章 9: 3/3
After about one day's worth of repetitions, Sasuke began to feel a trifle annoyed. The boy showed no signs of distress, and was simply watching the murderous cycle with a steady, even gaze. He wasn't supposed to be taking it this well.
Then again, the genjutsu didn't seem as vivid as usual either. Sasuke intensified the scene, but the boy showed no reaction.
Somewhere around the second day, Sasuke finally broke the silence. "Did you kill him?"
The boy blinked, momentarily distracted. "What?"
"The man who killed your parents." The scene shifted, returned to the quiet circus and the two figures swinging on the trapeze. "Did you kill him?"
Robin eyed him. "Why do you ask?" Sasuke said nothing. Robin's eyes narrowed momentarily, then, apparently giving it up, he shrugged. "No."
"Why not." Sasuke's voice was hard and cold.
"That's not how we work." Robin replied, just as coldly. "We don't just beat up whoever we don't like, and we don't allow personal vendettas to interfere with what we do. Plus, we don't kill people."
Sasuke sneered. "Tch."
"I take it you killed the man who killed yours." Robin noted. Sasuke glanced at him sharply and Robin snorted. "I've had a lot of practice at reading stone faces like yours. Plus, that question of yours kinda gave it away."
Feeling strangely annoyed, Sasuke turned back and intensified the image, zooming in on the parent's faces, slowing down the moment they hit the floor. Swords were added to the ground to skewer the couple as they landed.
"It never gets any better, does it?"
Sasuke ignored the boy's remark.
"People will tell you the pain goes away, that you'll find a new life, that someday you'll forget all this." Robin swept his hand to indicate the scene, apparently oblivious to his mother's cracking neck. "But it never does. Others will tell you that once you kill those responsible, then you'll feel complete, then you'll be able to live with yourself." He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "But that doesn't help either, does it?"
"Do you always talk this much?" responded Sasuke, feeling another flicker of irritation.
The other let out a little smile as the scene reset itself to the circus with the three acrobats performing above. "Only if I have a reason to. Witty banter distracts the opponent, often causes him to underestimate his foe."
Momentarily Sasuke wondered if Naruto had acted under similar motives, but swiftly dismissed the idea. Naruto was—or had been—a blockhead. The fact that he had acted in a manner similar to this obviously effective warrior was a mere coincidence.
"Besides, I spent years training under a humorless grouch, and someone had to keep up the conversation," continued the teenager. "In this particular case, I can see that my talking annoys you, so I have all the reason in the world to continue talking."
Sasuke immediately attempted to squash the annoyed feeling, but failed miserably. He intensified the image again.
"….and I guess I must have eventually passed out." The strange girl finished, toying with her fingers. "I don't know what happened after that. You'd have to ask Shikamaru or one of the others."
Lois clicked her pen shut, leant back, and stared at the notepad before her. Since about halfway through the narrative (when she'd realized the girl was definitely NOT talking about the Titan's battle), she'd been transcribing the girl's account almost mechanically, suspending her disbelief until she'd finished.
Well, she had finished. And Lois couldn't suspend her disbelief any longer. According to this girl, she'd been on an assassination mission with eleven other undocumented meta-humans. A mission, moreover, that was nowhere near Jump City or any place that Lois could identify.
Casting a look at the nervous girl on the bed, Lois considered things. The teenager remembered her name—or what she thought was her name—and had an entire story, so she didn't have amnesia. Was she possibly delusional? She mentioned trying to get up time and time again, and being repeatedly hit… perhaps that was a distorted memory of some incident that'd left her like this. That was the most plausible explanation for her ridiculous story.
Yet Lois knew as few others did how often the ridiculous turned out to be accurate. And the girl didn't seem to be crazy, or lying for that matter. Could she possibly be telling the truth?
Only one way to find out. "What color underwear am I wearing?"
The girl's face turned bright red. "Wh—what?"
"You said those eyes of yours can help you look through everything, right? So what color underwear am I wearing?"
"Ummm…. Um…" the girl toyed furiously with her fingers. "Wh—why do you ask?"
"I need to tell if you're being honest, kiddo." Lois snapped her fingers. "C'mon. Out with it already."
The girl swallowed, then brought her fingers up in a curious sign. "Byakugan!"
Lois started backwards as veins suddenly bulged on the side of the girl's head, making her pale eyes suddenly gain a new intensity. They seemed to glow with an inward fire, and Lois simply knew, looking at them, that they could see literally everything.
For all of three seconds the girl remained like that. Finally the veins around her eyes relaxed, returning to normal, and the girl turned away, blushing. "ummm… pink."
"Correct." Lois answered distractedly. Her mind was racing. She had a new meta on her hands here, with possible links to 11 others, and a strange connection to some paramilitary organization termed "Konoha."
If that wasn't a story, she didn't know what was.
"Well then." She stood briskly to her feet. "I'll tell you what. You seem pretty fine to me, so I'll go and talk to the nurses and see if I can't get you of here. Then we can maybe go on to my place and we can start looking for these friends of yours."
The girl started again. "Wh-what?"
"Oh, it won't be any trouble at all." She waved the girl's concern aside. "Be like old times, having a roommate and all." As she flew out the door, Lois just barely suppressed a grin of anticipation.
She was going to milk this story for everything it was worth.
Another loose thread. Question felt his irritation rising. There must be a connection, he knew there HAD to be. So why couldn't he find it?
So far, he'd been through everything his prisoner owned and wore (ignoring the teen's loud protests). But none of it had turned up anything.
Neither the coat nor shirt nor pants seemed to be from any known manufacturer. The weapons in the pouch, while clearly dangerous, could not be traced to any kind of munitions dealer, and moreover seemed to be rather archaic for an Illuminati operative. (Some of the knives had little tags hanging from them, covered in strange markings. Question had no idea what they were, but the boy had gone pale when he'd fingered one). Also, he found numerous hairs coating the coat… hairs that seemed to be from a dog, but matched no known records.
It was impossible that so many different clues would leave NO hints. Somewhere, there had a connection. There always was. He just had to keep digging.
"Tell me. Where are your comrades?"
The teen went stiff. "Comrades?"
"Don't play games with me. You went down far too easily, either for a Dragon's Fang operative or a soldier of this 'Konoha.' You must have been in a support role, accustomed to working with others." Question frowned. "Unless, of course, your ineptitude is a result of missing this dog ally of yours."
"I can't help you. I'm not even sure if I have any comrades left, much less where they are."
"Clever. And why is that?"
The fanged boy hesitated, but finally admitted. "We were in a battle and I got hit. They could be dead by now for all I know."
"I told you not to play games. There were no signs of a battle where I found you."
"Yeah, and I told you that's 'cause I'm in the wrong world," returned the boy in a growl . "The stars are all wrong here, something musta… I dunno… teleported me or something."
Suddenly everything become clear. "Teleportation…" Question muttered. No wonder none of the boy's belongings could be connected. No wonder he seemed so oblivious. No wonder his weapons were archaic. "Of course… obvious, in retrospect." Question had been following the entirely wrong track.
"Tell me." He whirled on Kiba. "What do you know about the Mayan underground? Are they still hiding those alien relics?"
"Who the heck are Mayans, and what the heck are aliens?"
"You were planning to kill this… missing nin."
The pale-eyed boy seemed irritated. He gave a short nod.
"Why?"
"It was a mission," came the response. "Our team leader had determined he was a threat that could no longer be ignored. Therefore, an assassination was in order."
Superman struggled to keep the distaste off his face. "And what was your role in this 'assassination?'"
The boy clamped his mouth shut, clearly refusing to discuss that matter.
"You do these assassinations a lot, kid?" Green Lantern spoke up. After J'onn's conversation with the bug boy, they had determined that Lantern's military expertise might be helpful in talking with the prisoners.
"I am a jounin of my village," stated the teenager. "A fully capable shinobi. I do many things."
"Including assassinations."
The boy gave another curt nod.
"How long have you been doing this?"
"I have only been a jounin for a year now."
"Do any assassinations before then?"
The teenager blinked, apparently taken aback by the question. "Of course."
"How many?"
"I have participated in over twelve B-rank missions, seven of which directly involved assassinations. Three others incorporated assassination as a crucial element, but not the primary objective."
"When did you perform your first assassination?"
A shrug. "I don't remember. A little before the first chunin exam… so when I was twelve, I suppose."
A strange choking sound came from Superman, and the boy glanced sharply over.
John Stewart, Green Lantern and former US Marine, had seen a lot of things in his life, but this teenager was definitely one of the creepier specimens. With pale eyes staring directly ahead, mouth set in a terse irritable line, the boy had recited every detail with the utmost placidity and coldness. He refused to answer certain questions, and if pressed, simply remained silent. John got the feeling that without the help of a certain Martian telepath in the next room, he and Clark wouldn't even have gotten as far as they did.
This teenager was no idealistic superhero, nor any angsty supervillain. He was every inch the consummate professional soldier, and apparently had been so since his early years. You couldn't even compare him to the children fighting in Burma and Sudan, his manner was far too cool and efficient.
John's thought was broken by a sudden question from said soldier. "What village is this?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What village am I being imprisoned in?" The boy repeated. "I did not recognize it upon my arrival. What do you mean by defying the ninja alliance, and what do you seek to gain by it?"
"Ninja… alliance?" John repeated slowly.
"I suppose you are from Iwa. I have never met your kind before, but your betrayal fits with what I have heard of Iwa's policies." The teen sniffed. "Tell me, do you mean to eliminate competitors? Or does your Daimyo simply wish to increase his dominance over the other lands?"
Superman glanced in consternation at John, who simply sighed. "Son, we're not from this 'Iwa' place, okay?"
"No? Then what nation do you serve?"
"We… don't serve any nation." Superman replied, glancing back and forth between John and the boy.
"Ah. You are mercenaries then."
"No!" John and Clark exploded almost simultaneously.
The boy stared at them, astounded by their outburst. "Then… who do you work for?"
"We don't work for anyone!" Superman cried, incredibly flustered. "We're the Justice League!"
"So you are missing nins."
Clark and John exchanged a look. "Sure."
"I see." The boy snorted. "In that case, do what you wish. I have nothing to say to scum like you."
Superman blinked. "Now wait a minute. What makes you think we're scum?"
"Please." The teen sneered. "You have no loyalty, no honor, and no clan. What else could you be? Without any allegiances or obligations, the only things you truly serve are yourselves." The boy spat with disturbing accuracy at Superman. "Traitors. You answer to no one. You believe in nothing."
"No, listen, when I said we weren't working for anyone, I meant…" Superman gave it up. "Just… forget it, okay? It's not like that."
John decided they'd gotten as much as they were likely to. "Let's go, Supes," he said, putting a hand on Clark's shoulder.
"Hmph," muttered the boy behind them. "If you are honest, release us. We have done nothing."
"That's more than we know." John returned as they walked out.
The teenager shrugged. "Send a messenger to Konoha if you doubt our story. Surely the winged lady could travel quickly enough."
John froze.
Karin generally enjoyed hospitals. After all, she was a scientist, nearly as at home in a hospital as she would be in a lab. She had many happy memories of working in hospitals.
However, being treated in (what she assumed was) a hospital was a new experience, and rather terrifying. Due to her recuperative abilities, Karin had never really needed significant care in a hospital, and the few times she had, she hadn't needed steel manacles holding her arms and legs to the bed.
Karin knew exactly what kind of 'patients' necessitated such bedding conditions, and was agonizingly familiar with many of the innumerable procedures that could be done to such 'patients.' A lifetime spent under Orochimaru, working for Orochimaru, did not exactly make one comfortable with the idea of being chained to a bed.
So when the window above her became clear and the predatory grin of the bald man on the other side appeared, Karin screamed, "I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING IF YOU'LL JUST KILL ME PAINLESSLY!"
Robin flinched slightly as the man and women smashed into the ground, but appeared otherwise unmoved. "You know, it's not like you're the first person to try this trick. Scarecrow, Headmaster, Dr. Destiny… I've had more people then you'd believe dig up this scene and show it to me. And no offense, but compared to them? You stink at this."
"Be quiet." Sasuke growled at the teenager, who was really starting to annoy him. He'd intensified the image several times now, to the point where the couple now screamed their whole fall down to smash right in front of them. The earth suddenly twisted into a sea of swords which hacked their bodies to pieces. Through all of this, though, Robin had continued speaking, and Sasuke was starting to wish the teenager would just shut up.
He didn't. "I'll bet I can guess why, too. This sort of thing is too close to you. You understand it too well to go all the way."
Sasuke did not respond.
After studying him for a moment, Robin turned back. "So. Let me guess. Your parents died when you were young, and now you've got a vengeance complex built up. I understand that, believe me." Robin's face wrinkled a little more sharply as the acrobatic duos plunged into the swords again. "In your case, though, I'm guessing you've got some ego-centric issues—that you're somehow 'different' than anyone else because of this experience and that means you can just do whatever."
"You know nothing." Sasuke hissed. "You know nothing of the pain I have endured, you cannot conceive…"
"Tch. I know what it's like to lose your parents. I know what it is to lead a life in the shadows, trained by a man who barely knows how to live himself. I know what it is to sacrifice any chance at a normal life for the protection of others, which I get the feeling is something you DON'T know."
"Oh? And what about losing your entire clan? Do you know what that is like?" Sasuke clutched his fists at his sides. How could this boy be so annoying! This was his world! HE was supposed to be in control.
"No." Robin shrugged. "Do you know what it's like to lose your entire planet? Your entire species? Neither do I, but I know plenty who have, and none of them are as big a loser as you are." Robin laughed. "So you've lost a lot. But have you ever sacrificed something? Or do you just think you deserve everything outright? Cause seriously? That's like a little baby whining for toys he can't have."
"You…!" Sasuke whirled on the mental image of Robin. His eyes flashed and suddenly Robin was pierced thirty times over with swords that shot from the ground, turning a bloody mess of arms and legs hanging before a raving Sasuke. "My pain is greater than you can possibly imagine! How could you…"
A scream broke him off and he looked up to see the falling forms of the acrobats. They flashed toward him, rushing at the ground which was already turning into daggers, and as they fell Sasuke looked up at the woman's face.
It was the face of his mother.
With an inarticulate scream, Sasuke whipped himself away, into the Titan's tower room. He recoiled from Robin and smashed into the computer. Pale and shaking, he regarded Robin, who also looked very white and strained, but still defiant.
"That's a new one, boss." Suigetsu eyed them strangely.
Ignoring his underling, Sasuke got to his feet as calmly as possible, trying to force strength into his legs. Once he was finally on his feet, he turned away from the prisoner to face the window. "Take him away," he said. "There's nothing more we can learn from this one."
Back in the observation room, Lantern turned to J'onn. "You sure these kids aren't part of an invasion force?"
"I found no indication of any hostile intent toward, or even knowledge of, this world prior to their incarceration," nodded J'onn. "Mr. Terrific, as you know, came to similar conclusions based on his physical assessment of their condition."
Superman shuddered. "But the things he's saying…"
"That's not the issue." Lantern shook his head. "There's nothing unusual about child soldiers, Clark. It's not pretty, but it happens. When times get rough, sometimes even the kids fight. This one just happens to be much more powerful and well-trained than your typical sixteen-year-old."
Superman frowned but let the subject drop. "Well if that's not bothering you… what is?"
"The whole situation. Okay, sometimes people fall through dimensional holes, but seven of them? In coordinated attack groups, at different strategic locations? These guys aren't scientists, they're not curious aliens, they're soldiers. Soldiers don't just stumble into trans-dimensional warp-holes without knowing what they're doing."
"What do soldiers do when they find trans-dimensional warp holes?"
John frowned. "I don't know… Radio to base? Set up a perimeter? Ignore it and move on? They could do a lot of things, but they wouldn't just decide to run through to see what it's like."
"On Stargate they build a base around it and send a robot ahead of them." Flash volunteered.
"But these kids fell from the sky, John." Superman argued. "If they were attacking, I don't think they'd choose a place where they were falling to their death."
"Oh? Who says they were falling to their death?" John arched a dark eyebrow. "Superman, we don't even know all the things these guys can do yet. That kid back there knew about Shayera on the upper deck, and she hasn't even come into the room. What makes you think those kids you saved couldn't fly? They might have been planning an attack."
"And given that they have apparently have experience dealing with telepaths, they may be intentionally shielding their minds from me." J'onn nodded thoughtfully. "Yes… I am inclined to doubt it, but it is entirely possible. The dark boy certainly seems able to repulse me, and the girl… might be able to shield the others."
John arched an eyebrow, but did not comment. "The whole thing just seems too damn fishy to me. We don't know anything for sure. Even if their story about this 'Uchiha Sasuke' is correct, we may be getting a slightly biased view."
"That's possible. 'Fugitive' can mean any number of things, he could have been a freedom fighter for all we know. These kids might not be the 'good guys' after all. Talking to that kid in there…" Superman shivered.
"That guy? He's not so bad." John shook his head. "He's no hero, but so far as I can tell he's guilty of nothing worse than following orders. It's just the nature of those orders that makes me nervous."
Rubbing his chin, J'onn considered things a moment. "We can do nothing more than we are already." He finally decided. "We have teams covering all the rift points and scouting the nearby areas. Neither Question nor the Titans have responded yet, but outside of that, the most we can do is to update the League members and warn them to be cautious."
"You called to tell me to be careful?" Batman grunted into his communicator.
There was a trace of amusement in the response. "As a way of letting you know that we're passing on similar instructions to the rest of the team, yes."
"About time. Heard anything from the other teams?"
"Hawkgirl's team has yet to find anything. Flash and Supergirl have been through Metropolis several times, but they haven't reported anything unusual. Neither Question nor the Teen Titans have reported in, but we…"
"Wait." Batman's voice cut through J'onn's methodical account. "The Titan's haven't responded to your call?"
"No."
Batman frowned. "Something's wrong." He muttered, switching off the communicator.
Luthor examined the results on the sheet before him. Overall, he felt rather pleased with the fruits of his rounds. The blonde had told him some rather obvious lies and the brunette had been obstinately silent, but he'd get them to tell him the truth soon enough. Information obtained through torture always had an element of unreliability to it, though. Perhaps he'd try some other things first. The lazy one, certainly, despite his gall, seemed like the type to listen to reason.
But the last… Luthor smiled as he looked over that portion of the chart. The last had been SO helpful. A wealth of information, not only about her and her abilities, but also some VERY interesting data about where she—and, Luthor calculated, the others—came from. She hadn't said all she knew, he was sure, but that fear of hers would bring it out sooner or later. In the meantime, the information she'd given him on the other inmates would be helpful.
Still, Luthor felt the dregs of bitterness. There was something wrong here. A hole of some kind… a missing piece that kept everything from falling into place. It had to do with their entry into this world, that much he knew, but the girl had been sadly—and honestly, he felt—unable to help him on that point. So where was it?
"Sir?" An orderly appeared at his elbow.
Luthor did not look up. "Yes?" he muttered distractedly, still picking through the reports.
"Our sources in the League indicate that they've been on high alert since last night, after a classified transmission from Batman." The man adjusted his glasses. "They have several parties combing the countryside. One even swept by us, but fortunately…"
"Last night?" Luthor frowned. "What time last night?"
A slight pause. "3:16 am, sir."
"I see." Musing, Luthor tapped the edge of the clipboard against his chin. "They must know about this somehow. But how? We've kept them…" he narrowed his eyes.
He turned to his assistant. "Where are they looking?"
"Metropolis, Jump City, Hub City, Gotham, according to our sources," came the response. "And here."
"Send teams to each of the cities." Luthor snapped. "They're not to draw attention from the metas, but to attempt to capture any Japanese-speaking teenagers with unusual powers. Capture, not kill, understand?"
The assistant nodded and was opening his mouth to reply when a dull boom shook the facility.
to be continued...
A/N: As the Good Book says, "Review unto others as you would have others review unto you." Or don't, if it suits your fancy. Flames are welcome too, all the flames I took last chapter helped me think of a fun twist to throw into the story.
On that note... I've received numerous complaints about Sasuke being too weak. First of all, I'd like to point out that Team Taka, like Sakura and her group, had come fresh from a battle. Granted, one that they won, but still one that they'd be suffering from. Second of all, neither Sasuke nor his team have any familiarity with the technology of Cyborg or Robin. It's enough to give them a fighting chance. Third of all... Sasuke is currently operating under some major handicaps, of which you get a hint of in this chapter. Don't worry though. He'll get a chance to show his true power.
Given that people still dispute about whether Sasuke is stronger than Itachi or whether Naruto beat Pain at full strength, I think that power levels are pretty much up for grabs. A lot of Kishi's own fights seem a little improbable, so I'm not going to worry about mine. Actually, I had one reviewer who felt that there was no way Sasuke could have beaten Raven OR Cyborg, and that Starfire should have pwned Juugo. So while I welcome criticism about the fights, I'm not going to worry about it too much.
By the way, this chapter was written before 489, where we saw how Karin REALLY reacts to interrogation. I figure it's okay, as Karin doesn't really know whether she's in a permissive place like Konoha, or whether they actually want information from her. Besides, I like my version better.
EDIT: I realize I should explain the Tsukuyomi scene. If Sasuke had chosen something straight like the torture he did at the end, he could have probably had Robin. The fact that he chose something Robin's practically used to seeing and that he himself doesn't enjoy reliving put him at a disadvantage. At the end where his mom appears, that's not anything Robin did. That just shows how wrapped up in the thing Sasuke is. He's confusing Robin's tragedy with his own.
So anyway. REVIEW PLEASE!
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