The room lingered in silence. Zane sat rigid, hands tightly folded in his lap. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of being intimidated.
Batman's gaze sharpened, studying him. No fear. No hesitation. But something else — defiance? Mistrust? Intimidation won't crack him. We'll need a different approach.
J'onn's voice broke the quiet, warm yet steady. "Zane, we're not your enemies. We want to help you. You're confused. Lonely. I understand what it's like to carry burdens no one else can see."
Zane's eyes flicked to J'onn for a split second, a flash of something unreadable crossing his face. "It doesn't matter if you understand. This is my problem. I'll deal with it."
The corner of J'onn's mouth tightened. "You don't have to be alone. If you let me, I could understand exactly what you're going through — and help you carry the weight."
A flicker of violet flared behind Zane's eyes. "Don't even think about touching my mind." His voice was low, sharp, warning.
Batman's hand hovered near a button on his belt, tense and ready.
J'onn raised his hands in surrender. "No mind reading. No more mention. I apologize."
The tension hung thick for a beat before Batman smoothly shifted the focus. "Tell us about Cadmus. What happened there?"
J'onn exhaled softly, relief evident in his eyes at Batman's quick diversion.
Zane swallowed, his gaze darkening. "I was held there... experimented on like a lab rat."
The word "experiment" sparked a rush of emotions. J'onn's expression tightened, anger simmering beneath the surface. Batman masked his feelings better, but his jaw clenched.
"I wasn't alone. There was another subject—Omega 5. I led him out with me when I escaped."
Batman's mind raced. Omega 5... the one Manhunter brought into the Watchtower a while back.
He glanced at J'onn, who nodded slightly in confirmation. The telepath had been working with Omega-5, trying to reach the fractured mind after long, grueling therapy sessions.
That was how they uncovered pieces of Cadmus' operations. A mission was already being planned to take them down — but plans never catch up with reality fast enough.
Zane's voice softened. "Since then, I've been on my own. Just surviving. That changed when I met Artemis."
The name hung heavily in the air. Batman noticed the faint twitch of Zane's mouth — a ghost of relief, or maybe hope. He made a mental note of the connection. It could be important.
"Cadmus didn't stop with me. They got to someone else... Serling."
Batman's thoughts flipped to Green Arrow's report from a month ago. So Serling and Zane are connected.
"I went there to rescue her. Turns out, she wasn't even there. That's when I ran into Desmond and…"
Zane's eyes darkened further. "Lex Luthor."
The name hit the room like a blow. Batman and J'onn exchanged wary, loaded looks.
Luthor. This complicates everything.
Batman's voice was low but firm. "If Luthor's involved with Cadmus, this isn't just experiments anymore. It's a chess game — to him, at least. We have to move carefully, especially with Cadmus being government-sanctioned."
Zane's jaw tightened. "That's the worst part. Cadmus isn't some rogue outfit. They have official clearance, funding, and legal protection. They answer to powerful people in the government."
The frustration in his voice was clear — another layer of complication. "Every step forward means dealing with bureaucratic walls, protocols, endless red tape. If we act too fast or too publicly, we risk losing what little ground we have."
Batman's eyes darkened. This isn't just a fight against monsters or mad science. We're caught in a tangled web of politics and power. Cadmus has the law and government backing, which means no easy victories. Everything will be slow, calculated — or else the whole thing could be buried before we even get close.
J'onn added quietly, "That's why careful strategy matters. We can't just storm in. We need to be smarter, patient, and use what leverage we have."
Zane's jaw clenched even tighter. "And that's exactly the problem. The clock is ticking, but we're stuck playing their game."
The room felt silent for a moment, no one saying anything.
The room hung heavy with tension after Zane's admission. Batman's sharp gaze fixed on him, voice low but probing. "Is there anything else we need to know?"
"Yes. Artemis has been tracking Desmond." He didn't see a point in keeping this to himself, they wouldn't be able to do anything with the tracker unless they get out of the Justice Leagues hands.
He just needs to see where this path leads, and if its not perfect, all he needs to do is reset.
Thats the advantage of having a reset button, he could divulge information and see how they react so he knows what to do next run.
J'onn's eyes flickered with surprise. "Tracking? When did she do that."
Zane smiled, a little pride in his voice,"When she was busy fighting your two arrowheads."
Batman's lips pressed thin. "That...could be usefull."
J'onn's brow furrowed deeper. "She didnt have a reciever device on her when she....borded the watchtower."
Zane's eyes locked with theirs. "She probably hide it somewhere, dont know. But I do know that we are not just gonna give it to you.
We are gonna be involved in this mission, and it happens sooner rather than later."
Batman's expression darkened, thoughts turning cold and calculating. A valuable lead, but with conditions attached. That complicates the mission.
He folded his hands slowly. "Bringing both of you means more variables, more risks. You're still recovering, and Cadmus isn't going to wait."
Zane's voice was firm, unwavering. "If we want to stop Cadmus, if we want to find Desmond, we need to work as a team."
J'onn's gaze softened just a fraction. "You're asking for trust, and a leap of faith."
The room fell into silence, heavy with unspoken challenges and fragile alliances.
Batman finally spoke, his voice cutting through the stillness. "Fine. But when you're with us, you follow orders. No exceptions. No side missions."
Zane smiled , determination burning in his eyes. "Fine by me."
J'onn added quietly, "We move fast. We move smart. We don't give Cadmus the chance to slip away."
The tension in the room shifted slightly—less hostility, more purpose.
Batman's eyes narrowed, steeling himself. "Prepare yourselves. This just became a team effort."
Suddenly, a shrill, piercing alarm blared through the room—red lights flashing wildly as the emergency siren echoed off the walls.
"....."
"....."
"....."
...
Patreaon
/WilliamStewart