After having carried the intruders, who were identified to me as being Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad, to a set of holding chambers on a different floor, I chose to simply stand there and stare at them, still in the Thanagarian form. As I stared, I thought some more, and I began to feel a rather bizarre shift in the internal workings of my mind. Before, when I had thought, my mind had brought me to an automatic conclusion based on the stimulus present, as if my response was already pre-determined, and I was simply waiting for a criteria to be fulfilled. But now, that conclusion was no longer… automatic.
While I was busy thinking, they all awakened sharply, with Kid Flash gasping and quickly shifting his expression to glare at me. "What do you want?!" The speedster demanded angrily, though I remained silent, prompting him to continue, "Quit staring, you're creeping me out!" Despite the fact that he was currently being held captive by someone who had harmed him, he was still going to speak in such an aggressive manner? Now, rather than simply labelling him as an enemy and giving it no further thought, I pondered that facet of his personality, and I actually had to decide for myself what it meant. Perhaps, due to his experience with fighting the enemies of the Flash, he was able to be fearless in the face of perilous situations?
"Uh, KF?" Robin said, "Maybe not the best position for us to be in if you wanna tick off the guy who just beat us… Also, I'm not sure if he can even talk in the first place." Could I talk? Perhaps now would be a good time to test if I could or not.
"I can talk." I declared calmly, "I simply elected not to during our fight as I did not have any allies to share attack plans with. As for Kid Flash's earlier question, I am Project ARK. After defeating you, I brought you here under the orders of my CADMUS superiors. As intruders, you must now be dealt with." The pre-determined conclusion.
"If you would permit me to ask a question of my own," Aqualad suddenly spoke up, "the file which CADMUS has on you did not mention anything of your birth, and you seemed to be human when you first awoke. Were you created here in CADMUS, or do you come from somewhere else?"
"My physical and chronological origin did not occur within CADMUS, and I don't know where it did occur. However, my identity as Project ARK originated here in CADMUS, as it is where I have been raised and educated." I said.
"Not sure raised is the right word." Robin interjected, "The file said you'd only been here for nineteen weeks, and you kinda look older than a nineteen week-old." That was a good point, actually. Clearly, I must have spent a significant amount of time before CADMUS with some different upbringing.
"Yeah! So how do you know that these guys didn't kidnap and brainwash you, or something?" Kid exclaimed. Another good point.
"The way you fought, and the look on your face when you first awoke, you seemed almost robotic in nature." Aqualad said, "But now, I can see that you are clearly thinking for yourself. You are not a weapon as they intended you to be, but a person."
"A person…" I mused, "I suppose that I am a person, aren't I?"
"All we sought to do was help you," Aqualad continued, "we wished to free you from your captivity and give you the freedom which CADMUS was depriving you of."
"Yeah, we free you, and then you turn on us!" Kid butted in heatedly, "How's that for gratitude-"
"Kid, please, be quiet now." Aqualad interrupted him sternly, before focusing back on me, "As I said, I do not believe he was in full control of his actions. But now, I believe he is. And so I will ask him whether he intends to side with the people who would strip him of his agency, who erased his identity and turned him merely into their weapon, or if he intends to side with the people who wish to free him."
That was… a good question. And it was something I had to decide for myself, despite what CADMUS' pre-determined response told me. CADMUS had brainwashed me into becoming their weapon, while these heroes had attempted to free me. But did I think that me being brainwashed was bad? The knowledge I had been imparted would say otherwise, would tell me that anything CADMUS did was right, and that they were heroes. But then, of course, I knew that was biased information I had received from CADMUS in the first place. A conundrum, certainly, as I tried to figure out what my own sense of right and wrong were.
Said conundrum was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Dr. Desmond, accompanied by Guardian and another CADMUS-affiliated scientist. Both Guardian and Desmond had G-Gnomes resting atop their shoulders, and although the former regarded me fairly neutrally, the latter glanced at me distastefully.
"What is the weapon doing out of its pod?" Desmond snapped irritably, quite unaware of the colossal mistake he had just made. At the dehumanisation- or de-Thanagarian-isation, might have been more fitting right now, I felt a rush within my head, a mixture of chemicals in my brain. This was… this was the emotion known as anger, as my fists clenched and my wings tensed. The way Desmond, one of the highest higher-ups of CADMUS, was treating me, made me angry. Desmond had expedited the whole process, and now I'd picked my side.
Of course, the scientist remained ignorant of my feelings, simply walking past me along with the other scientist to stand in front of a control terminal and began inputting commands. I could attack, could lash out at him… but he was weak. A weak man, far from the greatest threat in the room. Instead, I walked over to stand beside Guardian, who didn't even spare me a glance. That was, of course, until I suddenly seized him by the shoulder and spun around, hurling him with all the strength I had to send him flying into Aqualad's pod, leaving a web of cracks in its exterior. Both Desmond and the other scientist turned around at the attack, just in time to see me flying towards them. Heaving Desmond up, I knocked the G-Gnome from his shoulder casually, before tossing him to the side and focusing on the other scientist.
"Release them." I demanded.
"W-What are you doing?" The scientist exclaimed, flustered and trembling as I glared at her.
"Release them, or I use you to finish what I just started with Guardian." I threatened, continuing to glower at her, and she quickly cracked and pressed several keys on the terminal, opening the pods up and releasing the heroes' bindings, allowing them to drop down.
"Damn, almost had it open. Batman would have my head if he knew how long that was taking." Robin muttered.
"Are you kidding?!" Kid exclaimed as he jumped out from the pod and landed on the floor of the chamber, beginning to stretch his arms out, "The whole LEAGUE will have our heads after tonight!"
Aqualad breathed a sigh of relief before he looked over to me with a smile, "Thank you, erm… do you have a name?"
"Aviator." I responded, smirking somewhat. It wouldn't be my proper name, just what I'd designate this specific form. Sounded cool, in my opinion.
"Thank you, Aviator." Aqualad nodded. The friendly atmosphere was soon ruined, sadly, by Desmond staggering back up onto his feet.
"You- You'll never get out of here!" He roared, glaring at us fiercely, "I'll have you all in pods by sunrise!"
An idea struck me, and I walked over and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, smirking viciously at him. "No, you won't. Because you're going to lead us out of here."Last