Chaney's

Metropolis

I am going to KILL the next one, Wally threatens sourly from the far end of the room, his pretty red curls tangled around his pretty red face as he quickly escapes the third man who's hit on him in the past five minutes, looking humiliated and angry.

It's the legs, Artemis tells him from the opposite corner, without sympathy. Shouldn't have worn the tights.

They're just LEGS! Wally yells.

RUNNER'S legs, and a runner's ASS, Artemis replies pointedly. On a GIRL. Wally descends into incoherent cursing and M'gann's concern ripples through all their minds, but Superboy feels drained and useless and does not even care; why does any of this matter, it's just a mission. It's a mission, it's nothing, and not even the frothy lightness of the dress M'gann picked out makes him feel and differently.

Target sighted, Robin says, crisp and sudden, and unease reflects in all of the others' minds.

I am able to turn myself back into a girl. M'gann says hesitantly. Thanks to my training with my Uncle, but I'm having trouble holding this form for long.

It's fine, M'gann, Tula murmurs, and Superboy glances at her. M'gann is at the bar with Tula at the other end, in clothes similar to Tula's, wearing a low-neck shirt and arm warmers and a little skirt and short red hair and she is so . . . something odd speaks in Superboy, he isn't sure what, but what her thinks (she thinks, NO, there IS no she) is "beautiful".

M'gann is beautiful.

Tula slips from away from the bar, walking just unsteadily in the high-heeled boots Artemis talked him into, and discontent reflects through their mental bond again.

Batman's totally just doing this to be a dick, Wally accuses.

Totally, Robin agrees, uncharacteristically subdued, and the ghost of Tula's frustration echoes through them.

He is testing our efficiency in compromised subdued, and the ghost of Tula's frustration echoes through them.

He is testing our efficiency in compromised situations

Being a DICK! Wally and Robin chorus, and Superboy glimpses the brief grimace that flashes across Tula's face.

Let's focus on the mission, M'gann says lowly. Retrieve the stolen plans. I will . . . occupy the target. Even as calmly as she speaks, though, discomfort is clear her voice, and Supergirl—Superboy—frowns unthinkingly at the sound of it.

Miss Martian? He asks uncertainly, but Tula tells M'gann that they'll do it together. Tula approaches the target first with a thin, odd smile and . . .

Worst. Mission. EVER, Artemis seethes, then starts dictating flirty dialogue based on what M'gann's reading off the target's surface thoughts. It's a mess, and unnecessarily complicated, but M'gann and Tula couldn't flirt and Artemis and Tula can't be girls, so there isn't really any other choice left. The rest of them stay silent on the link, aside from an occasional pained groan from Wally who's being hit on again, and Superboy looks around the club absently.

Bibbo's Diner

Metropolis

"I have the apple pie," Clark Kent says to the waitress. Wearing his usual disguise of his business suit, a fedora, and importantly his glasses. He's honestly dumbfounded on he's managed to keep his identity a secret for so long.

"I have the same thing. Also with a scope of ice cream on top," Dinah Lance says. She has one a purple button-down shirt over a black jacket. Black pants, black shoes, and she is somehow to change her hair color from blonde to black.

The waiter takes both of their menus leaving the two finally to talk with each other without him on them.

"You can relax," Dinah tells Clark, adjusting her glasses which is more odd because she doesn't ever needed glasses in her live. "I won't tell you what you don't to do."

"I know," Clark sighs stressed because a similar talk with Bruce ended with Clark leaving immediately when he said "the boy needed a father". Cloning doesn't work that way at all, damn it. Clark knows best from experience. "It's just that . . . the kid was created by someone for reasons I don't know."

Dinah nods feeling the same thing, someone able to steal some DNA to make a clone of the Man of Steel himself.

"It's even more complicated from what I've said to her yesterday," Clark says. "Telling him how beautiful h—she looks in the dress and telling her I say high to J'onn mistaking her for. . ." he stops clutching his forehead with his hands frustrated. Not knowing what the hell he's supposed to do, to do what everyone else expects him to do.

"Listen," Dinah says as the waiter comes back with their pies. "Thank you," she says to the waiter as he leaves again. "You asked me for help. Which means that you want to connect."

Clark takes a fork into his pie and takes a bit. Clark nods his head agreeing not wanting to talk with his mouth full.

"It's simple," Dinah says resting her eyes, and Clark swallowing. "You do nothing."

"What?" Clark says shocked and confused.

"What I mean is, just let her come talk to you when she's ready to. All you do is be there for her, support her. Knowing that your always there for her no matter what is exactly what she needs now."

"I will."

"Also," Dinah adds taking a bite of her warm apple pie with ice cream on top. "Will you accept her for her?

Clark does a deep sigh. It was a no-brainer answer for him. "Like she's a member of my family."

He doesn't like it here. He doesn't know why anyone would; it's loud and crowded and stinks of sweat and drugs and disease and . . . other body fluids, ones he isn't really comfortable with concentrating on.

It's unpleasant here.

A weapon shouldn't care about 'unpleasant', something in him thinks, and he closes his eyes and exhales, leaning back against the wall. The tones of the others' voice start to change in his head but he doesn't pay attention; the only problems he's any use for the ones that involve punching anyway. That's all he is, this heavy unrefined thing that can't have lightness, can't have anything pretty, and isn't worth Superman's time.

He isn't interested, M'gann says.

What?! Artemis demands. Is he BLIND, you and Aquagirl's hot as hell!

He thinks were both. . . butch? M'gann says hesitantly, and Artemis curses viciously. I don't understand, what IS a butch?

It MEANS he thinks Tula's not GIRLY enough, shock of shocks! Wally snaps, and Superboy catches a glimpse of him ducking out of an especially persistent man's personal space. I TOLD you guys, there's no WAY this is going to work!

KF's really cute, Robin says abruptly, and Wally starts choking.

DUDE!

No, he's—Artemis cringe might as well be vocal, for now obvious it is—No, he's right. Kid Flash IS really cute. Even if he acts a little boyish, the guy might not care. He believes that Aquagirl's a girl right now, so...

No! No WAY! Wally yells, and Superboy glimpses fury on his face as he disappears deeper into the crowd. I've been creeped on ENOUGH tonight, make ROB do it!

Thanks, buddy, throw me to the sharks. I am so remembering this at Christmas.

Robin is not physically mature enough to be sexually active, Kid Flash, Tula says evenly, the barest traces of dissatisfaction in his thoughts. He's probably blaming himself, Superboy thinks. You are much more . . . ah . . . that is, your BODY is much more . . . developed. Besides, he is the one who needs to break into the computer. I believe he's starting to suspect my real sex.

I don't CARE! Wally snaps. SCREW what body I'm in, I'm still a GUY! He's going to know something's wrong, same as he did with you!

Bullshit, you've got tits to here and legs that won't quit, that's all he'll care about! Artemis snarls. All you have to do is repeat what I tell you to!

Because that worked SO WELL with Aqualass! Wally snarls back.

AQUAGIRL isn't a five-foot-four C-CUP! Artemis yells at him, and Superboy stops listening because . . . because Wally said a thing, and that thing's sinking in. Because . . .

He looks down at himself, his soft frothy dress and long blonde hair and long pale legs, and feels. . .

Different.

He thinks I'm more attractive to him, M'gann says disturbed. He wants to see me and Aquagirl 'make out".

See? You don't even have to flirt on the GUY, okay, you just have to keep distracted, Artemis bargains. Hit on AQUAGIRL, he already thinks she's butch. Or pretend you think HE'S hitting on Aquagirl and get all jealous. And slip the word 'share' in a sentence, you can do that, it's not hard.

I'm a GUY, dammit! Wally yells, loud enough that most of them wince. A STRAIGHT guy! I CAN'T sell femme lesbian! EVEN if it's with Tula, SHE'S! A! GUY!

Who don't you WANT to do it, the pedobait or the six month-old BRUISER?! Artemis demands, and Superboy looks down at himself again. His dress, his hair, his legs; his feet that even now don't want to be touching the floor.

Himself.

Not himself. Not that heavy and awkward person who always feels wrong, who doesn't belong to anyone, who even free of Cadmus and Desmond's control still isn't anything more than a body doing as it's told, a weapon in someone else's hand.

Something to be directed.

Cadmus was wrong. Living in the dark, in dreams and lies, in his own head . . . that wasn't how it was supposed to be. That's why he left. Why he lives at Mount Justice where he can go outside any time he wants, where he gets to decide things.

Where he gets to decides what he is.

All this time, and he hasn't decided a thing.

Robin, how do I look? Superboy asks, because Wally and Artemis are distracted arguing and Tula and M'gann are distracted trying to keep the target's attention as long as possible.

Supergirl asks.

Supes, this kind of isn't the—oh. Ohhhh, Robin says, with drawing horror. Supergirl (because really, really, how could she EVER have thought to go back, how could she EVER have thought it was okay to let Cadmus say what she was again, let ANYONE else say what she was again?) catches a glimpse of him in a far corner and sees alarm flash across his face, sees him immediately jerk forward and try to rush to her side. In another situation that might warn her off, but all she can think about is . . . well, the salesgirl said she and Wally were both C-cups, so that means her breasts are just as "out to" as Wally's, and her legs are even longer, and she's definitely dressed girlier than Tula.

And M'gann is so uncomfortable alone at the bar and trying to get the attention of this bad, bad man.

Weapon, something inside says, but the word falls flat in Supergirl's head and she draws herself up and pushes off the wall and strides across the dance floor like she's still wearing steel-toed boots and not cute sandals that would break under her most half-hearted kick. She is a weapon, that is how Cadmus made her.

But Cadmus made her wrong.

And Wally's right. No matter what body she's in, girl or boy or weapon or person, it doesn't change who she actually is.