Set Up For Failure Part 2
“Don’t hurt her, please.”
“That’s a good boy. I’ll be coming to get the two of you shortly.”
Conner looks down, trying to see if there’s a way out of the restraints without brute force. It’s a classic lock and key, but he doesn’t have anything to attempt lock picking. Not that he’s very good at that since Robin keeps getting frustrated every time he tries to teach him. He hears the door open, so he looks that way.
It isn’t Luthor though. It’s a human sized robot.
“This is my insurance that you won’t try to escape,” Luthor’s voice says.
The robot walks towards Conner and he tenses up.
“Try your best. My team’s coming.”
“If they can get past the cops, then the robot will stop them. Go ahead.”
The robot starts repeatedly punching Conner. Mostly punches to his shoulders and chest, but a couple to his head. This keeps going on for a while.
“Alright, I’m almost there. Go ahead and take your leave.”
The robot gets up, then hits Conner hard on the head again. Conner’s vision blurs and he passes out as the robot leaves the room.
Speedy watches Wally and Robin speed through the side door of the precinct, then sits on the edge of the roof. His and Artemis’ job right now is backup and lookout.
I’m glad that I had a spare comm on me for Robin. Makes life a lot easier.
“So Speedy,” Artemis says. “Do you know if the adults are coming to assist?”
“I know Batman’s on his way, but Zeta Tubes are down in this area so I don’t think we’re getting any other assistance,” Speedy answers, keeping his eyes on the door. “But what is it you actually want to ask? You’re fishing for a start to a conversation.”
“How would you know that?” She sounds defensive.
“Because we don’t talk unless you want something.”
“Maybe I’m trying to change that.”
Speedy glances at Artemis, then returns his gaze to the door. “It’s Wally, isn’t it?”
“Not what I said. I know he wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeah. You’re his friend, and I want us to be friendly.”
“Huh, okay. Consider it done. We can be friendly and not be friends.”
The two sit in silence after that. After a while, a car pulls up. Luthor gets out of the car and it drives away. He walks into the police station.
“What do we do?” Artemis asks. “He could jeopardize the whole rescue mission.”
Speedy thinks for a moment.
“Do you know where the Bio-Ship is?” Speedy asks.
“Yes, I do,” Artemis answers.
“I want you to go find the Bio-Ship and contact Batman. Tell him that Luthor’s here and this is a bigger situation than we originally thought this was.”
“He’ll be fine. We’re a team right now, which means trusting your teammates to get their part of the job done. Go .”
Artemis nods, then runs towards the edge of the city.
Speedy stands up. “Hey, Robin?”
“Artemis is heading for the Bio-Ship. Luthor just entered the building.”
Robin hisses. “Breaking in to get my gear was a piece of cake, but this bunker is taking forever. It makes sense that Luthor’s involved considering how much effort I’m having to put in. Can you stall him?”
Speedy shifts slightly. “Yeah, I’m going in.”
He starts putting his gear away.
Kaldur leaves the station and waits for the others to come out. It’s been almost ten minutes and not another person. He decides to go in and see if his teammates are being difficult. He gets to the door before he gets grabbed and pulled back. He sees one of the raiders before they shock him with enough voltage to knock him out. He wakes up in the building they were camped out in right outside of town and he’s strapped to a metal table.
“You’ll pay for ruining our operations,” one of them says in a heavy British accent.
There are seven of them, but the British one is the only one unmasked. They start electrocuting him. Once they’ve almost caused him to pass out, they unstrap him and start beating on him. Seven people taking their frustrations out on Kaldur. He passes out and when he wakes up, he’s strapped back onto the table.
He sees Batman outside of the window a second before the event starts. The whole event takes place in slow motion. Batman bursts through the window and takes out the raiders. Kaldur’s vision blurs and he tries to blink it away. Batman unties Kaldur and he falls forward right into Batman. Pain flashes through Kaldur, causing him to pass out.
Speedy throws the door of the police station open. “Please, sir. Come quick, there’s some really fast guy running around taking out cops outside.”
The cop runs outside and Luthor turns.
“Red Arrow,” Luthor greets him.
“Really, Luthor? Taking advantage of people? I thought you were over that,” Speedy replies.
“Very bold for someone who was made in a test tube.”
“What brings you out here, Red Arrow? There’s no way you came just for fun.”
“Yeah, here is a super fun place to be.”
“I picked a very good place, don’t you think? A place that was more than willing to help me. A small price and the promise of getting rid of a few heroes and they’ll do anything I ask. Shame the mayor had to die. He was something else. He made me look rosy with the way he talked about you guys.”
“Hey, Speedy. I linked you up too because we’re coming up. We’re camouflaged, but you’ll need to get the doors open,” M’gann says.
Speedy slides a rock with his foot to prop the first door while Luthor keeps talking about his master plan that Speedy is definitely not listening to. Something about Conner killing someone or something.
“It only cost two million, what a bargain.”
That is such a rich bitch thing to say.
Speedy hears Robin’s laugh in his head, then remembers that he’s hooked up to the mental link.
Sorry, kid friendly. I’ll stop that.
“Nah, don’t stop. It’s hilarious,” Robin says.
“Are you listening or just nodding along?” Luthor asks. “Because if you’re done listening, we can get to the part where you leave.”
I’ve been nodding along? I’ve been spending too much time with Oliver lately if I subconsciously started nodding along because I wasn’t listening.
More laughter, but Wally and Robin this time.
“Nah, I’m listening. Using Conner to kill people.”
“Who’s Oliver?” M’gann asks.
“That would be Speedy’s paternal figure,” Wally answers. “Well, kinda.”
Do you guys need both doors open?
“Yeah, Conner’s out cold. Luthor did something to him, but that’s to be figured out later,” Robin answers. “Unless you can get away from the door without Luthor being suspicious.”
“Mercy, whenever you’re ready.”
Speedy glances behind him and Mercy’s holding a very big gun or a missile launcher. Hard to tell which from the distance. Speedy runs and tackles Luthor behind a desk as gunfire starts.
“What do you mean ‘it was a gun’?” Robin asks.
Nothing, don’t stress. Get out of here the back way, now.
Speedy pulls an arrow out and jams it through Luthor’s suit into the desk next to him. He gets up and pulls out his bow. He tucks himself into the corner by the door as the gunfire gets closer. It ceases for a moment, and Speedy pops out and shoots Mercy with an arrow full of foam, so it immediately encases her in a thick, red foam.
Robin watches Wally get into the evidence room and grab everyone’s gear. He comes back out with a backpack and hands Robin his gear.
They head down to the basement, making sure to avoid being detected. Robin starts hacking the electric lock and Wally starts tapping his foot.
“My system isn’t working, so I’m gonna have to do it by hand.”
He starts typing on his wrist computer. He spends a little while trying to crack it, unsuccessfully.
“We’re not telling Batman about how long this is taking me.”
“Hey, Robin?” Speedy asks.
“Yeah?” Robin answers, slitting his eyes as the code seems to be changing itself.
“Artemis is heading for the Bio-Ship. Luthor just entered the building.”
Robin hisses. “Breaking in to get my gear was a piece of cake, but this bunker is taking forever. It makes sense that Luthor’s involved considering how much effort I’m having to put in. Can you stall him?”
A pause and Robin already regrets asking him to do it.
“Be safe, Speedy,” Robin mutters.
“Speedy’ll be fine,” Wally says.
Wally clicks his tongue. “Still, he’ll be fine. We worked on this.”
Robin nods. “I trust him, I just worry. Let’s drop this, I need to focus.”
It takes another couple minutes to crack it. Robin kicks the door open and M’gann yelps, clearly not fully awake.
Wally runs over and vibrates the collar until it breaks and falls off. He runs over to Conner and does the same. Robin checks on M’gann while Wally tries to wake Conner up.
“He’s not waking up. He’s also bloody and bruised.”
“We’ll get him out. You strong enough to walk and camouflage us?” Robin asks.
M’gann nods. “Just not for very long.”
“Connect us here in the building and let’s get going.”
“Hey, Speedy. I linked you up too because we’re coming up. We’re camouflaged, but you’ll need to get the doors open,” M’gann says.
Wally and Robin get Conner up and Robin nearly falls.
“Woah, easy there, buddy,” Wally says. “Shift the weight some.”
“I’m fine, just wasn’t prepared.”
“ That is such a rich bitch thing to say,” Speedy says.
“ Sorry, kid friendly. I’ll stop that,” Speedy says.
Nah, don’t stop. It’s hilarious.
Robin shifts his weight to better hold Conner’s.
“ I’ve been nodding along?” Speedy asks. “I’ve been spending too much time with Oliver lately if I subconsciously started nodding along because I wasn’t listening.”
Robin starts laughing again, but Wally joins in this time. Robin and Wally start carrying Conner out.
“Who’s Oliver?” M’gann asks.
“That would be Speedy’s paternal figure,” Wally answers. “Well, kinda.”
“Do you guys need both doors open?” Speedy asks.
Yeah, Conner’s out cold. Luthor did something to him, but that’s to be figured out later. Unless you can get away from the door without Luthor being suspicious.
M’gann has a hold of the back of Conner’s shirt so the four of them are invisible. They’re walking up the stairs.
“ So it was a gun,” Speedy says.
What do you mean ‘it was a gun’?
“Nothing, don’t stress. Get out of here the back way, now.”
Robin hears gunfire, but does his best to ignore it. Speedy can take care of himself. The four of them head to the back and once they’re out, M’gann lets go and they all stop being camouflaged.
“Here, let me take over for you,” Speedy offers.
Speedy takes Conner’s weight and Robin rotates his shoulder. Several police officers come with their guns raised.
“Stay where you are!” one shouts. “No funny business!”
“There’s nothing funny about this,” Robin says.
A smoke pellet falls on the ground between the two parties. A shot goes off but when the smoke clears, Batman’s standing between the two parties with a gun on the ground in front of him. One of the other officers is disarmed and when the cops see Batman, they put their guns down.
After getting the situation explained to him from Speedy’s conversation with Luthor and the cops, Batman deals with the cops and gets their things back.
“We need to find Aqualad,” Robin says. “He wasn’t there with Superboy and Miss Martian.”
“He’s at the Bio-Ship with Artemis,” Batman replies. “You all need to get back to the Cave. Superboy and Aqualad need medical attention.”
Nods all around and Robin gives one backwards glance at Batman. Gives him a thumbs up and his frown lessens, making Robin smile. They get everyone on the Bio-Ship and give Conner and Kaldur the medical attention they can give them with what they have. Conner wakes up on the trip back to the Cave.
“Where’s M’gann?” Conner asks, his words slurring together.
“I’m right here, Conner,” M’gann says. “No need to worry.”
M’gann hums in agreement.
Conner nods, then closes his eyes again. When they get back, everyone files out of the Bio-Ship. Superman and Green Arrow are waiting. They walk towards the infirmary to assist the others.
“Batman not back yet?” Robin asks.
The Batjet lands, so he turns his attention that way. Batman gets out.
“They’ve already taken Superboy and Aqualad to the infirmary, right?” Batman asks.
Robin nods. “Yeah, M’gann went that way with her floating boyfriend while Wally and Speedy were helping Kaldur walk there.”
Batman nods. “Are you alright?”
Robin nods. “Wally got shot earlier, but we handled it as well as we could.”
“That’s good. If everyone else is being taken care of, we’re going back to Gotham.”
Robin nods. “Yeah, I could use a break.”
After Robin says bye to Wally and Speedy, he and Batman head to the Batcave.
