Disclaimer: Shitz-Suji does not own any part of Young Justice or it's characters. Only the plot and OC.

Shitz-Suji: Hi there . . . again. So, it's been quite hectic week over at where I am and the only thing that's keeping me alive is the weekends. :D Anyways, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Meeko-chanXD, who's been hooked on Young Justice since Tuesday (I think) and was texting me during an important concert about how awesome YJ is. XD Frankly, I heartily agree. Enough ranting, Enjoy~


(Mount Justice, January 26, 2012. 2:16 p.m)

"This is Kat Grant, reporting live from Gotham City. There has been an accident in Central Gotham where multiple containers of Joker Venom has exploded, endangering many civilian lives. The Gotham Police Department has launched a city wide search for the Joker and his partner Harley Quinn, who escaped from Arkham Asylum almost a month ago. In addition to those that escaped include: Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Mister Freeze, and one unnamed convict."

"We urge citizens to keep a look out for these highly unstable villains and call the emergency hotline below if you should see them."

Siobhan turned off the television and threw down the remote in disgust. Highly unstable, her butt. Well, the Joker may the one exception to that but the others . . . they were more or less like anyone else.

(Wayne Manor, January 26, 2012. 3:21 p.m)

Robin changed into his civilian attire after he got home from an exhausting day of school. Not to mention that Wally had been texting him out of boredom throughout Mathlete Club, and he got a lot of flack from the senior members for focusing more on his phone than the upcoming competition. Thankfully, today was Friday, so he was technically free to do whatever he wanted, which was head to the Cave for some R&R.

"I'm probably not going to be back for dinner, so could you tell Bruce," Robin called to Alfred. The butler nodded and went back to his duties.

(Mount Justice, January 26, 2012. 3:34 p.m)

Three packages wrapped in brown paper were stacked neatly on Siobhan's bed when she returned to her room. An envelope was taped to the smallest one on top. "What is this," she murmured and reached for it. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that during today's training with Black Canary, she had received quite a beating from her teacher.

So she used her other hand and tore off the envelope and tossed it on the bed before proceeding to rip off the brown paper covering the package. To her surprise, it was a brand new cell phone. Or at least that was what it read on the box. It was a slim white rectangle with a rather large screen. There was no keypad, so Siobhan didn't know how to operate it or even turn it on. In the end, she gave up on it and tossed it on her bed next to the envelope.

The second package was a flat plain white box. Inside was another envelope, but this time it was thicker. She ripped it open, pulled out the letter, and read:

Dear Miss Laurent,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Gotham Academy. Your tuition fees have been paid for by an anonymous benefactor as well as your entrance exams, which have been taken into account to decide your classes. Enclosed with this letter are your text books, class schedule, and uniform. You may begin school on the following Monday.

Yours sincerely,

Philip Wilcox.

Entrance exam? Siobhan did not remember having to sit down and take an exam . . . except the one Batman made her sit down for. After he questioned her, he led her to an empty room with a desk in the center and pushed a stack of papers and a pencil towards her, then spent the better part of an hour as her proctor while she solved equations.

Siobhan quickly glanced at her schedule, which was stapled to the letter and put it back into the envelope. She then unwrapped the tissue paper in the box and found a stack of neatly folded clothes which she guessed was the school uniform.

The third package was the largest and heaviest. Inside was a thick stack of books on various subjects including world history, biology, and French. She took the books out one by one and put them on a nearby shelf hanging above the desk.

After, she reached for the other envelope. Inside were two cards, one made of plastic with her name written on it and the other that read:

Spend Wisely.

(Mount Justice, January, 26, 2012. 4:04 p.m)

"Robin, B-01"

The unnaturally calm atmosphere of the Cave was unsettling for Robin as he stepped out of the zeta tube. He only saw Wolf napping on the floor computer, which was still on for some reason. The canine aimed a sleepy growl at him when he turned it off.

"Rob," a familiar voice called. A hand smacked Robin on his back all of a sudden, knocking the wind out of his lungs. "K.F," he groaned. The speedster grinned and stepped in front of him. Artemis smirked and shot a sympathetic glance at him.

"Where is everyone," Robin asked. Wally shrugged and chomped off a large part of a candy bar he was holding. "Megan and Conner are outside with Kaldur. I think Raquel went out with Siobhan twenty minutes ago," Artemis said nonchalantly.

For a moment, mild panic flooded Robin's system, he was technically suppose to be keeping an eye on Siobhan just in case something was wrong with her or she turned out to be bad, Batman's orders. And the police were still searching everywhere for her since her "escape" a month back.

But the police were looking for a half starved, insomniac person with poor grooming that was in the company of dangerous criminals. Since Black Canary and Green Arrow had given Siobhan a new look, Robin doubt that she would look suspicious.

"What do we do now, guys," Robin asked with a mischievous grin. At that same moment, Red Tornado happened to walking by. If he could read minds, he would certainly not approve of what the two teenage boys were planning.

(Mount Justice, January 26, 2012. 6:32 p.m)

"Rocket, B-09"

"Siobhan Laurent, B-10"

The two females stepped out of the zeta-tubes, exhausted but content. Raquel took a sip of her milkshake and handed Siobhan back her new phone. "Press the button in the middle when you want to turn it on," Raquel said with a grin. Siobhan nodded and put the phone away.

The afternoon had been a wonderful experience for Siobhan, after figuring out that the plastic card had money, she wanted to go out and purchase a few things for school. A backpack, for an example and replacements those glaringly white knee high socks that came with her new uniform. She also bought notebooks, pencils, pens, and assorted school supplies.

Raquel bought a few things as well, like CDs and etc. Then she introduced Siobhan to a milkshake, something the girl craved more than ice cream now. "See ya later, I gotta find Kaldur and show him something," Raquel said. Siobhan smiled and headed for her room.

The next few hours for her were spent pouring over her new text books in an attempt to memorize as much as she could.

"I win again," Robin declared triumphantly. Wally set down his game controller in defeat and took a swig of his root beer float. "I want a rematch, dude. You won by default," Wally challenged. Robin set down the controller and turned off the television.

"You mean I won by default nine times in a row. Play with Artemis or Conner since there is no way you can beat me," Robin said teasingly and left.

He decided he would be staying overnight at the Cave, homework could wait until Sunday. Plus his rarely used bedroom was going to be turned to a storage closet if he didn't use it soon.

Halfway to his room, he saw Wolf pacing back and forth in the hallway, growling at Siobhan's closed door. When Wolf saw him, he looked at him and then the door and gave something between a bark and a snarl.

"Alright," Robin said. He went over to the door and knocked on it three times.

"Shivette, are you in there?"

". . . No," came the reply.

Robin grinned. "Can you open your door and let Wolf in?" Wolf let out a small bark to announce his presence.

"Oh, one moment." Robin heard some clamoring and then the metal door slid open. Wolf bounded into the room and onto the bed. A number of objects that were displaced from the bed fell onto the floor.

While Siobhan went to go pick them up, Robin took a peek into her room and saw something he instantly recognized, his biology text book, but newer. He also saw his history and math textbook as well. "Hey Shivette, why do you have those," he asked.

She shot him a matter-a-fact look and said, "I start school on Monday." Robin could just smell the handiwork of Batman/Bruce Wayne; it wouldn't be surprising if it was. After all, he was the one who stuck his neck out for a random Arkham convict and put her on a team with heroes-in-training. "So, can I come in then," Robin asked with a devilishly charming smile.

Instead of a simple yes, she sat down on her bed and petted Wolf. "Do you want to come in," she replied. Robin smirked. He walked in and took a seat in the overstuffed armchair in the corner. "So which school are you going to, Shivette?"

"Gotham Academy."

It was definitely the work of Bruce Wayne and knowing him, he probably stuck her in the same classes he had. This was assuming she was the same age as him or in the same year.

"Batman made me take a test. It turned out to be the school's entrance exam," Siobhan said with a wry smile, "though I can't imagine him slaving over the paperwork." She closed her history book and stacked it neatly on the other text books. "Do you go to school, Robin?"

"Where else am I supposed to be at for eight hours during the day," he said back.

"And I suppose Batman "ordered" you not to tell anyone where it is or what's called. Just like he ordered about your 'secret identity'," she said almost sarcastically. He nodded and inside of him, he felt relief since he was spared having to defend himself about going to a real school during the day.

"You remembered, Shivette," he said with a grin, "hey, can I see your schedule?"

Siobhan reached under Wolf and pulled out an envelope and threw it at him. He caught it and examined it carefully. He recognized the letterhead and signature of his principal, which meant it was definitely from Gotham Academy.

She had him for everything except World History, P.E, and Biology, but she was still placed in the honors classes because of her exam scores and she still had to choose an elective. Robin folded up the papers, put them back in the envelope, and handed it back to her.

"Can I ask you something," Siobhan asked suddenly. Robin nodded. "The missions Black Canary tells me of. When am I qualified to join them?

(Mount Justice, January 26, 2012. 11:56 p.m)

The Boy Wonder stared up at his blank ceiling, waiting for sleep to come and take him. But his mind kept wandering, thinking about trivial events that happened to him during the day. He rolled over and groaned.

One event that kept replaying over and over again in his head was the one after she asked that question. And instead of giving a straight forward answer like he thought he would, he deflected the question and turned the conversation in another direction, just like Batman would.

In fairness, he found it difficult to lie to Siobhan, with her facial expressions rendered neutral most of the time, he couldn't tell how she might react, which in turn made him unable to spin a suitable lie for a suitable outcome. That also meant that everything Batman taught him about micro expressions was useless against her.

He gave a weak smirk. Robin had grown use to the fact that everyone around him was an open book, friend or not. The way they talked, acted, even how they ate. It slightly disturbed him that there was now someone out there who he couldn't read. Although, it couldn't be Siobhan's fault, if he could put it in layman's terms, it would be that Arkham screwed her up, turned her into a blank canvas.

Suddenly, a random mental image of Wally wolfing down multiple tacos at once took the center of his thoughts and he couldn't resist letting out a chuckle or two. How he laughed when the poor boy realized that his best friend emptied a whole bottle of hot sauce into just four of them.

Robin woke up early, just as he did during any other day. He freshened up and trained for an hour before breakfast like usual. Except one thing or person was missing: Zatanna.

Sure, it had been a couple of months since their breakup, but it was the first time he stayed overnight since her departure. Before, he'd use to try to fight Bruce tooth and nail just to stay overnight in the Cave, with her more specifically. They'd get up at the crack of dawn together and train until it was time for breakfast.

It was always fun when he was with Zatanna. He would never admit it to anyone though, especially to Wally.

But what was he doing now? He knew he shouldn't be pinning away for her, no matter how much he cared. Dick Grayson could, but not Robin, the Batman's protégé and partner. With that thought, he finished with a complicated series of flips and landed perfectly.

Somewhere along eight o' clock, he spotted Raquel shuffling over to the kitchen. Since it was already eight, Robin decided to help out with breakfast if she was cooking. It would help him take his mind off why he was becoming so sentimental all of a sudden.

Kaldur, Megan, and Artemis arrived about fifteen minutes later and as soon as Wally probably smelled raw bacon hitting the frying pan, he was there. Conner and Siobhan were the last to arrive, the latter slightly letting Wolf drag her along to the kitchen for food.

They ate and conversed with each other, except Siobhan who was eating with Wolf in a corner of the kitchen. After that, Artemis and Conner suggested that they all take a joy ride in the Bioship just for fun.

Inside the Bioship, everyone took their respective seats with Megan at the controls all set to take off. Siobhan just stood at the entrance hatch awkwardly and looked at everything else as an attempt to distract herself from the fact that all six passenger seats were occupied and no one bothered to point out that there wasn't another one to accommodate their teammate.

Siobhan was almost about to turn and leave until she heard the sound of a slap and "Hello Megan."

"Where's Siobhan," Megan asked. Wally and Robin pointed at the entrance hatch and grinned. A seat suddenly rose from the ship's floor, between Artemis and Conner. Siobhan quietly took her seat and faced forward. "I'm sorry. It's just you were so quiet," Megan said apologetically.

"Not yesterday, she wasn't. She was laughing for twenty minutes straight," Raquel said amusingly.

"She can laugh," Wally blurted out skeptically. Siobhan shut him up instantly with a glare.

"You would think she's quiet, but she's got a real sense of humor," Robin added in. Siobhan knew he was referring to the time they almost poked each other senseless. He and Raquel shared knowing grins.

The ship took off with a very amused crew. Siobhan found it strange that when Megan piloted the ship to loop and twist in the air, no one looked like they were going to vomit. They all looked slightly bored, but the momentum was making her a bit queasy and with the way the ship is going, she would need a wastebasket very soon.

Suddenly, Batman's voice was heard over everyone's conversations. Siobhan managed to catch a few words here and there.

"Team, there is . . . Geneva . . . Cobra Venom . . . string of kidnappings . . . Cobra."

It didn't take long to realize that Batman was assigning the Team a mission and for the first time, she felt anticipation and excitement.

Before she could fully tune in to Batman's briefing, he was gone and the ship was heading back to the Cave. "Sorry, Shivette. We can't take you along," Robin said. But of course, she already knew that and disappointment replaced her previous excitement. Siobhan watched as the team except Megan and Conner rush out of the ship as soon as the hatch opened.

After them, she calmly walked out, but not before Megan reached out to her. "One day," she said with an encouraging smile. Conner nodded and smiled himself. Siobhan nodded and wished them luck, but something akin to envy stirred within her.

She watched as the team returned in second, dressed in their hero costumes. "We'll bring back some souvenirs," Wally called to her before the hatch shut close. The ship took off once again.

How long before she was able to join them? It was not that she wanted to die in the line of fire or prove herself to anyone, but she was tired of being cooped up in the Cave. She knew combat simulations didn't come close to the real thing and she wanted to experience things first hand. And after so many years of being cooped up, her patience had worn very thin.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 4:12 p.m)

"Miss Martian, Rocket and Superboy will take out the security systems. Make sure you both rendezvous with Robin, Artemis, and Kid afterwards," Kaldur or rather Aqualad said.

"What about you," Artemis asked. Aqualad pointed at the foggy forest below where the ship hovered. "I will take the land route and defuse the back up security systems," he replied, "Miss Martian, link us up."

" . . . everyone online?"

"Yes," everyone chorused back.

"Let's go," Aqualad thought. He dropped from the hatch that opened near his seat and into the mist below.

The hatch closed and the ship flew onward towards a brightly lit stadium on a cliff. "So Cobra is running his Cobra Venom and kidnapping business here? Why didn't the League notice this sooner," Artemis quipped. "Probably cuz' of them," Wally replied and pointed below where a pair of hulking monsters stood guard at iron wrought gate.

The ship flew to a safe distance away from the gates, where everyone else dropped. "Everyone ready," Miss Martian asked.

"Yeah."

"You know it, Greencheeks."

"Is this really the time, Wally?"

"Ow!"

(Geneva, January 27, 2012, 4:37 p.m)

If Siobhan had been fully paying attention, she would have known where exactly in Geneva she was supposed to go. But unfortunately, she didn't. After obtaining some sort of mask of cover her face with, she had flown on a glacier she had been controlling for thirty minutes across the Atlantic Ocean. Once she confirmed she was in Geneva, Switzerland, she had scoured everywhere for the Team.

Near the Eastern coastline, Siobhan spotted a haze that vaguely resembled a transparent Bioship and the forest nearby was covered by a dense fog. Excellent, she thought, now is the time to finally put her ill-gotten powers to use.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 4:46 p.m)

Miss Martian located four main control panels used to control the gate which they discovered was protected by a force-field and electric field. Even Rocket couldn't negate it with her own powers. Superboy wanted to tear through it to shut it down but that meant tipping off the search towers on the four corners of the stadium.

Kid Flash and Robin had a plan though, they positioned themselves near the gate where the mutated guards stood and where the control panels were located on the other side of the gate. Then Robin used Kid as foothold and propelled himself higher than the force-field. Only the shimmering haze told him that the force-field extended beyond the fence and covered the entire stadium. During this, Artemis let loose a few of her arrows and shot them at the guards, instantly immobilizing them with a flurry of high density foam.

"What now," he said.

"I have an idea. Get over here, fast," Superboy replied. And fast they did, with Kid dragging Robin halfway there. Artemis, Rocket, and Miss Martian were already there on standby next to Superboy.

The moment he saw them arrive, he shoved his hands into the force-field, literally trying to tear it apart, like Aqualad once did to another force-field. Surprisingly, the alarms didn't sound. But the electric current was sapping his strength quickly. Once he made a hole big enough, Robin slipped through it and jumped the gate. Within seconds, he had all four panels shut down and deactivated.

"Besides Hulk 1 and Hulk 2 out there, this place is really empty," Rocket whispered. "Yeah, I know right," Kid answered. There wasn't much security around here, save for the occasional human or animal injected with Cobra Venom.

"Guys, I found a door," Kid announced. He pointed to a slightly opened door with a sign above that read: Employees Only. Superboy switched to thermal vision and made sure the coast was clear. Once he gave the signal, they quickly filed through the door and hid.

Suddenly, one loud universal cheer shook the hallway the Team was currently in. "What was that," Robin asked. Another round of cheering shook the hallway and they could all hear the chorus of "Hail Cobra" being chanted mindlessly by a crowd. Suddenly, they heard a loud clamoring coming towards them.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 5:02 p.m)

No one was in the forest. The only sign that the Team was in the dense foggy forest was the wake of destruction they had left in their trail. Weaponized machinery laid in scraps beyond repair as Siobhan flew by. She was glad that she had enough sense to turn herself into water vapor to camouflage herself.

But if there were any thermal sensors, she would be instantly detected since her water vaporized body was still colder than the warm fog that surrounded the place. She heard a loud ripping sound and sizzling of a dying machine as it hit the ground. Someone was nearby.

In the fog stood a tall silhouette of a male that looked vaguely familiar. She didn't have to fight him, but she could knock him out if he proved to be an obstacle in the Team mission. Siobhan floated past him while he ran and to her surprise, it was Kaldur.

He reached another machine, this time it was stationary. But it fired lasers in a 360 circle, making it difficult for Kaldur to destroy it. Siobhan directed some of the fog into the machine and made it condense into solid ice. Immediately, the lasers stopped and the machine short circuited.

Kaldur was put on alert instantly. "Who's there? Reveal yourself," he hissed. Siobhan solidified her body into its natural state and walked up to him. "You? Why are you here," he demanded.

"To help. Black Canary didn't waste all that time training with me so I can empty your stores of ice cream when you were all gone," she said defensively. He looked at her mask, a ski hat pulled over her face with holes cut for her eyes, nose and mouth. "Is that my winter hat," he asked.

"It could be. I found it in the laundry room," Siobhan replied. Kaldur gave her a pointed look.

"I owe you a new hat, don't I?"

Kaldur nodded. "We must go before we are caught," he said and started running again. Siobhan turned her body into vapor and floated after him. "Hey Kaldur, where are the others," Siobhan's disembodied voice asked out loud.

The Atlantean frowned. "On missions, I am known as Aqualad and only by that," he says. They both hurry and destroy as much as they can until they reach the stadium. The tall iron wrought gate is dwarfed only by the two guards stationed at the entranced.

"What are they," Siobhan whispers. "Humans infused Cobra Venom. We must get inside no matter what," Aqualad whispered back. "Shall we try from another side of the gate," she asks. Aqualad nodded and they skirted around the bushes until they could no longer see the guards.

"Here," Aqualad said. He jumps out of the bushes and stops in front of the gate. Once he was sure that there was no force-field or defense around the metal, he gestures in a general direction for Siobhan to come out. "I'm right here," the disembodied voice says right next to him.

He didn't say anything but jumped over the fence. "Team, where are you," Aqualad asked. "Inside the stadium, but we're kinda stuck right now," Kid replies.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 5:34 p.m)

The stadium wasn't for selling Cobra Venom, it was a twisted form of entertainment for Cobra and his followers as well as some wealthy evil doers. Miss Martian and Conner found that out the hard way when a cage rolled by with a mutated human in it. His skin was hard and cracked, revealing the hard muscle caused by the steroid. Blood streamed from his face and other parts of his body.

He was barely alive, not to mention half his limbs were almost unrecognizable. "We have to stop this," Megan said adamantly. Over a few columns away Robin was scanning for the nearest escape routes nearby, which was back through the "Employees Only" door even though they were well inside and far away from the door.

Another cheer resonates from the crowd above as a loud thud shakes the building. Another cage rolled through the hallway, this time the mutated human inside was dead. Although the Venom-induced humans were technically considered as enemies, Miss Martian couldn't help but cry. They were once humans after all. "We have to move now," Robin declared, "Head for the stairs in the next hallway."

Conner calmed Miss Martian down enough to have her fly into the next hallway to see if the coast is clear. At her word, they all run to the stairwell and through the door. Luckily for them, there were no cameras so they were free to run up to the next level.

At the topmost floor, they opened the door and burst through them. What they found was unexpected and horrifying. The people that were reported as missing or kidnapped crammed into holding cells along a large hallway, children, women, men. The moaning and desperate cries for help were adding to the morbid atmosphere.

The Team heard voices coming around the corner and looked around desperately for a place to hide. "Up there," Robin said.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 5:59 p.m)

"All the doors are locked and secured. How are we going to get in," Siobhan whispered.

"We must locate an opened door or entrance-"

"I found an open window, does that count," she whispered and pointed to her left. Sure enough, there was a small rectangle in the smooth gray stone walls. "Good, now we need to get up there," Aqualad said.

He was instantly on a thin platform of solid ice. "I can't do much outside vaporizing my own body and ice so this is it," she said all of a sudden. Aqualad jumps through the opening and Siobhan followed. Inside was scorching hot and it was loud.

To Siobhan's horror, she found jail cells containing people. It reminded her of Arkham, the way they would bring in a new convict. They would first make them change into a loose white jumpsuit and then force them to spend nights in a small holding cell before taking them to their "home" or their official cell where they would probably be detained for the rest of their lives.

And she saw children, a girl with her head shorn, a boy about the same age as her with a large infected gash across his dirty face. Anger flowed through her in a way that she never felt before. Whoever the villains were, she'd make sure they would get the same treatment, Siobhan promised.

Because no matter whom they were, they were only human.

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 6:17 p.m)

Up in the air vents, the Team recalculated their strategy to reach Cobra and take him down before anything else happened. Once Robin had pointed out the ventilation hatch, they quickly climbed into it and peered down as a whole squadron of Cobra's followers marched down the hallway.

They opened a cell and dragged out a woman by her hair, then shoved her into a nearby cage. One man stuck his hand through the cage and subdued the woman by pulling on her hair again. Another man held a large syringed filled with a glowing blue liquid, Cobra Venom. They watched in ill-disguised horror as the woman was transformed into a grotesque monster. After, she was carted away towards the loud cheering.

"I'm in the stadium where there are holding cells containing human. Where are you located," Aqualad asked.

"In the air vents above you," Artemis quipped.

Siobhan and Aqualad heard a loud clang above them. "I think that's them," Siobhan whispered. It was getting very hot in here and Aqualad didn't look like he was faring well too. A hatch in the pipes opened and Rocket's face peered down at them.

"Up here," she whispers. Aqualad jumped up and into the opening. Siobhan barely managed to get all of her disembodied self into the vent before Rocket closed the opening.

"I brought a friend," Aqualad announced. The whole Team looks at him and searched around. "I'm right here," said a familiar voice. Except there was no one in sight.

Robin swore he heard Siobhan's voice, quiet but it was definitely her's. Then to everyone's shock, she materializes from cold, gray mist. "Hello," she said awkwardly.

Artemis was the first to recover. "Why is she here? Didn't Batman say she was supposed to stay at the Cave," she said angrily. "Siobhan was of great help. Without her, I should still be in the forest," Kaldur replied.

She pulled the ski mask off and straightened her hair. "I don't care if I get carted back to Arkham for this. I was given a chance to fight and I was not about to let it be taken away just because the Batman didn't give me a pat on the back and an okay to go. If any of you have any problems with this, I will deal with you right now, right here," she hissed threateningly.

The metal vent was starting to get colder and colder with each passing moment. It would have felt good against the blistering heat if Siobhan was not implying to freeze them in their tracks. "Alright, fine. She can stay," Artemis said.

Kid notice Siobhan putting her ski mask back on and turned to Aqualad. "Isn't that the hat I got you for Christmas?"

(Geneva, January 27, 2012. 7:20 p.m)

"Are you sure about this," Siobhan asked. "Yeah, just don't panic or anything, ok," Robin replied. The slight echoing from telepathic communication was giving Siobhan a small headache, but that wasn't important right now.

Everyone was standing in front of a cell, looking anywhere except at the people in them. Once they heard the squadron walking in their direction, everyone set to work to break or destroy the locks on the door. Superboy easily crushed his lock with one hand, Miss Martian forced the atomic bonds to separate, cutting the lock in half, Aqualad, Rocket, and Siobhan used their powers while Kid and Robin picked them apart in a flash.

Chaos ensued. Miss Martian pulled Superboy up into the air to avoid getting trampled by the people who pushed and shoved their way out. Rocket pulled Aqualad and Kid out of the way and Siobhan placed Robin and Artemis on platforms high above the stampede.

The squadron ran to the sight of the yelling and half of them were immediately trampled by the crowd. Siobhan froze a guard except for his face and tore his mask off. She examined it for a second and ripped off the hood. "There, I have a proper mask," she said in delight.

The remainder of the guards opened fire on them. The Team fought bravely, but two backup squadrons rushed to the scene of the fight and quickly overpowered the Team in terms of shear numbers.

But this was exactly what they wanted.

The Team was stuffed in electrified cages, but no attempts were made to inject them with Cobra Venom. Instead they were rolled out into a massive battle arena, where a large audience in the stands threw rotten garbage at them. "This was what Cobra was up to. He kidnapped those people and were using them as mutated gladiators for his own entertainment," Robin said in disgust.

His hands were handcuffed, but at least they didn't remove his utility belt. They were rolled in front of Cobra, who was sitting on a magnificent throne above the screaming audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you . . . Our Lord Cobra's tribute," the announcer yelled. The resonating cheers and yells were deafening. From Robin's peripheral vision, he could see another caged being rolled out. The squadron must had caught a man on his way to freedom and forced Cobra Venom into his system.

Cobra stood up and waved his hands at the large crowd that filled the entire stadium stands. "Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight's program will include a special encore for the Justice League's . . . pets. I sincerely hope you'll all enjoy the show," he said to a hushed crowd. He took his seat and pointed at the mutant to be brought forward.

Robin knew that one of them alone was not enough to take down someone laced with Cobra Venom, not even Superboy who was half kryptonian.

"Lord Cobra's first tribute shall be this girl here. Watch as she fights to the death here. Who shall live and who will perish," the announcer yelled. Superboy's calm demeanor evaporated into pure rage as the guard next to Megan's cage pulled her out. But his handcuffs were designed to keep him from tearing the bars apart and lashing out at anyone.

"Stop," Superboy yelled in desperation. But Miss Martian's determined glare silenced him. The crowd is hushed when they release the monster. Instantly, a distortion appears between the crowd and the stadium.

They must have put the force field up here too, Robin realized. Robin watched as Megan used her telepathic powers to send the monster flying into the electric currents into energy fields. But after a while, the tides turn on her as the monster charged at her and sends her flying into the force field.

Miss Martian was electrocuted once she made contact with the barrier and because of it, she was nearly smashed into the wall by the monster's fists. While the others were yelling at Miss Martian to hurry and recover, Robin was desperately calculating an escape plan, but even if he freed himself, there was no way he could free the others in time and escape unharmed.

The mutant now had Miss Martian by her neck now and was squeezing slowly. The crowd cheered as they watched the life being choked out of her. Superboy was almost borderline hysterical.

But Miss Martian forced the monster off her and propelled him into the electric currents again. She flew up into the air where she was slowly recovering and pinned the monster down with her powers. But the monster broke free and with his remaining strength, he leapt into the air and caught Miss Martian.

There was no more choking this time. Robin saw the fist raised high in the air and knew he was going to crush her. "Megan," he yelled in desperation. "Stop," the voice next to him screamed.

"STOP!"

The monster brought down his fist like a sledgehammer, but Miss Martian still remained struggling a second after. She looked up and saw her opponent frozen in a block of ice then at her panic stricken teammates. The crowd was silent as Cobra stood up.

"You," he declared, "You will replace the Martian girl as my tribute." He pointed at Aqualad, who then removed from his cage. Three more cages with mutated humans were brought into the arena.

"Wait," Siobhan yelled. Robin turned to his left and looked at her. Cobra stared down at the cages lines up beneath his throne and found the speaker.

"I volunteer as tribute."

Cobra looked hesistant about letting the small girl, but he immediately had Aqualad shoved back into his cage and Siobhan was pulled out instead. "What are you doing," Kid asked. "Freeing us all," she said.

They unlocked her cuffs her and shoved her in the center ring where all three monsters lunged for her the moment they were released. Siobhan lazily pointed a finger gun at one of them and fired an icy beam. She fired two more at the energy barrier, which bounced back and hit the mutants.

The crowd was silenced when Cobra stood up again. Robin watched as his eyes scrutinized his new teammate, who was at the moment combing her hair with her fingers. She then turned to him and yelled, "I hope the entire audience knows you are a coward. You're no lord or god, just some sniveling weakling who send others to do his dirty work!"

"Shiv, stop! You can't fight him," Kid said in panic. "No, let her," Robin replied, "She might actually have a shot at this."

"How dare you insult me, rat! Tribute or no tribute, you will die tonight," Cobra roared.

"Then how about you fight me? There will be no interference. If you can disprove my claims, then fight me," Siobhan goaded.

Artemis looked at Rocket and Superboy in shock. "Is she seriously gonna do this? She's gonna get flattened and we'll have to scrap her off the floor," she said.

"I am a God. You are beneath me," Cobra snorted.

Siobhan crossed her arms. "You mean you are a gutless chicken who's too afraid of the real world, if you were a god then why are we still speaking?"

In his cage, Aqualad smiled at Siobhan. He understood what Siobhan's plan was.

"You must have not heard correctly, rat. I am a God. You are garbage beneath me that I can crush easily," Cobra said calmly.

Siobhan knew that she needed to undermine Cobra's influence on the people in the stands and they'll be pressuring him to fight. "Then . . . fight me. Or you can strategically place your lips upon my posterior and kiss it repeatedly!"

"Shiv, the correct term is 'you can kiss my butt," Wally said. And for once, Siobhan grinned in his direction.

The crowd was cheering and yelling for their "god" to reclaim his dignity. Finally, something in Cobra snapped and he jumped through the force field and into the arena.

The moment he landed, he stood still like he expected for Siobhan to charge at him. Instead, a beam of icy white light engulfed his face and neck, preventing him to breathe. He crushed the ice that was forming across his face and stormed across the arena ground. "You made a tragic mistake, rat," he said menacingly.

Siobhan backed up quickly and stopped. "That I did. I forgot to do this." She raised her arms and a dome made of ice panels closed over them. It was the same one that she used on Christmas when she sparred with Black Canary. Twelve large panels made up the bottom ring, eight more on top of them, and one closing off the top. No one could see what was going on inside, but it was obvious that Cobra's hand to hand combat had no effect on the panels since the pounding noises were gradually growing quieter and quieter and the panels weren't even damaged yet.

"Shivette, what's going on in there," Robin asked.

"Can't you see I'm occupied," she snapped, "I'll be out in a few more minutes."

The Team panicked when what sounded like Cobra began pounding on the panels again. After a few more blows, the arena was silent again. A few more minutes later, the Dome completely shattered except for one panel. Cobra was encased in a massive iceberg, save for his nose and up.

Siobhan emerged from it and walked over to Cobra. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to present to you your defeated leader, Cobra," she declared. The man was semi-conscious and furious as Siobhan smeared everything under her boots on his clean, shaved head.

"I hope you know that I take no pleasure toppling from your throne. But I find it amusing how easily you lost as a god," Siobhan whispered to Cobra and kicked at his head which rendered him unconscious.

Siobhan knocked a nearby guard unconscious and stole his keys. Once everyone was free from the cages did Superboy realize Miss Martian was still missing. "Over here," she said.

The Martian materialized into view and hugged Superboy. "Our plan worked," she said happily to Siobhan. Aqualad went over to Siobhan and smiled. "Welcome to the team."

(Mount Justice, January 28, 2012. 8:28 a.m)

"I gave you explicit orders to stay in the Cave. You were not supposed to join the Team on missions until I said you were ready," Batman said threateningly. He glared at Siobhan, who just stared blankly back at him.

Robin tried not to grin as he watched his mentor attempt to intimidate Siobhan. Because what use would that be? She was just staring back at him with her usual neutral facade. But the moment Batman's back was turned; she caught him looking and smiled at him.

Then the Batman turned at the rest of the Team. "You let her continue on with the rest of the Team even though you didn't know if she could be a liability. She could have blown your cover or turned against you. But you trusted her all the way through. Good job," he said.

His scowl lessened as he headed for the Zeta-Beams. ". . .Welcome to the Team."

"Batman, 02"


Shitz-Suji: Hunger Games reference. My obessesion for it has flared up again and bit me in the butt. :D Love or Hate it, review for more action~