The corridor was a cathedral of light and history—gleaming walls etched with the victories and wounds of the Justice League. Mosaics of wars won and losses mourned loomed overhead. Boots echoed against marble. The team marched forward in a formation that was more chaos than order, like every beat of their hearts was trying to claim alpha.
Robin strode in front, back straight, arms loose, jaw set with leader-in-training tension. Solaris was to his left, taller by a head and walking like the hall had been built in his honor. Kid Flash practically vibrated at Robin's right, sneakers squeaking.
"You sure this isn't some weird League hazing ritual?" Wally asked.
Robin smirked. "If it is, you're the goat they're sacrificing."
They reached the titanium vault door. Glowing red letters flared: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
With a hydraulic hiss and a whummm of energy, the door slid open.
Two figures stood within.
Martian Manhunter, towering and serene, hovered just above the ground, eyes unreadable. Beside him, Red Tornado stood sentinel-still, crimson cloak curling in artificial wind.
Red Tornado's voice buzzed. "Robin. Speedy. Aqualad. Kid Flash. Solaris. Sentinel. Solstice. Supergirl. Enchantress. Troia. Welcome."
He turned and began leading them in without flourish.
Robin and Kid Flash fist-bumped.
"This is it," Robin muttered, voice tight with something between nerves and pride.
Solaris raised an eyebrow. "You getting choked up, Robin? Should I fetch a tissue or play a fanfare?"
"You rehearsed your landing three times in front of a holographic mirror," Sentinel said from behind him, tone flat as bedrock.
"Lies," Solaris muttered.
"He asked Jor-El for lighting advice," Sentinel deadpanned.
They passed through a second vault door engraved with League crests. It parted with a deep hiss—
The Library.
Towering shelves. Floating platforms. Alien text glowing on suspended holoscreens. A data terminal the size of a theater flickered with League intelligence across five dimensions. Everything smelled like paper, ozone, and legends.
Flash entered behind them. "Make yourselves at home," he said, waving grandly. "Try not to touch the Phantom Zone trigger. Learned that the hard way."
Robin and Kid Flash sprinted to the terminal.
Kid Flash flipped into his seat. "Called it! Prime viewing!"
Robin spun midair, landed in his chair backward, arms over the backrest.
Aqualad took a seat across from them, his calmness a dam in the middle of chaos.
Sentinel found a station and immediately began scanning geological anomaly reports.
Solstice drifted toward the magical texts, eyes wide.
"They filed the spellbooks by caster bloodline," she whispered. "I think I just got goosebumps."
Supergirl hovered overhead, arms crossed, gaze sharp as a drone.
Enchantress wandered three steps in, fingers trailing an arcane seal on the marble.
"These wards are older than grief," she murmured.
"Flirting with the building again?" Solaris asked.
"The marble flirted first."
Troia brushed past everyone, parked herself against a column, arms folded like a queen who hated her throne.
Solaris drifted over, naturally.
"You know, for someone who hates me, you gravitate toward me a lot. It's adorable."
She didn't even look. "I'm standing near the exit in case your hair catches fire from your own smugness."
"You care. Sweet."
"I'm worried for the oxygen supply. Your ego might displace the air."
"Harsh. Accurate. Still hot when you're mad."
"You're going to be hot when I light you on fire."
Supergirl leaned toward Solstice. "Should we stop them?"
Solstice was beaming. "Nah. I'm shipping it."
"They're like two swords constantly trying to be the sharpest."
"At some point they're going to stab each other. Emotionally or literally."
Robin clapped. "Focus, children. League business."
Flash stepped forward. "Four cold-themed villains attacked four different cities. Simultaneously. Cold, Freeze, Frost, and Icicle. Zero coordination data. Which means someone smarter is behind it."
Batman turned. "We won't be long."
He paused. Glanced back.
"Don't touch the dimensional beacon."
With that, the mentors began walking to another set of doors.
—
The corridor lit up as the team approached, its futuristic metallic doors sliding open with the hiss of sanctified airlocks. Glowing red letters unfurled across the archway above like a warning and a dare.
"JUSTICE LEAGUE MEMBERS ONLY," announced a sleek, mechanical voice. The words echoed like the punchline to a joke no one wanted to hear.
Speedy stopped cold. His arms tensed at his sides.
"That's it?" he snapped.
The banter screeched to a halt like a record scratched by a Batarang. All eyes turned. His voice, sharp and raw, rang out louder than the chamber deserved.
Robin turned slowly, confusion flickering behind the white lenses of his mask. Kid Flash half-rose from his seat, the smile falling off his face. Aqualad turned from the main console, expression unreadable but definitely not relaxed.
"We were promised a real look inside," Roy growled, stepping forward. "Not a glorified backstage pass."
Aquaman stepped up, calm but carrying the weight of kings. "This is the first step," he said. "You've been granted access few others ever receive."
Roy gestured upward at the glass dome above, where a group of tourists snapped selfies behind soundproof glass.
"Yeah? Tell me what the difference is," he said, voice rising. "From where I'm standing, it doesn't matter which side of the glass we're on. We're still on the outside."
Green Arrow moved beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Roy, this is the first step. You know that."
Roy shrugged him off like a punch. "What I need is respect."
He turned to face the others—his friends, his teammates. Robin sat motionless, face unreadable. Kid Flash leaned forward on his knees. Aqualad folded his arms. The rest had gone quiet.
"They're treating us like kids," Roy spat. "Worse—like sidekicks."
Solstice raised her hand nervously. "I mean... we are kids. None of us are even eighteen."
"Speak for yourself, ginger sparkle," muttered Troia.
Solaris smirked. "She said we. That includes you, Your Royal Scowliness."
Troia arched an eyebrow. "Keep talking and I'll carve your ego into a tiara."
"Hot," Solaris muttered. "Still shipping it."
"Still gonna stab you."
"Add a little thigh-high leather, and it'll be our best team-up yet."
Sentinel cleared his throat loudly, arms folded like a wall of muscle and quiet judgment. "Guys. Focus."
But Roy wasn't done.
"We deserve better," he said, louder now. His eyes scanned the room, landing hard on Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad. "And you know it. All of you. So why are you just sitting there? This was supposed to be the day. Step one. The first real step to becoming full-fledged League members."
Kid Flash rubbed the back of his neck, looking between Robin and Aqualad. "I thought step one was... y'know, touring HQ."
Roy laughed, but there was no joy in it. Just bitterness. Just venom.
"Would be true, if this were the HQ," he said, turning back toward the door. "The Hall of Justice? It's a fake. A tourist trap."
The proteges froze. Confusion spread like wildfire. The mentors stiffened.
Roy kept going, voice tightening. "Did they never tell you? The Hall is a pit stop. A Zeta-Tube transit hub for the real headquarters."
He pointed upward dramatically.
"An orbiting satellite. Called the Watchtower."
Green Arrow cringed. Slowly turned. Batman stood behind him. Silent. Unblinking. More terrifying than any Gotham gargoyle.
"I know, I know," Oliver muttered. "I screwed up. I thought they could handle it. Thought we could make an exception... Or not."
Aquaman stepped forward, sighing through his teeth. "Son, you're not helping your case. Stand down. Or—"
"Or what?" Roy shouted. "You gonna ground me? You gonna send me to my room?"
He turned sharply to Green Arrow, and the hurt in his eyes punched harder than any arrow ever could.
"I'm not your son."
He yanked off the bright canary-yellow cap from his head and threw it at Green Arrow.
"I'm not even your partner. I thought I was. But not anymore."
Gasps rippled. Solstice clapped a hand over her mouth. Sentinel flinched like the words had hit a bruise he didn't know he had. Troia looked shocked for half a second, then crossed her arms tighter.
"Guess they were right about you all," Roy said as he turned to walk between them. One by one, the proteges rose from their seats, unsure whether to stop him or just watch him burn the bridge.
Robin opened his mouth. Closed it.
"You're not ready," Roy finished.
And with that, he walked out.
The doors sealed behind him with a hiss that sounded an awful lot like judgment.
—
The alert hit like a punch to the gut.
A blaring klaxon shattered the tension Roy had left behind, red emergency lights flaring across the massive library chamber. The central data terminal—glossy black and humming with a low, arcane vibration—lit up blood-red as League encryption overtook the screen.
"Incoming communication," Red Tornado intoned.
A flicker, then Green Lantern's face appeared, backlit by flames, wind battering his hair. He looked half-smoked and fully pissed.
"Lantern to Watchtower—come in. We've got a situation at Project Cadmus. Explosion on sublevel six. Multiple fire signatures. Something's not right down here."
Every adult League member straightened instantly, instincts snapping into gear like loaded weapons.
Batman stepped closer to the screen, cape whispering behind him. "I had my suspicions about Cadmus," he said, voice dark and lethal. "This may be the opportunity we've been waiting for to investigate."
Before he could finish, a second alert bloomed in the corner of the monitor, accompanied by the urgent chime of magical interference. Another image flickered into being—this one more arcane, its edges carved in blue runes.
Zatara appeared, rain-slicked and grim, his elegant magician's coat whipping behind him like a shadow.
"Wotan has begun the ritual," he said without preamble. "He's using the Amulet of Attan to blot out the sun. If he completes the incantation, we'll plunge half the Earth into magical winter. I request full League intervention. Now."
The entire room tilted on its axis.
Wonder Woman stepped forward, eyes already narrowing. "The Sun takes precedence."
Batman turned to Hal. "Status at Cadmus?"
Hal tapped his ring, which projected a quick series of schematics. "Small fire. Local authorities have it under control. No casualties. Contained."
Batman didn't hesitate. He slammed a key on the vast crystalline keyboard, and the command echoed through the chamber.
"All League members, rendezvous at Zatara's coordinates. Engage full response."
The mentors turned to go.
Robin took a bold step forward. "We can help."
Solaris followed, folding his arms over his chest, emerald eyes gleaming. "Yeah, unless you want us to sit here and play Go Fish while the sun gets turned off."
Aquaman turned with the force of a tidal wave behind his voice. "This is a League mission."
Flash jumped in, visibly uncomfortable. "You're not trained—"
Kid Flash cut him off with a snort. "Not trained? I literally outran a nuke last Tuesday!"
Flash waved his hands. "Not trained to work as a team. Yet."
Superman, ever the diplomat, tried to soften the blow. "There will be other missions."
Scarlett nodded. "And you'll be part of them."
Aquaman, trying to be encouraging, added, "When you're ready."
Scarlett's red braid twitched with suppressed rage. She glared. "Nice. Way to make it worse."
Robin's hands clenched at his sides. His mask didn't hide the heat in his glare.
Behind them, Green Arrow nudged Martian Manhunter with a smirk. "Aren't you glad I didn't bring her?"
Martian Manhunter replied without turning, his tone dry as a Martian desert.
"Yes. Deeply."
The mentors moved toward the glowing Zeta platform, bathed in golden light.
The proteges remained behind, trapped in the shadows of legends.
As the doors sealed shut with a hiss that sounded like abandonment, silence rolled in like a fog.
Then Solaris broke it.
"Well, that sucked."
Troia crossed her arms. "Just now realizing that?"
Solaris turned to her with a smirk. "Did you catch the part where my entire solar-powered soul was ready to throw hands, or were you too busy scowling for the cameras?"
"Keep talking, glowstick," Troia said sweetly. "I'm counting how many ways I can rearrange your face with my boot."
"Just say the word, Princess Murdercheeks. I've been waiting all day for a little bonding violence."
Supergirl raised a brow. "Someone remind me why those two aren't dating yet?"
"Because their babies would end the world," Enchantress muttered, inspecting her nails.
Sentinel exhaled loudly, muttering, "We're not trained, huh?"
"That's rich," Aqualad said, shaking his head. "After everything we've already done."
"And after what Roy said..." Solstice added, voice small. "I hate that he was right."
Robin turned toward the massive data terminal.
Kid Flash blinked. "You're not... thinking of doing what I think you're thinking, are you?"
Robin typed something into the keyboard.
The screen changed.
Blueprints. Cadmus. Zeta locations. Active security nodes.
"We need answers," he said. "Roy's gone. The League's off-world. And Cadmus just lit up like a Christmas tree on fire."
Solaris stepped beside him. "Sounds like a mission."
Scarlett smirked. "Sounds like trouble."
Supergirl cracked her knuckles. "Sounds like fun."
Troia sighed. "Sounds like something we'll probably regret."
Robin looked up.
"Team," he said. "Suit up. We're going in."
—
The Cadmus building loomed like a wounded titan, coughing smoke from its metal ribs, glass windows shattered like punched-out teeth. Flame licked out of jagged holes, casting a hellish glow across the sky. Firefighters shouted orders, hoses blasting into the blaze as emergency sirens howled.
On the second floor, another explosion thundered out of the far wing. A gout of fire burst through the window like a dragon's breath, flinging two scientists into open air—one older man with a bleeding temple, the other still clutching a half-melted tablet.
"People falling!" someone shouted.
Kid Flash was already moving.
A blur of red and gold lightning streaked up the side of the burning structure. Wally sprinted vertically along the wall like it was solid ground, grabbing one scientist, then twisting to snatch the other.
"Gotcha!" he shouted—just as the shockwave from the explosion knocked him sideways.
The two scientists tumbled upward with a cry, and Wally missed the ledge.
"Oh, come on!" he barked, grabbing for the edge—missed—then snatched it on the way down with both hands, legs swinging like a frantic pendulum.
The scientists didn't fall.
Because Solaris was already there.
He erupted through the smoke like a comet wrapped in glory, red cape flaring behind him, emerald green eyes calm and vaguely unimpressed. One arm looped beneath each scientist as he hovered midair, catching them without even blinking.
"Easy there, Doc and Doc Jr.," Solaris drawled. "Gravity's not as friendly as I am."
"Show-off," Wally muttered from where he dangled.
A firefighter below gaped. "Nice save, Flash-boy!"
Wally groaned. "It's Kid Flash! Not Flash-boy! I'm gonna start naming people too. Hey, you want to be Hose-Guy?!"
Solaris touched down gently with the scientists and grinned. "Don't worry, Flash-boy. I'm sure they'll remember you as slightly more useful than debris."
Kid Flash clung to the ledge. "You know what? I will vibrate through your spleen."
"Promises, promises."
Troia landed beside Solaris in a blur of silver and blue, one eyebrow arched.
"You done peacocking, glowstick? Or do you want to autograph the fire, too?"
Solaris turned, smirked. "Troia. You always arrive right after I make the world better. It's starting to feel like a pattern."
"If I wanted to watch someone bask in their own ego, I'd get you a mirror and a spotlight."
"You say that like it's not my birthday wish."
"Your birthday wish better be for a muzzle."
"Only if it comes in leather."
"You are unbearable."
"And yet… still cute."
"Ugh."
Nearby, Aqualad touched down beside Solstice and Enchantress. "Do they always flirt this loudly?"
Solstice tilted her head. "Is it flirting? Or a prelude to mutual strangulation?"
"Could be both," Enchantress murmured, fingers flickering with barely restrained magic. "That's how all great love stories begin."
"Focus," Sentinel said, stepping up like a tactical linebacker, arms folded across his broad chest. His black hair was streaked with ash, his pale green eyes scanning the building with precision. "We need a plan."
"Agreed," Aqualad said, stepping beside him. "Robin?"
"Gone," Troia said flatly, already knowing. "Pulled a Batman."
Supergirl sighed. "Of course he did."
Solstice looked up. "Did anyone see him leave?"
A laugh echoed overhead. Quick. Sharp.
Robin flipped through the smoke like he'd been born to pirouette in chaos. He landed on the fire truck's ladder with feline grace, snapped his grappling hook to the tower, and launched himself upward in a tight arc.
He landed beside Kid Flash, still hanging.
"Need a lift, Flash-boy?" Robin grinned, offering a hand.
"If one more person calls me that—"
Robin yanked him up. "You're welcome."
"I was fine!"
Robin smirked. "Sure you were."
"I hate all of you."
"Group hug later. In."
They vanished into the broken window.
Sentinel turned to Aqualad. "You flying or am I doing the bridal carry again?"
"Just get me up there."
"My pleasure, princess."
He scooped him up and launched into the sky with a roar of flame from his boots.
The others lifted off together—Supergirl, Enchantress, Solstice, Troia, Solaris. A flurry of capes and sparks, they ascended through the smoke like teen gods descending into war.
Below, the building shook again.
The real fight hadn't even begun.
—
The corridor inside Cadmus was a pressure cooker of smoke, steam, and dread. Emergency lights blinked overhead like dying stars, bathing the wreckage in a heartbeat red. Sprinklers hissed from the ceiling, raining down useless vapor that made the air thicker, heavier. Everything crackled underfoot—broken glass, scorched metal, and tension.
"Why is this all on paper?!" Kid Flash shouted from inside a barely-standing office space, yanking open drawers like a caffeinated raccoon. "Who stores secret bio-weapon files in manila folders? Like it's 1983 and Blockbuster still exists!"
Robin sat across the room, hunched over a sparking terminal. His gloved fingers flew across the keys with cold precision. "Because digital files leave trails. Physical copies burn."
Wally popped up from behind a desk, waving a scorched file. "Creepy. Got it. You're definitely still mad about the Flash-boy thing."
"Focus, Wally."
Down the corridor, Aqualad and Sentinel stalked side-by-side like a stealth unit cut from war. Aqualad had his trident ready. Sentinel's fists hummed with energy, pale green eyes scanning every corner.
"Still no hostiles," Sentinel said. "Either we beat them here, or we're walking into a setup."
"Too quiet," Aqualad muttered. "Places like this shouldn't be quiet."
Further ahead, Solaris and Troia stepped into the blackened remains of a hallway, charred and choked with lingering fire smoke. The damage here was worse. Ceilings hung down in shredded sheets. Walls were singed black, streaked with claw marks or worse.
Troia frowned, sniffed. "You smell that?"
Solaris smirked without looking back. "Burnt metal and bruised ego? Must be you."
"No, idiot. Magic. Old magic. Like something cracked open and crawled out."
He finally turned, emerald eyes glowing faintly. "So you're saying this place got cursed before I walked in? That's rare. Usually I'm the one setting the bar."
"Careful," she warned. "Wouldn't want your oversized ego to trip on something eldritch."
"If it does, just catch me. I know how much you love falling for me."
She groaned. "One more pun and I swear I will throw you into the elevator shaft myself."
But then Solaris stopped.
"Wait."
At the far end of the corridor, a set of elevator doors was just starting to close. And in that brief, flickering instant, he saw it:
Blue skin. Ivory horn. Shoulders too wide to belong to anything natural. Eyes that reflected back the hallway light like glass marbles. It stared right at him.
"Nope," Solaris whispered.
He shot forward like a bullet, cape flaring behind him. The world blurred past in a red-gold rush.
"Move!"
Too late. The elevator doors slammed shut with a bone-rattling CLANG. Solaris skidded to a stop inches away, the steel reflecting back his furious scowl.
Bootsteps thundered behind him.
Aqualad arrived first, trident already up. "What did you see?"
Robin slid to a halt beside him. Kid Flash zipped in next, panting slightly. Sentinel, calm and imposing, took point. Troia, breathless but unreadable, flanked Solaris.
Solaris didn't turn. He just kept staring at the elevator like it had insulted his mother.
"Something. Huge. Not human. Blue skin. One horn. It... saw me."
Robin narrowed his eyes. "How big?"
"Like Sentinel if he hit the gym harder and stopped skipping leg day."
Sentinel grunted. "Rude."
"Honest."
Troia laid a hand on Solaris's arm. He didn't flinch.
"You okay?"
He exhaled. "It looked through me. Like I was glass. Not even worth eating."
"Which, for you, must be new," she said softly.
He cracked the tiniest grin.
"So," Aqualad said, stepping in. "We find it."
Robin's grin was all trouble. "Finally."
From down the corridor, the lights flickered again.
Then something growled—low, wet, and hungry.
Solstice stepped up beside them, hair flickering with magic. "That was not a ventilation unit."
"Nope," Enchantress added. "That was a warning."
Supergirl hovered above them, eyes glowing red. "Then let's make it regret warning us."
And they moved.
—
The hallway buzzed with the kind of static tension that could fry a circuit. Emergency lights blinked in seizure-red bursts overhead, giving the smoke-choked corridor a haunted heartbeat. Everyone stood at the elevator Solaris had failed to catch—the one with the monster inside.
Kid Flash planted himself in front of it, arms folded dramatically. "Okay, real talk? Shouldn't elevators be shut down during, I dunno, a fireball apocalypse? This feels aggressively against code. Like, fire marshal's worst nightmare kind of wrong."
Robin didn't speak. He stepped forward, one hand briefly pressing Wally's elbow, the other skimming over his shoulder as he passed. It wasn't rude—it was quiet authority, silent reassurance, and the tiniest flicker of friendship.
He knelt down in front of the sealed steel doors, scanning them like they'd insulted his ancestors.
"This doesn't make sense," he murmured.
Solaris stood nearby, arms folded, eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. "Gee, you think? Hornzilla just took a private elevator to Hell. That tracks."
Robin's gauntlet beeped softly. A holographic screen flared to life above his wrist, casting blue light over his face like something out of a digital séance. He scanned schematics, blueprints, and floorplans with the kind of speed that made even Sentinel glance over.
"Sliver Slip Express Elevator," Robin read aloud. "Military-grade. High-speed. Designed for deep-core lab shafts or vertical defense silos. Runs at sixty meters per second."
Troia frowned. "This building's two stories."
Robin's mouth twitched. "Exactly. This isn't just a facility. It's a lid."
Solaris cracked his knuckles. "Well, let's see what's cooking underneath."
He stepped forward, fingers digging into the lip of the elevator door. His arms flexed—biceps flaring beneath his red-and-gold sleeves—and with a guttural growl of exertion, he wrenched the doors apart. Metal groaned like a wounded beast as the panel peeled open, revealing a dark, vertical shaft that fell into the kind of black that had weight.
Troia rolled her eyes. "Subtle."
Solaris smirked sideways. "If you wanted subtle, you should've dated Nightwing."
"If I wanted moody sarcasm and tight pants, I'd clone you."
"Oh, admit it. You'd miss the dimples."
Robin ignored them both, ducking under Solaris's arm and crouching beside the exposed elevator shaft. He peered down into the void, eyes narrowing.
"Cab's gone," he said. "And this shaft goes down way past anything on the blueprints."
He stood smoothly, aimed his grappling hook, and fired.
Thunk.
The hook embedded itself high up inside the shaft—well past any logical floor level.
And Robin leapt.
Without a word, without a glance, he dropped into the darkness like a shadow falling home.
Kid Flash's jaw dropped. "Did he just Batman into a bottomless pit? Seriously?!"
Supergirl floated beside him, arms crossed. "That's kind of his thing."
Troia took a deep breath, then looked sideways at Solaris. "Last one down is Flash-boy."
"You would weaponize that."
She smirked. "It's a gift."
Solaris rolled his eyes—and dove. His cape snapped out behind him like phoenix wings as he shot downward, eyes alight.
"Oh, great," Sentinel muttered, turning toward Aqualad. "You want your usual ride, princess?"
Aqualad didn't miss a beat. "Only if you keep your hands where I can see them."
Sentinel barked a laugh, scooped him up like a newlywed with a spear, and rocketed after the others, jets flaring from his boots.
Enchantress ran her fingers along the edge of the door, then flicked her wrist. Shadows bled from her palms as she whispered something in Enochian. Solstice stepped beside her, eyes glowing golden, hair catching every shimmer of light.
"Coming?" Enchantress asked.
"After you, witchy."
"I prefer morally flexible."
Supergirl blasted down after them, trailing fire and red cape.
Kid Flash sighed, cracked his knuckles, and muttered to himself.
"One of these days, I'm building stairs. And a snack bar."
Then he vanished in a blur.
Above them, the broken elevator doors yawned like the jaws of something ancient.
Below? Only darkness waited.
And it was no longer alone.
—
The darkness peeled away like a dying scream as Robin plummeted downward, floor numbers blurring past in crimson flashes: SL17... SL18... SL19...
"How many basements does one evil science lab need?" he muttered, cape flapping behind him like the wing of some irritated bat. The wind howled past, and the gauntlet on his arm pinged.
SL22. SL23. SL24.
"Okay, that's officially too many," he added, teeth clenched.
SL25.
Robin gritted his jaw and fired a second grappling hook. The line snagged a utility latch with a jolt that yanked his shoulder just shy of dislocation.
SL26.
He hit the ledge feet-first and dropped into a crouch, exhaling sharply. The dust puffed around his boots as he stared at the elevator doors in front of him—tarnished steel, faintly humming with old power, stamped with the logo: PROJECT CADMUS – LEVEL SIXTEEN: RESTRICTED.
He tapped his comm. "I'm at SL26. End of the line."
Above, the others descended one after the other—each entry like a comic book panel in motion.
Solaris hovered down first, boots hissing steam as they met steel. The red cape flared dramatically behind him.
"Well, if this is Hell, at least the lighting's moody," he said with a grin, emerald green eyes catching the glow.
Troia floated down next. "You're not that hot, Solaris."
He smirked. "You sure? Because you just followed me into a pit."
"That's because you're the kind of idiot who'll flirt with a nuclear generator just to see if it purrs."
Solaris mock-gasped. "Are you saying you wouldn't? I feel so judged."
"You should."
Aqualad and Sentinel arrived next—Aqualad silent, composed, trident angled at the ready. Sentinel dropped beside him like a warhead with legs, his massive arms folded as he surveyed the door.
"Place smells like burnt science and bad decisions," Sentinel muttered, his pale green eyes narrowing. "Must be a Cadmus joint."
Solstice, light flickering across her hair like dawn through a stained-glass window, landed next to Enchantress, who hit the ground like an afterthought—eyes dark, mouth curved into a "don't talk to me" pout.
"Do we think there are snacks down here?" Solstice asked cheerfully.
"If there are," Enchantress said, voice dry, "they're probably haunted."
"Or expired."
Supergirl arrived, landing with a small puff of displaced air, her blonde braid flicking over one shoulder. "Let's just hope they're not radioactive. Again."
Kid Flash zipped in last, arms crossed. "Why do I feel like we just unlocked the final boss level of a horror video game?"
"Because we did," Robin said, already at work. He dropped to one knee, fingers flying over the control panel. His gauntlet flared to life—five tiny robin heads blinking red.
"Oh good, the murder babies are back," Wally quipped.
Robin ignored him. "They're thinking, Wally."
Solaris leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Do they ever get tired?"
Robin smirked. "Nope. Unlike you, they multitask."
"Ouch," Solaris said, hand on his heart. "Why do you hurt me like this?"
"Because you talk."
The robin heads began to blink green. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
"Got it," Robin said, standing.
He turned to Solaris. "You're up. Pry it."
Solaris cracked his knuckles. "Say please."
"Now."
With a grin that could have lit a room, Solaris grabbed the doors and ripped. Metal groaned like a tortured beast as they peeled open. Cold air rushed out from the dark tunnel beyond. Dust. Shadows. Something old.
"Ladies first," Solaris said, gesturing grandly.
"Then move," Troia shot back, brushing past him. "You're blocking the doorway with your ego."
"So you do notice it," Solaris said, following.
She rolled her eyes. "I notice it the way one notices a fungus. Or a very loud bird."
"Cute bird?"
"No."
The others followed, boots crunching on cracked tiles. The hallway stretched on, lined with shattered glass, warped steel doors, and observation rooms with long-dead machinery.
Robin took point. "Welcome to Project Cadmus."
"Creepy welcome mat," Solstice murmured.
Sentinel's voice rumbled behind her. "What the hell were they building down here?"
Robin didn't answer.
From deep within the corridor—
A whisper.
A hiss.
Something hungry… responded.
And the kids—gods, geniuses, and disasters—pressed on into the dark.
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Hey fellow fanfic enthusiasts!
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Whether you loved it, hated it, or have some constructive criticism, your feedback is super important to me. Feel free to drop a comment or send me a message with your thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you!
If you're passionate about fanfiction and love discussing stories, characters, and plot twists, then you're in the right place! I've created a Discord server dedicated to diving deep into the world of fanfiction, especially my own stories. Whether you're a reader, a writer, or just someone who enjoys a good tale, I welcome you to join us for lively discussions, feedback sessions, and maybe even some sneak peeks into upcoming chapters, along with artwork related to the stories. Let's nerd out together over our favorite fandoms and explore the endless possibilities of storytelling!
Click the link below to join the conversation:
https://discord.com/invite/HHHwRsB6wd
Can't wait to see you there!
If you appreciate my work and want to support me, consider buying me a cup of coffee. Your support helps me keep writing and bringing more stories to you. You can do so via PayPal here:
https://www.paypal.me/VikrantUtekar007
Or through my Buy Me a Coffee page:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vikired001s
Thank you for your support!