I was alone in the tech lab, my attention split between the damage report that the Mountain was feeding me, and the scans of the android bodies that had attacked us at the bank. The rest of the Team had regrouped before splitting up to sweep the Mountain's corridors, making sure that there were no surprises left by our visitors. I'd be making my own rounds in the vents as soon as I could (just in case they dropped some drones off when I wasn't looking), but for the moment I needed to focus on the bigger picture.
All told, the damage to the base wasn't too bad. Or, at least it was localized to a small part of it. The vehicle bay had taken the worst of it, as there had been a short fight between the androids and Conner and Rommie. The two happened to be in the bay when the intruders arrived, and while they put up a good fight, they retreated once they realized they were fighting a very powerful hydrokinetic in space with a giant pool. After that the Mountain's defenses hemmed the two android in and kept them as contained as possible, but the two brute forced their way deeper in. And the structural and system damage to those spots was severe.
Still, none of the Mountain's core systems were damaged, and in the brief talk I had with Batman he told me that he would get Green Lantern to do the bulk of the repairs. I already had a few things in mind that I would like to change if we were going to be remodeling.
As for the android bits, I had some of them inside a spectral analysis device, and the rest stored in a secure material locker (including the surviving pistol). 'Secure' in this context meant a reinforced steel and tungsten box embedded in the Mountain's stone, covered by a hard shield. It may have been a bit excessive, but I wasn't declaring these things safe until I fully had the chance to take them apart. I suppose it was a risk bringing them here in the first place, but I checked the electronics for any traps or surprises I could find. And it wasn't like they didn't know where we were.
The holographic display on the spectrograph flashed green, and my mouth pressed thin, "Just as I thought…" I muttered.
"Team, we have arrived. Assemble in the main hall." Batman's voice echoed over the intercom.
I finished up my scans and stored the bits with the rest before I left the lab, putting some hustle into my stride. We had called the League as soon as we managed to get communications back online, and naturally Batman insisted coming over as soon as possible to get the details. I mean, Red Tornado did give him a summary, but I guess he wanted to get the news directly from us.
Also, once we had communications again, I made sure to contact Serling and tell her about what happened. Those nano disassemblers may have been made for me, but considering how much her own nanomachines were modeled after my own, they could prove just as lethal to her. Since almost all of her blood had been replaced by the stuff, having it suddenly rendered non-functional would bad for her health. I didn't think she was in danger, but if nothing else it would be good to have another mind on figuring out how to counter this new weapon.
I ended up arriving last, and I caught the tail end of what Kid Flash was saying. "…still can't believe you don't know who those two were! They look just like you!"
"I am aware, Kid Flash." Red Tornado replied. "However, I have never seen them before. I do not know who or what they are."
As I walked into the room I was a little surprised to find that not only Batman but Wonder Woman was waiting with the rest of the team. I supposed she was looking out for her sister, things did escalate rather quickly. Then again, she should probably just have assumed that would happen on any outing the team went on by this point. Regardless the woman asked "Is it possible that Morrow made more androids?" She asked. "Perhaps he made several and chose to only use you?"
"Perhaps," Red Tornado agreed. "But if so, I do not know where they have been all these years."
I stepped up beside Troia, who was current in a staring contest with Rommie. The two didn't quite seem to know what to make of each other. She noticed my arrival and asked "What is the ball and why is it staring at me?"
[The star-touched one reminds me of a night long passed. I believe I have seen those constellations before.]
Before I could answer, Batman said loudly "Now that we're all here, let's go through the events one last time." He turned to Aqualad. "Aqualad, what happened at the bank?"
Our second in command then recounted what happened on our excursion, and when he was done we switched over to Starfire saying what happened here at the Mountain. I already knew most of this. We had debriefed each other as soon as we regrouped, and I made a point of studying the security footage. I was particularly interested in just how the androids managed to get through all the defenses I had installed, and it turned out the answer was a mix of cleverness and sheer brute force. For instance, the pair had gained entry to the Mountain via the moon pool, which was protected by a steel door and energy shield. When they found that they couldn't breach the latter, the water controlling android simply drilled through the side of the mountain to get in.
The amount of power and control to do that with water was massive. Given that, it was little wonder that they had managed to make it as far in as they did. Still, it gave the team left at the Mountain plenty of warning before the Androids breached the interior. What happened next was a slow slog as the pair blasted everything around them with so much force that it became impossible to get near them. Most of the interior defenses (in the form of arc generators and freeze cannons) were slagged or pulverized before the intruders could enter optimal range. This was an oversight I was planning on fixing.
Starfire started to wrap up her debrief. "… and then Machina told them to 'Get out of his house'. They then left."
The various superheroes turned to look at me, and I shrugged. "To be honest, I was as surprised as you are."
Batman regarded me levelly. "Did you use your abilities to make them leave?"
"I…" I hesitated before I stated again. "I'm not sure. I know I was using it at the time, but I didn't specifically try to force their actions." I looked at Red Tornado. "I should ask, when I told the androids to get lost, did you… feel anything?"
Red Tornado stared at me for a long moment, and I started to wonder if I had asked a stupid question. However, her eventually replied "…Yes. I am not sure how to describe what it was I… felt. If I had to put a word to it, I felt your anger."
I guess that was what I was going for at the time, I thought. I'm not sure I liked the idea of having mind control abilities. Yes, I know that was stupid considering the androids were attacking my home, but it just didn't sit right with me.
Robin got us back on point. "That's great and all, but we need to focus on why they came here, not why they left. These guys came after us. Not only did they know our base was here, but those androids at the bank were sent to draw us out. To draw Machina out."
"I have a lead on that." I said, and with a gesture a holographic blueprint of one of the robber android appeared in front of me. "I analyzed the remains of the androids that attacked me, trying to get a trace on the components. Turns out these things are custom made, right down to the transistors. Ring any bells?"
Robin perk up. "Like Mister Twister."
I nodded. "I ran some comparisons between them and found several integrated circuit components to be identical, along with the same metal composition. Whoever made Mister Twister made these guys."
"Does that mean we can track him down?" Kid Flash asked.
"Not sure… the metals and minerals used aren't particularly unique. Or at least our database doesn't recognize them as such. Best I can tell is that the metals come from somewhere in North America. I'll have to do more research."
"Alright, but there can't be that many people who can build androids that can match Red Tornado." Robin pointed out.
I nodded, a slight frown forming. "Well, going by people we know, our two main culprits would be Ivo and T. O. Morrow." I looked at Red Tornado. "What ever happened to Morrow anyway?"
"He disappeared once he realized that I had no intention of destroying the Justice Society." The android replied. "He had monitoring systems placed within me, so that by the time I lead the Society to his lab, the doctor was already gone. He has not been seen since."
"70 years is a long time to lay low," The lot of us turned to look at Troia, her hand on her chin. "To be honest, for that much time to have passed, I'm kind of surprised how… low key this was. I would have expected some kind of doomsday weapon from a mad scientist that tried to take out the Justice Society."
Wonder Woman's brow furrowed. "Regardless, Morrow may be intent on finishing the job, however late. I need to inform Jay and Alan as soon as possible."
Batman nodded. "We'll be sure to offer protection if they need it. However, there is also the matter of Machina being targeted. With a weapon specifically designed to kill him."
"Honestly, I think it might just be that he saw me as a threat," I said. "My fight with Amazo was in the news, and if this is Morrow, he would have taken notice of me beating his apprentice's robot. And if he somehow knew I could eat machines… then it would explain why the androids ran the moment they learned I was on my way back."
Starfire hummed in agreement. "It is plausible. Regardless of who is responsible, it's clear they not only have great proficiency in artificial life but have interest with… you. There were two primary targets, Red Tornado and Machina. One to capture, and one to kill."
"Not disagreeing, but how do we know they meant to capture Red Tornado?" I asked.
The android himself answered "Aside from how they specifically avoided attacking me whenever possible, there was a moment when the water android approached within reach and tried to grab me. In that moment there was a strong electrical surge that extended from its hand, one that managed to compromise several of my systems. The frequency and modulation of the burst was such that it was trying to download data directly onto my hardware."
"Like a virus? How did you fight it off?"
"I… am not sure. I believe that, due to the increased electrical shielding I've added to my chassis, I only received a partial signal, and thus my automated systems were able to repair the damage."
"Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're still with us," Miss Martian said with a smile. "This place wouldn't be the same without you." Her smile then faded. "But, what's to stop them from trying again?"
I looked around the cavernous room. "Well, I'm going to be reinforcing the hell out of this place and hunting down any information on these guys on any database I can get my hands on. But, I don't know if that's going to be enough. We need to know what they're up to right now."
Before I could continue, Batman then said "The fact that Red Tornado was targeted makes this a League responsibility. We will investigate this matter."
"Yeah, well the fact that Machina was targeted makes this the Team's responsibility!" Superboy shot back. "We can't just do nothing if someone comes after one of our own! I say we find them and hit 'em hard!"
Batman fixed the boy with a glare. "You will not run off on you own. Any action taken must be approved by me first. If you're so eager to do something, I have an assignment-"
"No!"
Everyone turned to see Starfire move up to Batman, staring him down with a fierce glare. "I will not let you send us on unrelated tasks while someone is out there willing to assassinate one of my team! We will handle this threat ourselves whether you want us to or not!"
That… actually seemed to stun the man for a moment. He managed to recompose himself and replied "This is not up for debate. Missions are chosen for you so that you don't get into too much danger-"
"Like Bialya?" I said as I stepped up behind my leader. "Louisiana? Santa Prisca? You couldn't have predicted how those went down, but at this point it's becoming a trend. The danger is coming to us now."
"And not letting us do anything about it is going to make it worse when it finds us," Artemis stepped forward. "Face it, doesn't matter what you want, we're doing what it takes to beat these guys."
Batman scowled at all of us, but we looked just as fiercely back at him. The air was thick with tension… which broke when a soft chuckle came from behind us. "Man, you guys really don't mess around, huh?" Troia strolled forward to join us. "And here I thought this was a team of sidekicks," she planted her hands on her hips and gave Batman a smirk. "Looks like I'm joining a team of heroes instead."
Batman's entire body was tense, and I could almost see his mind at work. Would he relent, or would he make good on his promise and dissolve the Team right then, for all the good it would do? He finally came to a decision and opened his mouth-
Wonder Woman's hand fell on his shoulder. "Perhaps we can make this a joint venture then?" She suggested as all eyes turned to her. "Both the League and the Team working together. After all, something like a direct attack on our members should be taken that seriously."
I could see the silent conversation that the two senior superheroes had, even if I didn't fully understand it. A few small motions and changing facial features was all it took, and a few seconds later Batman turned back to us. "This will be discussed with the rest of the League. Until then… gather information as you see fit." And without another word, he turned and walked to the Zeta Tubes. He clearly wasn't happy about this, but it seemed like 'relent' had won out for now.
I shared a look of solidarity with the rest of my team. I think I heard Wonder Woman mutter 'Just like the last time…' under her breath, but Starfire was already giving orders. "Batman is right that we cannot be ignorant of someone who can create androids powerful enough to damage our home. Machina, work with Red Tornado to find out anything you can about Ivo and Dr. Morrow. Robin, you will look into other possible culprits, we cannot assume we know who it was just yet. I will work with the Justice League to make sure all information is-"
"Wait." Red Tornado said, and everyone turned to look at him. Even Batman stopped and turned to look back at the android. Red Tornado hesitated, and then looked to Kaldur of all people. "Given the circumstances, I believe it would be in the best interest of all if certain information was shared."
Aqualad grimaced. "Do you think that is wise? Why the sudden change in opinion?"
"Wait, what?" Robin said, perking up in confusion. "What are we talking about?"
Red Tornado ignored him, continuing to address Aqualad. "Circumstances have changes. Now that we have been attacked and have discussed certain parties… I fear the consequences may be dire if we do not address the matter immediately, and with everyone present."
"…Very well." Aqualad said awkwardly, before turning to the group at large. "We may have a mole on our team."
And we just had a great team building moment, too, I thought bleakly as there were a number of suitably dramatic gasps. "Explain." Batman said as he walked back towards us.
"When I went to Rhelasia to provide assistance to Red Arrow, we fought several assassins from the League of Shadows, Sensei included. During my fight, Sensei made reference to our missions in Louisiana and Bialya. He hinted that they were getting information from an inside source."
"…and you actually believed him?" I asked.
Aqualad shifted his gaze a little. "Not completely, but I couldn't discount it either. The fact that our base has been assaulted does lend credence to this."
I shook my head. "I don't think so. Whether or not the person behind this assault knew at the time, our fight with Mister Twister showed them we were in the area. And the Mountain has been an open secret ever since four years ago. Besides which, the most likely candidates are still Ivo or Morrow, neither of whom have any connections to the Shadows last I checked."
"Most likely," Red Tornado interjected. "But the perpetrator of the attack could have gotten their information from the Shadows. And considering how little we know about the current whereabouts and motives of Ivo and Morrow, we can't discount that they have joined the Shadows recently."
"Even ignoring recent events, I was trying to discretely find out if there was any truth to the claim," Aqualad said. "I wasn't certain the mole was even real, so I didn't want to worry the Team. I informed Red Tornado about this yesterday, but he suggested that the Team should take care of its own issues."
Batman looked at the android. "Is this true?"
Red Tornado nodded. "At the time, the matter seemed small enough that I felt Aqualad could manage it on his own. However, if the Team does have a mole working for whoever staged this attack, they would be aware that we suspect them the moment said mole gets in contact with them. As such, I felt it best to bring up this matter now. "
Batman frowned ever so slightly. "For future reference, potential security risks should always be brought to my attention. Whether or not the Team should handle it on their own."
"Why?" Robin asked, folding his arms across his chest. "So you can look over our shoulder the whole time?"
I turned to face the boy. "Probably so he can check for leaks on his end. Also… a mole really isn't something we can assume a team of inexperienced operatives to handle in a swift and effective manner. The amount of damage any one of us could do in the meantime would be massive."
"So what, you think we should all be under surveillance now?!" he shot back.
"No." I said simply. "Like I said, I don't believe that anyone our team is a mole. If there is an information leak and the bad guys aren't just sharing info, I would guess that one of our networks or systems have been compromised." I turned to the rest of the team, planting my hands on my hips. "Alright, which one of you set your password to 'password'?"
My attempt at levity was unappreciated though, as I was meat with a bunch of flat stares. I sighed. "Ok, let me just ask this right now: are we seriously entertaining the idea that one of us might be a traitor?" No one answered, but I could see the uneasy expressions on a few of my teammates. I didn't think any of them really believed it, but I knew how crippling that little paranoid voice of 'but what if?' could be. "Alright then." I walked over to Wonder Woman, stopping just short of her and holding my arms had sides. "Wonder Woman, if you would be so kind?"
She looked at me evenly, and then looked between myself and the team. "Are you sure?"
"We need trust for a team to work," I said with a nod. "And that's not going to happen if we have niggling doubts about our loyalties."
"Arguably, magically compelling you to tell the truth is not a sign of trust," she said, but still unhooked the Lasso from her belt. With a toss, she threw it around my shoulders, and as it tightened the rope glowed gold.
"I'm lost, what's going on here?" Kid Flash asked.
"That is the Lasso of Truth," Troia explain. "Anyone bound by it is compelled to speak the truth, both in letter and in spirit. So, no fancy wordplay will save you."
Artemis perked up in alarm. "Wait, no one was accusing you of being the mole. Why are you doing this?"
I shrugged. "Well, I was going to say we should all do this," As I talked, I noticed that I could feel the magic of the lasso with my own, similar to what I felt when Mera had used her magic on me. And just like then, my technomancy found very little to latch on to. I supposed I could try to make more of an effort, but that seemed like bad form at the moment. "I'm going first in front of all of you to show that I willing to go through it as well."
"Oh. I-" Artemis stopped and started again. "I don't think I'm really comfortable with that."
Oh, I didn't think of that. Artemis had always been a bit reserved, so of course putting her through a lie detector in front of other people would make her uncomfortable. Fortunately, Wonder Woman spoke up "Don't worry, I'll keep my questions brief and on point. If you're uncomfortable doing it around others, we can do it in private instead."
Artemis didn't answer immediately, so Wonder Woman returned her attention to me and her voice took on an authoritative tone. "Machina, have you been giving information to the League of Shadows or any other individuals about the Team."
"No."
"Have you done anything to compromise the Team or its missions?"
"No."
"Why don't you think any member of you team is compromised?"
I tilted my head as I replied "Because after everything I've been through with them… I just can't believe they would be anything other than heroes." I gave Wonder Woman a look that tried to convey how risky a question that was. What if I had said 'because they never went evil in the comics'?
However, the woman just gave me a knowing smile and lifted the lasso off me. "I think that is satisfactory." She turned to the rest of the Team. "Now, is anyone else willing to-"
Naturally, Starfire immediately stepped up. "I will."
I moved to the side and let Starfire get lassoed. As the questions began, I leaned towards Troia and said "Hell of a first day, huh?"
She looked sidelong at me. "Starts with a sparring match, turns into an assassination attempt by killer androids? Yeah, I wasn't expecting that."
"You sure you want to stick around?"
"Are you kidding?" She turned her head to me and flashed a brilliant grin. "It just reminded me how exciting how all this can be."
In the end, everyone but Artemis got questioned in front of the whole group, the latter of which being taken off into a side room. Everyone was cleared, as I expected. I didn't waste time, instead getting back to securing and fixing up the Mountain. Well, mostly securing the vents. I knew it was incredibly unlikely I'd find anything in there, but now was not the time to leave anything to chance.
Just as I was finishing up though, I did hear something on the edge of my hearing. It was… someone calling my name? I crawled through several junctions before I found the source of the sound. "Artemis?"
I was behind her when I said this, so the girl gave a small scream and spun around. Well, more like flopped around considering she had to crawl through the space. "Jesus Christ, don't scare me like that!" she yelled. "Especially not looking like that!"
My xenomorph form made it easy to move through vent, but I could see how it would unsettle her. I detached myself from the vent roof and shifted into my humanoid form, crouching on the balls of my feet. "Well, you wouldn't have gotten that scare if you had just called me on comms like a normal person. Why did you come crawling into the vents?"
She settled into a sitting position with a huff. "I wanted to talk in person. Besides, it was pointed out that everything in this place in recorded." She paused before she awkwardly continued. "Thanks for removing my face from all the security footage by the way. I… didn't know you were doing that."
"No problem. So, what's up?"
"Why didn't you wait around? For Wonder Woman to confirm I wasn't a mole."
Odd question. I shrugged, careful of the confined space. "I had a lot to take care of. And I didn't think there was anything I needed to hear. Why, was I wrong?"
"No, no," She waved me off. Artemis hesitated before she said "When you said that stuff about thinking we were heroes… you included me right?"
I stared at her for a long moment before I sat on the ground opposite Artemis, fixing the girl with a look. "I'm sensing some self-esteem issues."
She rolled her eyes. "That's not… It's not that. I'm just wondering what it is you see in me. The rest Team… ok, M'gann is nice and Kori thinks the best of everyone, but you seem like a regular guy, and you believe in me. I'm just not sure why."
I was silent as I tried to figure out just what the deal was with the girl who was looking at me expectantly. Eventfully I said "I've never been that great at reading people." She gave me a confused look, but I held up a hand so that I could continue. "It's gotten easier since I've gotten my new senses, but I have a habit of taking people at their word. And beyond that, what they do afterward. And everything we've been through, all the missions and every time we've just hung out here, tells me that you're someone I can rely on."
"So, maybe you are a bad guy. Maybe you somehow bypassed the lasso and are such a spectacular actor you've let none of your real intent through. And then we'll find ourselves with me at your mercy and you mocking me for ever trusting you." I put a hand on her shoulder. "But I'm not going to put much stock in paranoia or what-ifs. Until you give me a reason to think otherwise, you're a hero in my eyes."
She said nothing, a number of emotions flickering across her face before she looked down at the floor. I waited for a minute, but when she still didn't say anything, I started to ask if she was alright.
She beat me to it. "Sportsmaster is my father."
My mouth clicked shut. Without looking up she continued "That's the thing I've been keeping from the rest of the Team. I was raised, I was trained, by a killer." She finally tilted her head up and returned my gaze. "So, that's it. That's my secret."
Ah. That… explained why she had been so reluctant to tell anyone about herself. To tell me. I leaned back as I tried to think of what to say. Eventually I settled on "I see. I… I'm sorry I put your father in jail."
She blinked. "What? No, that's not what you're supposed to- wait, you put him in jail?!" she asked incredulously.
"Err, yeah. It was out first official mission. I happened to run into him."
"…and you actually beat him?" The tone of incredulity had not left.
I shrugged. "He underestimated me and I overpowered him."
Artemis calmed down a little. "That… oh."
"Yeah… so, are we good?"
"Yeah, we're- no wait!" She exclaimed. "That's not what you're supposed to focus on!"
"…What else is there?"
"The fact that I was raised by an amoral mercenary! Doesn't that bother you?! Aren't you worried that I might turn out like him?!"
I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. "Young lady that is not how genetics work and you know it!"
"Damn it you know what I mean!" She yelled back, before she lost some of her fluster. "You… really don't care?"
I shrugged. "Have you personally done any heinous crimes before you joined the team?"
"No…"
"Then do you really need me to give my whole trust spiel again? You're not your parents, Artemis. You're already, like, a million times better than he'll ever be."
"…Thanks." She mumbled.
I smiled. "Glade to be of help. Now, let's get out of these damn vents. It's hell for your posture." The two of us got up and made our way to the nearest exit vent. As we walked/crawled though, a thought occurred to me. "Wait, I remember reading in Sportmaster's file that he was Cheshire's father."
She winced a little. "Yeah… she's my sister."
"Ah…" I shifted a little. "I'm sorry I put your sister in jail."
"Oh my god please stop."
=====A=====
A/N: I figured Artemis would have time at some point to browse the Mountain's database and find out about Cheshire, especially after Jacob's run in with her. Also, Batman did some editing of said database to remove Sportsmaster's connection to Huntress just before Artemis joined the team.