I was in my owl form, soaring through the moonlit night. Megan had linked us both telepathically, relaying my thoughts through the comms. It was a peculiar sensation, being mentally linked, but for now, it was just Megan and me.
Megan assured me that she couldn't invade my thoughts or memories without permission, easing my initial worries. Trust played a pivotal role, and until Megan gave me a reason to doubt her, I chose to trust her word.
Back at the mountain Megan had already started teaching me how to fortify my mental shields after the Cadmus incident.
I also supplemented said training, by using the tiger talisman. It was something I discovered after Megan pointed out that I was making remarkable progress for someone who wasn't a telepath, she also commented on how robust my mental shields were after a short while of practice.
After a quick chat with Zatara and consulting a couple of books he recommended. It turned out that since the tiger talisman had the ability to bring balance to my yin and yang, which were spiritual energies that related to the sense of identity and self.
It Indireclty fortified my mind's resistance against psychic attacks and according to Megan the stronger your mind and sense of self were, the stronger you could resist mental intrusion.
So, while not invulnerable, I now possessed the ability to better resist telepathic attacks which was a significant improvement on not being able to at all. I found the best way to do so was through meditation, which passively increases my resistance little by little.
The talisman's ability truly shone though when I was actively channeling its power.
Inevitably, a disturbance caught my attention. "Armed squads incoming from two opposite directions," I alerted the team through Miss Martian's network.
"ETA on contact?" Kid Flash inquired.
"They'll meet each other before finding us," I replied. The air suddenly echoing with gunfire and shouting.
I transformed back into my human form and joined my team once again.
"Where's Robin?" Kid Flash questioned.
"Let's steer clear of them. We don't need the attention," Aqualad advised.
"Just as soon as I find Rob," Kid Flash retorted, darting away.
"Kid, wait!" I called after him, but he disappeared.
"Him and Rob just don't listen," I grumbled, quickly regaining composure. I turned to the rest of the team. "Let's go after them before they do something stupid."
I used the rabbit talisman to chase after Kid Flash and arrived just in time to witness him slip on the muddy ground, catching the attention of both squads.
So much for stealth. Both squads started firing at him.
"Engage enemy hostiles," I instructed my teammates, heading toward Kid Flash's location. Amidst the chaos, my attention was drawn to a formidable figure in one of the groups.
Standing at an imposing 6 feet 8 inches, the man sported a luchador's mask that added an air of mystery to his menacing presence.
His physique seemed unnaturally bulked up, and it would have been impressive if it weren't so intimidating.
He was busy going wild on the group dressed in red robes, effortlessly tossing his opponents around.
The unmistakable sound of bones cracking echoed as he ruthlessly broke a man's back over his knee. The wrestling mask and the brutal display left no room for doubt, this was someone not to be taken lightly.
Bane.
Superboy tried to punch Bane, but Bane dodged and quickly pinned Superboy down. It was clear Superboy needed better fighting skills; his habit of charging in without a plan was not helping.
Luckily, Superboy was stronger, and he pushed Bane into a tree. Meanwhile, I shot eye beams that knocked out some gang members. These beams were more like strong, electrified beams than heat vision, which made sense since the Dragon talisman already covered fire. The whole scene was chaotic, with flashes of light and clashes echoing through the forest.
Then, Robin just appeared from above surprising two of the goons.
"What is wrong with you guys?" Robin asks of us "Remember covert? Why didn't you follow my lead? Vanish into the jungle?"
Kid Flash is then seen fighting one of the goons. Hitting him faster than he could react.
"That's what you were doing?" He asks
"Way to fill us in. We are not mind readers you know."
On cue, Megan throws one of the goons into a tree, knocking him out.
"Or I'm not anyway" says Kid shooting Megan a smile.
Robin then sees one of the goons try to escape but Aqualad appears in front of him and produces electricity and shocks him to unconsciousness. I finish off the rest of the bad guys and tied them up with my team's help.
"I recognize those uniforms, they belong to the Cult of the Kobra" said Robin.
"I am certain Batman would've mentioned if he knew dangerous extremists were running Santa Prisca's venom operation" said Aqualad.
"Unless he never knew about it in the first place" I said to him.
"Well, there's certainly no love lost between the cultists and those goons. I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out" said Robin "That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."
"We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved." Kid said as he looked at Robin. "Radio bats and we'll be home in time for-"
He gets interrupted by Robin "These cultists aren't on Venom. Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave not until we know why."
"Until you know why you mean. " Kid retorts.
"This team needs a leader. " says Robin.
"And it's you?" Asks Kid Flash "Dude, you are a 13 year old kid who ducked out on us without a word."
Robin laughs "And you're a mature 15?"
M'gann asks me and Superboy "Don't either of you want to lead?"
Superboy just shakes his head no and I just sigh saying "I don't want to lead unless I really have to. I'd go for co-leader though. "
"You?" Superboy asks M'gann.
Megan held up her hands. "After what happened at Gotham I don't think I'm the best fit for leadership I'm still too inexperienced."
I smiled at her. "It's okay. Half this team is just starting out as superheroes and although I have some experience most of it is just solo missions and patrols."
I then turned to Aqualad " What about you?" I asked.
He merely shook his head, " I'm reluctant to take on such a responsibility. "
Superboy then heard chatter from the bad guys.
"Free yourself and take them while they're distracted" Said one of the goons in Spanish.
"Quiet" Said Bane "For now I play along. They'll give me what I need"
Unfortunately for them Superboy had a bunch of languages downloaded into his head, back when he was in his pod. And, one of those languages happened to be Spanish.
He told us what was going on and I grinned inside me helmet. Meanwhile, Kid and Robin were still going at it with their argument.
"Duh you are not Batman. " says Kid.
"I'm the closest thing we got. " said Robin
"That's enough. We have a mission to complete and clearly there is more going on here than any of us anticipated." I said sternly
Bane just laughs "You should listen to your friend. He seems to understand that the situation is only half the story. Let me show you the rest. I can get you into the factory via my secret entrance."
M'gann tried to read his mind and I could see her eyes glowing white in an attempt to look deeper into his memories.
Moments later she stated. "There is a secret entrance but he's also hiding something."
"Ah Ah Ah chica" Said Bane "Bane is not that easy."
"He's mentally reciting football scores en español. This could take awhile" she said frustratedly.
I have always admired Bane. Despite being a brawler he still had a genius level mind. Not something you would expect from a luchador but given his origin, it's damn well impressive. He's definitely a dangerous opponent. We needed to be careful with him.
"It's not complicated" Bane says to Megan "The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
"We are not your friends Bane" I said to him "However, we may have use for you."
A few minutes later, Bane ended up leading us to the edge of a cliff, giving us a prime view of the factory below.
Robin whipped out his binoculars, scanning the area while Kid and I followed suit. Cultists armed to the teeth were busy shuffling the venom from one spot to another.
"Look at all that product," remarked Robin.
"A deal's happening, but if Kobra isn't peddling it to the usual suspects, then—"
"We need to identify that buyer. " declared Aqualad.
"Just what I was thinking," chimed in Kid Flash.
"Yeah, you're the thinker," Robin retorted.
"Really? Sarcasm? " Kid said. "Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers."
"No, a real leader ensures everyone is as focused as they are on a mission," I told Kid, strolling over to Superboy and helping him move a giant rock, covering the secret entrance.
Superboy gave me this puzzled stare, probably wondering why two of us were tackling one measly rock. I just shrugged and pointed my head irritably at the squabbling duo.
"Answers, right this way," Bane smirked, pointing to the tunnel.
"So, El luchador is our leader. " Kid quipped as Robin nudged him to follow Bane.
I shook my head and sighed; these two needed to take things seriously.
"This is getting out of hand," I conveyed to M'gann telepathically.
She agreed with a nod. "Can you connect our minds, excluding Bane?" I asked.
"Yeah, I can do that, but are you sure the team will be okay with it? " she replied.
I rolled my eyes. " If they can't pull their heads out of their collective asses and realize that dismissing a clear tactical advantage like telepathy due to a little 'discomfort' is plain foolish, I seriously doubt this team will make it through this mission."
" Okay if you're sure." She said.
" You should probably give them some forewarning before you connect all of us though. We wouldn't want to give it away by startling all of them at the same time. Start with Superboy first and explain it to him and then move on to the next member one by one until all of us are connected. " I instructed.
She gave me a nod of understanding and slowed her gait till she was at the end of the group and away from Bane's field of vision. Moments later her eyes started glowing white as our mental link formed.
" Once we are in the factory, Bane might pull a stunt or vanish. Stay sharp. No complaints. Just keep your eyes open and we'll breeze through this mission."
"Who made you the boss?" said Kid Flash.
"Yeah, not your decision," added Robin.
"I took charge because you two couldn't stop bickering." I asserted.
"I'm with Zodiac. Focus on the mission, team." Aqualad chimed in.
" We're with him too." Megan and Superboy also affirmed.
After a moment of silence, both Robin and Kid grumbled, "Fine."
They needed to grasp that leadership meant keeping everyone in line to reach a goal. Otherwise, the team would crumble like a house of cards.
Communication was also key.
It's something I learned back when I used to play world of warcraft with my old raid team, besides I didn't want a repeat of the 'Leroy Jenkins incident of' 05' those were truly dark times.
As we reached a door at the tunnel's end, Bane effortlessly opened it. Robin checked for cultists before giving us the green light.
"All clear. " He reported as we entered.
"Robin, check the station above us for info on the buyer. There's only one cultist there. " I instructed.
A bat-a-rang expertly took out the lone cultist, and Robin got to work. " Don't worry I'll back in a jiffy, their puny firewalls don't stand a chance before my god-like hacking skills. "
Meanwhile the rest of the team spread out, with Superboy, Kid Flash and Aqualad keeping watch over Bane and also incase someone tries and go back to the terminal where Robin was digging for information.
Megan and I decided to go invisible and went to take a closer look near the landing zone.
"It's a massive shipment," Megan remarked, observing the forklifts in action.
Robin's hurried voice suddenly started. "Guys, It's the Blockbuster formula from Cadmus! Kobra's new concoction, when perfected, is three times more potent than Venom. But, how in the world did Kobra manage to snatch Project Blockbuster?"
A moment later he continued. "The buyer is likely Kobra's supplier! They're leveraging the cult to concoct a Blockbuster-Venom super blend!"
Outside the factory, a helicopter executed a precise landing, revealing a brawny blond man exiting. His face concealed by a gray hockey mask, clad in lightweight body armor.
"And, I think I know who the buyer is because Sportsmaster just landed. " I said.
(Chapter End)
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