to use it?"

He frowns, and turns to look at me sidelong. "Do you know something?"

How do I explain? "I.. might have heard something. About a group of Kryptonian naval personnel who chose not to return to port when the Science Council mandated isolationism came in."

"Where did you hear that?"

!No!

Um.

"Nowhere I can talk about with a member of the Green Lantern Corps."

His face relaxes a little. "Have you told Superman about it?"

"I've barely said two words to him since I got here. Besides, wouldn't it be cruel to get his hopes up like that, unless I've got something concrete?"

He puts his right hand to his chin. "I suppose. Wouldn't hurt to look into it." He nods to himself. "I'll mention it to Tomar-Re. If we could find-."

"YOU KNEW!"

Stewart and I jerk our heads around as Kon rushes across the room and grabs Kaldur by the vest. Oh dear.

!Team must not fight!

"Excuse me Lantern Stewart." I start walking toward Kon. Not sure what set him off, but we're all a bit on edge.

"That android and his maniac family nearly killed us all!"

M'gann beats me there. "Conner, what are you doing?"

"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us AND SAID NOTHING!"

!HelpNoBad!

Oh dear. Transition.

I appear at Kon's shoulder, and put my right hand lightly on his right forearm. "No, he didn't."

Kon turns his head to me in full glare mode. Haven't seen that for a while. "He just told Batman that he knew-!"

"Kon, Red Arrow heard an accusation from Onyx. Onyx is a member of the League of Shadows, and isn't exactly a font of reliable intelligence. He told me, and I, reported her claim to Kaldur."

"What! Why didn't you tell the rest of us?"

!Unify!

His anger is mixing with confusion and hurt. Oh, please don't take it like that.

"I didn't think it was a credible claim. Enemies don't generally give away their plans mid fight, but, just in case, Kaldur and I checked every team member and everyone checked out fine. No unexplained gaps in their personal history, no irregular financial activity, no drugs and no other physiological alterations." His grip on Kaldur loosens, and I pull his right hand up to my chest, holding it there with both of mine. "We even got a magic user in to check for unnatural mental influences."

"When?"

I turn my head to look at Robin. "You remember on Monday evening, when we all went out for burgers?"

He looks down for a moment with a frown. Then his head shoots up. "The blonde guy!"

"His name is John Constantine, and he's an expert on mind magics. He found nothing."

Kaldur smoothes down his vest, calming himself. "We concluded that there was unlikely to be any truth in Onyx's claim."

I nod. "And, let's face it; winding Red Arrow up isn't exactly hard."

Kon's eyes fall from my face. "But why didn't you tell me?"

!Make better!

I don't know what to say. I stand there gormlessly for several seconds before Kaldur rescues me.

"That was my decision. I did not want to risk causing discord within the team without firm evidence. Since we had none, I decided to let the matter drop."

I nod again. "Neither of us considered the possibility that it might not be a team member. And to be honest, I'm still not convinced the two events were related. Doctor Morrow's never had anything to do with the League of Shadows."

Neither Robin nor Wallace look happy with that explanation. Artemis seems okay, surprisingly.

"But, they've gotta be." Wallace voices their doubt.

I shake my head. "Morrow's had it in for Red Tornado for seventy years, ever since Red Tornado first overcame his command overrides. Remember what Mister Twister tried to do? Same technology. Seems to me, he just kept going at it until he finally got through."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
06:43 GMT -5

Robin appears to think for a moment. "Wait. If you checked up on us, who checked up on you?"

I wince, and flick my eyes to Kaldur.

"Queen Mera gave Orange Lantern access to the Royal Archives. Every record of my history and actions was at his disposal. Additionally, he persuaded Wonder Woman to grant us use of her lasso."

I'm told I managed seven or eight mostly coherent answers before being completely intoxicated by the lasso's magic. Kaldur got enough answers to assure himself that I wasn't working for the opposition, -whoever they might be in this context- but all I remember is waking up with a headache. Can't even check the ring's recording, as I took it off in order to prevent it looking like I was using it to dodge the lasso's effect. Just have to hope that if I said anything out-of-context that he wrote it off as part of the intoxication effect.

Magic: it's a hell of a drug.

I step closer to Kon, pulling his whole right forearm forward my chest.

!Kon mine!

"Kon, remember how you felt when M'gann found those telepathic controls in your mind? Do you think I'd have felt any better than you did if I'd had them?"

"... No."

"Do you think Red Tornado feels any better, being reprogrammed by his.. creator?" Nearly said father, but that's a therapy session for another day.

Kon tilts his head up to look at my face, thoughtful. "I.. guess not..."

!Kon mine!

And then Wallace's finger is under my nose. I pull back slightly, staring at the tip of it. Um?

"What if they were connected? Ra's al Ghul's, like, a thousand year old. What if Morrow's been in cahoots with the Shadows all along?"

Kaldur steps toward him. "Then the attack by the other robots would still have taken us by surprise. Telling you would not have changed what happened."

Probably true, and- Why is M'gann blushing?

"If you're all finished."

I give M'gann a puzzled look which she avoids, then turn to face Batman. A moment later I remember to let go of Kon's hand. In the corner of my eye I see Artemis elbow M'gann in the ribs, and M'gann bat her away.

"With Red Tornado.. missing, the team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."

We're being overseen by a ten year old. The ring shows me what it thinks he should look like; short, scrawny, and still in primary school. The League doesn't 'officially' know how old he is, and I can't help but wonder exactly how many of them know and pretend not to. Or how much of a difference the Wisdom of Solomon makes to his behaviour. I still remember the Justice Society comic where he started getting close to Stargirl and Jay pretty much called him a paedophile.

The big red cheese himself approaches, stopping next to Batman's right shoulder.

"I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."

My knowledge of the modern American lexicon isn't quite what it could be, but that sounded odd, right? Or am I just projecting my own expectations? From the looks my team mates are giving each other, they seem to think something's off.

Kon crosses his arms. "What are we doing about Red Tornado?"

Batman's eyes narrow slightly. "Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes him a League responsibility."

"Well, yeah, but-."

"I have another assignment for this team."

He gestures with his right arm, and a holographic monitor appears showing the front page of the 'News of the Planet'. The leading article is entitled 'Gorilla Trades Bananas for Bullets', and features a fuzzy photograph of what looks like a large ape carrying a minigun. So, Mallah and Brain, or one of Grod's henchapes. Should be doable without too much difficulty.

The screen shifts to a new -slightly lower brow- newspaper, the Gotham Truth Rag. Most of the front page is covered in a picture of a man named Hamilton Hill, the current mayor of Gotham. His head is bandaged and he has a cast and sling on his right arm.

"Gotham Mayor Attacked by Guerrilla Gorilla."

Wallace reads the headline aloud, just in case the rest of us have forgotten how to read.

**Red Tornado's being held prisoner by Morrow, and they're trying to distract us with this?**

I think Kon just included myself and M'gann in that.

!Unify!
!Support!

**[shrug] If it needs doing...**

Wallace is less restrained. "Monkeys with machine guns. It's a supermarket tabloid story!"

I roll my eyes. "Really. Apes with guns are a ridiculous impossibility, but a man made of asphalt makes perfect sense?"

"Ahh..."

"I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents. Aqualad-" He turns to Kaldur. "-you and your team will depart for India and check this out."

I remember nothing at all about DC India. Wait, Gorillas aren't native to India, are they? Kaldur nods, and the team begins to head off toward the bioship.

Oh, hang on.

"Ring, state remaining charge."

"Thirty seven percent remaining."

Ahh. That's what I get for repairing everything I could see last night. And I've got another five hours until I can recharge. Flight to India should take about that... Don't really want to hang around here then catch them up later...

Kaldur stops and turns back to face me. "Do you need to recharge?"

!Need team!

"Can't. My personal lantern's capacitors won't be fully charged for another five hours."

"If.. you are unable to participate..?"

"No, no, I'll bring it with us. Go on, I'll catch up with you."

He nods, and then follows the others toward the exit.

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
06:47 GMT -5

I transition to my room. My decision to occupy a remote part of the base appears to have paid off. There was some water on the floor when I stumbled in here last night, but aside from the fact that the lights were on emergency power nothing else had been affected. Now, you couldn't tell that anything was ever wrong.

Ring, door.

I originally reinforced the door because I liked the way the fortified version looks. Of course, when main power was down the door mechanism was out and I had to use the ring to get in. Okay, press the button, no point closing the door if I'm just popping in.

!Improve!

Maybe I should put a narrow tube through the wall so I can transition in directly? No, I shouldn't compromise the structural integrity. I'm also giving serious thought to altering the air supply. Deep underground, air quality and heat build up are serious concerns. The few hours our power was out didn't make any difference, but we make quite a lot of use of air conditioning and purification systems. Should I build an isolated system for myself? Or my team mates? Doesn't having a centralised system add vulnerability? I'll ask Lantern Stewart later.

Right. Lantern. It's still in the presentation box I got from Alan. I pick up the box and put it under my right arm.

"Ring, time until first recharge?"

"Five hours and thirty seven minutes remaining until a new ring charge is available."

Ugh. I asked Alan, and he said that he honestly couldn't ever remember running out of recharges. Out of ring power, sure, but he never had the lantern conk out on him. But it wasn't as if he could give me precise usage figures. The most he could clearly remember recharging it was twice in one day, which it can still do. Was it still connected to the Green Central Power Battery? I had been assuming that if it was connected then the Guardians would have sent someone -probably Abin Sur- to pick it up. Did I make it work worse by realigning it? Something else to ask the Controllers when I meet them.

I walk back out of my room, press the button to close the door, lock it and then transition back to the training area. The team's already left -can't see Captain Marvel either- and Batman, Black Canary and Green Arrow are clustered together for a chat. Lantern Stewart is still working on the plans, a glowing green model of some sort of vault door floating next to him. It's being projected directly from his ring, I notice. He looks up when I appear, and his eyes fix on the box.

"Is it in there?"

I walk over. "Yes."

"Mind showing me?"

!MY LANTERN!

I grip the box a little tighter. "Why?"

He makes a slight shrug. "Haven't seen one that wasn't green before."

!Mine!

I don't... I'm not sure why I'm so reluctant. He isn't going to just grab it off me or anything.

Is he?

No, not with the others here. And not without quoting a lot of Guardian legal mumbo jumbo first. This is fine. I project a table from a filament connected to my hip and put the box down on it. Rotate the circle of the sigil on the top surface, and that panel moves out slightly. I pick it up and set it aside, before reaching in and taking hold of the handles on its right side to pull out the dull lantern itself. I hadn't thought about it until the ring told me about the two-charge-capacity thing, but the lantern's illumination depends on how many charges it has stored. At the moment it looks more gray than orange, weak lines of colour running along its surfaces. The focal point at the front -the 'eye' I suppose- is particularly depressing. Rather than the brilliant orange glare I had rather become accustomed to, it's doing a bit of an orange lava lamp impression. At least the structure of the thing doesn't look so much like a carriage lamp anymore.

"Why don't you just stick it in subspace?"

"It's not connected to the Orange Central Power Battery. If I subspace it, it destabilises."

"Jordan's lantern didn't look that drained after six Lanterns recharged their rings from it."

!My lantern!

I put the lantern back in the box. "Again, that's because it's not connected to the Central Power Battery. What did you think the Central Power Battery did, anyway?"

He frowns slightly. "I thought that it was where our power came from, and that our personal lanterns just acted as relays."

"Then how do you explain Alan Scott? Or me, because I assure you, if Larfleeze knew I was here? He'd have sent someone to have a look by now."

!Irrelevant!
!Team!

The rest of the team are probably waiting for me. I put the box back under my arm. "If you want a better explanation, ask your ring. In fact, if you haven't done so already, you should probably get a full explanation of how rings function from your database."

"Is that how you learned to do that thing you showed Gardner?"

"No, I got that from a fan website. You should read those, too. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm required in India."

One transition later and I'm looking at the side of the bioship. Down below I can see Diana talking to Guy. I cringe slightly. Guy had made certain observations in my presence about his appreciation for her preferred mode of dress, and I'm a little concerned that he's about to be put back into a coma. Oh well, it'd be his own silly fault.

"You can't come. You're a cat."

Kon walks out the back of the bioship, holding Teekl by the scruff of the neck. He puts her down. She takes a couple of steps away with her tail raised, then turns and sits down facing him.

"You'd probably just get captured again."

Teekl looks over to me. "Mrrrp?"

Kon follows her gaze. "Paul, tell her she can't come."

!Teekl!

Um... "Has Kaldur said anything about it?"

Teekl floats upward until she's level with Kon's face then thrusts her head forward, sniffing at him.

He moves his head back slightly. "No."

"Then I've got to be honest, Kon: I wouldn't mind having her along. Being able to see through her eyes is pretty useful. Plus, she's immortal."

Teekl puts her right forepaw on Kon's nose. He stands his ground. "But I told the sphere it had to stay here."

"The sphere doesn't have any weapons and can't fly. And I don't think either of us understand what it says well enough to get useful intelligence reports."

"What weapons does Teekl have?"

I wince inwardly as Teekl rotates her head slightly to the side. Kon, you had to say it.

"Ow!"

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
06:52 GMT -5

I follow Teekl and Kon into the bioship, Kon touching his face where Teekl clawed him to see whether or not she's drawn blood. I don't think she has. I didn't even know that Teekl could hurt someone as tough as Kon. I had sort of assumed that the reason I have trouble fighting him is because I like him so much, but it's interesting to have confirmation.

"Stupid cat."

Kon plonks himself down in the rear left chair while Teekl flies up to... Captain Marvel?

"Hey kitty." He rubs her head, and she closes her eyes in pleasure.

"Captain. I hadn't realized that you were going to be accompanying us."

I try to make eye contact with someone who can give me a clue as to what's going on. Stupid seats facing away from the entrance... Mister.. no, Master Batson gives me a big smile.

"Oh yeah! I wanted to see how the team works, y'know, in the field."

Maybe Solomon's Wisdom only works when babies are getting cut in half? The rear door oozes closed behind me. Still haven't really got used to the noise this ship makes. Artemis appears to have decided to try my quiver, and is fiddling with the arrow release mechanism. Robin and Wallace are looking at Robin's computer, presumably reading the full mission briefing. Kaldur's looking pensive. M'gann's taken up position in the pilot seat.

!Wellbeing!

Wait. She and Kaldur were awake when I slouched off to sleep last night, and were still around when I got up. M'gann raises her hands over the control panels. I focus my mind on her.

**M'gann, one moment. Did you get any sleep last night?**

**Uh. No. I mean, with everything that was happening... Why?**

I expand the communication to Kaldur. **Aqualad, everyone on the team except me is running on very little sleep. I think it might be worth having me fly us to India while everyone else tries to get some rest in.**

**You have a concussion!**

**Had, Miss Martian. Not only did the ring repair my injuries, but according to Lantern Gardner a Human wearing a power ring can go without sleep for about two weeks without any detrimental effect. Martian concentration suffers as much as Human.**

**It would be better for every member of the team to be at their best when we arrive. Very well, Orange Lantern will fly us to our destination.**

**[Mildly reproachful affront.]**

I think that last bit was just sent to me. M'gann rises from the pilot's position and takes a seat on the right side of the ship. I walk around to the right past her as I head to the pilot seat.

**[!Mine!
!Protect!
!Nurture!
!Exalt!
Friendly concern
!Mine!]**

M'gann gives me a puzzled look as I take my seat. Did I send that wrongly? Oh well, I'm sure she'll tell me later if I did. I put the box containing my lantern down by my right leg and hold out my arms to the control nodes. First, I allow the ship's senses to connect to my mind. The ship has gravity sensors, broad electromagnetic spectrum detection and radar sensitive enough to let me 'see' patterns of air pressure. Learning to connect to the ship's mind is essential to pilot the ship, that and appreciating that the ship is a living creature and needs a degree of.. compassion? Collegiality? It's sort of a cross between a simple AI and a horse, I suppose. The ship seemed to start 'liking' me after I healed it following our first fight with Klarion, and we've been on the same wavelength ever since. Connecting to the ship lets me know that local airspace is clear enough for us to launch. Second step, camouflage mode. Third step...

Ring, doors.

Compliance.

The large external doors slide open.

!Improve!

Have to see if we can get one of those optoelectronic camouflage systems for the external facing during the revisions. I hadn't bothered before because I still don't regard keeping this place secret as a realistic possibility. But I really don't want to go through another home invasion. Or a tourist swimming around the bay at an inopportune moment.

Ring, access full mission brief.

Batman's notes appear in my mind, and I use the destination to plot our flight path even as I coax the bioship smoothly into the air and into the general direction of the North Pole and the upper atmosphere. Depending on how things go, we're looking at about five hours and fifteen minutes of flying.

"What's in the box, Oh El?"

"Hm? Oh. My personal lantern."

I take a look at the rest of the mission brief. Looks like we're heading to... Oh dear. The facility is licensed as a biotech research facility. Not sure how they got authorisation to build something like that in the Valmiki National Park... I honestly just thought that, didn't I? Okay, so a fairly hefty payment to someone..? Huh, the payment was actually more or less above board. Exclusive use of a good chunk of the national park in exchange for quite a lot of money for schools and health centres. And some bribes, but on a contract that size in that part of India it isn't anything obscene. Alright, so, fair enough, but where did the money..?

Oh dear.

"Can we have a look?"

Huh? "At what?"

"The lantern."

"It's really not that interesting."

"I think it's pretty interesting. Everyone else think it's interesting?"

I return my attention to the cabin and see that everyone is looking at me, nodding. Except Teekl, who has taken position on Batson's cape-side shoulder. Ugh. I float the box up, open it and extract my lantern.

"Here."

Artemis doesn't look impressed. "I thought it'd be brighter."

"It's still recharging. Once it reaches maximum power -which probably won't be until Sunday now- it gets fairly bright."

Wallace gets up to have a closer look.

Robin looks a little uncomfortable. "Is that safe?"

"Should be. If you're worried, don't touch it or stare at the core."

"Okay."

"And if the voices come back, just let me know and I'll hit you over the head with the banishment hammer."

Wallace breathes in sharply, and takes a hurried step backward. I catch Artemis' eye and we do a simultaneous snort-laugh.

He relaxes again. "Oh, hah hah. But seriously, that can't happen, right?"

"The Ophidian communicated to me exactly once, when I spoke the oath in front of the Lantern. It didn't say anything, and all I got was a general impression of where it was. I've spent a great deal of time around my lantern since A-."

No, wait, I know that Wallace knows who Alan is, but I shouldn't compromise his identity to the rest.

"Since my predecessor gave it to me. No serious ill effects that I've noticed."

M'gann looks curious. "What's the Ophidian?"

"The Embodiment of Avarice. Giant snake elemental thing made of orange light. Very dangerous."

Wallace squints with his right eye. "And.. it.. talks to you every time you say the oath?"

"Maybe. I haven't wanted to... Oh, no, I don't usually say the oath to recharge."

"Well, what do you normally say?"

I set the bioship to follow the course and then stand, right arm extended with my right hand under the lantern. My team mates -and Captain Marvel- lean forward to get a better look. I hold my left back, take a deep breath, and bring the ring forward with great solemnity to tap it against the core.

"Recharge."

They sag.

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
07:11 GMT -5

Ordinarily the bioship is not a quiet environment. We might discuss the briefing materials, share information and ideas, or just talk about any old thing to relieve tension. Today, I don't know if it's last night's attack or the presence of Master Batson, but once everyone realised that my lantern isn't all that interesting the chatter pretty much dropped off. M'gann hasn't, but she is doing a Martian relaxation meditation thing that can probably sub in for it.

I asked the ship to make a seat for Captain Marvel at the front, and he's sitting there staring out the front window with every sign of being completely enthralled. We're flying over southern Canada at the moment, but at this height you can't really see any detail. I'm trying to remember what I was like at ten years old, and I'm drawing a blank. I would have been in class eight, wouldn't I? With Mister Ford? To be honest I'm having trouble remembering the names of most of my primary school teachers.

And shouldn't he be in school today? And the others? Or is this American half term? I don't really see the point of M'gann or Kon going to school if they don't want to and I realise this mission is more urgent, but if they're going to go, shouldn't they.. go? Two days off to go to prison, and now this? Robin could probably do that GED thing and then go to some sort of business school if he wanted to join Wayne Industries at management level, but Wallace really can't afford to bunk off like this. Is this worth mentioning to Batman?

!Support goal!

It probably is. I'll send him a message when I submit my mission report.

Kaldur rises from his seat and walks over to me. I request that the ship generate him another and it bubbles up from the floor facing me. He sits. "Have you had a chance to read the briefing papers?"

I nod. "Yes. Well, I've had the ring tell me what's on them. Same difference."

"Then you are aware of who owns the facility."

I grimace for a moment. "Yeah. Thing is, the site is being rented completely legally, and if Hamilton Hill wandered over the boundary by mistake or just decided to ignore it, they haven't necessarily done anything illegal."

"It would hardly be the first time a LexCorp subsidiary was involved in criminal wrongdoing."

"Sure, if it were just a subsidiary. But I took a look at the corporate structure, and it isn't. Valmiki Biotech is owned by Alexander Luthor personally. That's... Weird. More weird than a Gorilla with a machine gun on the wrong continent to be honest with you."

"He paid for it himself?"

"Nearly all of it, out of his own pocket."

"Do you think it could be something he doesn't want to show up in company reports?"

I think for a moment. "No. If that was all it was he could find some other way to hide it. By owning it like this, anything we find is directly connected to him. That's a huge risk, and I just... It doesn't make sense! He knows the League's after him, and having an ape gun down the Mayor of Gotham is... Stupid. And Lex Luthor is not stupid."

Kaldur looks down for a moment. "You do not think he might merely have become overconfident?"

It's not impossible... But I shake my head. "If that was likely to happen, it would have happened already."

He nods. "You are most likely correct."

"It's still worth investigating. Something's going on. We might have to actually be stealthy this time, though."

He says nothing for a moment, and I take a look around. Artemis appears to be doing the sensible thing, equipment on the floor, leaning back into her chair with her eyes closed. Kon's staring at Teekl, who has abandoned Marvel to curl up on the floor against his leg. Robin's reading something on his personal computer while Wallace just looks bored.

"I have been meaning to ask: how are you coping with yesterday's events?"

"Oh, trying to stay busy. I wasn't the one stuck in a cage of fire."

He shakes his head slightly. "Your injuries were more severe. I was concerned when you ran from the room after the Justice League arrived."

"I had to get the ring back." I draw my hands away from the interface and tap the ring with my right index finger. "No good to anyone without it. And I'm fine, now. Plus, I pretty much fixed the whole underbelly of the base after the Red Bonfire robot wrecked it."

"I suppose. But that is not why I asked. How do you feel?"

"Getting your arse kicked is supposed to feel bad. Most productive thing I can do is work out how to stop it happening again. Spent the morning going over the design schematics with Lantern Stewart. I mean, it's supposed to be easy to be wise after the fact, so we'd look pretty silly if we didn't make it impossible for anyone else to do what the robots did."

"I look forwards to seeing the outcome of your work."

!Nurture!

"Kaldur, were you awake all night as well?"

"I am responsible for the team. I could hardly leave to take a nap while the League was on site."

"Alright, but we've got... four hours and forty minutes before you need to do anything. You might want to think about it."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine." He stands.

"Apropos of nothing, I can synthesise a tranquiliser that affects Atlanteans, you know."

"That.. will not be necessary."

"Alright."

He walks back to his seat, and I tell the ship to reabsorb the one he just vacated. As he sits down, my communicator beeps. Odd. I tap the earpiece, and hear Artemis' voice.

"Hey, I was wondering. Were you serious, when you said you could give people super powers?"

Looking over to her I can't even see her lips moving. If I'd been asked, I'd have said that she were most likely asleep. I try to respond in kind.

"Yes, completely. I haven't tried either formula on a baseline Human yet, but I can't see any reason why they wouldn't work. Interested?"

"Maybe. Fighting those robots would have been a lot easier if I was strong enough to punch them in half."

!Enhance!

"Well, um, I'll give you whatever information you need to make a decision. I'll need your mother to sign something before I do it, of course."

"What's the downside?"

"You'd be barred from most professional sports. I don't know if you were planning to use your archery skills competitively? You might have trouble using a normal bow in combat."

"I thought you didn't like the pointy stick launcher."

!Exalt!

"The Chinese superfunctionary Celestial Archer can put a pointy stick through a main battle tank with his bent stick. That's the sort of thing you could aim for. If you went for strength, we might be able to get someone on Themyscira to make one that you could use at that level of strength. If you're serious about this, I can start making enquiries."

"I'm not... I'll think about it."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:34 GMT +5:30

"We are now arriving at Valmiki National Park. Valmiki National Park, our final destination. All change please."

Still in stealth mode, I bring the bioship in low over the trees. Kaldur's looking at a holographic map of the local topography for a good landing site. He wants to scout the perimeter on foot before we head to the main facility.

"Snrrkhuh. Ah!"

Wallace jerks awake and wipes the drool from his mouth as I direct the bioship to return his seat to the upright position. Robin smirks at him, then goes back to rereading the map on his arm computer. Everyone except Batson and I managed to sleep away part of the journey. Well, and Teekl too I suppose. Does she still sleep?

"Here." Kaldur expands an area of the map and points to a small clearing.

"Right oh." I accelerate the ship in the direction indicated. "Twenty seconds to landing zone."

"Artemis. Robin."

At Kaldur's direction they rise from their seats and walk to the back of the ship, attaching those bungee cord things to their belts. Since they are the sneakiest members of the team it really does make most sense for them to go down first.

!Protect!

They are a bit squishy, though. Particularly if Mallah is hanging around with a machine gun. But, can't really give them armour without ruining the whole stealth thing. A quick scan shows them both to be in perfect health. Hmm.

Ring, scan indicated drop point.

Compliance.

No, not a fat lot there. Various plants, none of them poisonous. My Dad would probably have loved this, actually. Maybe not in the dark, I suppose, but this would really be his thing during the day. I wonder how different the 'normal' plants on this world are to how they were back home? Purely academic interest, as aside from that time I went a bit overboard growing cress when I was at Secondary School I've never been one for plants. No large animals around, and no man made devices. I bring the ship directly over the drop zone and halt it there.

"Opening rear door now."

The slime sound again, and from the outside I hear the noise of moving air. The smell of forest and the feel of the slightly higher humidity and temperature follow a moment later. There's little wind, and I can hear the sound of insects and... birds, I think? Or maybe Monkeys? Through the ship's senses I see Robin and Artemis hit the ground and ready weapons before doing a quick sweep of the jungle. A moment later Robin double taps his comm to signal all clear and I bring the ship down.

The rest of the team rise and walk toward the rear door, Captain Marvel leading the way. Wallace brings up the rear and takes a moment to stretch himself. Teekl sits on the ground behind them and cocks her head to the side, listening to the strange new sounds. I wonder if she's ever been to a proper forest before?

I'm walking softly through the great forest as strange things flap overhead. My witch-sight lets me see in the pitch black of the canopy, but I am far from the largest hunter here and I am a long way from safe-home.

Teekl turns her head to fix me with her eyes as I blink heavily. She hasn't shown me many memories since becoming a construct, and most of them have been of the farm on which she was born and grew up. I think she likes having a bit of stability with regard to her place of residence. Klarion seems to have been jumping all over the place. No sightings of him since the fight at Fate's tower.

My team mates step out. Kon still takes some sort of odd pleasure in hard landings, and M'gann floats out after him. Wallace and Kaldur walk out once the ship reaches ground level.

"Thank you ship. We'll be back in a bit. Keep your camouflage up and don't go anywhere."

The bioship doesn't exactly respond, but I sort of feel a sort of sense of... acknowledgement? M'gann probably gets more precise feedback. I withdraw my hands and rise to my feet.

"Come along then Teekl. Best foot forward."

"Foot?"

She floats up into the air and heads out of the ship. Hah. I pick my lantern up in my right hand and head out into the dark. The others have already switched their uniforms into their stealth colorations. Odd, in a way; my uniform is the most stealth friendly by default, but the orange glow makes complete stealth impossible. At present, the sigils are glowing weakly but otherwise my environmental shield isn't glowing at all.

!Danger!

Sort that out quick enough. There, strong enough to take a rocket propelled grenade without flinching, not so bright as to broadcast our location. I doubt that much will happen between now and the... eighteen? Eighteen minutes until I can recharge and it's not as if... thirty five percent charge with a power ring isn't exactly bad.

"...Lantern is low on power, he will remain here with the ship and monitor the environment for hidden threats. Everyone else, pair off. Kid Flash, you and Robin take the western approach. Superboy, you and Miss Martian approach from the north-east. Artemis and I will come up from the south."

I approach from the rear of the arc of my team as Kaldur hands out assignments. Wallace and Robin high five each other when they are assigned to work together. Having me stay back and observe is one of my standard roles, the other being hanging around Kaldur so that he can keep track of everything.

"Remember: we are here to gather information, and ideally should remain unseen. If you are unable to approach the complex without being spotted, pull back and wait for orders. Any questions?"

Wallace waves his left hand in the air. "So, what'd'you think Luthor's doing in there, anyway?"

Kaldur thinks for a moment. "We do not know for certain that anything untoward is happening at all. The injuries that have been reported could simply be the actions of an overly enthusiastic security detail."

"Pff, yeah. But seriously. Killer robots? Hallucinogenic gas? Bioweapons?"

I decide to step in. "Pointless, he's already got it, too risky for too little reward."

He turns his head to look at me. "Come on, Oh El. A secret base in the middle of a jungle-"

"A national park, and the research centre is public knowledge."

"-full of creepy scientists-"

I spread my hands apart and create an image of the main building. "Looks like two scientists, at the moment."

"-and all of it funded by Lex Luthor!"

"You know he's never been convicted of anything, right?"

He crosses his arms at me for ruining his fun. "So you saved him from a missile attack, and suddenly you're best friends."

"No, but he's not going to do something supervillainy where it would obviously be traced back to him. And if you damage anything on camera, he will come after you for compensation."

Captain Marvel raises a hand. "Where do you want me?"

"Since we have not trained with you, and since your uniform lacks a stealth mode, I think it would be best if you remained here with Orange Lantern. We will contact you when we reach the facility. Miss Martian, please establish the telepathic link."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:39 GMT +5:30

I wave my right hand and establish the monitors as the others disappear into the bushes. The monitor can 'see' through solid objects, so keeping track of them even in quite dense foliage presents no difficulty. Scanning the whole forest doesn't bear thinking about. I mean, I'd try, but the fact is that keeping track of every potential source of danger in an area this size isn't something I could do for any length of time. I've told the ring to draw my attention to anything that represents an immediate threat.

"Um, do you know why they didn't want me along?"

Captain Marvel looks a little dejected.

"I wouldn't take it personally, sir. Takes a little while to gel with a new group. Wasn't exactly Mister Popular myself when I turned up at the mountain unannounced."

Thank you Batman. I've still got no idea why he didn't just tell them that there'd be a couple of extra members joining. Kon was fine with me after we went through that ridiculous telepathic hallucination courtesy of a G-Gnome, but I don't think Robin or Wallace fully accepted me until Santa Prisca. M'gann says that my ring generated telepathic baffles are now good enough that a G-Gnome shouldn't be able to do that again. I'm just glad that Kon didn't tell anyone about me trying to put an axe construct through the Joker's face.

Through Napier's face. Don't mythologise.

"You don't have to call me 'sir', you know."

"As a League member, you outrank me. Teekl, could you..."

Oh, she's wandered off. I close my eyes and focus for a moment. She's not far away.

Teekl, stay alert. Warn me if anything approaches.

I feel the amused contempt of her reply, but she keeps feeding me a little of what she's experiencing.

"Oh! Don't worry about that. You can call me by my name if you want."

My team mates appear to be making reasonable progress. I bring up an area map with our objective near the centre.

"Thank you William. My name's on file, feel free to use it." I turn from the monitors to look directly at him. "I can't say it mys-."

Captain Marvel's face is completely still, his mouth slightly open and eyes wide in surprise. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I've got as far as I can researching Black Adam and it's William's input I need now.

"Ah, my name's not 'William', it's 'Captain Marvel'."

I guess Solomon wasn't much of an actor. "I can call you that if you want, but-"

Anyone or anything around? No? Good.

"-your name is William Joseph Batson."

He opens his mouth and closes it a couple of times. "Is not."

Ah, why not? "Is too."

He turns to the side, and does the worst impression of someone trying to look nonchalant I've ever seen.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your transformation doesn't change your genetic structure. Plus, your Captain Marvel form is basically a slightly more muscular version of your father. If it's any consolation, I know pretty much everybody's secret identity. Hard to keep secrets from a power ring."

He turns back to me, looking as if I just caught him creeping in after curfew. He's slightly hunched, a noticeable contrast to his usual chest thrust out pose.

"You haven't told anyone, have you?"

"No, and I don't intend to. Most League members choose to keep their identities secret from each other. Really, it was quite impolite of me to pry, so, sorry about that."

He recovers a little as the prospect of being found out by the adults retreats. Haven't really investigated his background, though I know a sixty five year old man by the name of Dudley Dudley is his legal guardian. I can only assume that the man had shockingly unimaginative parents.

"It's okay. So... how's the mission going?"

I expand the screens and spin them around to face him. "Aqualad and Artemis are heading up the river. Making reasonable time." I rotate to the next screen. "Superboy and Miss Martian are going over the grasslands, and Robin and Kid Flash are heading through the denser woodlands. Assuming they maintain their present pace, they should get to the research facility just before my lantern finishes charging."

"Does it look like they'll need any help from me?"

"Couldn't say. I don't see any immediate threats. Um, listen, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What do you know about Black Adam's history?"

He thinks for a moment. "Black Adam? He used to have my job, until he turned evil and took over Kahndaq. Then, his gods-."

"Can we assume that I know of the existence of the wizard Shazam?"

He's less shocked, but still surprised. "How do you know about him?"

"Research. I went to Black Adam's tomb. The hieroglyphs aren't flattering."

Don't think I'll tell him that I've already read one version of events. Black Adam obviously had some loyal followers at that point, and the surviving images made it clear that they hated Shazam for what he did to their hero.

"Well, okay. About five thousand years ago the wizard found a man he thought was virtuous enough to use the power of Kahndaq's gods for good. He gave him the stamina of Shu, the strength of Hershef, the power of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the speed of Anpu and the courage of Menthu. Basically the same powers as I've got, but from different sources. But then rather than use them for good he used them to kill his pharaoh and take over the country, so the wizard took them away again." He shrugs. "I don't know how he's still alive now, but all he seems to want to do is fight people. Me, usually."

"May I ask where you heard that version?"

"From the wizard." He frowns. "Wait. What do you mean, that version?"

"Have you checked it against other sources? I mean, I don't believe that people just 'turn evil'."

His frown deepens slightly, and then the boy is gone and the man returns. "Do you know something? Black Adam isn't someone you should play around with."

I push the screens to one side. "When I scan you, the ring detects you as you naturally are."

I create a model of William Batson in his standard apparel. I leave it a moment before waving it away.

"About a month ago I scanned Black Adam -from a very safe distance, I should add- and I saw this."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:44 GMT +5:30

The glowing orange figure of Theodore Adam sneers at us. He's wearing jeans and a short sleeved shirt, though that's an addition of mine based on the pictures I saw of the dig at which Clarence and Marilyn Batson were killed and he was 'abducted by bandits, but managed to escape'. Officially, he's in the clear, as he was very definitely injured and some distance away from the dig site when the other members of the dig crew caught up with him. The ring can calculate his 'correct' appearance despite his magic induced change, but it's got no idea what he'd be wearing if he changed back.

"Now, if we add a little muscle..."

The Theodore Adam image swells. The chest expands, arms and legs grow and neck broadens. Pointy ears aside, the likeness is obvious. I look to Captain Marvel with my eyebrows raised as he continues to stare at the projection.

"Black.. Adam…"

"I always thought his skin was a bit pale for a Kahndaqi. Particularly one from his era."

"That's Theodore Adam. He was on the dig with my parents when-." His eyes dip for a moment. "It was him. It wasn't thieves..!"

"Probably not, but we should check before-."

"Did..! Do you think the wizard knew about this?!"

His fists are balled, his muscles pulled tight. I think I should have planned this better. I wiggle my right index finger and the image of Mister Adam dissipates and the screens zip back in front of me.

"I've got no idea. He might, but I don't see what he would gain by keeping it from you. Not like it hurts him to give you more reason to want to beat Black Adam."

A quick look shows that nothing much has changed with my team mates. Kaldur's moving down a slope at the side of a short waterfall while Artemis stands watch at the top, arrow on string. M'gann-.

**We've found the place where Mayor Hill was attacked.**

I increase magnification. Though any footprints would have long since been eroded by wind, monsoon rain, and the movements of other animals I can see bullet casings and dropped equipment. Which makes even less sense. If this was a Lex Luthor job, he would never have left physical evidence on site. Or survivors. I can only assume someone's either being very stupid, or panicked.

Kon bends down to pick up a slouch hat. It has several bullet holes. **Definitely a struggle here. Don't know if their attacker was a Monkey though.**

Aqualad pauses at the bottom of the slope, water bearers drawn as Artemis follows him down. We still haven't got the water armour to a stage where either of us would be comfortable taking it on a mission.

**Survey the area, and then proceed to the objective."

M'gann's shapeshifting clothing makes carrying extra equipment rather difficult, but Kon's followed my lead in keeping a few useful bits and pieces on him. He pulls out a small camera to start recording, but then stops and straightens up.

**M'gann, do you hear something?**

Huh?

Ring, what exactly-?

Ah, heck.

**Superboy, Miss Martian, two elephants heading your way. I'm reading thickened skin, augmented physique and flesh tears. It looks like someone's dosed them up on Venom Buster.**

I'm downplaying it. I didn't think that Venom Buster had existed for all that long, and yet the male Elephant has significantly altered tusks, with a second prong coming off about half way along. I sort of understand the whole thing becoming bigger, but shouldn't an additional structure have to grow from scratch? And aren't tusks basically teeth? That makes no sense. What makes even less sense is that both elephants have spines growing through their skin. Mister Flinders didn't show any significant dental anomalies or spine growth. Maybe the elephants are allergic or something? And I didn't think female elephants had tusks.

**Doesn't look so good for your buddy Luthor now, does it Oh El?**

**Well, we are trespassing.**

**Testing drugs on an endangered species?**

**I wouldn't want to try poaching something like that.** Ah, that's interesting. **Superboy, Miss Martian, be advised that the Elephants are wearing some sort of electronic collar. I can't tell exactly what it's doing, but-.**

Kon crouches as the first Elephant -the male- crashes its way through the trees at the edge of the forest. Seeing it there with Kon gives me a much better idea of size; it's grown a lot since getting injected. Is it..? Yes, roughly in proportion to Mister Flinders' own growth. Kon leaps directly at its head, swinging his fist directly at its forehead before pushing off with both legs. Oh dear. Kon is a great deal stronger than Mister Flinders now, and if he isn't careful he could end up making Asian Elephants even more endangered. The Elephant staggers back a couple of paces, then recovers enough to grab Kon's leg with its trunk and swings him into a tree, which splinters on impact. The female Elephant chooses that moment to emerge from the woodland as well. M'gann takes to the air and presumably goes invisible as the female Elephant slows from lumbering charge to a trot, swinging her head from side to side as she searches for her target.

This is pretty out of character behaviour for Elephants.

**Miss Martian, do you require assistance?**

Kon pushes the fallen tree away and gets back to his feet. **We're fine, Aqualad.**

The male Elephant sees him and accelerates, trying to trample him. The female is still on the lookout for M'gann, who is now directly above her, just behind her head.

**Aqualad, I'm in position to destroy the collar.**

**Do it.**

She raises her arms. The collar buckles and shatters and its wearer stumbles to a halt. Right, that seems under control, what's happening with-.

!Kon!

No, I should keep watching the fight in progress. They might need my help. The male Elephant catches up with Kon and brings its right foreleg down hard. He catches it at the foot, and braces himself as the Elephant trumpets and leans forward, bringing as much weight to bear as it can. Kon strains, bending slightly, then turns and shoves the upper part of the Elephant's leg sideways. Already overextended, the Elephant falls to the side with a trumpeted cry of distress. Kon's on it as soon as it crashes down, sticking a hand through the material of the collar and tearing it off before jumping back. The male Elephant jerks and shakes his head for a moment, before rolling upright and climbing back onto his feet.

The Elephants look around, then at each other. Then they both turn and walk away. Kon watches them go.

**The collars are gone, and so are the Elephants. Guess they must have been controlling them somehow.**

Good good. Now, what's happening with-.

**Kaldur, watch out!**

A Venom Buster enhanced Crocodile explodes from the water next to Kaldur, its jaws wide!

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:48 GMT +5:30

Kaldur reacts instantly, catching the jaws and straining to keep them apart! The sheer strength of the Crocodile pushes him back away from the water as Artemis draws her bow.

Ring, any other Croc-?

Oh, poo.

**Artemis, another behind you! Move away-!**

She's already in motion as the second Crocodile erupts from the water straight up into the air. Even as it snaps at her she's lunging forward, twisting as she falls to land on her back and bring her bow to bear. As the Crocodile shoots upward she sights and looses, the explosive arrow hitting the monster of a reptile in the neck.

**Aqualad, it'll be easier to hold its jaws shut than keep them open.**

**If I were not... Between them... I would certainly.. heed.. your.. advice.**

Oh. Yeah.

Kaldur strains as the Crocodile tries to push forward. It's far more massive than he is but it doesn't look as though it's able to bring that force to bear efficiently in a straight up pushing contest.

**Do you want my help?**

I'd actually forgotten that Captain Marvel was there.

**Nah, we got this.**

Artemis rises to a crouch, aims, draws and looses at the first Crocodile. If she could hit the second Crocodile in the air while on her back a stationary target certainly presents no challenge. The blast breaks the collar and.. it's still attacking? Of course it's still attacking, it's a predator grappling with something mouth sized.

Ring, time to recharge?

Six minutes remaining.

Current power level?

Thirty four percent power remaining.

**Looks like we got giant Vultures to go with the Elephants! Still think Luthor's not up to something?**

**How many Vultures?**

**Three. No, four!**

!Must help team must help team!

I try and split my attention between the two screens. Robin and Wallace are running through the forest, pursued by four truly huge birds.

**I can be there in half a second.**

**Trying to work here, Oh El.**

**Artemis?**

**We got this!**

She sprints to just behind Kaldur and looses another arrow directly into the Crocodile's open throat. I see a plume of some sort of gas, and the shock spurs it into more aggressive action. It yanks its head violently from left to right, pulling Kaldur off the ground and flinging him aside. Before he can rise it charges forward again, only to be met by another gas arrow which strikes it directly between the eyes. It roars in confusion and then turns violently around, narrowly missing a rapidly retreating Artemis with its tail. It then scuttles forward, back into the water. Kaldur recovers his water bearers from where he dropped them when it first attacked and watches the water to make sure that it's gone.

**The Crocodiles have retreated. Robin, Kid Flash, status report.**

I watch on the monitor as Wallace dashes up a tree and then somehow spin dashes Sonic the Hedgehog style off the top to knock a Vulture out of the sky. I open another screen on Robin as he ducks under a thick root, forcing the Vulture that was swooping down on him to evade.

**We can manage!**

!Bad match up!

**Aqualad, they can't strike back effectively. I can get there, shoot the collars and get back without any trouble.**

A Vulture makes another dive at Robin, who jumps at the tree trunk, pushes off into a back flip and strikes the bird in the neck as it passes. A moment later a small detonation removes the collar.

**We can manage!**

Shadows moving through the trees. Furry-men! Surrounded! Run!

Teekl? Ring, apart from the Vultures, anything Venom Bustered up near my team mates?

No threats in requested category detected.

Oh, no. I'm not doing another poisoned lipstick. Ring, any advanced weapons or augmented animals -including people- within-.

Teekl bursts from the underbrush like a cat out of hell. Her fur's on end, her eyes are wide and I can feel her panic in the empathic feedback. She climbs up my left leg and my back with her claws extended and curls herself around my shoulders, shaking.

**Hate to be a bother, but I think Captain Marvel and myself are about to receive company. One moment.**

Ring?

Standard scan detects no threats.

Infra red oh hell.

Venom Buster enhanced Monkeys run in from all directions. Two leap straight from the trees and latch onto my chest as Teekl goes into a hissing spitting frenzy in my ear.

Armour!

The plates form, but the Monkeys still hold on! One tries yanking my right arm, trying to either remove my lantern or the arm itself. The other tries to bite my face, and gets slashed by Teekl for its trouble.

!Safety!

Get away! Two orange force beams strike them in the chests and shove them off, but the rest are getting closer. Height! I fly directly upwards and I immediately feel grateful that they aren't flying Monkeys. I lost my monitor screens in my scramble to get away, but I'm sure the others can handle themselves for a moment.

Ring, turret autofire. Aim for the collars only.

I'm about twenty metres up as two Goldeneye-style gatling turrets materialise at the end of orange tethers attached to my hips. Immediately they swivel and begin firing off single shots. I see Monkeys drop as their collars are shot, then scrabble to their feet and flee from the noise. This turret design fires real ammunition from my subspace pocket, but with their enhancements the Monkeys should be able to withstand it without being harmed themselves.

I look over at Captain Marvel. The Monkeys seem to have focused on him. He's buried beneath them, arms pinned in place. I turn a turret in his direction and two shots later his head is clear as the newly liberated primates throw themselves off. He takes a moment to look around, and then flies straight into the ground hard. Then he goes up, turns over and slams down again. Most Monkeys lose their grip at that point and he takes hold of the rest one by one and snaps off their collars. He remains low to the ground, baiting our remaining assailants. Without their full numbers and with no way to close the distance faster my turrets soon finish off all of the collars.

"Captain, are you injured?"

He checks himself over. "No."

He bends down to pick up a broken collar with his right hand. He gives it a look over, then crushes it.

"What sort of person would do that to a defenseless Monkey?"

**Orange Lantern to Aqualad. Venom Buster enhanced Monkeys beaten off, no damage sustained. Resuming overwatch.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:51 GMT +5:30

Kaldur and Artemis have resumed their journey. Kon and M'gann are finishing up their survey. Mayor Hill mentioned seeing some sort of trap stun a Tiger at the bottom of the hill, so they're going to have a look there once they're done. Robin and Wallace appear to have evaded the Vultures. The birds are flying around the general area, but they can't follow them into the denser foliage and have lost track of them.

Teekl has calmed down a bit, but she's still sticking close to me. I'm not really sure why she was so scared.

With nothing else to focus on, I float one of the more intact collars over to me. I look on the inside and, yes, there it is. I'm getting bloody tired of seeing anti-scry wards on everything.

**Orange Lantern to Aqualad. I think we're rumbled.**

**Explain.**

**The collars the Monkeys were wearing had scry wards. The collars the other animals were wearing didn't. That suggests that the Monkeys were sent after me specifically.**

**It also means that we cannot guarantee that your scans are accurate with regard to potential threats.**

**Not at range, no. Close up I can just use infrared or optical scans.**

**How long until you are able to recharge?**

Ring?

Four minutes remaining.

**Four minutes. But I can just bring the lantern with me. It's not that fragile.**

**We will manage for four minutes. Are there any further threats in your immediate vicinity?**

Ring, full scan this time.

It doesn't reply, but instead expands my senses. Nothing much. Looks like everything got scared away by the Monkeys.

**No.**

**Very well. Artemis and I will proceed to the research center. Kid Flash, Robin, have you successfully evaded the Vultures?**

I see Kid Flash put on his goggles and take a look around.

**Looks like.**

**Then proceed to the objective. Superboy, Miss Martian.**

**Ugh...**

!Kon!

I'm rising into the air, but stop when Captain Marvel lays a hand on my shoulder.

"I.. thought.. Aqualad wanted you to stay here."

"Kon's in tro-."

**We found the trap that caught the Tiger, but it was still active. Some sort of paralysis field. Miss Martian took it out with telekinesis.**

And I float back down. Of course. Kon and M'gann are probably the duo least in danger.

"Look, Orange Lantern, I know you wanna help-."

"Sorry Captain, one moment." **Superboy, is the trap more or less intact?**

**Yeah?**

**And it just paralysed you?**

I bring a screen to bear. I see three devices which look like miniature Tesla coils. One has been snapped off near the base, and the other two are inactive.

**I think so. Why?**

**Lantern Stewart was less than enthusiastic about my idea of using red sun plasma weapons for the mountain's internal defences. Could be he'll find something like that less objectionable.**

There's a moment of silence, then it isn't Kon who responds.

**You're building red sun plasma weapons?**

**Red sun is a bit of a misnomer, Robin, but basically yes.**

**Isn't red sunlight one of the only things that can hurt Kryptonians?**

**Well, it disrupts the functioning of Kryptonian photoreceptive organelles, it's not exactly... You know that white light thing I use on Superboy sometimes? Sort of the opposite of that. And, it's just as good as the green sort against other targets. I constructed them from the eyes of Ivo's MONQIs.**

**I thought you handed those over to the Metropolis PD?**

**I only handed over the green ones. Didn't think putting anti-Kryptonian weapons in Metropolis was a good idea. Wait, why is this a surprise? You all saw me using one in Bialya.**

**Didn't realize that's what it was.**

**Why do you have anti-Kryptonian weapons anyway?!**

Kon, it's not for you... **So the rest of you would have a chance if we were attacked by Kryptonians.**

**What Kryptonians!**

**I don't know! I don't know, but if it's even slightly possible that we might get attacked by them, I'm going to make bloody sure that-!**

No, no, calm down.

**I'm going to make sure that we are capable of defending ourselves. I don't think such an attack is likely, but until yesterday I didn't think an attack by element controlling robots was particularly likely either. Kon, with your Danner formula augmentations you're less susceptible to them than a full blooded Kryptonian, but by my calculations someone like-** I don't know that General Zod exists here. **- like any other Kryptonian would go down hard.**

So long as the auto-tracking was good enough to hit him. I'm not sure exactly how good Superman's reactions are...

**The rest of us?**

**Artemis, I am perfectly capable of replicating the effect with the ring. Do you have a kryptonite gas arrow?**

**W-? No. You're being ridiculous.**

**If we'd had EMP emitters installed-!**

**This is not relevant to the mission.**

Kaldurs voice hits me like a cold damp flannel. On a mission. Deal with the mission. Don't get distracted. I should know this. I should know this.

**Orange Lantern, we will discuss your preparations at another time. Superboy and Miss Martian, continue on to the objective. We can recover the trap on the way back.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:54 GMT +5:30

About a minute left before I can recharge. I've created a small platform for the Lantern in the middle of the screens and I'm staring at it. I've seen it at each charge level, but I've never actually seen it go from no charges to one charge. Should be interesting.

I've already scouted out the route for my team mates to the research centre. Nothing much there that I can see. Even yanked a satellite just in case, but I couldn't really see much. Since I've got thirty three percent power to burn that'll just get wasted in a moment I mapped out the remaining trap locations and forwarded the map to each duo. Took another percentage point to get the designs of the trap components from here, but they're just too useful to ignore.

Teekl's gone back to the bioship.

"Um, are you okay?"

"Will be in a minute."

"Kind of creepy, the way you're staring at it."

I lower the lantern and make eye contact with him. "Better?"

He smiles at me. "Look, I know it's hard when your team leader puts you on the bench. When I first joined the League, Batman had me just standing around the Watchtower a bunch of times while the others were out on missions. But you gotta trust that they know what they're doing, keeping you in reserve for when they most need you, or to cover for an attack they weren't expecting."

"Captain, that's really not my problem. I mean, I think I'm being underutilised and I'm not really sure that Aqualad understands the strategic or tactical implications of FTL travel, but it's his decision to make and I respect that."

"Okay, so, what is the problem?"

My eyes drop for a moment. "How d'you..? How do you know that you're using the powers the wizard gave you properly? I mean, in the most effective way?"

"When he first gave them to me, the wizard showed me statues of the Enemies of Man, and talked to me about how I'd overcome each of them. I guess he thinks that it's best to give powers to good people and then trust them to make the right choices."

Not a bad way to go about it, as far as it goes. But... "Yeah, but he thought the same thing about Black Adam. How do you continue to know that you're worthy?"

"Well the wizard would probably tell me if I wasn't. I guess you can't know, not for sure. But you're doing okay, aren't you? Why are you worried about it?"

"Have you ever considered.. just.. not bothering to be Billy Batson? I mean, by every objective measure your Captain Marvel form is superior. It wouldn't be that hard for someone to set you up a fake civilian identity. Have you ever thought about what you could do for the world applying the Wisdom of Solomon to, I don't know, medical research?"

"Giving up being me?" He shakes his head slowly. "No, I couldn't do that. I'd go crazy trying to be Captain Marvel all the time. Maybe I will end up using Solomon's Wisdom for more things. At the moment I'm just glad to do what I can."

I'm feeling a little.. I don't know. Drained, maybe? "They weren't even particularly tough robots. If I'd bothered to create a single EMP gre-."

The cracks on the surface of the lantern glow and pulse like a quickening heartbeat, growing brighter with each repetition. The pulses radiate away from the orange lava lamp core, where strands of white and different tones of orange twist and swirl faster and faster. Ah, here we go! One last pulse, and the vibrant orange colour remains throughout all of the cracks. Nothing else for a moment, and then the whole of the lantern begins to glow orange and the near-grey panels shift to dull orange. One last surge of orange light, and the core calms down at its new brighter power state.

"First capacitor charge complete. Ring recharge available."

It's beautiful, really. Almost a shame to discharge it. Not that it'll stop me. I raise it back up and hold out the ring. Certainly don't need the Ophidian's help with this mission, thank you very much.

Mine.

I bring the ring forward to just in front of the core and hold it there for a moment, wispy strands of avaricious energy moving between the lantern, ring, and my hand. They're probably an indicator that the lantern is in a poor state of repair, but I find them even more entrancing than a proper plasma ball.

"Recharge."

The strobing arcs merge into a single beam and intensify, pouring all my wonderful power into the ring. Oh YES! By the time it finishes I'm actually shuddering. With relief? Pleasure? The removal of fear? I'm not really sure. Colour's drained from the lantern again. I take hold of it with my right hand, and flex my left.

"Ring charge at one hundred percent."

!Yes!

"That's what I like to hear. To quote Revolver Ocelot, I'm alive again!"

"That was... Strange..."

"I'll just go and put this in the bioship. Don't go anywhere."

I drop to the ground and walk over to where I know the ship to be. Don't want to waste power looking at it while it's cloaked, after all. I lay my left hand on the hull and the doorway oozes open. I call the parts of the lantern's box over even as I start to walk in, and place it within. Teekl's curled up on the pilot's seat.

"Teekl, look after this." She opens her eyes and stretches her legs and claws out as I put the box under the seat. Should I..? It's probably best practice, I suppose. "Lantern, occlude." The box fades from existence. I straighten up and give Teekl a quick head scratch with my right hand and then exit the ship again, the door flowing shut behind me. **Aqualad, I'm recharged and ready for action. Where do you want me?**

**We are still some distance from the research centre.**

**I can hunt down other collared animals if you want? Or fly high above the facility, make sure everything's where the plans say they should be? If no one spotted me on Santa Prisca there's no way anyone here's going to spot me. Or I could collect up all of the trap units? They're dangerous and they're evidence.**

"Are your eyes supposed to be doing that?"

"What? Oh, yes, it's a Lantern thing. Look at the Greenies' eyes when they're not wearing their rings sometimes."

Marvel looks sceptical. I suppose he might just have assumed that Jordan had green eyes, but Stewart? Can black people even have green eyes?

...

Was that a massively racist thing to think? I didn't mean have as in 'permitted'...

"They don't usually look like that."

**Can you not run scans from your current location?**

**Not reliably if they're using scry wards.**

**Very well. Take up position well above the research centre, but do not reveal your position and do not use faster than light travel to get there.**

**No problem.**

I remove my construct armour and dim my environmental shield. These days my minimum is much stronger than it was when I started out. Feels even stronger than it was yesterday, for some reason.

**Should I go with him, Aqualad?**

**No, Captain.** He sags a little. **It would be more helpful if you could recover the trap Superboy and Miss Martian destroyed and return the parts to the bioship. You can rejoin us when we start the main attack.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
21:58 GMT +5:30

I think I'm flying faster, too. Maybe getting attacked like that has helped me focus on the important things? Was I getting complacent? Maybe I was trying to tech up too early and got Zergling rushed. Or maybe Dark Templar rushed. Those robots were probably too great a commitment of resources to be comparable to Zerglings.

!TeamNeedPosition!

I'm not even glowing visibly as I pierce the canopy and rise into the clear Indian sky. This country has no central government organised metahuman program, so it's not as if I have to worry about someone local intercepting me and that's the only thing that could realistically interfere. Probably a few hedge wizards or mystics in the state, but though those can still be dangerous -ask anyone who's had a run in with John Constantine- the Spell Eater should keep me safe.

From this height I can see the edges of the forest. I adopt what I realise is Per Degaton's flying stance. A bit like Black Adam's, but rather than folding your arms across your chest you clasp them behind your back. No swimming position here, no siree. With nothing much to concentrate on I look toward the ground and quickly scan for more Venom Buster enhanciles. Ooh, that's a nontrivial number. All collared as well.

**Captain, there's a Venom Buster enhanced Tiger in your vicinity. About thirty metres west south west from the trap.**

**Thanks for the heads up! I'll get that collar off the poor kitty.**

**Just remember, that won't necessarily stop it attacking.**

That should be high enough. I start moving forward, any air resistance utterly humbled by the power of the ring.

**Robin, initiating transmission of the locations of all enhanced animals to you now.**

**Thanks, Oh El.**

Hmm. Might be able to hit the Vultures' collars from here, but given the time to target and the need for concealment... I don't think that their necks would survive the force a railgun would exert. Ah well, once we've found out what's going on at the research station I can go back and remove the collars and Venom Buster both. I'm a completionist at heart.

Right, I've pretty much got line of sight to the research centre itself now. Accessing computers. The two scientists I detected earlier are listed as Doctor Arnold Munro and Doctor Niang Guan Jun, and they're both wearing collars similar to those the animals are wearing. No other personnel present that I can detect, though internal computers have user profiles for several more researchers and security guards. No sign of them. Interesting. Oh, hang on... No, not detecting any Human remains. That would have been a downer. Several areas of the base are warded and shielded. Not perfectly as far as the ring is concerned, but I can't get a perfect read on them. Some sort of animal pens? The facility itself is part top quality prefab and what looks like it was once a visitors' centre or a group of safari cabins? I recognise a ring of the paralysis trap things on the outskirts, but that won't be hard for me to shut down.

Wait. There's a Doctor Munro working at a place surrounded by mutant animals? Hah! Oh, he must have heard that one so many times. Don't recognise his name otherwise, or Doctor Niang's. They're in one of the cabins, a little way away from the main structure. I wonder why there's so much shielding... Superman. I haven't checked, but I suppose it would be quite in character for Mister Luthor to want to make his research centres as close to Superman-proof as possible. I can force the issue, but only by sending a construct down.

Scanning around, I see a storage shed with a considerable number of sacks of what is labelled as Rat food. Venom Buster Rats? That wouldn't be fun. Are there..? No, can't pick any up. Maybe they just did some early testing on them. They could be inside, but given how big and hard to manage they would be there can't be all that many. I try accessing the original plans as well as LexCorp records, and they more or less match the buildings I'm seeing.

Quick check? Yep, got a few minutes yet. Hmm. Personnel files. According to her file, Mister Luthor poached Doctor Niang from Beijing Institute of Genomics where she worked on metahuman genetic sequencing. A little odd. I still don't really know what Mister Luthor was planning to do with this place. If the enhanced animals are intentional then I'm a bit surprised that the Chinese were willing to part with someone who had her expertise. Maybe Mister Luthor has some pull there, or offered to share information derived from her work here?

Doctor Munro is an American who has supposedly spent the last few years doing something in the private sector in Brazil, but I'm having trouble finding anything to back that up. His field is the hormonal and chemical modification of farm animals. Altering growth rates, disease resistance, milk yields and behaviour. Put together, the two of them might have been able to recreate Venom Buster -or something sufficiently like it to fool me- from the descriptions that are now publically available. Maybe. I don't really know how much the conventional parts of their work would merge with the super powered parts.

If this was what Mister Luthor had in mind. If it wasn't... He does make charitable donations, both as a private citizen and on behalf of LexCorp. Not to nature charities. Art museums sometimes, but he seems to have a soft spot for museums of technology and science. So why would he bring these two scientists out here? I don't really see what he could have them do here that they couldn't more easily do somewhere else.

For a moment I consider the idea of simply phoning him and asking. It's not as if he could get someone on site fast enough to stop me finding out for myself, and it might save trouble later. Don't think Kaldur would agree with that idea, and I'm a little uncertain about it myself. It would basically be giving him proof that we were trespassing, and if we didn't find any proof of malfeasance down there things could get a bit uncomfortable.

Or maybe there's another option. It's nearly ten o'clock at night, local time. I don't see anything resembling a bed in the room both scientists are in. Or lab equipment. Looks like a kitchen unit. And the door's locked. Jolly odd. But it does have a phone.

Ring, dial the hut.

I see the two of them look around as the phone rings, and after a few seconds Doctor Munro walks over and picks it up.

"What do you want now?"

Curious. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Doctor Munro?"

His head jerks up. "Wh-? Who is this?"

"Orange Lantern two eight one four. May I ask who you were expecting?"

"Oh, thank God. I thought it was that Brain creature again."

"Brain in a travel machine, accompanied by a Gorilla named Mallah who carries a machine gun?"

"Yeah, that's them. How did you know..?"

"The ape shot a tourist, but let him get away. Do they have any other assistants on site?"

"They've been giving some sort of mutagen to the animals-."

"Yeah, we've met those. Apart from them? Anyone intelligent? Armed guards?"

"No. Um, not that I've seen. They might have, I don't know."

"Is the Brain or the ape still on site?"

"I don't... They stuck us in this cabin when they arrived. I haven't seen them since this morning."

"How long have they been here?"

"A little over six days now."

"Thank you, Doctor. That's most helpful. Last question: what is this place actually supposed to do?"

"I'm not... I have a confidentiality agreement with Lex Luthor. I can't just-."

"Anything that might be dangerous to me and mine if we come in to rescue you. I'm not asking you for commercially sensitive information."

He's silent for a moment.

"We're working on ways to augment things. Animals. Ultimately people, but we only got here ten days ago. Everything's in early stages."

And we have a motive. Mister Luthor follows through on his transhumanistic instincts, and another supervillain helps himself.

"There's nothing here that the Brain.. thing.. can use right away. Even if he gets a copy of our database, we're years from anything viable."

"Thank you, Doctor. Now sit tight. Your liberation is imminent."

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
22:17 GMT +5:30

None of the others encountered further resistance on their final approach. Robin and Wallace move around the perimeter to link up with Kaldur and Artemis, and I relay my images to Robin's computer. Really need to see about getting the others something like that. I'm still high overhead as Kon and M'gann approach the research centre from the other direction. Captain Marvel will hopefully be joining us shortly, though he's being slowed by Kaldur's request that he fly under the level of the canopy.

I've been trying to remember anything about the Brain from the comics, and all I've come up with is that his condition was caused by Niles Caulder, leader and convener of the Doom Patrol. Bit unusual for a supervillain to have a reasonable grudge, but there we are. I remember him having a romantic relationship with Mallah, but I don't remember anything helpful like his standard armament or his real name. Without anything to work on checking which version we're dealing with in advance will be next to impossible. I'm a bit concerned about not being able to scan the interior of his travel machine, as I might not be able to identify in advance which bits are weaponry and which bits are part of the life support system.

**Miss Martian, are you able to read the minds of anyone inside the facility?**

**Just a moment...**

I feel a moment of disorientation, as if I'm looking down on the facility from the sky while simultaneously looking at each room and corridor from within.

**Sorry Aqualad. I'm just reading the two researchers.**

**Suppose if anyone was going to come up with telepathic shielding it would be a guy called the Brain.**

Apparently Wallace already knew about him. Have he and the Flash fought him before? I suppose I don't currently have any evidence that the Brain is male, any more than I have evidence of his personal history or intentions. Batman's documentation is rather light on what exactly those 'patterns' he was studying are. Might be worth asking when we get back.

**First, we will need to take out the force field.**

**I can do that. I've taken a look at the schematics, and I can easily hit every one of those projectors from here.**

**Or I can take the field down with an arrow since, y'know, giant orange beams are a bit of a giveaway.**

**If you'd prefer, I could use a railgun.** Ring, probable consequences... Oh. **Sorry, forget the railgun idea. The ring says that the splash damage would be a bit excessive.**

To put it mildly.

**I do not think that we would be able to disguise our presence for any length of time once we make our move. And it would be best if they cannot tell which direction we are coming from.**

**Orange beams it is then.**

I had a quick go at working out how Brain... Should that be 'The Brain?' It's a bit like Flash, I'm still not sure if it should have a 'the' at the start. Let's just go with Brain, since I don't know his name. Working out how Brain and Mallah got here, but without knowing where they started from that's pretty much impossible. There's no landing pad here, so I assume they must have driven in. Hiding in a crate, then break out once the construction crew left? No idea. And I don't really know why they would still be here. Surely the sensible thing to do if stealth was impossible would be go in, grab the database and kill the residents in a way that couldn't be specifically traced back to them.

**Next, we must locate our adversaries. Orange Lantern, were the doctors able to give you any information?**

**Sorry. Doctor Munro said that unless they wanted them working on something, they tend to leave them locked up.**

**Guess it really wasn't Luthor.**

**First time for everything.**

Not Robin too. Have he and Batman been investigating Mister Luthor? I don't remember seeing anything in the files...

**I'm more worried about the fact that the Brain could be working with the League of Shadows.**

Wallace has a point. That is a bit of a worry. Luthor might have had Blockbuster on file, but Brain had to have got Venom Buster from somewhere. From Bane, via the Shadows? From Kobra? Directly from the Santa Priscan government?

**This guy's just a brain on an electric wheelchair, right? How hard is taking him down going to be?**

Kon is clearly not impressed. I'm undecided. I don't know enough about the limits of mad science here to know whether the concept is as stupid as it sounds or something brilliant. But if I don't see death rays, I'm calling him Brainitar.

**He's made weapons for every major criminal organization on the planet, including Blacksmith's Network in Central City. And now he's got Venom Buster, plus whatever Luthor had these guys working on. Oh El, can you see any internal defenses?**

**No, and I checked with the doctors; there shouldn't be any.**

**Aqualad, I can find him fastest. I'll keep him occupied until the rest of you can get there.**

**Orange Lantern, are there any animals inside the facility?**

**Rats, they said. For testing their formulae on.**

**Did they know whether or not the Brain used the Venom Buster formula on them?**

**No, sorry Aqualad. They actually said that they weren't working on Venom Buster.**

**Yeah, right. What have they been doing?**

**Kid Flash, you know how much work is involved in making sure that a new lab is properly sterile. Plus, they're team leads. They were sorting out the practical issues associated with working somewhere this isolated. They wanted everything up together when the rest of the research team gets here.**

**Where is everyone?**

**Not sure. The other researchers weren't expected to arrive for a few days yet, but security should have been here by now.**

**Good job they weren't.**

Really, Wallace? I like to think that anyone Lex Luthor employed to handle security on one of his personal projects would be competent enough to take a Gorilla and a brain in a jar. Plus, once they got up and running they could make their own defenders by dosing up guard dogs or something. And if Luthor found out about this before the League did, we'd get to find out whether a Monkey with a minigun could handle a Spetsnaz team.

**Orange Lantern, take out the force field on my signal then be ready to support Kid Flash. Kid Flash, we need a better idea of what is going on inside. If you meet with opposition, evade until the rest of us can reach you. Miss Martian and Superboy, your target is the animal holding pens. I do not want to have to deal with a swarm of Venom Buster enhanced Rats. Robin, anything you can acquire on the Brain's activities would be invaluable. Artemis, you're with me.**

No need to make this flashy I suppose. My team needs me to do this right.

Ring, target all force field emitters.

Orange target icons appear in my vision, hovering over each one. I think I'll just use beams. No need for anything fancy. **Ready on your mark Aqualad.**

**Aqualad, Superboy and I are as close to the force field as we can get.**

**Orange Lantern, go.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
22:21 GMT +5:30

WarSphere, Eliminate.

A dim orange sphere forms around me, and from it orange beams curve outwards and down to strike directly into the top of each of the force field projectors. The beams pierce them as if the field was not even there and force their way downward, wrecking their interiors and causing a shutdown.

Armour.

Might help to keep the attention of anyone watching on me. Certainly can't hurt, and we can honestly tell Mister Luthor that we're attempting to rescue his staff and recover his property. For a split second I register Wallace cross the distance from the tree line and enter the main building.

Visual imaging.

From the beams now surrounding the building probe lines project outwards, rapidly building up a picture of the shielded interior of the structure which I relay to Robin's computer. Everyone's moving now, Superboy taking the direct route through a wall with M'gann just behind. Artemis and Kaldur go in through the front entrance as Robin takes my map and shouts directions.

**Found the Brain!**

I hear gunfire.

!Help team mate!

**We are coming!**

Kaldur and Artemis are running down the main corridor as Robin heads for the server room. Fighting remotely with constructs is possible, though it's surprising how much not being able to see the results of your action first hand reduces emotional investment. I send a probe through a series of walls, near the ceiling so that I don't risk accidentally spiking anyone. I still can't see exactly where- Ah. Looks like this wasn't originally a lab. A large store room, maybe? It is now, and it's been refitted to be Brain travel machine friendly. The man himself is manipulating his equipment as Mallah keeps Wallace suppressed at the doorway with bursts of minigun fire. Wallace rolls frantically to the side as Mallah remembers that concealment does not equal cover and starts putting bullets through the weak interior wall.

No.

I transition along the probe tether into the room.

"Mallah!"

The Gorilla -wearing a lab coat for some reason- heeds his master's command and scampers back to the Brain. He moves awkwardly, keeping hold of his gun in his right hand while he uses his left to knuckle walk. The Brain rotates his travel machine in my direction as I hard scan his chassis.

"Bzzkh."

Mallah halts next to Brain, pulls something from a pouch and presses it to the ground. A shimmering aquamarine shield bubble forms over them and telemetry from my scan cuts off. I create twin buzz saw constructs and swing them at it from either side. The shield stresses slightly but holds as I start looking for the projector. Wallace dashes in and after taking a fraction of a second to catch up with events blurs up to the shield and begins punching at super speed.

Armour him.

Don't want them dropping the shield for Mallah to perforate my team mate now, do I? I can't find an external emitter, and unlike Garth Brain has had the sense to extend the shield across the floor under him.

"Magic creates interesting challenges, no? So little research of any quality, and yet it is so observably potent."

I zip over to the barrier -on the opposite side to Wallace- and thrust my right hand at it. After a second I feel the mild warmth of the Spell Eater activating, and the area of the shield around it dims noticeably. Mallah growls at me with teeth bared, and starts to raise his gun in my direction.

"No, Mallah. Our work here is done. It is time to bid them goodbye."

Wallace sneers. "Nowhere to go, Brain."

Good luck getting past me. I didn't recognise all of his internal systems, but there aren't any teleport-.

Oh heck.

Plates on the surface of Brain's chassis move aside and armatures extend outward. They form brightly glowing vertical curves along his sides. Wallace stops attacking and backs up a little. I don't know what he's trying to do.

What?

The ring picks out sigils being projected... The walls! He's projecting sigils onto the walls! The air shimmers and the barrier protecting them flattens. Shit!

Get them!

I generate a laser construct and fire it directly at the Brain's dome. I can see him, and therefore the barrier shouldn't stop visible light. Sadly, the protective magic of the barrier isn't playing by the normal rules. Plasma? No. Sonic? No. Electromagnetic flux? Small electrical discharges dance around Brain's chassis but it doesn't seem to be interfering with him to any great extent.

**Kaldur, know anything about countering magic based teleportation?**

**A little. We may be delayed. Try to keep them occupied.**

Bit late for that. Brain's arms dim and fold back into his chassis, but the lights on the wall remain in place.

"Farewell, my friend. I do hope you enjoy the little gift I have left for you."

The barrier flickers, and then leaps out to touch the runes glowing on the walls. Then things get a little strange. Space.. bends, Brain and ape being simultaneously close and far away. Around the edge of the affected area I see part of a completely different room.

Sod it. I hold out my right hand.

Assimilate!

The beam flies from my right palm and shoots towards Brain, but as it reaches him it seems to slow. Come on! It looks like it's at relative stop. The bastard thing begins to roll away into the other room. I see a man with white skin and wearing red armour on the far side, his arms glowing with ghostly light. I try running after them but the air turns to rubber around me. I can't make any headway! Then the portal area begins to evaporate from the sides of the room and I step back to avoid being inside the affected area.

Aaaahh!

There's a brief increase in air pressure as the portal collapses completely. I feel cheated. Wallace just looks mystified.

"What..? What just happened..?"

"Some sort of magic based spatial distortion, I think. Some of the shapes on the walls looked a little familiar."

"The Brain's using magic? Since when?"

"I don't-! I don't know. Aagh!" A sudden shooting pain in my right arm. What?

**Brain and Mallah are gone. What's happening?**

**Paul, help!**

**M'gann, what's happening?**

**The rats! They're-!**

I get a momentary flash of the image of a giant snarling rodent, and then the connection disappears.

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
22:24 GMT +5:30

"M'gann!"

Wallace dashes out of the room before I can think. Another painful stab, this time in the lower part of my right leg. It's not my pain I'm feeling.

"Miss Martian, report!"

Kaldur's voice on the radio. Why is he using the radio?

!Help team mate!

**M'gann! Speak to me!**

I can't feel her! I nearly tell the ring to take me there, but I try to clamp down on the impulse. Should I should I should I-? Rats get the rats help M'gann get the rats. The orange line along which I'm generating Wallace's armour is still there transition.

He's standing in front of a sealed door, thumping it with his fists. There's a keypad next to it.

gOnE!

"Oh El, do you know-?"

Orange light flows around him and strikes the door. Brickwork crumbles around it as I shove the door backwards out of its frame.

"...or that works."

The door hits something.

"Skreee skreee!"

A monstrous head lunges into the gap left by the door. The rat's face is bald and grey, and its eyes glow red as it frantically tries to reach us through the hole in the wall. It must have been given a dose of pure blockbuster formula, but it's grown far more than any other subject. Must be a metre and a half across at the shoulders. It backs up a little before lunging again, twisting and scrabbling with its paws as it does so.

The wall gives way, and it lunges forward and I'm wasting time!

!Help M'gann!

Wallace steps to the side and turns, bringing his right fist around at super speed and hitting it in the side of the head.

Railgun.

The Rat doesn't seem to notice anything other than the fact that two targets in its field of vision have been reduced to one. It pushes off the floor and leaps at me.

I don't much like rats.

Target the brain and fire.

The gun is shorter than the one I used on Ra's, but with a crack the Rat is knocked head over tail. Good, now let's-.

I've never heard a Rat snarl before. It rolls back onto its feet and fixes me with its glowing eyes. It's drooling. Alright.

Fire more.

It braces against the first hit, and isn't fazed. The second knocks it back almost comically while in mid-leap.

"Oh El, can you handle-?"

"Yes. Go!"

Wallace disappears into the room beyond as the Rat comes at me again. It might be big but it shouldn't be all that heavy. I clamp its tail as I activate my radio.

"Orange Lantern to Aqualad. Kid Flash and I have encountered a Blockbuster Formula enhanced Rat."

The Rat goes into a berserk frenzy, writhing from side to side and pulling with all its might against the clamp which.. breaks? What?

Oh, I'll take the answer from its cold dead corpse. Gamma beam.

The two 'barrels' of my revised gamma projection construct appear around the Rat's head. One emits the radiation and the other 'catches' it before it can go anywhere but the target. My understanding of radiology is now much better than it was when I baked Mister Hagen, and I know enough to make any radiological materials I generate safe. A ramming construct lifts the Rat off the floor and pins it to a wall by its chest. It shouldn't be able to get much in the way of leverage in that pose while I cook its brain. It struggles in a frenzy, screeching loudly. There's no way it should be this strong.

"Aqualad to team. We are.. likewise.. encountering.. resistance."

!Team!

The Rat jerks and then goes still, smoke rising from its head. I let it drop to the floor. Need to go-. No. Find out what happened to make the Rat this strong first. We need to know what we're-.

The Rat twitches.

Scan.

Oh. That isn't Blockbuster. I mean, something like Blockbuster's definitely in the mix, but... The Rat is healing itself from what should be ludicrous overkill. I can't leave it here but I can't stay here what do I-?

!TeamTeamTeamTeam!

Ring, fentanyl.

I shove a tube construct into its throat as the ring shoves a large dose of Robin's preferred knockout gas into its lungs. Its full name is much longer than that and I was advised to be really careful about the dosage but if I'm trying to kill the target anyway... The Rat finally goes still.

"Aqualad, situation."

"Artemis and I are in the cafeteria. We were attacked by thirty or so rats. They appear to have been given Venom, or something like it."

"Do you need assistance?"

"No. When they began swarming around us Artemis was able to knock them out with a gas arrow. We are heading to relieve Robin now. Kid Flash, have you been able to locate Superboy and Miss Martian?"

"Not yet. This place is trashed. Looks like the Rats were hooked up to some sort of injection system."

"We have encountered the results."

"I'm heading to the next room. Oh El-"

Transition.

"-oh. He's here, never mind."

Wallace's right hand is blurring at the keypad, trying to guess the combination. I can hear screeching, probably coming from the rats on the other side. They really don't like trying to move through solid barriers. Leaving the door intact is probably a better idea.

"Miss Martian, Superboy report."

The keypad chimes as Wallace gets the combination. A clunk, and the door slides aside. A large room, possibly some sort of large animal operating theatre? On my left the tile covered floor drops down to an external roller shutter door. Can't get an elephant through the corridors, of course. It's open. Kon and M'gann's point of entry? The main animal pens should be just through-.

The wall to my right explodes as Kon barges through it!

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
22:28 GMT +5:30

Kon's bleeding from numerous puncture wounds. At least three rats are latched onto him by their mouths, one on his right shoulder, one on his left calf and another on his right hand. Everything slows. Wallace moves to aid him as I create vitalising white light.

"Yaaaagh!"

Kon hammers at the Rat on his right hand with his left fist while Wallace tries pulling the Rat off his shoulder. Both Rats.. are fine? What? How? That shouldn't be possible.

!Kon mine!

I see two more scurry through the hole in the wall, and reinforce the armour around Wallace. One leaps at him, easily clearing the distance to his face and bringing its teeth down on the glowing orange faceplate.

"Skreee!"

The plate cracks. Wallace freezes, eyes wide. "Ah!"

I grab the Rat and pull it free. These ones are only a little larger than normal size, but bloody hell are they strong!

Railgun, autofire. Keep them back.

The gun forms over my right shoulder, and hits the Rat scurrying toward me full in the face. It's bowled over, but is otherwise unhurt and recovers quickly. Another construct tendril grabs its tail and flings it back through the hole as the railgun tracks and fires. Kon gives up on hitting and presses his left thumb and index finger into the sides of its mouth, gradually forcing it open. With a jerk it leaves his flesh and he snarls as he uses his hold to pull its lower jaw right back with a quiet snap before hurling it away. Wallace takes a firm hold of the one on his shoulder and seems to blur as he vibrates back and forth on the spot. I remember Robin telling us that Wallace couldn't vibrate through solid objects but it looks like super speed shakes aren't Rat friendly. It comes loose and follows its partner out of the room.

Kon twists and takes hold of the one on his calf with both hands as the railgun begins firing with increasing speed. My eyes glow as I look through the dark and dust into the room beyond and a lot of red eyes glow back. Oh dear. Why the hell were they making so many super rats here? Kon squeezes and seems to be trying to just rip it free. Not a terrible choice, since I can heal the resulting wound, but I have a better option.

Ring, fentanyl spray.

Kon removes his hands as a spray can construct appears next to the remaining super Rat, and its head is enveloped in a translucent mist. That should... It's not letting go. What? Increase concentration. Still no effect. But neither Blockbuster, Venom nor Venom Buster give poison resistance! I remove the spray can construct and Kon goes back to work. There's a snap as he breaks the Rat's jaw and tosses the bloody thing away.

!Help Kon!

Cleanse wound and heal.

An orange strobe, and his flesh knits back together. A moment later I expand the effect and remove the blood from his clothes as well. Kon rubs the sites of the injuries, and tries to get his breath back.

For a moment there's nothing but the hum of the railgun as Kon, Wallace and I stare at each other. Then I shakily raise my right hand to my radio earpiece.

"Kaldur, there's rats here strong enough to bite into Kon, and I couldn't tranquilise them. Be very careful."

"Understood. Captain Marvel, please assist as soon as possible."

"Hold on, I'll be there in a moment."

!M'gann!

Kon gestures behind him as I send the railgun forward.

"M'gann's still in there!"

Armour him and send out probes.

"Lead the way. Aqualad, if you're not too sorely pressed could Captain Marvel assist us in recovering Miss Martian?"

"Captain, please do so."

Kon jogs back through the hole he made, and I keep the railgun just ahead of him. The probes are sending me images of every room in the area, but I don't know what shape M'gann's in.

"Hey, Oh El, found something on the server you should probably know about."

A Rat dives down from the top of a filing cabinet at Kon's face. He meets it with his right fist and it somehow grabs onto the armour around his hand with its paws and bites down. Kon reacts by punching it with his left fist and the Rat flies into the floor hard enough to leave a crater.

"I hate Rats, and Monkeys."

"What is it Robin?"

"You know that stuff you used on Superboy? The Danner Formula?"

"Yeah?"

I've scouted three rooms in every direction. If M'gann's here then she's not in humanoid form. I have detected plenty of rats, and most of them are heading our way. Extra railguns. They're trying to keep out of sight but they're still coming, going for the surround.

"They were working on it here."

What!?

"What?"

"The formula's not on the computer, but it's mentioned by name. And there's a shipping manifest which says they brought in pregnant lab rats. It's dated two days after you met Luthor in Taiwan."

oH gOd.

Luthor actually got hold of it somehow. And now Brain has it too. That explains the chemical resistance. But it doesn't explain why they're attacking...

"Kon, any idea where M'gann is? We need to be gone."

"We were this way." He leads the way to an opening next to a broken door.

"The next step was going to be tests on dogs. Last entry's six days ago."

Dogs too? No, hang on, that's when Brain got here, they probably never got started.

"Any idea how Luthor got the formula, Oh El?"

"No, none at all. There shouldn't be-."

Arnold Munro? Iron..? No. That can't be right. It was bullshit when they included him in the comics. There were tests! The formula isn't hereditary! I checked! I looked for him!

Ring, scan Doctor Arnold Munro. Does he have Danner Formula enhancements?

Confirmed. Danner Formula chemistry present.

How the hell did Mister Luthor find him when I couldn't?

 

[Mr Zoat]

23rd September
22:32 GMT +5:30

A wave of Rats scurry down the corridor toward us, and my railguns begin breaking the mass up. I still can't do general scans on this area, and I've got no idea why.

"Do we have the slightest idea where we're going?"

Wallace seems about as worried as I feel. Anything that can bite into Kon would go through him or me like we were made of rice paper, and running full pelt through the building is a good way to get ratted.

"We came in near the cargo entrance. Rats swarmed us from all directions soon as we got into the main building."

**M'gann!?**

**[dark enclosed fear fear fear]**

"Everyone hear that?"

Kon nods while Wallace just looks confused. "Hear what?"

"M'gann, I hope."

I don't get any sense of her location, but now we have a starting point. Transition.

A large room, open to the outside at one end. There are three slightly battered looking medium sized lorries parked in the centre of the room. I'm surprised that Mister Luthor didn't use something with a bit more polish, but it does seem like this was a bit of a rush job, and the roads around here probably aren't good enough for large lorries. Packing crates of varying sizes are stacked neatly near the loading dock and here come the rats!

Two of the large uberblockbuster rats -near identical to the one from earlier- lead the charging albino carpet, scurrying out of the entrance to the main building. Three railgun constructs cut loose as I stick a platform under us and lift us into the air. I recreate probes, and fortunately the rats ignore them. Still no idea where M'gann is.

And the rats start leaping.

"Skree!"

I raise a barrier. Some rats slam into it and bounce off but more grab on and start gnawing. One of the Uber Rats clambers on top of a lorry and leaps, being met by Kon's fist and getting knocked flying. Wallace blurs around the flying orange enclosure, hitting the smaller rats off the barrier before they can gnaw through. Railguns are catching most in the air but I still have no way to really hurt them.

Okay, okay. Get it together. I can use fentanyl on the Uber Rats-.

"They're not wearing collars. Why are they attacking us?"

A-? Good question actually, Wallace. Ring?

Airborne Venom derivative detected in local environment.

"It's in the air! Ring, neutralise!"

An orange strobe in all directions. Turning my head, I see that the area affected has spread a little outside the facility. I really hope it hasn't reached any more wildlife.

"Hey guys! What's happen-oh good lord!"

Captain Marvel flies under the roof and nearly lands on the Rat covered floor. He has a second or two while they remain fixated on us, and then they start throwing themselves at him.

More railgun!

Marvel goes for height as the smaller rats are knocked from the air by iron slugs. An Uber Rat leaps, ignores the railgun fire and slams into his shoulder. He's forced to grapple with it, straining to keep its teeth from his face. More of the smaller rats turn to the softer target and one makes it through my barrage, biting into his side.

"Ow!" Marvel twists and-. "Shazam!"

A bolt of lightning shoots down from the sky and hits the Uber Rat dead centre. It spasms, and Captain Marvel throws it down. Alright, he's fine, why are they still attacking? The environmental shield's protecting us now, but if there's Venom in the air, why wasn't Kon affected earlier?

Armour Marvel.

Captain Marvel pulls the Rat attacking him free and drops it down into the mass below, and orange armour forms around his body.

What's the difference between Kon and these Rats? Kryptonian physiology? Maybe, but he's been made human-compatible, hasn't he? What els- size! He's bigger! It would take a higher dose to affect him. The rats will calm down eventually. Probably. I mean, their neural physiology might have been permanently chang-. No, that doesn't help. The rats are berserking. I can't remove the Danner Formula, but I should be able to remove the Venom.

"Ring, purge rats."

The railguns reconfigure, and iron slugs are replaced with orange beams. I watch as one illuminates one of the smaller rats for five seconds, then cuts out and seeks a new target. The Rat stops where it stands on the floor, sniffs the air and then heads for somewhere better concealed.

Oh. Four other small Rats abandoned the attack on our position to mob their former comrade and they tear him apart in short order. Whatever instinct kept the Rats from turning on each other appears not to apply to Rats who are no longer affected. When the orange beams purify the system of a Rat it is immediately set upon by its neighbours. I need to get groups close together all at once.

"Clusterfire only!"

With the rats distracted from our position Kon and Wallace watch in horror alongside me as the swarm below turns into a bloodbath. As the numbers start to thin out the 'freed' Rats stop being swarmed, but against an opponent who won't do what a wild Rat would and back off after being injured beyond a certain extent the damage is just as bad. It's just shared by both parties. The freed Rats certainly don't work together, and why should they?

I think about two thirds die before enough are purified that the remaining envenomed can't reach the freed Rats before they are targeted in turn. Blood and shredded fur coat the ground...

Wallace goes pale and covers his mouth with his right hand. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

The smell... Burnt flesh from the Uber Rat who took the lightning bolt, Rat faeces and the blood...

!M'gann!

"No, you're going to stay with it until we find M'gann." I lower us to the flatbed of one of the lorries, away from the main area of carnage. **M'gann, where are you!**

**muuuha?**

Kon leaps off the lorry and back into the building. Wallace takes a couple of deep breaths and dashes after him. M'gann should be fine. Job. Captain Marvel drops down next to me, and he isn't looking much better than Wallace.

"Kaldur, we've just dealt with a major Rat attack. There's something.. Venom related, in the air. Robin and Artemis should switch to rebreathers."

"Understood. Have you located M'gann yet?"

"No, but I'm leav-."

!Help M'gann!

"I'll get right on it. Stand by."