SECTION II: FIRST STEPS

Chapter 9: First Days


Note: I do not own Young Justice, DC Comics, or any related characters. I'm merely borrowing them for creative purposes. Enjoy!


MOUNT JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 7, 06:41 EDT
2020

In the Cave's massive generator room, a lone figure was kneeling next to a red motorcycle, caring for it with surprisingly gentle hands. One of the many things that the genomorphs had taught him was basic engineering, and a side effect of those lessons meant that Superboy had a need to tinker. Not with fancy gadgets like Robin, or advanced science stuff like Wally. He had a simpler, some ('Lois') would say even primal, urge to work with basic machines. Hence, the motorcycle. Clark had given it to him (with League money, Batman pointed out) as a late "birthday" present.

Conner had spent nearly four days with the thing now, bettering it with his own two hands. Robin and Wally had donated some gizmos, but the young Kryptonian was proud to say that the only two hands that had touched the motorcycle since he got it were his own. Something that a fellow resident of the Cave mocked incessantly.

"So, you making sure that motorcycle loves you as much as you love it?" Wonder Girl glided into the room, followed by Red Tornado and Aqualad on foot. Much to Superboy's surprise, the Amazon was dressed in civvies, a short sleeve red shirt and white shorts with white sneakers. Conner opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by the whir of the Zeta-Tube powering up. "Recognized: Superman, 0-1." Clark, still in his uniform, floated in after being transported.

"Sorry, sorry, got stuck with a fire. Did I miss anything?" Conner grinned as his father ('wow, it's great to be able to say that') landed next to him. His ultra-sensitive nose picked up traces of smoke still lingering on Superman's skin and uniform, but the clone said nothing. He was just happy Clark made it.

Wonder Girl smiled at Superman. "Hey Superman." She had met Conner's "father" not long after her induction to the Team, even "working out" with the Man of Steel in the Cave's specialized weight room. She had lost every weight-lifting challenge, her reactions amusing the clone who had watched each one with a keen eye. He wouldn't admit it, but Cassie was definitely strong enough to keep up with him for a while, his Kryptonian genetics giving him just a tad more strength than the Amazon.

Clark (who was just Superman to Cassie) smiled back. "Hello Cassie. Excited for your first day?" Wonder Girl just shrugged. "It's my eleventh 'first day.' They kind of blend together after a while. Excited to see the school, I guess." Clark nodded and turned to his son, who looked… puzzled? No, conflicted. Superman laid a hand on his clone's shoulder and spoke softly. "You'll do fine. It can't be worse than what I went through." He leaned in closer and whispered into Superboy's ear. "Just remember, you're not better than them, you are one of them."

Conner nodded and tried to flash Superman a confident grin. Meanwhile, Aqualad handed Cassie her backpack, an old red monstrosity from years past. Conner's, on the other hand, was simple, new, and most importantly black. Superboy seemed to like the color almost as much as red. Conner thanked Kaldur with a smile as he leaned over to rev up his motorcycle. They had already agreed that Conner and Cassie would arrive separately, Cassie by car and Conner by bike. They each had driver's licenses and registered vehicles, courtesy of some first-class hacking by Robin.

However, just as Conner was ready to mount his bike and drive off, Kaldur cleared his throat. "Um, Conner, you may wish to… change before you depart." Superboy frowned, looking to him and Superman for answers. The elder Kryptonian just pointed to the S-symbol on his chest. "Can't be giving away your identity." Grumbling, Superboy took off his shirt and turned it inside out. Cassie suddenly became much more interested in the Kryptonian, remembering the aftermath of the fight with Ojo. 'He's so… muscly. Not like that weasel Pat Buchanan. Ugh, I can't even believe I dated someone like him.'

Conner grumbled something about secret identities as he put his shirt back on. Benefit of custom-made T-shirts: no tags to tuck in. Unless someone was touching the shirt, they wouldn't be able to tell it was inside out. Cassie regained her sense of decency right about then, engaging Aqualad in a conversation about literally anything else.

"So, Kaldur, how's it going with you know who?" The Atlantean smiled a little bit and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's… going well. I'm actually taking her to brunch and an art gallery opening today. Benefits of having completed my education, I guess." Cassie nodded: in fact, if he hadn't said his actual age, the Amazon would have guessed Kaldur to be at least 19 or 20. 'Atlanteans must grow differently than regular humans.'

Conner revved up his engine, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Well, guys, see you later. Cassie, see you in a few." He almost got away before Superman stopped him. "Helmet, young man. Safety first." Conner muttered something about Kryptonian invulnerability, but nevertheless complied. He put the helmet Superman had handed him on without a struggle. After that, he shot off, up the ramp, and out towards Happy Harbor.

Cassie turned to Aqualad and gave him a hug. "Good luck bro. You got this." Without another word, Cassie flew out after Superboy, heading towards the car parked in the town at a certain League ally's home. In fact, he was a teacher at the high school himself, but knew the League from his… younger days.

Superman had tears in his eyes, much to both Red Tornado's and Aqualad's surprise. "They grow up so fast."


GOTHAM CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 06:00 EDT
2020

An alarm clock continued to buzz, set on a nightstand between two twin beds. To the left of the nightstand, a figure stirred deep within the blankets of the twin bed. A tan hand reached out to turn off the alarm, a blonde head groaning but nevertheless exiting the fortress created by the purple blankets. Artemis's grey eyes narrowed at the sunlight streaming in through the apartment's windows, but once they adjusted to the light, she looked directly across the room.

A picture of a scene from Alice in Wonderland hung on the wall opposite her. The Chesire cat looked on the confused Alice with its trademark smile. Artemis sat in those blankets, staring at the picture that brought back so many memories of a different time. Back when Mom could walk, when her sister was still alive. Then, she ran away, never to be heard from again. At least, until last month. The sight of her sister… Chesire was almost too much to bear.

Artemis hadn't told her mother. She couldn't bear to put her through the grief and agony of losing a child again. Especially considering her sister's line of work. Paula Crock had left that behind: she would be appalled at losing her daughter to that same darkness she had lived in for so many years. So, like many people in Artemis's life, her mother was kept in the dark.

Someone rapped their knuckles against Artemis's bedroom door. "Artemis, get up. I don't want you late for your first day. Especially since it's at Gotham Academy." Artemis groaned, getting up from her bed with all the enthusiasm of someone going to prison. Despite her hatred for school (like any teenager), a small part of Artemis was excited: she was going to Gotham Academy!

The prestigious school was far nicer than her previous one, Gotham North, having extensive private funding from a variety of wealthy donors. Artemis was sad to be leaving behind her friends at Gotham North, but she had a good feeling about Gotham Academy. Besides, she had a full ride, courtesy of the Wayne Foundation. She didn't even know she was eligible for the scholarship, but apparently it was one of those things you didn't apply for. (Her mom said that, but Artemis was still a little suspicious. How did they even get her information?)

Anyways, as Artemis began to get ready, she pulled open her closet door and looked at her uniform. 'Guess I'll be wearing two uniforms now.'

Green Arrow had told her that she should bring the other one as well, just in case. Once he found out that Roy had told her about his identity, he had introduced her to his full team. She had been going on patrols in Star a few nights a week now, aided by Oliver, John, and of course Felicity on coms. She liked Felicity: the other blonde seemed to understand what she was going through. "I've had… issues with my father too. Like, big, law-related issues." After overcoming the shock of Felicity finding out about her family's history, Artemis had agreed to go on a spa day with Felicity. 'I may be a bow-wielding vigilante, but it'll be fun.'

Twenty minutes later, after a quick shower and breakfast, Artemis was out the door with a green duffel bag in tow. 'Time to go to school.'


Artemis felt so… out of place at Gotham Academy. It seemed more suited for the sons and daughters of titans of industry, tech moguls, and celebrities; not the daughter of one reformed super-criminal and a still-active mercenary. Still, she stood in the middle of one of the spacious courtyards on campus ('there's actually a campus, ugh') and waited for her orientation advisor. Artemis absentmindedly tugged down on her skirt and looked at the sheet of paper in her hand. 'Bette Kane. Must be a guidance counselor or something.'

"Artemis? Artemis Crock?" The blonde looked up from the paper to see another girl looking right at her. Artemis couldn't help but notice how pretty she was, from her blue eyes to fair complexion and beautifully sculpted golden hair. "Yeah, I'm Artemis." The girl smiled ('perfect teeth, of course') and held out her hand. "I'm Bette Kane. I'm your orientation advisor. Welcome to Gotham Academy."

Artemis noticed that Bette had a surprisingly firm grip as they shook hands. She even noticed some callouses and scars on her hands and exposed forearms. 'That's interesting.' Bette caught her staring and smiled. "Sorry if that's distracting. I got into boxing after a few bad scraps on my way home. I see you've got some of your own."

Artemis pulled away suddenly, her eyes widening. 'Wait, what does she know?' Bette looked alarmed, but realized her mistake. "It's okay, I'm betting you didn't exactly grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth like everyone else here." The withering tone when Bette spoke of their classmates made her views on the wealthy quite apparent.

Artemis spoke frankly, as usual. "So, I'm guessing you're not the daughter of some millionaire then?" Bette laughed a little, grinning at Artemis's bluntness. "Yeah, I'm actually from Blüdhaven, but I commute here every day. Much as I'd like to stick it to these rich assholes, the school is a lot better than the one back home." Artemis nodded. She liked this girl, a lot.

"So Bette, you going to show me around or-" A younger boy with black hair and blue eyes ran up to Artemis, pulled her in close, and took a selfie. As the blonde rubbed out her eyes from the flash, the boy left, his words floating back to the pair of girls behind him. "We'll laugh about this someday." His laugh reminded Artemis of someone she knew, but she just couldn't place it.

Artemis looked to Bette with an eyebrow raised. "Who was that?"

Bette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That's Dick Grayson. You know, Bruce Wayne's adopted son. He's just a freshman, so it doesn't matter who he is. Come on, let's show you around." Artemis smiled and walked off with Bette, unaware of the twin blue eyes watching her as she did so.

Bette's phone chimed in her pocket, prompting her to come to a halt just a few seconds after they started to enter the school. "Sorry. I've got to silence it, they're so old fashioned about phones in school." Artemis nodded, her curiosity getting the better of her as she glanced over at Bette's phone screen. 'Roy Harper? Wait a minute, what?!'

Nonchalantly, Artemis thrust her hands into her pockets. "Who's texting you at 7:30 in the morning anyways?" Bette actually blushed before answering. "It's just my… boyfriend is too strong of a word. He's a guy I've met… a couple of times." The only thing Artemis could think of at that moment was the tall redhead with blue eyes in that alleyway a month ago.

'What a small world we live in.'


HAPPY HARBOR
SEPTEMBER 7, 07:58 EDT
2020

Conner's motorcycle drew a lot of heads as he pulled into the school's parking lot. The Kryptonian smirked as he put down the kickstand and got off his incredibly sweet ride. As if by magic, Cassie appeared to his right, grinning broadly. "Beat you here, again." Conner groaned: "You cheated. Next time, no flying." Cassie mock pouted, the expression eliciting another groan from her super-powered friend. "But that takes all the fun out of it."

The two continued their banter as they walked towards the school entrance. Conner donned his classic leather jacket (well, a replacement from Clark; the battle with Mister Twister had destroyed the last one) as they walked. Cassie rolled her eyes. "Could you be any less of a stereotype right now?" Conner, who had been catching up on classic movies and pop culture, just smirked at his blonde companion. However, his mood quickly soured as soon as they saw the other students. 'Of course.'

Most of the boys were wearing superhero T-shirts. Several were even wearing Superman T-shirts. 'Why did I have to change?' Suddenly, from his right, a boy came barreling towards him on a skateboard. Conner turned too late to see him coming, meaning the boy collided with what was effectively a brick wall. The Kryptonian didn't even flinch, whereas the boy crumpled, his skateboard flying away… until Cassie snatched it a second later.

The impressive display from the two newcomers drew a lot of attention, but Conner ignored it in exchange for helping the poor kid up. "You okay?" The boy, wearing a dorky skateboarding helmet and kneepads over his jeans and Superman T-shirt, looked up at the terrifying big teenager holding his hand out. The skateboarder took it, stammering out a reply. "I'm fine. You good?"

Conner frowned: of course he was fine, he'd been hit harder… Oh yeah, secret identity. "Yeah, I've been hit harder on the field." The kid, as well as a tall, muscular African-American male listening in, lit up. "Oh, you play football?"

Cassie jumped in at that point. "Actually, he was just telling me how he can't, on account of knee problems." Conner silently thanked Cassie for the quick save. 'They can't ask too many questions.' He looked at the short, scrawny kid in front of him. "What's your name, by the way?"

The kid held out a shaky hand. "Marvin White." The disguised Superboy smiled as softly as he could manage. "Conner Kent. Nice to meet you Marvin." The other boy smiled and moved on, nursing a sore rear from his fall. As Conner turned back to Cassie, he felt a firm hand grasp her shoulder. Working on instinct, he nearly turned and slugged the offender in the gut, only to be held back by Cassie. Her strength gave him enough pause not to shatter the kid's ribcage. 'Thanks again Cassie. I owe you dinner after this.'

The boy, the African-American Conner noticed before, gave him a weird look, like he was trying to scan him with X-ray vision. The intense gaze softened after a few seconds, but he still had a serious expression when he spoke, his voice a deep baritone. "Look, thanks for looking out for Marvin. I'm Mal Duncan." Conner shook Mal's outstretched hand. "Conner Kent. No problem."

Mal nodded to Conner, walking off with a girl in tow. The girl was wearing a cheerleading uniform, leading Conner to believe that between that and the teen's impressive, if still human, physique, Mal was probably a football player. 'Explains his interest from before.'

A familiar and feminine voice, but distinctly not Cassie's, brought him out of his thoughts. "Conner?" The dark-haired teen turned to face a familiar face. "Tana. It's good to see you again." Tana's cheeks darkened as she looked away for a second. Conner could feel his own cheeks burning, but tried to keep his focus on the beautiful girl in front of him. "So… you excited for school?"

Tana looked back up into Conner's eyes, her lips curling upwards in a smile. "Yeah, I guess." A pregnant pause hung in the air for a few seconds before she continued. "Listen, I was wondering-" The bell rang just then, cutting her off. "Oh, we should probably get to class. See you at lunch, maybe?" Conner gave her a hesitant smile, stammering a little. "Yeah, yeah, definitely."

Tana gave him one last bright smile before walking off, leaving the clone behind to try and process what just happened. An elbow slammed roughly into his ribs, actually causing him a bit of pain. Conner grunted and looked over to his super-powered friend, who was grinning. "You didn't tell me you were such a player, Conner."

Conner frowned. "But I'm not." Cassie rolled her eyes before interjecting. "Whatever man. She was really into you. Maybe you should ask her out sometime."

Conner just looked back at the school doors again. 'Maybe Cassie's right.' Regardless, now wasn't the time for that. It was time to go to school.


GOTHAM CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 11:58 EDT
2020

Of course, Dick got the call in the middle of Mister Johnson's class. 'I'm so going to pay Bruce back for this.' The thirteen-year-old raised his hand and asked to be excused to go to the bathroom. The geriatric English teacher just mumbled something, which Dick took as a yes, promptly running out of the room. Instead of ducking into the bathroom, he found his way to the supply closet Batman had swept for bugs daily. Entering the musty room, the Boy Wonder turned and locked the door behind him, automatically activating the noise dampeners and motion detectors installed. No one would listen in on this conversation.

A holographic display opened up from his wristwatch, Batman appearing on-screen. He appeared to be in the Batplane, but Robin wasn't sure where he was going. "Bruce, what's up?"

Batman typed in something on his end, the screen splitting to show a feed from a Leaguer's body cam. It was Green Arrow, showing him firing explosive arrows at a strange being. It was clearly non-human, evidenced by its gray skin tone and odd movements. With a start, Robin realized that it was an android, similar in design to those of T.O. Morrow or Professor Ivo.

"About thirty minutes ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary outside of Star City. It's an android, apparently capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents." Robin saw that firsthand, as the android's mouth opened up and emitted a scream very much like Black Canary's, knocking Green Arrow back and destroying his camera.

Batman continued with his briefing. "Other Leaguers are en route now to try and stop it, but I need the Team today as well." Robin's heart soared: a League-Team team up? 'This is too good to be true.'

Which of course it was. "Ten minutes ago, facial recognition picked up a match in the warehouse district in Gotham." The screen switched to display CCTV footage outside a WayneTech warehouse at the docks. Two figures were entering a warehouse, wearing typical maintenance outfits but leaving their faces uncovered. Their names were displayed in a box next to their faces: Tommy and Tuppence Terror. 'The Terror Twins in Gotham, just as the League is battling a new android across the country?'

"This can't be a coincidence. Not after the failure of the League of Assassins to steal from WayneTech last month." Batman nodded after Robin's assessment. "Agreed. However, no Leaguers are able to take care of the threat: all hands are on deck for the android situation. So, I need the Team to mobilize and handle the Terror Twins."

Robin, against his better judgment, smiled a little at that. "It's time for a jailbreak then. I'll contact them." Batman nodded. "Start with Aqualad. Then once everyone is assembled, Zeta to our tube at the Gotham docks."

Robin nodded in response and moved to close the feed. Batman made him pause with a sincere tone. "Dick, be careful." The fatherly concern in his voice was unmistaken: the Dark Knight was worried about his son. "Don't worry Bruce: I've got the best team in the world."

As Robin closed the video chat, he smirked. 'Guess I have to ruin someone's date.'


STAR CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 09:02 PDT
2020

Aqualad had just knocked on Serling's door when his communicator went off. Groaning, the Atlantean pulled the device from his pocket and placed it inside his ear. "Aqualad here."

"Aqualad, it's Robin. Look, I know this is a bad time…" No kidding: the Atlantean was in semi-formal wear, carrying flowers, and about to take a beautiful woman to brunch. It couldn't be any worse. "But Batman has an important mission for us. In Gotham. Sorry."

Aqualad sighed. "Alright, I will rendezvous with Superboy and Wonder Girl at the Cave, then meet you in Gotham. Send me the coordinates." The Boy Wonder responded in the affirmative before closing the line. Kaldur sighed once more and looked at the bouquet in his hands. 'So close.'

At that moment, Serling, dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, opened the door. Her still-wet hair smelled of the ocean to Kaldur, even from this distance. 'Oh my…' "Kaldur! You're here… early. Come on in, I just got out of the shower." She paused for a second, taking in the seriousness of the Atlantean's expression. "What's wrong?"

With a gentle touch, Kaldur pressed the bouquet into his date's hands. "I am sorry Serling, but something has come up. The Team needs me." Her face fell noticeably, her expression reflecting her disappointment. "Oh."

Kaldur tried to smile warmly and placed his hand over hers. "How about dinner tonight instead?" The young doctor brightened a little after that. "Yes, that sounds great. Pick me up at 8?" The Atlantean nodded, before kissing her gently on the lips.

"I shall be here." He left the doctor flustered and clutching a bouquet of tulips as he strode down the hallway, opening a channel to Roy. "Arsenal, suit up. Batman…"


GOTHAM CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 12:15 EDT
2020

Artemis silently thanked whatever gods might exist that it was finally lunchtime. She was absolutely famished: she had gotten too used to a summer schedule, waking up late and eating late. Her stomach seemed to cry out for food, grumbling loudly every five seconds.

She was about to enter the lunchroom when she felt her phone buzz. Against school policy, she checked it quickly: a text from Robin. Suit up, Batman has a mission. Artemis looked around to see if any teachers were around. Seeing none, she discretely shifted course and began walking towards the athletics facilities. She had stashed her bag in a locker there provided for her gym class.

Artemis took about five minutes to change into her vigilante uniform, making sure that no one would see her. She ducked out of the back door in the locker room, making her way across campus the only way she could: on the rooftops. Just as she made it to the last one and nocked a grappling arrow, a voice startled her.

"Artemis?" Stumbling a little, the archer whirled around to see the Boy Wonder standing on the rooftop smirking at her. 'What is he doing… Wait a minute, this is his city, not mine. Damn.' "Robin, I, uh…"

The younger teen crossed his arms and chuckled a little. "How random that you're in Gotham City, instead of Star City where your uncle Green Arrow lives." The tone in his voice indicated that he knew something about her, but Artemis was quick to try and cover her bases.

"I'm actually… visiting my cousin. Yeah, she was in the state spelling bee. Here, in Gotham. Which is a lot nicer than I thought it was supposed to be, cause… I've never been here before." 'Ugh, I sound like a complete moron. Better that, though, than the truth.'

Robin just smirked. "C-O-O-L. Did she W-I-N?" Okay, now his attitude was just pissing her off. "N-O." Artemis spoke with all the venom she could muster, which of course didn't even faze Robin. "D-R-A-G."

After that awkward encounter, Artemis was quick to move on. "So what's the mission Batman wants us on?" Robin's smirk vanished, replaced by a serious expression clearly inherited from Batman's teachings. "The Terror Twins were spotted down at the docks. We're to investigate and stop them from whatever they're doing."

Artemis nodded and nocked her grappling arrow. "Wait, Artemis, what are you doing? You don't know where to go." Without thinking, Artemis answered. "Yeah, I do. The docks are south of here."

Robin's next remark nearly made her fall off the roof. "But I thought you hadn't been to Gotham before?"


HAPPY HARBOR
SEPTEMBER 7, 12:17 EDT
2020

After lunch, Conner walked to his next class: World History with Mister Carr. The hero smiled to himself as he remembered his first meeting with the history teacher. Apparently, in high school, the teacher had found his way into the League's Secret Sanctuary, eventually gaining most of the members' trust (surprisingly, even Batman seemed to like him). He had helped Conner and Cassie get into the high school and get acclimated to life in Happy Harbor. 'So hopefully his class should be enjoyable.'

As they filed in, most of the class already knew what to expect. Apparently, Lucas "Snapper" Carr had also taught AP Government the prior year, and most of the honors kids were in that class as well. Conner, on the other hand, looked desperately for the one familiar face in the room. Cassie beamed at him from the third row, an empty seat open next to her. Unconsciously, the tall Kryptonian gravitated towards his friend, until another person beckoned to him.

Tana Moon, the girl who made the Superboy's invulnerable insides twist inside out, smiled bashfully. Conner looked between her and Cassie, his eyes pleading with the Amazon for an answer. Cassie's face fell for a moment, but she regained most of her optimism and waved her friend on. Conner smiled, a rare instance, and went to sit with Tana. Little did he know that a certain blonde was staring after him, feeling something that she just couldn't place.

Conner pulled out the chair next to Tana, seated in the second row and on the right of the room. He smiled nervously, quickly reciprocated by his crush. ('Okay, maybe just… object of affection?') "Hey Tana. It's good to see you again." 'Ugh, was that too much? Too tacky?'

To his surprise, she just laughed. "It's good to see you too, Conner. So listen, about this morn-"

"Sorry I'm late guys, but class starts… now." Lucas flashed the students a smile as he put a binder down on his desk and snatched the TV remote. "So I know that we're supposed to be studying world history, and we traditionally start at the beginning, but it's important to remember the present too." On cue, the TV flashed to life, tuning into GBS News. Conner recognized the reporter: Cat Grant, a hard-hitting journalist who had previously worked for the Daily Planet. He had actually met her at a social event with Clark and Lois. 'Should I call them Mom and Dad?'

Cat was speaking in front of what looked like a conference hall. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm reporting in from Beijing, where multilateral talks which included the United States, Russia, China, and Japan have finally achieved their goal. In approximately two months, under the auspices of the United Nations, the leaders of North and South Rhelasia will meet for the first time in history. The bilateral talks will be hosted in Taipei, deemed neutral ground by both parties. While it is unclear what the exact focus on these talks will be, many hope that reunification will be on the table."

Mr. Carr clicked the TV off and turned to his class. "Can anyone tell me more about Rhelasia?" At that moment, Marvin burst into the room, panting from his run to the classroom. The teacher tried desperately to hide a grin as he looked at the tardy student. "Ah, a volunteer. Marvin, what can you tell me about Rhelasia?" The boy stammered for a moment, caught off-guard by the question. Sure, he was smart, but history wasn't his subject. He liked physics, math: not learning about boring stuff from the past. So, he tried to defuse the situation with a little humor: "Well, Mister Carr, it's better than fake Asia."

Even Lucas smiled at that, if only a little. Half the class chuckled nervously, more at Marvin than at his joke. The history teacher waved Marvin into the room, while looking around the class for a better answer. "Anyone else?" Conner raised his hand and spoke in a monotone, subconsciously accessing the database implanted into his brain by the psychic G-Gnomes. "Modern Rhelasia was created in 1855 and ruled by the Bokun dynasty until it was divided by the great powers into North and South Rhelasia after World War Two." He paused for a moment, noticing an uneasy silence settling in over the classroom. Looking around, the Kryptonian realized that everyone, with the exception of Cassie and Mister Carr, was staring directly at him in shock. 'Wait, that wasn't normal, was it? Damn.'

Mr. Carr simply smiled and nodded. "Very good." Conner tried to move past his odd behavior and asked a question. "But why have they been fighting? They're all humans." 'Yeah, way to call attention to the fact that you're an alien-human hybrid. Not that they know that.' "I mean, Rhelasians. Right?" The teacher, well aware of Conner's heritage, smiled and nodded. "Right on both counts, actually."

As Lucas turned to face the board, Tana whispered to Conner. "That was… amazing. How'd you know all that stuff?" Conner, still uneasy after his instant recall of East Asian history, grinned sheepishly. "I guess I… read a lot." Suddenly, a high-pitched pinging started to go off. The Kryptonian suppressed a grimace and looked over to Cassie. She raised her hand high into the air, shouting out at the same time. Marvin, sitting right next to her, gave her an interesting look. "Mister Carr, I need to go to the bathroom."

Lucas turned around to see a very determined look in Cassie's eyes. Conner saw it too, just as he recognized where the sound was coming from. It was Cassie's watch: it emitted a frequency only Kryptonians could hear. 'Something with the Team, then.' Conner had to leave. Now.

His hand also shot up. "Me too." The teacher regarded both with an air of amusement before waving them away. "Go. Don't bother with a hall pass: they're useless anyways." Both heroes nodded and walked as calmly as possible to the door, watched curiously by everyone in class. Conner could hear them whispering, something about "hooking up in school." He grimaced and turned back to wave bye to Tana, who looked… hurt? 'I'll have to explain something to her.'

As soon as they closed the door behind them, both teens walked a bit faster to the roof access door. They had been given a duplicate key by Mr. Carr, who understood that they might need to leave in a hurry for missions and such. Conner winced as the continued pinging reverberated through his ears. "Hey Cassie, you mind shutting that thing off?" Wonder Girl stumbled a bit, clearly lost in thought. "Oh yeah, sure." The high-pitched noise cut off mercifully soon after.

"So, I know I'm already in costume, but you need to get back to the Cave. Not to mention we've got to Zeta to somewhere." Cassie nodded as they walked up to the roof access door. Once they entered the dingy stairwell, both ran up the stairs, Conner following the blonde heroine. "Yep. Gotham: apparently some big bads are there while the League is fighting in Star. Some kind of android, I think? Robin couldn't really explain over text."

About ten seconds later, the door to the roof banged open as Superboy put a little too much force into his push. He winced a little as the sound resonated through the surrounding area. Suddenly, he no longer felt the ground beneath his feet, wind blowing into his face. Cassie had picked him up and taken off, his weight nothing compared to her immense strength. He tried to complain, but she cut him off before he could say a word.

"No time for complaining. I know you prefer your jumping, but not today." So Superboy pressed his lips tightly together as Wonder Girl took off at high speeds for the imposing mountain in the distance.


GOTHAM CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 12:40 EDT
2020

Wonder Girl, now dressed in her uniform, stepped out of the disguised Zeta-Tube first, her nose scrunching up at the distinct smell of fish and waste wafting through the alley. "You think it's bad for you, just imagine what Kryptonian senses can pick up." Superboy, to his credit, looked completely normal as he walked up next to Wonder Girl. The Zeta-Tube in question was located in an alley near Gotham's warehouse district, disguised as a service door.

"Welcome to Gotham." The two wheeled around to see Robin, Artemis, Aqualad, and Arsenal all standing next to a row of foul smelling dumpsters. The Boy Wonder was grinning a little too widely: he was excited to be out of school. Aqualad wore a somber look instead: Wonder Girl remembered now, he had a date with Doctor Roquette today. 'Aw man. I feel bad for him.' Arsenal and Artemis looked miffed, too, but Wonder Girl couldn't figure out why.

In a streak of yellow lightning, Kid Flash zoomed up to the group. "Sorry about that. Got off on the wrong Zeta Tube, had to run from across town." Robin chuckled at his friend's antics: this wasn't the first time Wally had forgotten where to go for a mission. According to Batman, Flash was the same way. The speedster ripped open one of his specialized high-calorie snack bars and leaned up against the alley wall. His loud chewing disgusted Artemis, who groaned and walked as far from the redhead as possible.

Superboy brusquely crossed his arms and looked at the smallest member of the Team. "Why are we here Robin?" The Boy Wonder's smile faded a little at the Kryptonian's annoyed tone. 'What's up with him?' Nevertheless, Robin opened up his holographic computer. A picture of two blondes, one male and one female, wearing blue coveralls appeared on screen. Superboy, unfamiliar with most supervillains, asked the question first. "Who's that?"

Aqualad spoke up. "Tommy and Tuppence Terror. A pair of super-criminals that the League stopped after a reign of… terror across five Southern states. They escaped from custody, however, two months ago and have not been seen since." Robin took over from there, having been scanning the footage for the last few minutes. "WayneTech security cameras picked them up entering a warehouse here in Gotham. Security there might be good, but it's not that good. It'll be a disaster."

Superboy nodded and turned to the Team's leader. "So what's the plan?" The Atlantean pointed to him and Cassie. "You two will distract the Terror Twins while we clear the facility. Be warned: they were able to go toe-to-toe with the League for some time. Do not get in over your head." Superboy tensed up at that: 'I'm Kryptonian. I can't be stopped, not by humans.' Wonder Girl thought the same. 'How could they beat me? I'm almost as strong as Superboy. No genetic freaks are going to take me down.'

Both almost spoke up, but were interrupted by Aqualad. "Now, Kid Flash and Artemis, you're on crowd control. Get those workers out of the combat zone, then rendezvous with the rest of the Team." The archer and speedster glared at each other with barely restrained anger, the speedster's body actually producing a spark of electricity. Aqualad continued his briefing as if nothing was happening.

"Arsenal, Robin, you're with me. We need to secure several prototypes before the Terror Twins can steal or destroy them. Robin, you've been briefed on the prototypes, so you will lead the retrieval mission." The Boy Wonder, his face now stern in a manner not unlike his mentor's, nodded and pulled up a holographic readout of the components. "All of these components are part of a larger system, one that could be used to hack just about any system in the world. We call it the Skeleton Key."

Artemis frowned. "We? Who's we?" Robin's eyes widened just a little before he managed to calm down. No one noticed besides Wally and Conner, their superhuman perceptions allowing them to pick up on minute ticks on Robin's face. However, unlike Kid Flash, Superboy had no idea why Batman's protégé was so upset. He just shrugged and tuned out, using his hearing to try and locate his targets.

"Never mind. The point is we can't let the Terror Twins get their hands on this. Not so soon after we stopped the Fog." The whole Team nodded, even the noticeably distracted Superboy. They would not fail.

Aqualad looked at each of his teammates, the cool intensity of his gaze never faltering. "Let's go."


Superboy and Wonder Girl pushed open the unlocked door without a care in the world. They weren't looking to sneak around: their job was to be noticed. And they would not disappoint.

The warehouse was packed with technologies of all shapes and sizes, but Superboy didn't focus on the machines. He dedicated all of his extraordinary senses to finding abnormal heartbeats, thermal signatures, even breathing patterns. His brain, psychically formatted by Cadmus to work as efficiently as possible, scoured through the sensory information for clues. Wonder Girl, not possessing Superboy's wide range of powers, instead settled for contacting the rest of the Team. She put her hand to her ear. "Alright, we're in. You're good to go."

On the other side of the warehouse, a certain speedster nodded and turned to face his companion. Much to his dismay, Artemis was standing there without a care in the world. Slouched against the wall, she clearly wasn't focused at all. "Earth to Artemis." Now the archer's eyes narrowed, her head pivoting to allow her gaze to fall on Wally. The teenage boy held back a shudder: she could be downright scary when she wanted to be. "What?"

"I need you to watch this entrance and make sure the path is clear for me. I can only carry one person at a time, so it'll take time. Even for me." Kid Flash snapped his googles down over his eyes and activated the thermal vision. Much to his dismay, he counted thirteen heat signatures besides Cassie and Conner. 'That means eleven to carry out, while avoiding two very strong, very bad guys. This should be fun.'

Forcing himself to relax, the speedster took a deep breath and got into a classic starting position. A second later, Artemis huffed. "What are you waiting for? A theme song?" In a brilliant flash of lightning, the speedster was off, navigating the labyrinth of shelving to scoop up the first worker. Just seconds later, he had deposited the redheaded woman down on the street outside, zooming back into the warehouse afterwards.

Even Artemis had to admit that Wally was pretty damn amazing when he let loose. She could barely make out his form as a yellow blur, further streaked with similarly colored lightning, whizzed past her position at hundreds of miles an hour. The archer was still getting used to people with powers, so watching Kid Flash run definitely qualified as one of the weirdest, yet coolest, things she'd ever seen. 'Not that he'll ever know that. He would be insufferable.'

On his ninth trip in, Wally zoomed towards a heat signature only to realize that it was abnormal. 'He's running too hot. No…' Before he could stop himself, the speedster slammed into what felt like a brick wall. He barely managed to react as a giant hand reached down to grab him before he hit the ground. Twisting out of the way, Kid Flash put a hand to his comlink. "Guys, we've got a problem. I may need some help."

The somewhat familiar sound of knuckles popping came from behind the speedster. Spinning around, he came face to face with a blond-haired giantess. "Hun, you've got no idea." Kid Flash gulped: the Terror Twins had him surrounded. 'I'm really in trouble now.'


Superboy's eyes flashed open as he finally figured out where the Twins were. "They've got Wally! Come on!" He sprinted forward, charging towards Wally's position at nearly eighty miles an hour. Not possessing a speedster's precise control, the Kryptonian clone nearly crashed into three shelves, but finally made it to the aisle where the Terror Twins were. He found them standing menacingly over Wally's prone form.

Conner's stomach twisted and turned as the boy ('Tommy, right?') picked up the speedster with one hand. "Runt's not fast 'nuff. I woulda reckoned he'd be able to dodge." The Kryptonian teen roared as the supervillain wrapped one hand around Kid Flash's throat. "Put him down!"

Superboy charged forward, lowering his shoulder to knock the wind out of Tommy Terror. Luckily for Wally, the super-strong villain let go of his death grip on the speedster's windpipe, turning his full attention to the new annoyance. "Nother one?" Tommy slammed his elbow down into Superboy's back, breaking the Kryptonian's hold and smashing him into the ground hard. Conner groaned as pain rippled through his body. 'This guy's almost as strong as Blockbuster.'

Tommy's twin sister joined him to look down at the momentarily downed superheroes. "What you reckon we do with them, brother Tommy?" The male Terror Twin merely smiled sadistically, cracking his knuckles with a bit of relish in his voice. "Let's play with 'em a little. Been too long since we've had a real challenge."

Just then, a mighty fist smashed into Tommy's temple, followed up by a swift kick to Tuppence's chest. Both villains were knocked into the nearby shelving from the force of the blow, their invulnerable bodies causing the steel to crumple like tin foil. Superboy groaned and picked himself up as Wonder Girl touched down next to him. "And that's why you don't run off without me, Boy of Steel." Superboy grunted as he pushed himself up, rolling his shoulder experimentally. He noticed that Kid Flash was still out cold: apparently even his accelerated healing factor had its limits.

Wonder Girl came to the same realization as the Kryptonian clone. "We need to get him out of here now." Superboy nodded and draped the unconscious teen over his shoulder. Wonder Girl, levitating just inches off the ground, reached over and grabbed the speedster's googles. "I'll get the rest of the hostages out. You take him to Artemis." Without another word, both heroes zipped away, intent on completing their mission.


Aqualad pocketed a strange circuit board before shutting the biometrically locked drawer in front of him. "Robin, I have the third piece. Head to the rendezvous point with Arsenal: I will take a different route." His comlink squawked loudly, the warehouse's Faraday cage messing with the transmission somewhat. "Hear you loud and clear. We're grabbing the last two components now, but I'm not picking up comms traffic from the others."

The Atlantean frowned: that could be a product of the warehouse's extensive electronic shielding, or something more sinister. He decided, in that moment, to investigate. The teen stood up to his full height and drew his water bearers. Creating a whip was simple enough, but using it to swing up to the catwalks above him was something he had little practice with. Aqualad barely got a grip with his right hand on the metal platform, cool to the touch due to the controlled climate. After pulling himself up, the Team's leader broadcast a message over all of his unit's most-used frequencies.

"This is Aqualad to all members. State your position, over." He paused for a moment, waiting for a response from his missing teammates. "Kid, Superboy, Wonder Girl: where are you?" Still no response. Aqualad frowned once more: this had to be checked out. There might still be civilians in the warehouse, along with two very dangerous villains. He ran along the catwalks towards Kid Flash's last known position, looking down to try and spot the noticeable yellow blur that he had come to see so often. 'Where could they be?'

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed throughout the enclosed space. Aqualad spun around to see a massive man leaping up at the catwalks with his hands outstretched. The Atlantean rolled away as the super-strong teen crumpled steel like paper and yanked the section of catwalk from its moors. "Why, hello there." Tommy Terror vaulted up to the still-standing sections of catwalk, an evil grin on his face. "What have we got here?"

Aqualad drew his weapons without a word. He knew he was outmatched in terms of strength, but he had studied the reports on the Terror Twins. While they had strength to match some of the more powerful Leaguers, they weren't particularly gifted in the intellect department. The Atlantean hero just needed to stall until his team could come and back him up. It would take all of his training just to avoid getting crushed.

Tommy charged with another animalistic roar, but Aqualad leapt off the catwalk to avoid the brute. Then, using his water whip and one of the mooring cables, he swung back around and delivered a punishing kick to the small of Tommy's back. His strength was nothing compared to Tommy's, but his momentum and higher density combined to create a highly effective attack. Still, it felt like hitting a brick wall. Kaldur held back a wince as he landed gracefully behind the still recovering villain.

Rubbing his bruised back, the super-strong teen whirled around to face his heroic opponent. "Why, you little…" Without another word, Tommy clenched his fists and threw a couple of wild punches in Aqualad's direction. The Atlantean formed a shield with one of his water bearers and went to work. The more nimble hero danced around his strong, yet bulky foe: Tommy's blows either met air or glanced off the hard-water shield. With each missed attack, the villain's ire rose: he clenched his jaw so tightly Aqualad wondered if he would end up breaking it. "Hold still!"

DOOM! Aqualad leapt back to avoid a heavy hammerblow from the villain, only to stumble. The sheer force of the blow had nearly unmoored the catwalk they were standing on, making it that much harder to maneuver. This made Aqualad's strategy of dodging and weaving that much more difficult, but the brute was unfazed by the shifting environment. He merely smirked and charged once more.

His motion destabilized the entire catwalk, the few cables still remaining groaning under the increased strain. As Aqualad struggled to maintain his footing, Tommy grabbed him by the collar and drew back his fist. Kaldur's eyes widened as he watched Tommy cock his fist back for an earth-shattering blow. The Atlantean brought his forearms up to catch his opponent's wrist before the punch could make contact. He winced as his opponent attempted to yank his arm back for another punch.

The cables continued to groan ever more loudly, one or two even snapping. Tommy grunted, his face screwed up in concentration. Clearly this battle was taxing even his limited mental capacities. "Cut… it… out!" Aqualad allowed a small smile to come to his face: maybe he could win this fight. He just needed to throw his opponent off-balance.

In an instant, Aqualad let go of Tommy's wrist. The unexpected shift caused the human tank to stumble backwards, giving the Atlantean a moment to strike. His elbow slammed into the Terror Twin's temple, knocking him senseless. Tommy's grip on his shirt loosened, prompting him to lash out with both feet. The double kick caught the villain in the chest, eliciting another groan.

The Atlantean, now completely free, caught himself on the lip of the catwalk before he could fall to the floor below. Pulling himself up, Aqualad drew his water bearers for the next step of his plan. Forming both into swords, he slashed every remaining cable in sight. "Hold up there!" Aqualad spun around to see Tommy rearing back for another punch. The Atlantean dodged to the left, temporarily forming a whip to swing around on one of the cables. Once he was behind the Terror Twin, he slashed the cable with his sword while spinning and forming a mace at the same time. In the span of two seconds, the cable was slashed, the mace slammed into Tommy's head, and Aqualad landed in a crouch behind the villain.

The Terror Twin staggered around, his fists up in a clumsy block. "That… all you got?" Aqualad smiled calmly. "No." He moved faster than Tommy could even process, slashing through the steel catwalk with his sword. Untethered to the ceiling by anything, the ten-foot section of catwalk hung suspended for just a moment. Tommy's eyes widened as he felt gravity take hold, yanking him down with the catwalk. He roared loudly as he began to fall, grasping futilely for any kind of handhold.

Aqualad smiled, only to be knocked off-balance by a sharp blow to his spine. Wincing, the Atlantean couldn't stop himself from falling forward towards the precipice. He heard a feminine chuckle behind him before another fist, as hard as iron, rammed into the back of his right knee. Crumpling, the hero finally fell over the edge, hurtling towards Tommy. Completely stunned by the two devastating blows, Aqualad could do nothing to slow his fall. He watched the floor come up towards him at horrifying speeds, unable to stop.

The Atlantean slammed into the side of a shelf, biting back a cry as the cold steel nearly cracked several of his ribs. Despite the intense pain, Kaldur willed himself to spin so that he landed on his feet. His teeth grit together from the shock still reverberating throughout his nervous system. The two blows had nearly knocked him out of the fight: he couldn't risk tanking another.

Tuppence Terror landed next to her prone brother, nudging him with her foot. "Tommy, you good?" Tommy groaned and slowly got to his feet, the combination of Aqualad's precise strikes and the fall disorienting him. Aqualad smiled through the pain: he still had a chance. He just needed to buy the others a little more time, assuming they were still standing. Slowly, he stepped back into his traditional stance, his shield held out in front of him with his sword raised threateningly behind.

Tuppence and Tommy turned to face the still-standing hero, identical grins on each of their faces. Despite Aqualad's brave front, the two understood that the Atlantean did not share their invulnerability, and was likely injured by Tuppence's sneak attack. Tommy cracked his knuckles menacingly as he stared down the young hero. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

Aqualad's comlink buzzed in his ear. "Aqualad, do you read?" The Atlantean hero chose not to respond, keeping his entire focus on the two threats in front of him. "The fourth component is missing. I repeat, the fourth component is missing. The twins must have grabbed it before we got here." Kaldur's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, scrutinizing the supervillains in front of him. The mission parameters had just changed from collection to recovery, and that meant only one thing.


Without thinking, the Atlantean charged the two villains. He collapsed his shield back into his water bearer, placing it back in his pack. His sword morphed into a mace as he somersaulted over the bewildered Terror Twins, the weapon's menacing head smashing into Tommy's shoulder blades. The super-strong villain howled in pain, his invulnerability not shielding him from the electric shock accompanying the blow.

As Aqualad landed, he immediately leapt backward to avoid Tuppence's swinging elbow. The motion jostled his previous injuries, burning pain radiating up and down his spine. Trying his best not to wince, the Atlantean reformed his shield just in time to block a kick from a now enraged Tommy. "Aqualad, do you read?"

The Atlantean ignored Robin's incoming comm bursts, entirely focused on avoiding every punch and kick thrown at him. He quickly formed a shield with both water bearers, catching Tommy's massive fist before it crushed him. DOOM! Rather than pushing back, Aqualad retreated, letting the metahuman stumble into a nearby shelf. "DAMN IT!"

That's when he saw it. Aqualad could see the glint of a metal object tucked into Tommy's waistband. The Terror Twin pushed himself away from the shelf, the steel crumpling under his incredibly strong grip. "You think you're funny, fish man?" Cracking his knuckles and chuckling darkly, the super-strong meta lunged wildly after the Atlantean.

Aqualad spun away, narrowly avoiding Tommy's grasp. His water bearer now shifted into a whip, the amorphous weapon glowing bright blue. Before Tommy could react, Aqualad snaked the weapon around the component and yanked hard. At last, the objective had been secured.

Tommy turned back around to see his Atlantean foe grasping the titanium cylinder. "You better give that back, before I-" BOOM! Two Batarangs detonated upon impact, eliciting a roar from the stunned Terror Twin. Robin flipped down to stand beside his teammate, smirking at his handiwork. "Sorry we took so long. We had to take a detour."

Aqualad's eyebrow quirked upwards. "We?" As if to answer his question, Tuppence Terror flew backwards into her brother, smoke curling up from her chest. Two arrows soared along after her, only to be knocked away by both metahumans. Moving into sight, Arsenal nodded to his two friends while nocking yet another arrow. Aqualad took notice of his friend's half-empty quiver and frowned. Without arrows, Arsenal's usefulness was limited, especially given their opponents.

"Wonder Girl to Aqualad. We got everyone out of the warehouse." Aqualad activated his transmitter. "Roger. Do you have Kid Flash's position?"

"Superboy and Artemis have him at the entrance. He got beat up pretty bad." Robin's face twisted with pain. The conversation had been happening over the team channel the whole time. Aqualad nodded solemnly. "Rendezvous with the rest of us right now. We need to finish this now." Without waiting for a response, Aqualad cut the channel and formed his water swords once more. Robin fell into a basic combat stance, three Batarangs in hand.

With a mighty roar, Tommy Terror charged the Atlantean, his eyes alight with rage. His sister similarly targeted Arsenal, grinning maniacally as the archer spun to avoid a deadly blow. Aqualad leapt back to avoid an overhead blow from Tommy, his swords crackling with bio-electricity, and delivered a painful slash to the villain's side. The meta screamed as the electricity coursed through his body, the sword not even breaking his skin to deliver a brief burst of agony.

The Atlantean hero rolled to the side, nodding slightly to his teammate behind him. Robin flung all three explosive Batarangs at the stunned supervillain, the flash and smoke of the explosions obscuring their enemy in an instant. Getting back to his feet, Aqualad spun to face Tommy once more, only to hear a shout from his left.

Arsenal lay prone, his bow on the ground ten feet away. He looked up through half-lidded eyes at the super-strong woman standing menacingly over him, smirking despite it all. "Zat all you got?" Tuppence grinned evilly and lifted her foot high to squash the teen in front of her. Aqualad desperately sprinted towards his friend, only to be tackled by Tommy from behind. "Got you now, freak!" The Atlantean could hear Robin sprinting towards him, but his attention remained focused on Arsenal. 'I am sorry, my friend.'


Roy closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable crunch of his bones beneath Tuppence's boot. After a few seconds of complete silence, Arsenal heard a whoosh of wind followed by a grunt and sounds of crunching metal. The archer's bright blue eyes opened to see a blonde angel floating above him, rubbing her knuckles and smirking. "Take that, b-"

A deafening boom cut Wonder Girl off, a thick cloud of smoke obscuring the battlefield. 'Robin and his Batarangs.' Arsenal stood up and winced as his side burned with pain. 'Cracked rib maybe. Not my first.' The Team's resident Amazon turned to the older hero with a concerned look, but the archer waved her off. "I'm fine. Thanks for the save."

Wonder Girl nodded emphatically. "No problem! Besides, I've been waiting all day for a challenge." Arsenal smiled softly as he picked up his bow. He double-checked the bow for damage and, finding none, nocked one of his last explosive arrows. 'Only nine arrows left. Damn.' Arsenal desperately wished for a new quiver to drop out of the sky.

Out of nowhere, a full quiver dropped on the ground in front of him. Arsenal, startled by the sudden action, looked up to see Artemis smirking proudly. "Thought you might need that." Giving his fellow archer a thumbs up, the redheaded archer placed the eight arrows from his old quiver into his new quiver and slung the full quiver over his shoulder. 'Much better.'

Superboy sprinted up next to Artemis, his entire body as taut as a bowstring. Arsenal saw the burning look in his eyes and knew that the boy was inching for a fight. 'Just my luck.' Before he could give Superboy orders, the Kryptonian caught glimpse of Tommy grappling with Aqualad and charged headlong into the fray.

Wonder Girl likewise joined Robin in fighting a slowly recovering Tuppence, trading blows with the villain that made the whole warehouse shake. The two archers of the Team remained back, unsure of what to do. Artemis looked to her new friend for guidance, silently awaiting his instructions. Roy made his decision quickly: now was the time to act.

"Artemis, get up into the rafters and give them some suppressing fire. I'll try to draw Tuppence out: when I do, shift to foam arrows and try to pin her down long enough for Wonder Girl to get in one good hit." Artemis didn't even wait a second to act, nodding to Arsenal as she drew one of her new grappling arrows. In a few seconds, she ascended up to the rafters and began firing every kind of arrow she had at both Terror Twins.

Arsenal smirked as he lined up a perfect shot, sending his explosive-tipped arrow at Tuppence's head. The villain's invulnerability left her unharmed, but her ears ringing. She pulled her attention away from Wonder Girl, who had a cut on her forehead and bruises all over her aching body, and growled at the archer. "Hey Tuppy, miss me?" Arsenal fired another explosive arrow, this time hitting her square in the chest.

The Terror Twin came roaring at him, slowed down temporarily by a barrage of explosive arrows courtesy of Arsenal. Still, within seconds, the archer leapt away from a bone-crushing kick and raised his hand. Tuppence looked to him with a curious, yet predatory look, and smirked. "What are you doing?"

Arsenal clenched his raised fist. Without another word, Tuppence roared as one, two, three arrows released polyurethane foam all over her. The rapidly expanding and hardening material engulfed her faster than she could even raise a finger to stop it. With her range of motion drastically reduced, the super-strong meta nevertheless strained against her prison. "Ugh… I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, BOY!"

Wonder Girl, seeing her chance, took off and accelerated to top speed, cocking her fist back. In just seconds, she closed the distance between her and Tuppence, her eyes screwing shut in concentration. "YAAAHHH!"

THUUUUMM! All of the foam encasing Tuppence shattered, the thunderclap from the high-speed punch shaking the whole building at the same time. The supervillain crumpled, but miraculously stayed conscious after Wonder Girl's last ditch effort. Arsenal sighed and drew three electrical arrows: the same type of arrows that helped fell the weather controlling android Mr. Twister.

The high voltage arrowheads detonated on impact, an immense current of energy surging through Tuppence. She screamed in utter agony for a few seconds, twitching uncontrollably as her nervous system absorbed the entirety of the assault. Then, mercifully, she fell silent, collapsing like a sack of potatoes. At last, the female Terror Twin was out cold.

Tommy, seeing the situation unfold, roared and knocked Aqualad into a charging Superboy. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Artemis fired her remaining foam arrows at the rampaging meta, but he either dodged or sprinted straight through the constricting material. His eyes glossed over with rage, he attempted to crush Arsenal with his oversized fists, only to meet a swift uppercut from Wonder Girl. Knocked back by the blow, Tommy roared as two explosive arrows detonated near his face, blinding him to what came next.

Three Batarangs detonated upon impact, the explosions scorching his back and stunning him even more. Before he could clear his head and vision, he felt two strange ropes circle around his upper arms. A current of bio-electricity followed, channeled into the water whips by Aqualad.

Despite everything he had endured today, Tommy strained to remain conscious, his adrenaline coursing through his veins to dull the pain he was feeling for the first time in years. He ripped himself away from the constricting water whips, stumbling forward to try and choke Arsenal. The archer's death was the only thing on his mind, which is probably why he failed to notice the heavy footsteps coming from behind him.

Superboy lowered his shoulder and decked Tommy, slamming into the small of his opponent's back. The Kryptonian grinned as he elicited a load groan from the Terror Twin, only to be swatted away by a wild backhand. Wonder Girl swooped in to catch the airborne Superboy, setting him down gently. "You good?" As soon as Superboy nodded, the Amazon turned her attention to the metahuman still rampaging through the warehouse. "You go high, I go low. Got it?"

Much to her shock, Superboy simply nodded and charged around Tommy's side to come at him from his front. Grinning, Wonder Girl swooped in at the same time, hugging the ground as closely as possible. The meta didn't know what hit him: Wonder Girl tripped him just an instant before Superboy pushed past his clumsy block and dealt a satisfying hook.

The two strongest Team members didn't let up: Wonder Girl flew back around and landed feet first on Tommy's stomach, hard, while Superboy landed punch after punch on his exposed face. The pain too much, Tommy slumped into unconsciousness, but Superboy didn't let up. Roaring like an animal, the Kryptonian kept punching and punching.

"Stop! You're killing him!" Aqualad tried to put his teammate in a full nelson, but Superboy, his mind clouded with rage, knocked him away with a forceful shove. Arsenal stepped forward, an arrow nocked and ready, but Wonder Girl surged forward to hold the Kryptonian's right arm back. "Superboy, stop!"

Struggling for a moment, Superboy then turned and tried to slam his fist into the Amazon's cheek. Her hand, a blur to everyone else watching, zoomed up to intercept it, his fist colliding with her palm long before it reached her face. "Stop. Please."

Something snapped. Superboy's steely gaze lost its focus, his conscience and rational mind finally conquering his instincts. "I'm… so sorry." He stumbled back, his horrified gaze dropping to his bloodied hands, then to the still breathing, yet bloody, Tommy Terror. The Kryptonian sunk to his knees beside Tommy's body, staring blankly at his defeated enemy's marred visage. 'I… almost killed him. What's wrong with me?'

At that moment, the Team's earpieces chirped. "This is Batman to Team. Have you secured the package?"

Robin, looking to a still recovering Aqualad, transmitted a reply. "This is Robin. The package is secure and suspects are down. We need meta-response units from GCPD, if possible. Preferably FBI and DHS too. These guys won't stay down for long."

"Copy that. Reinforcements are on their way. Casualty report?"

Aqualad answered this time, finally back on his feet. "Kid Flash sustained non-lethal injuries, but otherwise the Team is still operational, Batman. All civilians were evacuated without incident."

"Excellent. Good work, Aqualad. Batman out."

The channel closed with a burp of static, drawing Aqualad's attention back to an unmoving Superboy and an entirely stunned Team. A loud whoosh and burst of wind preceded the arrival of a recovered Kid Flash, who took one look at the scene and shook his head. "What the hell did you guys do when I was napping?"


HAPPY HARBOR
SEPTEMBER 7, 13:55 EDT
2020

Conner slipped into his seat in Biology, having just apologized profusely to Mrs. Abramowitz for being tardy. She had sent him to his assigned seat with a chuckle and shaking of her head: he wasn't the first student to make ridiculous excuses, it seems. Sighing loudly, the Kryptonian plopped into his stool at the lab table without even glancing at his lab partner. The sudden movement caused the young hero to wince: he might be Kryptonian, but the battle with the Terror Twins had left its mark.

"Are you okay?" Startled, Conner looked to his right to see Tana Moon sitting at his lab table. Despite being in pain, the boy still found the strength for a genuine smile, followed up by a ridiculous comment. "What are you doing here?"

Tana raised a curious eyebrow. "I'm in AP Biology, just like you. Besides, I should be asking you the questions right now. Where did you and Cassie go off to today?" There was no mistaking the emphasis she put on Cassie, even by the social inept Kryptonian clone. He reached over to Tana and put his hand over her's. "Nothing. We're not a thing, Tana. Trust me on this."

It was then that both of them realized how close they had just gotten. Tana and Conner blushed furiously, the boy withdrawing his hand to run it through his dark locks nervously. The brunette laughed softly and fiddled with her pencil, her shoes becoming far more interesting. Both sat in silence for a moment, not paying any attention to Mrs. Abramowitz's discussion of the syllabus. Minutes passed by slowly as the two teens tried to move past their awkwardness, but it still lingered around them.

Eventually, both spoke up at the same time. "I just-" They stopped talking and looked at one another. Tana went first. "So, listen, would you want to go out sometime? I mean, it's okay if you don't, but you're new in town and I thought maybe you'd-"

"Sure. Sounds good." Conner shrugged his shoulders and grinned a little. "7 on Friday, down at the pier?"

Tana nodded, flashing him a smile as bright as the sun. "Great! It's a date."


MOUNT JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 7, 18:15 EDT
2020

"So he lost control." Batman stood in the conference room with Red Tornado and the senior members of the Team, his arms crossed over his chest. Aqualad remained silent, clearly thinking of his response, before Roy cut in. "Yes. He nearly killed Tommy before Wonder Girl stopped him." The Atlantean opened his mouth to interject, but closed it again when he realized he couldn't really defend Superboy's actions.

The Dark Knight sighed. "I was worried this would happen. Clearly, Cadmus's programming is more complete than we originally thought. They must have encouraged his more animalistic side to make him… deadlier." Even Batman seemed off-put by what he was suggesting. Arsenal jumped to his friend's defense once he saw where the conversation was going.

"It's not his fault. He was programmed that way, molded into a weapon without his consent. He shouldn't-" Aqualad stepped forward, interrupting Arsenal with a hand on his shoulder. The archer stopped and took a deep breath. Batman looked on impassively as Aqualad took on the argument.

"No one is going to make Superboy leave the Team. However, he does need help to tame this side of him. I suggest we bring in someone, a psychologist to help him work through his emotions and find peace."

Batman nodded. "Agreed. Luckily, the League already has someone trained in counseling, even though they're not necessarily a psychologist."

Arsenal chuckled as Aqualad looked befuddled. "Who, may I ask, is this person, Batman?"

The Dark Knight turned around, his cape billowing as he walked to the door. "She'll be here tomorrow night, 1900. Have Superboy meet in this room: they have a lot to get through."

Without another word, the Caped Crusader left the room, leaving behind a confused Atlantean, bemused archer, and one apathetic android.


KEYSTONE CITY
SEPTEMBER 7, 20:30 CDT
2020

The doctor knew that her life was in peril as she walked into the darkened conference room. Being summoned by the board of directors was never a good thing, especially given the lack of progress on her projects. Still, Doctor Harmon strode into the room with her head held high, taking note of the figure sitting at the other end of the long oak table. "Doctor McGee. I had no idea you would be here."

The director looked up at her employee and smiled nervously. "As did I. But the board wanted me here so here I am." Both doctors nervously chuckled as Harmon took her seat, the room otherwise silent. Doctor Harmon began to drum her fingers nervously against the wood, eliciting a frown from her boss at the other end of the table. Eliza flashed an apologetic smile and clasped her hands together to stop her nervous ticks from manifesting.

Suddenly, a younger man ran into the room, pushing his glasses up on his face. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know where this meeting was going to be. I apologize, Doctor McGee." The director of Mercury Labs sighed and waved the man to a seat. "Mister Rusch, if you continue this trend, I am afraid I will be quite disappointed. Even if your work on Project Mercury is quite remarkable. Your department seems to be the only one getting anything done around her now."

Eliza Harmon shrunk further into her seat, just wanting this day to end. It was then that the room flashed to life, hidden screens now emitting bright white light. Jason Rusch held up his hands in dismay, shielding them from the blinding light. "What the hell?"

To her credit, Doctor McGee remained unmoved by the sudden change in atmosphere. Doctor Harmon made herself as small as possible, but still looked up at one of the screens. It was about to begin.

L-1, his voice gruff and displaying an uncharacteristic level of hostility, spoke first. "Doctor McGee, your report." The director cleared her throat and began to speak in a calm and level-headed tone that sharply contrasted with the words she was saying.

"Project Mercury is making progress on locating the dimensional frequency, especially since we were able to hone in on the data used by STAR Labs. I have the leader of the breach-"

L-1 growled angrily. "So you have not yet begun the extraction phase? You are behind schedule again Doctor."

Doctor McGee paled considerably. "You must understand that Mister Rusch and his engineering team are working around the clock-"

A different voice, smoother and yet somehow more intimidating, interrupted this time. "Perhaps it might be better to discuss the Velocity project. I understand that is also experiencing… difficulties." L-3 seemed to turn and face Doctor Harmon, despite his entire face being obscured by bright light. "It seems that the project has stalled. Is that correct, Doctor Harmon?"

Eliza, nearly quivering in fear, swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke up. "We've made progress on stabilizing Velocity 9, but it is still nonviable for human test subjects. The rate of cellular det-"

L-1, his voice booming with rage, interrupted her. "Enough of this. Doctor McGee, you will be taking on the Velocity project personally. Mister Rusch, Doctor Harmon is going to demonstrate what it happens when you fail us."

Before anyone in the room could speak, Eliza felt something cold rip through the back of her seat and plunge into her heart. Within an instant, she lay dead in her seat, a dribble of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. A sword, rammed through the seat back and extending out through her chest, was stained with the same dark blood. Doctor McGee stumbled back from her seat, clasping a hand over her mouth in shock. Jason Rusch had a much more visceral reaction: he vomited all over the conference table.

A man dressed in the traditional black uniform of the League of Assassins, a hooded mask covering his face, stepped into the light, removing the sword from Eliza in one yank. L-2 spoke up, pride evident in his tone. "Welcome, al-Sahir. It is good to see you."

The assassin bowed to his master, his voice masked by a filter which project a low, intimidating growl. "Master. I have done as you requested." As Eliza Harmon's blood still dripped from his sword, al-Sahir, the mysterious assassin, straightened up once more and sheathed the blade without a second thought. Jason Rusch, now simply dry heaving, could only watch as the murderer stood at attention, as if awaiting instructions.

L-2 nodded, the motion barely perceptible to those watching. "Very good, al-Sahir. You have always been my most trusted follower." L-1 spoke up now, addressing the assassin directly as well. "Ah yes, Mister Merlyn. It is good to see you again."

The assassin didn't even flinch at the mention of "Merlyn." He stood as straight as a rod, his gaze unflinching and his hands unmoving. L-2 continued on, ignoring L-1's snide comment. "al-Sahir, you shall ensure the completion of Project Mercury through any means you see fit."

"Your will shall be done, master." Al-Sahir, the man once known as Malcolm Merlyn, bowed to his master once more. The conference room now dimmed as the Light left, leaving behind two frightened scientists, one corpse and a master assassin.

The assassin turned to the other two living beings in the room, both now cowering in fear of the masked menace. "Get to work. Now."

As the two scientists all but ran from the room in a mixture of revulsion and abject horror, al-Sahir turned to face his victim. He hadn't noticed her youth before: she must have been quite talented to rise up through the ranks of Mercury Labs like this. 'She's not that much older than Tommy would have been.'

Silencing the voice in his head, al-Sahir moved forward and shut Doctor Harmon's eyelids in a show of respect. He muttered a prayer in Arabic as he picked up the body and carried it out of the room. While she may have failed his master and the Light, she still deserved a proper burial. He would give himself an hour to bury the body.

Then, he would return. He had work to do.


Author's Note:

So here's a mostly original storyline. I'm setting up the pieces for the next major story arc, so please bear with me on anything that might seem out of place. While the current arc is meant to showcase the first steps of the Team and character bonding, it's also important to set up the Light as worthy antagonists of the Justice League. Their plan will differ from that of the show, as this is a pretty substantial deviation from YJ canon.

So Merlyn made an appearance! Our favorite enforcer of Ra's al-Ghul will be appearing infrequently for the first few chapters, but he'll become a star soon enough. Also, Mercury Labs! And a bunch of scientists from the Flash! Sadly, Eliza Harmon's death precludes any Trajectory sightings, but that doesn't mean we won't have female speedsters. I just needed a character well-versed in Velocity 9 for reasons that will become abundantly clear soon enough. I can tell you that more speedster lore will be coming up, so stay tuned!

Look forward to more issues with Conner's anger, Wally and Artemis butting heads, and Roy and Kaldur being the only voices of reason. Also, Robin shenanigans.

Next episode/chapter is "Order and Chaos," featuring the introduction of a certain magician to the Team. Look forward to that soonish: it's been kind of hard to write with school and all.