'Well, this couldn't have gone any worse,' I thought as I forced my smile to stay on, raising an eyebrow at Joker's words while every guy in the room was on me.
"Rae, I may have been compromised."
"How?"
"Joker's here and I'm like 99% sure the Light told him of me being here."
"That would be impossible. No one other than us two and Batman should know of us being here."
"I know. Therefore, I need you to speed up the mind reading while I try to save as much as I can."
"Will do."
"What's the clown talking about?", Icicle Sr. asked with a frown as he looked at me and I scoffed with a shrug as Joker snickered.
"I ain't got a clue what the hell the clown's talkin' about."
"'Course you do, Paragon or Tommy? Oh, are you still doing your undercover mission that Batsy gave ya? Right, you don't want our buddies hear to find out about you being a hero."
"Buddy, you've been sniffin' too much of that gas you like ta use. Last I checked, I ain't a hero and if I was Paragon, don't ya think I'd be halfway to Metropolis instead o' sittin' here with y'all?", I asked, with it seeming to work as some nodded in agreement at my words.
However, I hid my frown as Joker's grin didn't budge while Icicle Sr. still kept his frown aimed at me.
"Ohh~ Batsy trained you good. You remind me of the boy wonder, but I've been playing too much with Batsy to not know his tactics. How about this, Tommy? If you are who you say are, this wouldn't hurt then, right?", He asked as he reached into his uniform before I stifled my frown as he took out a capsule and opened it.
Immediately, the radiation of the kryptonite hit me like a truck, but I forced myself to stand still with my smirk even as I stared at the pill-sized rock hidden inside the capsule.
"Rae?"
"Thirty more seconds and I'll have everything we need," Ray answered, to which I forced my sigh back as I raised an eyebrow at the grinning Joker.
"Well, ain't that somethin'? You didn't tell me you liked carrying pebbles in your pocket, clown?", I asked with a raised eyebrow even as my skin itched, a few of the inmates looking amused at my words.
"Well, this special pebble just made you flinch for a bit, hero, but you managed to hide it before anyone could notice. Yeah, Batsy trained you good, farmboy."
"Farmboy? Ha! Naw, I'd eat dirt 'fore I touch a plow. Ain't that right, Icy?"
"I hear ya, man. I knew Joker had a few screw loose, but man, are you nuts in the head?"
"Hahahahah! Funny thing is, I ain't got no nuts or screws in here! It's nothing more than skinning babies and drowning puppies! Hihihihhi!", Joker spoke with a cackle as he tossed the kryptonite at me and I forced my body to catch it as the clown walked closer with a grin.
"How about this? You keep hold of that and the big Mammy over there gives you one good punch? If you dodge it or try to run away, then we know you're Paragon. If you take it, I'll be your bitch for our time here. Doesn't that just sound hilarious?"
"I ain't stupid enough to take that deal. The collar dampens my strength so it would be the same as lettin' myself get hit by a truck. Plus, I don't plan on wakin' up with my pockets turned out an' my shoes gone."
"Clever, but the thing is the way you caught it, ol' Tommy. You didn't wait until it was close. No, you knew where it was going to land as if you saw it moving in slow motion, which couldn't be possible because the collar dampened your powers, right?"
"That or I just know to catch rocks thrown in my face. Even you can figure that one out, clown," I spoke as I tossed the kryptonite up and down, forcing my body to stop itself from shaking.
"I'm done with Ice Sr. Now, I need to scan everyone else."
"Quicker, please."
"Then, let's make it fair then. Old Icy, you come over here and give the kid ya best swing? If his powers are dampened, he'll drop like a sack of potatoes. If he doesn't, well, hehehehe~ We'll figure that out. What do you say, Tommy? Eh?"
"Why not? I don't mind havin' a clown like you as my own for the next couple o' years," I answered as I placed the kryptonite in my mouth before turning my head to show the left side of my face.
"Come on, Icy Sr. I got a clown to beat the shit out after this," I spoke, Icicle Sr. narrowing his eyes before Mammoth lunged in past Icicle Sr. and swung his fist at me.
The blow came in faster than I could blink like a damn train, a sense of weightlessness coming over my body before I gagged as I slammed back first into the wall.
I couldn't hear anything other than my heart beating in my skull, spitting out the kryptonite into my left hand while pain flared in my chest with every breath.
"Chris! Are you okay?!", I heard Raven ask through the link, slowly standing up before hissing as a hand pressed on my chest when Icy tried to help me up.
"Shit! Those are broken."
"Thanks, Icy. I didn't notice my own ribs bein' broken," I groaned, but I ignored Icy's apology as I had more than my broken ribs to worry about.
"Chris?!"
"Just doing peachy, Rae. You know, other than getting hit by Mammoth at mach speeds."
"What?! Why the hell would you do that?! I had the information!"
"Because we still need Icicle Sr. to verbally admit to it. That way, Batman can say that we were here on official business instead of trespassing on government property should Amanda Waller find out."
"Still, we couldn't have just made him confess?"
"...Right, that was an option," I muttered with a sheepish mental smile as Icy helped me stand, gritting my teeth at the pain in my right hip and right collarbone.
Looks like a Kryptonian is still durable even if Kryptonite takes away most of our powers.
"Oooohahahahah! Well done, Tommy boy! What about double of nothing, eh Mammoth?!"
"Stand down," Icicle Sr. spoke up, Mammoth looking a bit disappointed even as he followed his command while Joker turned his grin to the older man.
"The kid took the hit and the collars worked. Now, fuck off."
"Heheheh~! Fine, but I want it back."
"I won, didn't I? I'll let ya go, but I'm keepin' the stone," I spoke with a grin as I put the kryptonite in my pocket, to which Joker just snickered as he turned and walked away.
"Jr., take the kid back to your cell and then come back."
"G-Got it, dad. Come on, man. That was pretty badass, you know?", Icicle Jr. began as the two of us walked away, with me groaning with every step as my right leg dragged behind us while my right arm hung loosely.
Well, I got about half my ribs broken, a shattered right collarbone and a dislocated right hip joint, but at least I know now that I can take a hit from a Mammoth that's holding back.
Now, I think it's time I truly focus on the stealth aspect of this job.
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My eyes opened as the lights shut off, the medical room an unusual sight to me as I reached for my pocket that I had left the kryptonite in.
'Empty. Most likely Waller or that Hugo Strange guy,' I thought as I sat up, taking a deep breath as I felt all pain on my body being gone thanks to it having healed itself while I was passed out.
"Rae?"
"Here. Killer Frost is asleep."
"Good. Want me to come get you before we go for Icicle Sr.?"
"If you can get here quickly."
"Give me five," I answered, standing up and reaching up to the collar.
Feeling electricity racing through my body, the power of it grew higher and higher the tighter I grabbed the collar before it fizzed out when I snapped it in half and threw it on the bed.
As I did, I walked to the wall in front of me and activated TTK, smiling as I tore a circle out that I could walk through before turning around and reattaching the circle back to the wall.
'Ah, being able to restructure everything with a touch is quite the good trick to have,' I thought as I floated down and over to the woman's section, making sure to stay out of sight and away from the large searchlights that was everywhere.
"Rae?"
"First floor behind you and three doors down on your right," She responded and I nodded, doing the same to the wall in front of me as I did to the one earlier before closing it back up behind me.
Floating in the shadows of the prison, I stopped in front of the aforementioned door before slicing the locks in half, opening the door to see her already waiting with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh, Rae, isn't she supposed to be asleep?", I whispered as I looked to Killer Frost in the back left corner, who was whispering to herself in a cradled position.
"She found out so I had to make sure she didn't say anything."
"...You know what? Sure. Anyway, you want us to go loud or stay quiet?"
"Quiet. I'd rather not have to do anymore work than needed," She answered, to which I nodded as we walked out before I sealed the door back up.
"Can we get rid of these stupid disguises?", She asked through our telepathic link, letting out a soft grumble as I shook my head while opening a hole to the rooftop.
"No. If Paragon and an associate are seen at a black-site prison, it could mean more trouble for the Justice League. Now, let's get this mission over and done with," I spoke as I flew over to the men's side, already having located Icicle Sr. by listening for his heartbeat.
Placing a hand on the roof, I tore a chunk out and let us through to see the man sleeping away peacefully. However, Raven didn't let him sleep for long as her black-white aura surrounded his body, the man's eyes widening to see the two of us floating over him with a smirk.
"Let's have a chat, shall we?"
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"And then we were supposed to break out, which is when Waller would have been forced to leave and Hugo Strange be put in charge."
"But that was part of the plan?"
"Yes. That way, the Light would have many villains to choose from for their different jobs while being able to stay out of the spotlight at the same time," The recording of Icicle Sr. ended as I looked at Batman, who looked as stoic as ever as he looked at me.
"Icicle Sr. is not one to just confess about their plans. How did you do it?"
"Rae manipulated his mind after I asked her to."
"That should not have been your first option."
"I had to eat kryptonite and get punched by Mammoth while unable to use both my Kryptonian abilities or meta-ability. Apologies if I didn't want to get hit again. Also, why the hell was Joker in Belle Reve? I thought that was the place for only super or enhanced people."
"No, Belle Reve is where they sent all the criminals who will never see the light of day again."
"And why didn't you just send Joker to Arkham like you usually would?"
"I did," He answered and I could hear the frown in his voice as I grimaced.
"Great, so the Light has shown us that they can switch prisoners between prisons as they please."
"Yes, and this also shows that Hugo Strange, a renowned psychiatrist, has been working closely with the Light. If he can manipulate the system to place the Joker in Belle Reve, he can place anyone anywhere."
"Well, with how many people the Light potentially have that are in high places, we're essentially just dealing with a network that can bypass federal prisons. Nothing big," I muttered sarcastically, watching as Batman just nodded at my words.
"Exactly. That is also why your improvisation worked. It was a good idea to take the pain, but next time, do not push your limits to the point that you pass out on the mission. That is the one thing you need to make sure never happens."
"Don't worry. My injuries taught me that getting hit by anything super while I'm just a regular guy is more than enough."
"Was there even a reason for you to get hit? You could have simply compromised the mission and I would have gotten the information anyway," Raven spoke and I shrugged as I placed my hands in my pockets.
"I wanted to see how strongly kryptonite affected my abilities. It didn't weaken the natural durability of my body, but everything else was gone and that showed me more than any bit of training could."
"Speaking of training, the Team have been training extensively in in espionage recently so I'll have them keep a close eye on the prison for now."
"The Team? Oh, the Titans. Why can't you just call them the Titans or the Teen Titans?"
"Because a covert unit has no need for a nickname to make them more recognisable than they already are," he responded in a flat tone as he walked away, making me roll my eyes as I looked to Raven who spoke up.
"Is that usually how a mission goes with you?"
"Oh, you mean getting my ass handed to me and then spontaneously coming up with a genius plan to win at the end of the day? Yeah, pretty much," I nodded, the girl looking at me before she shook her head and walked away.
"Hey, Rae. You want to hang out for the time being?"
"No, go and bother someone else."
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Recognized. Paragon, J-17.
"Chris!", I blinked at the blur that hugged me tightly, a chuckle escaping my lips as I reached around and patted Wally's back.
"Hey, Wal. Also, Justice League members do not need a card to use the Boom Tubes."
"Damnit," I smirked at his silent grumbles as he let go of the hug, looking at the rest of the group who walked up to me with smiles.
'Oh, and I guess Zatanna and Rocket fully joined,' I thought as I watched the two teens in question standing beside M'gann, who was looking at me with a stoic face.
'Uh, what happened with her?'
"Hey, you're back," Turning my head, I was once again caught off guard by Artemis giving me a quick peck on the lips, walking away in the same moment with a giggle as I finally caught up and sighed.
"Arty, could you stop doing that?"
"No~ Besides, you haven't told me if you like me or not?"
"I'm 22 and you're 14 to 16 years old at most. I'm legally not allowed to go out with you."
"I won't tell if you don't."
"...Can someone please talk some sense into her?", I asked and was met with a wave of head shakes as Kaldur smiled.
"Unfortunately, it appears that you are on your own here, Chris."
"Great."
"Brother!"
"Brother!", However, my mood was quickly turned back to joy as I saw Match racing towards me, a shockwave rippling from our hug as I laughed.
"It's good to see you again, Match."
"Good to see you too, brother. How have you been?"
"A bit tired, a bit spoiled, but overall, just fine. What about you? I see your speech has developed quite nicely."
"Yeah, M'gann has been helping me study late at night when everyone was asleep."
"Oh, she has, has she? Well, then I'll have to thank her for it."
"Don't mention it," I was a bit taken aback at the quick response as she turned and walked away, looking at everyone else who sighed before Dick answered.
"She's still pissed at you for leaving us."
"...I didn't leave you guys, though?"
"We know, but she needs a target for her anger and since she doesn't want to aim it at us or the Justice League..."
"I'm the target of it."
"Both you and Raven, yes."
"Why Rae?", I asked and blinked as the ground rumbled while everyone glanced nervously at the Martian sitting peacefully with a cup of tea.
"That's why."
"...Jealousy, then. Right, got it," I muttered, wondering just when I was thrown into a rom-com scene before shaking my head as I walked up to her.
You know what? Enough of me being a bitch.
"M'gann, I'm going to be blunt. Do you like me?"
"...Yes."
"Right, that's a bit of a conundrum. I do like you somewhat, but at the same time, I don't think you actually like me. Instead, you like me because I look like Connor Manley from Hello Megan!, don't you?"
"...Maybe."
"M'gann, yes or no?"
"Fine, yes," she answered with a frown, to which I smiled as I leaned down before capturing her lips in a soft kiss. Ignoring the surprised gasps behind me, her soft moans made me groan before I forced myself to calm down when I pulled back and she whimpered.
"And?"
"It's good."
"But?"
"...It's not as good as I was expecting," She spoke with a sigh and I nodded as I stood up straight once more.
"Before anything can happen between us two or any boyfriend that you choose, I think you first need to get rid of the fantasy in your head. Once you do, we can have this discussion again, okay?"
"Okay. Chris?"
"Yeah?", I asked, watching as she stood up before she smiled and hugged me.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure," I answered as I hugged her back, the two of us standing like that for a while before she nodded and took a step back.
"Okay, sorry about that, everyone."
"Oh, don't feel sorry. I was enjoying the sight."
"Rocket~", Zatanna groaned and I chuckled as I saw Rocket giggling before I looked to Kaldur who just gave an exasperated look.
"It's only been a few minutes."
"I know, bud. Anyway, I came down to hang out so...what's there to do here?"
A/N: We end the mission on somewhat of a high note, talk about the aftermath and hang out a bit with the Team.
Next chapter, though, we're going to have some world-wide chaos again.
Anyway, check out my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories that may peak your interest. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!