Green Lantern's Protégée

44: "Well, Team, we got some heroes to beat up."

Mount Justice

December 31, 07:16 EDT

    "We have reason to feel proud of yesterday's victories, but one thing has still not changed." Aqualad's eyes were narrowed.

    The Team walked down the hall into Young Justice, Wally's arm lounging on Cyra's shoulder, but mostly for a front for their quiet bickering.

    "C'mon, let me go with you!"

    "I said no."

    "But I want to see Oa!" Wally whined. "I get to meet the other, cooler Green Lanterns."

    Wally yelped as Cyra's elbow dug into his side. "I'm the coolest Lantern. And its Corps members only. Losers like you aren't allowed."

    "That means your in love with a loser," Wally sang, nuzzling his nose behind her ear and causing the girl to hold in her laughter.

"You two are awful," Artemis scoffed from behind the pair.

"You're just jealous. Everyone wants a piece of the Wall-Man."

"Somehow the bad guys are still getting inside intel on us," Robin explained, cutting into the speedster's boosting before one of the blondes voices the comebacks on the edge of their tongues.

    "Yeah, but at least we know none of us are the mole," Kid Flash pointed out. Everyone grunted in agreement.

    "That's correct," Batman said. He stood in the center of the Cave besides Red Tornado. "The mole was Red Arrow."

    The archer appeared on a holographic board.

    "Roy?" Robin exclaimed.

    "No way!" Kid Flash barked.

    "He was the one trying to find the mole the whole time!" Cyra defended. "He has a stick so far up his butt he couldn't be!"

    "Batman, that cannot be." Even Aqualad was nearing the edge. "He was Green Arrow's protégé. We have all known him for years."

    "I'm calling the bluff." Cyra crossed her arms.

    "Unfortunately, the Roy Harper we have known for the last three years is another Project Cadmus clone." A hologram map of the Cadmus building popped up.

Batman continued, "We've learned the real Speedy was abducted and replaced immediately after becoming Green Arrow's sidekick."

    Cyra's ring buzzed.

"The clone was programmed with a fervent drive to join the Justice League, which explained his intense anger at being denied in Independence Day. Wishing to eventually gain the approval of the Justice League, he refused to join the Team and struck out on his own.

"Unaware all along that he was a clone and a traitor, Red Arrow's secondary programming activated upon his induction. He betrayed the League to Vandal Savage by attempting to infect them with mind-controlling bio-nanotech chips. Fortunately, I already deduced Red Arrow was a clone. We were prepared."

"Savage was subdued, but Red Arrow escaped. He is now a fugitive—armed and dangerous," Red Tornado finished.

"If you guys hadn't rescued me from Cadmus . . ." Superboy didn't seem able to voice the end of that sentence.

"What—what happened to the real Roy?" Robin asked.

"We don't know. He isn't at Cadmus. We have to face the possibility that the real Roy Harper is dead."