Chapter Text
Independence Day:
July 4th
"So you threw a fit on national television because Ollie and the League were acting like a bunch of bitches?" Emiko asked. Her voice flat on the other line. Roy sighed. Why did he call her? Of all Ollie's kids Connor probably would have been the best option to bitch at. If anyone could sympathize with being left out by Ollie it was the other boy of the house, Oliver's one and (probably) only bastard child. Instead he was on the phone with Emiko who said she couldn't care less about her half-brother's attention. She said a lot of things.
"I didn't throw a fit." He knew it came out like a growl deep in his throat, but couldn't bring himself to care.
"Uh-huh. Well. It kinda looked that way on TV."
Roy was getting ready to tell his "sister" (aunt?) to do something uncomfortable when a new call cut him off. "Hang on, Kal- Aqualad's calling."
"And you're gonna answer?"
Instead of responding he hung up on her. It's not like she was the comforting ear he was searching for right now anyway. "What?" And he wasn't particularly looking forward to hearing a lecture from Kaldur either. Even if he had put the other three in a bad spot by storming out.
"Charming," The Atlantean deadpanned. "There's a fire at a suspicious lab called Cadmus. Robin, Kid Flash, and I are going to investigate. Are you interested?"
What? What? He could not be serious right now. "Are you fucking with me?"
"I am not. The League have concerned themselves with other matters involving the Sun and an evil wizard… We've decided to solve their case before they do."
"Seriously?" Roy blinked out at the unfamiliar city. All his fight had been pushed aside by shock. But an opportunity to show up the League so soon after he was slighted was golden. He fought the sly grin trying to crawl on his face.
"Yes." Kaldur's voice was still infuriatingly even. "Seriously."
"Text me the address."
>>-> >>-> >>->
By the time Roy arrived at the scene Kaldur was already climbing in the window. The fire that had raged through the small concrete building seemingly put out. But if anyone knew how easy it was to re spark a flame it was him. He hated the nano seconds he felt his body hesitate. Then ran forward, away from the buried memories, and shot off a grappling arrow. The first responders and scientists behind him reacted, but he ignored them. They were safe now, would go home to their families, their infants, that's what mattered.
"Look who decided to join us." Robin snarked, bent over a computer as Roy made his way through the window.
"I can leave." But he wouldn't. Unlike Ollie he finished the things he started.
He made his way to Kaldur who was looking down the hall. A frown had etched itself onto his face. Not uncommon from Roy's limited experience. Still he was closer with Aqualad then he was with the other two.
"What's the matter?"
"I thought I saw something?"
"Where?"
The Atlantean pointed at the elevator as the other two rounded the corner.
"That's an express elevator." Robin murmured. They all moved closer to the doors. "Doesn't belong in a two story building."
"Neither does what I saw."
Roy raised an eyebrow at that but didn't say anything. Instead he waited for Robin to hack into the system and get the doors open.
"Going down?" Roy asked as he followed the three other heroes down the line. He thought he heard Kaldur snort.
The line ran out on floor 23 and still there was quite the distance below them. How deep did this go? Literally. He was far from afraid of heights but looking down made his stomach drop. Kaldur balanced on the ledge to the door and had them open moments later.
"Kid!" Kaldur called out after the speedster. As was natural to him, he'd run off as soon as he had room to. The three followed best they could, Kaldur in the lead. Sliding to a sudden halt, shock rocking each of them. Kid Flash had almost been trampled. Animals, maybe?, marched down the massive hallways. Only, they didn't look like any animals Roy was familiar with. Not really anyway. Maybe like warped elephants, if they were elephants drawn by a child who'd only seen one picture of an elephant once and watched too many zombie movies. Roy was positively slack jawed at the sight. "No nothing odd going on here." Kaldur snarked. Roy couldn't even respond by snickering.
After they got ahold of themselves, and the creatures finished their march, the four set off down the hall. All of them casting unsure glances over their shoulders. More surprises waited for them at every corner. Before they entered a large doored room Roy rested his hand on Kaldur's shoulder.
"Do we have a plan?"
"Not at all."
"Oh. Okay." Well that was just great. He should have just gone off and beat the shit out of some muggers.
"Woah." Wally breathed on the other side.
Roy's stomach dropped. If the would-be elephants were massive then he couldn't think of a word for these bug-like creatures developing electricity for Cadmus. All sharp limbs and bony structures. He placed a gloved hand on the warm glass. While he didn't know what this was, outside of Robin and Kid Flash saying they were breeding weapons, he did know there was nothing harmonious about this. This, quite simply, wasn't right. And things only got worse.
"Don't move!" His Uncle's voice filled the room.
"Guardian?!" Roy spun on his heel, eyes wide despite his desire to remain unflappable in all situations. And considering how he reacted at the Hall he wasn't exactly succeeding today.
"R- Speedy? Aqualad? Kid Flash? Robin?"
"What are you doing here?" Roy yelled, the creatures both forgotten and at the front of his mind.
"What am Idoing here? I'm chief of security. What are you doing here? You know what, we can call the League, call G.A., get this all worked out."
Roy felt his jaw clench, the familiar burn of betrayal and loss building in his chest. A variety of reasons as to why.
"You think the League is gonna be okay with you breeding weapons?!" Kid Flash demanded.
"Wha- Weapons? What-" He let out a low painful groan and grabbed the side of his skull. "My head-" His back straightened and the eyes that looked through his helmet were no longer Roy's uncle. He didn't recognize who it was. "Take them down! Hard!" The shield attached to Jim's arm slammed into the side of Roy's head. He crashed against one of the glass cages. Blood seeped into his mouth. He lashed out, swinging a fist that collided with the hard metal helmet. Jim took a few surprised steps back, for a second his eyes were his again and then he was gone. This was bad. Very bad.
Kaldur caught Roy by the arm and dragged him to the exit. They ran as fast as they could, well Roy did. He worried he was slowing Kaldur down. Which was odd because Roy was used to being the fastest non-speedster around. He was called Speedy for a reason after all. They managed to make it into the elevator shaft just a second before more, different, creatures caught them. He didn't get a chance to get a good look at them. All his attention on his uncle and the sickening twisting emotions in his chest.
"Shit!" He yelled at the top of his lungs once content on his momentary safety. Then much more quietly, "he hit me." Heat and tears swelled up for a brief moment under his mask.
"I do not think that Guardian was himself my friend." Kaldur's hand hovered over Roy's shoulder for a split second then was back at his side. Roy would have given anything for even that small comfort, but didn't say anything about it.
"Yeah no shit! Wait, are we going down?"
"Dude! Out is up!" Kid Flash pointed at the ceiling.
"Project Kr is down. On sub level 52." Robin sounded so goddamn smug. What was Project Kr? Roy had toned out the other boys back there. Had clearly missed important details.
"This is getting out of hand," Kaldur rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe we should contact the League."
Before Roy could respond with a smart aleck remark the doors opened with a soft "bing". Robin ran ahead before anyone could actually discuss the matter and Kid Flash was on his heels with a "we are already here". That left the two older boys to each heave a sigh each and follow after them. Unlike the clean metallic walls upstairs, this hallway was almost…fleshy. It made Roy's skin crawl. The floor squished ever so slightly under his feet. Where the fuck were they? What was this place really? And why the fuck was Jim working here?
"Creepy hallway number one or creepy hallway number two?" Robin asked, waving around a bird-a-rang. But the decision was quickly made for them.
Something was launching barrels at them. Roy felt the word "halt" bounce around his skull like a ping pong ball. It made his stomach twist. He'd need a pepto before the night was out. Or some weed. Probably the weed.
The four boys bounded down the safer hall, somehow going right where they needed to. At the end of the fleshy path was a large round door. K.F. got there first, naturally, knocking over a scientist in the process. Roy found it hard to care. The speedster managed to wedge a canister in the closing door, holding it open long enough for them to stumble through. Once Kaldur knocked the canister aside Roy didn't feel any safer.
"You just trapped us!"
"Yes." Kaldur's voice was somber as he crossed his arms.
"At least we're safe." Robin called over his shoulder. He'd already found a computer console.
"Safe? How exactly are we safe? Do you see a way out?!" He stabbed a yellow clad finger into Kaldur's chest. The Atlantean remained calm, perhaps because he wasn't the one suggesting they were safe. Maybe because he knew they weren't. Or maybe he was just a stoic jackass.
Robin opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by Kid Flash. "Dudes…" And then they saw him. "Clone?" KF asked. Was that even possible? Apparently it was because Robin confirmed it. A boy made from Superman's stolen DNA.
"This isn't right." Roy finally voiced out loud. He'd been thinking it since he first saw the elephants and now the words tumbled out before he could stop them.
"No. It isn't." Kaldur shook his head. "Let him out."
And while that felt like a bad idea Roy couldn't bring himself to argue. He'd happily accept any and all consequences. At least that's what he thought. Because as soon as Superboy was done stretching, he was on the attack. He raced towards them at such speed Roy didn't have time to think. He acted with every self sacrificing instinct he'd inherited from his father, and maybe even Oliver. As such he caught a blow intended for Kaldur. His ribs cracked below the surface and he went flying, smashing into the ground. Somehow he was still awake, and a little bit of blunt force trauma wasn't enough to stop him.
Explosive arrows bounced off Superboy like rain on a duck. Kaldur was tossed through the air, slamming into the stone ceiling hard enough Roy almost felt it. Robin's taser must have been a mild irritation. Wally was on the ground moaning, Roy wasn't sure when that happened. Superboy charged him, and without thinking Roy slammed his bow against the other boy's head. It shattered. That was the last thing he remembered before falling unconscious.