Robert Meta
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Mettle, Metal, Meddled - Chapter 30 - Suspicion
🕑 Added 2022-08-17 15:43:36 +0000 UTC“So. What are our plans for Speedy?” I asked as the team relaxed next to the sparring arena. “Are we going to interview him or not?”
We had just finished our morning ritual of working out, followed by sparring. Wally had joined us and was acting relatively normal, if a bit gun shy about talking to M’gann. A day had passed since we had interviewed and invited Ice to join the New Titans and we were still waiting on her family's decision. We were hopeful to hear back from her soon.
“We need to find him first,” Robin reminded us. “He isn’t responding to our calls.”
“Do you guys not know where he lives?” I asked, looking at the three more experienced heroes. “I mean you’ve known him for a while, right?”
“He lived with Green Arrow until he split, now we have no idea where he lived,” Robin responded, continuing when I opened my mouth. “And he is eighteen, before you ask.”
“... You can’t blame me for making sure.” I said with an unapologetic shrug. “The Justice League hasn't exactly had the best track record for taking care of minors.”
“Regardless, we would need to track him down in order to,” Kaldur pointed out. “Robin, I assume Batman has been keeping track of him?”
“Of course, but…” Robin answered, trailing off before finishing his thought. “We have been relying on him a bit too much.”
“You want to find him on our own?” I asked. “We can give it a shot. Any ideas?”
“Well, according to the news he took down Brick's gang in Star City, that's a pretty good place to start.”
“Alright. Lets pull up some of those reports, see if we can't find a pattern. If we can’t we can stake out some of these criminals and see if he shows up.”
Together the team read through a few dozen news articles about various arrests the past few days. Speedy seemed to be on a tear, having jumped right back into crime fighting with gusto. M’gann, Kyle and I also read up on Brick and his gang, since the other three knew about him already.
For the most part he was a small-time gang leader, who mostly dealt in robberies, while dabbling in gun running. He was also a meta-human with super strength and durability, basically your average brick powerset.
“Wow, he was really original with his name,” I pointed out sarcastically. “Not the brightest bulb I take it?”
“He likes to pretend he is,” Robin said, looking up from his reading. “Wears a tailored suit and everything.”
“Note to self, insulting his intelligence is probably a trigger,” I said mostly to myself, though Robin still nodded.
After a bit more reading a thought occurred to me.
“So Speedy’s schtick is that he is really good with his bow and has a bunch of gadget arrows, right?” I asked. “Where the hell is he getting his arrows? I mean they must be expensive as hell.”
“Green Arrow says he is borrowing arrows from stashes all across the city,” Wally responded, munching on a cookie while reading. “He keeps stocking them up so he won't run out. Speedy could afford to make them if he had too, he… he has plenty of his own money, but he doesn't have access to the same suppliers Green Arrow does. At least not yet.”
I shake my head, looking back down at the report I was reading. I understood why Green Arrow would want to keep his protege, someone he cared about, well stocked despite his poor attitude. It still rubbed me the wrong way though, that Speedy was being so belligerent and ornery in the name of being done with Green Arrow and the League, but was still taking advantage of his old mentor's generosity.
“You don’t approve of Speedy?” Kaldur said, having spotted my expression.
“Well to be fair I don’t know him, I only know what he has been doing the last month.” I explained, getting looks from his other two friends. “You guys have history and a bad few weeks is not enough to really judge a person, so I’m more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. That said… well you can see why it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.”
“...We need to talk to him,” Robin said finally, after a long pause. “I… I can’t get what you said the other day out of my head. About him being influenced. The more I think about it…”
“He was always stubborn but… he has never ignored our calls, not completely like this,” Wally said with a frown. “He cared too much about being the best hero he could be to just ignore us.”
“Okay, if we are really talking about him being influenced somehow, we need to list everything out.” M’gann said, standing up and walking closer to the center of the large room and waving a hand to activate the main computer. “What do we know? What has changed?”
Everyone stood up and followed behind the Martian, with Kaldur and Robin sharing a look. Before they could say anything though, Wally spoke up.
“He was the one who brought up League membership to me.” Wally pointed out, Kaldur nodding in agreement. “He got me riled up by pointing out they were babying us.”
“He was the one who planted the seed in my head as well,” Kaldur admitted. “Though he worded it as a way to prove myself and serve my King.”
M’gann nodded, creating a list on the holo projector, typing in “pushed/manipulated friends” before hitting enter and turning back to us.
“What else?”
“Like I said, Speedy could be stubborn, but he never ignored our calls.”
“He also never disappeared like this,” Robin said. “Being independent is fine but I know Green Arrow taught him that keeping your allies updated is extremely important, even if you aren’t working with them.”
M’gann nodded and turned back to the screen, adding “forgetting/ignoring old lessons” before turning back.
“We skipped the part where he was obsessed with joining the League,” Robin added. “It started as just wanting to join but it became all he cared about sometime around when he turned seventeen.”
M’gann added “increasing obsession” to the list, Wally speaking up before she was even done.
“I… I don’t want to influence anyone but… He might have been a bit more.... Aggressive? Angrier? He had that whole scowl thing from way before but he never used to do it as often as he seemed to, especially leading up to the big day.”
M’gann paused and looked back, Kaldur and Robin both nodding in agreement.
“He… did seem to be getting more aggressive.” Kaldur agreed, M’gann nodding and adding “Strange/extreme behavior” to the list. “I blamed it on the stress of potentially joining the League.”
“Okay… so what could be a mundane explanation for all of this?” M’gann asked, stepping back from the projected screen. “You guys knew him as a civilian, any recent trauma? Anything go wrong recently?”
The three heroes looked thoughtful for a moment, Kaldur eventually shaking his head.
“I cannot think of anything recent,” He said. “I-
“Oh fuck,” Robin said, his eyes going wide. “Guys… What about his kidnapping.”
“Wait, he was kidnapped?” I asked, shock evident in my face. “When!?”
“Not long after joining Green Arrow as Speedy he disappeared while investigating a Lexcorp shell company by himself. Something about weapon shipments to North Rhelasia,” Robin explained. “He was missing for three months.”
“He spent three months with an unknown group with potential connections to Lex Luthor?” I repeated. “Someone we know would have no issues fucking with someones head, and has the resources to higher a psychic or magic user?”
We were silent for a long moment, everyone digesting what we had just put together. Eventually I cursed and looked at Robin.
“Call Batman, tell him it's urgent and get him here, now.” I said before turning to M’gann. “We need the Martian Manhunter, M’gann. Tell him the same.”
As both of my teammates nodded I pulled out my own phone, scrolling through the emergency numbers before finding Green Arrow’s and pressing the call button, stepping away from the group to have what I’m sure was going to be a tough conversation.
-------------------
Green Arrow was the first to step through the Zeta-Tube, arriving with Black Canary in tow. He took one look at the list we had created, cursed, threw his bow and sat down on a bench, Black Canary sitting beside him, rubbing his back. Batman arrived next, silently reading the list as well. Before he could say anything Martian Manhunter arrived.
“Green Arrow, would you agree with this list?” He asked in his deep stoic voice.
“Yeah. I… I’ve noticed some of that as well,” He admitted, looking up from his hands. “Do you really think…?”
“It is entirely possible that he is being influenced somehow.” The green Martian said. “Three months is assuredly enough time for a capable psychic to imbed hidden commands or alter someone's allegiances.”
“What do we do?”
“We bring him in, Martian Manhunter will perform a scan to verify if there is anything wrong. If there is, we will do everything we can to help him.” Batman assured Green Arrow, offering him a supportive nod when he looked up.
For a moment he was silent, tapping away at the projected keyboard before eventually turning back to us.
“How did you arrive at this conclusion?” He asked, seeming actually curious.
“We were talking about recruiting him, and whether or not he should get to skip the whole process and just get an invite.” Wally volunteered.
“And how they were talking about him triggered my paranoia,” I finished. “For obvious reasons I’m a bit concerned about outside mental influences. I pointed it out and Kid Flash, Aqualad and Robin agreed to think about it.”
“I couldn’t get it out of my head,” Robin said. “So I brought it up again when Skarn mentioned his attitude and actions for the last month, the rest is on M’gann.”
The League members all turned to face M’gann who faltered for a moment before pulling herself together and standing tall, despite the panic I could feel from her.
“I figured as the team's only psychic it was up to me to make sure the worry of mental influence was taken seriously.” She answered. “We started the list and well… when the kidnapping came up it was the last straw.”
“Are we sure that's what’s even happening?” Black Canary asked. “This is out of my area of expertise, but how can we be certain?”
“In truth these signs alone are worrying, but not blatant proof.” M’gann’s uncle responded. “But combined with his three months missing it is worrying. We need to investigate this.”
“What would the point even be?” Black Canary asked. “What would they be trying to get from him?”
“Judging by the list, I would say something to do with the Justice League,” Robin answered. “I mean having someone on the inside would be worth the long con, right?”
“He isn't going to like getting dragged in for this,” Green Arrow said. “He doesn't want anything to do with us right now, forcing him to come in isn't going to help.”
“Then we should endeavor not to force him.” Kaldur said, stepping forward. “Allow the New Titans to meet with him first, as equals, and express concern about his behavior. Allow him the chance to come willingly.”
“And when he refuses?” Batman asked, focusing on the Atlantean.
“Then we will apprehend him, with you all as backup to ensure he doesn't slip away.” He answered. “He has been our friend for many years, I refuse to write him off as a simple traitor until there is no other recourse. There may be something else going on.”
Batman studied us for a moment before nodding, turning back to the projected interface and typing into it. He tabbed through several screens before stopping.
“That is acceptable,” He agreed. “The New Titans will attempt to peacefully convince Speedy to surrender himself, and offer him a chance to prove he is innocent, or at least not a willing traitor. Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary and myself will get into position as you talk, and provide back up if he proves too much to handle.”
“Do you really think Speedy will be too much for all of us?” Wally asked, looking skeptical. “Speedy is good, but he isn't that good.”
“If the worst case scenario proves to be true, and Speedy is a traitor, he immediately becomes an unknown entity.” Batman explained patiently. “You may know what Speedy is capable of, but if Speedy is just a persona he is playing you have no idea what they might do. Will they default to being fully lethal? Is it a shape shifter with enhanced abilities? Are they using magic or science to trick us into believing he is Speedy?”
“Oh… I hadn’t thought of that,” Wally admitted, growing and rubbing the back of his head.
“You should consider yourself lucky,” Green Arrow said, standing from his seat and walking closer, standing beside Batman. “Having to worry about traitors is not something you should have to deal with, especially with how… this early in your career.”
“... It's okay. We are young, we get it,” Wally admitted after an introspective pause, giving me a nod before focusing on Green Arrow and Batman. “There are some things we aren't ready for, and we make mistakes. But what’s important is that a friend may be in trouble, and we have the ability to help them.”
Kaldur stepped up behind Wally and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, giving him a nod of support. Green Arrow and Canary looked surprised at Kid Flash's admission, while Batman and Martian Manhunter kept their stoic, unreadable faces steady. After a moment Batman cut in, bringing the focus of the conversation back to Speedy.
“New Titans, if you are going to act as our first contact team then you need to suit up. I will work on locating Speedy and when I do we will decide on a plan depending on his location.”
We nodded and collectively left to head to our equipment lockers. Robin was already in gear, as was Kid Flash, but the rest of us were wearing more casual workout clothes. As we walked I made my way to M’gann, hugging and nudging her mentally.
“M’gann that was great,” I said, shining a mental smile at her with undercurrents of pride. “Organizing our thoughts like that was exactly what we needed.”
“It wasn't that big of a deal,” She said, trying to brush it off. “It just felt like a good idea.”
“Well your ‘Just a good idea’ was the reason we were able to plot everything out,” I insisted. “Without it we were just tossing around unsubstantial theories and gut feelings. It's easy to ignore stuff like that because it feels unlikely.”
“Well, thanks I guess. I hope we are wrong though. I hope Speedy is just stressed and we are blowing this out of proportion.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “Either way we need to support him and our teammates.”
I gave M’gann a mental nudge, pointing out how broken down Wally, Robin and Kaldur seemed. M’gann sent out a wave of sadness and a desire to help our friends. I mirrored her wave, but helped lift it with an undercurrent of determination and support. She turned to me and nodded.
Twenty minutes later we were suited up and ready to go, my helmet clipped to my hip and my shield on my back. The group returned to the main room, where the League members stood waiting for us. Wonder Woman had also arrived at some point while we were gone as well.
“Why is Wonder Woman here?” M’gann asked, mirroring my own thoughts. “I thought we already had plenty of people.”
“I’m not sure, maybe Batman is being extra paranoid?” I suggested, only to catch a glint of the shining golden rope on Wonder Woman's hip. “Oh, maybe for her lasso? It compels anyone wrapped inside of it to tell the truth.”
“But Uncle J’onn is here, he can tell if someone is lying easily.”
“Unless they are magically protected, or immune to psychics,” I pointed out. “Which really just connects back to my statement that Batman is being extra paranoid.”
As we reached the center of the room, Batman turned and addressed everyone present.
“Speedy is located in the downtown apartment district of Star City. He is living in apartment number sixty three,” He explained, images of a worn down but still acceptable apartment complex displayed on the projected screen. “Security feed from a nearby gas station seems to indicate he has switched to a completely nocturnal sleep cycle. The plan is to wait for him to leave during the night, following him with Bioship. We want you to observe him for a short period of time before deploying to meet him. As you talk, our two fliers will be coordinating with Black Canary and Green Arrow, the group getting into position to intercept or move in as support.”
“Why wait? Couldn’t we just knock on his door?” I asked. “Or meet him as he leaves?”
“We don't want to intercept him near his home where he might have set up traps or have access to extra weapons,” Batman explained. “Further, despite our questions he has been doing good work. If he turns up clean I would rather not spoil an investigation. If while you are waiting for the best moment to contact him you happen to catch him in the process of doing something that would break his cover, then you will skip the attempt at communication and move straight to apprehension.”
The team gave the season hero various forms of acknowledgement before I turned back to everyone.
“We should have another temporary leader in case this turns into a fight.”
“I vote for Kaldur,” Wally said easily. “He did a good job against Mr. Twister.”
“I agree, though we need to settle on the actual leader soon,” Robin said, giving Kaldur a nod, who only grimaced, his face serious.
“Let's go over a few more details, then we can move out,” Batman said, not commenting on our team's process. “We should start by coordinating radio frequencies before…”
