บท 17: Chapter 17
Three days later after the whole Amazo incident and marking the anniversary of the first month I had returned to Earth I was working out with Superboy and just generally beating the tar out of one another as his healing factor and durability seemed to be increasing after our fights and for me having someone, I could vent my frustrations on being stuck in the cave endlessly was great for my sanity.
Not that I was ungrateful at all to the League as I certainly wasn't a prisoner or anything but seriously being all but a ghost and being locked out of Walmart because the sensors refuse to acknowledge my existence is depressing as all hell.
"Alright, I am done, Jake," Conner said as he shook off his bruised hands that hurt his own body more than my own when he hit my Hierro-covered body.
"Alright," I said as I wiped off my face with a cold wet towel we both sat on some concrete to take a breather. "So, think Wally is going to flirt with the new member we are supposed to get today?"
Superboy just rolled his eyes as he snorted. "I have seen Wally flirt with a magazine cover that was propped up when he was half asleep... Yes, if the new girl is vaguely female, and uhm actually even if it doesn't have a pulse, he may flirt with it..." Seeing my look of shock as I stared at him Conner just shrugged. "Another ghost like you could be added and I won't discriminate if our new team member is female Casper."
"Alrighty!" I said cheerily before I stood back up and threw my towel into the laundry chute. "I am going to get cleaned up and make some food before Batman and Green Arrow drop off the new member. And then throw us headfirst into a mission with the new person." I muttered at the end.
I honestly didn't understand what was going through Batman's head when he decided to allow Artemis to be put on our team with no real knowledge of her being given to the team. Literally, we are being expected to trust some unknown person as we get sent on some black ops mission the League didn't want attributed to them.
"Like the League didn't want the label of basically invading one of Costa Rica's islands and setting off massive amounts of explosives," I muttered in the shower as I rinsed out the product, I had worked into my prized silver hair.
As far as the world was concerned Kobra and Banes operation blew up completely in a pyrrhic battle the corrupt Costa Rican government was more than happy to take credit for cleaning up and claim the drug money that had survived my Cero bombardment.
Finally, with my hair bound up in a thick ponytail I got dressed in actual mission-grade clothes after I caved and asked Robin to shoot Batman a message to have a 'costume' created for me and honestly just to be a cheeky ironic asshole I had my outfit designed to follow Ichigo's Bankai outfit along with wearing a Squad Captains large robe over that with a big old number zero on the back of it.
So should I meet a person from the Bleach universe or even know it... I would certainly get an interesting reaction.
"Wow, Jake you look sharp. Wish I didn't need to wear an anti-friction suit to use my powers as well." Wally complimented while commiserating how he was cursed to wearing spandex to break the sonic barrier in his running without his clothes ripping apart due to drag and friction burning it away.
"Yeah, I like it a lot," I said pulling at the large Haori hanging on my shoulders. "So, when is Batman and Green Arrow going to be here with our new addition," I asked and as though answering my very question the Zeta beam teleporter kicked into action with the speakers announcing their presences.
"Batman, Green Arrow, and Guest." The Zeta teleporter announced with the trio walking out and just as I expected I saw the blond, green outfit-clad form of Artemis walking alongside Green Arrow.
"Batman, Green Arrow, it's good to see you and is this our new team member?" I asked to start off as I saw Robin and Kid Flash looking perturbed seeing Artemis and how close her theme was to Green Arrow especially with her obviously being an archer like her mentor was.
The problem the two younger teenagers obviously had; was how it looked this Artemis chick was going to replace Speedy once he supposedly was going to be fully recovered in literally a couple more weeks. "Yeah Lorde, this is my niece Artemis, and she will be joining the team." Green Arrow said upbeatly and I saw how Batman was focusing on me and I realized something.
If by going along the story I could sense the birth signature of souls, then I would obviously be able to tell Artemis wasn't at all related to Green Arrow.
I blinked repeatedly as I stared at Artemis and smiled wryly before I looked to Batman as Artemis herself seemed to be looking us over. "Rather... Really awkward to say, but did you ever do a blood test on her as she isn't related to you as a niece would still bear the tinge of her grandmother's soul that started the bloodline? If anything, all I can feel is the same demonic taint that Robin carries from being born of Gotham's embrace."
Now, that all wasn't a lie, as all souls were all subtly different, and through my Pesquisa, I could feel how the people born of Gotham had a tiny bit of a taint to them.
Batman's face twitched at my words before he sighed and looked to Green Arrow. "Just tell them the truth. It's good to know his soul sense is still as good as we thought." Batman then paused before he focused on me and spoke again. "If anything, having Lorde do a check on all League personnel to see if they had been unknowingly replaced with a clone or even if they have anything attached to their souls is of importance." Batman mused as he obviously considered how he could go about having me point fingers at League heroes to see if they had been replaced with an 'imposter'
Green Arrow on the other hand facepalmed at Batman's paranoia before he waved his hand wildly speaking with an obvious sarcastic lite to his tone. "And how would you do that? Call an emergency meeting of all League heroes with him giving out coffee to see if there is an imposter, Among Us."
Batman stilled and gave Green Arrow a surprised look with his almost always stone-faced expression breaking into a slight smile as he compliments the dumbfounded archer. "That sounds like a perfect idea. I will make sure to attribute it to you in the logs."
However, the Green Arrow was many things but stupid wasn't one of them so as Batman flicked a couple of buttons to put up the briefing of our mission on the holographic screens surrounding us, he began fiercely whispering to the Bat of Gotham. "The mission details are all here. We are leaving now and in twenty minutes Shirley Fouquet the VIP of the mission you will be protecting will be in your hands as Black Canary is needed elsewhere." Batman spoke as he all but pulled Green Arrow out of the mission debriefing room to allow us to review the details and speak to Artemis.
Once the League members left us to be we all turned to the now nervous form of Artemis who stopped looking at the crown of horns atop my head.
"Robin get the bacon grease and the largest carrot in the fridge... We need to initiate her into the team." Kid Flash joked breaking the tension with Artemis visibly taking a breath in relief.
"Guys focus on the details of the mission we can talk on the way there." Aqualad scolded as he was focusing on the details of the coming mission, and I frowned as I read it and realized my actions had certainly changed things.
"So, Cadmus's clones in other sites have been released as the League began breaking into them? Lesser unstable clones used as disposable pawns?" I read aloud grimacing as I locked onto a video of what I thought to be the other Superman clone, Match or something, going on a rampage in the remains of the main Cadmus site before he literally died of exertion after his berserker struggle against the League.
"They think these clones may be used against us. And how are we supposed to treat these... People?" I said weakly as I gathered their attention. "I mean remember what happened with Superboy and that other clone Match. They are killing machines and will fight until they literally die under the stress of battle with their unstable bodies and powers, unless Miss Martian is able give them an actual personality in a couple minutes?" Left unsaid was how these clones being disposable shock troops simply had the programming on how to find their target and to destroy them.
There were no levers for Miss Martian to build upon a personality to awaken like the Genemorphs of Cadmus did for Superboy as they had gone above and beyond in their duties in mentally transmitting Superboy's memories allowing him to actually have free will.
Sadly, Miss Martian shook her head contritely as she spoke softly. "Not even the greatest mind walkers of my people can graft a new personality in a blank slate without days if not weeks of slowly introducing the building blocks of a person's personality. And not causing the persons brains to overload with information and the whole personality they were building come crumbling down like a stack of earth playing cards."
Finally, Superboy was the one who broke our introspective thoughts as he grunted. "If you can, just subdue them... If not and another Kyrptonian clone comes out of nowhere, me and Jake will do our best to subdue them unless it becomes a threat to the public."
I nodded in understanding as even Superboy was fully capable of bringing down a skyscraper in a few minutes of destroying the foundations. Even with him only having his super strength durability and the tactile telekinesis that allows all Kyrptonian's to lift buildings without them crumbling to pieces.
Should a sort lived clone of literally Superman with all his powers come out the gate I had no choice but to go straight for the kill, lest whatever city we be fighting in be reduced to rubble as that clone won't hold back like Superman would.
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