SpeedBlade:
I roll around and around, trying to get some sleep but I can't. As I stare at the ceiling, I think back to a few nights ago.
"Time has changed," my brother said, "But some things do stay the same."
"I still can't believe it," I think, "I saw my brother. My actual brother. I still don't get it. I haven't seen my brother in nearly two years, and then, out of nowhere, he appeared right before me. How? And where did my brother goes afterward?"
Shortly after the police officers arrested Heavy Metal and left, I run back to the courtyard and searched for my brother. I run around the whole place, looking for him, but I can't find him anywhere. Most likely, I would have spent the whole night looking for him if the others had not come and gotten me.
I push myself up and sit.
"Could I have been seeing things? No, that can't be right. My brother gave me JumpStart's batons. He handed them to me. He couldn't have been a fake. But still. If he was real, if my brother wasn't just my mind playing a trick on me, then where did he go? Where could he have gone? What if he's in trouble? It took me months before I learned how to properly live here, and that's only because my friends help me. My brother is alone. What can I do to help him? Assuming my brother was really here, and not my mind playing tricks?"
QuickShot:
"Hey," Ms. Justice says, standing at the arch leading to my bedroom.
"Hello Ms. Jusitce," I say, turning to her and nodding my head. I put my screwdriver and arrow down. "What's going on?"
"You can't hear that," Ms. Justice asks, pointing. "Seriously?"
"I can hear it just fine," I answer, getting up from my chair and walking over to Ms. Justice. As I approach her, she turns and looks over at SpeedBlade's room. I join her. Together, we listen as SpeedBlade talks to himself. I can't hear exactly what SpeedBlade is saying, but judging from the tone, it doesn't sound like sweet dreams.
"Should we do something," Justice asks. "I mean, maybe one of us should go and talk with him?"
"I don't know about that. To be honest, I think we should leave SpeedBlade."
"What are you talking about? How can you say that?"
"I know it sounds harsh Justice, I really do, but I think if SpeedBlade wanted our help, or at the very least, wanted one of us to talk with, he would ask."
"I guess after all these years," Justice says, "You still don't know any of us."
Justice leaves me, and for some reason, I feel a little hurt.
"You still don't know any of us," I repeat, watching as Justice heads for SpeedBlade's room. "Wait, what?"
I chase after Justice. About to grab her hand, she enters SpeedBlade's room and I stop.
Ms. Justice:
"Knock-knock," I say, knocking on the archway of SpeedBlade's room.
As I enter the room, I see SpeedBlade sitting up, his head is on his hands. This is strange considering that normally, SpeedBlade is sleeping. I think as a part of his super speed, Speed had to sleep a lot. During one of our slower days, SpeedBlade slept for 18 hours straight.
"Hey Speed," I start, "How are you doing? Is everything okay?"
Speed takes a while before he answers with a sigh.
"I'm fine," he says, shaking his head. "Just, having some trouble sleeping."
SpeedBlade falls down and throws his blanket over himself. He tries to get comfortable, but the fact that he tossing and turning tells me more than enough.
"Is everything okay," I ask again.
"Everything is fine," SpeedBlade replies, looking away. "Please leave. I'm trying to sleep."
"Here's an idea. A warm cup of milk. Do you want me to get one for you?"
"I am okay," SpeedBlade says, "Really. I just want to get some sleep, and I think I'll sleep a little better if you weren't here."
He points toward the exit.
"SpeedBlade, I'm not as straightforward as you, but let me give it a try. Speed, ever since our fight with Heavy-Metal, you've been acting weird. And, do remember, one of our friends is a wood elf with expert computer skills. What's bothering you?"
"Nothing is bothering me," Speed replies. "Well, almost nothing. Listen."
SpeedBlade pulls himself up and turns to face me.
"It's nothing I want to talk with you or any of the others about. I know how that sound, but this is something that only concerns me. Not the rest of you guys. This is my problem."
"We're a team," I say. "No, we're a little more than just a team. We're family and as a family--"
"Hold on," SpeedBlade says, interrupting and putting up his hand. "I don't know if I would consider us a family. I mean, none of us are really related to one another."
"Being a family isn't only about related," I say, "Or at least, to me, it isn't. It's whether or not we'll be there for one another, and right now, I'm trying to be here for you."
"I rather you not be here for you," SpeedBlade says before turning away and covering himself again.
"SpeedBlade, come on."
This time, SpeedBlade doesn't say anything. Instead, he snores the fakest snores I have ever heard. His fake snore is so loud his helmet shakes.
"Fine," I say, getting up. "Sorry for bothering your sleep."
About to walk out, QuickShot appears in front of me.
"Yeah, yeah," I say, "Don't rub it in."
"No," QuickShot says, "I'm not here for that. Also, that's not me."
She enters SpeedBlade's room and shakes him awake.
"Come on," she orders, waving her arms. "JumpStart found something and he wants all of us to see."
"Why not," SpeedBlade says, throwing his blanket and getting up. "It doesn't seem like I'm getting any sleep."
JumpStart:
"Okay," I say once I see the other standing before me. "It took a while, and a lot of work, but I've finally done it. Do you remember the prison break-in at IronWall?"
"With Unstoppable and Lighting Storm," Ms. Justice asks, rubbing her arm. "Yeah. I think we all remember them."
"Well, you told me that apparently, when Unstoppable disappeared, he disappeared with some sort of small jail. A special kind of jail."
"A containment cell," QuickShot says. "They're used to hold villains with special and dangerous powers."
"Oh, you're right about that," I say, turning around to enter a few commands. Once finished, I step aside. "It took a lot of fake papers, but I learned who was in that jail."
"Who was it," SpeedBlade asks.
Silent:
"Dr. Kolohe Cho," I say, reviewing her files on the monitors on my wall. "A brilliant engineer, focusing mostly on robotics."
I push buttons on my wrist and some pictures come up. They show Dr. Kolohe Cho's achievements. There are dozens of pictures of her building and designing robotic parts side by side with her hundreds of awards in the field.
"Such a gifted person," I think while reading her file. "But with one flaw."
I bring up her criminal record.
SpeedBlade:
"She can control machines," Ms. Justice repeats after JumpStart.
"According to the files I've found," JumpStart says, "Yes. She somehow learned how to control machines and used them to try and destroy the people she worked with."
Looking up, I see pictures of machines attacking people. The people are running away, but a giant metal hand managed to grab someone.
"Why did she attack her co-workers," Justice asks.
"It's because, apparently, they wanted to destroy the machines she was working on."
The pictures disappear and switch to a picture of the doctor. She had pale skin and long black hair. Besides the picture, there seems to be a diary of what happened.
"When Dr. Kolohe Cho was arrested and asked why she did what she did, she replied by saying her 'pathetic humans co-workers try to end the life of her machine. Her only friends and she wasn't going to allow it'. They tried to put her in a normal jail, but she used her power to escape and it was months before they found her again."
"Hence, why she was put in a containment cell," QuickShot finishes, and JumpStart nods his head.
"So this doctor can control machines," I say, "Right?"
"Yeah," JumpStart answers.
"A doctor who can control machines, a recipe for some sort of metal, and things used to build machines? What does all of that mean?"