"Roy!" Venus exclaimed, climbing through the window. She patted his shoulder as she straightened up. "We might need to stay the night, if you don't mind."
He furrowed his brows. "Why the fu--wait, we?"
Jason dove through the window gracefully, rolling gently onto the ground. Show off. He grinned smugly at Roy, hands relaxed by his sides. "Miss me?"
Staring blankly at Jason, Roy crossed his arms, unamused. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it, taking a closer look at Jason. After blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes, Roy finally spoke. "What the fuck?"
"I'm alive, Roy. I thought you'd be more excited," Jason griped, tapping his foot impatiently. He seemed annoyed, though Venus knew he truly was happy to see his best friend. She stepped around them and slipped quietly into the kitchen, searching for Jade. As much as she wanted to see Roy inevitably sock Jason, she figured they needed their privacy. And Jason could handle himself.
She found Jade perched on the counter sipping from a mug. Jade raised a brow, pursing her lips affectionately. "Running from the police? I heard the sirens pass by."
"Yeah, don't worry. It'll blow over soon. They just like to arrest people for the stupidest reasons so they can feel like they're doing their jobs," Venus dismissed, waving her hand. "Especially since Batman and co. make most of the arrests around here."
"And who's your friend? You're the first and last rugrat I'm taking in," She said causally, placing her drink down.
An uncontrollable smile grew on Venus's face. "You'll see. I think you'll love him."
Jade studied her carefully before shrugging. "I'm glad you seem happier today. Yesterday's dinner was quite eventful."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Venus winced. "Dick and I are fine, now. I'm just dramatic, you know me."
"Unfortunately, I do. Also, I made those calls and have a few suspects as to who's targeting you," Jade drawled, stroking her dark hair. She was never one for small talk.
Venus coughed in surprise. "That came out of nowhere? But okay, let's hear it."
"A few scientists, Hayden Dunn and Ted Cayne, were linked to Seth Verlac," Jade explained in monotone. Venus flinched at the mention of Seth; the Father, the man behind it all. "They were caught on file participating in illegal activities involving human experimentation. Apparently one of the only serums they perfected was the one used by Seth in his little spin-off League."
Nodding appreciatively, Venus crossed her arms. "Okay, so it actually might be someone from the outside."
"Someone from the outside?" Jade laughed lowly. "Hon, they worked directly inside of that mansion to oversee how the children would respond to the serum. They modified and corrected them, tailoring it to completely enhance the individual. The two left the facility a week before the fire, so they're definite suspects. They probably worked closely with you since you were one of the few to survive the dosage."
Disturbed, Venus frowned. "You think Fa--Verlac used the serum as a sort of cheat? You said he eventually wanted to build something bigger than the League of Assassins, so what if he thought creating enhanced individuals was the best way to achieve that? He's not immortal like Ra's, he wouldn't want to spend decades training his army, so enhancing them was the next best option."
"That's exactly what I think happened," Jade nodded, braiding her hair over her shoulder. "He wanted to prove to Ra's that he was capable of starting something more, something that would deem the League of Assassins irrelevant. Verlac was a petty little boy."
