I honestly hadn't expected to get reviews so quickly, this is all kinds of awesome. Thanks to your input, I've already gone back through the first chapter and amended some mistakes as well as gotten some neat new ideas for future episodes and interactions. I'm usually not really one to respond to individual reviews, but in this case I'd like to address some questions and concerns that have been brought up.
Abby (Guest): I get what you mean by the "shoehorn" thing with Hawkgirl. Honestly, when writing out the chapter that was one of my main concerns, but I do have a justification for why she seems… aloof. Thanagarians are from an inherently militaristic society. When they're on mission, their only focus is the mission. And there's little time in the first two episodes for relaxation. Hawkgirl will not be nearly as awkward and focused when she's interacting regularly, and I hope that this chapter better shows that off. Also, I totally didn't know about the Green Lantern base thing, I'll definitely have to amend that because that's too damn cool to forget! Update: Has been amended in Chapter One, thanks for the info!
Guest: I'm going to be using both the Hawks' Thanagarian and Earth names interchangeably (just like Clark Kent and Kal-El). And yes, I already have a Thanagarian name in mind for Skylar. Actually, thanks to your comment, I went back and edited the first chapter so they use Thanagarian names when speaking Thanagarian or are in their 'Hawk' Personas, which really should have been an obvious mistake on my part.
Arianna La Fey: Romance is a long way off (if it happens at all) and I honestly don't have a singular love interest in mind at the moment. I guess we'll see where the story takes us ; )
AmericanNidiot: Some of my favorite moments in the original Justice League cartoon are the banter between Wally and Shayera, so I'm definitely going to try to mirror that here. It's too good of an opportunity to pass up, really. Especially when M'Gann gets involved and Wally gets hit with the love bug.
WASHINGTON, DC
JULY 5th, 2010
00:01 EDT
"Time runs short… You must awaken… You must awaken now!"
In one moment, the teen heroes had been near comatose and the next, they were wide awake thanks to whatever entity had spoken to them. Any attempts at movement were quickly foiled by the metal restraints pinning them behind glass like butterflies in a display case.
Skylar let out a growl of frustration as she realized she was well and truly trapped. This was among the very few moments of her existence that she bemoaned being a Thanagarian, as she could go without one very prevalent species trait right about now.
Claustrophobia.
Nearly every hawk-person had it, to a varying degree, and Ski'Lira Hol was certainly no exception to the rule. However, she'd lived long enough with it to know the best way to ward off an incoming panic attack… get really goddamn angry and focus on the, admittedly dire, situation at hand.
"When I get out of here, I am going to tear this place apart." She mumbled, not intending to be heard as she continued to tug on the shackles, at least trying to weaken the metal. Unfortunately for her, the glass coffin amplified her voice enough to earn her a slightly alarmed look from Aqualad.
Kid Flash cleared his throat as he noticed Superboy staring at the four of them. "What, what do you want?"
He merely stared, unblinking.
That just served to further unnerve the speedster. "Stop staring, you're creeping me out!"
"Uh, KF, how about we not tick off the guy that can fry us with a look?" The Boy Wonder suggested warily.
"We only sought to help you." Aqualad took the initiative in diplomacy, knowing that Kid Flash certainly wasn't going to ingratiate them to the angry clone.
"Yeah, we free you and you turn on us how's that for gra-" The speedster added, only to be swiftly interrupted by Aqualad.
"Kid, please be quiet now." His pale green eyes angled just enough to meet Kid Flash's. "I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions."
"Well what if I- What if I wasn't?"
Skylar's eyes widened behind her helmet. The clone had just spoken. It was rough and unsure, yes, but he had still managed to verbally communicate with them. She was rapidly editing her view of the clone in her mind from their abysmal first impression.
"He can talk?" Kid Flash sputtered.
The incredulous tone the speedster had taken did not go over well. "Yes, he can."
"…Not like I said it."
"The genomorphs taught you, telepathically." Aqualad pulled the attention to himself.
"They taught me much. I can read, write, I know the names of things." Superboy seemed to actually be… amicable, towards the Atlantean. Still not completely friendly, but the disdain from speaking to Kid Flash had definitely faded.
"But have you seen them? Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?" Robin asked.
It took a moment for the clone to answer. "Images are implanted in my mind, but, no. I have not seen them."
"Pity." Hawkgirl shook her head, earning a frosty look from Superboy. "Especially for a Kryptonian."
"Do you know what you are?" Aqualad pressed. "Who you are?"
With a single question, it was like a switch had been flipped in his brain. His posture stiffened, his eyes glazed over slightly, and his voice took on a slightly robotic quality. "I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from The DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should He perish, to destroy him should he turn from the light."
"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration…" Aqualad admitted. "But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own beyond that Solar suit, beyond your pod, beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus!" He exploded, hands clenching in anger. "It is my home!"
Robin's eyes narrowed. "Your home is a test tube. We can show you the sun."
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon?" Wally piped up sheepishly.
"A warrior of your caliber has no place bowing to these worthless humans!" Hawkgirl shouted, simultaneously earning an eye-roll from Robin, wide eyes from Aqualad and Kid Flash, and a curious look from Superboy. "It would be a great honor to fly with you."
"We can show you, introduce you to Superman." Aqualad added.
"No, they can't. They'll be otherwise occupied." Any more attempts the teens could have made to sway the clone to their side were interrupted by the arrival of a lab coat wearing scientist with brown hair pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck. "Activate the cloning process." He ordered, a nearby tech immediately moving to carry out the request.
"Pass. Batcave's crowded enough." Robin quipped lightly.
"And get the weapon back in its pod!"
"Hey. How come he gets to call Supey an it?" Kid Flash asked, earning a sharp glare from Robin.
Aqualad kept his pale green eyes on Superboy. "Help us."
"Don't start thinking now." Desmond interrupted their attempts once more. Skylar sneered at him, baring her teeth. "See, you're not a real boy. You're a weapon, and you belong to me! Well, to Cadmus. Same thing. Now get back to your pod!"
For a few moments, Superboy gave pause, but he reluctantly turned away. Once had left the room, the massive steel door sliding shut behind them, the tech finished booting up the cloning sequence.
From within each of the pods, syringe-like contraptions positioned themselves over the chests of the four teens.
"I'm going to tear you limb from limb, you sorry excuse for- AGH!" Hawkgirl had barely managed to shout at Desmond before she was abruptly cut off by a searing pain that forced her to cry out. Electricity surged through her entire body, primarily focused on her chest where the syringes had penetrated. She could hear her friends screaming just as loudly as she was as their DNA was forcibly sucked out of their bodies.
All of a sudden, the pain stopped.
Skylar sagged in her restraints, breathing harshly as she felt her fingers spasm without her consent. Opening her eyes, she realized that it was Superboy who had saved them, tearing through the door and throwing the scientists aside like they were yesterday's garbage.
Okay, that was a bit satisfying to see.
"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash managed to say through gritted teeth as the clone came to a stop in front of their containment pods.
His blue eyes narrowed slightly before a smirk appeared on his face. "Huh. I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose Helping is my only option."
"We're keeping him." Hawkgirl announced.
"He's not a pet." Kid Flash replied, glancing at her.
"I let Robin keep you."
"… Now that was just uncalled for."
"Ah, finally!" Robin suddenly exclaimed as he dropped to the ground of his own volition, having successfully freed himself. "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."
"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"
Ignoring his best friend for the moment, Robin turned towards Superboy after he disengaged the glass lids on their pods. "Free Aqualad, I'll get Kid Mouth and Big Bird."
"Don't you give me orders, either." Superboy growled. Nevertheless, he still jumped up onto the platform and tore away the metal restraints, Aqualad sagging into his arms.
"Thank you" The Atlantean gave him a grateful smile.
Meanwhile, Robin had managed to disengage Kid Flash's cuffs and steadied him when he dropped. Smirking, he tilted his head at the only member of their party still trapped. "Need a little help, Hawkgirl?"
That smug look on his face rankled her the wrong way, even though she knew deep down that he was most likely worried. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been trapped in a space that small for so long. Instead of directly replying using words like a normal person, she let out an indignant screech that put Superboy to shame, bodily tearing her way out of the pod and landing on all fours on the ground.
Her wings snapping out to their full height, she shook herself like a dog before Aqualad was suddenly by her side, concern shining in his eyes. She merely huffed and pulled the remains of the metal shackles off of her wrists before standing.
Now that everyone was free and clear, they all took off at a dead run towards the gaping hole Superboy had made through the door. Hawkgirl only took the smallest detour to retrieve her mace from where it had been set on an examination table, quickly rejoining the rest of the pack as Desmond started to yell after them.
"You-you'll never get out of here! I'll have you back in pods before morning!"
"That guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all." Robin muttered as he threw several birdarangs at tanks within the room, detonating them moments after impact. Just as they escaped the room, everything turned briefly orange as a conflagration sprung to life behind them.
Kid Flash took the time (despite them running for their lives), to shoot an exasperated look at Robin. "What is it with you and this whelmed thing?"
"We are still 42 levels below ground" Aqualad interrupted. "But if we can make the elevator-"
At the end of the hall, several of the colossal quadruped genomorphs swiftly cut off their path, forcing them to skid to a halt. Looking back, even more of the creatures closed off the way they had come. In their moment of distraction, the colossal genomorphs managed to reach them, and the teens barely managed to dodge out of the way.
Well, most of them dodged.
Superboy ended up crushed underneath one of its feet before he managed to throw it off of him, attacking them relentlessly with his fists.
"Superboy!" Aqualad called out as the fight started to destabilize the tunnel. "The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here!"
"You want escape?" Superboy screamed, picking up one of the downed quadrupeds and throwing it at the remaining two, clearing their path.
Soon, Aqualad and Hawkgirl were prying open the doors of the elevator, folding the thick metal like it was cardboard. Once it was clear, the ginger speedster flashed towards the wall, perched precariously on a jutting ledge. Robin shot his grapple gun up, immediately taking off once the hook had gotten purchase. Hawkgirl flew in and up.
Superboy had grabbed Aqualad around the torso and super-jumped straight up, extending out his free had in an obvious mimic of his genetic parent. But the moment didn't last long as he started to lose his momentum, plummeting back to the ground. "I-I'm falling."
Hawkgirl dove down to try to grab them, but hadn't been able to build enough speed to do so. Luckily, Robin threw a projectile at the wall in time for Aqualad to grab it as he passed, yanking them both to a harsh halt. Superboy thanked the Atlantean for saving him quietly.
"Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?" There was a defeated note in Superboy's voice that grated Hawkgirl the wrong way, so she decided to distract him from that train of thought.
"Well, we can't all have wings." She grinned at him from her place hovering next to the two, earning herself a cold glare from the clone. She was glad that he really didn't have heat vision, else her attempt at distracting him could have resulted in a couple of laser holes through her face.
"Hey, at least it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool." KF assured with a thumbs up from his place standing on the ledge.
"Guys, this will have to be our exit." Robin snapped, referring to the closed doors they were nearest to. That was as much of a suggestion that Superboy needed before he tore through the doors like they were wet tissue paper. Hawkgirl let out a low whistle of appreciation at the easy display of strength as she swooped down and through the new opening. She let out a long breath of relief as she realized they had emerged out into a hallway she could actually fly in.
They were on the move as soon as they were all out of the elevator shaft, with Superboy shouting out directions as they navigated the halls. The teen heroes followed without question… at least until they came to a dead end.
"Great directions, Supey. You trying to get us re-podded?!" Kid Flash demanded, but Superboy looked genuinely confused.
"No... I don't understand."
Something caught Robin's eyes and a wide grin spread across his face. "Don't apologize. This is perfect!"
A series of chained events occurred then with that single statement. Robin used a grapple hook to tear the metal grate off of the ventilation system, himself, Kid Flash, and Superboy jumped into the vent, Hawkgirl shouted that she was going to find another way around, Aqualad grabbed her around the waist and bodily threw her into the vent, and finally he jumped in himself to prevent the Thanagarians' escape.
"I hate this and I hate all of you." She muttered to herself, completely intending to be heard this time as she was forced to crawl forwards.
"Love you too, Hawkgirl" Robin said from the front of the pack.
"Bite me!" She shouted back.
A pointed squeeze on her ankle from Aqualad forced her to lapse into silence as they continued to traverse the vents.
"At this rate, we'll never get out." Kid Flash said, thoroughly exasperated.
Superboy suddenly froze. "Shh… Listen…"
Hawkgirl closed her eyes, quickly picking up on the sound in question. "I hear it too…"
Seconds later, the noise was quickly identified as a horde of the G-Gnomes that had followed them into the ventilation system.
H
Skylar was pointedly not making eye contact with any of her so-called 'friends' after they made managed to make it out of the vents and to an access point where Robin could do some more hacking to throw Cadmus off of their trail.
"I hacked the motion sensors." It seemed that Robin's go-to expression today was smugness.
"Sweet" KF grinned.
"Still plenty of them between us and out."
The speedster just smiled wider as he pulled his red goggles down over his eyes. "But I've finally got room to move."
"I second that." Hawkgirl agreed, finally breaking her silence from the sheer anticipation of another fight and palming her mace.
The heroes emerged out into a stairwell, with Kid Flash leading the charge and taking on the genomorphs that had gathered above them. Hawkgirl had taken the straightest route, flying in the center of the stairwell and bypassing the stairs completely. Spotting a few stragglers that Kid Flash had managed to miss on his way up, she disengaged the head of her mace from the handle and swung the spiked ball through the gaps in the stairs to pick off the last of the genomorphs.
She and Kid Flash managed to clear the way ahead for the others, while Superboy took out the stairs below them so they couldn't be followed. Considering this was their first time working as any semblance of a team, she had to say they were actually doing pretty well, despite the sheer number of unknowns surrounding them.
Hawkgirl caught up with Kid Flash just in time to hear him mutter an "Oh, crud…" as he slammed face first into a solid metal wall far thicker than the ones they had encountered before. Coming to a hover above him, she watched with some amusement as he shuffled up to a sitting position, rubbing his head.
"We're cut off from the street." Aqualad said as the others caught up mere moments after the speedster's fluke.
"Thanks. My head hadn't noticed." Wally groaned.
Aqualad and Superboy both positioned themselves on either side of the doors, trying to get enough purchase in order to pry them apart with sheer force. Hawkgirl was a ways above them, steadily whacking away at the metal with her mace, the harsh clangs making a horrific amount of noise. Though at this point, they weren't too worried about noise being the thing that betrayed them.
Considering there was already a horde of genomorphs at the end of the hallway, rapidly closing in on them.
"This way!" Robin shouted, kicking open a nearby, nearly invisible, door and surging through. There were a scant few seconds of relief before they realized what was on the other side.
Guardian, standing there expressionless with the telekinetic genomorph at his side. All around them were countless droves of G-Gnomes, each one's gaze focused on their position.
The teen heroes barely had time to slip into offensive stances before they were knocked unconscious, as abrupt as a light switch being turned off.
She wasn't sure how long exactly they remained under, but the moment she had returned to consciousness, she had shaken off her grogginess and started to pounce towards the nearest genomorph, mace first. It was only a quick grab from Kid Flash that kept her from unintentionally starting a fight.
"Guardian?" Aqualad asked cautiously, seeing the man's eyes clear for the second, and final time that night.
"Go." The hero ordered. "I'll deal with Desmond."
"I think not." Said scientist chimed in, appearing at the other end of the room, the genomorphs parted for him. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order To Cadmus." Before he could be stopped, he plunged a syringe of unknown origins into his arm.
The effects were near immediate as Desmond started to… change. Skylar was harshly reminded of one of the werewolf movies that Hal Jordan had made her watch when she was younger, during a phase where he was determined to 'properly educate her' on the matter of classic movies.
Desmond's body was expanding in ways that the human body simply wasn't meant to. Which is why when the newly changed Blockbuster stood to his full height, shreds of skin hung from his gargantuan frame.
"Everyone back!" Guardian called out as he charged towards the monster. He only managed to land a glancing blow before he was effortlessly backhanded away, but by then Superboy was already throwing punches.
Now that she had an unhindered view of the clone fight from the outside, Skylar wondered how he had managed to beat all of them so easily. He was strong and fast, yes, but his fighting was sloppy at best. His entire fighting strategy seemed to center on hitting things with his fists until they stopped moving.
If they managed to get out of this, she'd be damn sure to make sure that changed.
Blockbuster leapt into the air just as Superboy did the same, catching the clone around the middle and sending them both up through the ceiling… the incredibly thick ceiling., leaving a hole.
"Okay… That's one way to bust through the ceiling." Robin said.
"You think lab coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked as Robin grabbed him and grappled them through the hole and onto the next level.
Aqualad merely jumped, landing in an effortless crouch. "I doubt he is planning anything anymore." Turning back, he held out his hands to help a hovering Hawkgirl through the hole, seeing that she couldn't exactly fly her way out.
Just as Aqualad had helped her to her feet, Superboy was sent careening into the both of them, and the trio was sent tumbling backwards in an awkward heap. Skylar crawled out from beneath Aqualad, muttering a long string of Thanagarian swears under her breath.
As Blockbuster let out a roar, the five teens lined up with looks of intense focus on their faces, knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy battle. Without a single verbal cue, they took off.
Kid Flash reached Blockbuster first, sliding under his legs and disorienting the beast. Aqualad and Superboy reached him then, both colliding fists straight into his abdomen and sending him toppling over a crouched Wally.
Hawkgirl swooped down from the air as Wally sped away, slamming down her mace with two hands into his chest so hard he impacted into the ground in a shallow crater.
"Learned that one in kindergarten." Wally quipped from his temporary place off to the side.
Soon, Robin flipped over Kid Flash and threw two birdarangs at Blockbuster just before Superboy reached him, drawing him into one on one battle. His attempt didn't last long, as the clone was immediately grabbed and pined against one of the thick concrete pillars, splintering it in half. Since his hands were still free, he was still able to lash out with his fists.
Seeing that Aqualad was heading to help Superboy, Hawkgirl swooped down next to Robin and Kid Flash.
"We need a plan and fast." She said, looking pointedly at the Boy Wonder. "We haven't put a single damn scratch on him."
"I'm working on it." The bird snapped. "Keep him occupied."
"Got it."
Both she and the speedster took off towards Blockbuster, who had just managed to toss both Aqualad and Superboy aside. Wally reached him first, but didn't manage to make much of an impact before he was also thrown away.
Hawkgirl decided to take a slightly different approach in her attack, as being direct clearly wasn't working. Pouring on the speed, she flew down and past Blockbuster, only dealing out a glancing blow with her mace before she tore away. The light hit had the intended effect as he honed in on her as his new target.
She came to a hover, goading him with a wiggle of her fingers and a smirk on her face. Letting out an enraged roar, Blockbuster charged towards the Thanagarian, only for her to suddenly surge upwards with a strong flap of her wings. He didn't have time to stop himself, crashing headfirst into one of the thick pillars. While he was disoriented, she took the opportunity to start reigning down blows with her mace. A few bits of his loose flesh ended up dislodged and stuck on the spikes of her mace, but she didn't care.
"Of course!" Robin suddenly exclaimed from the other side of the room. "KF! Get over here!"
Robin's call had drawn her attention away from Blockbuster for an instant, but it was enough for Blockbuster to suddenly get the upper hand.
"GAH!" Hawkgirl let out a grating screech as his meaty fist closed around one of her wings, squeezing tightly and forcing her to the ground. She could feel the bones grinding together. His other hand wrapped around her torso and she froze as a sickening realization of what he was about to do hit her.
Blockbuster pulled steadily on the wing, and the pain grew more and more intense. Just as she was sure he was about to dislocate the wing, Aqualad appeared out of nowhere and dealt out a few blocks to his knee and torso. The behemoth was forced to at least partially release her so that he could swat away the Atlantean. But then Superboy once more ingratiated himself into the fray, locking his arms around the monster's neck and Hawkgirl was finally released.
She lay panting on the ground, trying to center herself when Aqualad reached down and slung her arm over his shoulder, dragging her away from the fight.
"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.
"Could be better" She said through gritted teeth. Giving an experimental flex of her wings, she winced again. She definitely wasn't going to be flying anytime soon, but at least she could still walk.
"Superboy, Aqualad! Hawkgirl!" Robin suddenly shouted, drawing their attention as Kid Flash took over distracting Blockbuster.
Once they had reached the Boy Wonder, he explained his plan quickly. "This one and those two!" He pointed.
Skylar readjusted her grip on her mace and sprinted towards the pillar that Robin had pointed at. A crackling aura of white energy formed around the head of her weapon and she swung the newly energized mace at the concrete, nearly disintegrating it.
It was a game of cat and multiple mice as they all worked to maneuver Blockbuster towards Robin's marked 'x' on the floor that Aqualad had coated in water. His tattoos glowing bright aqua, he knelt down and placed both of his palms on the floor, letting out a surge of electricity.
Blockbuster's entire body stiffened from the sudden voltage coursing through his body and he was stuck exactly where they wanted him.
"Move!" Robin ordered as the explosive birdarangs he had positioned around the room activated. A heft slab of the roof collapsed directly onto Blockbuster, while the rest of the building started to crumble around them. The teens managed to outrun most of the initial debris, but they couldn't run away fast enough.
Aqualad leapt to cover Robin, Superboy crouched over Kid Flash, and as the only one wearing any semblance of actual armor Hawkgirl merely tucked her wings in tight and braced herself.
Once the shaking had stopped and all of the detritus had settled, Aqualad and Superboy both moved the chunk of rubble that was covering them off of the teens.
"We did it…" Aqualad said.
"Was there… ever any… doubt?" Robin was panting heavily, but he still had a grin on his face. He and Kid Flash attempted a high-five, only for them both to wince.
Not wanting to miss out on the moment of bonding, Hawkgirl gave Aqualad a friendly punch on the arm. When she looked away, she didn't see him wince and surreptitiously rub at his arm.
"See? The moon." Kid Flash said, gesturing towards the white satellite in the sky. Mere moments later, the perfect image had a black silhouette appear and approach, revealing the Man of Steel himself. "Oh. And Superman. Do we keep our promises or what?"
But it wasn't just Superman. The entire Justice League had shown up, all of whom looked simultaneously stoic and disappointed.
But the so-called 'sidekicks' weren't one to back down so easily. They kept their expressions just as blank as Superman stood in front of them, all of their respective mentors behind him. Cautiously, Superboy made his way forwards with something akin to hope in his eyes. Silently, he pulled up his torn jumpsuit, revealing the signature 'S'.
Superman's eyes widened briefly in shock before he settled on a suspicious (and slightly angry) expression.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked in a neutral tone, stepping forwards.
Kid Flash was the first one to step up and stand at Superboy's side. "He doesn't like being called an it."
"I'm... Superman's clone." Superboy announced, the Leaguers all thoroughly thrown for a loop.
Batman's eyes narrowed. "Start talking."
H
The teen heroes had been temporarily split up just long enough for them to receive basic medical attention. Green Arrow and Black Canary spearheaded the effort, treating minor lacerations and bruises. Superboy and Hawkgirl were the only one to escape their clutches. The clone didn't have a single scratch on him and hovered near Aqualad, while Hawkgirl had been dragged away by her parents when they noticed one of her wings wasn't moving properly.
Sitting down on one of the chunks of rubble, Hawkwoman was checking over her daughter's injured wing while Hawkman stood in front of her, his arms crossed.
"Was it a good fight?" Hawkman growled, angling his head towards the form of Blockbuster (who was being dug out by the two Green Lanterns).
"I'd like to think so." Hawkgirl replied neutrally. She could feel the concerned looks from her fellow 'sidekicks' boring into her. Wanting to assuage at least part of their fears, she glanced towards them and shot them a smile.
Whap!
Hawkgirl winced as her father smacked a gauntleted hand right into the back of her helmet. "I'm very proud of you."
"We both are!" Hawkwoman added, speaking a lot louder than she really needed to. "But as far as the others know, you're being yelled at. Flinch, it'll make it more believable."
Ski'Lira complied with the order, letting her eyes drift down to her lap to add even more authenticity.
"What about Superman's boy?" Hawkman asked.
"He packs a hell of a punch." Hawkgirl admitted. "He managed to take down all of us. His technique needs work, but he has potential."
"Hm. I hope you at least got a few hits in?"
"Of course!"
Hawkwoman scowled and yanked unnecessarily hard on a few of her feathers. "That's my girl." Finished checking the wing, Hawkwoman moved to stand next to her husband. "We're going to help Hal and John escort Blockbuster. Oliver's going to make sure you get home safely."
"Is he… alright?" Hawkgirl asked. "I mean, with Roy…"
Hawkman merely shook his head, as he honestly wasn't sure himself. The members of the League understandably hadn't gotten much time to talk since they'd gone straight from taking on Wotan to dealing with their wayward apprentices. With a jerk of his chin, he silently ordered her to return to the others, whapping her on the back of the head a second time for good measure.
"How's the head?" Wally grinned as she approached her friends.
She returned the grin and held up one of her hands. "Want to find out?"
Gulping, he paled slightly and turned away. "Nah, I think I'm good."
To Superboy's surprise, she ended up standing next to him, bumping her shoulder against his. The simple action earned her a startled look. "Hey, remember how you beat me earlier?"
"… Yes?" Superboy cautioned.
"It won't happen again. Enjoy your victory while it lasts."
H
Blockbuster had been finally removed from the rubble and the two Green Lanterns of Earth dragged him up into the sky, the two Hawks and Captain Atom following closely. Superman had finally approached Superboy, though he still didn't look happy about it.
"Well, uh-we'll figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now, I'd better make sure they get that Blockbuster Creature squared away." Those sidekicks that knew him before all went temporarily wide-eyed at how thoroughly off guard the Man of Steel was. If his treatment of Superboy hadn't irked them so much, they'd be amused by the spectacle.
With Superman gone, Batman, Aquaman, and the Flash all approached the young heroes.
"Cadmus will be investigated, all 52 levels." Batman began. "But let's make one thing clear-"
"You should have called!" Flash interrupted, earning himself a glare from the Bat.
"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct Orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."
Setting his jaw, Aqualad took a small step forward. "I am sorry, but we will."
"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman immediately ordered.
"Apologies, my king, but no. We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together on our own we forged something powerful, important." He shared a meaningful look with his comrades.
Flash sighed. "If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-"
"The five of us, and it's not." Kid Flash corrected, glaring at his mentor.
"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?" Robin asked.
"Isn't this exactly the kind of thing we've been trained for?" Hawkgirl pointed out.
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy uncrossed his arms, clearly irate. "It's simple. Get on board or get out of the way."
H
MOUNT JUSTICE
JULY 8TH, 2010
08:04 EDT
Hawkgirl was staring at Kid Flash, or rather, she was staring at Wally. Despite having known him for years, she'd never actually seen him outside of his costume. At the moment, she was glad that Robin had at least stuck to his sunglasses or else she might have had some kind of conniption from 'secret identity reveal overload'.
"What?" The speedster asked, clearly uncomfortable with her look. "Is there something on my face?"
"I'm just realizing how little your mask actually disguises your identity." She deadpanned, making him blush fire engine red.
"At least I don't have a pair of massive wings sticking out of my back." He snapped back.
Ski'Lira flexed her wings for emphasis. "Touché, gingersnap."
In fact, Hawkgirl was the only one who wasn't wearing civilian clothing. Even Aqualad was wearing a zip-up jacket and normal pants.
All around them, various members of the Justice League were moving equipment and doing last checks of the mountain, while Batman, Aquaman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Hawkman, and Captain Marvel stood before them.
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League." Batman began. "We're calling it into service again. Since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."
"Real missions?" Robin prodded.
"Yes, but covert."
The Flash spoke up from his place standing next to Wally. "The League will still handle the obvious stuff. There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests."
"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter." Aquaman continued. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."
"The six of you will be that team." The Dark Knight finished, looking at them pointedly.
"Cool!" Robin exclaimed, before the implications of his mentor's words hit him. "Wait. Six?"
At that moment, two figures emerged from the nearby zeta tube. J'onn was easily recognizable, but the young female Martian at his side was a complete stranger.
"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece Miss Martian." Batman introduced.
"Hi." The red-haired Martian greeted sheepishly.
Kid Flash leaned down to whisper in Robin's ear. "Liking this gig more every minute." He started to head over to her, a broad grin on his face. "Welcome aboard. I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad, and Hawkgirl. It's cool if you forget their names."
"I'm honored to be included." Miss Martian replied sincerely as most of the teens headed over.
Hawkgirl saw that Superboy wasn't about to move of his own volition, so she rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the arm, forcefully dragging him over to the others.
"I like your t-shirt." Miss Martian said as her white shirt abruptly changed to the same black as Superboy's. Kid Flash sped over and slung on arm on Superboy's shoulder as Hawkgirl crossed her arms.
Aqualad gave a small smile as he looked at the members of his new team. "Today is the day."
I have a feeling Hawkman's version of the 'Gibb's Slap' will be a common occurrence in this story.
I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of Fight or Flight, and as always, comments, questions, and concerns are always welcome!
