Chapter 77: Clues

Sitting in his living room in front of a holographic screen, Sora pondered about the pile of things he needed to do. The list was truly starting to get big which meant he needed to get started on doing them.

He was currently waiting for two particular people to show up and his patience was wearing out. On another note, his business with Atlantis was booming and he was raking even more profit than he thought with Aquaman ordering a large quantity of it.

'Should I try a teigu or a sacred gear?' He pondered to take his mind of the time that was being wasted. With so many things going on, he had taken to crafting to relieve himself of most of the stress. Zatanna suggested that he get a hobby and that was what he did. Though, most people's hobbies don't include creating powerful weapons that could cause chaos if put in the wrong hands.

While deep in thought, the door opened as two individuals walked in, gaining his attention as a small frown emerged on his face.

"When I said take your time, I didn't think you'd take it literally." Sora said as he recognized the two faces.

"I apologize. June had some things to take care of that couldn't be delayed. We managed to finish them up as soon as possible." Tai said from beside June whose face solemnly stared at the floor.

With a narrowed gaze, Sora made a mental note of that before speaking.

"We'll talk about that later. Right now I have a mission for you." He started as June's head shot up.

"Are you familiar with the name Cadmus?" He asked.

"A genetics research laboratory in Washington, D.C. That's about the only information anyone could gather from anywhere." June said, speaking up for the first time since she entered the room.

That was the problem. That was all people knew about it but Sora knew more…much more.

"Your mission is to infiltrate Cadmus and find out everything you can. Projects, Resources, Staff…everything. Leave no stone unturned." He explained as she nodded.

"Will I be going alone?" She asked, causing him to raise a brow.

"That depends on you." He answered, leaving the choice to her. After a moment of consideration, she decided to go alone.

"I know you're proficient in stealth but we can't be too cautious. Take this." He said, tossing a ring to her which she deftly caught.

[Item: Ring of Mischief]

[Durability: 100%]

[Type: Magic Item]

[A magical ring that aids it's user in fakery of high magnitude. It allows the user to change their appearance as often as they wish.]

"The ring of mischief, it will aid you in this mission." He said before explaining its usage to her. This was one of the many items he had crafted in his spare time.

"Anything else?" June asked as Sora nodded.

"Yes. While you're inside, you'll need to find a computer or terminal connected to their network and connect this thumb drive to it. Since Cadmus' systems are off the grid, I can't access them remotely." He explained further.

"Finally, you are not to act on your own without permission." He finished, June nodding her head with a determined look on her face.

"Now, let's talk about what delayed you."

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Clark walked through the doorway of the Wayne Manor as Alfred shut the door behind him. He had come all the way from Metropolis this evening for an important talk with Bruce.

"It's good to see you Alfred." Clark greeted politely as he took off his coat. He was still dressed in his civilian persona.

"Likewise. Master Bruce is in the cave as usual. Tell him I made dinner." Alfred said in a tone that bordered exasperation as he walked away.

Clark let out a chuckle of amusement at that. If there was anybody who could handle Batman like a pouting child, it was Alfred.

Knowing the way already, he opened the hidden stairs behind the grandfather clock and went down towards the batcave. His ears could already pick out the sound of a clicking keyboard.

In record time, he was floating in the middle of the batcave, behind Bruce who was silently typing on his computer despite knowing that he had a visitor behind him.

"Not even a hello?" Clark asked in a joking manner to which the dark knight didn't respond.

"Bruce, we need to talk." He said after a moment of silence to which the brooding man stopped typing, turning his chair to face him as his eyes narrowed.

"What could be so important that you barge in like this?" Bruce asked, a bit irritated.

"What's going on with you Bruce? You've been on edge for a while now and it's not because of Brainiac." He said, making Bruce's eyes narrow.

"When we went to see that kid, you were even more worked up than usual. When Hawkman attacked him, your heartbeat spiked even more."

"Since when were you the detective?" Bruce shot out to Clark's chagrin.

"That's your job. A job you're too absentminded to continue. What is it about that boy that gets you so worked up?" Clark asked as Bruce turned back to the computer silently, ignoring the question.

"I didn't want to push but it's getting a bit out of hand. There are a few more criminals in Gotham hospital lately…" Clark said with a tired sigh as Bruce didn't respond.

"You know, Diana wanted to be here. She's worried but she allowed me to go ahead. You either talk to me or you talk to her when she barges in here as well. That lasso can be very….compelling." The man of steel shivered at the last sentence.

Still there was no response from the dark knight but his fingers had stopped moving along the keyboard.

"Bruce, what is it?" Clark asked gently as Bruce finally turned to him.

"That boy…" He started hesitantly before continuing.

"He's my son."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure this is it?" Sora asked Zatanna as they stood on the roof of the building in front of what looked like a rundown apartment.

"It has to be. I tracked down the source of the magic to this place." She said as they examined it from their vantage point, Sora raising a brow as he spread his perception.

They were currently in Bludhaven, an unassuming city that while it wasn't as bad as Gotham, it had its fair share of criminals. Knowing the threat of his future adversaries, Trigon and Aamon, he had Zatanna and a few of his agents keep an eye out for odd magical activity over the years.

Silently jumping/floating, they made their way to the roof of the building. Sora felt only a few people on the top floor but the numbers increased as he felt further.

"Let's get this done quickly. Keep them alive, we'll decide what to do with them after we find out what they're doing." Sora briefed, Zatanna silently nodding.

Walking off the ledge and sticking to the wall, he hung over the window, knocking on the window gently. Less than a minute later, a man opens the window in confusion. Looking around, the man's eyes caught red ones as he went stiff.

Before he could process what was happening, a fist was sent towards his face, knocking him out in one hit. Kicking the man back inside, Sora slid into the room, not making a sound as Zatanna followed suit.

Looking at the unconscious man on the floor, Sora had an idea, turning to Zatanna with a thoughtful look.

"Head down and take care of the grunts waiting for us. I'll see what I can get from this one." He said as he forcefully opened the man's eyes, he sharingan making contact with the man's own as he dug into his mind.