Chapter 153: 153

Words : 1032 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Joseph slipped out of the Speed State, the world around him resuming its natural pace. The transition was seamless, but he caught Wally's sharp glance in his direction. The Kid Flash had jerked his head almost instinctively, eyes narrowing as though his Speed Force connection had picked up the ripple Joseph left behind. Maybe he suspected something. After all, he had once told the kid he'd had access to the Speed Force before. "Okay," Kori's voice cut through the lingering silence. She stood confidently at the center of the wrecked laboratory. "It seems we've completed the mission. Good job, Team. Let's secure the Brain and—" "Monsieur Mallah," Joseph added. He hadn't planned on revealing everything here and now. His first instinct had been to keep quiet, to hold the knowledge close and act on it alone. But the Justice League had Martian Manhunter. Secrets never lasted long around him. If Joseph kept this to himself, the truth would come out eventually—and when it did, the League would know exactly who had acted against the Light. And Joseph had no illusions about that. His war against the Light was now personal. They had impacted his life in ways that still haunted him every night. Even the death of his mother traced back to their manipulations and schemes. They deserved to be destroyed, every last one of them. But revenge required precision. One mistake and suspicion would fall directly on him. That, he could not allow. [Captain Marvel,] Joseph said through the psychic link he had established between them. He then shared some of what he had uncovered. [We should take this straight to Batman,] Captain Marvel replied without hesitation. His mental voice carried that same earnestness he always showed, a firm belief that the League was the one best equipped to handle revelations of this scale. "I can carry them with my telekinesis," Raven said, bringing Joseph out of his thoughts. The sudden offer made the entire Team pause, heads turning toward her in unison. Robin frowned, genuinely caught off guard. "Wait a second. You never said you could do that. I've only seen you fly and throw magic bolts." Raven's expression didn't change. "You didn't ask." Her blunt reply pulled a smirk out of Joseph. ** In the jungle, Kaldur carefully removed one of the inhibitor collars from a macaque. "Is that the last of the collars?" Captain Marvel asked. His eyes on the massive tiger standing proudly at his side. Marvel had affectionately named the beast Mr. Tawny, and judging from how the animal growled in response, it seemed the tiger understood him. "I can count on you to keep the animals out of trouble right?," Marvel continued. Another low growl answered him, almost like a solemn promise. "Good. I'll be back to visit, I swear." Marvel reached down to pat the striped shoulder before waving goodbye. Mr. Tawny bounded off, brushing past the white wolf and Conner with a swish of his tail. Conner frowned. "The rest of your pack is gone. What are you still doing here?" The wolf barked once and sat firmly at his side. "I think he wants to stay with you," M'gann suggested with a warm smile. Conner's face lit up with rare enthusiasm. "Can I keep him?" he asked, almost boyishly. Moments like that reminded Joseph that, for all of Conner's strength, he was still barely a few months old. "First the Sphere, and now this beast?" Wally shook his head in disbelief. "Dude, you seriously collect strays like it's a hobby." "Maybe because he's one himself," M'gann teased, giggling. Wally scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, he'll need a name. How about... Krypto?" The wolf growled low in his throat in disapproval. "Pass," Conner said flatly. "Besides, isn't that one already taken?" M'gann added with a grin. ** Later, as the Team prepared to board the Bio-Ship, Robin stepped in front of Kaldur. His expression was serious, arms crossed. "I need to know. Why'd you keep the mole intel a secret?" Kaldur paused. "The source of the information was Sportsmaster." Robin's eyes widened. Artemis's reaction was louder. "What? You can't trust him!" "I did not," Kaldur replied evenly. "But it seemed possible—even likely—that his intent was to divide the Team with lies. Still, I had to consider the chance it was true. As vice-leader, my duty was to protect the Team. If there was a traitor among us, alerting them prematurely would only make things worse." Robin exhaled, grudgingly conceding. "I hate to admit it, but... that makes sense." Joseph finally spoke. "Not only does it make sense—he was right to be cautious. Because there is a mole. And his name is Speedy." "Dude!" Wally exclaimed. "Not cool. I know you two don't get along, but throwing that kind of accusation—" "I read the Brain's mind," Joseph cut him off. "You probably felt it when I tapped into the Speed Force to speed up the process. He confirmed it. Speedy isn't who you think. He's part of the Light's plan." Joseph's gaze swept across the Team. "Early in his career, the real Speedy investigated a LexCorp shell company trading weapons with North Rhelasia. He was captured and taken to Cadmus. There, they amputated his arm to harvest DNA for cloning. The Roy you've fought beside these past three years is a clone. He became Red Arrow. Another clone, Jim Harper, became Guardian. The real Roy? Still alive, frozen in Cadmus." Kaldur staggered back. "You're saying all this time... we were fighting alongside—" "A clone," Joseph confirmed. "One implanted with Roy's memories and skills, but carrying a subconscious mission to infiltrate the League. Even the doubts about a mole were planned. His handler is Sportsmaster." The Team fell silent. The revelation was too massive to process. Joseph didn't let them linger. "I'm going with Captain Marvel to report to the League." He hesitated, then dropped his final bombshell. "And I think this will be my last mission with you guys."

Chapter 153: 153

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