Justice League And The Hounds Of Hell

Chapter 22: Bigger Problems

We had no time to celebrate a mission success. Soon, Ronny would be aware that his operation had been blown into smithereens and everything was compromised. Superboy and M'gann flew ahead to snatch him up before he tried to skip town. The rest of us hung behind to coordinate with law enforcement in the best way we could. Since the Teen Titans were supposed to be a covert organization, Cyborg, already known to the world as one of the Justice League, was going to serve as our spokesperson. 

We stacked the animals and all of the criminals outside for law enforcement to pick up. Cyborg stood over them. As the first squad cars rolled into the dock, Robin and I melted into the shadows, dragging the twins along with us. 

"¿Por qué somos aquí?"  Mas asked with a delighted grin as he gripped one of the support beams on the roof. 

"People rarely look up." Robin whispered. 

"No me gusta." Menos whined. 

I grabbed his shoulders and guided him toward the wall. "Stop looking down." 

He buried his face into the panels and shuddered. He seemed to be getting a bad case of vertigo so I kept my hands on his shoulders to ensure he didn't roll off our perch. We had cornered ourselves up in the roof. It was the perfect place to hide because, as Robin had said, people rarely looked up. If they did, usually a bird or something of the sort would start, which would be enough to satisfy any suspicion. 

The police began to crowd around Cyborg who explained the situation to them. Shortly after, teams of them began entering the warehouse with guns drawn to check the place out. 

Robin nodded towards Menos. "Hang in there."

Menos only groaned in response. 

His brother frowned in his direction. "Oye, me vas a enfermar." 

I hushed him and looked Robin in the eyes. We needed to get out of here. 12 year old boys were difficult to keep still and quiet on the regular, speedsters like Mas y Menos were a whole other level of hyperactive. Plus, I was certain Menos was going to vomit soon, and if that fell from the roof our cover would be blown. 

He got my meaning and nodded. "We can get to the submarine and head towards one of Gotham's beaches." He leaned towards Menos. "You think you can move a bit. If not, I'll carry you on my back, just don't throw up on me." 

Menos lifted his head, but he didn't respond. He was looked out the one of the windows next to his face. "Que está haciendo?" He burped.

I gazed past his head.  From our vantage point, we could see the pug-faced girl. Her hands had been zip-tied in front of her, but she appeared to be messing with something hidden in her fists. I narrowed my eyes. 

What sort of things had I been willing to do to survive? What lengths would I go to if I were in her place right now?

An officer approached her. She paused and explained herself to him. He took the object from her hands, something that looked sort of cakey. She said some more words. With a dismissive shrug the officer offered the food to the injured white dog. It stirred and lazily licked the snack up. After that, the girl quit moving and leaned back against the wall. The dog turned its head away with a deep sigh and fell back to sleep. The officer wiped off his hands and walked off. 

"What is it?" Robin asked. 

She wouldn't just feed the dog, she didn't care about them. The only actions she would partake in were those that would help her situation. I knew it personally. Whatever she had convinced the officer to give to that dog couldn't be good. I thought about what Ivy had warned of the drugs Ronny was cooking up for the animals. I had assumed they were needle injected, since Ronny would want them to work quick. But, what if they could be ingested orally, too? Wouldn't that make things even easier. Instead of having to get close enough to inject his animals with a needle, where they were certain to fight back, all he'd have to do is feed them. No one who is hungry resists a plate of food.