In the Robins family, training was mandatory. Sigil couldn't remember a day in her life without some form of intense studying or magical practice. She supposed Saber had it worse. His area of skills were physical based whereas hers were mental. While neither had ever been hurt by their family or teachers, it was still exhausting.
Needless to say, when the twins' morning sessions were canceled for some kind of meeting, Sigil was surprised. So instead, she paced the estate library's collection of classics.
"This is maddening," she said, grabbing a worn copy of King Arthur and throwing it onto the table.
"Calm down, Sig," Saber said from his place in an oversized armchair.
He tossed a rubber band ball in the air and caught it in his other hand. Sigil huffed and sat, opening the book to its first chapter. After a minute, she looked over her shoulder at Saber standing there.
"Don't you have homework to do anyway?" Sigil asked.
"Nah, got it all done in detention," Saber shrugged. "If you think this is boring, try sitting there for two hours."
"It's your fault for breaking Dave Everdeen's jaw," Sigil said.
"After the way he treated you, I had to," Saber shrugged. "Not my fault the school quarterback can't take a punch."
"It's your fault for getting caught breaking Dave Everdeen's jaw," Sigil amended.
While she meant to sound stern, she couldn't help the way the corners of her mouth tilted up in a smile. Saber found himself grinning along with her.
"Saber, Sigil," said a man in the doorway.
His hair was graying but in a refined world traveled way. His gaze held the power of a CEO who wasn't afraid to fire his higher ups for misconduct. A stern frown held his face as he seemed filled with contempt for everything he looked at.
"Yes, father," the twins asked as they turned simultaneously.
Sigil schooled her face into a respectful albeit passive smile. Saber's expression darkened as he fended off any traces of worry. Fear wouldn't garner him any sympathy here.
"You remember my business associate, Lex Luthor?" their father asked. "He is gathering together meta-teens and you two will be joining him."
The twins exchanged a look. While the meta-gene had been passed down through their family for generations it had only become actively known since their great grandfather. Even then, it was kept out of the public eye. Besides, Saber had tested negative for it.
Then again, he was also the better fighter among the two. Sigil excelled in battlefield tactics, but her specialties leaned better to an assistive role. Whereas Saber was well toned and athletically inclined. He moved with a graceful but forceful speed that had won him multiple trophies in both hockey and fencing.
"When do we start?" Sigil asked.
No matter any doubts she had, there was no benefit to arguing with their father. It would be a mistake that would cost dearly. They both knew that.
Megan had never been called to the Markovian royal palace before. Sure, she helped out Doctor Jace on the regular, but she'd only set foot in the palace once. The country had been generous to her, so she requested a meeting to offer her services. New immigrants couldn't sign up for the army without citizenship. Of course, it was hard to gain citizenship without a parent or guardian of a legal adult age. Doctor Jace suggested she approached the Markovian ambassador directly. Unfortunately, he told her he couldn't sign off on her request but something would come up soon.
"Megan," said the ambassador as he approached her. "It's lovely to see you again."
"Actually, I mostly go by Alpha," she said. "It's a nickname my brother gave me."
"Alpha, then," the ambassador agreed. "There is a situation in which I believe you are uniquely qualified to help Markovia."
"Then you're approving my request to join the army?" Alpha asked.
"Not the army and not publicly." The ambassador looked at her gauging her reaction and how much he would need to manipulate her.
"If not the army then how might I be of service?" Alpha looked eager, truly passionate about helping the place that accepted her with open arms.
"There is a covert team forming between Markovia and several of its allies. We would like to recruit you."
"And what would I be doing as part of this covert team?" Alpha crossed her arms suspiciously.
"You will gather mass approval to start. By completing public safety missions resulting in the good of the people, your group will grow popular. Markovia can feed off that popularity to gain resources."
"And the catch?" Alpha raised an eyebrow. "Are the missions life threateningly dangerous?"
"No nothing like that," the ambassador assured her. "It's just that the missions won't be entirely genuine. At the beginning, we're planning to drum up harmless situations that look worse than they are. You will arrive on the scene and save the day."
"When do we start?" Alpha asked, her pointed canines showing in her almost bloodthirsty grin.
As the sun set over Vermont, Annabella Heller wrapped wire around a quartz crystal. She wanted it to absorb as much positive energy as possible before the sun went down. She was almost finished when a banshee's wail resounded from the living room.
"Jezzy, can you get the phone?" Annabella called.
"Coming mom," Jezzy called.
She picked up the phone, a corded landline. Their town unfortunately had very little phone reception. Lack of available technological advancements was one of the drawbacks of living in the mountains closed off to society. Still, it was safe. The world was rough for metas. Most of the town would rather suffer through technology from the 80's if it meant having little to no contact with the people of the outside world.
"Hello, welcome to Dahmer's Meat Pies, you slew them, we stew them," Jezzy said.
The phone had no caller ID, but almost no one outside of town had their number. Jezzy figured it was Norman calling to give her an update on his attempts for their zombie army. He would get a kick out of the greeting. Or perhaps it was Police Chief Bear having lost his runed pendant again.
"You must be Jezebel." The voice on the other end was unfamiliar and the tiniest hint amused.
"Yes?" Jezzy asked suspiciously. "Who is inquiring?"
"I'd like to speak to you and your mom, preferably together." Whoever was calling ignored her question.
"MOM!" Jezzy yelled in the direction of the kitchen without putting the phone down. "A strange man is asking for you."
"Is he a demon hunter?" Annabella called back.
"Are you a demon hunter?" Jezzy asked into the phone.
"Not in the way you're worried about," the man said.
"I'm not sure," Jezzy called to her mom. "He's being cryptic."
Annabella entered the living room moments later. Jezzy put the phone on speaker with a frown. She hated when demon hunters were after them. The last one had successfully banished Jezzy's history tutor before Annabella managed to step in and teleported him to the arctic. Last she heard the hunter was looking for Santa Claus in an attempt to get back to civilization. Forceful teleportation tended to scramble the mind a bit.
"You asked for me." Annabella said looking at the phone.
"My name is Vandal Savage," the man said. "It's come to my attention that you and your daughter have mastered a rather dangerous craft."
"Here we go again," Jezzy groaned.
"I believe you would both be beneficial to a team of meta-humans I am preparing," Vandal Savage said.
"What would we be doing," Jezzy asked.
"You, Jezebel, would be an active member, completing missions for public safety-"
"And why would I want to do that!" Jezzy snarled. "What has the public ever done for us?"
"Nothing and that's the point," Savage said, his voice an unsettling amount of even. "While you would be helping the public you will also be swaying the favor away from the Justice League."
"How would this benefit us?" Annabella asked, her tone businesslike, lacking the emotion of Jezzy's.
"You would have unlimited freedom and resources to practice your craft," Savage said.
"Woah!" Jezzy exclaimed.
"Annabella, you would be overseeing this group of meta-teens and acting as both a den mother and mentor," Savage continued
"Not putting me in the field?" Annabella asked. "I may be a woman and a mother, but I assure you I'm in my prime."
"I don't disagree," Savage said. "But this team will give a chance for meta-teens to access their untapped potential."
Annabella looked at Jezzy considering the offer. She had little doubt, her daughter could handle combat. While she'd never been in a proper fight, Jezzy spent more than enough time practicing battle magic and reading war history. Apparently in order to "take over the world" it was necessary to fight alongside her troops. It was definitely an admirable idea.
"Well, when do we start?"