22nd July 15:02 GMT -5

I know you can lift more, but that isn't the aim here. You're supposed to lift a smaller weight repeatedly. Building strength rather than showing off what you already have."

It's a mark of how much our relationship has improved this week that Kon actually appears to listen to what I say, rather than snapping at me or storming off. He's lying on a bench press bench I fabricated out of tungsten after the normal steel one we tried this with collapsed under the weight. Near his head is an orange construct weight rest with a construct set of barbells. The barbells show fifty tonnes. It won't actually weigh anything until he picks it up, and it will stop weighing anything if he gets into difficulty.

Not too many people around who can spot for a Kryptonian.

This morning wasn't the first time that he mentioned his dissatisfaction with his sub-Superman abilities. Rather than let him either mope or try to persuade me to take a chance on modifying his body I suggested improving his strength in the traditional way. I doubt that any improvement will be significant. Really, I just want something to focus his attention on, but he seems to be pretty into it. We started on regular weights, but even loading the bar up to its maximum it still didn't strain him. So I had the ring exert thirty tonnes and the bench broke.

He reaches under the rest and puts his hands on to the bar, pushing up slightly. The ring creates the downwards force and he begins pushing. Up down up down up down up no no no. "Kon, it's about power under control. Slower. Here." I create a metronome construct with a three second swing. "One swing up, one swing down. It's harder to hold the bar with your arms bent than it is to hold it fully up."

He nods, then resumes. It's weird, really. He can lift fifty tonnes like it's no big deal, but is still perfectly capable of fine object manipulation without risking breaking whatever he's holding. No idea how it works. Maybe the level of strength he employs is somehow controlled by his intent? Wasn't he a touch telekinetic in the comics to begin with?

Watching his muscles move is impressive. My ring modified body probably has a little more definition -definitely not earned, I haven't spent any time in the gym for my own exercise- but even ignoring his super strength his muscles are clearly the larger. I haven't watched someone like him lift weights before and it's strangely enthralling. Kon changed into a vest for this and I can watch his muscles move as the tension shifts to different muscle groups.

There's a blast of displaced air and then Wallace-. "Guys! We're getting a mission!"

Kon holds the bar with his elbows bent at ninety degrees. Maybe I am setting the weight a bit low? "Finally."

He moves it to the rest, and sits up as I delete the construct. Should I be nervous? I'm not sure. I'm now fairly confident in my ability to protect both myself and my team mates. Shielding others was the main thing our recent team practices have allowed me to get good at. I can armour up Kon and M'gann in a second or so, and create versions of my environmental shielding for the others. Robin said that he preferred if I didn't use it on him as the orange glow draws the eye when he'd rather use evasion and misdirection. Kon, on the other hand, has been using it to the maximum. Barrier type construct shields are even easier, and I can use simple constructs on separate tasks without really concentrating.

"Do you have any other information for us?"

And the wind leaves his sails. "No. But Batman's coming down later to give the briefing."

Kon's a bit more interested. "When?"

"Batman's getting here about five."

If Wallace knows, then… "Can I assume you heard about this from Robin?"

"Yeah."

"He didn't tell you anything else?"

He gives me an irritated look. "Y'know, you could be more excited about this."

I lean back and cross my arms across my chest. "I don't have anything to be excited about yet."

It's a little frustrating. If we're doing this mission today I'd like a chance to do some preparatory reading. Maybe practise construct types appropriate to the local threats. And if Batman is coming here, he must already know more or less what we'll be going into. No reason he couldn't send an information packet over.

Whaw, listen to me. Actually sound like I know what I'm doing.

Kon doesn't understand my lack of interest. "This finally shows that they're taking us seriously."

"Kon, have you any idea how much it cost them to rebuild this place? This was always going to happen."

Timing's a bit awkward. If we're being deployed this evening then we're going to have to move dinner. Maybe we can rush the mission and find somewhere decent to eat out? Wallace doesn't get to pick this time. Not after the Mexican gut horror.

I could really use more information.

"I suppose using the ring to spy on Batman to find out more would be impolite."

They both look at me, shocked. Wallace speaks first. "You can do that?"

"I'm not going to."

"But you could?"

"Sure. Simply do a long range scan for Batman's DNA and then set the ring to report whatever he says."

Kon thinks about it. "Like you did when you scanned Superman."

"Exactly. Far easier to get the sound around a person than to perform a high grade medical scan."

"Dude. Seriously?"

"A power ring's scanning capacity is a function of the emotional power of the user and its energy reserves. I'd like more information, Batman's almost certainly in North America and I'm fully charged."

"The Bat Cave's got loads of anti-surveillance tech."

"Most of which is early twenty first century Human technology. I doubt any of it could stop a power ring."

"How… Long… Have you been able to do this?"

"From the moment I got the ring. Any Lantern could. Any competent Lantern. Really, the League's fortunate that Sinestro doesn't understand Human society at all, because he could pretty much wreck-."

Wallace's face is a picture of astonished surprise. "Are you seriously saying you think the other Lanterns are incompetent?"

"My mentor was hamstrung by his ring's lack of AI support, and by the fact he couldn't get training. I haven't seen any footage of Lantern Gardner. But the other two? From what I've seen in recordings, I haven't been impressed. They seem to have trained exclusively for power with no appreciation for the more subtle uses of the ring. Which is a shame, because I'm sure their teachers -Lanterns Sinestro and Tui- would have at least tried to expand their range a little."

"They're Justice League members! The League's first Green Lantern saved hundreds of people when Star Sapphire attacked the Las Vegas airshow! He beat the Golden Roc by freezing an entire waterfall solid!"

"Brute. Force. Star Sapphire was after him anyway, and the Golden Roc's transmutation ability only works on physical contact. Why was it even able to touch him?"

Kon frowns. "You really don't admire any other Lanterns?"

"There are four Green Lanterns whom I admire. Lantern Medphyl, for his comportment. If there was any justice he'd be running the Greenies' training program rather than that muscle brain Kilowog. Lantern Jack Chance, for his initiative. He actually carries backup weapons in case something goes wrong with his ring. Most Lanterns don't even wear actual armour, and I'm happy to learn from their mistake. Lantern Rot Lop Fan, for his adaptability. His species doesn't even have a concept of light, so he, hah, thinks that he's a member of something called the F-Sharp Bell Corps, and uses sonic constructs. And Lantern Kreon, for being the most highly skilled construct user in existence. A construct only needs to exist for a second to do its work but most Lanterns -myself included- can't quite get their heads around the idea. Most manage better than boxing gloves, though."

Kon bases his whole heroic identity on Superman. It's clear that he can't really relate to my position. "And no Orange Lanterns?"

Pff. "I surpass Larfleeze by leaving my bedroom each morning. There's nothing admirable there."

"And the others?"

How to put this? "The reason why I meditate each day is to prevent myself from turning out like the others; slaves to their base drives. I feel nothing for them but contempt."

Reconnaissance on a Santa Priscan drug factory? Sounds straightforward enough. I should be able to get most of the information we need via ring scan. Unfortunately, I can't get my head around the idea of the combat drug Venom being a major problem in a world with guns, not sufficiently well to do so long distance anyway. I also don't understand why the US government hasn't done something about Santa Prisca before now. From what Batman was saying its leading exports appear to be drugs, guns and mercenaries. It has basically no friends internationally. Baffling. Batman said that the Justice League would intervene if necessary, so, here's hoping we find something.

We're on the Bio-Ship, heading out over the Caribbean Sea. Wallace and Robin have the front seats. Kon and I are at M'gann's right (hooray for shape shifting decks) and Aqualad is at her left. Everyone except Kon is in uniform. Thinking about it, I suppose he doesn't really have one. I can't think of a material which would stand up to the forces he puts it under.

Fact is, when it comes to stealth? I'm a huge liability. I mean, I glow orange. A lot orange, when I'm actually fighting. As a result, Batman's instructions to me were to remain airborne while my team mates go in on the ground. I'll provide mapping and -if necessary- fire support. If I get high enough I should be mistaken for either a plane or a star. I suggested waiting underwater off the coast instead, but he was concerned that would affect my response time.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca."

The Bio-Ship's mind -or whatever- relays its sensors directly to M'gann's head via her telepathy. I thought about creating a construct map for everyone else to follow, but that might be rude, and the orange glow would be 'off theme' for stealth. Everyone else seems focused, and pretty sombre. I'm relaxed. After leaving Wallace and Kon in the gym I took a quick look through the BBC's current affairs section to try and get some idea what we would be doing. Nothing jumped out at me, so I spent most of the rest of the time either practising rapid construct formation or meditating. Maybe I'm just less emotionally invested in this than a group who've idolised their mentors for as long as my team mates have.

Through the sky around us I can see clouds and -I think- a mountain top. The map Batman showed us had locations marked but I didn't pick up on relief features. And then I know it's Monte Amarcoré, named after the home village of the captain of the first Spanish vessel to land here. The aboriginal name for it translated as something like 'desolate lookout point', but since the aboriginal groups were completely broken up during the colonial occupation no one uses it.

Is the team ready? We can coordinate our efforts much better thanks to the training Aqualad organised. We haven't completely gelled yet, but we're getting there. During the briefing Robin asked Batman who was in charge. I honestly had assumed that he'd be directing us from the mountain himself. I even offered to set up an uninterruptible communication link, but apparently that goes against the purpose of the exercise. Makes sense, really. Batman wants us to pick a team leader, but it's obviously Aqualad. We haven't even needed to discuss it.

"Drop zone A in thirty."

I thought about getting off the ship early, but since neither part of the group should be moving on the objective until everyone is down it really makes more sense for me to stay on board until the ship reaches the mid point. Otherwise, people looking up might wonder why the star is moving.

Kaldur stands and presses his belt buckle, turning his red vest dull grey. That technology isn't widespread. Either it's very expensive -which wouldn't make sense, otherwise he'd just have two vests- or no one in the Justice League is thinking about the fashion possibilities. "Ready."

"Putting Bio-Ship in camouflage mode."

I wonder if camouflage drains power, or tires the ship out? If not we should have been in camouflage mode since we left the US coast. If the people below have radar… Does this ship show up on radar? Have to ask afterwards.

The ship drops down to just above sea level, and Aqualad dives out through the floor hatch. If I had any doubts about his more than baseline Human physique before, I don't now. We're moving darn fast, and he hit the water without any indication of discomfort. There are anti-submarine nets around this part of the shore -not sure why- so he's going to cut through and make landfall on an empty stretch of coastline to nobble the ground based sensor network. Advanced infrared sensors and AK forty sevens. Weird. Not to mention the fact that the sensors don't have anyone looking after them on site. Or minefields.

**Heat and motion sensors are patched. It is now on a continuous loop. Move in.**

Wallace made some noise about wanting to use radio, but part of our group training session was devoted to getting used to telepathic communication and we're fairly used to it. After our away sessions together even Kon didn't complain.

I'm out next. In order to minimise the chance of my light being seen my environmental shield will be on absolute minimum. I'll be very nearly hanging off the ring until I get to two kilometres up. My active power level is so low that the sigils on my chest and arms have returned to the grey of the rest of the material. I rise and walk to the back of the ship. Hands clasped at my chest I lean into the rear door, which opens around me as I fall through the gap. It's a bit like diving. The ring arrests my motion once I'm clear and the ship carries on to the deployment zone for the rest of the team. I rise, with the ring notifying me of our height at intervals.

I could use OrangeVision to watch the ship, but that might brighten my aura. I'm rising at around ten metres per second, so I'll be ready in about three minutes.

**Drop zone B.**

Telepathic communication also has the advantage of keeping team members separated from the main group notified on their progress. If M'gann had just spoken that, Kaldur and I wouldn't know they'd arrived.

Wallace just shifted the colour of his armour to black.

How do I know that?

Information did not come from this ring. Most plausible alternative is image sharing via telepathic link.

That can happen?

Affirmative.

Not getting that from Kaldur… So, I get it from M'gann because she's maintaining the link?

This ring lacks data on which to make further observations.

**Very impressive.**

M'gann just changed the colour of her own clothes, though I note with a mental eye roll that she left the big red cross over her centre of mass in place. I asked earlier and it's the closest Manhunters have to an actual uniform. Historically Martians haven't bothered with much in the way of clothing and straps across the chest were once used for carrying tools and other objects. Later, red straps became the military norm and M'gann and Mister J'onn have maintained it despite having access to this wonderful Human invention called 'pockets'.

Hm. If I'm getting more detail from her…

I try thinking the image of a sniper noticing and taking aim at the red cross in the dark. I feel her surprise as she receives it, and I smile as she darkens the cross to a less noticeable dull red. Progress!

**No capes, no tights. No offense.**

Just about the only thing about Superman which Kon doesn't admire. I'll have to see what happened to his original bodysuit, the one ruined during his escape from Cadmus. If the League can replicate the technology that it used then he might end up with a skin tight costume that actually makes sense. Superman could end up using the material as well. Might help them have a conversation.

I get why Superman finds being around him weird, but a single conversation wouldn't kill him, surely? I asked Diana about it, and apparently Kal-El is usually very interested in everything Kryptonian. I suppose it's the American thing of obsessing about your heritage, like how many New Yorkers will describe themselves as Irish despite never having been to Ireland. Maybe me describing him as Kon-El's father was a bit much. I said it because I thought that was how Kon thought of him, and it is biologically true…

**It totally works for you.** Seems M'gann likes the way he looks now just fine. And without thinking about it I send her the image of a sweaty Kon pumping iron. I feel her eyes widen. Shouldn't have done that. **I-i-i-i-in that, that you can totally do good-. Good work in those clothes.** Nearly as smooth as Wallace. I feel her hide her blush with invisibility and her cloak.

From up here I can see the lights around the touristy parts of the island on the west coast. Quite a nice place to visit, if you don't mind the armed guards and can ignore the occasional peasant getting beaten up in the alleyways. Most hotels are on the beach, so the interaction between foreigner cash cows and 'free-range' locals are kept to a minimum.

I feel a squawk of alarm from M'gann as she, Robin and W… Kid Flash -mission now- dive aside as Superboy jumps down from the Bio-Ship without a harness. He seems to like doing that. Maybe he's testing his might against the ground?

**Knew I didn't need a line.**

**And yet, creating a seismic event might not have helped us much with the covert.**

M'gann decides to do the job. **Aqualad, Orange Lantern. Drop B is go.**

**Orange Lantern at altitude. Beginning scans.**

An orange sphere appears around me. One of the things I really liked about the film 'Avatar' was the computer monitors where a hand gesture could transfer a document or program from one terminal to another. My WarSphereTM construct feeds information from my scans onto orange screens on the interior surface, and they respond to my touch. I originally tried having them respond to my thoughts but that got a bit chaotic. Having actual monitors would help as I'd get colour. Maybe some sort of liquid crystal thing that could roll flat? I could stick it in subspace, and it wouldn't actually need any processing capacity.

**Main team, head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP.**

**Roger that.**

I'm now tracking everything.

Sort of. I tried making myself aware of every potential enemy on the island, and I couldn't cope. So I've created windows monitoring each of the larger concentrations of armed personnel and arranged them by region. One group in the area around the factory looks like central casting South American rebels, but it's the other that appears to hold the place. They appear to have a wider range of racial backgrounds, and they're wearing the red hoods that the ring informs me are characteristic of members of the Kobra organisation.

Unfortunately, GI Joe doesn't exist in this parallel, so I can't make the obvious joke.

I passed that information on to the others. Robin said that this wasn't in accordance with Kobra's usual MO. Doesn't really change the mission; we still need to get eyes in the factory and to find out where the Venom is going.

I've also found the airfield, and truck depot. Ah, for a bit of a run up and a kinetic harpoon. They appear to be stacking some crates near what looks like the centre of the landing area.

Bane supposedly has links to the Santa Priscan government, mostly in a money-for-pretending-you're-not-there kind of way. No actual local military units in the area, though. Maybe he doesn't want them to know that he's been ejected from his -and their- revenue source. They'd get a lot of good will handing him over to North American or South American authorities. Actually located the man himself, as well. That felt weird. I can see you, Mister Major Supervillain, but you can't see me.

Kid Flash and Superboy were in favour of ambushing a small patrol of Bane's men for information, but Aqualad reminded them that this was a covert recon mission. One burst of gunfire and our location would be given away, and no local faction would make a point of knocking its enemies out and not killing them. Wanting to avoid the patrols resulted in a minor detour from the team's planned route, moving back around a rock formation to approach from another angle.

I can't hear the gunfire from up here with the WarSphere active, but M'gann passed along the noise as patrols from the two hostile local factions encountered one another, Bane leading the locals personally. It gives me the chance to observe the differing tactics the two sides use. The Kobras know how to use their weapons, and from what I can tell their guns are of a higher quality. But the locals know how to use the terrain. Two hold fire and flank the robe-wearers, killing most of them with a grenade and flushing the rest into the fire of the rest of their unit.

Bane closes the distance fast once they're off balance. He grabs the most alive looking Kobra cultist, says something, then…

Oh.

He picked him up by his legs and swung his head into a tree trunk.

That's the first time I've seen someone killed.

With the ones killed by bullets and shrapnel the robes conceal the fatal injuries. The one Bane killed, his head is very broken.

Bane's men scavenge guns and ammunition from the corpses and move into the jungle.

**The two patrols have encountered one another. Kobra… Lost.**

The reply comes from Aqualad. **Understood.**

There are a few minutes until they reach the bluff overlooking the airfield.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm seeing it in orange, on a screen. I'm not sure. I like to think I'm empathic enough to feel bad that someone else is dead. But not this time. It's just, oh, they're dead, I'll stop tracking them. The nearest I've previously experienced to something like this was an episode of Jimquisition where he showed a news clip of a man committing suicide at a press conference, and to be honest that didn't show very much. Maybe it'll hit home later.

Aqualad should meet up with the others just before they reach the viewpoint.

I wonder if Bane's group are going to do a completionist run? Use their superior knowledge of the terrain to attack and destroy isolated groups? I mean, unless the head of Kobra is here in person they're going to have to kill every cultist to push them out. Might as well do it while they're not together, right? That would give us time before we have to worry about them coming in behind us.

Ring, detailed scan on the landing field.

And then I know what's there. The crates definitely contain drugs. There's Venom, but it's been modified from what I saw in the League's files. The guys moving the stuff don't have more than trace amounts on them, probably residue in their robes. Cultists register slightly oddly to my avarice detector. These guys evaluate their worth purely in terms of the goals of the organisation and directions of their master. Fully indoctrinated, normal wants and needs redirected or repressed.

Hmm.

Ring, scan for Jeffrey Franklin Burr, aka 'Kobra'.

He's in the factory, standing on a catwalk near the centre. He's bald now, and his face is severe and humourless.

**Orange Lantern to team. Kobra himself is on site. Repeat, I have positive ID on Jeffrey Burr, aka Kobra.**

I feel Robin tense, but the others don't respond. He picks up on their lack of response too. **If Kobra's here in person, then this is big.**

Wallace misses the point. **We get it, Kobra wanted super-cultists, mystery solved. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for-.**

I shake my head. **W-. Kid Flash, the cultists aren't using the Venom. And the stuff they're loading up reads as different from the normal product.**

**So they're shipping it somewhere else. So what?**

Aqualad's on the case. **So we need to know either the name of the buyer or the name of the destination. Orange Lantern, can you see a way inside?**

**The cargo entrance is only lightly guarded but is well lit, and has clear lines of sight all around. Oh, hang on, it looks like there's a passageway in the rocks near where you'll come out. Might be some rubble in the way. Could be an old mineshaft, or escape route in case of attack. I don't read any defences inside.** I send a mental image of the entrance to M'gann.

**We will take it.**

They reach the top of the bluff. Robin stops to take a look at the airfield for himself, while M'gann directs Superboy to the boulder covering the entrance.

**Look at all that product. They could keep every Venom addict in the US going for years with that!**

Superboy lifts the boulder out of the way without apparent effort.

**Aqualad, I am aware that Kobra is a very high priority target. If we conclude that the mission is complete I am prepared to make a swoop and grab on him before we leave.** I could also turn him into an orange construct and pass everything he knows about his organisation on to the police, but I don't mention that.

**I do not think it appropriate to send you in alone.**

**I defer to your judgement, but the risk would be minimal. I'd fly through the roof and leave the same way. The grab itself would take as long as I needed to get a clear shot at him. The guns they're using won't scratch my shields. The Kobra Cult do make use of metahumans but unless they have a very fast flier they won't catch me.**

**I will consider it, but apprehending Kobra is not our primary assignment.**

**Understood.**

The group enters the tunnel.