This story is the second part in a trilogy, and is to be considered AU. You have been warned.
Sunlight filtered through the thick curtains splashing athwart young Terry's face, stirring him just as Alfred entered the room to get him ready for school. "Good morning Master Terry, how did you sleep last night?" the Englishman inquired his newest charge.
"Deep Mr. Pennyworth. Will Bat, I mean, Dad be joining us for breakfast this morning?" Terry asked, sliding out from under the covers. He wore simple pair of blue pajamas.
"Alfred please, and I'm sorry, but Master Bruce had to leave for an early morning meeting with the Board of Directors. He promised to be home sometime before dinner to help train you and young Master Dick. Hurry up and get dressed, you need to be at school in half an hour," Alfred told the little boy. He watched as the little boy gyrate to get his uniform on. Once he was sure that Terry was getting ready, he left to awaken Master Dick.
The newest member to the household was certainly a puzzle. The boy was just as smart and serious as his father, but he was also childlike and happy when he played with Dick, however he was guarded and private so much it was hard to get him to open up. Since he'd arrived three weeks ago, he'd yet to personalize the bedroom his father had given him. Alfred knew for certain that the clothes from the thrift store donations were in his closet, but had no idea about the rest of the stuff that had arrived. He hoped with a little more time Terry would feel comfortable enough to open up to his family. They certainly didn't need a second brooding personality in the manor.
Terry was quite at breakfast, and on the ride to Gotham Academy. Dick gave him a sympathetic smile knowing how hard it was for his "little brother." The official story was that Terry's mother Maryanne Warren, (a play on his bio mom's original name), had a short tryst with Bruce Wayne eleven years ago, when he was in England touring his factories there, and she had kept the child secret, living in a small English town, before passing away from pneumonia. Since then he had come to live with his father in America managing to avoid the press pretty well. The story was completely backstopped just like all the other Projects. After all cover stories were Terry's specialty.
When tested for placement in Gotham Academy, the former Cadmus Project had been unable to keep his genius from showing to much. They had told Bruce he'd be better off at a nearby magnet school, but that would have left him to vulnerable to abduction, so now he attended school with Dick in the eighth grade. It was tough for the little ten year old being in class with students three years older. His genius unnerved them and his lack of social skills made him difficult to approach. As of now he had no friends.
Alfred dropped the two boys off at school reminding them he'd picked them up after the final bell. "Have a good day boys and try to stay out of trouble."
"Don't worry Alfred we will! I'm going to go talk to my friends for a few minutes, you sure you'll be okay by yourself? Maybe you should try socializing with some of your age mates?" Dick suggested, pointing to where the younger children at the school were playing on the equipment. They were all laughing and smiling waiting for the first bell to ring.
"Those kids don't know the difference between an electron and electrolysis," Terry grumbled, but did as he was told. He tried smiling at some of the kids hoping that would put them at ease, but they just stared or whispered about him. Everyone was just too afraid to approach, him whether it was because of his intelligence or his dad. He finally sat down by himself on a swing gently rocking. "This is not the life I thought I would have when I got free."
His musings were cut short as he was pushed out of the swing and his pack ripped away from him. He tried to get up only to have his legs kicked out from under him. Flipping over, he glared angrily at three of his classmates, Jed Parker and his cronies Quentin and Tyrone. "Give me back my pack!"
"Whatcha going to do about it rich boy? Going to cry and run to mommy? Oh that's right your whore mom's dead!" Jed said laughing and dangling the pack just out of reach.
"Oh did we hurt the little genius's feelings to bad! If you had any brains you would know we don't want stinking foreigners in our school!" Tyrone crowed.
"I'm warning you, give that back or I'll..."
"Or what little boy? You're not tough enough to deal with us and I doubt your playboy of a father cares much about you to help out," Quentin laughed.
Terry saw red and was about to break his cover when all three boys got kicked hard in the stomach by Dick. "Why don't you three jerks keep your hands off my little brother and his stuff? Don't make me give you a thrashing!"
"That punk is no more related to you than Wayne is to you. One day, Grayson, you'll see your nothing. Come on; we better get going before were late for first period." The three troublemakers left leaving, Dick to help Terry pick up his things.
"You okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"Despite what you may think, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself from a bunch of single celled protozoa; such as Mr. Parker and his friends. I would appreciate if you didn't recall this incident to Dad at dinner tonight. I already have enough problems to deal with," Terry hissed as the bell rang. He didn't look back, just headed inside and got his books for class which was World History, which he shared with Dick. In fact, their schedules were nearly identical thanks to Bruce pulling strings.
As the teacher harangue about the formation of minor European countries, and their effect on the global scale in the twentieth and twenty first century, Terry would occasionally interrupt supplying information that the teacher was unaware of. For example, the rise in metagenes affecting the population and governmental systems advances in technological issues. It was so hard trying to pretend he didn't already know this. Between, the genomorphs and Thinker, he had learned almost everything up to grad school. As first period let out and second period began wondered what his brothers and sisters were up to in their schools.
Lucas was running laps around the gym in Blacksmith High. He was already five laps ahead of the rest of his class. All around him his fellow classmates were doing physical fitness for the upcoming Presidential Fitness Test. Girls were doing jumping jacks and push ups; boys were running laps or climbing ropes. Lucas was finding the workout to be monotonous. Star Sapphire had pushed him through much worse when it came to training. He completed his laps and was cooling off when his teacher, Mr. Booker, came over to him.
"Is there a problem sir?"
"Lucas you can call me Mr. Booker like everyone else does. I'm really impressed by how fit you are, but then again maybe I shouldn't be with your dad being a former Marine," Mr. Booker said, scrutinizing his newest student. Lucas kept a steady gaze not flinching a bit. According to his back story, his super model mother had hid her pregnancy and after the baby was born had some family help raise him, before sending him to live with his dad and "uncle" so he be well rounded. If all went according to plan he was to be united with his mother for the first time by the end of next week. "I guess you could say that sir. Is there a reason that you wanted to talk to me?"
"Look, its obvious to me your going to pass the fitness test, maybe even set some new records. I was just wondering if you're interested in trying out for some sports teams. The basketball season is going to be happening soon or you could even join the baseball team when spring rolls around. What about it?"
Lucas was shifting uncomfortably. The thought of playing sports was enticing, but he really didn't know if that's what he wanted to do. There was another class that he was taking that was far more entertaining and offered better hobbies. "I'm not sure sir. I'm still adjusting to my new life here and I have some previous commitments that takes up a great deal of time. I will keep it under advisement. Excuse me sir, but I need to get something from my locker."
"Go ahead and take a shower while you're at it. The rest of the class will done in a little while. Just think about what I said kid," Mr. Booker said sending him to the locker room.
Lucas scrambled into the locker room, using his powers to open his locker before locking himself into a shower stall. Green energy was starting to dance off his body mixing with the rising steam. He took a few calming breath trying to call the power back inside. "Remember what John I mean Dad and Uncle Hal said. The key is focusing your will and centering yourself. You control the power not the other way around." Slowly the build up of energy washed down the drain and his levels returned to normal. Taking a deep breath he finished taking his shower and used his energy to dress himself in his simple blue jeans and long sleeved green hoodie. He brushed past his classmates, ignoring their suspicious glares.
He had to regain his perfect emotional control or his powers would show! "How does Dad and Uncle Hal deal with this everyday? I really hope the others are performing better in school then I am," he muttered all the while thinking about what another female green clad hero would do.
Later that day, during lunch Athena, was watching enthralled by the sight in front of her. She was dressed in medium length denim skirt, ankle boots and a Tangled shirt. Gateway High's school's dance team was holding a performance in the lunch room, trying to inspire others to apply for tryouts next week. Training would begin through winter break and the first competition would be shortly after they got back for spring semester. At first Wonder Woman had wanted to enroll her daughter in all girls' school, but Athena had wanted to learn more about male behavior. While in school she wore her hair long, without the colorful extensions she liked and darkened her skin tone with make up, so no one would know she was Wonder Girl. Her mother and her were doing fine and the story was her mother was impregnated by a sperm donor, (which Tyson Bay had been because that's how Cadmus got his DNA before burning the remaining canisters), so Diana Prince was a single mom raising her daughter the best she knew how.
Athena turned off her own iPod to watch the girls as they stomped, twirled, bent and leapt around in synch with one another. Their beautiful dance outfits showed off their bodies perfectly. Some the girl's were even singing to music as they danced to Carrie Underwood's "Some Hearts."
I've never been the kind that you'd call lucky
Always stumbling' around in circles
But I must have stumbled into something
Look at me
Am I really alone with you
I wake up feeling like my life's worth living
Can't recall when I last felt that way
Guess it must be all this love you're giving
Never knew never knew it could be like this
But I guess
Some hearts
They just get all the right breaks
Some hearts have the stars on their side
Some hearts,
They just have it so easy
Some hearts just get lucky sometimes
Some hearts just get lucky, lucky sometimes
In Athena's mind her ability to create three D battle models allowed her to predict and alter the dance sequence. Choreography wasn't that different then planning battle strategies. "I want to try out for that! I want to be able to dance and sing like that!"
"Good luck freak, Gateway Dance Angels only takes the best and not some left over home school girl," Alyssa Jensens, a girl in her grade told her snottily.
"Yeah the only way you'd get on that team is if your mom found some gold to pay them!" Lindsey Black giggled. The two girls' had been harassing Athena since she came to school and Athena had no idea what to do. White Queen had never trained her for what to do when your peers took pleasure tormenting you. The two bitches "accidentally" dropped their lunch all over her before taking their Juicy accessories and marching off towards class.
"Mi amiga, forget about those two peros. If you want to try out for the baliar equipo I say go for it," Sasha Corwrens, the half Argentina girl who was nice to her, said. She was considered an outcast as well and it was nice to have a friend. Sasha had approached her the first day asking if she wanted a tour of the school. They had been tight ever since.
"Thanks' Sasha, but I don't know what my mother will say. Dancing and singing are not exactly family tradition. Well, we better get going we've got Home EC next. I wish my friend Wally was here. At least he'd eat all the food I spoiled," Athena remarked, her hand tingled meaning that another Project was having trouble. She hoped whoever it wasn't being too obvious about their differences. Just the other day she had hid her super strength when a large storage cabinet "accidentally" came crashing on top of her. She had laid there for several minutes while her classmates helped get it off her when she could have done it with one hand.
Shania was in trouble alright and its name was Spanish! A complete understanding of a foreign language was required in order to graduate. Most students started in their freshman year and went for two or four years. According to the school transcripts, from her "private boarding school" where she'd been staying the last few years, she had a basic grasp on the language so she was enrolled into the second year.
It was difficult for Shania as the maestra lectured in Spanish about the purpose of present subjunctive. The class paid special attention as they were told about the grammars purpose. You used the subjunctive when you wanted to express hope, wishes, advice and emotion. Shania copied the formula to forming the subjunctive in her book. Take the yo form of an ar or er/ir verb, drop the o and add the opposite vowel ending.
"Catalogue esto es la lista de verbo irregular con el subjuntivo. Incluyen Dar, Estar, infrarrojo. El sable, y más sudeste. Esté por favor seguro memorizar los cambios irregulares. Es también importante recordar que eses cambios de tallo en verbos de infrarrojo en el indictive presente son iguales que presente de subjuntivo. E al ei."
Shania was trying to copy the notes, but her entire body was aching from suppressing her wings inside her body for hours. They were itching to be freed and so were her fire powers begging to be used to burn something down. She had hoped wearing clothing that was made from feather down and flame resistant material would help, but not much. She winced as she tried to ignore the sounds of her fellow avians just outside the window.
A ruler struck her desk and she looked up to see her teacher Maestra Bailey looking at her with some concern. "Maestra? El problemo?"
"Mrs. Hol, si usted es enfermo, sugiero que usted vaya la oficina de las enfermeras."
"Si Mastra." Shania collected her books and headed to the nurse's office. This was the third time this week her powers had caused her enough discomfort that she ended up in the office trying to relax. She loved school and was very interested in her biological science classes, especially when they talked about animals and nature. She had started to develop a passion for such ideas, but was unsure how to react to these feelings. As she curled up in the bed dealing with the latest headache, she pictured the strong arms of a brown skinned water boy around her and her over protective big brother playing referee.
At the moment Connor wasn't playing referee or doing much of anything except trying to endure high school as best he could. Being normal was the toughest challenge in the world, even harder then managing his new powers. He had to be so careful around normal humans not to use his abilities or startle them with his lack of social manners.
He was stuck in math class trying to understand consumer mathematics; learning about stock exchange, filing for taxes, and investments. This kind of math bored him seeing as how his family didn't have tons of cash like Terry, but they got by. He was dressed in his civilian clothes and fake glasses, counting the minutes until the day's end. That's when his teacher called on him to answer a question.
"Mr. Kent, if you are done staring out the window, perhaps you could explain why monopolies on businesses are outlawed?"
"Um, monopolies completely control the flow of money so there's no chance of free exchange and growth?" Connor suggested praying he was right. A nod from the teacher meant he was okay. Finally he slumped down in his seat. He wondered briefly if M'gann would like Earth school as much as she liked Earth. Finally school was up and his ride was here.
"Hey little big guy! Did you have a good time at school? I tell you I still have nightmares about being stuck in woodshop, unable to create a stupid pencil holder," Lana said, as they drove back to the Kent's farm. The Paris fashion designer was taking a sabbatical in her hometown, recharging her creative genius for her next show, and was happy to help an old friend out with his new son.
"Whomever invented high school, must have wanted to torture the youths of America. When am I going to need to know how to use an extend metaphor without taking away from the essence of poetry?"
"I take it English class is getting you down. Don't worry you're going to find your niche. So, I got a call from your Dad, he's pretty busy in Metropolis tonight so he won't be able to fly in for dinner. He wants me to remind you that you have training at the usual spot tomorrow afternoon. Hey you want to come to my place and relax for a bit?" Lana questioned.
"No, I'll be okay really. Thanks for the ride Ms. Lang, I'll see you tomorrow," Connor said as he exited the car. He waved good-bye to her and headed up the lane. "Hi Grandma, where's Grandpa?"
"He's out in the barn bailing hay; he could use your help. I'll be taking care of the chickens and picking some fresh vegetables from the garden for dinner. Don't forget to do your homework!" Martha told the boy.
"Yeah, I know!" Connor dashed into the barn where he found Grandpa trying his best to lift big bales of hay up to the rafters by himself. He took four loads, plus the one Grandpa had, and started using transporting them up to the ladder. "Let me handle that it's no problem at all."
"You know its times like these I miss having Clark around. Chores went a lot quicker and smoother when he was a kid. I hope you don't mind helping out so much Connor."
"No it's no trouble at all really. This is the most exciting part of my day," Connor assured him, but inside he was bored already. This wasn't much of a challenge for him and he hadn't even gotten to use his new powers yet. Later, he went to his room to do his homework. This space was a bit more personalized then his old room at the Mt. Justice. It was Clark's old room with the same furniture with a fresh coat of black paint. He had some books to read, a TV with a DVD player and a CD player with a couple CDs. He was experimenting trying to figure out his interests and after the three weeks here all he discovered was something he swore never to reveal to his teammates and his siblings. He loved sleeping at night with a teddy bear! As he sat down to do his homework he felt his ink mark itching. He wondered what his siblings were up to.
Shania was on the roof of her apartment building talking with the pigeons as she studied the city landscape before. Midway was a beautiful city, filled with parks and zoos with some interesting cliffs and lakes just outside the limits. She longed to go there and just be one with nature. Spending her entire life underground, she felt at peace when she was surrounded by animals and nature. "So then I asked Hawkwoman and Hawkman, I mean Mom and Dad if we could go picnic at the State Park nearby and practice controlling my flames more, but they said they were busy tracking down a dead beat dad for a client on Saturday. I really wish they would let me go there by myself, but their so fearful that Cadmus is going to come snatch me back up. What about you Pidge? Did your parents keep you close to the nest?"
"Coo, coo, hoot, coo, hoot."
"Really, well I guess for birds that live in the city it's natural not to be to fearful of the unknown. You know since I came here Pidge, I've loved exploring the city and learning about the animals, but what I really want to do is see the ocean. Aqualad, I mean Kaldur, is always going on about how beautiful and full of life it is. He said the aquarium is nothing like that and the best place to view sea life is Atlantis. My parents refuse to take me there, saying Thanigarians don't do well underwater because of our wings. Is it wrong for me to long for such a place that is different from our beloved sky?"
"Coo hoot coo hoot!"
"Thanks Pidge, but I better get inside and start my homework. Mom and Dad will be back in time for a delicious of dinner of squid guts," Shania giggled, as she stroked Pidge's head before putting her back into the enclosure. She headed to the small apartment where she lived letting her wings unfurl from her body as she collapsed on her bed. The room was painted orange, with posters of animals and nature, with plenty of stuffed birds on her bed. As she started her Spanish homework her thoughts drifted to her siblings.
Lucas was trying to concentrate on his homework, but the arguing going on in the kitchen was drifting to his room. He had personalized the space by hanging different African art pieces on the wall. He'd discovered how much he enjoyed looking at and trying to imitate the art around him a couple days after escaping Cadmus. However, he couldn't think about that right now as he listened to his Dad and Uncle Hal argue once more about his future.
"I talked with some other Lanterns, trying to find out if there was a precedent for what happened with Lucas, but none of them could recall in the entire history of the Lantern Corp, a child imbued with the power of the green element like this. I'm almost afraid to tell the Guardians about him. There probably going to want to keep him on Oa for a couple months, if not years, to make sure he's not abusing the power," Hal was saying.
"You didn't contact them yet have you? I thought we agreed to let them know after Lucas met Mari. When I finally got to talking to her she swore that if I was lying about the kid she was going to flatten me flatter then a flatworm. That woman has quite a temper on her."
"Well what did you expect when you dropped the kid bomb on her? Almost all mother's know they're pregnant and that they've had the kid!"
"I just hope she likes Lucas for his sake. He's really anxious to meet his mom. I've noticed his powers are leaking out when he loses that emotional control. I thought that he would have better control."
"He's in a new situation John he's bound to make a few mistakes. I'll let Canary know about that when he goes to Mt. Justice tomorrow for training."
In his room Lucas was very stoic as he contemplated what his family was saying about him. He really was nervous about seeing his mom, but more importantly he was afraid of going to Oa. If his understanding of Corp law was as up to date as he thought it was, the Guardians had every right to forfeit his life for using their element without their permission. He really hoped it didn't come to that. He wondered if the other parents were this worried about his siblings.
Wonder Woman was going over some work for the museum, as she listened to Athena singing and dancing in her room. When she had gotten back from her job she had been surprised to find her daughter locked in her room. She peeked inside watching Athena twirl and kick to the music from her CD player. She sang along beautifully with the song, which was "The Gift of a Friend." She opened the door smiling at her daughter hiding a frown at the Disney Princess and Fairy inspired décor. It wasn't suitable for a young Amazon. "What are you doing Athena?"
"Oh hi Mom! I was practicing for the dance team tryouts. The team did a demonstration at lunch! It was amazing to watch them move so gracefully. It was magical choreographed battle! I just I want to be part of that!"
"Athena, I don't know if that's a good idea. You're still learning to control your powers and your already part of a team."
"I know, but this is something I want badly! Didn't you want something badly when you were growing up?"
"Yes, but its complicated Athena. I really think you should focus your studies more on adjusting to life as a heroine and learning about your culture. I want to take you to meet your grandmother on Paradise Island soon. I'm going to go get dinner started I'll talk to you later," Wonder Woman told her daughter ignoring the frown on her face.
Athena watched her mother leave sinking to her bad unhappily. "Can't she see how much this means to me? I bet Terry is having the same trouble relating to Batman as I do with my Mom."
It was true that Terry was having a difficult time that night. Bruce had come home to find his sons already finished with their homework and in the gym sparring. Terry had gotten better, but he was distracted Bruce could tell, leaving him open for hits. After the match, Terry had wanted to work on his protobat suit installing the glider wings and improving the proofing, but Alfred had dinner ready for them.
"I hope that you enjoy the salmon its fresh. I also made a delicious salad full of carrots, squash, and lettuce for young Master Terry. The nutrients should help you grow stronger," Alfred said placing the dish in front of the young master.
"Thank you Mr. Penny, I mean, Alfred. It looks delicious. Hmm, the fish is a bit oily, but it does create an interesting texture in my mouth. They never served this at Cadmus."
"Yeah, I bet all they served you was protein shakes! One of these days we need to go out for ice cream and pig out," Dick exclaimed.
"They're will be time for that later. Have you completed your homework the both of you?"
"The homework is not as challenging as the teachers make it out to be. In fact, I helped Dick with his history, although what they told us was largely inaccurate."
"Yeah, well at least with your help I can go on patrol tonight. You know even though your suits not done yet, maybe you would like to go on patrol with us? You haven't really had a chance to test the suit out given that the last time you wore it was on our rescue mission."
"Absolutely not. Introducing a new hero, especially one with his moniker, to Gotham's criminal element at this time would be mistake. They would be after him in seconds due to his inexperience. We haven't trained enough together to work in synch," Bruce replied quickly. He would be the first to admit he didn't want to endanger the child's life if he wasn't prepared for Gotham's criminals.
"Bruce, he can't just stay here all the time!"
"It's alright brother, I understand. He's right and besides I need a lot of sleep."
"Come on Terry, I know you want to get out there and fight! Maybe then you wouldn't let those bullies walk all over you!"
"Dick! You promised not to mention that!"
"Bullies? What exactly is going on at school that you're not telling me? Terry, I want an explanation."
"It's nothing I can't handle. Mr. Parker and his friends will eventually leave me alone."
"They've been hounding you ever since you got to school and you've just let them! I don't understand why you didn't just fight back or tell someone!"
"Oh yeah, reveal my skills letting everyone get a glimpse of the truth and endanger our secret, that's smart really. Trusting teachers at Gotham Academy to care is a losing battle, when all they care about is who gives them the biggest donation."
"Terry, don't yell at Dick. If there is a problem at school I will talk with them. You don't have to be afraid of letting us help you."
"I'm not! I just, you don't understand! If you will excuse me I've lost my appetite. I'll be in my room," Terry growled, storming off to his room leaving them alone. He knew they wouldn't follow him, but just incase he locked the door and activated the security system he built into his room. He really hated the décor with all its expensive furniture and dark walls. He flipped open a secret compartment built into his headrest and took out two things. One was a picture frame that he looked into for a long time. Then he curled up on his bed with the book he had hidden, losing himself in the pages. A smile formed on his face as he read all about the adventures inside.
Later that night all the Projects were asleep in their beds dreaming about hopes and desires for their future. The troubles of adjusting to their new life didn't exist here. Suddenly, the Projects all found themselves sharing the same dream, as they appeared in a Project room. They floated invisibly over the biopods and saw two thirteen year olds resting contentedly in their biopods. Their Project names were obscured, but they could just make out their features. The girl had medium length, ginger colored hair and her half closed eyes appeared to be ebony black. Her male companion had spiky black hair and dark eyes, appearing to be Asian in descendent, but the shape of his eyes and nose reminded Connor of someone, but he couldn't figure out whom.
"Please find us and save us before it's to late siblings," the girl whispered
"Time is running out. Soon we will lose our will to fight," The boy whispered.
There was a flash of light and all five Projects woke up panting and their ink marks throbbing. They would have to discuss it with each other tomorrow, but one thing was certain. Two more parts of Project Hero Light were out there and needed help.
