Chapter 6: Meet the Sidekicks

Word Count : 8329

"That's another one for me!" Kid Flash shouted enthusiastically as he slammed another thug unconscious before zipping away to avoid return fire from his comrades. They only got a few shots away before their weapons just disappeared out of their hands. Their confusion on the matter only lasted until Flash came to a stop on the other side of the street and dumped their confiscated weapons on the ground. Then he was in motion again and the thugs were greeted by darkness as they fell over unconscious.

With the threat neutralized, Flash and Kid Flash tied them up and speeded away to continue their patrol of Central City. Today seemed to be a good day for the duo, with the bank robbery they just thwarted being the only real emergency they have had to respond to thus far.

"So how many did you get?" Kid Flash asked eagerly as the scenery around them blurred past.

"Six, how about you?" Flash asked in amusement. The answer was clearly not what Kid Flash had hoped for, given his reaction.

"Aw man! I only got four!" he whined like a little kid, causing his mentor to shake his head in bemusement. His nephew sometimes had strange priorities when fighting bad guys. They kept up their friendly banter as they systematically patrolled each part of their hometown. It may have sounded like a week's job, but super speed worked wonderfully in cutting that time down to a few hours.

"Kinda quiet today," Kid Flash remarked, something that Flash found impossible to disagree with. Maybe the villains were finally starting to learn the futility of their actions with heroes around to always thwart them. But Flash already knew what someone like Batman would say to that; wishful thinking.

"So it would seem," Flash responded absentmindedly. It may be that Batman was starting to rub off on him a bit too much, but Flash could not shake a sudden feeling that something was amiss. Still, he said nothing to his nephew. There was no need to worry him needlessly over what was most likely unnecessary paranoia. They made a few more sweeps of areas usually visited by criminals before Flash decided that there was nothing more to be had.

"Well, it seems like we're done for the day," he commented jovially. A day with minimal amounts of violence was always a good day in his view. Kid Flash however did not share his mentor's view.

"Man, and I've barely got any chance to kick some bad guys," he whined in disappointment. A quiet sigh came out of Flash soon after. Wally was a good kid at heart and always tried to do the right thing, but he often lost sight of what was important in their business. Glory, fame and chances to beat someone up are not what a hero should strive for, he should be committed to protecting the innocent first and foremost. Wally seemed to sometimes forget that and seek recognition for his efforts. They would have to talk about that in the future, but not today.

"Anyway, let's call it a day and head home," Flash said. A brief exchange of words later, pertaining to their next patrol, and they were off in separate direct, Flash heading towards his wife Iris while Kid Flash was making a beeline home to his parents. What they both had missed however, was the lone sentry hiding up on a rooftop and who had been spying on them.

"Targets spotted, but they've split up," he reported in a communicator, mentally calculating which directions they were likely taking, for trying to visually determine such a fact was all but a waste of time.

"Directions?" his commander asked from the other end.

"Target 1 is moving in a southeastern direction, target 2 is moving in the opposite direction," the sentry reported.

"Affirmative. Your part of the mission is complete. Return to base, while we complete the rest," the commander ordered. All too happy to oblige, the sentry gave a quick affirmative before signing off and slinking away. Their little plan was swiftly set in motion, when Kid Flash was interrupted on his way home by a distant explosion.

"What the…" he asked himself in bewilderment when the distant rumbling reached his ears, followed by a plume of smoke rising towards the skies. An experienced hero would have reported in the event so that back-up could arrive, but being the reckless idiot that he was, he raced to the scene alone and without assessing the situation. What he came across was a parking lot blown to smithereens. While inexperienced, he still had enough sense to check for injured or trapped innocents. To his utter confusion, there were none. People were lining the sidewalk in fascinated horror, but no one had been close enough to the blast to receive more than an annoying ring in their ears.

"What the hell was the target? The asphalt?" Kid Flash asked himself in equal parts confusion and sarcasm. No casualties and no significant damage, that was just strange in his eyes. 'Who would go through all the trouble of blowing a bomb here of all places?" a fair question, but one only the perpetrator had an answer to. At least Kid Flash gained a prime suspect when he noticed someone not so subtly moving away from the scene and disappearing into an alley.

"Oh no you don't," Kid Flash muttered and with a quick burst of speed later he stood at the entrance to the alley, just in time to watch someone slip inside a door. Rushing forward and yanking the door open, he found it leading into a basement. No lights were on, shrouding everything down below in darkness. But Kid Flash was not deterred and confidently entered the unknown. Though as he moved deeper into the suffocating darkness, he began developing second thoughts on the matter as it grew increasingly difficult to see anything beyond a few inches.

But his pride would not allow him to quit just yet, and so he moved onward. He was apparently rewarded for his efforts when up ahead, a small speck of light shone. Throwing caution to the wind, he raced forward, finding the light seeping between the cracks of a doorway. So he flung the door open and rushed in, only to be blinded by the unexpectedly strong light shining through the whole room.

"While overconfidence is not solely a superhero trait, I must say that you embody it quite well," a calm, feminine voice remarked in what was most likely meant as humor. When Kid Flash's eyes finally adjusted themselves to the sudden brightness, he found himself standing in a barren room, with a middle-aged woman dressed in a white robe seated upon a plastic chair at the center of the room. Black hair was tied in a bundle on her head while her hands were neatly folded in her lap as she observed him with brown dispassionate eyes from behind a pair of glasses. Most people would have been on alert when taking just one glance at her cold and unfeeling eyes, coupled with her equally cold face as she scrutinized Kid Flash like he was a strange specimen about to be dissected. Kid Flash however was blind to the danger. He merely saw a good looking woman, and immediately qualified her as flirting material.

"Well hello there, beautiful. You wouldn't happen to have seen someone pass through here?" he asked with an easygoing smile. Alarm bells only started going off in his head when she unfolded her hands to reveal she had been concealing a gun in them, which was now aimed straight at Kid Flash.

"Why yes. That would have been my assistant, who was kind enough to serve as bait to draw you in," she remarked coldly. Yet even with a gun aimed at him, Kid Flash was still not overly worried, exemplified by his cocky grin.

"Please, as if a mere gun can even hit me," he mocked. He was however alerted of there being a greater threat present by two things. First, the woman started smiling at him, a cruel smile that sent chills down his spine. Second, he felt something suddenly sting him in the neck. When his hand reached his neck, he found a dart buried there, seconds before he found his vision beginning to turn blurry.

"Obviously it is possible, provided you are ignorant enough to focus fully on me and never look for possible ambushes," the woman replied smugly as she lowered her gun and rose from her seat. Desperately, Kid Flash tried to turn around, feeling like he was swimming in syrup the whole way. Just as he finally made the last twist to face the way he had just come from, he was greeted by a fist to the face that knocked him flat on his back. The last image his groggy mind was able to comprehend was a man dressed in black combat armor.

"Oh, we'll have so much fun together," who said that? Was it the woman? Kid Flash was not sure. And in the end, it did not matter, as darkness engulfed him seconds later.

Five days, that was how long Kid Flash had been missing. Flash was distraught, his parents were near hysteria and the Justice League was tearing up every dirty little hole they even suspected of hiding him. Not to even mention the other three sidekicks. The four of them had a close bond with each other, born from their shared choice of career and age. They were just as eager, if not even more so, than their mentors to find their friend. But the League would not risk it, fearing that their young protégés would get snatched up just like Kid Flash. But at least their mentors had not fully deprived them of a chance to search for their comrade, and had therefore dispatched them, together with Red Tornado, to Los Angeles.

"Remind me again why we're here and not out looking for our friend?" Speedy asked furiously as he and his two comrades stood just outside of a shady bar in the more rundown parts of the city.

"Because our mentors told us to meet up with an associate of the Justice League here," Aqualad answered with infinite amount of patience. He had grown accustomed to Speedy's rather gruff way of acting. He could even understand it in this particular event.

"Yeah, Batman said that the guy have been conducting his own investigation in the matter, so it's not like we're getting benched or anything," Robin piped up. Speedy still did not look convinced on the matter.

"But who is he?" he asked suspiciously. Before an answer could be given, the doors to the bar were flung open as a crowd of frightened civilians rushed out like a stampeding herd. Robin took notice that quite a few of them were either clutching their arms or limped quite a bit. While most of them seemed content to just rush past the trio of dumbstruck teenage crimefighters in their haste to evacuate the area, one of their numbers all but crawled up to them on his knees with a look of terror on his face.

"I did it! I stole the purse from that old lady the other week!" he screeched as he clung to Speedy's shirt like it was his last lifeline, confusing the trio even more.

"What are you babbling about?" Speedy asked harshly, not all that pleased to have this stranger tugging at his clothes like his life depended on it.

"Just arrest me already! Lock me up forever if you want, just don't let that maniac get to me again!" he kept on blabbering as if he had not heard a word Speedy had said, followed by hysterical crying. Before, they had merely been confused. Now, they were downright flabbergasted.

"What maniac?" Aqualad asked calmly, trying to avoid startling the obviously terror-stricken thief. With shaky fingers, he pointed back to the bar he had just fled from. Now that the trio listened, they could hear sounds of fighting going on inside. They shared a look between each other, and with a unanimous nod, they pushed aside the thief and strode inside. They found a scene of carnage, with overturned tables, smashed bottles, a crushed pool table with an unconscious man lying on top, splinters of wood scattered across the floor and dozens of knocked out men and women lying scattered all over. However, it was the sight of the culprit behind it all, who was even now dishing out the pain to those still standing, that truly caught their interest, particularly Robin.

"Oh my god! It's him!" Robin exclaimed just as Krieg smashed his elbow into the face of one of his opponent, breaking his jaw with an audible crack. Before that victim had even touched the floor, Krieg was again in motion by coming with an uppercut to another that sent him flying over the counter before coming around with a spinning kick to the head of another.

"You know him?" Speedy asked in confusion as he eyed the strange guy in the gasmask ram a fist between the legs of a guy in a biker outfit before grabbing a fistful of the guy's hair and slamming his face straight into his armored knee. 'A bit too brutal ain't he?' he thought with distain as the victim fell to the floor, nose mangled beyond recognition.

"Me and Batman ran into him a few weeks ago in Gotham, though he was not overly friendly back then," Robin replied, wincing along with Speedy when Krieg knocked a guy off his feet with a fist to the forehead before stomping down with all his strength on the poor man's crotch. Robin eventually continued speaking, albeit less enthusiastically.

"But he saved me from Sportsmaster a few days later, so he can't be all that bad," his statement would have held more credibility to it, had Krieg not just shattered a man's fingers before breaking the arm they were attached to by the elbow. As if the man's suffering was not enough, his head was promptly slammed into the counter, silencing his screams of pain. For the sake of the last few patrons still standing, the trio guessed that they should step in and put a stop to this, but they remained transfixed at the door as the merciless beating dragged on.

"And they allow a maniac like him to walk free?" Speedy asked in disbelief. No answer was given. Back in the brawl, a raven haired girl tried to sneak up on Krieg with a broken bottle in hand. Though just as she lunged for him, he sidestepped the attack and grabbed hold of her arm. Without so much as a second thought, he smashed the bottle back in her face. It was not with the sharp end, but the shattered glass still sliced her face up quite nicely. Any wails of pain that might have come out were silenced by a quick shop to the neck. That only left three combatants still standing, none of which looking even remotely thrilled to be fighting Krieg now.

"Is he supposed to be an associate of the Justice League?" Aqualad asked both himself and his two companions as one of the remaining guys picked up a cue stick and brandished it like a spear, "he seems a bit too… brutal," as if to prove Aqualad's statement true, the one with the cue stick lunged at Krieg with a pathetic war cry on his lips. Krieg merely grabbed hold of the incoming weapon, tore it out of the man's grip and swung it back at him with enough force that when it scored a hit on the man's head, the stick broke in two. The other two decided to take him at the same time and charged him together.

The first threw a fist at Krieg that he dodged before slapping aside a punch from the second. He struck back with a kick that knocked one of them back before he grabbed hold of the other's arm and with a powerful blow broke it. Barely had he began screaming in pain when Krieg did the same to his other arm and with a two-handed grip on his head, slammed it into his knee. That left only one combatant standing, and he was now backing away fearfully from Krieg as the masked soldier advanced upon him.

"Okay, man, you win! I surrender! Just take me to jail!" he screeched in fear. All Krieg did was crack his knuckles as he continued advancing. But if the man had been fearful before, he became consumed with terror when he felt his back bump into the wall. His escape route was cut off, he was trapped. But Krieg never reached his intended victim, as an arrow lodged itself in his path, stopping his advance. He turned his head in confusion towards where the arrow originated from to find Speedy notching another arrow and aiming it at him.

"Robin, Aqualad, Speedy," he greeted them upon recognizing their uniforms. Aside from Robin, he had never had the displeasure of meeting the sidekicks of the Justice League, but he was familiar with them. He had after all spent countless hours memorizing each registered hero and villain, particularly their strengths and weaknesses.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Speedy asked, voice stuck between a snarl and a growl. Beside him, his two companions looked equally displeased by Krieg's actions. Krieg, for his part, was once again left clueless as to what they found wrong in his actions this time. 'Heroes and their conflicting morals,'

"Neutralizing the opposition," he answered monotonously. The sound of frantic footsteps fleeing distracted Krieg from the three sidekicks and his eyes found themselves drawn to the filth he had cornered. To his great irritation, he found the man missing and he just caught sight of the backdoor getting hastily slammed shut.

"I do hope you three realize that your interference caused a criminal to escape," he said to the trio, eyes never even drifting away from the backdoor. 'That was sloppy of me, I should have kept the scum in my line of sight at all times,' he mentally criticized himself. Though it seemed like the three young heroes were not troubled by the accusation. If anything, they seemed even more aggravated.

"Are you crazy? Look at what you did to them!" Speedy ground out while furiously gesturing at the dozens of bodies scattered cross the bar, a few of them still conscious and moaning in pain. Once again, Krieg was perplexed as to what Speedy found so wrong, but then his eyes landed on one particular fellow trying to crawl away with two broken legs.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me," he commented out loud, leaving three confused sidekicks to stare at him as he strode over to his victim. Upon catching sight of the menace approaching, the man panicked and began whimpering in fear. Krieg was deaf to whatever pleas he spewed out and roughly grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and hoisted him up in the air. His useless legs scraped against the floor as Krieg held him upright while looming above him.

"Where is he?" he asked, voice so calm an uncaring that it sounded completely wrong in this situation.

"I don't know anything! Honestly!" he frightened man nearly screeched out, shaking like a leaf in Krieg's iron grip. His gasmask hid any emotions that might have been gleamed from his face, so the man had no forewarning on just what a colossal mistake he had just done.

"Wrong answer," he said coldly before he lifted his victim over his head and slammed him down face up on the counter. Barely had his first cry of pain left his lips before an elbow impacted against his stomach the contents of his stomach ended up expunged as he was dragged violently to the floor to be straddled by Krieg. A punch to the face came down on him, followed by five more.

"Where is he?" Krieg repeated more forcefully while glaring down at the sobbing mess beneath him, face all bloodied up from the abuse it had taken.

"I told you already, I don't know! I never involve myself with superheroes, too risky!" the poor guy managed to shout out in fear while clutching his bloodied face. The answer did not satisfy Krieg in the slightest, as his left hand grabbed hold of his throat while the right was raised for another blow.

"That's not good enough," he stated, and the man did his best to prepare himself for the beating that was sure to come. Only, it never came. Before Krieg could get his arm swinging, it was grasped in a firm grip before he was forcefully pulled off his victim. When he finally recovered from the surprise move, he found Robin tending to the battered man while Aqualad blocked his path. Krieg's arm was still held in Aqualad's firm grip, and there was steel in his eyes as he glared at Krieg.

"That's enough. You've received your answers from this man," Aqualad reprimanded him, and Krieg had to struggle not to let instincts kick in and break he offending hand holding him.

"His answers were not satisfactory enough, and I intend to find out everything he knows," Krieg countered as he tore his arm free while trying to walk past Aqualad, his target in his sight. But the young Atlantean was not about to let him pass and pushed him back. Krieg staggered a bit from the xeno's superhuman strength, but recovered quick enough. This time, he let his instincts take over and drew his sidearm, aiming it right between Aqualad's eyes. The boy in question could only blink in shock, having not expected that move. However, his two companions gave far more aggressive reactions, with Speedy aiming an arrow at Krieg while Robin drew a trio of batarangs and held them at the ready. Krieg paid those two no mind as he glared at Aqualad.

"I do not appreciate being interrupted in my work, particularly by a xeno," Krieg said, once again sounding far too calm for the situation he was in. Overcoming his temporary shock on the matter, Aqualad schooled his features into one of calm defiance.

"You were going too far in your interrogation. A true hero, one who protects the innocent, would never commit such cruelty," he admonished, his tone never wavering despite having a gun right in his face. But if that little speech of his was meant to give Krieg second thoughts, it sure as hell did not work.

"Such matters are irrelevant. The Justice League has tasked me with finding the missing sidekick, and I intend to do so. If I have to break every single bone in this scum to do so, then I will do it. And if anyone attempts to stop me, I will take them down hard," he responded coldly, not being in the mood to have a discussion with a filthy xeno. To say that the trio was unnerved by Krieg's ruthless dedication was an understatement. Yet Aqualad was not about to be intimidated by Krieg.

"I can't allow you to do that. You're an associate of the Justice League, so stand down now," both Robin and Speedy were more than a bit surprised to hear such a strong voice of authority coming out of Aqualad. He was always so kind and polite when not in battle. Sadly, Krieg was not so easily impressed.

"You hold no true membership in the Justice League. And as such, I do not take orders from you. Now stand aside or I will treat you as hostile," he commanded as his free hand came to land on a knife sheathed in his belt. He was prohibited from killing, but that was all. All four of them tensed up, preparing for what would appear to be an inevitable fight.

"What is going on here?" a monotone and mechanical voice suddenly asked, breaking the tension. When the four of them turned towards the entrance, they found Red Tornado there, standing like an unmoving statue while observing them all indifferently. Or at least they assumed it was indifference, given how his face never changed expression.

"Red Tornado," Krieg greeted the machine. 'Not only are xenos allowed on Holy Terra, but sentient machines are also constructed. Madness and heresy, that is what this is,' he thought to himself. Machines with intelligence, a consciousness, were labeled as heresy and illegal back home, and as such, he was wary of this red abomination.

"Krieg," Red Tornado greeted back before letting his, for a lack of better words, eyes roam across the sidekicks, "Is there a reason you are all aiming weapons at each other?" he asked in what was most likely meant to be a curious tone. Hard to determine with that voice of his.

"This crazy guy was trying to kill a man!" Speedy exclaimed, never taking his eyes or his aim off Krieg, who looked completely untroubled by the accusation.

"That is incorrect. I am under strict orders not to take a human life. He would have lived to face judgment, if only just barely," Krieg corrected him. While the young heroes looked absolutely horrified by his words, Red Tornado looked as if none of it was of any concern to him.

"I do believe Black Canary have discussed these overly brutal methods of yours with you," it, Krieg refused to acknowledge the machine as anything more than a thing, reminded him. It was of course right in its account, Black Canary had reprimanded him about how he apparently used too much force when taking down criminals. Naturally, he had chosen to ignore her words. Some might have called it disobeying orders, but for once Krieg did not give a damn. His continued work alongside these disgusting Leaguers was already wearing down his mind.

"Moving on to more pressing matters. Is there a reason as to why the Justice League sent you and their sidekicks to interfere with my work?" Krieg asked, completely ignoring the sudden death glares he received from the three aforementioned.

"Interfered?! You call saving a guy from a merciless beating interfering?!" Robin exclaimed, obviously taking great issue with Krieg's methods. Krieg himself was unaffected.

"Yes," he answered monotonously, leaving Robin to gape at him as he once again turned his attention back to Red Tornado.

"With the continued search for Kid Flash, and the ever present need for heroes across the globe, the Justice League is spread thin. Robin, Aqualad and Speedy have therefore ben assigned to assist you in your search for Kid Flash. I am to be present to make sure you do not overstep your boundaries," well, if there was one redeeming quality about this tornado wielding machine, was its lack of tact in conversations and its preference to be direct and to the point. No sugarcoating the truth with this machine. Still, that did not mean he was overly pleased by the news.

It was obvious that the Justice League still did not trust him, and that they felt the need to maintain a close watch upon him. Not only that, but now he was forced to work with their young charges. The adults were horrid enough, he sure as hell did not need to be burdened by their spawns as well. Unfortunately, he did not have much of a choice in this matter. He would just have to pray even harder than usual for the Emperor to grant him the strength needed to endure this.

"Very well then," Krieg began as he slowly lowered his gun and holstered it, Robin and Speedy following his example when it became clear that the threat of a fight had passed. "Since this search produced no results, we should regroup at my base of operation and plan our next move,"

The first sign that consciousness was returning to him, was when a weak and pitiful groan pushed its way past his lips. A short battle erupted then as his mind fought to wake up fully whilst the body struggled to stay asleep. In the end, mind won over matter and a pair of eyelids was pushed open by sheer force of will. He regretted his perseverance swiftly enough when all that greeted him was a blinding light shining down upon him. Another weak groan was released as he became temporarily blinded by the sudden light. Reflexes made him close his eyes again, but he stubbornly fought on and managed to pry them open again.

As he became accustomed to the light, he was able to make out a few blurry images around him. White walls, strange metallic arms hanging from the roof, a mirror to his left and a few other details he was unable to identify. Naturally, he tried to push himself upright from the uncomfortable metal table he was lying on, but found that he could not move his limbs. In fact, he could just barely wiggle any part of his body. Panic settled in as he glanced down in alarm to find himself bolted to the table by several metal cuffs trapping his limbs and his upperbody. The only part not trapped was his head.

For some reason, his whole body ached like it had been badly abused, but he could remember no such thing. Hundreds of thoughts raced through his brain at supersonic speed. 'Where am I? What is this place? Why am I here? Who brought me here? What happened to me? Where's uncle Barry?' these were but a few of all the numerous questions he was asking himself. But his memory refused to provide an adequate answer. All he received were bits and pieces, too jumbled to make any sense.

"I see that you're awake. Good, I was beginning to fear we overdid it during our last round," a feminine voice suddenly spoke from somewhere. Last round? What last round? And who was it that was speaking? That voice sounded familiar somehow, though it only sparked anger in him for some reason.

"Who are you, what are you talking about and where the hell am I?" Kid Flash asked in anger. A dry laugh was the first answer he received, something that made him grit his teeth. He seriously did not appreciate being strapped down and laughed at.

"Don't remember, do you? Given the amount of drugs and electricity we've been pumping through you, I can't say I'm surprised," the woman answered mockingly. Her words served as the final piece in his mind, and his scattered memories came together to form a whole again. These bastards had kidnapped him! And had been experimenting on him for God knows how long!

"I see your memory is coming back to you," that infuriating woman commented in amusement, probably basing her guess on the look of horror and hatred that merged together on his face.

"Just you wait, you old hag! When the Justice League finds this place, you'll be in so much…" Kid Flash's angry tirade was unfortunately cut short by high voltages of electricity suddenly streaking through him. Caught unprepared, he screamed in agony as his body went into uncontrollable spasms in its bonds. Thankfully, he was shown mercy as the electricity was turned off after only a few seconds of activity, leaving him to recover as best as he could.

"You'd do well to remember your position. I hold all the cards here, and threatening me will only end badly for you," the woman's voice had lost its earlier mirth and was delivered coldly and spitefully. A shiver of fear raced up his spine at her words. She was right of course. As they were right now, she could do whatever she wanted with him and he would be powerless to stop her.

"Now then," her earlier happy mood was back, and there was certain giddiness to her tone that made Kid Flash nervous. "Let's continue where we left off yesterday, shall we?" he never even had a chance to protest before the agony resumed, far worse than earlier. he did not even try to contain his cries of pain.

When Krieg had said they were going to his base of operation, the trio of young heroes had most certainly not expected to end up in the subway system. Only Red Tornado was not confused by their route, as his membership in the Justice League gave him access to the information regarding Krieg's base.

"Okay, just where are we going?" Speedy asked irritably as he trudged along, grudgingly following Krieg's lead. No answer came, as Krieg walked on. He was not interested in starting up a conversation with that useless archer. As a matter of fact, he did not even want to be near him. Alas, duty demanded that he worked with both him and his equally useless comrades.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?!" Speedy burst out after over a minute of silence, a minute that Krieg had cherished dearly.

"If you mean forced to hear your endless blabbering without a mean to silence you, then yes. If you mean actually taking your words into any form of consideration, then no," Krieg answered monotonously. A muffled snicker that echoed in the tunnel signaled that at least one in their numbers had somehow found his comment amusing. The culprit was not hard to identify, given that Robin was the only one who tried to cover up his mouth. Speedy was at that point boiling with rage, all directed at Krieg. It was a matter Krieg was aware of, but gave no care about. What the archer thought of him was not his concern.

"I apologize for my friend here, he tends to be a bit straightforward. But it would be appreciative if you tried to avoid goading him like that, it would not serve well if we are to work together," Aqualad, ever the diplomat, tried to calm things down.

"I was not goading him, I was merely stating facts," Krieg countered without missing a beat. A frown marred Aqualad's face as he stared at Krieg's back. he was always trying to be respectful and polite to those he met, but Krieg's blatant disregard for others were testing his resolve to some extent.

"Nevertheless, I do believe that we need to work together without strife dividing us up, and provoking each other like that will get us nowhere," he pressed on. Krieg, who had so far never even glanced back at them, stopped dead in his tracks and turned fully to face Aqualad.

"What you believe does not concern me, xeno. Do not presume that just because we are forced to work together, that I will accept or even tolerate your presence," Krieg spoke with such a calm and emotionless voice that it unnerved the three sidekicks. Had he been screaming bloody murder at them, they could have dealt with it as a mere temper tantrum. But that voice, void of any indication of just what he was feeling underneath that gasmask of his, made them feel that his words were spoken with complete conviction behind them. Without another word spoken to the trio, Krieg turned around and continued on his path, the rest slowly trailing behind him.

"Man, he's even creepier than Batman on a good day," Robin commented, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. It was a halfhearted attempt that not even worked on himself. Inside, he was deeply disturbed by what happened earlier at the bar. What kind of hero would be that brutal to a gang of lowly drunkards? Sure, it might be a bit hypocritical of him, given who his mentor was, but Robin like to believe that even Batman had the self-restraint to not break every singly crook he came across.

"I don't trust him," Speedy stated with finality as he and his friends purposefully lagged a bit behind to have a private talk out of Krieg's earshot. An act that Krieg noticed, but simply did not care about.

"You only say that 'cause you don't like him," Robin pointed out, receiving a glare from the archer, but no protest against the accusation.

"He may have saved your life, Robin, but we know nothing about him. How are we supposed to work with him then?" he protested. As it was quite obvious, Speedy was in no way thrilled about working with Krieg. In his opinion, the guy was far too ruthless to be in the hero business.

"I must admit that I'm conflicted about Krieg," Aqualad admitted at length. "While he does seem to be loyal, he appears to despise us for some reason, even though we have never met before," a snort came from Speedy.

"Why he despises you is easy to understand. He's xenophobic, hates everything not human. Probably dislikes me and Robin because we're your friends and because we stopped him earlier," he answered, sending a spiteful glare at Krieg's back at the end of the sentence. It was obvious none of the youngsters felt any positive feelings for Krieg.

"I do believe that talking behind a person's back is not a productive way to establish mutual grounds," Red Tornado suddenly commented from behind the trio, making them nearly jump out of their skins. They had been so engrossed in their argument with Krieg and subsequent talk amongst each other that they had forgotten his presence altogether.

"You can't really expect us to work together with that nutjob. He's just as bad as most villains we fight, and we don't even know who he really is. How can we trust someone we don't even know?" Speedy quickly voiced his concerns on the matter to the stoic android.

"The Justice League is fully aware of his background and motives, and we are confident that he can be trusted," Red Tornado answered in such a monotone that it put Krieg's to shame.

"Oh yeah? Then why don't you fill us in?" Speedy challenged, earning reproachful looks from his two friends. Sure, they wanted to be on equal ground with their mentors as well, but challenging them head-on like this was not a good idea if they hoped to gain their approval.

"I am not at liberty to discuss such matters without either Batman's or Krieg's consent," Red Tornado answered. Any further exchanged words were put on hold as Krieg had stopped, they had reached their destination. When they caught up to him, they found themselves in an old subway station. Krieg had already stepped up to a wall, and flicking a switch activated the light down there. The architecture suggested the station originated from the 1940's, and its weathered state suggested it had not been used for many decades.

"This station was abandoned in 1985 in favor of more modern alternatives. The main entrance was cemented up a long time ago, so the only way to access this place is by using the subway tunnels," Krieg explained as he stepped up on the platform. The others followed his example and took the time to study his little base. There was not much in the sense of comfort down here, with a few tables spread around, some chairs and a mattress in a corner. But the place was packed with medkits, equipment, conserved food and water. All in all, Krieg had enough supplies down here to last for months without resupplying.

There was also a computer set up on a table, alongside dozens of maps all depicting the city. And there was even an old gramophone present, to which Krieg was heading towards at that very moment. But the most eye-catching part about his base was the symbol of a giant two headed eagle he had mounted on a wall. What alloy it was made of, they were unsure, but it almost looked like gold. They were however distracted from the sight by Krieg turning his gramophone on. To the surprise of the three young heroes, the song he played was Beethoven's Fur Elise.

"Dude, you listen to that kind of outdated music?" Robin asked in bewilderment. Krieg paid his insolent tone no mind.

"It is a treasured piece of Terra's ancient culture," he answered reverently as he strode over to the two headed eagle. To his unwelcome guests, it was nothing more than a pretty piece of decoration, but to Krieg, it was infinitely more. For Krieg, it was the sign of the Aquila, the revered symbol of the Emperor. Slowly, he kneeled in front of it, head lowered in prayer and making the sign of the Aquila of his chest.

"Now what are you doing?" Speedy asked in exasperation, but Krieg paid him no heed as he began his prayer.

"O Emperor, hear my cry. Guide me through the blackest nights. Steel my heart against the temptations of the wicked. Make me to rest in your light," he murmured quietly, too quietly for the other to hear his words but loud enough to let them know he was talking.

"My Emperor, judge me whole. Find me well within Your grace. Touch me with fire that I be cleansed. Tell me I have sung to Your approval," absentmindedly, he noted that most of his guests had given up waiting for him and were distracting themselves by exploring his base more thoroughly. As long as these heretics did not interfere with his prayer, then he could tolerate it.

"O Emperor, see me kneel. For I walk only where You would bid me. Stand only in places You have blessed. Sing only the words You place in my throat," as he said those words, a blade of doubt and worry pierced through his soul. He prayed with all his might that the choices he had made were to the Emperor's satisfaction. All he had ever done from the moment he was born had been dedicated to the Emperor's service. Was that not enough for his lord?

"Lord Emperor, hear my cry. Seat me by Your side in death. Make me one within Your glory. And let the world once more see Your favor," no! He could not even think such blasphemous thoughts. A lowly human like him could never truly grasp his divine will, nor could he ever begin guessing whether his sacrifices even came close to what was expected.

"For You are the fire at the heart of the world. And comfort is only Yours to give," there could be no second guessing the Emperor's divine will. Krieg had been spared from the horrors of the Warp, and had been brought to this world. And here, he would strive on to carry out the duty placed upon him by the Emperor. Only in death, when he would finally stand before the Emperor, would he know whether his choices had been the right ones. With his prayer completed, he rose back up and made his way towards the computer. Seeing Krieg in action prompted the others to gather around him as he took a seat and started the computer up.

"So what are we looking for exactly?" Robin asked curiously, being completely ignored by Krieg. Though it did not matter in the end, since the information popped up on screen. First came the police files on the unfortunate drunkard, named Tom Hill, who got interrogated by Krieg. Skimming through them, Krieg identified the various gangs and companies he had been in contact with over the years. Apparently he was a bit of a freelance worker, never working in one place for more than a year at most. With that done, Krieg brought up a list of the various groups Tom had worked for, cross-referencing them with police files to determine if anyone of them was known for kidnaping. It was always easiest to begin inspecting those with a reputation behind them.

"Hey! I know that one!" Robin suddenly exclaimed while pointing at a name on the list. Clicking on it brought up a more detailed information, telling the tale of a fancy restaurant in Gotham City, called the Iceberg Lounge. It was run by the dubious man named Oswald Cobblepot, more commonly referred to as the Penguin. Having scrutinized the information, Krieg turned around in his seat to stare directly at Robin. The unspoken question was clear; how do you know him, and why does it matter here?

"Me and Batman have had our fair share of trouble with him. But he has proven useful in the past thanks to his connections in the criminal underworld. If anything big were to go down among the villains and heroes, he would know," Robin explained. That settled it in Krieg's mind. This Penguin was the best lead they had so far, and so they would squeeze out whatever shred of Intel the plump little man might know.

"Where is this Iceberg Lounge located?" Krieg asked as he rose from his seat. Robin grinned widely, obviously happy that they were finally making progress in finding his best friend.

"I can easily show the way once we're in Gotham," he announced happily. Krieg mutely nodded his head. He would have preferred to go alone, but with no directions and with the Justice League's order hanging above him, he had no choice in the matter.

"Should it not be prudent to alert the Justice League of your findings?" Red Tornado suddenly asked, having stayed silent up until that point. The machine was right of course, it would be the most logical course of action. But Krieg was suddenly struck with an idea, and idea he would have never thought of doing back home on Krieg. He was going to bend the orders a bit.

"Batman ordered me to find and rescue Kid Flash, not report every possible suspect I might have to him. I will present him with results once the mission is completed," he responded. Krieg was taking a bit of a gamble there, since he might have just overstepped his boundaries. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It was his way of showing a bit of a defiance to the Justice League.

"Very well. But I will still have to report in," Red Tornado finally said. Krieg merely shrugged his shoulders.

"That is your duty," he commented.

Inside a dark circular room, a lone woman was standing. A white lab coat was worn on her frame, and a pair of glasses was worn in front of her brown eyes. In contrast to her earlier sadistic joy she had felt when experimenting on Kid Flash, she felt more than unnerved now. The reason for this was soon made clear when seven computer screens lowered themselves from the roof. On each screen was a vaguely humanoid figure made out of light.

"Report. What is the status of your research?" a gruff and gravelly voice spoke with authority, making the woman squirm under their invisible gazes.

"Well, sir. The subject's DNA has proven quite fascinating in studying, and further analysis will undoubtedly…" she was obviously trying to avoid the question, something that those on screen neither appreciated nor had time for.

"Has there been any significant progress in your work. A simple yes or no will do," another voice, this one sounding more cultural than the first one, spoke. The woman could not lift her eyes from the floor as she answered.

"No," she spoke meekly, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her. Anything would be better than what she was about to face. There was silence at first, and that silence nearly drove her mad with anxiety.

"Samantha Brown. Need I remind you that it was you who came forward with this suggestion? To capture and study a speedster in order to try and replicate their power?" a stern woman's voice questioned harshly, Samantha flinching under her words. "Since this is entirely your plan, and since you requested significant funding, we expect results," Samantha was about to defend her work when she was rudely interrupted.

"Personally, I never held any high hopes for this project. Compared to the Genomorphs and the Superboy created by Cadmus, a speedster's power seems trivial," this voice had a certain smooth and charming quality to it that could almost be described as pleasant, if not for the undertone of smugness.

"I know I haven't brought any results yet, but I'm so close to a breakthrough now. Just give me a few more days, and I'll have something worthwhile to present to you," she pleaded with them. To her, this was more than completing a work, this was about prestige. For too long had she been upstaged by that bastard Desmond and his Cadmus. That was about to change. If she could crack the mystery behind a speedster's power, it would catapult her to even greater heights. If this succeeded, she expected a promotion in the near future. The mere thought made her all giddy again, but she was careful to cover it up in front of her superiors. After all, it all hinged upon their approval.

"Very well then, you have three more days. If you haven't been able to procure something by then, we will shut this project down," the first voice finally announced. It took all of Samantha's willpower not to let out a huge sigh of relief. She still had time then.

"However..." that single word brought all her fear and anxiety back to the forefront again. "Reports indicate that the Justice League is closing in on you. And since it seems that your work might produce some useful results, we have decided to send some of our agents for extra protection. After all, the Light always looks out for its assets,"