GOTHAM HARBOR: 16:40 EST

Here he was, Red-X and X-mite, driving through the roads of Gotham Harbor heading toward Happy Harbor. Why, do you ask? Simple, they were invited by the Justice League to be one of the Leagues "officially." Well, that's what they were told. Of course Red-X have no intention of officially joining the League. Maybe as a unofficial member, like if the League need of his help, then he would lend a hand. So if Red-X has no intention of becoming an R official League member, why is he still going? It's because of X-mite.

STAR CITY: A WEEK AGO

The city sky has turned into a dark night. No stars could be seen but a single crescent moon shining, lighting the dark sky. Only the busy lights of the city lights were the only source of light. In the busy city night, three figures were sitting on the roof of a building at the dead of night.

"So, are you going to tell us why you called us?" The tallest one glares the medium height figure.

The middle figure squirms uncomfortably.

"Don't mind Red-X, he is just not in a good mood. He doesn't want to stay in this city too long. You know... Because of what happened with your mentor..." The shortest explaining the reason behind the tallest's attitude.

The middle hung his head and sighs in shame. "I'm sorry about asking you to come." He glances up toward Red-X. "I'm really sorry about how Ollie treated you, Red-X."

Red-X lays a hand on the apologizing figure. "It's fine, Speedy. It's not your fault. It is mine. I understand, why your mentor reacted toward me. So do not apologize."

Speedy nods his head and gives a small smile feeling bit assured.

"So back to the question, why did you call us?" The smallest asks.

Speedy scratches his head. "Well you see, X-mite. You guys know how the Leagues has partners like Green Arrow has me and Batman has Robin, right."

Red-X starts to see where this was going. He had a similar conversation before, earlier that evening, with Batman.

Speedy continues his tones changes, sound all excited. "Well, the League decided that all the partners of the League members get to join the Justice League, officially! Our day has come to be officially be recognized as Heroes instead of being their side-kids!"

X-mite jumps on his feet. "Really?! That's Awesome!"

Red-X chuckles, finding it funny that he was right.

"What's so funny?" Speedy pouts, feeling that he is being laughed at.

Red-X shook his head. "Sorry, it's just that earlier today something similar had happened."

Speedy raises a brow.

Red-X continues. "You see Batman asks me if I wanted to join the League, but I declined."

Speedy jumps. "What?! Why?!"

Red-X winces, with pained heart, he answers. "I can't work in a team... I'm just not ready yet... Maybe in the future but not right now." How could he join another team when his beloved team, Teen Titans, is still fresh in his memory.

Speedy sensing the older Hero's pain, realizing something bad has happened in his past. He kept quiet, afraid to say something that might make the current tension worse.

X-mite blurts out. "I want to join!"

NOW

X-mite bounces at the entrance of the Mount Justice, the Headquarters for the Justice League, Red-X following behind.

Red-X stops from going any further. X-mite might notices his partners mood. "Is something wrong, Red-X?"

Red-X crouches down to be on the same eye level. He looks straight into the young heroes eyes and answers with honesty. "X-mite, this whole thing about the junior heroes becoming official League... Is..." He falters to keep going.

X-mite smiles, understanding what his older counterpart is trying to tell. He was happy that his mentor was being honest to him. "It's a sham isn't it."

Red-X was surprised but then he smirks. Of course X-mite would figure it out, X-mite is his counterpart.

About three weeks before Batman contacted him to recruit him, the Justice League founders had decided it was time to include their sidekicks into the League. Red X had been listening by hacking into the comlink in Batman's suit, which was connected directly to the Bat computer.

The Leagues' idea of bringing the sidekicks into their fold was really just a glorified reason to keep better track of their partners. After incident of the Auction, it seemed that the older heroes had grown more protective over the next generation.

For Robin and the others, joining the League really meant that they would be able to use the Hall of Justice or as Red X liked to call it, the Justice Leagues' tourist hot spot. It would not take the sidekicks long to figure out that the Hall wasn't the real base, and that there so called acceptance into the League was nothing, but a sham.

The only thing that was better in this dimension is that the League was more interested in the next generation than the one from his own world had been. He remembered how unimportant the Titan's had been in the grand scale of things, mainly because Batman hadn't felt that his team was up to par.

The older heroes had never felt the need to connect with the younger ones even though one day the protection of Earth would be passed down to them. They seemed to think that the Titans were just a ragtag group of kids that wouldn't last long, Red X had known otherwise.

By the time his generation of heroes took over, Red X had planned to all but disband the remnants of the Justice League. When the Teen Titans were needed to step up and take the mantle, they would simply be called the Titans. He would not let anyone take away the name they had made for themselves.

The Teen Titans themselves would not be disbanded, but recruit the next generations of heroes. As the Titans, he and the other members would train the new heroes and teach them how to defend the innocent. He had planned for the original Titans to be what the Justice League had never been, mentors.

But sadly, now he would never see that day come and his goal to being accepted as a hero for the next generation seemed to be even more distant. He had to start all over to get the respect that he'd worked so hard for, but then again he didn't have the reputation of being Batman's sidekick hovering over him anymore either. Red X used to think that was a good thing until he'd met this world's Batman.

This Batman was so different from the one Red X was raised by. It wasn't like he lacked the same presence the other Batman had and Red X knew that this Batman's bat glare was just as intense as the others, it was the way he acted towards Red X personally that was different.

Never would his Batman point out his injuries until they were back in the Bat Cave, he hated it when weaknesses were displayed so he would never alert them to the League like this Batman had. Like Red X, Batman hated looking weak in front of someone else, especially other heroes.

This Batman though, his prime concern had been to tend to his wounds. Red X doubted that he would have been treated in front of the League, but in the Bat Cave itself. Getting that close to his almost home might have been too much for his already exhausted mind and he might have let something slip.

Red X was determined to be known only as Red X and no one else.

Then again there was the League itself that was different, granted he hadn't spent much time with them to evaluate each member, but it was more of a feeling than anything else. Red X had never spent much time with the League as a whole, but he had met each hero individually.

His League had rarely spent any time with him or the Titans. In fact, Red X was pretty sure he had more interactions with this Justice League than with his own.

"It's fine... I just want to experience what is it like to work in a team..." X-mite answering how he truly feels about the whole sham thing.

Red-X smirks. "Give this dimension's Justice League chaos like how you caused chaos when we first met..."

X-mite tilts his toward his mentor and questions innocently. "But worse?"

Red-X nods. "But worse."

They both enters the mountain.

INSIDE MOUNT JUSTICE

They notice that Aquaman and Batman already there with Aqualad, and Robin talking to each other. Green Arrow and Speedy looked like they had just arrived just few seconds ahead of them. Leaving Red-X and X-mite the last pair to arrive at the gathering. The other heroes and junior heroes notices them.

Batman nods toward them. Aquaman looked really curious of them, wanting to exchange some words to get to know them. Typical Green Arrow still haven't forgiven Red-X, he kept glaring at him.

Today is the day..." said Batman to his protégé in pride...

"Welcome to the Hall Of Justice" said Green Arrow to Speedy

"Headquarters of The Justice League" replied Aquaman

"Oh Man!" said a voice from seemingly nowhere, suddenly a red blur appeared, followed by a yellow blur...

The yellow blur was named Kid Flash. He was a 15 year-old high-school sophomore. He had spiky red hair, freckles and green eyes. He had a lean yet slightly muscular build. His costume was yellow with red pants, red gloves, and yellow shoes with a red lightning bolt within a white circle.

The Flash has short blond hair and green eyes. His superhero costume is a full-body suit that is all red, but has two small yellow lightning bolts across the waist and wrists. Like Kid Flash, he also has the yellow lightning bolt logo on his chest and boots.

"I knew we'd be the last ones here!" grunted Kid Flash in anger folding his arms, Flash just looked at him smugly.

The heroes were walking towards the entrance of The Hall Of Justice, many of the crowd were taking pictures & talking left & right...

"Is that Batman?!"

"I see Flash & Flash Junior!"

"Isn't his name Speedy?"

"No that's Green Arrow's sidekick"

"Well that makes no sense"

"Who is the guy in black with a red x?"

"New hero maybe?"

"Are you ready to see the inner sanctum?" asked Green Arrow to Speedy

"Born that way." Replied Speedy

"I'm just glad we're all here..." replied Aqualad

"I'm so happy!" X-mite bounces around.

"Having all five sidekicks at the same place at the same time!" said Kid Flash

"Don't call us sidekicks! Not after today..." interrupted Speedy

"Sorry... First time at the hall... I'm a little overwhelmed..." said an astonished Kid Flash

"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" asked Robin to himself

Then they finally entered the interior & they saw golden statues of the senior Justice League members, they all looked in amazement...

"Oh... Maybe that's why..." corrected Robin to himself.

They suddenly reached a door with a sign saying "Authorized Personnel Only", suddenly the door slided open revealing two other members: Martian Manhunter & Red Tornado...

Martian Manhunter generally prefers to take the form of a tall, green-skinned humanoid. His head is completely bald, and his face is oddly proportioned, with heavy brows, thick lips and red eyes. His costume is primarily black, with red accents, and a large red belt and x-shaped straps across his chest. He always wears a blue cape that is fastened by gold clips.

Red Tornado takes the appearance of a tall red robot with no ears or nose. His mouth and eye sockets are black giving him the appearance of an emotionless robot. He has a yellow T symbol on his chest and a yellow arrow on his forehead. He also wears a blue cape.

"Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, X-mite. Welcome..." said Martian Manhunter, he turned around & leaded them into the room whilst Robin & Kid Flash fist-bumping while Speedy and X-mite did the same to each other.

"You now have infinite access to our gym, our food stock, gallery & of course our library" said Martian Manhunter as they walked into the library.

"Make yourselves at home" said a proud Flash to the apprentices, they sat in the seats except for Speedy who looked slightly underwhelmed...

Red-X seeing that he isn't needed, he decided to leave. "See you later, X-mite."

"Bye, Red-X!" X-mite waves good bye.

"Wait you're going already?!" Kid Flash exclaims.

"Yeah! You're not staying?" Robin asks.

Red-X glances back. "The League doesn't need me right now and a certain someone doesn't want me here." He nods toward Speedy.

Speedy nods back, as soon as Red-X left. He glares at Green Arrow. But Green Arrow ignores the glare and looking a bit smug.

The door in front of them opened which had a sign saying 'Justice League Members Only'

"Wait, That's It?!" asked a furious Speedy

"You promised us a look inside, not a glorified back-stage pass!" continued Speedy.

"It's a first step, you've been granted access few others receive" replied Aquaman

"Oh really?!" interrupted Speed pointing to the tourists in the glass tube above them...

"Who cares which side of the glass we're on?!" said Speedy

"Roy, you just need to learn to be patient" replied Green Arrow

"What I need is respect!" replied Speedy, he looked to the other protégés

"They're treating us like kids! Worse: Like Sidekicks!" said Speedy, grimacing at the last word...

"We deserve better than this..." continued Speedy. "I mean today was suppose to be the Day! The first step in becoming full-fletched members of the league!"

"Well... Sure but... I thought step one was a tour of the HQ?" asked a confused Kid Flash

"Except the hall isn't the League's real HQ!" replied Speedy, surprising everyone

"I bet they never told you that the Hall is just a fore-front for tourists! & a pit-stop for catching Zeta-Beam teleporter-tubes to the real thing, an orbiting satellite: Called the Watch-Tower!" continued Speedy

Green Arrow looked behind him & saw Batman cross his arms.

"I know, I know, but I thought that, maybe we could make an exception?" asked Green Arrow, Batman just gave a Bat-Glare

"Or not..." replied Green Arrow

"You are not helping your cause son, stand down, or" said Aquaman but he was interrupted by Speedy

"Or what, you'll send me to my room? & I'm not your son! I'm not even his..." replied Speedy, pointing at Green Arrow

"I thought I was his partner, but not anymore..." replied Speedy, he grabbed his hat & threw it to the ground, shocking the other apprentices, Speedy begun to storm off.

"Quick debrief on the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day, we shouldn't be long..." said Batman before turning to the identification drone released from the ceiling...

"Recognized: Batman 0-2"

"Recognized: Aquaman 0-6"

"Recognized: Flash 0-4"

"Recognized: Green Arrow 0-8"

"Recognized: Martian Manhunter 0-7"

"Recognized: Red Tornado 1-6"