21 Meeting the Team (Pt. 2)

We arrived at the scene, and I quickly scanned the area, my mind racing to assess the situation before me. Two scientists were trapped on the roof, and the heat was intensifying by the second.

"Stay calm, we will get you out!" The firefighter below yelled through his megaphone, trying to reassure the trapped scientists.

Flames raged around the building, their orange tongues reaching out hungrily as if they were alive. The air was thick with smoke, making it hard to see. Without hesitation, I sprang into action. With a burst of superhuman strength, I dashed towards the burning building, my heart racing with adrenaline.

Just as I was about to leap towards the rooftop, Kid Flash appeared out of nowhere, a blur of red and yellow. I briefly locked eyes with him, before he raced up to the rooftop to save the scientists. However, the speedster couldn't hold on and started to fall. Without a moment's hesitation, I changed course, abandoning my original plan to focus on rescuing Kid Flash.

With a mighty leap, I caught the falling hero just in time. I successfully managed to catch him with one arm and used the other to grab onto the second floor's window ledge and swung us inside.

Aqualad seeing we were okay but the scientist still in grave danger, sprang into action, and rushed over to the two men operating the hose from behind the truck. He alerted them before they even saw him, " I need to borrow that."

He then commandeered the water hose from the firefighters and used his Water-bearers to manipulate the water, creating a rising platform of water that lifted him up towards the rooftop. His tattoos glowed with power as he summoned his abilities, and he instructed the two scientists to board the makeshift platform.

They acted without thinking, but they stumbled until they sat down together. He then directed the water the remainder of the way down after stepping onto the windowsill that the other two used to enter, ensuring the security of both scientists.

I sighed in relief but turned to shoot Kid Flash an annoyed look. He gave me a sheepish grin, " Sorry about that. I thought I had built up enough speed to reach them, but it seems it wasn't enough."

" You realize even if you had reached them, you would have inevitably had to slow down when you grabbed them, not to mention the added weight you would have to carry. Next time, think before you act. " I said.

He seemed a bit subdued by my reprimand but quickly bounced back when the rest of the team arrived. Robin made fun of Kid Flash's epic fail, while Aqualad just gave me a nod of appreciation. We all decided to split up, and begin our search for anything suspicious, Kid Flash and Aqualad quickly got to work going through file cabinets while Robin hacked into the computer.

I decided to explore the building and see if I could find anything that could help us.

As I walked down the hallway, my eyes darted around, scanning for any potential threats. The silence was almost deafening, and the dim lights that flickered above only added to the ominous atmosphere.

Suddenly, movement caught my eye at the end of the hallway, and I squinted to get a better look.

There it was, the elevator door, and just as it was about to close, I saw a glimpse of something.

A blue-skinned humanoid creature, with an ivory horn protruding from its head, was standing inside the elevator.

I could feel my pulse quicken as I realized that this could be our first lead to finding Superboy.

Without hesitation, I sprinted towards the elevator, but it was already gone by the time I got there. I cursed under my breath, frustrated at the missed opportunity.

The clang of the elevator doors closing drew the attention of the rest of my teammates. Bringing them right behind me.

I was sure the thing I saw was a Genomorph, and he clearly wanted us to notice him, but since I couldn't tell my teammates that, I instead said, "I saw something in the elevator." 

"Elevators should be locked down," Kid Flash said, standing straight. But Robin wasted no time in getting to work, pulling up a HoloScreen on his gauntlet to analyze the elevator, using some kind of high-tech gizmo to access the building's system.

A few seconds later, "This is wrong," he declared.

"This is a high-speed express elevator. It doesn't belong in a two-story building." He continued.

" Well one way to make sure," I said, before walking to the elevator doors.

My eyes briefly shone as I activated the talisman's power, and a faint outline of the Ox's talisman could be seen in my eyes if you looked closely enough.

It didn't take much effort to force the doors open, revealing a seemingly endless elevator shaft. Robin quickly shot his grappling hook into the top of the column, and I slid down using the elevator's cables.

As we descended into the hidden sub-levels of Project Cadmus, the air grew heavier and thicker, as if the very atmosphere was trying to keep us out.

I could feel a sense of unease spreading through the team, but we pressed on, determined to uncover the truth.

The elevator doors opened with a loud creak, and we stepped out into a dimly lit corridor. Robin wasted no time in trying to hack into the Cadmus lab's system, but Kid Flash was already off and running, eager to explore this mysterious underground facility.

We heard the sound of heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway, and Kid Flash skidded to a halt just in time to avoid colliding with a massive creature.

The beast was easily three or four times the size of a man, with rippling muscles and a thick grey hide that looked as tough as steel. Its smaller companion, a snarling, horned creature, hissed at us, its eyes glowing red. 

I braced myself for a fight, but Aqualad stepped forward, his Water-bearers at the ready. "Stand down," he said, his voice calm and commanding. "We're not here to harm you."

The creatures hesitated for a moment, then backed away, disappearing down a side corridor. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, while Kid Flash turned to Robin.

"What the hell is going on down here?"

Robin shook his head, his expression grim. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's not good." 

We continued down the dimly lit hallway, the only sound our footsteps echoing against the concrete walls. The air was heavy with an eerie silence, broken only by the distant hum of machinery. I couldn't help but feel on edge, like we were being watched from every shadow and corner we passed.

As we turned a corner, we came face-to-face with a scientist. He looked bewildered, and I could see the fear in his eyes when he saw us.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"We're here to investigate," Aqualad said, stepping forward. "What's going on down here?"

The scientists hesitated for a moment, but then spoke up. "It's the experiments," he said, his voice shaking. " Doctor Des…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a small creature, one of the same we had seen earlier, appeared out of nowhere and jumped on the scientist's shoulder. It's glowing red eyes seemed to stare into his soul, and the scientist's face went slack.

"I need to get back to work," he announced in a monotone voice, and turned to walk away without another word.

His words echoed through the empty corridors, adding to the sense of foreboding that hung heavy in the air. 

Kid Flash's voice broke the silence that followed. "Guys, I don't know about you, but that was creepy as hell."

"If I end up as a mind controlled goon, you guys are totally on my 'blame list.' " I declared. 

Kid Flash shot me a weirded out look, " You have a list?"

I shrugged, " Who doesn't? I bet Batman has one." 

Robin nodded his head as if what I said made all the sense in the world and said. " Batman has a list for everything. "

' Yep, we're screwed ' 

(Chapter End)

---------------------------------------------------------

For 8+ advanced chapters of Zodiac (DC)

Check out my pat-reon/AnubisCreationz