A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
To the Guest who pointed out a few chapter ago that the Team isn't called Young Justice League: I do realize this. It is Morgan who calls them that when Lisa tells her that she will be meeting the Team. She doesn't know that the young hero group is called the Team. She's new. So she calls them that, and Lisa laughs and says that the Team is the Young Justice League.
Mount Justice
Saturday, April 2, 2011
1138 EDT
The Team milled idly on the beach behind their mountain base. Kaldur had requested their presence, saying only that he had good news.
Morgan sat on the sand, just out of reach of the rolling waves. The sea breeze whipped her curly red hair around her head, obscuring her vision slightly and making it look like flames danced on the ocean's surface.
Robin watched on from a slight distance. Morgan was the only true link to Naomi, and as much as he wanted to talk to someone who had known Naomi longer than he had, he was reluctant. If he went up and talked to Morgan about Naomi, he worried it would give insight to his secret identity. And Batman would not appreciate that.
So instead, he turned away from the sorceress-in-training and went back to listening to what Wally was saying.
"I see Kaldur," M'gann announced a few minutes later. Everyone stood and hurried to the edge of the shore, squinting against the glare of the sun against the rippling water.
Sure enough, rising from the ocean like Poseidon, Kaldur appeared, flanked by two Atlanteans, a male and a female. Both appeared to be Kaldur's age and had light skin. The male had black hair cut to his chin, the top portion swept up in a bun, and bright purple eyes. The female had red hair cut in a stylish bob and electric blue eyes.
They stepped onto the sand and Kaldur said, "Team, this is Garth and Tula. Garth and Tula, this is the Team." Everyone nodded as their names were called.
"I have talked to Batman," Kaldur went on, "and he has agreed to let Tula and Garth on the Team, and they, along with Morgan and Alex, will be inducted today."
Alex let out a cheerful whoop while Morgan settled on a grin.
Over the course of the past few months, Morgan had worked one-on-one with Black Canary to get her up to speed on combat, as well as with Doctor Fate, who helped her learn how to control her powers.
"Batman said he would meet us in the mission room," their leader said before directing the expanding group of teens toward the mountain.
Sure enough, Batman was waiting for them when they reached the mission room.
"Congratulations," he said simply. "As you may know, the League and Team travel primarily using zeta-tubes." He gestured behind him, where two large gray tubes were imbedded in the cave's rock wall. "Each individual has a designation and a code name, which is typically the hero name. You'll be responsible for coming up with your hero name."
Morgan frowned slightly. Codename? She hadn't really thought that far in the future.
Robin caught her expression and slid closer.
"You don't have to go by another name," he informed her. "Artemis and Zatanna don't."
Morgan shook her head. "If I'm friends with Lilith and I don't have a secret identity, wouldn't that put her and her secret in danger?"
She had a point, Robin had to admit. "So, what did you have in mind?" he asked.
After a pause, she said, "Morgana, maybe?"
Robin nodded. "It has a nice ring," he agreed.
Batman called for attention and said, "Each of you will step into the zeta-tube, where you will be scanned. State the name you wish to be called, and I will program your designation into the computer's system."
When the four inductees nodded in understanding, Batman said, "Alex, you're first."
Alex walked forward and stepped into the zeta, facing the Team. Batman clicked a button on the controls, and a laser grid appeared above Alex's head. It scanned down his body before switching to scan him left to right. When the lasers disappeared, Batman motioned for Alex to speak.
"Green Lantern," he said clearly. Batman pressed a few more buttons before nodding.
"Morgan," he said.
Alex stepped out of the zeta as Morgan approached. The process was repeated for her, Garth, and Tula.
Tula was stepping out of the zeta when Black Canary appeared on the holographic screen.
"We think Savage has resurfaced," she said grimly.
"Where?" Batman asked gruffly.
Off screen, Black Canary waved her hand. In the Cave, another screen popped up, showing a map of California. Two blinking dots appeared: San Francisco and San Diego.
"Both port cities," Batman murmured, mostly to himself.
Black Canary nodded. "He's expecting a mass weapons shipment, divided between those two ports. I'll send the info now."
Batman nodded before waving his hand, making Black Canary's image disappear. It was quickly replaced by a screen of text, which Batman skimmed through.
"The shipments are planned for tonight, at nine P.M. local time," he informed.
Morgan's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. Was she about to go on her first mission, ever?
Batman scanned the Team before he said, "You'll attack on two fronts, in two squads, Alpha and Beta. Aqualad and Robin, you'll be squad leaders."
The two glanced at each other before nodding at Batman.
"Aqualad, you'll lead Alpha, with Superboy, Artemis, Zatanna, Green Lantern, and Tempest. You'll be going to San Francisco," Batman said.
"Beta will be led by Robin, with Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Rocket, Morgana, and Aquagirl," Batman addressed next. "Your destination is San Diego.
"There are zetas by the docks of each city, so there's no need to take the Bio-Ship. Give yourselves time to stake out the area, so make sure you get there early. I'll leave it up to you exactly when you leave."
Everyone nodded in understanding. Batman checked the time again. "It's noon," he said. "Spend the time between now and the departure time getting ready, making a plan of attack, and whatever else you might need."
More nodding. Batman gazed at the Team. "Good luck," he said before turning to the zeta.
Morgan paced nervously in the small Cave bedroom she had been shown a few days before. Somehow, Batman had managed to move up the time frame of her uniform, so now she was dressed in a short dark purple romper in the style of a Greek chiton, the color reminiscent of Lilith's uniform accent color. The shorts hit her mid-thigh and were loose, so when she stood still it gave the appearance of being a skirt. The shoulder straps were about four fingers wide, and the V-neck was modest. Her sandals were gold and a simple gold chord was tied around her waist.
At the moment, she wasn't wearing her glamour charm, which was a glass teardrop about the length of Morgan's thumb and just a few shades lighter than her uniform. It hung on a gold mesh chain, which was currently dangling from her fingers. Once she put it on, her appearance would change to everyone not on the Team or the Justice League. Her eyes would become solid green, radiating the power of her mother, and the angles of her face would become sharper, giving her resting face a cold, shadowed look.
A soft knock came at the door and Morgan jumped. She hurried to the door and found Robin, dressed in his own uniform, at the door.
"We still have an hour before Kal wants us to leave," he said. "But he's calling everyone to the hanger to go over our attack plan, to make sure it's as coordinated as possible."
"Okay," Morgan nodded. Robin started down the hall and she hurried after him.
They arrived at the hanger to find the rest of the Team waiting. Morgan noticed Tula, Garth, and Alex looked just as nervous as she felt, and she was glad she wasn't the only one with a churning stomach.
While Kaldur went over the final details with his squad, Morgan let her eyes wander around the Team, making idle note of everyone's uniforms.
Garth was dressed similarly to Kaldur, in a teal muscle top with black block patterns over the shoulders. His shorts were the same shade of blue-green, with black flaps that covered the exterior of his thighs. Tula was wearing a lemon-yellow no-sleeve crop top with aqua-blue accents, and a slightly darker blue sarong was wrapped around her waist. Both were barefoot.
Like all Green Lantern uniforms, Alex's was unique. His pants were black, with thick green stripes up the side. His boots were green and went to mid-shin, and the sleeves of his shirt went half way down his biceps. From the top of his sternum down, the shirt was green. The rest of the shirt and the sleeves were black. The Green Lantern emblem was over his left pectoral and stood out against the black background. He wore no mask, though the power from his ring turned his hazel eyes bright green.
Kaldur finally turned to the rest of the Team. "Our priority is the shipment," he said, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "Should any of us see Lilith," he started slowly, "do not attempt to apprehend."
He said the words as though they physically pained him, and Morgan wondered what his connection to Naomi was.
"Why?" Conner demanded. "If one of us sees her, shouldn't we do everything we can to get her back?"
There were a few nods of agreement, and Kaldur took another deep breath. "Some of us may have trained with her, but we do not know if her fighting style has changed at all. We should know what we are dealing with before we attempt to approach."
Robin nodded and spoke up. "Batman has created cameras for each of us to wear," he said, and he started passing out said cameras. "He wants us to take video of Lilith in action if we can so that we can study it after the mission. Pin it to the front of your costume and you'll have several hundred hours of battery life and video footage."
When he was finished handing out the cameras, he went back to his squad. Kaldur requested everyone to stay in the hanger until their departure, and everyone drifted into separate corners to prepare, mentally or physically.
Morgan couldn't sit still. She paced, muttering under her breath and occasionally causing sparks to jump from her fingertips. Her necklace was hanging off the thin gold chord around her waist, and every once in a while, she rubbed the glass pendant absentmindedly.
Alex sat on one of the many thin ledges that dotted the hanger's cave walls. One leg hung over the edge and the other was bent at the knee, where he propped his elbow. He stared off in the distance as shapes appeared and reformed from his ring.
Tula and Garth were in the water beneath the others. They stood slightly apart, each working on their mystic arts. Their tattoos glowed with power as the water created intricate shapes or became mini storms.
Wally munched on an energy bar with his arm slung over Artemis's shoulder as she talked with Zatanna and Raquel. Conner and M'gann sat together, speaking in low tones.
Kaldur and Robin sat side-by-side. No words passed between the two, but they understood each other. Their anxiety was exponentially greater than any other member of the Team. Yes, those on the Team who had worked with her loved and respected her, but none had the same connection to her as they did.
Wally glanced over and noticed his oldest friends' faces. Artemis followed his gaze and after they shared a brief glance, the speedster went to them.
"We'll get her back," he assured them quietly as he sat beside them. "We have the Team and the League working on it now. There's nowhere on Earth she could be kept that we won't find."
Kaldur managed a small smile of appreciation while Robin's turned into a grimace. The latter sighed and began fiddling with a birdarang in his lap, just wanting to get this mission over with.
Kaldur finally called time. Everyone gathered around Aqualad at the zeta, and he took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" he asked.
They nodded, some with more conviction than others. Aqualad nodded once before stepping into the zeta, and Alpha Squad followed behind them. After waiting a beat, Robin typed in the coordinates for the San Diego zeta-tube. One by one, Beta Squad stepped in.
California Coast
Saturday, April 2, 2011
2103 PDT
As planned, Alpha and Beta had landed in California about an hour before the target time of nine P.M. It was now three past the anticipated time, and both squads were getting antsy, mostly because the possibility of seeing Lilith was setting them on edge.
Aqualad sighed and touched the comm-link in his ear. "Alpha to Beta," he said. "Anything?"
"Negative," Robin reported from San Diego.
"There's nothing suspicious," Superboy grumbled from a building across from Aqualad. "Just some late-night crew."
Robin straightened, rescanning the area. "S.B., Kid," he said. "Switch to infrared. Check if the crew members are armed."
A moment later, Kid Flash nodded and said, "Affirmative," while Superboy grunted in agreement.
"Those are our guys," Robin declared, setting down his binoculars.
"What's our next move?" Artemis asked, walking closer to the edge of the building next to Aqualad to scan the area below.
"Wait for them to make the first move," Aqualad decided.
"Shouldn't be get on top of them?" Green Lantern asked, standing on the rooftop behind Aqualad and de-glowed to keep the green light from attracting attention.
"No," Robin agreed. "We need to make sure we know exactly what we're dealing with." he turned to his squad.
"Morgana," he addressed, "do you have an invisibility spell?" She nodded. "Then you and Miss Martian, scout below. See if you can determine exactly how many there are. Miss M, report the number telepathically."
Morgana took a deep breath; this was it! Her first mission assignment on her first mission ever. She muttered a spell under her breath in a language Robin recognized as sounding Greek, but not quite.
Must be Ancient Greek, he mused as Morgana shimmered momentarily before fading from view. Miss Martian pulled up her hood before going into camouflage mode. She flew to the edge of the roof and proceeded to flow down. The space beside her shimmered faintly as Morgana stepped off the roof. Miss Martian levitated Morgana to the ground, and once the demigod's feet were on solid earth, they took off.
In San Francisco, Aqualad turned to Zatanna. "Would you be able to extend an invisibility spell?" he asked.
"I think so," Zatanna said.
"Then you and Artemis will do the same as Miss Martian as Morgana," Aqualad instructed.
Zatanna nodded and Artemis went to stand beside the magician. "Ekam em dna Simetra elbisivni," she chanted. The magician and the archer faded from sight. "Etativel su," Zatanna's disembodied voice said next.
After a few minutes, Artemis reported in a hushed voice, "I count about fifteen goons."
"Robin, I see fourteen, all armed," Miss Martian reported a moment later.
"Aqualad, we have fourteen," Robin reported to Alpha.
"And you heard Artemis's report?" he asked.
"Yes," Robin said.
"So what now?" Artemis asked quietly, and it was obvious she was getting twitchy. They all were. It was now half an hour after the designated time, and there had been no action. Just guys with guns walking around.
"Wait a second!" Rocket hissed from a building catty-corner to Robin's. "I see more people!"
"Female?" Robin asked immediately.
"Yeah," Robin nodded. "Over there." Robin, using his binoculars, followed her finger, where a few buildings down, five shadowed figures came into view.
"I see six over here," Green Lantern reported, sitting up straighter when he saw the dark figures.
"Let's go," Aqualad said grimly.
"You heard him," Robin said, turning to his squad. "Come on."
Each squad followed their leader down from the rooftops and to the docks below.
Mount Justice
Sunday, April 3, 2011
0123 EDT
"That was a total bust," Conner growled as Alpha and Beta met in the mission room.
"We stopped the shipment," M'gann pointed out. "That has to count for something."
"It does." The Team turned to see Batman approach them from the zeta. "Those guns are military grade and illegal in most countries around the world for civilian use."
"But we did nothing for Lily," Artemis sighed.
"It's okay, babe," Wally said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "We won't stop until she's found."
"Get some sleep," Batman said. "I'll call if anything else comes up."
Robin walked with him to the zeta and they reappeared in the Batcave.
Dick yawned as he made his way upstairs. He glanced behind him to see Bruce sitting in front of the computer. He sighed and continued to his room.
After changing and sending his uniform back down to the Batcave, Dick flopped onto his bed with a groan. It had been about three months since Naomi had disappeared, and so far, there hadn't been any sighting of her. Everyone was getting desperate.
With a sigh, Dick grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table and stared at the home screen background.
It was a picture Lucius Fox had taken on a whim one day while Dick and Naomi were at the office with Bruce. They were gathered around Bruce's computer, their faces concentrated on what was on the screen. If Dick remembered correctly, Lucius had informed Bruce of a new engine prototype that was going into the Batmobile.
Dick stood on Bruce's right, Naomi on his left. It had been the first time he had seen her exclusively as Naomi, not as Lily or Lilith, and he had been taken by surprise by her choice of dress. Usually, as Lily, she wore dark fitted jeans and a tank top under a black leather jacket.
Instead, that day she was dressed in light blue jeggings and a short, loose light gray blouse with the Union Jack printed on the front. Dick couldn't see her feet, but he recalled she had been wearing low-heeled black leather ankle boots, and tossed casually on the other side of Bruce's desk was her dark gray jacket.
None of them had been aware Lucius was at the door, and it had been his delighted chuckle that drew their attention to the door. Dick had grumbled about having his picture taken without his knowledge, Naomi had rolled her eyes at his reaction, and Bruce had laughed.
It had been a simpler time. A better time. A time to which Dick wanted to go back.
A/N: At some point, I would like to give Morgan her own "language" for her magic. I figure since she is half god, she would have a different system for channeling her magic, instead of Zatanna's backwards incantations.
Also, I noticed that anytime a new member joins (the inductees, regardless of if they are actually on the list to join the Team), they get right to business.
The Team was originally founded because Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash (and Lilith in this story) went to Cadmus.
Artemis joins and the Team goes to Happy Harbor to protect Dr. Roquette from the the League of Shadows.
Zatanna joins and they run off to find Red Tornado and end up battling Red Volcano.
And then Rocket joins and they find the plane crash and recover the mind-controlling bugs that Savage plants on the League.
So, I figured I'd continue the tradition, though the tradition has never had so many recruits at one time. I hope I did it justice and I hope it made sense in context and whatnot.
Anyway, until next time.