The Sleuth's Apprentice

The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 9 of 17

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The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 9 of 17

Superboy, Superman, Batman and Robin are Copyrighted and owned by DC Comics.

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In the meantime, Superboy had said goodbye to the girls, and he had thanked them for hanging out with him. He had played a few more games, and he had given all his earned scripts to them, before he took off and flew home.

Once he had arrived home at the Wayne Manor, he went into his bedroom without making a sound. It was very late, and Dick and Bruce had already gone to sleep. This was no problem for Jamie, of course, since he didn't need to have much sleep anyway. He could go for weeks without sleeping, thanks to his super powers. He would stay in the living room or in the bedroom, and he would watch TV, play video games, or he would listen to the radio while wearing his headphones, so he wouldn't wake up anyone else in the house.

He knew that the following day would be an interesting one, for he and Robin would go to Jonathan's house so that they could ask him some questions about Mister Wancho and the place where he had worked, before he was approached and asked to go to this weird training camp, which was located in the remote desert of Arizona.

When Dick had finally gotten up, he walked into the kitchen, where he found Jamie, sitting at the coffee table.

'I think I actually got to meet Mister Wancho yesterday!' Jamie told him. 'I met him at the fairgrounds, after I had seen you and Bruce!'

'Really? What did he say to you?'

'Oh, he was very nice! He didn't say much, because I had to help out one of the girls, who had gotten into a fight with some guy, who used to be her boyfriend'' Jamie explained to him.

'What? What did you do?'

'Nothing much' I just broke up a fight between one of the girls and this really big guy, who was bothering her a little bit'' Jamie responded casually, like it was no big deal to him.

'Well, we need to go to Jonathan's house, and ask him a few questions. Are you ready to head on out there with me?' Dick asked him.

'Yeah! I'm ready when you are!'

Dick had breakfast, before he returned to his bedroom so that he could change into his Robin costume. A few minutes later, the two caped heroes left the house through the secret door, which led them to the back entrance to the Batcave. From there, they looked up where they needed to go on the large computer console, before Robin hopped on his motorcycle and raced towards the city, with Superboy flying overhead and right behind him.

Within a few minutes, they had reached the city limits, where they immediately headed for the home of Jonathan, who was the boy whom they had rescued from the thugs in the dark alley. Hopefully, they would get some very important information from him, which would perhaps lead them closer to solving the case of the disappearing kids and the large, strange robbery which had taken place in Carnaville just a few days earlier.

As soon as they arrive at Jonathan's house, his mother lets them in. She tells them that they only have about twenty minutes to talk, so Robin told Superboy to pay attention, as he asked the boy all the important questions.

'Hey, Jonathan' I want you to tell me everything you know about Mister Wancho and his company'' Robin asked him. Superboy sat next to Jonathan, while drinking a cup of hot chocolate, which Jonathan's mother had prepared for him.

'Wancho is a business man who has inherited a ton of money from his ancestors, who were all business owners. Unfortunately, he has shown no desire to want to run the business. Rather, he's just interested in control and power.' Jonathan explained to the super heroes.

'What kind of power?' Robin wondered.

'He wants complete control over all energy sources in the southern part of the country' the boy explained. 'He buys bus companies, gas stations, and smaller grocery stores. He wants to control any business, where gasoline is sold. He fires all former employees of any company that he buys, and then hires them back on condition that they go to Arizona to be trained.'

'What's in Arizona?'

'There is some sort of Army boot camp' They are trained to obey Wancho and his thugs. They are brainwashed into believing that Wancho can raise an army of his own, that will control and guard his interests as he slowly takes control of all energy resources.'

'Wow' This guy is intense!' Superboy exclaimed, as he took another sip from his hot chocolate.

'Wancho promises wealth and riches to anyone who signs his contract and dedicates everything to serving him. He plans these large robberies, where he plunders banks and jewelry stores, so he can divide the wealth among these young kids, who are his employees.'

'Ahh... No wonder all these kids want to work for him! They get millions of Dollars, just for signing up!' Robin noted.

'Exactly! Any kid, who works at his gas station or grocery store, is offered employment in his company. All that is required is complete loyalty to William Wancho, his company, and his goals. Everyone goes through his boot camp, and everybody who makes it through that, is given a million Dollars in cash!'

'A million Dollars! Anybody would want that, just for signing up!' Superboy said.

'But, why does he want to raise this army? Is he going to war?' Robin pondered.

'Yes! He wants to own his own nation! Wancho owns a small island chain in the Caribbean, just north of the Dominican Republic. He has his boot camp in Arizona, and he sends his most loyal recruits to these islands, where they learn how to use weapons and they stockpile food and water. He's building his own army base, so that he can eventually establish his own independent nation within the borders of the United States! This guy is crazy, he is filthy rich, and he is extremely dangerous! You guys need to stop him at all costs!'

'But, how is it possible that Wancho could create the story on the media, that a hurricane is about to strike the city, causing everyone to evacuate the area? People have actually seen the dark clouds move in over the city, on the day that the hurricane was supposed to strike the city! How did he pull that off?'

'Don't underestimate him, you guys! Wancho has a lot of money and resources, and he's capable of doing just about anything!' Jonathan warned them. 'I think he owns some chemical plant somewhere, which generates this dark cloud that comes over the city on the day that the hurricane is supposed to strike.'

'And, what about the media?'

'Wancho buys gas stations, grocery stores, and all the major radio and TV stations in the city that he is planning to strike. He just completed the purchase of several media stations in Valery, so you know that he's about to strike that town next! The question is: when is he going to do it? Nobody knows. He's very patient. He might get himself in position to pull off the heist, and he may wait months before he actually does it.'

'Alright' I think we know more than enough about Mister Wancho'' Robin concluded, as he folded his arms before him.

'He sounds like nothing more than a crook to me!' Superboy chuckled, as he continued to drink his hot chocolate.

'You've got to stop him, Superboy!' Jonathan pleaded with the caped boy. 'You're the only person who could put a stop to his evil plans. He's ruining the lives of many young kids by getting them hooked on drugs, alcohol, and lots and lots of money!'

Robin stood up and said goodbye to Jonathan and his mother, before he lead Superboy to the door.

'Guys, please' Find out what happened to my brother? I miss him and I'm afraid that something bad might have happened to him'' Jonathan said sadly.

'Your brother's name is Jonah, right?' Superboy asked him.

'Yes, but he likes for everyone to call him Jason, by his middle name!' Jonathan replied sadly.

'Don't worry, Jon'' Robin said, as he placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. 'We'll find him and we'll bring him back alive, even if that is the last thing we do!'

Superboy and Robin walked out of the small house, both feeling relieved, in a way. But, they were also feeling more determined than ever to get to the bottom of the case, to find out where Wancho was running his operation, and to expose his plans and put a stop to the planned robberies of whole cities, before more people got hurt.

In the meantime, in a secluded house which was located far outside of the city, Wancho is about to board a small jet, to head towards one of the islands in the Caribbean. He had just boarded the plane and taken his seat, when one of his scientists and researches had come on the small screen, which was on the table in front of him.

'Master Wancho, we have some information for you, sir'' the face on the screen said.

'Oh? Tell me''

'We've managed to find out some things about this Superboy kid, what you have requested the other day''

'Please continue''

'They youngster is from the planet called Zyrton. He is an alien, similar to Superman, who is also from another planet. The young Zyrtonian has been on earth for over ten years, and he has shown to possess the same abilities as Superman. In fact, Superman has adopted the boy as his son''

'Alright. I want you to find a way to lure the boy to me, or to get him in a trap. Once we get our hands on him, I want him taken to the fort at the island. I want to find a way to remove his powers and to transfer them to me. If that is not possible, then I want to know how we can take control over the boy and make him do my bidding, do you understand?'

'Yes, sir''

'Does he have any weaknesses? Is there any way he can be stopped? If he doesn't want to cooperate with us, then I want him taken out of commission, permanently. I have seen his power, and I don't want him to stand in my way! Once we can get the boy out of the way, then we can proceed and take care of Superman as well''

'Yes sir, I understand that. The boy has one weakness, but it will be extremely difficult to exploit.'

'What is his weakness?'

'Any exposure to the metal called Zyrtonium, in any form or shape, will render him powerless and knock him unconscious. Prolonged exposure, over several days, may prove to be fatal to him and kill him''

'Alright. Well, I don't want him dead, at least, not yet. I want him imprisoned and kept on the island. Once we have possession of him, we can find a way to remove his power or to take control of him. He might prove to be quite useful to us, and I want to find out any way that is possible, to get him to work for me. If all else fails, and we can't get the boy to work for us and we can't remove his powers, then, as a last resort, I'll want the kid terminated so that there is no possibility of him coming back and standing in our way, is that clear?'

'Yes sir. Don't worry, sir. We'll do some more research. If he shows up, then we'll find a way to get him to come to us. He won't be an obstacle!'

'Thank you, Professor Wright. Keep me posted on any further developments''

Wancho switched off the TV monitor and grinned. He knew that he had the situation under control. Nobody could stand in his way, and once Superboy was out of the way, he knew that there was nothing and nobody left on earth, which could stop him'

When Robin and Superboy returned to the Batcave, they met Batman in the computer room. They sat down with the World's greatest detective, and they informed him about their plans and the things they have found out about Wancho and his enterprise.

'It's time for you to go inside of his operation and to investigate what he's up to and try to stop him, before it's too late' Batman tells the boys. 'You must find a way to get inside of his camp, and to figure out how to stop him from pulling another heist, like the one he pulled in Carnaville.'

'My biggest concern is: How do we stay in touch, once one of us is able to get inside?' Robin ponders.

'You could use walkie-talkies or radios' Batman suggested.

'Sure, but those devices can easily be taken away from us, and then the contact between the two of us will be broken''

'There is another way'' Batman said to the two boys.

The great detective stood up and walked over to the computer console. He opened one of the small cabinets, which was located just above the main control terminal. Then, he pulled out two small chips, which were about 5 millimeters in width and in length. He was able to hold one of the chips on just the tip of his finger.

'These are little voice transmitters' Batman explained. 'These can transmit your voices, but they can also play the incoming or receiving transmissions. All we need to do is implant these little gadgets on the two of you, somewhere''

'Wow! Those things are tiny!' Superboy said, as he stared at the little device, which lay on the tip of Batman's finger. 'Do they really work?'

'Of course they work!' Batman replied. 'The best engineers from my own company are the ones who had engineered these little guys!'

'So, these things can transmit and receive or voices?' Robin asked.

'Yes! They can also transmit the locations via satellite' Batman continued. 'You two can wear special watches, which will show the location of you and the other person, who is talking to you via these special transmitters! That way, you'll always stay in touch with each other, and you'll always know where the other person is located at!'

'That's great, Batman' But' Where do we put those little transmitters?'

'You use a special surgical procedure to cement these little guys to the inside of your teeth!' Batman said, as his given response to Robin's question.

'You mean' You'll need to glue these to our teeth?' Superboy wondered.

'Yes' It will be like going to the dentist!' the great detective chuckled.

'I've never been to the dentist before!' Superboy laughed. 'So I have no idea what that would be like''

'You're very lucky!' Robin grinned, as he rolled his eyes. 'I've had a few cavities during my lifetime''

'Come and follow me to the lab, where I'll ask Julius to perform the surgery on the two of you! That way, you'll be connected and you'll stay in touch, as long as the battery has life to it'' Batman instructed, as he stood up and started to walk towards the lab, which was located inside of the Batcave.

'Come on, Supes' 'Robin chuckled, as he rested his arm across Jamie's broad shoulder. 'You're going to the dentist!'

A few minutes later, Batman had introduced the boys to Julius, who was one of the main scientists, employed by Waynecorp. The man was short, stocky, and he had a bald head. He worked in a special room, which had several bright lamps which were suspended from the ceiling. There was a large, recliner chair, in the middle of the room.

'Please, take a seat'' the professor said to Robin, who had decided to go first. Julius allowed Robin to lie down and open his mouth wide, so that he could wipe the inside of his teeth clean with a special brush. Then he used a set of fine tweezers to grab the tiny chip with one hand, while he placed a gray gel on the tip of a cotton swab, in the other hand. He then spread a thin layer of the gray gel on the inside of Robin's front tooth. Once he was finished, he gently placed the transmitters on the gel, which functioned like a strong form of glue.

Julius instructed Robin to keep his mouth open as long as possible, so that the gel was allowed to dry. Within moments, the cement had worked and kept the transmitter in place, on the inside of his front tooth.

'There, you're all set, Boy Wonder!' Julius said, as he flipped a switch on a computer console. 'The Waynecorp satellite had pinpointed your location and your voice is being picked up by the transmitter!'

'Great! I'm all done now'' Robin said, as he jumped off the recliner chair. Then he turned to Superboy, who was quietly standing besides him, and who had witnessed the entire surgery.

'Okay, it's your turn, Superboy!' Robin cheered. 'Time for your surgery!'

'This is cool, I guess'' Superboy laughed, as he climbed on the recliner chair. 'I've never had surgery before, because nobody's ever been able to perform any kind of surgery on my body!'

'Well, I thought about that, so that's why I know that this is the only way to make this possible'' Julius explained. 'Since you're invulnerable, we have no way to cut any part of your skin so that we could implant the transmitter in your body. So, the only other option we have is to use special cement so that we can fasten the transmitter to your teeth. That way, it can still pick up your voice, and transmit it to Robin!'

'Okay'' Superboy replied nervously.

'Don't be afraid, Supes'' Robin assured the Boy of Steel. 'If I can do it, then so can you!'

Julius spread a fine layer of the gray cement, which resembled a grey gel, on the inside of one of Superboy's teeth. After he applied the cement, he took the second transmitter with his set of tweezers, and he gently placed the transmitter on the inside tooth in Superboy's mouth.

'Almost done here, Superboy!' he said. 'Just keep your month open for a moment, and then the cement will be allowed to dry. After it has dried up, then I'll activate the transmitter!'

Robin just placed his hand on Superboy's shoulder. He looked at the boy, hoping to put his worries to rest. He could tell that Superboy was feeling a little nervous about the operation, but he was confident that he would pull out of it soon and then they would enjoy the benefits of having these transmitters implanted in their mouths.

'Now, I'm going to activate the transmitter by assigning it to an address on the Waynecorp satellite'' Julius said, as he flipped a second switch on the computer console, which was located in the corner of the laboratory.

After a few moments, a green light lit up the computer screen, and the words 'link activated' appeared on the black monitor's screen.

'Gentlemen, you're all set!' he cheered, as he allowed Superboy to get up from the recliner, and leap to the ground.

'Great' so how does it work?'

'Well, we know that Superboy could hear your voice, even if you two are separated for a short distance. But, Robin can't hear you, so in order for us to find out whether or not it works, we'll need to separate you two and then you'll need to try to communicate with each other!' Batman explained.

Robin got up and walked to another room, on the far side of the Batcave, while Superboy stayed in his area. He stayed with Julius in the lab, which was hermetically sealed and soundproofed from the outside. There was no way that Robin was able to hear what Superboy and Julius were saying, since the room was sealed off.

'Alright, Superboy' Say something out loud!' Julius said.

'I am Superboy, and I like to fly'' Jamie giggled out loud.

In the meantime, Batman asked Robin if he was able to hear the Boy of Steel, and if he could understand what he was saying to him.

'Yes! I heard him! He said he was Superboy and that he liked to fly'' Robin chuckled. 'This is so cool! I could hear what he said, even though he is on the other end of the Batcave!'

'You two are now connected. I'll track your locations on the computer here, and I'll know where you guys are. If I see that you're far away for more than two days, and then I'll come after you!' Batman assured his sidekick. 'That way, I'll always know where you guys are, and I can get help in case you two are in trouble. If something happens to Jamie, then I'll alert Superman, and I'll give him your coordinates so that he will be able to find you, no matter where in the world you might be.'

In the meantime, Julius was keeping Superboy in the lab.

'Here'' Julius said to the caped super kid, who was starting to become impatient. 'Have a few chocolate brownies''

There was a plastic bowl on the counter, containing several chocolate brownies. Superboy reached down and grabbed on, and started eating it.

'Yumm' These are delicious!' he said, while his lips were becoming brown, and covered with the frosting that was on the brownies.

'Well, I must say, I've never had the opportunity to work with a young man who possessed super powers before'' Julius quipped, as he gently took one brownie from the bowl.

'Well' I've never had the opportunity to work with a scientist before!' the super kid chuckled, as he continued to chew on his brownie.

Superboy reached down and was about to eat his second brownie, when Julius warned him not to eat too many of them.

'Don't eat them all, or else you'll have an upset stomach''

'Oh, that doesn't bother me at all' the super lad replied. 'I can eat all the brownies in a second and I'll still be okay''

'Egad!' the professor exclaimed. 'You must be joking!'

Jamie stared at him with a serious look on his face. When he noticed that Julius had looked away for a second, he grabbed and ate all the remaining brownies at super speed.

'Oh no!' Julius shouted, when he noticed the empty, plastic bowl.

He gasped, as he stared at the boy, who was licking the frosting from his lips and from his fingers.

'See? I told you I could eat them fast'' Superboy laughed.

'You scamp!' the professor laughed. 'I didn't even see you eat them! You're fast!'

'A little super speed is all it takes for me to eat the whole bowl of brownies'' the super kid said while showing a wide grin on his face.

Robin walked back to the lab, where Superboy was patiently waiting for him. Then, the two boys said goodbye to Julius and Batman, before they headed back outside.