Wednesday, 23rd September, 06:30
Rhode Island,
Happy Harbour,
The Cave.
Standing with his arms crossed, Esau stood beside Kaldur and the rest of the team, watching as members of the Justice League worked to repair the Cave. The androids, recently codenamed Red Torpedo and Red Inferno, had caused extensive damage. The electrics had been severely compromised by the sheer volume of water that had flooded the system, only to be further destroyed by the EMP blast they themselves had triggered.
The walls bore the scars of extensive burns, and parts of the Cave had suffered explosive damage from where Red Inferno had compressed flames under its control. The destruction was severe, and repairs would take considerable time.
However, with the Justice League's expertise—combining advanced technology, metahuman abilities, and some of the brightest minds on the planet—it would take only a few hours. Far faster than any traditional construction team could ever hope to achieve.
Despite this, the atmosphere remained heavy.
The team stood in silence, still processing what had happened. This was their first true defeat as a unit. They had suffered losses before—Matthew Hagen had bested them, but not all of them had been present for that fight and for those that had, some had not been on top form.
Until now, whenever they worked together, they had won, and in most cases, their victories had been decisive. Even against Amazo, one of the most dangerous foes they had faced, their teamwork had allowed them to triumph against an enemy that had taken down multiple Justice League members.
All through teamwork.
But yesterday had been different. Yesterday, they had been utterly defeated. And for some, that loss weighed heavily.
For M'gann, Connor, and Wally, failure was unfamiliar. They were unused to the sting of losing, and even for Dick and Barbara—who had experienced defeat before—their training and experience had made such occurrences rare. The past year had challenged that notion, but the shock of failure still lingered.
Yet, it was Kaldur and Esau who felt the weight of defeat the most.
Kaldur had known loss in Atlantis and in his duties as Aqualad, but the one that had shaken him the most was his failure against Matthew Hagen. That had been his first mission as acting leader, and he had failed. The team's morale had been high going into that mission—why wouldn't it be? Up to that point, they had always managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Even during their battle in the Tower of Fate, when all seemed lost, they had found a way to prevail. Certainly, if Wally hadn't taken up Doctor Fate's mantle, they would have lost, but even then, they had won.
Hagen had been the first true loss and now, they had failed again. This time, the entire team had been defeated and worst of all, the enemy had escaped without a trace.
With this string of failures, Kaldur was beginning to doubt himself.
For Esau, however, defeat was an old companion. When he first started out as Black Hood, he had suffered countless losses, facing enemies far stronger and more experienced than him. He had lost, again and again, as was to be expected. Even after growing stronger, Esau had faced the hard truth that there would always be those more powerful than him.
Perhaps that was why, on a personal level, this loss did not sting as much. He had come to accept that defeat was inevitable. But the failure as a leader—knowing that he had been unable to protect his teammates, that they could have died under his leadership—that was a pain unlike anything he had felt before.
'Is this what it means to lead?' He wondered. 'For the sting of failure to feel worse than ever before?'
If so, then Esau finally understood.
Leadership was not a privilege.
It was a responsibility.
A saying he had thought he understood.
But for the first time was feeling.
"Recognise: Batman, 0-2."
A flash of light erupted from the Zeta-Tubes as Batman stepped into the Cave, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on the team. More specifically, his eyes locked onto Esau and Kaldur. With a sharp nod to the side, he silently summoned them.
Esau and Kaldur exchanged a glance before following him, leaving the rest of the team behind. The others watched them go until Green Arrow arrived, immediately asking for a full recount of the events. Meanwhile, Esau and Kaldur moved to stand beside Batman, who studied them, taking in the various signs of injury.
Physically, Esau looked fine. His clothes were torn, but the serum he had taken had already dealt with the superficial wounds. Kaldur, on the other hand, was in far better shape but visibly fatigued, still recovering from his prolonged exposure to heat.
"What happened?" Batman's voice was low and rough, but his tone left no room for evasion.
Esau exhaled sharply, already irritated. "Don't waste my time. You already know what happened." His voice was edged with frustration. "You've seen the footage Dick pulled from the cameras."
Kaldur placed a steadying hand on Esau's shoulder, a silent reminder to remain calm. "As much as I disagree with how he phrased it, I do agree with Esau," he said, his tone far more composed. But even Batman could see the flicker of frustration beneath the surface.
Batman held their gazes for a moment before conceding with a stiff nod. "Your theories?"
"During the peace conference between North and South Rhelasia, Sportsmaster hinted at the possibility of a mole," Kaldur began. "Based on what we've seen, Red Tornado appears to be the traitor. Whether he betrayed us willingly or was compromised is unclear."
"I don't think Tornado is the mole," Esau interjected making both Kaldur and Batman turned to him expectantly. "What's the purpose of a mole?" Esau continued. "It's someone who infiltrates an organisation and feeds intel back to their masters. But attacking us so openly? That completely contradicts what a mole is supposed to do."
"He could have gotten what he needed," Kaldur suggested, but there was doubt in his voice.
"Possibly," Esau allowed. "But I think Red Tornado was the target of this attack, not us. Those androids—Red Torpedo and Red Inferno—were nearly identical in build, and their abilities were element-based, just like Tornado. Whoever created them—probably T.O. Morrow—wanted Tornado for a reason."
"T.O. Morrow hasn't been seen in years," Batman countered. "He's presumed dead."
Esau scoffed. "I'd agree, but 'dead' doesn't mean much these days. Undead Talons, the Lazarus Pit—things that should stay dead don't anymore. And if it isn't Morrow himself, it could be an apprentice we never knew existed."
A heavy silence settled between them as Kaldur and Batman considered the possibility. It was one that was highly likely which was not something they liked to acknowledge.
"Red Tornado may not be the mole," Esau concluded, "but in my opinion, he was the target of this attack. We were the bait."
From across the room, Connor—who had been listening in—had grown increasingly tense. His expression darkened with every word, his hands clenching into fists.
Finally, he snapped.
"You knew!" He roared, charging forward. In an instant, he grabbed Esau by the jacket and lifted him off the ground, fury burning in his eyes. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann!"
"Connor, enough!" Kaldur shouted, gripping Connor's wrist in an attempt to pull him back. But the Kryptonian clone barely acknowledged him even as the grip on his wrist tightened as Kaldur attempted to use more strength.
The rest of the team rushed over, drawn by the commotion. Even the League members paused in their work, turning to watch.
"Connor, what are you doing?" M'gann's voice was filled with worry.
Connor didn't look at her, his glare remained fixed on Esau. "Esau and Kaldur knew there was a traitor among us, and they said nothing!"
Esau remained completely still, his face unreadable. The initial shock had passed, and now, he was ready.
"You knew?"
"And didn't tell us?" Both Dick and Wally demanded, anger clear in their voices.
"Guys, calm down," Barbara interjected, stepping between them and Esau "There must be a reason. Let's hear them out first."
Kaldur took the opportunity to speak while Esau remained silent. "I sought to protect the team. Esau only found out just before the attack—he overheard me speaking with Red Tornado." He deliberately shifted the blame onto himself, recognising that Sportsmaster's goal had been to divide them. Kaldur refused to let that happen, ensuring trust in leadership remained was more important than anything.
"Protect us from what?" Artemis snapped. "Knowledge that could have saved our lives?"
Batman subtly shifted, prepared to step in and break things up before tensions escalated further. But Esau shook his head slightly. Batman gave him a questioning look, wordlessly asking if he was sure. Esau nodded and with a brief nod in return, Batman stepped back, allowing Esau to handle the situation on his own.
"Connor," Esau said, his voice calm, "let go of me."
"Or what?" Connor growled.
Frowning, Esau met his glare without flinching. "That wasn't a request."
His eyes darkened, shifting to a deep red as he tapped into his power. His grip tightened around Connor's wrist, his claws just barely breaking the skin.
Reflexively, Connor released him.
The moment he was free, Esau let his powers fade, his gaze sweeping over the others.
"Now," he said, his voice low and firm. "I'm going to explain this to you. And you are going to listen."
"Why? You obviously don't trust us!" Wally snapped.
"You're welcome to leave if you want," Esau shot back, his tone flat.
Some of them looked like they were considering it, their anger getting the better of them. Kaldur opened his mouth to argue, but Esau gave him a look—a silent command and reluctantly, Kaldur held his tongue.
"Just know this," Esau continued, his gaze sweeping across the team. "If you walk out now, you're done. You're off the team."
"Oh yeah? You don't have the authority to do that," Wally retorted.
Esau simply raised an eyebrow, the expression alone saying, Try me.
Wally faltered, glancing at the others. "Does he?" He turned to Batman, searching for confirmation.
The Dark Knight stood motionless, his expression unreadable. He neither denied nor confirmed Esau's words. The silence was enough to make them hesitate, each of them uncertain whether Esau's statement was an empty threat or the truth.
"Let's hear them out," Barbara suggested, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Esau nodded at her in thanks before turning back to the team, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "Like Kaldur said, I only found out yesterday—moments before Red Tornado left for the Watchtower and we were attacked. But even if I had known sooner, I wouldn't have done anything differently." His gaze landed on Connor. "You overheard our conversation, right? So you must have heard Kaldur say where he got that information from. Why don't you tell them?"
Connor's jaw clenched, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. He remained silent, glaring at Esau.
"Connor?" M'gann prompted gently.
"…Sportsmaster," Connor spat.
The room went still.
Artemis was the first to react, her eyes wide with shock. "What? You can't trust him!"
Her words sent a ripple through the team. One by one, their gazes turned to Kaldur, and understanding dawned.
"You didn't, did you?" Dick muttered, though he already knew the answer.
"It seemed likely that Sportsmaster's goal was to divide us," Kaldur explained.
"And judging by how we just reacted, he would have succeeded," Barbara finished. Kaldur nodded in agreement.
"But you have to consider the possibility that he was telling the truth," Dick pointed out.
Esau and Kaldur exchanged a glance before Kaldur responded. "I did," he said firmly. "Which is exactly why I chose not to alert the traitor."
Silence fell over the group.
The weight of his words sank in, but none of them seemed to know what to say.
"Come on," Barbara spoke up again, her voice calm but insistent. "As much as we hate to admit it, we'd all do the exact same thing in their position."
Despite the logic in her words, few of them looked happy about it. Agreement didn't mean they had to like it.