The Light sat around a large well crafted wooden table. Lex Luthor had several files neatly laid out in front of him whereas Klarion and his new kitten were barely paying attention. Ultra-humanite looked on stoically while Queen Bee drummed her fingers along the table. Zviad Baazovi, the Markovian ambassador, also had a large stack of files sitting to his right. Deathstroke's mask covered his frown.
Footsteps echoed as Vandal Savage entered. He stood tall and imposing, causing all the members of The Light to straighten up. Well, all except for Klarion who seemed to relax slightly in his presence. It seemed like a typical meeting except…
"Why have you called us here in person?" Queen Bee asked. "Are the meeting screens not good enough?"
"We are here to discuss a delicate matter and I don't want to risk a security breach," Savage said.
He looked to Klarion who had gone back to petting Teekl II. The witch boy had been notably quiet recently. While he still threw his usually frustrated tantrums, he hadn't been laughing as much.
"Well, what is it?" Queen Bee snapped.
"It has long since come to my notice that despite our best efforts the Justice League remains successful in an area we are lacking," Savage said. "Their young covert ops team have helped thwart several of our plans. I believe it's time we recruit one of our own."
"You've been talking about this idea for ages," Deathstroke said. "Why do it now?"
"The Justice League's public opinion has never been lower," Savage said. "Now is the perfect time to take the limelight, but we can't do that since our organization is meant to be secret. We need a public version."
"You're saying we should let in a bunch of brats," Queen Bee sneered. "I can barely put up with the one we have already."
All eyes moved to Klarion who turned away from the saucer of milk he'd summoned from who knows where. He almost seemed to shrink under their gaze. Savage cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Klarion is a full member of The Light and has been for longer than you've been alive," Savage pointed out. "After the incident with The Child-"
"An incident caused by his weakness," Deathstroke pointed out glaring daggers Klarion.
The witch boy visibly flinched, then looked at Deathstroke. He snapped his fingers, summoning a wisp of black and red fire to his hands.
"Just because Child beat me doesn't make me weak," Klarion pointed out. "Besides, she cheated. Cheater cheater pumpkin leader."
"Mew," Teekl II squeaked.
"Pumpkin eater!" Klarion corrected himself.
"After the incident with The Child, I compiled a list of potential recruits," Savage said.
He had Luthor and Baazovi pass out the folders they'd acquired. Each member flipped through the documents, taking note of those who were qualified. Due to the hordes of metas immigrating to Markovia they were flooded with potential recruits. Everyone reached the picture of a teenage girl with dark skin, unkempt brown hair, and notably sharp animalistic canines.
"This one in particular is an interesting example," Baazovi said. "She has volunteered for the group."
"I thought this knowledge hadn't been shared yet?" Ultra-Humanite asked.
"It hasn't," Baazovi said. "She came to me asking to help in any way she could."
PROFILE 1
Name: Megan Everwolf
Age: 16
Place of origin: Australia
Current Whereabouts: Temporary housing, Markovia
Meta-Power: Animalistic traits. (Canis lupus) Stronger bite and claw strength than average.
Strengths: Extensive training in wilderness survival, tracking, and hunting. Near mastery in meta-ability. High physical capabilities. Above average aptitude for teamwork.
Weaknesses: Would easily sacrifice herself for an ally.
Family Background
Mother: Wendy Everwolf (Meta-Gene: positive) - Current Whereabouts: unknown
Father: Hugh Parks (Meta-Gene: unconfirmed) - Current Whereabouts: unknown
Brother (younger): Booker Parks (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabouts: unknown location, Markovia
Sister (younger): Katherine Everwolf (Meta-Gene Positive but all attempts to activate have failed) - Current Whereabouts: temporarily housing, Markovia
Notes: Current guardian and caretaker of Katherine Everwolf.
"Her 'weaknesses' section is a red flag," Baazovi admitted. "But she gained the trust of several officials as well as Helga."
"The risk of an incident can be greatly reduced by proper training of the group we choose," Savage agreed, putting her profile to the side.
The Light looked through several more files but found no reasonable candidates. Luthor handed out a folder labeled "S Robins."
"An associate of mine has donated two teens to our cause," he said, "legally of course. They are the associate's own children."
PROFILE 10A
Name: Sigil Robins
Age: 15
Place of Origin: England
Current whereabouts: London, England
Meta-Power: Homo-Magi
Strengths: Notably flexible. Promise for proper teamwork but only with specific individuals. Proficient in magic. Above average intelligence. Extensive and intensive training in advanced magic.
"When it says 'extensive and intensive training in advanced magic' what exactly are her limits?" Baazovi asked curiously.
"Don't get your hopes up, mortal sorcerers have tons of them," Klarion chuckled. "Most are limited to baby magic."
"Actually, while a confirmed homo-magi, her powers are from a secondary mutation. She requires no verbal component nor bodily movement to cast her spells. She does seem to be limited to shielding and redirecting attacks." Lex Luthor smirked, rather satisfied.
Weaknesses: Underweight. Unhealthy attachment to family. Overly conscious of social etiquette and how her actions would affect others. Would sacrifice her own happiness for that of her immediate relatives.
Family Background
Mother: Lila Robins (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabouts: London, England.
Father Randall Robins (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabouts: London, England.
Brother (twin): Saber Robins (Meta-Gene negative) - Current Whereabouts: London, English.
Notes: See file 10B for information on Saber Robins.
PROFILE 10B
Name: Saber Robins
Age: 15
Place of Origin: England
Current whereabouts: London, England
Meta-Power: None
Strengths: Extensive training in fencing and combat training. Outstanding physical health. Can outmatch opponents with an active meta-gene.
Weaknesses: Severe dyslexia. Loyalty to his family affects teamwork. Emotionally guarded and standoffish. However, while in the presence of Sigil Robins, he is protective and able to open up more.
Family Background
Mother: Lila Robins (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabout: London, England.
Father Randall Robins (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabouts: London, England.
Sister (twin): Sigil Robins (Meta-Gene positive) - Current Whereabouts: London, English.
Notes: See file 10A for information on Sigil Robins.
"While their teamwork outside of the family needs help, they are incredibly skilled," Luthor said.
"If we were to fully gain their trust they could be a prominent ally," Queen Bee agreed.
"Oh, by the way, where will they be staying?" Baazovi asked. "I heard that a shared group space is good for team development."
"I will make arrangements for them to all stay together," Savage said.
"On their own?" Baazovi asked hesitantly. "I don't think it's wise to task several teenagers with handling their affairs without any sort of supervision. Perhaps we could employ a den mother?"
"I may have just the person," Luthor said. "Annabella Heller is a woman that deals with magic artifacts hidden in plain sight. She also has experience in summoning and binding demons. Actually, there should be a file on her daughter, Jezebel, in this stack somewhere."
PROFILE 13
Name: Jezebel Heller
Age: 12
Place of origin: Vermont, USA
Current Whereabouts: Unknown location in Vermont, USA
Meta-Power: Dark arts with a specialty for hexes and curses.
Strengths: Rare magic knowledge. Able to bind and drain another magic user of their power. Clear and level headed while facing hostile enemies.
Weaknesses: Inexperienced. Lacks the forethought to prepare backup plans.
Family Background
Mother: Annabella Heller (Metagene negative) - Current Whereabouts: vary
Father: Unnamed
The new file was put to the side next to the other three. The Light read through another fifteen files, putting two in the potential recruit file. When they reached the sixteenth file, Klarion groaned.
"This is taking forever!" he whined. "Can't we just throw them all in a fight to the death or something?"
"We need to keep rejected recruits around," Savage replied smoothly. "They may still serve a purpose."
"Fiiiine," Klarion grumbled.
"We've only been working for an hour," Deathstroke snapped. "If you are such a child you can't sit still that long then you might as well leave."
"Maybe I will," Klarion sneered.
"Klarion! Deathstroke!" Savage interrupted the two. "This is not the time to argue. Klarion if you would like a break, you are free to go, but report back later so I can update you on the full results."
"Finally!" Klarion opened up a magic portal. "See you later, anacondas."
After he left the room was silent for a moment. Baazovi chuckled at Klarion's ever amusing antics. On the opposite side of the table, Deathstroke glared at Savage with such fury it was a wonder he didn't catch fire. Savage held his gaze with a firm one of his own.
"You're spoiling him," Deathstroke said.
"Klarion has been through a lot recently," Savage replied. "I'm simply being more lenient than usual while he recovers."
"He seemed fine to me," Queen Bee snorted."Still annoying as always."
"For someone who is good at manipulating people I'd thought you would see through his mask," Baazovi said. "While his attention span is still nonexistent he was much more subdued than usual… almost nervous."
"He didn't show it on the public battlefield but Klarion came to me privately after the Child was defeated." Sympathy colored Savage's tone. "He was inconsolable and didn't stop crying for over two hours. Even then, he held the kitten in arms like it would disappear any second."
"It would seem we forgot that while immortal, Klarion is still just a kid," Baazovi said. "If I recall, his estimated developmental age wasn't even 13?"
"Yes and while I suspect he only came to me because his only other option was busy, it was eye opening to see him at his weakest," Savage admitted.
"If he is so young perhaps he would serve better in this group than ours," Queen Bee quipped.
"That's… not a bad idea."