JUMP CITY COAST

September 21

11: 24 PST

The hood of a bright candy apple red convertible was down, and the cool breeze rolled through the brown girl's hair. The car was something she'd left behind from before she was taken away 5 months ago. The barely legal motorist sat in the driver's seat carefully trying to remember the directions Nightwing gave her.

She was offered a ride from the man, but she wanted to clear her head on the drive over. She had no parents that would miss her after making a move to Jump City. Her father was just a man who sent checks every month with no face, and her mother passed away when she was 14. She'd been living off their combined fortunes ever since.

Although Summer only ever spent one year in public high school it was something she dearly missed. She was hoping joining the Teen Titans would fill that that void. At very least it should feel like an intense summer camp.

Her slender fingers reached for her aviators and pulled them down as the tower was within view. It was truly something to marvel, and of all the landmarks she'd seen on this road trip, this was the most magnificent.

Pulling up to the parking area of the tower, she closed her roof and stopped the car. The girl stepped out of the bright glossy vehicle and was met by 1 of the 5 Titans. She really wasn't expecting any kind of grand introduction, so this was to be foreseen.

The tall green eyed ginger, Starfire, walked over to the girl with a welcoming smile of graciousness. "Hello, you must be Summer; the girl Dick was talking about. I'm Starfire. I've heard all about you. We're more than happy to have you on the team."

Summer cocked her head to the side upon hearing the name Dick. She wasn't familiar with who that was, but a good guess told her it was Nightwing. She wasn't quite buddy-buddy enough with the Justice League or anyone to know their real identities yet. It made her believe that whatever they read in her destroyed file must have been pretty impressive; that, or horrifying.

"Nice to meet you." She shook the tall woman's hand, "Listen, I'm gonna be upfront with you, I'm a piece of work. I'm not truly sure how to control myself and that's why I'm here."

Starfire grabbed the girl's bag from the backseat of her car and lead her inside the building. "We are all trying to unlock our full potential while attempting to thoroughly understand how we work. You are not the only one. Come, let me show you to your room."

Maybe Nightwing was right. This might be the right place for her, but only time would tell.

Going up the elevator, Summer rocked from her toes to her heels back and forth. "So, do I get a cool costume or?"

"Not just yet. I'll need to access your skills to see what material will compliment your abilities. For now, I will have a sparring outfit for you to wear." The green eyed alien exited the elevator and continued to lead the brunette to her room.

"The rest of the team is in the middle of training right now." The red head handed Summer her bag, "Get dressed and I will introduce you to the rest of them. I will be in the training room awaiting your arrival. I hope the housing is to your liking Summer. I would like for you to be as comfortable as possible here."

The brown girl stood before her door. This was going to be her home for who knows how long? She put her hand on the knob and opened it. It was a rather large room, but very plain. At some point in time she'd have to redecorate in here, but this would do for now.

She walked over to her bed and saw a black sports bra paired with workout pants and tennis shoes. She was almost certain that was the outfit Starfire was referring to. She didn't want to get too attached to the room. If she did she'd never go back out to train.

After suiting up, the girl put her hair up in a tight ponytail and she was ready to train. She was ready to prove herself, and she was ready to find out how to utilize her power for something other than research. As she confidently exited her room she suddenly realized Starfire never told her where training room was.

She headed for the elevator hoping the button that lead to the training room would stand out in some kind of way. The doors opened to the gleaming metal box and her eyes amplified upon looking at the small black buttons. She couldn't help but think this was some kind of test. Besides the numbers, all the buttons looked the same.

She'd not press anything but stare in disbelief. "Do I go up or down? Ughhh!"

Her index finger pressed a button and down she went. It was such a frivolous task. This had to have been a test from Starfire. If she couldn't find the training room, then how could she ever find a civilian in a burning building? Or a hostage in an underground hideout?

Ten minutes passed, and at this point she was ready to just go back to her room and wait to be called upon. Why was this a task in itself? It seemed more like a day 2 type of thing.

The slender girl cracked her knuckles and faced a wall in front of her, "I hope no one's naked."

She began to walk through the walls this time. Going door to door was taking far too long. Her eyes looked around left and right, but nothing. She peaked her head from behind a piece of machinery and saw bright lights.

WOOOSHHHHH!

A black piece of shrapnel flew right at the girl's face as she entered the next room. Her body instinctively sprung into a back hand spring. As one hand was on the ground she pulled two stilettos from the side of her sports bra and threw it in the opposite direction.

Her eyes looked around the room and she saw Starfire standing against the wall. "Sorry I'm late."

She walked over to boy she threw her stilettos at and offered him a hand up, "I apologize. I thought you were attacking me."

The young Robin swiped away her hand as he took the knife out of his cape. "I don't need your help. You're interrupting my training."

Starfire clapped her hands, "That was amazing! Damian, Jaime, Raven, Garfield, I'd like you to meet our newest member, Summer!"

The girl shrugged, "Mom always taught me to keep at least 20 knives on me at all times. I guess it was a habit that I couldn't shake."

Beast Boy walked toward the girl, "20 knives?" He'd morph his body into a blood hound; sniffing the girl and circling around her. "Where do you keep them all?"

Turning back into his normal self, he'd poke around the girl's leg with no regard for personal space. "Are they interdimensional or something?"

"They're not interdimensional." She pulled another one from the side of her sports bra, "They're just razor thin."

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. Even with them being very thin, she still shouldn't have been able to carry so many.

The green boy shrieked as he was peeled away from the girl. Up walked the taller mowhawked boy. "Back off tonto. Quit sniffing all over the girl." He'd lengthen his arm and present his hand. "Jaime."

Shaking the boy's hand, she snickered, "Su turno para oler?" (Your turn to sniff?)

His brown eyes lit up upon her speaking Spanish. A chuckle escaped the boy from hearing her sarcastic joke. "Hablas Espanol?"

Their hands released and she shook her head, "Just the naughty stuff." Her eyes flashed wide open for a moment in a playful manner.

The brunette turned around and looked in the direction of Raven. "You gonna say something or you gonna keep sizing me up back there?"

As the demon girl was opening her mouth to speak, Damian walked in between the eye line of the two.

"Hey, I'm still training here. You guys wanna move?" He wasn't saying it in the manner of a question, but the purpose of a demand.

Summer put a gentle hand to her chest, "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I in the way? Why don't we just spar? If I win I get to train, and if you win the room's yours."

The young boy exhaled irritably, "You couldn't keep up with me."

The brunette threw her head back in hysterical laughter, "And you're being completely serious? I may have been out of the assassin game for 16 months, but I could still pierce every one of your vital organs before your brain could even register what your eyes already missed."

"Tough words from some hasbeen. Let's see how strong you really are." Damian stood ready to throw down with the girl. He wanted to teach her that having a slick mouth around here would get her nowhere.

She too would take her position and ready herself to fight the boy. It wasn't quite the introduction she was hoping for, but this was the hand she'd been dealt.

There was no need for need for a countdown. Both parties knew what they' gotten into and they were ready to test the abilities of one another.

Both of them charged at one another, and before they could make any leeway they simultaneously tripped and face planted onto the floor.

Summer looked down at her shoe and saw the batarang pinning her to the ground. Damian did the same and spotted her stiletto affixed to his cape once again.

Beast Boy widened his bright eyes as he looked at the two. "Whoa! When did they?"

The girl smirked at their likeness as she threw the batarang to the side. She wasn't quite as unskilled as he thought she was and vice versa.

He'd run toward the girl and pull out his sword. Swinging it at her, she was just barely missing the attacks he threw. She had literally no room for error as the blade was so close that her loose strands of hair were being slit by the second.

He had her on the ropes, and she needed to start throwing some attacks herself. Her eyes followed his sword as he took his next swing. All she needed was a tiny opening.

Swoooshhh!

His sword swung again, and as he recovered she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his neck. Throwing her body back, she saw the meticulously placed batarang sticking upright from the ground. If she came down on it she'd be nursing a pretty gnarly wound afterwards.

Instead of slamming the boy to the floor, with her back against him, she'd place her hands on the ground and flip backwards off him and safely over the weapon.

Damian bellowed a cocky laugh, "You're slow."

He was right in a way. She was fast to those untrained, but to someone like Robin she could barely catch her breath to stay on par.

"Don't shit talk me before the fight's over!" The brunette sucked her teeth from her vexation with the boy.

He was fast, and even when it seemed like his guard was down, it wasn't. The boy charged at her again, and she was ready to charge back.

Beast Boy glanced over at Starfire, "Um, should we be stopping this?"

Jaime put an arm on the boy's shoulder and leaned over, "Before the new girl kicks Damian's ass? No way."

The green boy placed his chin between his thumb and index finger, "I don't know. My money's on Damian. What do you think Raven?"

The hooded girl stepped forward and crossed her arms. Her eyes weren't really just watching the fight, but Summer. The girl had an interesting past, and there were things in her file even before it was destroyed that was never added in the first place.

"Summer is running on muscle memory. Something like that can only last for so long." The gray skinned girl grabbed her shoulder and continued to watch the altercation.

She wasn't cheering for one side or the other, but merely stating facts. No, she too didn't know the backstory on the girl, but an educated guess could tell her everything she needed to know.

Side flipping out of the way of Damian's attacks, Summer frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?! I can hear you guys ya know!"

Her mind was unfocused for a split second, but that was all it took for Damian to get an edge. Her eyes locked back in and he was once again coming at her with his sword. She didn't have any time to react, and the girl lost her balance. She fell onto the floor, and the sword went through her stomach and out the back.

Everyone stood there wide eyed and in shock, even Robin himself. He wasn't trying to go for such a damaging attack as he considered she would most likely dodge it.

The young boy stared at the girl "I wasn't trying t-"

"What is wrong with you?!" Summer yelled as she rolled over through the sword and onto her stomach. She used her hands to push up off the ground and rise to her feet.

"Why are you using lethal attacks during a sparring match?" Yep, this was not the kind of first impression she was looking for. Something subtle was more her style. Maybe a joke to break the ice, but not a fight on the first day.

Damian sheathed his sword and rolled his eyes at the irate girl. "Clearly I wasn't trying to do that! Moreover, you wanna explain how you're not bleeding right now?"

The brunette crossed her arms and took a defensive stance. "Let's just call it a freak accident. Anyway, a deal's a deal. I'll step out of your way and you can finish your training."

Before the girl would leave the room, Starfire flew in between them. "Wait. I have called everyone to the training room so we could work with one another. We need to function as a team. You can fight individually on your own time, but for right now we do this together."

As the leader of the Teen Titans it was out of respect that they came together once again. With a new member on the team, that meant things would go a lot more smoothly now, so it was safe to turn up the intensity of the holo-enemies. This was the new team, and they'd have to stand united, or as they say, divided they'd fall.

TITANS TOWER

September 24

13:10 PST

"I absolutely cannot work with the guy! He's a jerk" Summer sat on the bed inside of Starfire's room. Over the past few days the fiery red head had become more of a mentor to the girl. Summer would lay back with her limbs outstretched as she looked up at the ceiling.

The ginger turned around in her office chair and faced the upset girl. "Please Summer, its only been a few days. You have to give it more time. Perhaps the reason that you two don't get along is becau-"

"Because he's a glory hog who only thinks of himself? I know I haven't been here that long so maybe it's not my place to say, but he doesn't seem like the kind of person who belongs on a team Star. Jaime and Garfield are cool. Even Raven knows how to keep to herself, but it just feels like he's always in my way. Like how I keep "accidentally" getting a batarang stuck to my pant leg during practice."

The brunette flipped over and grabbed one of the pillows. She'd scream from the pit of her stomach into the soft headrest and look up, "Am I just being a bitch?"

Starfire stood from her seat and sat next to Summer on the bed, "I think you're allowed to feel the way that you feel, but you cannot let things escalate from here. What I was going to say earlier was that you probably don't get along because of your similarities."

Summer propped up from the bed and her gray eyes were literally shooting daggers into the red head. "Similarities? Trust me, if you knew my past... my whole past, you'd think otherwise. I'll be cordial with the boy, but that doesn't mean I have to play nice."

The younger girl rose from Starfire's bed and exited her room. It seemed the leader of this team was once again in a predicament. Would another outing of fun fix this? If only Damian and Summer could see their similarities things would run a lot more smoothly. According to their files, they were much more alike than they even knew.

The girl headed out to the elevator. A part of her felt bad for the strong emotions she felt about Damian, but the other part didn't care at all.

She'd head to the upper floor where the living room was. She just wanted to go for a ride in her convertible. Maybe it was rude of her to leave, but she didn't want to stay in a place where she felt in the way.

Her head turned back as she heard the elevator opening once again on her floor. As the doors opened she saw Beast Boy, Jaime, and Raven enter the common space.

Beast Boy morphed into a cat and snuggled up against the girl's leg. He took notice of the keys in her hand. "Where you going? Trying to escape this team?"

Her hands reached down to pick up the green cat. Putting it over her shoulder she'd run her hand over its soft fur. "Of course not. I just want to go for a ride."

She set the purring cat back down on the floor and he'd transform into a pony. His nose pressed into the back of her knee making her inadvertently fall on his back. The boy took a few steps over and bucked her off onto the couch.

"Well, while we've got some down time we may as well get to know each other." Altering back into his normal self, he'd plop on the sofa next to the girl.

"Just you and I?" Her eyebrows frowned as she side eyed the boy.

"No, Jaime and Raven too." He peeked over the couch and into the kitchen where the two were.

The older boy glanced up from the fridge with half a sandwich in mouth, "What? What are we doing?"

The green animal sighed, "We're playing truth or dare! You too Raven! You have to play!"

Raven and Jaime exited the kitchen and walked over to the living room. It wasn't particularly Raven's forte to play truth or dare, but she was interested in confirming her suspicion about Summer if she asked enough truth questions.

Beast Boy clasped his hands, "Alright, so we all know the rules of truth or dare. Whoever get's chosen to do something will have the next turn and so on. Since she's new, Summer you can go first. And we'll go from there."

Interlocking her fingers, she'd crack her knuckles. "Okay then!" She extended her arm and pointed slowly around the room, "Raven. Truth or dare?"

The demon girl was surprised to be chosen first. Her eyes widened a bit as she was taken aback by the gesture. "Truth."

Summer's eyebrow winced upwards for a moment. "Hmph, truth? Okay playing it safe huh?"

Her lips pursed as if she'd just eaten a lemon. She was trying to hide a smile back. If Raven was going to pick truth she'd have to fess up about something juicy.

"Hypothetically you're trapped in an inescapable dimension with three seconds worth of air left. Who do you kiss, Jaime, Garfield, or Damian?"

Summer crossed her legs and put the backside of her hand under her chin. She was going to spend a lot of time with this team, so she didn't want to cause any irreversible damage by asking something too personal. If anything she was just trying to stir the pot.

The gray skinned girl crossed her arms defensively. Her nails slightly dug into the gloves as she looked Summer in the eyes. "We're just teammates, nothing more. If there were only 3 seconds of air left, the last thing I'd be thinking about is kissing any of them."

Maybe the young demon was lying, maybe she wasn't? Her demeanor didn't falter, and she stayed true to the words spoken. The brunette wasn't expecting quite an answer, and for that she'd let it be. As much as Raven wanted to retaliate by interrogating Summer right back, it would be too obvious if she did.

"Garfield. Your turn." She said with no hesitation.

The boy put his hands behind his head as he sunk back into the couch. "Easy, dare!"

Raven didn't really have anything in mind, but on the fly she'd just have to fire off anything. "I dare you to eat Starfire's leftovers from last night; all of it."

There was a fear in the boy's eyes like nothing they'd ever seen. "Those salty slimy space potatoes?! You're sick Raven!"

The food in which they spoke were potatoes that Starfire made the night before. They were runny and extremely high in sodium to say the least. It was hardly edible.

Beast Boy walked over to the fridge and pulled out the mound of disgusting potatoes. His arms were literally trembling as he brought them back into the living room.

"This is a heinous crime! You're all accessories to murder you know!" The boy scrunched his nose before morphing into a goat.

Something about being an animal that eats everything seemed better for some reason. His head lowered until he was just inches away from the plate. Opening his mouth, he began to chomp down on the crunchy yet runny mound. It seemed that even Raven regretted asking this of him. Summer shielded her eyes as he downed the horrible food.

Once it was all down he transformed back into his normal self and in dramatic fashion fell back onto the couch. "I-I think I see the light! It's getting brighter!"

Summer gave the boy a gentle rub on the back, "You'll live, but you won't be able to kiss anyone ever again. Hang in there Garf, it's your turn."

His green hand reached up toward his mouth and held back a gag. Upon seeing it Jaime laughed at the boy's suffering.

"Glad you find it so funny Blue, because it's your turn next. Truth or dare?" He'd immediately put a hand back up to his mouth to hold down his lunch.

The laughter stopped from Jaime and not even a smirk could be found on his face. "Dare. Bring it on ese."

"If you say so. I dare you to do pushups until it's your turn again." The shorter boy smiled at his own words. He didn't care if it wasn't a real dare, he just wanted to punish Jaime for laughing at his agony.

Jaime stepped to the side of the couch and shook his head as he took position. "I could do this in my sleep."

Summer walked over to Blue and stood beside him. "I think you went too easy on him Garfield. I'm sure what you meant to say was he has to do pushups with me sitting on his back right?"

She took it upon herself to sit with her legs crossed toward the bottom of his back. She didn't want to be up too high and accidentally mess with the scarab.

"I'm so happy you're comfortable up there Summer. Kick back. Truth or dare?" The mohawked boy grunted as he came up on his pushups. No Summer didn't weigh that much, but anything more than 100 pounds would cause some kind of strain on a person lifting their full body weight off the ground.

"I will dooooo... Truuuuuuuth? No dare! I choose dare!" She hesitated as she thought of the lesser between the two. Generally speaking truth was the easy route, but in her case she'd rather take dare.

"Nope, you already said truth. Now you've gotta do it. What's your biggest phobia and why?" Normally he'd let something like this slide, but there were some secrets that she was hiding, and he wanted to know what they were.

Her brown freckled hands covered her face as she hated talking about her fear. She mumbled into her palms, "Hehs. Mm sared ob hehs."

Beast Boy lifted his back from the couch with wide eyes, "What did she say? I didn't catch any of that."

As she was getting ready to speak the elevator doors opened once again and Damian walked through to the living room. Seeing as he was dressed in his regular clothes he most likely finished up in the training room and was dropping in for some lunch. Now Summer really didn't want to repeat herself. It was bad enough in front of him, but even worse in front of Damian, someone she could barely stand to be around.

Her hands lowered and she spoke in a moderately low tone. "I said heights. I'm scared of heights. Ever heard of Oloupena Falls? When I was a kid I had to base jump with no parachute. It was a test to see if I could survive a deadly situation with limited supplies. I've been terrified ever since."

Summer moved to her hands and knees while still on Jaime's back. She looked over the boy's shoulders with her upside down hair lightly feathering his face. "Good enough for you?"

Suddenly an alarm sounded and that meant there was trouble. Summer hopped off Jaime's back, and everyone prepared themselves to suit up. This was something Summer hadn't done yet. The team trained for days on end, but it was nothing like the real thing.

She was still in the process of getting a costume, so it looked like she would go as is. Starfire ran to the common room and looked at the group.

"There's trouble downtown." She handed Summer an eye mask. "Protect your identity. You never want to mix your personal life and your profession."

Her heart raced as she put on the mask of a heroine. This was it. From this moment on she'd be regarded as a hero. She put on the black mask and smiled from the pumping adrenaline.

Starfire clenched her fists, "Titan's go!"