“So, for now just carry on as you normally would in your day-to-day activities,” stated Cody. “Obviously if something changes, you’ll be made aware. The only thing that will be different is said guard dog tailing you in civilian attire wherever you go and watching your homes.”
“Nothing like legal stalkers…” mumbled Charlie.
“No need for such harsh mindsets, Charlie…” noted Cody.
“This is to keep everyone safe and is more of a precaution honestly. As far as we are aware, despite the news broadcasts that occurred after the N.A.U. incident, the Ouroboros don’t seem organized enough to sort out who everyone is.”
“I call bull on that one…” said Lance with a tight expression.
“They were organized enough to steal high-tech weapons and broke into GenTek.”
“Those incidents are still being investigated as well,” said Cody calmly. “Among other parties involved in the latter.”
“Do you mean the people who supposedly stopped the Ouroboros from leaving the facility?” asked Scott.
“My unit does not leave room for wanna-be vigilantes picking fights with terrorists taking matters into their own hands,” said Cody.
“As far as I care, they could be agents of some other crime group like House 21 or even a splinter group from the Ouroboros.”
“Why would they leave the intruders alive then?” asked Adam, trying not to sound suspicious.
“Doesn’t matter ‘why’: they aren’t sanctioned law enforcement, so technically they’re breaking the law themselves,” Cody said, folding his arms.
“Don’t get your hopes up on whoever these people are. They’re just more variables and add to my paperwork at the end of the day.”
Lance quickly glanced at Adam and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, warning him that they shouldn’t ask anything more.
“If any of you have any other… serious… questions, feel free to reach out,” Cody said to the group.
“I need to meet with the others who are participating in this assignment and get a schedule planned out. I’ll see you later.”
With that, Cody turned to the exit, opened the door, and walked out with Lt. Clark shortly behind him.
The group stood in silence for what seemed like a rather long time, then collectively exchanged looks.
“So… now what do we do…?” asked Noel.
“This kind of puts a damper on the mood…”
“We make do and carry on, business as usual,” stated Lance, just as he realized most of them were looking at him.
He moved to the coffee bar and pulled out a mug, then poured coffee into it. He paused in front of the machine with both hands around the warm cup, briefly allowing a moment of getting lost in thought over everything that had just happened.
“Lance?”
He turned to his side to see Melody reaching out to his arm.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded, then smiled.
“Just peachy.”
He looked over to Adam.
“We need to go over the research on that biochemistry report again at some point,” he said.
“I say we hang here a bit longer and then we can go back to my place and sort it out.”
“After all that, you want to just go do more homework?” asked Noel incredulously.
“Yup,” Adam said.
“It makes for a good distraction.”
—-------
When they entered Lance’s apartment, Adam immediately sat at the main computer they were using to process the information they gathered while out on their nightly vigilante rounds.
“Well this is going to complicate things…” he commented as he pulled up a series of files.
“... the babysitters that is.”
“We will find a means to work around it,” sighed Lance as he slumped back in an easy chair.
He reached over and picked up a tablet from the coffee table in the middle of the room. He connected to his private home server and began typing away.
“Where are we on analyzing those samples from the Cerberus and the Minotaur?” he asked.
“Well, we know their DNA sequences are missing a few parts, hence the obvious deformities on both of them,” Adam began as he opened a set of images representing the samples.
“There are the expected traces of corresponding animal chromosomes to each, even a hint of human in our bull-man.”
“I'm sensing a 'but’ coming,” said Lance without looking up.
“The 'but’ is the rest of the sequence…” Adam continued.
“There is a significant portion of the sample that came up as an unknown synthetic substance…” he said as he opened another image showing a molecular code.
Lance finished the line he was typing, then looked up at the computer screen.
“I am still trying to get it processed as to what is in it, but nothing has come up yet.”
“We may need to ‘outsource’ this one,” said Lance, half joking.
“We could connect to some of the big lab servers around and cross-reference their databases.”
“Including Midas Corp?” Adam questioned.
“Midas Corp will be the easiest since I already have permission and access to a good portion of the facility. GenTek might be a little tricky since our recent fiasco with Striker’s people. That leaves Mythos Labs and maybe the police database.”
“The police database might be tricky,” commented Adam. “We should start with the big ones first, leaving the police as a last resort.”
“Agreed.”
“Just leaves the question of how we will get out without being spotted by the police watching us…” said Adam.
“Do you have a way to get to your rooftop without anyone seeing you?” asked Lance, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Possibly, why?”
Lance set his tablet down and walked over to his workbench, grabbed something the size of a large pencil case, and handed it to Adam. Adam opened it to reveal the disassembled, but recognizable parts of one of their grapple launchers and a simple harness set.
“If you can get out, meet me at our usual spot and we will go from there to gear up,” Lance instructed.
“Text me if you have any issues.”
—---
Adam entered the Brewer’s Cafe, a determined glint in his eye. He knew that one of his brother’s team members was probably hanging out in the cafe to keep an eye out, but he wasn’t sure who it would be at the given time. He had met Officers Pierro and Larson before on an occasion or two but wasn’t as familiar with them as he was with Clark.
Just as he reached the back hallway of the cafe, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Instinctively from all of his training with Lance, Adam wheeled around as quickly as he could and took a defensive stance.
“Woah, there!” said the man behind him.
“Take it easy!”
Adam studied the man’s face, then finally recognized who it was.
“Sorry, Officer Larson… just a little on edge I guess…” Adam apologized.
“Didn’t recognize you with the band T-shirt and the denim jeans.”
“Just call me Jim,” responded the man.
“Don’t want to be found out just hours into this operation, right?”
“Oh… yeah…” Adam said as he promptly facepalmed himself.
“So you drew the short straw, eh?”
“Something like that,” Jim answered.
“Though I can’t complain: while I’m here, your family has provided me with the best coffee in the city, gratis.”
“I’m sure Cody had something to do with that, but yes, we do make a point to brew the best around!”
Jim crossed his arms.
“Anyways, just wanted to let you know I was here,” he said.
“If you see something, your brother sent my contact info to you earlier, so you know how to reach me.”
“Of course,” Adam said.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some stuff I gotta take care of.”
Jim nodded and turned back to the seating area of the cafe. Adam watched him for a brief moment, then walked briskly down the hall to a door near the opposite end. He unlocked it with his keycard, the door sliding to the side to reveal a staircase to the second floor where his family’s apartment was.
“Should be easy enough if he is just sitting inside the cafe,” Adam thought to himself.
“As long as he stays there…”
His line inner monologue was cut short as he opened the door to the apartment to see a small mechanical eye perched in a corner, watching the door.
“Except now there are cameras…”
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