Chapter 1: Introductions
Dick Grayson P.O.V.
The class was getting antsy. Our teacher was running late, and usually when teachers ran late, that meant that they were quitting teaching in Gotham because of the fact that it was crazy and that they would rather live in Metropolis or Manhattan. I looked on either side and behind me to where three of my best friends, Barbra, Wally, and Megan sat. Wally sat to my right, Barbra to my left, and Megan was behind me. Wally leaned over and asked, "What do you think the chances are that Mrs. Column quit and it's all because Gotham is filled to the brim with villains?"
"The chances are 1 to 200." I responded after calculating the problem in my head.
"I was just joking, man. I seriously didn't need to know. You've been spending to much time with your extracurricular activities mentor. You need to take a break from him and spend some time with your rich care taker, Bruce Wayne." Wally commented.
The Young Justice League knew each others names, but not who the big Leaguers were behind the mask. Wally had no clue that while I was spending time with Bat-man, I was also spending time with Bruce.
"You wouldn't believe how much time I spend with Bruce." I retorted.
"Who on Earth would they find this time to replace Mrs. Column? I mean, she is, or was, teaching biology honors and geometry honors. Those classes are hard to teach, or at least that's what I heard from the teachers. Not only that, teachers who are willing to teach in Gotham are decreasing every day." Barbra moaned. "And my dad will want another conference with another new teacher." She placed her head in between her arms on her desk.
"Megan, if we end up getting a new teacher, again, would you read this one's mind to see what he or she is like, please?" Wally whispered/begged. "That way I can tell if they appreciate my kind of comedy and they won't call my 'rents in for poor behavior or to question my sanity.'
"I already told you Wally, I will not read anyone's mind unless it totally called for and we have no other choice." She hissed back.
Just then the principal opened the door and walked in. Someone tried to follow but he turned around and whispered to the person and he closed the door, then he walked to the front of the class, cleared his voice and said, "As you have all probably guessed, Mrs. Column has quit her job and you will receive a new teacher." The whole class groaned. "Now this is the first time that this teacher will have actually taught a class and I want you to behave well, not only for her sake, but for yours. This young woman is intelligent and graduated college, along with her husband, at the age of twenty-one. She graduated just last spring, majoring in mathematics and science. She specializes in genetics. She has been declared sane, but please, don't test just how sane she is."
This got the whole class whispering. The school is getting so desperate for teachers that they're actually hiring ones that are possibly insane? Not a good sign. The door opened and was carefully slammed behind as a tall woman strode in. Her long blond hair was pulled into a tight, high ponytail and she wore a grey business suit, complete with a grey skirt that went to her knees and a pair of black heels. She had a Californian tan and her eyes royal blue eyes, and in her right hand she held a brown briefcase and on her left hand, a ring was on her ring finger and a watch on her wrist.
"Um, excuse me Mr. Salem," she said in a brisk and angered tone, "but I believe my students will not test my sanity. I am, and will always be, sane. You have no right to expose that kind of information about me and I assure you I am one of the few teachers that will not quit because of Gotham's criminals, but comments like that will make me reconsider. I am quite sure there will be another school out there willing to take me, now if you would please leave my classroom so that I may start to teach these students."
Our principal and the students mouths were gaping open in complete surprise. The teacher glared at the principal as he backed out of the door, and once he left she turned so she faced the entire class and smiled the smile of a nice and caring person. "Now class, I assure you that I am as sane as any person can be. I'm quite sure that my name may clear up most of your questions. My name is Mrs. Rosie Parker."
The name set off a series of whispers that rushed around the classroom. If this is who I think it is, then it certainly clears up the whole questionable sanity part. "Would your maiden name be Maria?" Wally asked impulsively.
"Wally!" Barbra, Megan, and I snapped at once. "Sorry, Mrs. Parker."
"It's okay. My maiden name is Maria and Peter Parker is my husband, and once again, I assure you that I am quite sane." She calmly replied.
I wasn't entirely convinced and through the mind link I asked M'gann, Check her mind for any signs of insanity. If she is insane she could be a threat to the class. I mean seriously, you know what her child hood was like?
No, not really. I don't think I had arrived on Earth yet when she was a kid.
Wally popped into the conversation at that moment. Rosie supposedly has been kidnapped, injured, and supposedly killed multiple times by some of Manhattan's major baddies because her dad is one of the best cops in the United States and once she was mistaken for the super hero Hazardous Dreamer.
Yeah, I see why you want me check out her sanity. Should we tell Barbra what I'm doing?
It would probably be for the best if we did, I responded, She needs to be ready in case Mrs. Parker is actually insane. If she can survive all of those things that happened to her, there has to be some kind of mental scaring. we just need to see how extent the damage is.
We quickly alerted Barbra to our plan and then we sent M'gann in. Then we turned to the board where Mrs. Parker was assigning the class some work to do at home and in class that we would be using tomorrow so she could get to know us and our names better.
M'gann P.O.V.
I dove into Mrs. Parker's mind. At first there was nothing more than a static buzz, but then I came face to face with a wall made out of yellow, crackling, energy. It appeared to surround her mind and when I tried to go through it, it gave me a slight shock. I wonder, could she be telepathic, like me? Maybe she was one of those mutants that were popping up everywhere among humans. There was also a slight chance that a telepathic had taught her how to block out telepathy. I kept on pushing myself at the wall, despite the sharp shocks I wold receive, in hopes that I could break through. I gave a mental battle cry and telepathically said, "Let me in!"
I allowed my mind to open just enough to let a reply come through, but I wasn't expecting one. "Oh, and why should I? I don't know you or why you're in here in the first place. You are not a mutant, that much I can tell by the presence your mind presents." Her voice had a strange sense of power to it
"How can I gain access to your mind?" I pleaded. "It's for the safety of those around you."
"I've already had my mind checked. I am perfectly sane and will not take anything out on those around me. Your reason to enter my mind is null and void. I have no reason to trust you into my mind, even though I can control what you see and hear, as I have been trained to do."
"Okay, I shall tell you who I am as a show of trust. I am Miss Martian, a hero from Young Justice."
"A show of trust... very brave indeed. Very well, you can enter, but I will my protect my own personal thoughts and secrets and I recommend you do the same, after all, I may mean you no harm, but I am no telepathic and I only know how to protect my own mind and not how to leave another alone when it surrounds mine."
Suddenly, small portions of the energy gate were lifted and I was able to enter parts of her mind. I saw images of her at high school. Talking to a male brunette while walking to class, her leaning over to kiss the same brunette while using crutches, being attacked by a strange alien creature, being socked by a blond jock and pure anger as she glared at the jock. I saw images of of her else where, like home and restaurants. She was attacked by the Goblin in her own home, receiving some major injuries, and a restaurant falling down around her. All these images came with feelings like defiance, anger, pain, sadness, love, and passion. But insanity was never one. Sometimes she felt like her life was insanity, but she herself was not insane.
I tried to go through the wall that protected sections of her mind but I never succeed. Whoever taught her how to block telepathics taught her well. I soon gave up and withdrew.
When I came back to focus on the real world, my friends looked at me with concern. "You okay?" Wally asked.
"Yeah, just fine. A little tired though." I replied.
"You sure? You started breaking out in sweat and so did Mrs. Parker, she was able to continue with the lesson, but she did pause for a minute or two." Robin commented. "Do you think she's a problem? No normal person has been able to fight or even sense your telepathy before."
"I don't think she is. She's perfectly sane, but she has been trained by someone on how to block telepathics. She's had a crazy life, that's for certain, but I think she's okay." I replied.
"We still have to report this to Batman though. You know that right?" Barbra commented.
"Yeah. Could one of you explain what we're going over?"
Batman P.O.V.
I looked at the group of teenagers who were muttering and conversing among themselves. Some talking about the days events, and others, which was most of them, were guessing why I was here in person. As for why I was here, I wasn't so sure myself. Well, I knew why I was here, but I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. Part of me said that they needed this training to be better heroes and another part of me said that we barely know these heroes that we asked to do the job, but they were good at this and at times even above me when it came to solo or duo fighting, and I had no time to teach the group myself. Ah, might as well get it over with.
"Alright team," I called, "I have decided that it's time that all of you are trained more in the art of crime fighting with or without one partner." They all groaned, thinking that I would be their trainer. "So, I have decided to call in a couple of heroes who have some time to teach you after school hours. For there assistance I am allowing them to start fighting crime in Gotham, which appears to be there new headquarters." Everyone gasped. Yes, I was actually letting a couple of heroes move into Gotham, but it was necessary. I was finding that I couldn't take on all the crooks in Gotham. They were just to many crimes happening at once. My goal was to protect the citizens of Gotham and I couldn't do that if I got all territorial. It also would be easier for them to help than the League because they would live in Gotham and they wouldn't have to fly, drive, or whatever else they did, to get here. Not only that, but the League should only use the League if there was trouble that the heroes in the area couldn't handle.
Aqualad spoke up and asked, "When will they come? And who are they?"
"They should be coming any minute and as for who they are... I'll let them introduce themselves." I responded.
As if on cue, the zeta-tubes whirred to life and announced, "Access granted. Spider-man C27 and Hazardous Dreamer C28."
That sent the whole team in an uproar. They hung out with more famous super heroes everyday but they still got excited over two heroes they never met. Amazing.
The two heroes strode over to the team. "Hey, who knew we had fans outside of New York." Spider-man commented.
"Please forgive me if I do not know you two very well," Miss Martian started, "but I have not been on Earth for that long."
A smile snuck it's way across Dreamer's blood red lips as she saw the alien, but she kept it hidden in a way that only Robin and I would've noticed the small piece of body language.
"I think I'll enjoy teaching this group." Dreamer commented.