8 Chapter 8: Plots And Mysteries Abound
It finally happened. I've received the most massive of lightbulbs inside my head to date.
Bet you weren't expecting that now were you?
I already had a plan for how the plot would be moving forward regarding certain connections our MC will be having with both places and people of power, but I managed to make another connection that's overlooked in DC lore or not shown with as much detail as it deserves.
I have to thank DC writers for making certain important things in their stories less relevant or explained, cause it just makes it easier for me to tinker with it.
You guys won't be understanding what I'm talking about until after the first story arc, but now you've been informed.
This idea I managed to tie into the storyline so seamlessly and epically in my opinion, I'm just excited to explore this new doorway that's been opened up before me.
In other news, I managed to think up another story arc idea for later chapters, but if I go through with this one, I'd need to first fix an oversight I made by leaving behind what could be a massive plot hole in a previous chapter.
Yeesh. To think that just a few sentences I wrote in a past chapter could cause such a problem.
Now you know why I was worried about burnout and avoiding these things.
It's obviously not noticeable now, but I'd need to fix it unless I go for this story arc.
Also, I've been thinking about moving the day for updates on Sundays due to changes regarding my schedule coming up.
Please know, I'll never give up on this book. But, If I have something important going on, I'll be giving you guys notice for a break in case I need to step away to deal with real-life issues.
I don't think something like that will happen for a while as I've said countless times that I have chapters in reserve for now, but just be warned beforehand.
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
And the last thing is a quick shoutout to my new Patrons who have joined this week.
A big thank you to @Ghost, and @Vinay Kakkera. Your support has been noted and duly appreciated as usual!
For my patrons, I'm doing my best to get chapter 11 up for you all, but I've made a huge oversight that isn't necessarily bad, but I'm still fixing up at the moment.
The chapter somehow... maybe... kind of reached 15k words.
I know I said you'd get a minimum of 8k words per chapter, but even I feel like that's going a bit too far in word count for one chapter.
I don't know, I'll see if I will separate it into different chapters or add and remove a few things to make it more interesting and not clash with what I already wrote.
Just give me a couple of hours and you'll get to satisfy your DC fanfic cravings for the day.
But for now, everyone please enjoy this chapter!
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Date: May 6, 2007
Location: Uptown Gotham City, New Jersey, Arkham Asylum
Time: 2:44 P.M.
Arkham Asylum, the place where all the lunatics that somehow pop out of Gotham go when they're captured by 'Batman and his little sidekicks', as the public says.
That word has always managed to slightly annoy Ben, awakening something fierce within him even in what should be his perpetually calm state.
Currently, Ben was in his Wildcard get-up standing in front of a security checkpoint inside the Asylum's doors, waiting for the guard to finally buzz him in. He had a couple of bags in his hand while he waited, ruffling through one of them to double-check that everything he needed was there.
After another 5-minute wait-
'4 minutes 27 seconds.'
-he was finally signaled in, as he walked up to the guy waiting for him on the other side in a doctor's lab coat, motioning for him to follow along.
"Wildcard, nice to see you again." said the man as they walked down the halls, twisting and turning along, with the man putting his hand out.
Although, Ben knew it was just a pretense and that the man was annoyed at seeing his face.
"Dr. Arkham, a pleasure as always. I appreciate you putting up with my frequent visits." spoke Ben as he reciprocated the man and shook his hand.
"Please, I've already told you to call me Dr. Jeremiah. Dr. Arkham was my uncle."
Dr. Jeremiah Arkham. He was the nephew of the late founder of Arkham Asylum, Dr. Amadeus Arkham, that ended up going clinically insane years ago due to the raping and subsequent death of his wife and daughter at the hands of one of the very first patients to be admitted to this place.
His story was tragic, but also a reminder to Ben to keep an eye on this place.
After all, he managed to kill the inmate in revenge before being admitted himself.
If it happened once, it could happen again. And it wouldn't do if that ended up being a constant recurring event.
"And it's nice that someone else is attempting to put effort into rehabilitating at least someone in some way. All the superheroes I know don't even bother meeting the people they put in jail to converse with them and try to listen to their stories."
"Instead, they would come for information or something else if it involves a new case of theirs somehow connecting to the patients in question."
Once again, Ben felt it. The man was spouting lies without so much of a twitch.
He could feel the emotions associated with his words, and they painted an entirely different picture than what he was saying.
He felt absolute annoyance, anger, and even reluctance at staying here.
For the head of an Asylum to feel like this, was worrying, to say the least.
'Maybe he's the reason I've been having so much trouble coming over. Has he been trying to delay or prevent my visits from behind the scenes?' he thought, remembering the times it took so long to even be allowed entry or visitation.
'I need to check up on this place often it seems. He's practically given up on these people.' Ben thought.
'But there's a more important matter to check when it comes to this place honestly.'
Ever since he awakened his magical senses, Ben had constantly felt that there was something malevolent in the air of Gotham, people breathing it in on a daily basis without notice.
It was like a smog hanging over the city.
When he visited the Asylum for the first time though, it was like entering a giant cloud of darkness instead.
He was still new to magic at that point, so although he had his suspicions since the sight didn't really instill much confidence as being something safe or normal, it was only later that he figured out what it was.
Black Magic. The magical energy was dark in nature, therefore meaning it stemmed from Black Magic.
There was a giant spell or curse over Gotham.
Ben was shaken to the core when he first felt this, wondering how no one ever discovered it before.
If the Zatara family or other magical beings related to Order like Dr. Fate had noticed this, surely they would've dealt with it.
Not wanting to be too paranoid, but having no way to confirm his thoughts without causing others to panic, he subtly asked questions during his training on magical sensing or detection to his current magical teacher, Giovanni, to figure out if the man felt anything as well.
"Magical sensing can technically be considered a branch of magic all on its own."
"It can be separated into two different forms. There are some people who have an affinity for sensing different types of magics at greater levels than others, focusing more on intensity or depth."
"Then, there are others able to feel magic being performed on the other side of the world, focusing more on range."
"For me personally, I have an average level of magical detection when focused towards my immediate surroundings."
"As for range, with the help of my Logomancy, I can locate any form of magic being performed anywhere in the world so long as it isn't hidden." the man had explained at the time.
That didn't inspire much confidence in Ben though. Even though it could teleport anywhere in the world, the man's house was usually nearby Gotham most of the time, yet he felt nothing over all those years.
So, Ben hypothesized that his magical detection abilities were much higher than average thanks to his emotional sensing abilities synergizing with them as well.
Although it was only a hypothesis at the time, he stuck with it later as well because further inspection had him realizing that the only reason he even felt the magic in the air was due to the fact that he sensed the more concentrated negative emotional energy associated with it first.
In Gotham, almost everyone was depressed or insane in some way, forming a funnel for negative energy.
But what he felt was too unnatural to be normal.
'So many mysteries and events to uncover and find. Although dangerous and I shouldn't be happy over this due to the suffering it may be causing others... why am I excited to find out the true reason behind all of this?' he thought, his eyes briefly flashing light blue behind his mask.
Putting a lid on his current musings for now and deciding to continue investigating before bringing anything up with his father and teacher, he focused once more on his reason for coming today.
"Well, that's why I'm here. I've noticed the same problem as well and decided to be the first person to put it to the test before using any accomplishments as a springboard for others."
"I felt that since she was relatively new and not yet in deep, I can start with her. How has she been since the last time I visited?" explained Ben, before asking about his new 'acquaintance' as he termed her to be.
"She's doing much better since last week. I guess your constant repetitiveness has begun to wear her down in a positive manner. She hasn't aggressively lashed out at any of our personnel should they come close to her, but she still seems to be mildly uncomfortable with their presence." responded Jeremiah, a smile making its way onto his face.
A couple of months ago Ben decided to try and deal with one of the super trends he found from both Marvel comics in his memories, and when he was working with Batman in the field.
Supervillain rehabilitation.
It sounds nicer on paper than it carries over in reality.
The superhero puts the bad guy in prison, where they receive the best possible care and a possible chance at redemption.
Instead, we have 40 issues printing out a month later of villain revenge arcs instead, none of them ever changing for the better, and the hero and villain, or just the hero, ending up dead at some point.
Something that probably could've changed most of the time had words been spoken instead of them resorting to letting their fists fly.
Prison isn't a nice place for a reason, and people who think of it as a method to change the ways of others are hopelessly naïve.
Ben remembered reading a study out of curiosity when wondering about the topic, trying to find out how many normal criminals actually managed to reform themselves.
A follow-up report was carried out when 401,288 state prisoners were released in 1994 and followed their legal status over a span of 9 years to 2003 to see if any change had occurred.
The results were both promising and disappointing at the same time.
83% of those prisoners were arrested once again during the 9-year period…
Within the first 3 years of their release.
They were arrested on average around 5 times each, making up a total of approximately 1,994,000 arrests.
Of the remaining 17%, only 5% truly managed to reform, not having another arrest recorded on their records. The other 12% eventually had 1 or more charges added to their records over the following 6-year period.
If numbers are that low for true reformation coming from such a high amount of normal criminals, now imagine that but with a much smaller number of villains numbering in the hundreds instead.
It almost rarely occurs.
Not wanting such a cycle to stick, and wanting to make an impact that lasts, Ben decided to make this his priority number one on his list of things to improve in this universe.
Now some of the more deranged people of humanity would argue with the results of such a study, reasoning it to be better to kill such pests.
But Ben reasoned them not only to be crazy but delusional as well if what he thought about this universe was true.
In Marvel Comics, it was depicted a few times that there is a certain balance holding the universe together, in the fight between good and evil.
Every time the balance tips to a certain side, and in a terrible way like with some sort of mass extinction event, the universe ends up rebooting.
That's a terrifying thought for anyone to even consider.
'Has this universe ever been rebooted?' was a thought that had actually crossed Ben's mind once in a while.
He was the only one with that kind of knowledge, and he chose it to be appalling to consider.
Among those few reasons, another one that caused him to choose to start out with this is the fact that he's an empath, so he can literally sense the emotions that bleed off some people when they commit these crimes, knowing that some have no other option.
He wants to fix the system in a proper manner, and hopefully avoid a horrifying conclusion from occurring in this universe.
Not to mention, he wouldn't want someone to wish for his death for any reason, so why would he do the same to others?
Maybe he was also naïve in a way, but until necessary, he didn't want to lose himself to the harrowing abyss known as death and murder.
He got another chance at life, so why can't someone else?
Even though a low number, that 5% of reformed people still matter, showing how not all is lost.
"Here we are." came Jeremiah's voice as they stopped in front of a cell door leading to a conference room where a green-skinned woman can be seen staring at them with an annoyed look on her face.
Except, Ben couldn't feel any annoyance emanating from her.
"Thank you for accompanying me once again Doctor." thanked Ben, nodding to Ivy as a greeting when he met her eyes.
"It's no problem at all. I'll be seeing you around." the doctor spoke as he waved farewell and started walking up the hallway, clipboard in hand as he flipped through his schedule.
'No problem huh? Yeah right. I could feel your annoyance practically hugging me.' he thought while staring at the man's retreating back for a moment.
Nodding to the guard stationed next to the gate, he waited for him to open it up before entering and seated himself on the chair opposite the redhead, placing the two bags of things in front of him as well.
"Good afternoon Dr. Isley. How's your week been?" asked Ben, as he began taking out some snacks like chips, cookies, and other foods out of his bag.
"First of all, I've constantly told you that I am no longer Pamela Isley, but Poison Ivy. Secondly, I do not wish to see your face here any longer." she said, the annoyance even more clear on her face.
Yet once again, Ben couldn't see any yellow coming off her, only ivory, aquamarine, and sapphire glows instead.
Someone was playing hard to get it seemed.
"First off, I've constantly told you as well that I do not see any Poison Ivy, only Dr. Pamela Isley, but a different side of her. Second off, I don't see a problem as even if you don't wish to see my face, I wish to see yours. And I can't do so unless I come here." Ben said, his voice as calm as always.
Because of his mask, people can't notice any changes in his pupil colors, so he decided to forego doing that entirely when in costume unless they somehow change all on their own due to feeling an intense surge of emotions as he had earlier.
If someone managed to catch onto the change while in costume, and he managed to slip up in public as well, then it would be easy for them to trace back his true identity.
"Very well." she drawled out, reaching for a bag of chips and looking at the flavor.
"Chicken flavored chips? You, humans, disgust me with your cravings regarding all manners of food. I am a strict vegan now." she said with disgust, the yellow finally making an appearance in Ben's senses.
'I can't believe a bag of chips makes her more annoyed than my presence. Goes to show how far we've come.' thought Ben with slight amusement.
"Didn't you become a vegan after you became Poison Ivy? I'm pretty sure you ate chicken before at some point." spoke Ben, watching as her face soured at his comment.
"That was then! Now, I refuse to entertain these disgusting flavors." she spoke, tossing the bag at his face, to which he shrugged and began opening it to eat for himself.
"Suit yourself. I got many different chip flavors as well as cocoa cookies with vanilla filling, purely vegan, ready just in case for this circumstance." spoke Ben, taking a chip and raising it to his mask's mouth position.
She looked at his actions strangely. "How are you going t-"
She couldn't even finish her question as she watched how his hand seemed to go through his mask, the sound of chewing making its presence known before his hand returned empty and went back into the bag.
"Hmm? You were saying something?" he questioned, pausing for a moment.
"Never mind. However, what was the true reason for you to bring all of this food?"
"Did you think that since I've been 'behaving' I deserve a reward? Do you take me for an animal that you can train to act according to your whims?"
"Did you choose to 'rehabilitate' me only because you find me easier to deal with than the other inmates?!" she practically shouted at the end while slamming her hands on the table, causing it to creak slightly.
Even though her powers were more focused on controlling plants and toxins and didn't really affect her physically, she was still slightly stronger than a peak human.
Red-colored light flared around her, as a bit of maroon directed towards him seemed ready to rear its head as well and possibly stick for a long time depending on his answer.
The guards outside were on alert, hands going for their taser guns and batons before Ben raised his hand stopping them.
He thought for a moment as he put the bag of chips down before leaning into his seat, motioning her to do the same
"Well, to be fair I tried bringing in food since the first time I came to visit, but it's not usually allowed for any visitors to bring contraband when visiting. It's only due to how I often come by and how there have so far not been any incidents, was I allowed." Ben first explained, trying with some effort to make displeasure known in his voice to show how he felt about that.
Some of the red began to fade, but it didn't change much since that wasn't what she really cared about.
"As for your true worries, I apologize if it somehow came off that I only chose you because you're 'easier'. I consider myself an understanding person, and I can tell that everyone here is hurting, some more than others. Believe me when I say that you are probably hurting the worst out of everyone here."
"But even though you are hurting more than others, you have only had a single mark of causing public endangerment currently."
"Most of the people here have been attacking and hurting others for years, and it's not easy to change their minds as to why not to perform such actions so easily, while also helping them in terms of dealing with their feelings and thoughts."
"I started with you because you need my help more than them currently, as you seem to be teetering on an edge, deciding on what side you should stand on with your feelings making you feel forced to make just one choice."
"I'm here to show the alternative while getting to know you better. I find you to be an amazing person in certain ways from the time I've spent with you and would like to get to know you while also helping you work through whatever it is you need." Ben concluded.
At this point, after hearing his words, all the red and slight brown practically evaporated off her, before she began to settle in. However, she only continued to show annoyance on the outside as she sat back down in her seat with a frown.
"Name them." she suddenly said.
"Sorry? Can you clarify?" asked Ben.
"Name those certain things you say you find amazing." she said, blue coming into his senses with no outward change showing on her face.
"Well for starters I find your research on plants and their certain toxins to be fascinating. I only just started to learn more about the university courses regarding the subject, and your knowledge of it is incredibly diverse and well taught." he spoke, though seeing the blue dimming, he knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear, so he promptly changed strategies.
"I find how strawberries are your favorite fruit to be endearing as well as, 'cute', for a woman of your stature. I find a kindred spirit in the fact that we both enjoy reading books over a freshly brewed cup of natural coffee."
"I especially enjoyed reading 'The Orchid Thief' together with you a few weeks ago. I've never read any books of that kind before, and have been on the lookout for similar reads since."
"You said before that you can cook anything vegan too. To be honest, I tried bringing ingredients before so that we could cook together as I wished to learn from you to increase my own recipe repertoire, but you already know how that went." Ben leaned in as he whispered the last part.
As he talked more about her favorite hobbies, foods, books, passions, even her dreams, slowly the blue surrounding her began to shine brighter and brighter, hues of dark blue, amethyst, indigo, and sapphire making their way in as well, with a slight smile even appearing onto her face.
This was the first time Ben had ever seen her smile since he started out with her.
"Well, I can add another thing I enjoy about you now as well. You should smile more often, I believe you brightened up my day just by doing so." he commented.
She was startled as he said those words, the smile promptly disappearing as she looked to be shaking in anger.
Ben however could tell that she was only trying to keep the emotions threatening to burst out of her in check, the swirls of positive emotions showing her true state to him, telling him that his last comment really hit home like he wanted it to.
"I feel that I spoke a lot and didn't let you get a chance to bring a word to the conversation. Is there anything you would like to say or ask? I promise to do my best to answer as long as it doesn't compromise my identity or something sensitive." asked Ben, passing the ball over to her.
Every time he comes over, he tries to get her to make her feelings and thoughts known as she seems to keep them bottled up, showing him how she lived a life mostly as an introvert, not properly conversing with people.
Which is actually not that uncommon for renowned scientists.
They prefer to spend more time in their labs all alone with their research to accompany them.
As such, he usually has her ask him questions constantly, whatever they may be, before answering her as best as he can.
Sometimes, people just want to be heard.
With her good mood still going, she became thoughtful for a moment, as her emotions slowly cooled down and curiosity seemed to take over.
"Actually, I'm curious about you. Can you tell me something about yourself? You know about me, yet I know nothing about you." she asked, her uneasiness being conveyed to Ben clear as day, showing him how she was afraid she would lose this relationship that she was coming to appreciate.
Something he was genuinely happy for, as it showed him that he was doing a good job.
Even if their feelings are important and he reminds himself that, without feeling enough self-satisfaction for what he was doing, he probably wouldn't be able to continue visiting so often.
"Hmm. I didn't live the best life before recently. In fact, even though I know I didn't have the best life before, I can't even remember it. And I feel that it's worse that way."
"I have no memories regarding my family for one. I can't even remember my mother's warmth, her tender touch. I didn't even know her face or voice until I managed to get a name, which only then got me a picture that I had to look at before I even felt anything."
"Even though I have a loving family now thankfully by some miracle, I still have my thoughts wandering back to what I don't have."
"But, that's what makes me human. I constantly want more and more. I want what I don't have, even if I don't know why sometimes. I have come to terms with the fact that I will never meet my mother ever again, yet I constantly long for her." Ben spoke.
Even though he has memories of his mother and father in his last life, and knows their names and everything, he can't remember their faces, voices, or anything like that. He knows they were with him at his hardest times in that hospital, and he remembers every day they spent with him.
But nothing about their characteristics, just two blurry figures wherever he is, talking with each other or him, but unable to be heard in his head.
It scared him as he was sure he remembered everything about them when he first arrived in this universe.
But now he knew nothing.
Somehow his memories were altered, and he didn't know who, what, or how it happened.
He was supposed to have a photographic and eidetic memory for God's sake!
Since Martian Manhunter still couldn't enter his mind, he didn't think a telepath was responsible.
Zatara fainted again when he checked with him, so most likely not a magician either.
So he was all alone, with no way of figuring out what was happening, his current family and friends being his support, and his job as Wildcard.
He never wanted to return to that world within a confined space.
One life without any shades or form of change was enough for him.
If he somehow also lost the figures, voices, and even faces of his current family and friends... he felt that he might break.
Coming out of his thoughts, he noticed how Pamela was looking at him in actual, real concern for the first time.
He could feel her guilt at asking him that question, not knowing how to continue the conversation.
Trying to force his face to smile, even if he knew she couldn't see it, he leaned across the table as he patted her on the forearm.
"Don't worry you didn't do anything wrong, it's just life. I am extremely grateful for your concern and the question you asked. Sometimes it's better to get things off my chest, yet I didn't mean to bring your mood down in the process. For that, I apologize."
She smiled at that for the second time today, her guilt vanishing at his words. "I thank you for sharing something so personal with me." she responded in turn, putting her other hand on his where it rested on her forearm.
Nodding his head, Ben let the silence linger for a moment before he questioned.
"So, I brought some board games that I've never heard of or played before. How would you like to try them out together?"
The third smile of the day finally made its appearance, looking and feeling more sincere and brighter than the others.
'Third time's the charm.' thought Ben, his eyes glowing purple and aquamarine.
If all the people he saved and spent time with constantly smiled like this, he felt he could get through anything.
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Date: May 6, 2007
Location: Unknown, Somewhere Near/In Star City, California, Arrow Cave
Time: 9:02 P.M.
Inside the Arrow Cave, the Batfamily members could be seen together, standing in front of Green Arrow who came up to meet them.
"Hey guys! Thanks for making the time to come over." he greeted as everyone nodded their heads.
"We were worried about Roy and wanted to check up on him." spoke Dick, concern evident in his tone.
Apparently, Roy had been missing for three months, and they weren't informed and had not noticed anything until Green Arrow started growing desperate and asked for help from the world's greatest detective and family.
That was one month ago.
Batman was annoyed as was the rest of them, since by then the trail had practically gone cold, making it almost impossible to figure out what happened.
Ben could've been able to use the lingering emotions related to Roy to figure out what happened, but two months is more than enough time for all residual emotions to be absorbed and assimilated by the universe, making it impossible for him to use his psychometry.
Luckily, they were just informed that Green Arrow found him, and so they came for a visit to get details of the events that occurred in doing so.
"Alright then, follow me I left him higher up in the med-bay. Black Canary was here as well as I was working on a case with her beforehand." said the archer as he started walking back, signaling the rest to follow.
As they made their way up the cave, Batman immediately began questioning. "How did you locate him? The trail had practically faded by that point."
"To be honest, I feel that I was lucky. I randomly stumbled upon some breadcrumbs leading to Ohio where I found him unconscious and tied up in a warehouse with some common goons surrounding him. I still have no idea what happened, and I'm waiting for him to wake up and ask." Arrow explained, relief evident in his voice at finding his protégé safe and sound.
As they came upon the door to the med-bay, it slid open, allowing them a glimpse of the small but sterile room, with Roy sitting up in his seat awake, and Black Canary on the side speaking softly with him, obviously checking up on his condition.
"Hey buddy! You're awake! How are you feeling?" questioned Green Arrow a little too cheerfully, and in an evidently loud tone by the wincing on Roy's face as he covered his ears.
"Like I have a splitting headache thanks to the fact that I woke up to your smug mug. But, I'll manage." he replied.
As they all crowded into the room, Batman nodded his head at the kid. "We're glad that you're okay. But we need an explanation to what happened." he said in his usual serious manner.
"Maybe let's let him sleep and recover for a bit longer." spoke Green Arrow in an equally serious voice, concerned due to his student's state.
But Roy interrupted him. "No it's fine, it's not much of a story cause I honestly don't remember what happened. I was tailing some gang regarding a drug ring, before the next thing I know I'm waking up here. I guess someone got the drop on me real good since my skull feels like it's almost split apart." he spoke while rubbing the back of his head with a wince to prove his point.
As the conversation continued, Ben was paying attention to his emotions in order to make sure that his friend suffered no form of trauma. However as he was doing so, he noticed something strange.
In an extremely unsettling manner to boot.
Consulting with ESAMAL about what he was seeing, he was startled at the response but showed no outward reactions or movements.
While Roy started speaking with Robin about some cool new video game being released, Ben turned his attention to his mentor, before tapping him twice in a random manner.
Batman, picking up on this, looked at him from the edge of his vision, as Ben put up two fingers and placed his foot backward.
Nodding his head, Batman turned towards everyone present. "I need to speak with Green Arrow, Canary, and Wildcard for a moment. Robin, accompany Speedy while we finish up our discussion." he spoke, not even waiting for a response as he turned and walked out the door with Ben following right behind him.
The other two aforementioned adults shared a glance as Green Arrow shrugged right after and joined them.
Moving a bit farther from the med-bay towards the center area, Batman finally turned around, with Ben standing at his side, Black Canary and Green Arrow arriving to stand in front of them, forming a spread-out circle.
"Alright what's the deal? What do you need to talk about?" asked Green Arrow.
"Not me." the Dark Knight responded curtly before continuing. "Wildcard signaled to me that he wishes to discuss something with all of us."
The three adults then turned their attention to Ben who also looked back at them, before focusing on Green Arrow and Canary.
He first spoke to Canary before turning his attention to the archer ."Sorry, this might seem rude to say in front of you but… do you trust Canary to keep a secret for you? I believe this is extremely important and must be handled discreetly until more is known."
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise with the woman doing the same as they looked at each other, with her speaking first. "Well, I thank you for having the tact to know how it sounded in the first place, but if it's as serious as you say I'll forgive you for now."
"I trust her to keep a secret. We've worked well together so far. What's the problem?"
Ben took a deep look at the man as he spoke with intensity.
"I have no idea what happened exactly, but something seriously wrong is occurring with Roy's situation at the moment."
Serious expressions crossed the two adults' faces, with Batman having that as his default setting.
"Explain." the Dark Knight said.
"First off, I need to explain how emotions are usually formed so you know where I'm coming from."
"The thing is, no one is just spontaneously born with different emotions. The phrase, 'With age comes wisdom.' is literal in this case."
"What happens is that when we are born, as we slowly grow up, just like how our character is shaped over time, so do will our emotions be shaped due to our environment and the thought processes we acquired from the said environment." he explained, getting nods from everyone around him.
"However, Roy has no genuine emotions at the moment, not like he did 3 months ago. In fact, his emotions are programmed right now, with his emotional signature being that of a different person at the moment. His emotional signature seems like it's still forming, similar to a newborn"
His words stunned the people present.
Black Canary put a hand to her mouth, shock and confusion evident on her face. "So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I'm still checking as I don't know exactly what happened, but it's more serious than anticipated as this is not natural in any way."
"Normally this would be enough alarm bells on its own, but he barely explained what happened when he was gone, just going to state that he doesn't remember anything in the end. You could say he received amnesia or something similar even though it's extremely rare and I have no right to speak on that end."
The two were confused at his words since they didn't know the full story, but Bruce only kept his silence.
"However he didn't lose all his memories, but just those of what happened that night. Selective amnesia is practically a sucker's bet."
"Also, his emotions were completely robotic that one time he was answering what happened, as if he was already instructed -or programmed- to answer us that way."
"You don't know what you're talking about kid! Roy's just been through a lot! He probably just needs time to recover and he'll be back to normal with his mental signature thingy being ok like it was when you first met him." retorted Green Arrow suddenly, clearly agitated and trying to convince Ben of his words.
Or himself maybe.
Canary put a hand on his shoulder at his words. "Calm down. Take a breath. I know it's a lot and that you blame yourself for what happened, but you need to think objectively here and don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. If not for you, then for Roy."
Taking a deep breath the man slowly calmed down, tension leaving his shoulders, as he nodded in thanks to Dinah, before turning back to Ben in all seriousness.
"Alright, so he's different in so many ways, that it's concerning. Plus his inconsistent story is even more worrying since we can't know the exact series of events. But unless we have an idea of what that means, that's all that it is."
Batman just turned his attention to his son, already noticing that he figured it out before saying anything. "What did you find out?"
"Wait." spoke Dinah in surprise. "You mean to tell me you already know what's going on? Then why tell us all of this."
Oliver was about to burst once again at this.
Ben sighed, already tired of this constant back and forth. "I don't know exactly what happened, but like I just said earlier, since I noticed this I obviously have to check. I just absorbed his most recent bled emotions. There's no easy way to say this, but that's not Roy."
Silence occurred, the three adults looking at each other, clearly confused on how to respond to that statement.
Eventually, Oliver wanted to guffaw at the absurdity of that statement, but Batman was serious as usual, knowing that Ben wouldn't speak unless he was relatively sure. He hated inconclusive results as much as him, so what he should've seen made some form of sense to him.
Canary was still slightly confused, but she was trying to take in all this information with an open mind, piecing together the puzzle pieces of what she's already learned to find the conclusion herself.
"I already expected that reaction. I checked the emotions lingering off him to confirm it with my psychometry. He is a clone, created by who or where I cannot tell, but he was constantly in and out of consciousness while forcefully grown in an expedited manner inside of a pod."
One thing Ben learned in his time studying his powers was how just like DNA signatures, emotional signatures can also be used to differentiate between familial relationships.
As much as he hates the word, he's learned that it's "impossible" for any two emotional signatures to be the exact same.
There are minute differences in each person's emotions, someone feeling a certain emotion more often than another person, or another feeling too little.
Each emotion makes up a percentage of a person in some way, with each person having a different percentage.
Although thankful for his ability, now Ben had another problem he needed to deal with.
Cloning.
Hindsight is 20/20, and since he already hypothesized this universe to be a sister place to Marvel, he should've seen this coming at some point.
In Marvel, clones were as common as cabbages, being a part of the universe's daily life.
You had half the Mutant population being cloned in some way or another with some well known ones like Wolverine, Jean Gray, and Emma Frost being cloned.
Then you have well known heroes as well being cloned like Spider-Man.
They even managed to clone Thor!
But now, the problem's come right to his doorstep.
'Now I need to find a way to prevent all of our DNA from falling into enemy hands so they don't pull this kind of stunt again. I'm such an idiot for not considering this.' he thought with a sigh.
"This is ridiculous!" spoke up Oliver suddenly, frustrated at what he was hearing. "You expect me to just beli-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Batman interrupted him. "Stop. He's not finished."
Nodding his head, Ben motioned to them. "Follow me, you want to witness this part." as he walked back to where they left the other two young heroes.
Well… one young hero and currently supposed clone.
Following behind him, they walked back into the room, coming up on Dick and 'Roy' having taken turns on playing games on the younger one's phone, before they turned to them.
"Hey, you guys finished with your discussion?" 'Roy' asked with a smile on his face.
"Almost, I just needed to say something to you first."
"Sure, what is it?" he asked curiously.
"Broken arrow."
Immediately, the smile was wiped off his face, going completely emotionless and rigid as he looked forward blankly while sitting on the bed.
Green Arrow shouted in alarm, pushing Wildcard aside as he rushed next to his bed to check on his protégé. After a moment of making sure that he was ok physically, he tried to get his attention, but failed.
Robin had jumped off the bed at this point and scurried over to Bruce's side, confusion and worry drawn across his face.
"What did you do?!" the archer shouted more than asked, his bow already in hand and ready to have an arrow drawn at any moment.
"Just looking at the final confirmation I needed. I had already used my psychometry and from what I viewed of recent past events, he was woken up from the cloning process at some point to be programmed to have this word imprinted into his mind as a trigger meant to let him enter a semi-shutdown state."
"I only overheard the words 'Handler… Sportsmaster.' before his next memory was when he just woke up in that warehouse."
"It's undeniable now. This is not Roy. Even if they scrubbed his memories and thoughts and implanted new ones, they can't do the same to his emotions and completely rewrite his signature."
Green Arrow was visibly shaking, trying to get his emotions in order, as Dinah stepped over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, as he once again took a deep breath before slumping over on a nearby chair, his bow clattering to the ground as he put his head in his hands.
"Now what." he murmured, looking up to Ben.
Turning his head to his father, he both answered Ollie and informed his mentor.
"Now, we call in our resident Martian for further confirmation for your sake, and some help."
------------------
Date: May 6th, 2007
Location: Unknown, Somewhere Near/In Star City, California, Arrow Cave
Time: 10:16 P.M.
Around an hour later, the group of 5 could be seen standing outside the med-bay, all in their own thoughts.
Green Arrow was visibly shaking every once in a while, with Black Canary feeling bad for him and tending to him at his side.
The family of three meanwhile are just silent, though Ben would have to speak up every once in a while in order to calm Robin down who was in a similar state to Green Arrow after he found out what they were discussing, but in a more subdued manner.
Makes you wonder who was the adult between the two of them.
Suddenly, the doors to the room opened up, with Manhunter coming out of the room, and going straight to speak with all of the people present.
"Well." asked Oliver, while standing up. His fists were clenched while his eyes were narrowed. "What did you find?"
"I'm afraid that Wildcard's worries were true. This is not the real Roy Harper, but a clone of him force grown in a tested environment, before having information shoved violently within his mind, making himself believe to be who he says he is."
"All memories pertaining to his creation were locked away forcefully in order to make way for the current ones. I find whoever did this repulsive as they have basically performed such a terrible experiment on what is essentially the mind of a newborn." spoke J'onn.
Even though his face didn't change, his eyes were glowing, and Ben could see the rage that threatened to tear through the surface.
The Martian was pissed.
"There is a further discovery as well." he continued after managing to calm himself down.
"The word 'Broken Arrow' that Wildcard informed me of was not only meant to completely halt all of his mental faculties upon verbal command, but also leave him susceptible to further programming."
"From my understanding, his current mission was to bide his time by assuming his identity as Roy Harper, until being eventually accepted into the Justice League."
"So we now have a reason as to why he was sent our way. They wished to implant him as a mole." Ben reasoned.
"Furthermore, whoever was responsible was also most likely the ones who gave out hints to Green Arrow in order to locate him, knowing that once he found him after 3 months out of contact, he would be ecstatic at his safety and most likely no longer continue investigating what had happened." he concluded.
Silence settled onto the room as everyone took in the weight of the information handed out to them. It was terrifying to know that someone could've just been replaced under their noses, with none of them feeling a difference.
"What should I do?" asked Green Arrow in a trembling voice. "Do you think he's…?" he didn't finish his question as he couldn't summon the thought.
"I believe he is most likely alive. Based on these current actions, they see him as a potential resource that they can use, so they are unlikely to 'dispose' of him." spoke Ben.
"Also, I have a plan on how to move forward should this Roy-".
"Don't call him that!" shouted Arrow, as he paused realizing his outburst. "Sorry, but don't call him Roy. He's not him." he said in all seriousness.
Ben could understand the reason for his outburst. He was almost fooled into believing this man to be the kid he accepted under him, someone he treated as his son, only to learn that his feelings and thoughts were betrayed.
Had they not noticed, he may have continued teaching him with everything he had until it was too late, their bond becoming broken in a violent manner eventually due to the clone's orders taking effect.
But, Ben couldn't allow the current feelings flickering within the man to stand.
"Very well I apologize for my mistake. However, you need to straighten out your personal issues right now."
"I know this hits close to home, but the person in that room is basically a child as me and Martian Manhunter have repeatedly confirmed, meaning that they are just as impressionable as one right now."
"I will not allow you to enter that room with your hatred over this situation being projected onto him in any form."
"Even if he did not ask to be created, he was in the end. He is now a living, breathing, human being, one that doesn't know what's going on and will most likely be confused about his identity when we remove all those mental blocks imposed upon him. He needs support right now, not our spite or disgust."
"To you, he is the representation of what might be happening to Roy right about now somewhere else."
"But for him, you are currently the only person he knows thanks to Roy's memories."
"Who knows, you might also end up being the hero he'll come to idolize when he realizes that you saved him from a terrible fate. He shouldn't have to suffer because of the actions of others."
Green Arrow was stunned at his words, his rage flickering in and out as he struggled to get his thoughts under control.
Dinah and Bruce both put their hands on each of his shoulders, hoping for the presence of a friend to help him get through this war raging within him.
Bruce especially couldn't allow it to continue.
The Green Arrow from now was practically a different person from the Green Arrow which started out in the beginning.
And the reason Oliver started out was to smother others, all the criminals in his city, with his rage as his compass.
Eventually, Oliver's logical thinking seemed to have won out, a testament to his willpower, as he eventually nodded his head to everyone present, before turning back to Ben.
"Ok. I'm good now, thanks for that. How'd a kid your age get so smart?" spoke Green Arrow, before asking a question in a joking manner trying to lighten the mood.
But Ben answered him seriously. "That would be thanks to my Metagene."
Batman perked up on that as he zeroed in on him. "We tested your blood previously and found no such gene. Explain how you found this information."
"Oh." spoke Ben, slight surprise going off in his mind as he mentally kicked himself on the head for managing to forget something so important.
'Guess I've just been to busy.' he thought.
"I seem to have forgotten to mention it to you afterward since I didn't put much thought into it at the time."
"I had learned of my status as a 'Metahuman' shortly after waking up from that landfill. At that time, ESAMAL was not as conscious, so the information given to me was random and short."
"I only learned of the term 'Metahuman' but knew nothing of what it meant, assuming it to relate to how the superpowered beings in this world received their powers."
"I quickly realized I was wrong when I conversed with ESAMAL more around last year and met Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and others. You see, some people are in possession of something called a Metagene, which allows them to gain some form of power randomly under stressful situations."
"Some people could end up being born with the gene, or it could show up as a power in other forms."
"I ended up learning how to differentiate Metahumans with other superpowered beings under ESAMAL's tutelage and the information I gained through conducting a study. Around 12% of the human population are Metahumans, accounting for both active and inactive Metagenes."
"The current and previous Flash is a perfect example of one other form of Metagene activation, as his speed formula science experiment seemed to mix in with his, granting him his power of superspeed in a more selective way than the usual randomness that comes with the process."
"Of the people in this room there is one other Metahuman in fact."
Everyone was confused for a moment, but Bruce understood immediately as he turned his attention to Black Canary, the rest noticing his actions and following his sight in realization.
"Me?" she questioned in surprise.
"Yes. Your files show that you used your 'Canary Cry' for the first time in a first grade class when you were younger. You were probably stressed at the time about something correct?" she seemed to connect the dots to his earlier explanation as she nodded her head.
"One way that the randomness of the gene can sometimes become tuned down is when it is hereditary."
"For you, this means that your mother, the former Black Canary, was also in possession of the gene, and it was passed down to you in a more evolved manner in the same direction as whatever was activated for her, which is the 'Canary Cry'."
"But do not be mistaken. Even we humans evolve in some ways, and your gene is proof of that. I believe that your 'Canary Cry' is more powerful than hers and different in some ways, though we can't compare them."
Everyone found his words to be extremely interesting, with even Dick leaning in to here more, clearly excited as he tried voicing a question.
"Can you tell if I-"
"Sorry buddy, but nobody else in this room has it, active or inactive." he interrupted to Dick's disappointment at his answer, before turning to J'onn.
"As for you my Martian friend, to my current understanding it's impossible for you to have the gene as your species has already evolved in a general direction altogether."
"Your entire species gained a common powerset which is shapeshifting and telepathy, while the Metahuman gene is the general direction for humanity's future evolution to grant them their own common powerset." Ben explained.
"No worries, it doesn't affect me in any way." J'onn responded simply.
Nodding his head, Ben turned his head back to the group. "Now, we got off track for our discussion. As I was saying earlier, I have a plan, but I would like to converse with the clone first before discussing further with everyone."
Batman narrowed his eyes. "Everyone?"
Ben sighed as he nodded. "Yeah it's probably time we had that talk with the entire League, and bring Mr. Zatara over."
------------------
Date: May 10, 2007
Location: Washington, D.C., Hall of Justice
Time: 6:52 P.M.
Right now, the members of the Justice League were all sitting around the same conference table they had used around a year ago with regards to the Mount Justice incident, with Batman calling them all together once again.
The fact that he asked for this meeting to be held here, already told the Leaguer's present that he was inviting companies that definitely didn't know about their real base of operations.
Everyone was surprised when Hal came earlier this year towing a whole space station with his fellow lantern John Stewart helping him.
After a couple more minutes, Batman walked into the room, with Giovanni Zatara, Black Canary, and Wildcard walking along with him as well.
Flash, Wonder Woman, and even Superman sighed at that.
They had nothing against the two people, but Wildcard's presence was a concern to them. They weren't really superstitious, but his presence so far hasn't indicated any form of good news being ready to follow.
"Alright Batman, everyone is here. What's the reason for this emergency meeting being called?" asked Superman, ready to start them off.
Batman didn't answer the man, looking over to Wildcard first, causing the room to fall into silence for a bit as he scanned the room for a few moments.
"Clear." he eventually spoke.
At those words, Batman then turned to the seated Green Arrow nodding his head at him. He sighed for a moment, before he got out of his seat, and went to stand with the trio now at the front of the room, before he began typing something into the console in front of him, pulling up a feed onto the wall that everyone can see.
"Around 3 months ago, my protégé, Speedy, also known as Roy Harper, went missing." spoke the archer, the widening of eyes going around the room showing how nobody had heard of this until now.
"I managed to find him around 4 days ago by what I thought to be luck. But the investigations conducted by Batman, Wildcard, and Martian Manhunter in these last 4 days upon meeting him have shown how naïve I was." he said dejectedly Batman nodded his head to him before turning to the League.
"Wildcard was the one who wished to call this emergency meeting through me to further explain the matter as the person to have uncovered this plot, while also giving a proposal afterwards."
As he finished his words, he motioned towards Ben so that he could begin.
Stepping up to the station controls that the archer had left, he began typing up some commands as he began speaking.
"At around 9:02 P.M PST, Batman, Robin, and myself visited the Arrow Cave to check up on Roy Harper after we were informed by Green Arrow that he was found."
"When I attempted to determine his emotional wellbeing at the time in case of any lasting traumas, I noticed something disturbing, leading me to call for Martian Manhunter who arrived an hour later to try and corroborate with my claims by delving into his mind."
"Our conclusions led to us finding my initial theory, determined with what I had found at the time, to be correct."
"The man we found was not in fact Roy Harper, but a clone now named Will Harper, force grown in a short span of time using his predecessor's cells, with commands programmed within his mind to try and have him infiltrate the Justice League." Ben said with graveness, shock traveling through the room at his revelation as some people began going over the files on screen.
"What the hell?" blurted out Hal Jordan in bewilderment, Flash was practically gaping like a fish, and Wonder Woman had her fists clenched extremely tightly at the moment, something mimicked by Superman.
The Hawks took the information with a little less shock than the rest, but were extremely serious at the moment. Martian Manhunter had no reaction since he was already aware of what was going on.
"So the whole clear thing from earlier…?" Aquaman began questioning, distress clearly covering his face.
"Yes. It's already happened once. Who's to say it can't happen again?" Ben spoke simply.
"You can ask Martian Manhunter and I any further questions you may have later after reading the reports we have already written and submitted for your perusal."
"But in order to save time, the short explanation is that the clone was programmed with Roy Harper's memories poured into his brain in order for him to assume his identity, while memories of his time as a clone were locked away. We did not find who could have grown him as they were most likely careful in their actions."
"But using my psychometry, I was shown an important scene where Will woke up at one point to a blurry room of scientists and overheard the words 'Handler Sportsmaster'."
"For those of you not in the know…" spoke Ben as he trailed off, bringing up a file on the screen of a man with a hockey mask and blond hair, dressed with arm, shoulder, knee, and other types of armor guards over his body.
"This is Sportsmaster. He is an international mercenary that is currently working for the League of Assassins, leading us to believe of their possible involvement as well in some way."
"This individual and the organization behind him are our current leads into whatever is going on behind the scenes, and I wish to use this opportunity to make them think their plan worked."
Everyone was confused as to what plan he was talking about. Aquaman questioned him on all their behalf.
"And what plan is that?" he asked.
Nodding his head at the man's question Ben went on to explain. "After talking with Will and being assured of his mental and emotional well-being even if still being formed at the time, he was distraught at his true identity and swore to find the true Roy Harper, not resting until he succeeds."
"Wishing to do the same, yet also wishing to know more about those behind the scenes, I asked for his assistance in continuing to pose as Roy Harper as we searched for him in order to gather information better should Sportsmaster or any unknown individuals approach him and attempt to program him once more using the verbal trigger 'Broken Arrow' that we have already removed from his mind."
At his words, some of the people's faces changed, with Wonder Woman shooting straight up out of her seat in vehement rejection.
"That is absolutely unacceptable! You are putting at risk what you've already admitted to being a child, who still knows nothing about the world and probably doesn't understand the risks involved! What even gave you the right to ask for his assistance without consulting us?" she said in slight anger.
Hawkman and Hawkwoman spoke up with approval to her words, with the rest being unsure on how to react.
Martian Manhunter was the only one who once again had no reaction as he already heard of the plan and the reasoning behind it, not being able to deny it in any way.
Ben looked in her direction, his pupils flashing lemon yellow, but not being shown outside his mask.
"With all due respect, I already thought of all possible ways this can go before even considering asking for his assistance."
"But the fact of the matter is that these people most definitely expected their plan to proceed without error, and were already most likely going to come into contact with him once again at some point in order to reprogram him."
"Trying to lower attention towards him would only put him in more danger as they would realize that something is wrong, and respond in ways we may not be able to anticipate as we don't know the full range of these hidden enemies capabilities."
"Not to mention, had I denied his request, he would've become more prone to carrying out drastic actions on his own, without anyone to look after him. Should I have just confined him at that point, leaving him in a cell and throwing away the key? I can tell you now that would end poorly."
"Our enemies are hiding in the dark with their actions well hidden, while we're out in the open for all to see, giving them a massive advantage."
"As for why I didn't run it by you guys, that is even simpler. Even though I respect your hero work, I don't work for you and certainly don't respect your inaction regarding certain matters that I will bring to attention at a later date."
His words actually managed to anger everyone but Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and the Flash, all people who already acknowledged his intelligence a long time ago.
Superman was another exception, being disappointed instead since he didn't know where those words stemmed from.
Ben just continued on.
"And this isn't even the worst connection I've made when considering the series of events."
Even though everyone was annoyed at his lack of respect and how they couldn't find any fault with his reasoning, they had to pause at his words, becoming uneasy.
"What could be worse than this?" asked Green Lantern in confusion, Flash mimicking his reaction.
"It may be possible that whoever is behind the scenes is already in possession of the entire League's secret identities. Furthermore, they have cloning technology, and how sure are any of you that you didn't leave any genetic material behind in some of your battles?" he dropped the bomb.
Everyone's faces paled at those words, not knowing how to react.
They had felt worry for Flash and Green Arrow last year when those words were directed at them during the Joker's incident, but now this was being said about everyone.
"Not to mention, even though you're all technically in the 'clear' when I scanned you, I'm not perfect."
"I can only tell that everyone here is the same person that I interacted with a year ago during my birthday party. But how do I know if you weren't replaced from before that? I would need to know your emotional signature from beforehand to tell the difference."
The only people once again in the clear on safety regarding loved ones would be the Hawks, and Aquaman, due to the previously established reasons being that they either have no direct relations on Earth, or their families are well protected.
Even Diana wasn't exempt from this as she had a public identity that became known throughout the years. So even if her friends and family were fine on Themyscira, the relations she made here in the country or all of 'Man's World' were at risk.
Not to mention, now they had to be wary about each other…
"Obviously I wouldn't mention this in order to bring suspicion on you all. I am still reasonably confident in spotting any form of programming should there be any. Please try not to doubt one another as I only wished to present to you all the possible risks and scenarios we have to suffer through." Ben reassured everyone.
Well it ended up working as some people breathed sighs of relief, so he continued.
"Now then. My conclusions on them figuring out our identities stemmed from how they left a flawless trial for Green Arrow to follow along."
"In order for them to do that, they needed to know a lot of personal information that could only come from his true identity, one they could most likely pull out of Roy Harper's mind no doubt."
"But, I believe that they already knew his identity beforehand, leading them to first choose kidnapping Roy as an easy entry into the League."
"Even though Arrow's identity was also compromised by Joker, he has been quiet as I'd speculated previously and I don't believe he is a person involved in this incident as none of his usual signs have shown themselves here."
"But the fact of the matter is that they definitely did figure out Green Arrow's identity somehow, and have taken action."
"This then led back to my previous train of thought of how we know nothing of their capabilities, meaning we must assume they know absolutely everyone's identities and haven't taken action yet for some reason."
Everyone was practically feeling weak at his words, no longer able to stomach them.
If previously last year they felt for their fellow heroes having to worry about possible harm coming to their families, now they know how their feelings didn't mean much to the real thing.
In the face of the idea that their families and friends are in danger…
"Then, there's the fact that had they somehow managed to capture anyone of you and cloned you in a similar manner, we would have still been in the dark. The hard truth is that we were lucky that I managed to have picked up on the signs due to my concern, but nobody else would've actively seen them otherwise."
Forget their friends and families, nobody wants their life to be stolen in such a manner. The idea was sickening.
Everyone now had their full focus on the conversation, taking it seriously like they should have beforehand.
"Because of this new information, we come back full circle to the proposal I had prepared for everyone." Ben continued as he gestured for Giovanni in front of him.
"I'm sure you are all aware of Mr. Giovanni Zatara, performer and crime-fighting magician extraordinaire." introduced Ben, everyone nodding their heads in greeting to the man as he returned it.
"Earlier this year, I explored a concept with him that I believed would be beneficial for everyone."
"We attempted a form of magic known as a 'Magical Witness Contract'. We agreed to certain terms regarding keeping secrets in many forms, and attempted to observe the feasibility of discovering these secrets in any manner such as telepathy, magic, unknown coercive powers, and more."
"It has been a resounding success in many ways."
After his words, Ben handed over the stage to Giovanni, who further explained how the contract works, the agreements they ended up putting into place, the ideas behind the rules, and further answering any and all questions.
"Ok so I get the gist of it now." commented Flash after a half hour of discussion regarding the magic in question. "But what's it got to do with your proposal."
"My proposal is that everyone in the League sign this contract and share their identities and secrets under its protection whenever you are comfortable doing so."
Everyone was stunned, with Flash going to say something, only to be interrupted.
"Now before we get heated, you already heard everything there is to know about the contract and about the fact that it works."
"Even Manhunter when reading our minds couldn't find the times where said secrets were discussed, shown, or even found by accident. When he finished reading our minds, he commented how he wouldn't have been able to tell that our memories were hidden had we not informed him since other memories or key moments fit in seamlessly in a way that wouldn't allude to the inconsistencies."
A quick look at the Martian for confirmation brought everyone a nod from him as they turned their attention back to Ben.
"This is one of the greatest forms of protection that can be provided at the moment. I said you could share your secrets and identities, not that you have to."
"Any and everything that you consider a secret inside your mind will most certainly be protected, with any secrets discussed by one person being unable to be shared unless given permission by said person. Also, any group related secrets would require group permission as well."
"This is not only in retaliation of these recent discoveries, but also for protection for each person here as an individual. I said you guys have been inactive over certain topics, and this is one of them."
"I'll say it right now. I know each and every one of your secret identities." he said with all seriousness.
Everyone was in shock at his words, turning to Batman in outrage thinking he shared that information.
He was much more paranoid in his earlier career days -not to say he isn't paranoid now- leading him to discover everyone's identities, but he promised not to share that information or record it in any way.
"Batman did not tell me so save your pointless anger-induced words. All I need to do is use my psychometry to see one time in the recent past when you were undressed and out of costume, try and find you in real life or hack through the redacted government files that definitely can't keep everyone out, and there you have it."
"You're lucky that I am an ally. But what happens if someone comes along with similar powers like mine, and is not on our side?"
No one could respond to his questions, still equal parts in shock, and also equal parts in despair at such a scenario.
It's like he said earlier, if something happened once, it could always happen again.
One of the many reasons Ben started to hate the word impossible since he arrived in this universe.
"It seems you get it. This contract is a way to prevent that, an early warning system. I'm also still in the process of trying to figure out a countermeasure to destroying any and all genetic material left behind so that this never happens again."
-Yeah… you won't need to do that for yourself. But, that's for later.- ESAMAL suddenly spoke out of nowhere.
'Thanks a lot. Real helpful.' Ben replied in annoyance as he tried to stay focused.
"Most of you are trying not to step on certain toes when it comes to your secret identities, but you should know by now that our enemies will not be giving us such niceties."
"Knowing your identities in a safer manner such as this would mean that you have people to rely on in your time of need regarding your families, greater coordination in certain matters in the field, and other positives."
"So, it all comes down to what is greater."
"Your fear towards the risk of unmasking yourselves to who you should already consider comrades in this fight, or your fear to the possible future involving the danger to the lives of your loved ones, all because you alone were unable to save them, with no one able to help you due to not being in the know like with Roy right now."
Ben leaned forward on the podium directly in the center of the people seated opposite him, looking into those with the most uneasy eyes.
"What will be your choice?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was probably already seen coming by some people, but it's happening.
I've already said it and I'll say it again, the perception of canon some of you guys are holding onto is already warped beyond redemption for a lot of parts. This is a DC & Young Justice fic, so I'll be changing backstories, dates of birth, ideas, and other things to fit my narrative.
In fact, there's a lot more to unpack regarding certain parts of Will's stories that I found interesting to play around with and use for later plot points.
Another thing that needs to be addressed is the secret identity issue being covered in this story.
It's so unclear in the earlier seasons of Young Justice what they did with Robin's identity, and other characters I've mentioned before like Black Canary, Superman, Bruce in later seasons just not bothering to hide his identity to the younger kids anymore, and etc.
Like in one episode, they have a scene where when Dick was going back to help Haley and his circus prove their innocence for the recent thefts happening on their tour, he was on the phone with Wally who alluded to knowing Dick's past, therefore also showing how he should know by extension that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
It's nonsensical, annoying, and I don't want to deal with it too much.
Luckily, magic comes in clutch for the win!
Obviously it can be considered as a partial stopgap, but the contract is meant to be another interesting avenue I can explore later on in the story and help me introduce certain characters more easily and under different conditions.
Like when meeting a character for the first time, someone tries letting it slip. "Oh! Does he know you're Batman?"
Stuff like that.
And finally, supervillain reformation...
We'll see where that goes. :)
I believe that was it for today.
Empty your pockets and leave your stones behind, take the time to write up those reviews to get this book out there, and past those wonderful comments comments as usual.
And when you're done with that, I hope you all have an enjoyable rest of your day!
patreon.com/Geo_Ruler
