The Bio-Ship hummed with a living, organic rhythm as we cut through the clouds toward the Caribbean. It was a strange sensation, being inside a telepathic vessel that felt more like a giant, flying lung than a plane. I sat in the back, leaning against the shifting headboard, watching as the rest of the Team steadied themselves.
M'gann was at the helm, her eyes glowing with a soft green light as she piloted. Beside her sat Conner, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on the floor of the ship. He was still processing the name I had incidentally given him back in the Cave. Every time he shifted his weight, I could see the tension in his shoulders ready to explode at a moment's notice.
I felt a slight weight on my finger. The ring was a steady, warm green now, but I knew better than to waste the charge on something flashy. I needed to be conservative.
"We are approaching the drop zone," M'gann's voice echoed in our minds. Her telepathy was a little disorienting—it felt like a soft whisper at the back of my skull. "The island is heavily fortified. Batman says we need to remain undetected."
"Standard stealth protocols," Robin said, checking his wrist computer. "Aqualad, you and Miss Martian take the perimeter. Kid, you are on recon. Superboy and I will handle the primary insertion point."
"And what about the guy with the glow-stick?" Wally asked, nodding toward me with a smirk. "Does he have a job, or is he just here to look intimidating?"
"Vex stays with me," Conner said suddenly. His voice was deep, leaving no room for argument. He didn't even look up, but the way he said it made the rest of the Team pause.
I smiled, feeling a strange tug of satisfaction in my chest. "I am fine with being the backup. Someone has to make sure you do not jump headfirst into a minefield."
As the hatch opened and the humid, salty air of Santa Prisca rushed in, we plummeted toward the jungle canopy. I didn't use the ring for flight. That was a rookie move that leaked energy like a sieve. Instead, I let the Sharingan activate, the crimson tomoe spinning as I tracked the descent of the others. I waited until the last possible second before manifesting a thin, high-tension wire made of green light. It snapped around a sturdy mahogany branch, swinging me gracefully to the forest floor right next to Conner.
The jungle was alive with the sound of insects and the distant, heavy thud of machinery. I closed my eyes for a second, focusing on the ring's sensory feedback.
"There is a factory two miles North-East," I whispered, stepping closer to Conner, only he could hear me. The silent walking technique I stole from Batman was already coming in handy. "They are producing something that smells like a chemical fire. But there is a secondary signature... something colder. It is not just Venom. It is a hybrid."
"How do you know that?" Conner asked, his blue eyes searching mine.
"I have a very good memory for things that have not happened yet," I said, offering him a small, reassuring smile. "Just stay close to me. I have no intention of letting anything happen to you."
"I can take care of myself." His mask of stoicism returned
"I know you can. But even the strongest people need someone to watch their six."
We moved through the undergrowth with practiced silence. Robin was ahead of us, a shadow moving through shadows. We reached the edge of the clearing where the Cult of Kobra had set up their operations. The sight was exactly as I remembered. Shipping containers, armed guards, and a massive, pulsating vat of glowing orange liquid.
But I wasn't looking at the guards. I was looking at the power lines.
"Robin," I said into the comms, "the security system is on a closed-loop circuit powered by that generator on the east side. If I can get the ring inside the interface, I can alter the sensor data, making us invisible to their electronic security systems."
"Can the ring really handle a hack of that scale?" Robin asked, sounding skeptical.
"It is not really hacking," I replied as I held up my hand, a small, needle-like construct of green light extending from the ring. "The ring can manipulate energy at a molecular level. If I match the frequency of their video feed, I can just... edit what they see."
I didn't wait for permission. I moved toward the generator, my Sharingan tracking the patrol patterns of the guards. I didn't need to fight them. I was the ghost in the machine, and before the night was over, I was going to make sure the Team realized that having someone like me on the team would be the greatest advantage they'd wish for.
As I worked, I spotted Conner watching my back from the treeline. He noticed my gaze. He was looking at me, his expression softening into something that looked dangerously like trust.
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Q: Who do you think Vex's first real opponent will be in the next couple chapters?
AN: Not sure it I should make magic visible with the sharingan yet hmm.. We'll see.