Disclaimer: I claim nothing. I own nothing. Therefore you cannot satisfy your wanton lust for money and sue me.

Rating: PG-13

"Miss Fedorcenko?"

Katya looked up, startled. Batman was standing in the doorway of his room, still dressed in his dark costume and cape, expression unreadable. Batman. The name fit him. Everything about him seemed dark and strange and…..hidden. "May I speak to you?"

She nodded, keeping her eyes on her lap. "Yes…..of course."

Batman frowned slightly. Since he woke Katya up a couple of hours ago, she seemed rather distant, though no longer frightened. "I have assembled all of my other teammates in the briefing room, and I wanted to ask if you'd join us."

"What will you ask me?"

"We just want to see of we can track down what the source of your superpowers are, and see if we can help you control them. We also need to create a statement to vouch for you if the police trace last night's…….homicide to you."

"You are so convinced that I am innocent," Katya said, softly. "I remember almost nothing."

Batman didn't reply for a minute, but as a seasoned detective he knew one thing- Katya was not any guiltier of murder than he was. She didn't need to hear that yet, however. "Come with me."

Katya followed Batman down the halls of a steel-enclosed, modern building that looked vaguely familiar, then into an elevator and down to the ground level. They exited in a sparsely furnished foyer, passed what looked to be an entertainment room, and stopped in front of a large, wood-paneled door. Batman pushed the door open without a moment's hesitation and gestured for Katya to enter.

She walked in and stopped short. Inside was a large stained wood conference table, a glaringly shiny surface with the letters "JL" emblazoned in the center. Seven chairs sat around the table, and six people were already seated……or at least, she assumed they were people.

On one side of the table sat a muscular, wide shouldered male with dark skin, close-cropped hair and intimidating-looking thick black brows, under which a pair of startlingly green eyes glowed. He was whispering to a woman at his side. She was young, and sported a large, winged mask that covered her face from her forehead to the tip of her nose. She also appeared to have hawk-like, beautifully detailed wings attached to her back. Beside her sat the young man she'd encountered the night before, still dressed in his blindingly-red jumpsuit, and he was talking in low tones as well. The three of them immediately ceased their whispering when they saw her eyes on them, and smiled, albeit warily.

On the other side of the table sat a dark-haired, dark eyed man in a red cape, an "S" emblazoned on his chest. He looked sober and cool-headed, much like Batman in a way, but his eyes were much warmer. A woman sat at his side. She was stunning- with a perfection of the features that occurs little in nature- bright blue eyes under sleek, slanted brows, thick raven hair that cascaded past her shoulders, a naturally red mouth, and a gold tiara on her head. Her expression, though curious, was kind.

To her right was the last member of the group seated at the table. Although he was clearly male and had some humanoid features, the creature that occupied the seat was clearly alien. His skin was a muted green, his eyes glowed a flame-like orange, and his head was smooth and hairless. The rigidity of his expression made him look stern, though he said nothing, and a blue cape came up around his face, framing it as well as a red "X" across his chest.

The room was silent for a minute.

Batman crossed the room and sat on the chair at the head of the table, then gestured for Katya to join him, pulling up a chair at his side, between him and the green-skinned creature. She did so, keeping her eyes low to the ground.

"Everyone, this is Katya Fedorcenko," Batman announced. "She…..has an extraordinary story that I think the Justice League may find interesting. Miss Fedorcenko-"

"Katya, please," she said softly. She was still looking at the floor.

"Katya, then," Batman said gamely, "these are my teammates. Meet the Green Lantern-"

"Call me John," the green-eyed male said. She nodded and managed a half-smile.

"-Hawkgirl-"

The said Hawkgirl nodded in greeting. "Hello."

"Flash-"

Flash grinned and wiggled his fingers. "Pleasure to meet you again." He wiggled his brows wolfishly at Batman, who ignored him.

"-and on the other side, we have Superman-"

"A pleasure." Superman's tone was warm and friendly.

"-Wonder Woman-"

The woman offered a welcoming nod.

"-and J'onn J'onzz."

He gravely inclined his head.

"Now," Batman said, "this is Katya's story…." And he told them everything that had happened, from his meeting her on the street to his bringing her into the meeting.

The room was quiet for a full minute; then, characteristically, Flash broke the silence.

"Whoa. Your version of the story is a lot different from mine…..goes to show what happens when you assume, I guess…..right, guys?" he looked at Hawkgirl and the Green Lantern, who both looked slightly ashamed.

J'onn ignored them and eyed her carefully. "So you say you remember nothing?"

"I remember what happened up until the time when I……how do you say?" she looked at Batman for help.

"Levitated."

"Yes. When I levitated." She looked up at J'onn, meeting his gaze with a sincerity that startled him- he had never seen human eyes so large and dark. She didn't seem afraid of him at all, or even surprised by his appearance, as many humans seemed to be at first glance. "I remember feeling very warm….and then all went dark. When I was aware again, I was on the ground and Batman was there, talking to me."

"Then she fainted," Batman put in, "and I brought her here."

Superman frowned slightly. He hadn't said a word since they'd been introduced.

"Have you any idea how you gained your powers?" Wonder Woman asked.

Katya shook her head. "No."

"And yet you remember who you are." This was from John.

Katya nodded.

"It could be some sort of post-trauma disorder, paired with a selective memory syndrome," Batman mused.

Flash groaned. "English, please."

"I think that Batman means that Katya may have suffered something so…..traumatizing that her memory effectively blocked the worst parts out…"

"Or she could have been brainwashed by whoever gave her the powers," put in Flash.

"True." The Green Lantern agreed. "Or it could have been some kind of accident."

"Could you men not discuss her like she's not in the room?" Hawkgirl said, tensely.

The men immeadiately turned towards her, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry," muttered John. "So…….what do you think, Katya?"

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I was hoping that you would be able to….to help me, Batman said."

"There are…..various ways that one can recover a lost memory," Batman said, slowly. He glanced at J'onn.

J'onn shook his head, slightly.

"We can begin by visiting your place of residence, searching for clues……." Batman turned away from J'onn, looking Katya in the eye. "This can only be done with your cooperation, however."

Katya stood to her feet. "Let's do it."

Surprise registered on all seven faces of the Justice League members.

"You heard the woman," Flash said, standing up. "Let's go!"

*********************************************************

"Nice area," muttered Flash, putting his hand protectively over his backside.

"WHAT are you doing?" asked the Green Lantern.

"Protecting my wallet."

"Wuss."

"Shut up!"

"Stop it, you two," Batman said, without even a glance in their direction.

Katya had led them, after arriving back on Earth in the Javelin, to the same remote, dark, seedy-looking neighborhood that Batman had found her in. She led them to a small apartment complex, up a flight of stairs, and to a dingy door, the fading numbers "229" etched into the wood. She brought a key from the pocket of her sweats and inserted it into the lock, opening the door, flipping on an entryway light and motioning for the men to enter.

When they did, all three men blinked in surprise. The interior of the apartment was small, featuring a living/dining room and kitchenette, with a door that must lead to the bedroom or bathroom. The place was as light and airy as the outside was dark and bleak, and smelled of potpourri and mint.

"Nice place you've got here," Flash said, simply by way of making conversation.

She nodded. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"No." Batman said.

"No, thanks," the Green Lantern said politely.

"Actually, I-" Flash began, then caught the look on his teammate's faces. "Errrr….no thank you."

Katya sank onto her kitchen chair in one graceful movement. "Then, please-" she gestured around the small room.

It didn't take long for the three men to search the tiny apartment, and though they were embarrassed at having to invade her privacy on such a matter, they did their job thoroughly. They found nothing conclusive, except cementing her identity- principal backup dancer with the Gotham ballet, young Russian immigrant, with all legal papers intact and stored neatly.

"She checks out fine," muttered Flash to the others.

"Yes," Batman said hesitantly. They had looked through everything- but seemed no closer to finding out the mystery of where she'd gotten her powers.

It was about an hour later when Katya showed them to the door. "You probably should go to school tomorrow as if nothing happened," Batman commented. "We have no indication from our friends in law enforcement that you are being sought for arrest. Just……go about your business. We will be in touch."

She nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly, still staring at the floor.

Batman and his crew left, but with no little hesitation on Batman's part. As the Green Lantern and Flash scuffled behind him, he thought hard.

"Hey, can you believe this?"

"What, Flash?"

"Look!" Flash had stopped and pointed to a plaque hanging on the wall, it's bronze brightness in direct contrast to the dingy, peeling state of the wall. In black block letters it read: Landlord and Owner, Lex Luthor, Metropolis.

"Is there a place this guy doesn't own?" Flash's lip had curled up in disgust. "I mean, he lives in Metropolis, for the love of pete. He owns buildings in Gotham now, too?"

"Of course," breathed Batman.

Lex Luthor HAD to be behind this mystery.

Owning a building in a city that he'd never visited? Turning timid little ballerinas into vicious, laser-beam shooting warriors?

It sounded like Lex all over.

And now the GL and Flash were staring at him- they had thought the same thing.

"No freaking way," muttered the Flash.