Authors Note: Hello everyone! Sorry its been a while, it's hard to get these long chapters out and deal with school. Don't worry though, chapter 11 is on its way and hopefully will be out quicker than this one was.

Keep reviewing! I can answer any questions you guys have without giving too much away about what's going to happen ;).

I hope you enjoy this chapter! -Carovbe

Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of its characters.


Somewhere along the line it had been decided that I would be staying with Clark for the night. Bruce stopped the batmobile just before we entered the cave, and that was where Superman took my bags in one hand, picked me up with the other, and flew us to his apartment in Metropolis. It was a tense, uncomfortable flight, but it was quick and he was careful when handling me so it wasn't that bad. We landed on the patio outside his sliding glass doors, and at that point I was ready for a nice hot bath. Between the cold air from flying and just the cold weather of winter period, I was thoroughly chilled.

Clark pulled a key out of thin air it seemed like, because I don't remember seeing pockets on his suit, and unlocked the doors before stepping to the side to let me go in. "Ladies first."

I nodded absently, not really paying attention to him. I was tired, cold, sweaty, and just wanted to warm up and sleep. "Where am I supposed to sleep?" I notice it's kind of small, with a cubicle size kitchen, with an adjoining living room beside it. There's a simple couch and coffee table, with a tv mounted on the wall. There were three other doors, which I'm guessing were the bathroom and two bedrooms. There weren't many decorations, except for the occasional framed photo of him and some woman standing beside an older lady, and some paintings here and there. No plants, no animals, and no… color.

Very Clark. Organized and to the point.

"You can sleep on my bed, I'll take the couch."

I turn to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're kidding, right? You're twice the size of that couch."

He shrugs, walking towards one of the closed doors. "It doesn't bother me."

"Forget it, I'm taking the couch. Just let me get cleaned up and I'll go straight to bed." I announce, throwing one of my bags on the couch and rummaging around for a new change of clothes.

He changes direction suddenly, opening the door on the very left and flicking a switch to illuminate what is the bathroom, before he turns and heads into what I'm guessing his bedroom. "There are towels in the top cupboard beside the sink." And with that he shuts the door.

Pulling out a pair of plaid pajama pants and a tank top with a clean bra and underwear, I shrug my jacket off and toss it on the couch before walking over to the bathroom door. Shutting the door behind me, I decide at the last second to lock it. It's not that I don't trust Clark, it's just… privacy.

His bathroom is like the rest of the house. There's a bathtub that doubles as a shower, with a toilet and sink beside it. There's a large mirror hanging over the sink, and upon further investigation I see it's a cupboard. There's toothpaste and band aids inside of it, though I don't know why he'd need band aids. When I get to the lower level of the cupboard, I see that they're not meant for him. The birth control pills tell me that someone else is here with him sometimes.

Quickly pulling back the curtain to the shower, I flick the hot water on and let it run over my hand until it's the perfect temperature. Then I undress quickly, not wanting to be in the cold air longer than I have to be, and step in. The muscles in my back relax as the beads of water wash the tension away. I hold back the sigh that threatens to escape. After enjoying it for another minute, I look around to see what kind of soap and shampoo Clark has to offer.

I become more curious as to who this mystery woman of Clark's is when I see feminine shampoo and body wash placed beside what I'm guessing is his manly stuff. I take the bottle of shampoo and squirt a healthy portion of it onto my palm before placing the bottle back down. Quickly lathering it into my hair and scalp, I enjoy the massaging sensation it brings and how it helps to soothe my growing headache.

Finishing my business, I turn off the water and wrap my body in a towel I grabbed from the cupboard that Clark told me to. Drying off quickly, I slip into my night clothes and pull my hair up into a messy bun. As I unlock the door and step out with my clothes in a bundle tucked under my arm, steam that was being held in the room rolls out.

As I approach the couch, I see that there are blankets laid out and a pillow laid on the arm rest. I smile softly to myself, wondering if he used his super speed to save him some time so that he wouldn't have to dwell on the simple act of making a bed.

A sigh escapes me as I flop down, pulling the thick blankets over me and snuggling deep into the pillow. They smell like Clark, and it reminds me of… home.

"Good night, Jasmine." Clark says quietly from the doorway of his bedroom.

"Night Clark." I mumble into the pillow, feeling the exhaustion take over. Only moments later the darkness consumes me completely.


To put this simply: the next day is rushed.

The first this I did when I woke up the next morning was change into a pair of cargo pants (the ones with a bunch of pockets because those are the only pants that allow me to hold everything without needing a utility belt), another black spandex shirt and my favorite jacket. Clark came out in his Superman uniform, not bothering with civilian clothes as he knew that we'd be spending all day with the league.

Before we left I questioned him on the female things I found in the bathroom, and as an answer he merely blushed and mumbled a few things that you'd have to have super hearing to be able to understand. Then he picked up my stuff and me before we took off for the Batcave.

Once we got there, Bruce didn't say a thing to me, merely handed me a small square box like the ones I had, only this one was a black and purple color. Confused, I twirled it in my hand before questioning him on it.

"If you don't want to be recognized as the Red Hood, then you need a new cover."

That's when I press a button on the bottom of the box, and it unfurls into a silver and black helmet that looks positively awesome. It's shaped perfectly for my face, with two rectangular slits on either side of the face that lit up blue, which I'm thinking represented the eyes. There was a mechanism along the bottom of the trim on the front of the mask, which probably unlocks and locks it. One of the more prominent features of the helmet, are the two bat-shaped ears located on the top of the helm. They deeply resemble Bruce's, and that fact made me a little uncomfortable, but I chose to ignore it. For now, anyways.

"Old Lucius has really outdone himself this time, hasn't he?" I chuckle dryly to myself, turning it over a few times in my hands to inspect it more.

"Put it on." Bruce says, his back to Clark and I as he fumble with something at the computer.

Staring at the face of it for a few more seconds, I take a breath and then lift it onto my head. My hair is down, so I don't bother pulling it up, as I have to admit, I am excited to see what this new helmet is capable of.

The opening slides easily enough over my head, and then once it's situated, the mechanism that I pointed out earlier locks itself in place, so the helmet won't fall off. Then I feel a tickling sensation as an object slides across the back of my neck. When I reach my hand back, I don't feel anything. But that's just it; I don't feel anything.

"It pulled my hair up?" I whisper quietly to myself.

After I speak a series of lights flash in front of my face, and then a screen shows up. It's kind of like my old helmet, with a built in police scanner and a gps, but this has so much more. It shows me my vitals, and if I think about something, it will show me that as well. It seems like I can control it with my mind. The things in front of me switch sides if I focus on them and move my eyes across the screen, almost as if it knows.

Reaching my hands up, I fumble around and look for a button but don't find one. So, I try thinking of the helmet unlocking. When I hear a click, I know it worked.

"That's incredible," I say quietly as I pull it off my head and stare at it.

"It was an old prototype that Lucius made, and I just made some adjustments. You also don't have to completely take the helmet off now if you don't want to. The face mask slides up, and will lock back into place when you wish it to do so. Now, I'm going to need you to come over here and scan your thumb so that you can be in the computer." Bruce instructs, standing to the side of a scanner.

"Why? Shouldn't you already have my stuff in there?"

Bruce looks over at the computer for a moment before looking back at me. "Your information is only in sync to sixteen year old you, since there was no reason to update the information."

A tense silence forms between us as I stare at the helmet in my hands before nodding and walking over to press my thumb to the small pad on the console. A series of beeps follows, and then a light scans over me. I blink and rub my eyes as I try to get my sight back.

A picture of me pops up on the computer, grim faced and clutching my new helmet to my side. "Recognized: Arkham Knight, one - one." A female voice announces me.

"You're in the computer now, and have access to Mount Justice." Bruce says, and then walks over to a door frame that leads to nothing.

"Bruce, where are you going?" I question. He presses a button beside the door frame, and I raise my eyebrows as a portal comes together where the door frame is.

"Let's go to Mount Justice."


Just before going through, I put my new helmet back on. I can already tell I'm going to like this one a lot more than I did the other one. Then, with a nod from Bruce, Superman stepped through, then he did, and finally I did.

The portal led directly into Mount Justice, one thing I wasn't expecting. A light flashes and then suddenly I'm standing in a big, decked out cave.

"Recognized: Superman, zero – two. Recognized: Batman, zero – one. Recognized: Arkham Knight, one – one." The same automated voice from before states, announcing our arrival to the people currently in the cave.

When the light dies down and I can focus, I'm kind of surprised with what I see. I've never been in Mount Justice before. I haven't even been in the Watch Tower. I know the members of the Justice League because of Batman; I've met them in person. But Mount Justice was out of commission before I even came along. I can tell this was theirs though, because it's filled with Wayne Tech similar to that of the Batcave. Giant computer screens are spread across the one wall directly across from us. There's a training simulator area to the left, and to the right is a set of hallways probably leading to more sections of the cave.

In the middle of the room is a group of what I'm guessing are my new 'teammates'. As we walk closer and I see they're in their… outfits… I'm going to say I'm correct.

"Arkham Knight, these are your new teammates. Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss Martian, Aqualad, Superboy and Robin: this is Arkham Knight." Batman introduces.

My eyes snap to him as soon as Bruce says his name. It's not hard to spot him; he is wearing Dick's old costume. The cowl, the cape, the tights… they're similar to mine though. His hair is styled messily, giving the signature 'Boy Wonder' look. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to contain the snarl that wants to escape.

The one who I'm guessing is Kid Flash, due to his yellow and red suit with the customary lightning bolt on the side of his head piece, steps forward and stretches his hand out. "The name's Kid Flash, though you can call me KF. 'Arkham Knight' seems like too long of a name to say, so I'm going to call you 'AK', K?" He smiles cheekily. I glance down at his hand slowly before raising my own and shaking it. It's a forced and awkward action, and once I take my hand back his smile falters before he steps back to stand beside a blond in a green halter top. Since she has a bow and quiver strapped across her back and across the front of her chest, I'm going to guess she's Artemis.

A dark skinned boy with light hair steps forward. His eyes are a light green, and they're the first thing I notice. There's a calm and collected look on his face, but a slight hint of apprehension. Black tattoos run up and down his arms, straight to his back where a mysterious pack is located. He nods his head once at me, keeping his eyes connected with where the blue lights of my helmet are located. "Nice to have you join our team."

I nod at him, signaling I heard him. Artemis nods her head at me and grips the string of how bow in one hand as a greeting. I nod at her as well.

A green teenager standing on the other side of Artemis steps forward. She has short, red hair, and wears an outfit similar to Martian Manhunter's, cape and all. The only difference is that she wears a skirt instead of J'onn's little speedo thing. She has a smile on her face as she approaches me, so big her eyes are partially closed from it. "Hi! My name is, Miss Martian, but you can call me M'gann. Or Megan. Or whatever works best for you. I have a feeling like you're going to get along with us great!" She gushes at me, clapping her hands together.

I have a feeling I'm not going to last long.

"Superboy, aren't you going to say something?" KF asks, looking back at the one who is the clone of Superman.

He's what I was expecting, but also not. He looks like Clark. He's got his short black hair, bright blue eyes, and obviously defined muscles; but he's not Clark. He has his own dark aura around him, so strong you can almost feel it. The look on his face warns people to back off. His shirt is black with a red 'S' in it, just like Superman's. He's… attractive. I can't deny that.

Superboy doesn't say anything. He just stares at me, probably using his x-ray vision to look through the helmet and see my true face. After a moment of nothing, he turns and exits the room through the hallway.

That was the best greeting yet.

"Hi, I'm Robin."

I spoke too soon.

I whip my head from where I watched Superboy leave, to the small teenager standing on my right. Batman is also on my right, and the fact that he pulls his hand out from underneath his cape doesn't escape my eyes. The Boy Wonder watches me with a slight smile on his face. He sticks his hand out, hoping that I'll accept his handshake as well.

I know what I want to do to him when in regards to my hands, and it's not shake his hand. I was thinking more like throttle him.

Clenching my hands into fists, I bring them behind my back so that they don't suddenly lash out and punch him in his happy little face. I take a small victory when his smile turns into a flat line and he lowers his hand. Batman gives me a disapproving look out of the corner of his eye.

"Batman and I need to return to the watchtower. It's up to you to show Arkham Knight here their room, and make sure they get settled in properly. Then you are to give a tour so they can get a feel of the place. Clear?" Superman asks, full superior douchebag mode on.

"We're not kids, Superman. We know what we're doing." Artemis snaps at him, crossing her arms. Oh, I like her.

Superman nods, looking at Batman. "Yeah, right. Alright, we're leaving. Arkham," he says, turning to face me, "you're free to unpack your bags, and if you need anything Red Tornado is stationed down here. Just yell for him."

I nod, my hand unconsciously rubbing over the gun in my back pocket. It's reassuring, letting me know that even through all these new changes, I still have something from my old life.

Batman and Superman disappear through the same portal we entered in. I walk over and pick up my bags. Turning on my heel, I look between the people still in the room.

"So, who's going to lead the way?"


Artemis, KF, M'gann and Robin end up taking me to where my room is. KF and Robin are ahead of us while M'gann and Artemis walk on either side of me.

"So, this is the bathroom, the weapons training room, the rec room, and this is my room. Beside it is Rob's, then Aqualad's, then Superboy's. Around the corner is Artemis's, then M'gann's. Yours is going to be on the corner, between Superboy and Artemis." KF instructs, stopping and turning to face me.

"Thanks." I say quietly. Apparently the one annoying thing about my new helmet that I found out, is that it masks my voice like the other one did. It gives a robotic tinge to it, once again making people unsure of whether I'm male or female. This fact is proven, when KF turns around and nervously rubs the back of his neck.

"Listen, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but… are you a guy or a girl?" I have to hold back a chuckle because it's quite funny how uncomfortable he looks right now.

"Does it matter?" I ask back before brushing past him and walking into my room. As I walk past Superboy's room, I hear the door lock in place. So he was listening in.

My room is… ordinary. There's a king size bed, which is nice. There's a bathroom, a couple of dressers, and a TV on top of a stand across from the bed. Ordinary.

I go over to the bed and place my bags down, before sitting down myself. The mattress is comfortable enough, I guess. It's definitely going to take some getting used to.


It only takes me approximately a week to start to get settled in, which unnerves me. I shouldn't be getting this comfortable this fast, even though I am going to be staying here for six months. That doesn't matter though, because I'm going to be leaving.

Nothing has really happened. Black Canary from the Justice League came and did some 'routine training' with us, though by the confused faces of the others, I'm guessing this hasn't happened in a while. Bruce probably told her to come and work with us so that they can get used to interacting with another person.

I remember Black Canary. She's still very pretty, and hasn't really changed that much. There's a few laugh lines around her eyes, but that's not exactly a bad thing. That just tells me she's been leading a happy life since I've left. When she demonstrated her scream to us, it was like old music to my ears. It brought back an onslaught of memories from when I was eleven, and how she used to baby sit me when Bruce was on longer missions. We'd hang in the Batcave, because no one is allowed to know Batman's real identity so we never went upstairs, and she's scare all the bats away with her screeching. We would laugh until our sides hurt.

Kid Flash and Megan have been trying to interact with me, but since I don't really reply to them, they just let it go and end up walking away to be with the rest of the team. Connor hasn't even tried speaking to me, but I can't say I'm really surprised if I were to remember how he reacted when we first met. Artemis is probably the only one who I can say really understands me, because she hasn't exactly tried to interact with me. Just giving me subtle nods of the head in greeting and letting me know when Black Canary is here are enough for me.

And then there's Robin. Tim. My brother. The first two days he tried to talk to me and get to know me, and when I didn't respond he didn't give up. Instead he started talking about himself, and how long he's been with Batman and been his partner.

When I finally got pissed off enough, I controlled the urge to leap over the table and choke him and instead opted to leave the room. I went to my bedroom and proceeded to stew the anger off for the next four hours.

Two days after that incident I was walking to the kitchen when I heard KF and Tim in there, talking about who? Me. Interested, I stopped just before I walked in there and instead turned up the hearing on my helmet and listened in to what they were saying.

"I just… I just don't know. Why would he be acting like that?" The little worm asks, confusion clear in his voice.

"Did you do something to piss him off?"

So I'm a him again. Great.

"No! Which is why I'm confused! Does he hate me or something?"

"I'm not sure. He does seem to hold a certain amount of hostility towards you. Maybe you should ask Bats? He'd probably tell you."

"That's just it. I asked Batman about him the day he got here, and he was all… closed off."

"Isn't Batman always closed off?"

"Well, more so than usual. I mean, he's my partner. He's supposed to tell me things; like if he's suddenly found this new person and thought of inducting them into the team!" I hear a thud, so I'm guessing he probably smashed his fist against the table or something.

Serves the little twerp right. I'm glad that Bruce didn't tell him about me beforehand. Makes this entire experience all the more exciting.

"Yo, Rob, it's okay. I'm sure it won't be like this forever. Maybe the guy just has some pent up aggression and is choosing to take it out on you. He's not really talking to the rest of us either, keep that in mind." Kid Flash comforts, causing me to almost gag.

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish I knew what happened to make him like this."

Oh, if only you knew.


So that leads me to where we are today. Artemis came in while we were eating breakfast (well, they were; I don't eat breakfast otherwise I get sick to my stomach) and told us that Batman had a mission for us. Though I don't want to be here in the first place, I have to admit that my pulse quickened with the thought of going back out in the field again.

They quickly finished their conversations (that I wasn't a part of) and we walked into the center of the cave, where Batman's cowl graced us on the giant computer screen. He looked at each of us as we walked in, his eyes lingering a little longer than the others when he got to me.

"Alright, I take it that all of you have been getting along and not killing each other?" Batman asks.

They all grumble replies, Robin rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Connor just looks to the side. Sheesh. He's quieter than I am.

"There have been reported sightings of Clayface messing with some biohazard warehouses down along the coast. The Justice League would check it out, but we're in the middle of a different investigation at the moment. Since you have dealt with him before, we figured you wouldn't have a problem this time either."

"Yeah, except he almost killed us last time." KF whispers, causing me to raise my eyebrows.

They almost got killed? Bruce and I handled Clayface when I was only ten.

"And that's not going to happen this time. You're older, more experienced, and you have another teammate." Bruce looks at me. Even though his cowl hides his eyes, I know that he's thinking about the same thing I was just thinking about. He knows I can handle this.

KF blushes, embarrassed at the fact that Batman heard what he said. "Yeah, of course."

"Good. Since this is your first official mission as a team, I'm expecting big things. I want a full report once it's done. Good luck." And with that, the video feed is cut off. Just like Bruce to leave without saying good bye.

"Alright everyone, lets head to the bioship. Arkham Knight, have you ever seen Miss Martian's ship?" Aqualad asks, turning to face me.

I nod. I have seen it. When I went exploring on my own, I stumbled into the garage. The ship was there, along with motor bikes, a large sphere, and some four-wheelers. We're definitely not being deprived of technology here.

"Good. Let's go."


It's near two in the morning when we reach the location that Batman gave us. The moon is fully exposed, casting an eerie sort of light over the water. It smashes against the dock, threatening to take with it whatever may fall into its grips.

There's a selection of buildings clumped together, and I'm guessing this is where they keep the cranes and skid steers. We're currently crouched on top of the building beside where the hazardous waste is being kept. It's actually quite idiotic for the people running this city to think that keeping toxic waste beside water that people could possibly consume.

"Alright, so here's the plan. Miss Martian is going to go in first and scope it out from above. There she can see exactly where Clayface is hiding, and then come back to tell us. That's when we attack from behind and use the empty barrels to stuff him in there. If we weld the lids on then we can subdue him long enough until we can get him to a secure facility." Aqualad instructs, looking at each of us.

I'm not exactly sure how that's going to work. That's not what Batman and I did before. Clayface is a lot stronger than people give him credit, and we'll have to be cautious that he doesn't break out of the barrels. I bite my tongue though, not wanting to get involved in this. I'll be here, and I'll try not to let any of them die, but I will be as far from a member of this team as I can be.

Miss Martian pulls the hood up over her face and then does something to her skin so that she's see-through. She then floats over to the building holding the toxic stuff and goes through the wall. I have to admit, that is pretty cool.

But I'm cooler.

We do nothing for a minute. The wind picks up, sending a chilling breeze over us as we wait patiently for Miss Martian to get back. KF is rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles, a sign to me that he's impatient and wants to move. Robin is crouched beside him, a look of determination set on his face. I roll my eyes. He's just a kid, yet he acts like he's so big and macho. I could crush him like a bug if I wanted to.

That doesn't actually sound like a bad idea.

Artemis is crouched a foot away from me, once more gripping her bow string tightly in her one hand. Her other hand flexes its fingers, itching to reach for an arrow. Aqualad is beside her, located in the middle of all of us where the leader should be.

Superboy is behind us, as if he's isolating himself from the group, which surprises me. I should be the one isolating myself from the group. He turns his head slightly, meeting my gaze, and I once again wonder if he's using his x-ray vision to see my actual face. If he is, and has seen it, then I wonder why he hasn't voiced about me being a girl to anyone yet. I'll have to question Artemis about it later.

Miss Martian comes back, solidifying herself once more and lowering the hood from her head. "There's some weird sounds coming from a secluded area at the back of the building, but I'm not sure if it's Clayface or not. There's definitely strange brown spots on the floor but I think there were at least two voices talking."

"You think someone is working with him?" KF questions.

"Clayface has the capability of taking on the form of other people. He could've just split himself into other people to throw us off." Robin pipes up. So the kid actually knows something.

"But that would insinuate that he knows we're here." Artemis counters. She's right. How would he possibly have any idea that we're currently here?

"We're just going to go in there and act like he's not alone. We should always be prepared for the unexpected." Aqualad instructs.

"Well if we're going to be prepared for the unexpected, then shouldn't we be prepared for a surprise attack in case he does know we're here?" I add. They all turn to look at me.

"So he speaks?" KF adds cheekily. I roll my eyes. I'm not a guy.

"We need to have a serious talk once we get back to the base."

"I know you're just trying to help us think through this problem, but I would wait until you have a mission or two under your belt before you jump in and try to tell the team what to do." Aqualad's face is serious as he looks at me.

What? I actually lean back a little, leaning my body weight on the pads of my feet. "Excuse me?"

Does this guy not know who I am?

Bad question.

"Yeah, no offense AK, but this isn't our first rodeo." Robin turns towards me. Now the little twerp is against me?

They continue to discuss the current plan they originally came up with, and I just quietly and carefully slink back until I'm behind them, almost where Superboy is. Where I should've been in the first place. It was stupid of me to try and jump in.

I wasn't exactly comfortable with what was about to go down. That should've been obvious. I knew it was destined for destruction, and with that in mind, I knew that I'd probably have to intervene. If they won't listen to what I'm saying because I'm 'new' and 'don't know who I'm dealing with' then that's their own funeral.

Okay, bad analogy.

But still. They think I'm inexperienced. They don't know what my true identity is, and I can't hold them at fault for that. They don't know I know them, and they also don't know that I took this guy down when I was only eleven.

They also don't know I'm Tim's sister, but I don't plan on letting them ever know that piece of information.

"I think you're right."

Surprised, I turn my head over to look at the boy who finally decided to speak to me. He's not looking at me, choosing instead to look at Aqualad, but his head is tilted in a way that informed me he was talking to me.

"Then why don't you speak up."

He glances at me out of the corner of his eyes for a moment before looking back at our 'leader'. "Because it's not my place to."

What's that supposed to mean? He's a part of this team, isn't he? So why wouldn't it be his place to speak up and voice his opinion. He confuses me, and I plan on figuring him out.

When Aqualad stands back up my attention goes to him. He nods his head at us, and says the two words that instantly have my hands reaching for my guns.

"Let's move."