NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114: Ambushed
Tuesday 22nd September, 16:40.
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
The Cave.
"Recognise: Maelstrom, B-0-7."
There was a flash of light from the Zeta-beam as Esau stepped out into the Cave, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings. He paused when he spotted Connor and M'gann near his bike, their figures close. A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched them kiss, a fleeting moment of tenderness between the two.
It was nice to see them happy. Their relationship had clearly done wonders for Connor, whose temper had always been the most volatile of the team. Esau understood the weight that Connor carried. The knowledge of his origins—that of an artificial creation grown in a lab—had left Connor deeply wounded, struggling to carve out a place in a world he barely understood. Cadmus might have filled his head with knowledge, but it hadn't prepared him for real life, leaving scars deeper than anyone could see.
What made things worse was that Superman, the man whose DNA Connor was cloned from, wanted nothing to do with him. That rejection had only magnified his struggles.
Esau liked to believe that the friendship he and Kaldur offered had helped Connor in some way, but it was M'gann's influence that had truly made a difference. Her presence softened Connor's edges. He smiled more, spoke more freely, and his anger—once a constant, simmering storm—had quieted.
Esau tore his gaze away from the couple, turning toward another part of the Cave where Kaldur was speaking quietly with Red Tornado in a shadowed corner. As Esau moved closer, Wally passed by, heading toward Connor and M'gann, neither said a word to one another. As Esau grew closer to Kaldur and Red Tornado his sharp hearing picked up the tail end of Kaldur's conversation.
"So, you have told no one else of this… mole?" Red Tornado's mechanical voice held its usual monotone calm.
Kaldur stood with his arms crossed, his expression serious. "I cannot be sure if one even exists," he admitted. "But if the team is being betrayed from within, I must investigate without tipping my hand."
"Have you told Batman?" Esau's voice cut through the tension, drawing the attention of both Kaldur and Red Tornado.
Kaldur stiffened briefly, caught off guard by Esau's sudden arrival. For a split second, his expression flickered with guilt and suspicion, but Esau was far from offended by having been kept in the dark. It was only natural really to be cautious as Kaldur was especially in a situation such as this with people like himself, Connor, M'gann and Artemis.
"I have considered it," Kaldur eventually replied.
"Generally, Batman expects the team to handle its own problems," Red Tornado added, his tone matter-of-fact. "But the decision is yours. I will return after monitor duty on the Watchtower."
Kaldur and Esau stepped aside, allowing Red Tornado to pass.
The Zeta-Beam activated again, filling the room with light. "Recognise: Red Tornado, 1-6."
As the android disappeared, Kaldur frowned, lost in thought. "I thought he was exempt from monitor duty since becoming our den mother."
"Maybe he's covering for someone," Esau suggested with a shrug then fixing Kaldur with a steady look, he asked, "Now, what's this about a mole? Where did you even get this information from?"
For a moment, Kaldur hesitated.
He trusted and liked Esau deeply, they had formed a close bond during their time on the team. He had never been as close with Dick and Wally as they were with each other and even Roy who had been the closest in age to him had always kept people at arm's length. Naruto was not only the same age as him, but they were very similar in many ways which had allowed them to become good friends.
However, recent events had left Kaldur scrutinising everyone, even his friends.
"I learned it from Sportsmaster," Kaldur admitted, his voice heavy. "During the peace summit two weeks ago, when the League of Shadows attempted to start a war."
Esau's eyes narrowed. "I see. And that's why you're unsure whether this information is true?"
"Yes," Kaldur confirmed. "Sportsmaster's words could have been meant to distract me, to make me doubt my teammates and sow discord within the team."
"You made the right call keeping it quiet," Esau agreed. "If the others found out without proof, it would tear us apart."
-X-
Tuesday 22nd September, 17:50.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
Gotham Heights.
"Oh, this is going to be so fun."
Robin's mischievous voice echoed in the alleyway as he and Batgirl watched Artemis walk toward a worn-down telephone booth, the "Out of Order" sign swinging on its door. Just as Artemis reached for the handle, Robin stepped out of the shadows beside her, silently as he had been trained and perfectly keeping his presence hidden until he was directly next to her, the young archer none the wiser.
"Artemis?"
The archer gasped, spinning to face Robin with wide eyes, a momentary instinct to reach for a weapon befalling her but stopped when she noticed who was speaking to her. "Robin?" she sputtered, clearly startled, her gaze darting to Batgirl, who stepped up beside him, an amused smile tugging at her lips.
Robin's grin widened, the picture of innocence. "How random that you're here in Gotham City instead of Star City where your uncle," he emphasized the word, watching Artemis squirm, "Green Arrow lives."
"I'm… uh… here to see my cousin?" Artemis stammered, her expression twisting as she struggled to recover. "She… was in the state spelling bee. Here. In Gotham. City."
"C-o-o-l," Robin replied, drawing out the word with a playful smirk.
Batgirl finally broke into a soft laugh, shaking her head at the exchange.
"Did she w-i-n?" Robin teased, his grin growing wider.
Artemis's shock was quickly replaced with her usual sass. "N-o!" she shot back, crossing her arms in irritation.
Batgirl elbowed Robin lightly, cutting him off before he could push further as he was prone to do. "Come on, you two. You can flirt back at the Cave." She strode toward the booth, her smile still lingering as she heard the pair splutter behind her.
"Recognise: Batgirl, B-0-2."
A flash of light filled the booth, and Batgirl materialized in the Cave, but the moment her boots hit the ground, she froze, her eyes widening.
The entire bottom section of the Cave was flooded, smoke hung thick in the air, and flames danced along the walls, casting eerie shadows. The chaotic scene left her momentarily stunned and she barely registered the sound of something hurtling toward her before instinct kicked in, and she dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a fireball that exploded in the area where she once stood, a wave of heat washing over her making her sweat.
Robin arrived a second later, followed closely by Artemis, hers and Robin's infrared lenses activated automatically, but the smoke obscured everything, rendering their enhanced vision useless. The three scrambled for cover, their movements tense and cautious as they scoured their surroundings for any sign of their attacker or their teammates. But the assaults kept coming, large fireballs exploding behind them as they narrowly escaped danger each and every time, the chaos forcing them into a desperate rhythm of throwing Batarangs and firing arrows toward the direction the fire came from.
"Damn it, where the hell are these guys?" Artemis growled, loosing another arrow into the smoke.
"I don't know, but the smoke's clearing!" Batgirl called, her voice strained.
As the haze began to lift, Robin caught sight of a figure moving through the smoke and he didn't hesitate, hurling Batarangs toward them. The metallic clang of impact was followed by the sound of a fireball rushing toward them, Robin rolling to the side where Artemis and Batgirl landed moment later.
"Who are we fighting?" Artemis demanded her bow at the ready.
"No idea," Robin replied. "But we're sitting ducks. Head to the exits!"
The trio bolted toward the nearest corridor, evading streams of fire that erupted in their path. Batgirl glanced over her shoulder, her heart pounding as a massive wall of flames surged after them.
"The library should be up ahead!" Robin shouted, reaching for his communicator. "Robin to team, does anyone copy?"
Only static greeted him, the silence adding a heavy weight to the air.
'Esau, you better be okay,' Barbara thought, her worry growing.
Finally, they reached the library, slamming the door shut behind them as they rushed to find cover among the towering shelves. While crouched there catching their breaths and collecting their thoughts, Robin activated the control panel while Batgirl and Artemis kept watch, eyes peeled and hearing strained.
"Damn it, it's not going through!" Robin snapped quietly, his voice barely a whisper, his frustration boiling over.
"What about our enemy?" Batgirl asked, her voice tense.
"Whoever they are, they've jammed everything—comms, sensors, the works," Robin replied. "They're good. They even blocked every attempt I made to regain control."
Artemis frowned. "What about the security feeds?"
Robin's fingers flew across the keyboard, but that was when the sound of the library door creaking open snapped their attention back to the present. Quickly the holographic computer disappeared, the trio remaining quiet as their bodies tensed in preparation for quick evasive movements.
"Artemis? Robin? Batgirl?" The familiar voice sent a wave of relief through Artemis, but something about its tone made Batgirl's stomach churn.
"Red Tornado!" Artemis exclaimed, stepping out.
"Artemis, wait!" Robin shouted, but it was too late.
As Artemis came out from the towering bookshelves and out into the open, she froze in horror as the figure stepped into the light. It was a red android with an inverted trident emblazoned on its chest, a red android it may be, but it was not Red Tornado.
"Yes on the Red!" Robin shouted, tackling Artemis to the ground as the android extended a hand in her direction. "No on the Tornado!"
Batgirl threw a flurry of Batarangs, forcing the android to retreat momentarily.
As they scrambled for cover, another android stepped into view—a sleek, feminine figure wreathed in flames. Before they could react, a roar echoed through the room, and a powerful punch sent the android flying.
Superboy stood tall, his chest rising and falling with the force of his breaths.
"Come on!"