Working With Red

Flightless Birds of a Feather

"That's all we needed. Thank you for your time." 

The three of you rose from the metal folding chairs you'd been seated in in tandem with the two officers, who offered another salute before reaching forward to shake your hands. As they turned to lead you back to your room, you glanced at Roy, who was clearly annoyed with the meeting that'd just been concluded. 

You had to admit, the meeting had seemed rather redundant. As kind and accommodating as the officers had been, they had only spoken with the three of you to learn of what you had already been told, and if you could offer any further information as to what the cause of the blackout may have been. It had felt as though they were reading straight from the briefing packet, and you tried not to get restless when the droning had continued on for nearly an hour. It was literally everything you'd already heard from Oliver, plus the information you'd received upon your arrival. 

This ultimately clarified that the rest of the staff seemed to be as much in the dark about the situation as you were. 

"Again, thank you all for speaking with us." The first officer gestured to the door to your quarters. "We were also under the impression that you will be traveling to the other locations that have been involved in the incident, correct? We've had limited contact with these additional facilities, though it seems they've all experienced the same inconveniences." 

Roy nodded. "That's right. We have already scheduled a private car to take us around for a little more investigating. However, we're not planned to being traveling until tomorrow morning." The second officer nodded. 

"Ah. Well, if it's of any benefit, we can appoint an escort for you. It's not every day members..." He paused, his eyes flitting to you and Nightwing before returning to your mentor's imposter. "We don't get a member of the Justice League dropping by too often. Better safe than sorry." You cocked your head to the side as your arms became folded tightly over your chest, though you didn't feel it was the right place to make a comment. Nightwing seemed unbothered, a true mark of his professionalism over your own. 

"Well, we're happy to be of service!" You understood he was trying to stay within the parameters of the boisterous blonde's character, but the way Roy threw an arm around yours and Nightwing's shoulders and unexpectedly pulled you down had you wanting to pound him in the back of the head hard enough to knock his wig off. "We appreciate the trust you've given us, and we'll let you know if we find anything that could help you." 

The first officer cleared his throat. "Could we also request that you share with us the information you obtain from your other locations? We'd like to analyze and investigate further for any kind of similarities or consistencies--" 

"That'll be up to the other facilities," Nightwing interrupted, offering a smile. "With all due respect, every facility has the right to maintain their own private information, though if we feel it is crucial to discovering the source of the incident, we'll be sure to ask for permission and inform you of our findings." 

"I couldn't ask for anything more," the officer responded, though from the tone of his voice, you could tell he was willing to do just that. "Well, if that's all, we'll leave you to it. Please, if you need anything, the rest of our staff have been notified of your presence, and are willing to assist you with anything you may require. We also plan to begin holding interrogations of all of our personnel to see if we can get any kind of intel." 

"If possible, can I sit in on those interrogations?" Nightwing asked. "I understand that Green Arrow is heading this mission, but I'm much more well-versed in the technological aspects of this incident. I might be able to use my knowledge to pinpoint specific details he cannot." You weren't sure if it was meant to be an innocent comment or a direct jab at your partner, but by the way Roy's expression fell and how tightly he was curling his fists at his side, whatever the intended purpose was had clearly been achieved.