Kara watched as Batman approached Roy's cryo pod with sure steps, her x-ray vision going over his body on instinct. He was actually already wearing a lead mask, plus his utility belt had several lead pouches, but his armor was mostly made from different materials.
She could also see he had a recently broken rib and a cracked bone in his leg, she was impressed, the guy wasn't even limping. "Wow, did you make a lead mask in just 15 minutes?"
"I had it prepared as soon as I found out someone managed to clone Superman." He grunted back and stopped in front of the pod.
For quite a few minutes he just stared at the boy frozen inside without moving a muscle, even his breath was calm making Kara think he was doing some kind of mental exercise to keep his anger in check. Finally, he asked. "How long until it's safe to release him?"
"It'll take a day or two, but I was planning on moving the pod to a safer place before I started," she told him and handed the man the tablet with Roy's medical information. "I'll also be moving Match's pod before releasing him."
"The second clone?" Batman asked, but it didn't wait for her answer. "Good, we're gonna have to call Green Arrow and hunt down the copy soon."
"About that…" Kara started to talk, but almost swallowed her tongue when Batman's burning gaze turned her way. Damn, the man was intimidating, and he didn't even turn his head. "The current Roy has no idea he's working for your enemies."
"That is obvious," the Bat said and turned his gaze back to Roy. "As much as the League messed up here, the boy couldn't fool us for two years if he was aware of what he was doing, is it drugs or telepathy?"
"The later," hmm, it seems Batman could be sharp when he was focused on things.
"You know who's responsible?"
"Beside's Luthor you mean? I have some idea," Kara put the few mentions of The Light she had managed to find in Luthor's private server and showed them to the Caped Crusader. "I have a few suspicions about who the members are, but it will take some time to confirm them."
"I'll start looking into it," Batman told her as he turned his eyes back towards the pod, almost as if he was unable to turn away from it for too long.
Kara knew she really should tell him about her knowledge of the YJ show but… she couldn't do it. No, she didn't want to do it. She didn't want to tell anybody how much she knew about things, about the world and the monsters hiding in it.
She liked keeping it a secret, that way she would have an advantage against anyone she faced. Rao, Batman himself had counters to the entire League hidden away, she could have her little secret too.
It was another advantage keeping her from ever getting used or captured by anyone else again and she really didn't like letting go of those. Plus she could still tell him their identities in a few days, after she had time to think about things, then she could justify her knowledge by claiming she had investigated it or something.
Shaking her head she decided to change gears. "How did you guys miss this, the slaves, the secret rooms?"
"We were tired and they played us," the Bat confessed, his voice becoming even harsher as his free hand closed into a fist. "Fighting Wotan had been challenging and Luthor worked quickly, his political power meant we only had a limited amount of time to search the facility before turning the case over to the authorities. Only Superman and Flash could have found this place in so little time and they probably had countermeasures specifically made to counter them.
"When we didn't find anything dangerous inside the facility, we trusted the legal authorities to deal with everything else, including the Genomorphs. We failed here, all of us."
"And the Green Lanterns?"
"In order for the UN to accept the League, the Green Lanterns had to work under several restrictions, they can't use it to break into private or government data banks unless there's a life at risk, the situation here was already resolved by the time we arrived."
"The countries were afraid you'd find all their dirty little secrets?" Kara asked.
"Yes."
"You know, you guys are called the Justice League but, are you really fighting for justice or just the law?"
As they quietly observed things A G-Troll approached them and actually lifted Roy's pod with a single hand, then connected it to a portable cart with its own energy source, making sure everything was in order.
"The League has to change," Kara continued as Batman didn't give her an answer, her voice hard as she made the ultimatum. "I'm not an expert and I don't have your experience so I can't tell you how to do it, but it HAS to change, you can't drop the ball like this again."
"Yes," was Batman's single word answer.
"That's it, that's all you're gonna say?" she threw her arms up and started walking away from the man.
"We fight for what is right, Kara Zor-El," Batman finally said. "We fight so no child has to see their parents die in front of their eyes again, so an evil man can't take a kid and force her to fight until her own power kills her and, sometimes, that means following the law. I want nothing more than to arrest Luthor right now, but what do you think is gonna happen if I do so?
"I could capture him, I could gather all the information on his computers, I could spread all the terrible things he had done to every corner of this world and he would still not stay in jail a single day because I didn't follow the law," the frustration on the Bat's voice was clear for anyone to hear, Kara didn't even need her super hearing. "But you're right, the League has to change, we are making too many mistakes, our enemies adapted and we did not."
Kara just stared at the man for a few seconds, finally, she sighed. "I still feel like punching you."
"Do you still need any help with the Genomorph situation?" he asked, ignoring her latest sentence and looking at Dubbilex. "I noticed no human bothered with me coming down here."
"A lawyer for when they inevitably have to come out in the open would be nice."
"I'll get it ready," he watched as the G-Troll started wheeling the pods towards the elevators, then turned back to her with a considerate look. "I can see you have a plan, tell me about it."
So she told him, she spoke as they went up to the surface without interference, or even the notice of any worker, then up into the Batplane and right back towards Gotham City.
"What you're proposing will be risky, even for a Kryptonian, you'll be going against enemies that could give even your cousin a fair fight," he commented when she finished and Kara snorted.
"I'm not asking for permission, even if Roy and Green Arrow don't agree I'll still do it, it will just be harder," she answered as she thought about things. "I'm also not going to do this alone."
"They'll agree. I'll just have to keep them away from Luthor until they regain their senses and they'll agree," Batman lowered the Batplane inside the cave and opened the hangar door. "Who are you thinking of recruiting, your friend?"
"She was really excited about teaming up with the sidekicks, plus she isn't really the most discreet girl," Kara said and sighed. "Not that I am a master spy or anything like that, but I can remain hidden when needed, Kori is a warrior at heart."
"I have a few ideas about that," the Bat told her and took a few seconds to send her a message with an address, "If you want to investigate The Light go there, they'll help you."
Kara didn't recognize the address, but a quick search showed it was just a large house beside a cemetery in New York City and owned by someone called Cain. Settling the Plane down, Kara saw there were already people waiting for them with medical equipment.
Beside Alfred, there was also an old, white haired woman waiting for them inside the cave, she had an incredibly annoyed expression on her face and barely lifted an eyebrow as Kara floated out of the plane holding both pods above her head.
"Leslie Thompkins, my trusted physician," Batman explained as he started walking inside the cave.
The woman's frown deepened and she tried to his Batman's head with a cane. "What did I say about leaving with those wounds?"
"Don't."
"Exactly! So why did Alfred just wake me up asking for my help!" Kara almost snickered as she watched the old lady berate Batman. "Now, let me see what I have to work with."
Kara carefully deposited Roy's pod beside the woman and made sure to send all the information about his state to the Batcave's reserve servers which Batman had given her access to. They were completely isolated from the main servers even by her equipment, so he probably felt safer that way.
"Do you have a Zeta-Tube in the cave?" Kara asked.
"Yes, I'll give you temporary permission to activate it before calling Green Arrow."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Green Arrow will probably need some time to process this, I'll inform you when we're ready," With a nod, the Bat just left her there and continued walking inside the cave until he was outside of her usual vision.
Kara turned away and started looking for the Zeta-tube, but she still heard his steps becoming uneven as he started limping outside her view. Finally, his steps stopped and she heard him punch the wall, then lay his back against it and release a deep sigh, filled with frustration.
Trying to ignore it, she finally found the Zeta-Tube and activated it, leaving the cave until Batman called her back.
.
.
.
Kara manipulated the Fortress controls and finished adapting the solar chamber to be able to house March's stabilizing fluid. Throwing herself back against the chair, she sighed. "How long until you can fully understand his biology?"
"Three days, his cells seem to be mostly defective Kryptonian cells, but there is an alien DNA mixed in and holding it together. The fortress database may not have the information needed to fully cure him."
"Not even by cloning him a new body?" she asked the AI.
"It would certainly increase his lifespan, but not solve the issue completely, his brain would still be composed of defective cells and eventually deteriorate, we could clone his brain tissue, but even Krypton was unable to ascertain if that would solve the issue or just create a new being."
"I see... would exposure to Nth metal solve the issue?"
"Again, it would delay the deterioration, but the cells are fundamentally wrong, it is unlikely to fully solve the issue."
"So, either I get a geneticist good enough to fix it, or I find a mage capable of transferring his soul," Kara wondered out loud. "Does the Fortress have any information about anyone who could help me?"
"Unfortunately, the great majority of such individuals are known villains, several scientists at star labs may be able to solve the issue given enough time and investment, but it is likely the clone would have already died by then."
"As for transferring his soul, again, the field is mostly dominated by villains, but Giovanni Zatara may be able to help with it, the former Dr. Fate or John Constantine however, are far more certain options."
"Ugh, right, there was that Fate debacle to deal with," Kara wasn't completely against Fate, yes the YJ version was a mind controlling asshole, but it could have easily been avoided if people didn't keep ignoring the man? Creature? Eldritch being?
The Lord of Order was a necessary presence in the universe, Kara doubted she could befriend the being, she'd always remember what he would have done by taking over Zatara's body, but she could respect it… somewhat. Its situation could have been handled so much better.
She could only imagine the state of the world's mystical problems after so many years without a Lord of Order to balance Klarion's influence. No matter how much of an asshole Nabu truly was, a Lord of Order was still needed and, at least, he was somewhat heroically inclined.
It would really suck to get rid of the helmet and get saddled with a dictator or mass murderer, not all order was nice after all. Kara was starting to see how the Justice League could be overwhelmed; she didn't even know where to begin solving problems.
No, that was a lie, she knew where she had to start, she had to get more allies, she had to get her own team, a team of heavy hitters capable of dealing with the likes of Klarion and Mr. Mind and coming out on top.
Maybe then she could make her cousin's life a little easier.
She did briefly think about getting the help from the team, but there was a problem. They were kids.
Sure it was fun to watch them work in a cartoon, but she just couldn't put them in the kind of situation she was planning on getting. In truth, the team was composed of kids with ages between 14 and 16 years. They most definitely should not be facing people like Vandal Savage and Sportsmaster, much less the eldritch abomination that was Klarion, no matter how much they protested they were ready.
For fuck's sake, they weren't even over the age of majority, they should NOT be risking their lives, she respected them for it, sure, but that doesn't mean she'd let them do it.
This is why there were child labor laws, damn it, and to think that she was mostly on the team's side when she watched the show for the first time.
At least she had to admit, most of the Team's troubles weren't the League's fault. At face value, their missions weren't anywhere as dangerous as they turned out to be.
Yes, they weren't ready for an infiltration mission on a foreign country, but Superboy, Miss Martian and Kid flash were strong enough not to be in any danger from average drug dealers and Robin and Aqualad had the training to deal with it.
More than that, almost all of their missions were like that, things they shouldn't have any problem with that went to hell because of things impossible to know were happening.
At least this time they'd have Kori with them, so they shouldn't get overcome by most dangers. Starfire may not have been the stealthiest of heroes, but Kara would actually give her a fair chance against almost any member of the Justice League, the girl was just that good a warrior.
With another sigh, Kara stepped away from the control panel and stretched her neck, now it was up to the Fortress to examine the clone in depth and try to find a solution to his defective genetics.
Who knows, it may not even be that problematic and its Kryptonian database may have a ready solution? Stranger things had happened.
It had been almost two hours since she arrived at the fortress and Batman hadn't called her back yet, Kara was starting to feel uncertain, had Green Arrow not agreed with their plan? Or was he taking his time beside his newly found foster child?
Kara's plan was simple: to use the Light's own creations against them, she had already taken over Cadmus and, with the G-Gnomes' help, she could deprogram both Kon-El and Speedy, getting both an uncompromised half-kryptonian and a double agent.
The Light's main advantages were their anonymity and the fact nobody knew where they hid, with Speedy freed from their mental commands, he could continue to act as if he was following orders and find out where they were.
The Light's main dangers were Klarion and Savage; if Kara could take out those two it would solve half her problems.
Not that she was underestimating Lex, freaking, Luthor but the main driving force behind this particular alliance were the two immortals who had been working behind the scenes for millennia.
At least she could trust Lex's xenophobia to turn him against someone like Darkseid in the end; she couldn't say the same about Savage, much less Klarion.
Unwilling to stay in place just waiting for an answer, Kara made a quick search on the internet and found what she was looking for, hopefully her first teammate. "Say, does the fortress have a shovel?"
"I'm sad to say Kal-El never felt the need for a shovel, but the fortress can easily produce one in a few minutes?"
"No need. It'll probably be faster without one anyway," Kara waved him and entered the Fortress Zeta-Tube, adjusting it to send her to New York.
As always, the Zeta-tube left her in a small, closed off alleyway where she could easily fly up, taking advantage of the night and her blank mask to keep her identity a secret.
From the air, she had to squint a little to be able to find where the Queen's was, but finding the memorial cemetery was actually pretty easy.
Making sure there were no guards around, she dropped on an empty patch of grass and tried to be as respectful as possible as she searched for one particular grave, finally she found it.
It read, in memory of Danette Reilly, 1924 – 1945.
Looking down at the ground, she used her x-ray vision and gave a sigh of relief to see the body was still inside, if a little bit deeper than she expected.
She hadn't been sure just when the woman had been exhumed and there was a chance she had come a little too late.
Considering the situation, Kara had been hoping the coffin would be closer to the surface and she could just… grab it and pull it up, but it was actually buried deep into the ground, it seems she'd have to get her clothes dirty. "I guess they did bury people 6 feet under back then."
With both her flight and the resistance of her body, a little bit of earth couldn't even inconvenience her, but she was annoyed she'd have to take a shower later.
With a sigh, she used her flight to start sinking into the ground until she could reach the coffin and pull it open, getting earth on her eyes felt kind of funny, but it didn't actually bother her, her eyes could bounce off bullets after all, and she had x-ray vision.
She quickly pried the coffin open and found Firebrand's body completely intact inside the wooden casket; pulling her up by the arm, she lifted the limp woman up and out of the hole in less than a minute.
Then she looked at the mess she had made and sighed again, the grave was less disturbed than if she had actually excavated it or pulled the entire coffin out, but there was still a large, uneven hole going down which was impossible to miss.
Lowering Firebrand's body beside her own gravestone, she considered the situation. "I do hope your problem is only a matter of hardware, I'm nowhere near as good at software stuff and I wouldn't want to mess up your personality."
Her clothes were already a mess, so she just started filling the hole she had made, then she got some grass from under a tree and laid on top of the bare earth before getting up and patting herself down. The grave was still a little lumpy, but nobody would notice it had been excavated unless they came very close.
Grabbing Firebrand's body, she smiled. "Now let's see what old man Morrow was capable of when he built you."
Kara couldn't wait to see if she could improve the woman with Kryptonian tech, Red Tornado may be one of the League's heavy hitter's but, when she was done with her; Firebrand would leave him in the dust.