16

Gotham was like New York in a way; if you really looked for something, you could find it.

Like a barber at six in the morning.

Nice and clean, with no singed or melted hair, Leslie was feeling much more human.

Restocking food hadn't taken that long, but then, Leslie wasn't quite finished doing it either. A week and a half of general groceries in a time-frozen closet was nice. A six month supply of MRE's would be... Not nicer, but better than going hungry.

Maybe.

So long as he avoided the Five Fingers of Death. Or the military pizza.

But that was a problem for later. Right now it was closing in on seven forty-five in the morning and he was only just scanning into the Hall of Justice.

As he'd expected, Batman was already in the main hall. Robin and Player One were with him.

"Alchemist. Do you know why I asked you to come in today instead of telling you to take your two days off?" Batman was looking up at the giant computer monitor, letting various news stories play out in different corners.

Not actually knowing what the caped crusader wanted, Leslie instead said the first thing that came to mind.

"You found out I've been signing Lex Luthor's various business and personal email accounts up for hardcore fetish porn?"

The room was eerily silent except for the sound of Player One's clothes shifting as they turned around to look at Alchemist.

"You've been... What?"

"Okay, so not that then. Is this because I sent Mercy Graves a three legged horse costume with the message 'Take off the prosthetic, put this on and convince me not to put you out to pasture'? 'Cuz I told the guy making it to just use the letter L as the signature."

Now it was Robin's turn to turn and stare.

"No. No Alchemist, that's not why you're here."

"Okay, so... It's not because I ordered and paid for forty cakes to be delivered to Lexcorp on his birthday? I paid extra to get the Superman shield piped on to those. Though those would've been delivered last week..."

"Alchemist?" Robin started. "What? No, why. Just why?"

"Because, Robin. Forty is four tens, and that's terrible."

Finally Batman turned around.

"No, Alchemist. None of these are the reasons I requested your presence. However, since you've been kind enough to bring these issues to light, could you please explain why you are harassing Lex Luthor?"

In the background, Robin was talking to Player One.

"Is he quoting something? I think he's quoting at me."

"Absolutely Batman, and I'm so glad you asked!" Leslie piped up, putting his hands together behind his back and straightening his posture. "Out of all of the members of the Illuminati, Lex is the only one who's in a position that's easy to irritate while still not being able to openly have me murdered in my sleep! The other members are heads of state, related to heads of state, a talking brain, or else are so old they think the internet is a passing fad. And the evil Un-Child. We don't talk about the Un-Child."

It took almost a solid minute before anyone spoke.

"Alchemist?"

"Yes boss?"

"Refrain from having extended contact with The Question in the future."

"Can do, boss."

Another minute passed, the dark and broody trio all facing Alchemist as he leaned back and forth on his feet.

"The reason I requested your attendance is both simple and straightforward. The team you'll be supporting has expanded since your... Absence. As such, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the new members, as well as their equipment."

"Alright, fair enough." Leslie looked at the two standing behind the Batman. "Hey, Player One. Still have your broken bat, or did you replace it yet?"

Rather than verbally responding, Player One held out both hands. The cleanly snapped pieces appeared in an instant.

"Nifty. Alright." Alchemist grabbed both pieces, holding them together. A soft golden glow flowed over the broken wood for a few seconds before fading away.

Leslie held it back out, handle first. Player One grabbed it, rolling it between their hands for a moment before it disappeared into their inventory.

"Thank you." Their voice was very soft, very quiet. Leslie nodded in acceptance.

"I suppose that works as a demonstration. Come on. We need to get to the actual base."

-----

Leslie had an easier time with the Zeta Tube coming in to Mt.Justice.

Not a significantly easier time, but still. Not trying to lose your breakfast is a major plus.

He didn't understand what the problem was. It looked and felt like it was creating a tunnel, like he was just walking through a short hallway. As soon as he was on the other side, though, it felt like another part of him was just realizing he was gone and trying to catch up.

Any which way, he was left holding his stomach as the entry room for the mountain came into focus.

"Oh. Hey." A significantly taller boy noticed him, as well as the others. "It's you. From Cadmus. Robin said you were gone."

"I got better. How's life outside the tube?"

"It's very loud." The boy, the hybrid from the lab, stared at Leslie.

Leslie stared back.

"Ookay. Alchemist, that's Superboy. Superboy, you met Alchemist. Once. He's supposed to be our medic and support staff." Robin finally interjected.

Robin was starting to realize there were a few too many people who were happy with uncomfortable silences in this mountain.

"I thought he did the teleport thing." Superboy finally said after several moments of contemplation.

"I do, in fact, do the teleport thing." Leslie agreed.

Robin's hand finally met his face.

"See? He does the teleport thing."

"What's the teleport thing?" Came a new voice into the room. This one came from a green skinned girl with red hair and freckles.

"Hey M'gann, this is the teleport guy, he helped us all get out of Cadmus and found Power Girl. It kind of felt like getting punched in the stomach that one time the Flash helped with training, but one second we were all in the lab, and then the next most of us were up in the lobby."

"That sounds really neat! Is teleporting your power?" The girl turned from Superboy back over to Alchemist.

The movement was actually rather exaggerated but it definitely showed where she was focusing.

"Nope!" Superboy looked confused, and it seemed M'gann was following his cues.

"It's not? Then, what is your power?" She seemed to be the one doing the talking now. Superboy seemed more comfortable to let someone else speak.

"I'm a wizard." Near the entrance to the room Leslie could see Robin grabbing Kid Flash.

He wondered briefly what that was about.

"Wait, so like a stage wizard?" M'gann moved her hands apart at her chest, mimicking something opening, or exploding. "With the doves and girls in boxes being cut in half?"

"Wrong on the first part! And the rest. That's showmanship, which is not my specialty. Instead, I do things like this!" Latching on to the other two teens, he teleported onto the roof of the apartment he'd been staying at in Gotham.

Superboy and M'gann both looked incredibly discomforted for a second before he hit them both with Cure and Life.

"Real magic. Almost as good as stage magic." The two of them looked around, awed at the instant change in scenery. From the artificial lights of the cool, chilly cave to the natural sunlight and summer heat.

"Was that the teleport thing?" M'gann asked Superboy.

"Yeah, that's the teleport thing."