Chapter 73 : Return to base
[Author note : You can visit my Patréon page (look for Cathbel and the site is written with an e instead of an é) if you want to read more or encourage me. Also, comments, reviews and power stone also fuel my motivation to bring you stories (even though I love writing anyway...).
The Titans are engaging the fight in order to rescue Robin while the Overwatch team is keeping an eye on them from afar. Meanwhile, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. won't stay idle ! Hope you enjoy !]
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Undisclosed N.O.W.H.E.R.E. base, Antarctica.
Earlier that night, after Robin sketched out a plan to rescue Superboy, they headed out of the apartment… And instantly, mysteriously, found themselves near the targeted base. At first, Robin had thought that he would have to call on the Batwing (whatever it was) to carry him and another before taking them here…
Wonder Girl and Solstice could have flown there. Bunker too, though much more slowly. As for Kid Flash, he could probably run over there… So, he was basically the only one to need an alternate mode of transportation. Except maybe fore Aaron, had they found him.
Still, they were thankful, if bewildered, not to have to do all this right before assaulting a paramilitary base. Especially so considering that the base in question probably contained its own fair share of powerful Metahumans lackeys. Wonder Girl was raring to go, barely containing her anxious fervor by crossing her arms and assuming a 'relaxed' stance. Though it was clear to most, she was sure…
Solstice was fidgeting for some reason. Despite everything the girl had said about N.O.W.H.E.R.E., her apparent animosity towards it, she was the most fearful, it seemed. Looking as her, Cassie couldn't help but to feel a sense of unease.
Bunker too was obviously feeling the pre-fight jitters if his constant babbling was any indication. He was an amusing guy, she thought. A bit chatty, annoyingly so, at times, but she couldn't help but like him. Too bad she wasn't his type… She might have liked dating him.
As for Kid Flash… Wonder Girl didn't know whether the guy was oblivious or it was his version of nervousness. He was stupid, nagging, and agitated. He kept pacing back and forth so much she feared the soles of his feet would catch on fire. Something that might happen in the near future, anyway.
For a moment, she wondered where the speedster had even found the fabric for his costume. Unlike her clothes which usually ended up mostly torn apart by the end of most fights, his were still… Well, almost in pristine condition. She had seen it dirty after the fight in Times Square and yet, by simply brushing it off, it looked good as new. Not only that, it was resistant to his speed, and probably high speed impact since it needed to lessen the damage inflicted in case of a crash.
Finally, Robin initiated a call :
« It's done ! » He simply said and cut the link.
As soon as he said that, Kid flash left with a 'whoosh' to reappear a couple of seconds later :
« It's clear ! There's really no power there. And the goggles work perfectly ! »
Cracking her knuckles, Wonder Girl commented :
« I hope you left some fun in there for us… »
He shrugged :
« I only took out a few grunts who were in the way. »
Wonder Girl's lips stretched in a nasty grin before she started jogging toward the entrance. Unlike Kid Flash, it took her a while longer to cross the distance since they weren't exactly on the facility's doorsteps. Nevertheless, she was faster and stronger than most other humans, so she reached it quickly. Without bothering to try and opened the door, she sent a straight kick right through it and used the remaining momentum to cross the threshold.
A small spark of annoyance lit up inside when she found no one in their immediate vicinity, but she decided to squash and proceed. There'd be jackasses to beat up soon enough anyway…
Kid Flash and Bunker followed after her quickly. Actually, Kid Flash sped up and ahead as soon as he saw enter. Bunker, psionic brick constructs encasing his fists and protecting his body, ran after them. Solstice followed a bit later, hesitantly…
Inside the Indian girl, a war of conflicting emotions and thoughts was brewing. On the one hand, she wanted nothing more than to rebel against her former captors, to destroy them, even… And, if she can't do that, at least act like the worst annoyance possible to them.
On the other hand, she was simply… Terrified of them ! Their leader was a frightening, almost omniscient individual, who amassed power both personal and for his organization. Moreover, the leader and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had managed to subdue and convert quite a few powerful metahumans. Among which, the one she feared the most was Omen.
Omen could get into people's mind, make them see things that weren't there, find out their worst fear, their hopes and dreams… She had even seen her once completely erase someone's personality. When she was done with him, the man was an empty husk who could barely remember to breathe. If she was to be captured by her or the Leader…
Solstice shuddered at the thought and then felt awful to hide those things to her new friends. Although she would try not to betray them if she were captured, she doubted whether or not she could resist for long… She did not want to betray them but, perhaps she was already doing just that by not telling them all she knew ?
The four Metahumans separated as soon as they were able to, to maximize the efficiency of their searches. Supergirl had elected not to come on this mission for several reasons she didn't feel like sharing with them. So, only the 'Titans' were there. It's funny how Kid Flash and Solstice had just appeared out of (literally) nowhere and were simply accepted in the team like that. Well, if you asked Wonder Girl, she wasn't part of any team. Bunker and Kid Flash, on the other hand, were thrilled at the idea !
At the moment, far from the idea of working with people, Wonder Girl spent her time bashing people's faces in, smacking them around and send them flying in the furnitures, the ceiling or the walls. She wasn't even actively searching for the clone. She might have even forgotten him to be honest…
Bunker, in another part of the facility, started fighting carefully. Controlling his powers to prevent heavy injuries, looking around and paying attention, keeping an eye out for their rescue target. And then, it became too heavy for him. He ended up surrounded, fired on all sides by automatic weapons. Thankfully, he managed to build a psionic bunker in time… But he realized that he was too inexperienced at the moment. So he left go of his limitations.
In a explosion of psionic energy, the security guys were violently thrown back by a wave of power. Some were sent sliding back until something stopped them, some crashed (and dented) the walls. Even if they recovered from that, the weapons they were using were no longer usable.
When he watched this scene, Miguel felt frightened by his power. He felt like having such power was a burden, a responsibility he should be worthy of if he wanted to keep using it. So, he decided that, although he would try to prevent any death, he wouldn't hold himself back so much as to not even be able to knock someone out. Beating someone up repeatedly until they fell unconscious might be worse than simply hitting him once hard enough.
Kid Flash's part was to scour the corridors. He was to take out the security patrolling the facility, destroy the surveillance equipment in case the power came back and of course, try to find Superboy. In fact, considering his speed, he was the lead on this particular aspect of their mission.
Meanwhile, Robin used one of his gadgets to boot up computers in rooms that seemed to have some importance. Even without power, he could retrieve data from them thanks to Wayne Technologies ! Well, truth be told, although Dick was a pretty good hacker, he wasn't that well-versed in technology in general. You didn't need to be to write code… and that's basically what a hacker does. He only focused on the software parts rather than the hardware. So, obviously, he had no idea how Bruce's device worked. It worked and that's all that mattered to him.
Everyone's tasks came to an abrupt halt when they heard Wonder Girl notifying them :
« I found Superboy. And the head honcho of this facility… I think. Come to my location if you're done on your part, guys ! »
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The Ravagers, who had just left the facility, recalled by Templar, were now heading back as soon as they heard that their escaped assets were coming back to destroy it. Rose was annoyed and Caitlin reluctant. She knew she would have to fight, and possibly kill the teens…