#328 - The Secret of the Cadmus Institute

On the third floor of the Cadmus Labs, Robin was frantically typing away at a computer, data flashing before his eyes.

Suddenly, a pair of hands emerged from the darkness, slowly reaching for Robin, who seemed completely unaware.

"You're finally here," Robin said without turning around, causing the hands reaching for him to freeze in mid-air. Kid Flash awkwardly stepped out of the shadows, with Aqualad behind him.

"How did you know?" Kid Flash asked.

"Because it's my specialty," Robin explained.

Aqualad stepped past Kid Flash, saying to Robin with a serious expression, "We should be working together, Robin. If you're going to act alone, you should tell us first."

"Sorry," Robin said, his tone lacking any apology. "I thought we agreed you'd create a diversion while I infiltrated and gathered data. After all, in that situation, that's all I could do."

Seeing Robin still trying to justify his actions, Aqualad knew this wasn't the time for arguments. Bickering with teammates during a mission was unwise. They should focus on the task at hand and settle any disagreements later.

"Where's Miss Martian?" Robin asked, glancing back and noticing someone missing. "Did she not keep up with us?"

'I'm here, Robin,' Miss Martian's voice echoed in their minds. 'Martians are sensitive to fire, and even though the flames are out, Mr. Yang worried about lingering flammable materials. So, Mr. Yang asked me to stay outside and provide support.'

Martian Manhunter's telepathy could cover an entire planet, so Miss Martian, who would one day be just as powerful, had no problem covering the entire Cadmus Labs.

'That's enough,' Robin said, a grin forming on his face as he continued processing the data.

Hacking and data analysis weren't Aqualad and Kid Flash's strengths, so the two aimlessly began searching the room.

Kid Flash examined this and touched that, acting more like a child exploring their father's study than someone conducting an investigation. Speedy stood by Robin, helping him filter the overwhelming amount of data. Seeing that the room was covered, Aqualad left to search the outside area.

Due to the fire, the lights in the lab were out, so even with Aqualad's superhuman vision, he could only see so much. He naturally decided to explore the room across the hall, as it was the closest.

But as Aqualad stepped out of the room, a glimmer of light caught his eye. Immediately drawn to it, he turned to look.

Using the faint light, Aqualad identified it as an elevator. The doors were closing, but he caught a glimpse of someone inside. However, the backlighting made it impossible to see their face clearly.

"Wait!" Aqualad shouted, running toward the elevator. This shout wasn't just to stop the elevator; it was also a warning to the others inside.

Kid Flash heard the commotion and immediately rushed out, surpassing Aqualad and reaching the elevator first. Unfortunately, by the time Aqualad saw it, the doors were almost completely shut. Between his reaction time and calling out, even Kid Flash couldn't have made it in time.

"What's wrong, Aqualad?" Kid Flash asked, turning around. He had rushed over as soon as he heard the noise, and when he saw Aqualad running toward the elevator, he followed without question, still unsure of what was happening.

"I saw a figure," Aqualad said, stopping and pressing the elevator button. "The shadow was strange. It was just a glimpse, but I think I saw horns on their head."

"Horns?" Kid Flash asked, surprised, before quickly getting excited. "That might be the mastermind behind the fire! Maybe it's a supervillain!"

"This is getting interesting," Robin said, arriving late with Speedy. Robin activated the microcomputer on his wrist, projecting a screen that illuminated the dark space.

Kid Flash said, "Right! Things are getting interesting!"

"That's not what I meant," Robin said, tapping the screen. "This is a high-speed elevator, but Cadmus Labs is only a four-story building. There's no reason to use this kind of elevator."

"What does that mean?" Aqualad asked. He wasn't completely ignorant about machines, but his knowledge was limited to everyday appliances. He had only recently started learning about the Justice League's various devices.

"It means there's a deeper level below," Speedy explained. It wasn't hard to guess. Cadmus Labs was so small above ground that Superman could jump over it. There were only two reasons to have a high-speed elevator usually found in skyscrapers:

One, the leader of Cadmus Labs was a foolish spendthrift, like the public persona of Bruce Wayne.

Two, there were more floors beneath Cadmus Labs.

Robin didn't care what others thought; he favored the second option.

"Let's take a look," Aqualad said, walking forward and placing his hands on either side of the elevator doors. He dug his fingers into the doors and pulled, forcing them open.

The four peered inside, seeing only a bottomless elevator shaft. It was clearly too deep for a four-story building.

"Looks like we have our answer," Robin said, recording the scene with his microcomputer. "This is obviously the path to Cadmus Labs' secrets."

"Then we should retreat," Aqualad said. "We've uncovered Cadmus' secret. We should leave and report this information to the League."

Speedy disagreed, saying, "If we do that, we'll never become full members of the Justice League. How much credit do obedient little soldiers get?"

Kid Flash agreed with Speedy, saying, "Maybe we can go a little deeper."

Robin delivered the final blow.

"The Justice League tasked us with uncovering the truth about Cadmus Labs, and a bottomless lab doesn't exactly scream the truth."

"What about Mr. Yang?" Aqualad asked, hesitant. His mind told him this was dangerous and wrong, but his heart also wanted to accomplish something great.

"That's easy!" Robin said with a mysterious smile. 'Miss Martian, are you listening?'

'I'm listening,' Megan's voice echoed in everyone's minds. 'I heard everything through your minds. What do you need me to do?'

'Just don't tell the big crab,' Robin said with a sly grin. 'Help us stall him, and you'll be our hero, Megan.'