Chapter 71 : Teen Titans

[Author note : As usual, you can find more chapters and stories on my Patréon page (e instead of é) by searching for 'Cathbel' on the website.

I've had the comment that the MC wasn't present in the story much these days. That's true and I'm sorry. I had the feeling that I was writing in circles and I found it a bit boring... In addition, I had this idea about Ned for a while now, but didn't know how to implement it. In the end, I figured a while 'off camera' so to speak, was the best way to do so. You can tell me what you think of it when it happens (should take about 10 chapters). I'm also curious how many of you will or are already seeing it coming ! If you do, please don't spoil it for the others !

In the meantime, I hope you don't get too bored with my story. Enjoy the read !]

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The newly formed team of young superheroes, dubbed the Teen Titans, had returned to Robin's safe-house in New York. Currently, it was still safe, and with the number of super-powered people with no place to call home, the boy wonder graciously offered to shelter them.

Kid Flash was out, searching for the missing member of the original trio. Although Solstice was there, the sulky British… He had yet to be located. Despite Robin's protest that it was dangerous, Kid Flash argued, and finally won the argument. So, he had left to scour the surroundings… It was a pointless task in the vigilante's opinion since they had no idea of the range, or even the extent of the whip-guy's powers.

Could he teleport things and people anywhere in the world ? Was he limited to places he could imagine or only the ones he visited ? Aaron could have landed inside a cave, a building or even… He might be already dead, having been teleported high in the air only to crash, or drifting in space. So, if Kid Flash wanted to find their missing teammate, the range of search was limited to… the entire world.

Skitter, or rather Celine, was still in the apartment when they returned but she mostly stirred clear of the group, feeling like she didn't belong. After all, she had no powers of her own, unlike her other, more feral persona. And she neither knew how to access said persona, or if she even wanted it. On one hand, having powers was attractive. On the other, it would not be her. Not really. To this day, she only had a few flashes and blurry memories of the last time she was Skitter.

After Kid Flash left for his pointless search, the rest of the teens, along with Supergirl and two new surprising additions, started to discuss how to deal with the ongoing N.O.W.H.E.R.E. threat. Mel, or Widowmaker, as she introduced herself, leaned her shoulders on the window with her arms crossed, looking out at the city. Sombra sat at the table, her legs crossed and propped on it while she chewed her gum loudly. The two of them didn't say much as the others argued.

« It's not the Hero way ! » Bunker protested once more to Wonder Girl's idea of how to deal (or rather bury) the threat on their lives and/or freedom. As if it was a fair, and undeniable point…

The blonde quarter-God didn't see it that way. Unlike the romanticized way Miguel saw heroes, she lived in the real world. Where life was cheap and threats innumerable. Where it was better to reduce the number of said threats when it was possible.

Robin, on the other hand, having been formed and conditioned by the Batman, agreed with Bunker. Killing their enemies would make them no better than the people they fought against. It didn't matter that N.O.W.H.E.R.E. already knew their identities and risked outing them to the world if they were jailed. In his point of view, they should have thought of this before… After all, Robin had been a vigilante for years already and nobody knew his identity. Except, Batman. And Alfred. And Barbara. Okay, so a few people knew who he was… Not his enemies, though !

Bunker had the right idea with his costume at least : hiding his face and putting on a completely different outfit. Kid Flash, too… On the other hand, Wonder Girl… Like Wonder Woman who wore no mask, she didn't bother to hide her identity. And she still hated being compared to her… Even the name Wonder Girl made her grit her teeth.

Solstice was impossible to hide, unfortunately. Whatever N.O.W.H.E.R.E. did to her when they had their hands on her, it was irreversible, according to Virgil.

Speaking of Virgil, he hadn't joined them. Robin was a little annoyed since his powers and experience would have been invaluable. His electromagnetic manipulation, which he honed against the criminals of his former town, made him a powerhouse among young heroes. Not only that, the young African-American was a genius. After all, not every high schooler could land an internship at S.T.A.R.labs…

So, Robin was left with a team of unruly and powerful teenagers sharing his goal, if not his ideals. He wasn't sure how to proceed. Should he call Batman for advice and/or reinforcements ? At that thought, he shook his head. He started all this… And N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had targeted him. Besides, he dreaded the look Batman would give him if he ran for his help at this point…

If only he hadn't exhausted his leads, or if his source inside could make contact, he'd know what to do next.

Beside him, the argument escalated between Wonder Girl and Bunker, with the occasional comment from Supergirl. Sombra and Widowmaker… He really didn't know what they were doing here. They offered nothing to the discussion, seemingly content in idling in the safe-house for some reason. According to the Kryptonian girl, they were the 'daughters' of Ned Stark.

Ned Stark… Who he wasn't even sure was in his twenties. And yet, these grown women were his daughters. Kind of hard to wrap his mind around this idea. Apparently, Widowmaker had saved Solstice, Kid Flash and Aaron, along with every metahumans imprisoned in Antarctica. Sombra wasn't with her at the time, but another one of Stark's 'child', someone named Winston. And when he had asked Solstice and Kid Flash who Winston was, they answered :

« He's a pretty smart person… » Solstice had said while trying to avoid looking in his eyes.

As for Kid Flash :

« He's a hu~ge talking gorilla ! Straight out of science-fiction… »

Apparently, Winston and Mel, as the duo often called her, had been their trainer when Ned Stark left to deal with some kind of emergency. Robin could almost bet he just left them to deal with the annoying parts after a rescue. Still, what Robin got out of this was that, somewhere out there, there was a large group of Metahumans, being trained…

Since he hadn't met Edgar Stark, he couldn't tell whether or not the man had good intentions. Since he had been taken in by a billionaire, Richard Grayson wouldn't be the one to cast the first stone at another rich man… However, he came from Gotham, the home of the privileged and corrupts. If Bruce Wayne was a good guy, among rich people, in Gotham, he was the exception, not the rule. As for New York, Robin didn't know… Perhaps, the rich people here were like him. And perhaps, Edgar Stark was building his own super-powered army for some nefarious purpose. Once everything was over, he'd have to tell his mentor about this information.

Suddenly, Sombra sat up straighter, putting her feet back on the ground. Her leisurely grin had been wiped off her face as an unusually serious expression replaced it. From the corner of her eye, Mel noticed her reaction. She turned her head, waiting.

« They have him. » The Latina girl announced much to almost everyone's confusion.

Mel knew what she was saying however, and soon Supergirl understood, having heard the conversation the two shared a few days prior. She asked, feeling conflicted :

« Ko… Superboy ? » She asked, correcting herself midway. Kon was the name of a legendary monster, a story told to Kryptonian children to teach them the horrors of cloning. Mel's arguments about the Codex, however, made her think about it more… The boy didn't deserve the insult she meant by that name. Although he had acted like a thug for N.O.W.H.E.R.E., when it came to it, he had helped the other people in the room against true monsters.

Sombra nodded. The others were still puzzled, but staying silent in anticipation. Finally, Miguel bursted when the silence became unbearable and it didn't seem like they would provide more information.

« What about Superboy ? Who has him ? »

With these questions, Robin answered for everyone :

« N.O.W.H.E.R.E…. » Another nod. « I'm guessing they've captured him again. That means you had some kind of tracker on him… »

« Yep ! »

Wonder Girl, who had been standing with her arms crossed over her chest until now, relaxed a bit and said :

« So, we know where the f*ckers are. What are we waiting for ? »