Chapter 3 - Welcome to Happy Harbor

"What should we make for the team's return?" Meghan and I stood in the kitchen staring at the assortment of ingredients in front of us. I stared at the foreign objects in utter confusion. Me plus cooking was not a pretty sight, at least, it hadn't been the few times I attempted to cook before.

"Well…" I trailed off. My sheepish grin earned a laugh. I was growing to like the Martian a lot. Her presence at the cave was welcoming, especially since otherwise I would have been alone with Superboy as permanent residents. We had spent the last few days familiarizing ourselves with the new cave, and I had already customized my room to my specific liking.

"How about cookies?" She must have agreed with my suggestion as the flour and eggs floated up from the table and began to pour themselves into the bowl.

"Great idea!" She said. Her passion certainly was inspiring, I thought as I watched her float around the kitchen. She was much more comfortable flying than walking since it was normal for her on her home planet. I rubbed my elbow absentmindedly when I remembered Cadmus where I had spent the last several years underground. Dr. Desmond was never a fan of my flying and he often chastised me if he caught me in the action. I think it reminded him that I had too much power.

"Where's Superboy?" I asked Megan. The third member of our home preferred to be alone, and Megan and I had been unable to get him to participate in anything.

Her smile faltered. "I'm hoping when the others arrive that he'll come out of his room. I know this much be tough for him, but I hate to think that he's suffering."

Placing my hand on hers, I offered a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure these cookies will help cheer him up."

Her round of giggles filled the room and I felt a warmth in my chest. She and I were very similar. Both new to society, both wanting justice and peace for the world, and both outsiders. Yes, she had green skin and stood out physically, but I wasn't a regular teenager who could live normally in society. People knew walking past me that I was different. Still, it was nice to have a friend.

"Recognized, Kid Flash."

"Recognized, Aqualad."

"Recognized, Robin."

We exchanged glances and announced at the same time, "They're back!" She flew off to greet them and I trolled behind. Her enthusiasm definitely topped mine, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see the guys.

They were standing out the front entrance as I approached. Megan was floating happily around them as they briefed their mission. I felt vibrations and I knew Superboy was behind me.

"Good to see you, Superboy." I rested a hand on his shoulder. His piercing blue eyes met mine and I saw a flash of anger before he relaxed. "Good to see you too, Essence."

I smiled. "Can you call me Amara? It would be nice to not have to live as Essence while I'm here."

He nodded as the others approached.

"Welcome back," I said warmly as I met the faces of the three who helped me escape Cadmus. "Did Speedy accept?"

Robin shook his head. "No, he's still stubborn on the issue of being the league's puppets."

I saw the tension in their shoulders. "Oh."

"It doesn't matter," Aqualad spoke. "How have you been adjusting to the cave?"

I blushed when I met his eyes before composing myself. "It's been nice. I still need time to adjust, but I'm doing well."

"I'm glad." His kind smile brought back my blush. The wind picked up and I saw an object come from the horizon. Not an object, it was Red Tornado.

"What is the reason for your call?" The automaton asked. "You directed me from my course."

"We were wondering if you had any new missions for us?" Robin pressed.

"Batman is in charge of team assignments." Red Tornado answered.

"We know," Wally waved his hand, "but we haven't heard anything yet."

"Then I suggest you use this time to familiarize yourself with your teammates."

"This isn't a social experiment," Aqualad countered. "We formed this team to use our skills for league purposes."

Red Tornado made his way past the group and I felt the tension pick up as he said, "Batman will contact you when he is ready. For now, use this time to learn about the cave. I'm sure your teammates will give you the tour."

"He's treating us like children," Robin chastised. "He has to be up to something."

"Maybe I can help." I stepped out of the way as Megan closed her eyes and reached out telepathically. After a few silent seconds, she frowned. "Hello, Megan. I can't believe I forgot he's an inorganic life form."

I matched her sheepish smile in comfort. "Maybe we can show you around the cave since Superboy, Megan, and I live here permanently."

"That would be great, babes," Wally said as he placed his arm around Megan's shoulders. I'm just glad his attention has finally left me. "I'm sure a private tour would be very beneficial."

"She never said private," Robin stressed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Stop being weird."

"We are a team so we will go as a team," Aqualad reiterated. I admired the natural leadership that radiated from him. Judging from the expressions around me, his words held a power that others listened to.

As we made our way into the cave, we fell into groups of two with Wally and Megan leading the way and Superboy and Robin sulking in the middle. This left Aqualad and me bringing up the back.

"So, Aqualad," I asked, brushing my hair behind my ear, "did you have any trouble bringing down Brick and his gang?"

He smiled warmly. "Please, call me Kaldur. And no, with the help of Speedy we were able to finish the job quickly. But I should be asking about you? How are you dealing with the change?"

I returned his smile before glancing around at the large openness of the cave. "It's different," I admitted. "I'm not used to being with other people who talk to me or treat me like a normal person."

"I can see how that would be different," his voice was soft, "but hopefully a positive change?"

"Yes," I decided. "I like being treated as an equal and a friend. I'm sure I will be able to adapt in time."

He chuckled, eyeing the others in front of us. "I'm sure you will. May I ask how your debrief went with the League?"

Memories rushed back as I thought of the difficult conversation I had a few nights ago with Batman and a few others from the league. I told them…everything. I didn't want to pretend I was someone that I wasn't. Batman told me that my honesty was appreciated but he would still be watching me. I guess it would take more than one night to earn his trust.

"It was as expected. At least he didn't ban me from the team."

"I would have protested if he had." He must of read my surprise when he clarified, "You belong on this team. Your inner strength is something that we need and your desire to do good shows a true hero."

"Thank you," I whispered as I allowed his words to sink in. His eyes twinkled as he turned back to Megan's speech.

A waft of smoke hit my nose as Superboy loudly asked, "Is something burning?"

"The cookies!" I announced as I lifted off the ground and flew back to the kitchen. Megan was right behind me as we opened the oven to see the charred remains of our baking attempt. She used her telekinesis to lift the tray out and set it on the counter. We looked at each other in disappointment.

"Amara and I wanted to surprise you with some cookies when you got back. I guess we forgot." She rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm sure they would have been delicious," Kaldur said, "Or still are delicious apparently."

We watched as Wally began stuffing his face with the charred crisps. "What? I have a fast metabolism."

We all stood around the table silently.

"So, Amara, huh?" Robin asked inquisitively. "That's your name?"

I blushed. "Yes, I suppose I forgot to tell the entire team, but my real name is Amara. I only go by Essence as my hero name."

"Dang," Wally said between bites, "Amara sounds even hotter than Essence. I like it."

As the boys began a discussion about names and secret identities, I noticed an exchange between Megan and Superboy.

I stepped back when he suddenly clutched his head. "Get out of my head!" His tone surprised me with the amount of anger that came out.

"What–" I was interrupted when Megan's voice spoke in my head.

"You guys don't communicate telepathically? This is how we talk on Mars all the time!"

The boys shook their heads in obvious discomfort. I didn't like how the voice seemed to whisper in my mind, but it was similar to how Dubbilex corresponded with me at Cadmus, so I was used to it.

"Megan, stop." Kaldur's command was clear. "I don't know how your culture is on Mars, but here we do not invade others' minds."

She looked hurt when she looked around at the accusing stares from the team.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Superboy stormed out of the kitchen to go sit in the living room. I could tell his reaction hurt Megan the worst.

"Maybe we should continue with the tour." My statement seemed to be accepted as the team turned to head out to the main facility.

"I think it would be best if we saw your rooms, to know, for team purposes." Wally's casual statement earned a punch from Robin and I smiled at his forwardness.

"Why don't you show them what you were showing me earlier?" I pointed at Megan loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Right!" She lifted off and flew down the hallway towards the hanger. Sitting on the platform which was in the heart of the mountain was her bio-ship, though it was in its resting mode as she had shown me previously. I hung back and watched as the ship transformed into a large aircraft, much to the surprise of the boys.

"It's organic material," she explained as we entered the ship, "so it can change just as I can."

As the six chairs rose from the floor, I found myself sitting up front with Kaldur and Superboy.

"I know what you're thinking," Kaldur mentioned to Superboy. "You overreacted and you don't know how to apologize."

Superboy grudgingly glanced back at Megan.

Kaldur met my eyes for confirmation, "Just say sorry."

As we exited the cave and rose about the city, I stared at my hands. It was strange to see how the team reacted to each other. I had never been apologized to at Cadmus, certainly not from my father. If he did something that hurt me, he would state that it was simply to give me some backbone and spirit. I was so used to suppressing my emotions that it made me uncomfortable to see others so open to forgiveness. I wondered if I would ever get used to the change or if I would ever feel fully accepted by the team or the league.

The communication notification broke me from my thoughts.

"Team," Red Tornado's voice filled the ship, "there has been a disturbance at the Happy Harbor power plant. I need you to check it out."

"Understood," Megan said, "I'm changing the coordinates now."

As we approached the plant, I could see a large burst of wind through the windshield.

"Is that a tornado?" No one responded to my question as they jumped out of their seats. I followed as we approached the plant on foot.

"Alright," Kaldur spoke, "we need a plan. Wally, you run around the perimeter. Robin, you–" He looked around the group. "Where's Robin?"

An echo of laughter filled my ears as the windows exploded from the facility.

Rising off the ground, I flew up to the top railing of the building and through the broken window as the team caught up.

I was met by a large man in a red and black suit, with large tubes running across his chest. His back was turned to me, but he quickly noticed my presence.

"Finally," his voice came in a robotic manner. "I was hoping for the league but it appears as if I am faced with a bunch of children."

The team burst into action as the man launched tornadoes in our direction. As I flew around one, I raised my hands and shifted the earth between the man's feet, expecting him to fall. To my surprise, he simply floated slightly above the ground out of the way. Turning towards me, he sent a large tornado in my direction and I had to dive out of the way to avoid being sucked in.

"I see there might be some potential threats among you, but not enough to match Mr. Twister."

Wally raced towards the man but was smacked out of the way. Superboy launched himself in the air, landing two feet in front of Mr. Twister who moved out of the way.

Megan threw a series of pipes and broken earth at him, some that caught his chest, sending him back several feet.

"Enough." He muttered, raising off the ground in a large tornado before throwing Robin out the window onto the filed surround the building.

"Megan," Kaldur yelled, "Can you get a read on him?"

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes. Her shoulders dropped as she shook his head. "No, I can't get anything."

I flew out of the building as Mr. Twister was battling Robin and Kid Flash. I tried a different approach and raised my hands, bringing several large boulders off the ground. My eyes glowed as I launched them one by one at the threat, successfully throwing him off balance. As he turned his attention towards me, I noticed the harbor close by and reached out to gather a large stream of water, spinning in around in the air before launching it with deadly precision at the man.

"Guys, stop!" I was stunned as I heard Megan's voice over the commotion. "It's a test. Mr. Twister is Red Tornado."

Her words reached the team and they stopped fighting.

"What!" Robin cried in outrage. She explained her theory of the android and I saw the anger that passed through his eyes. "I can't believe I was so stupid. This is just the league trying to keep us amused."

The boys turned away from Mr. Twister and headed back towards the ship.

"You think I am Red Tornado?" Twister's voice reached an octave higher. He threw his head back and laughed. "Don't be fooled by your small minds."

He threw his hands up and a streak of lightning came down from the sky and hit the ground only a few feet in front of us.

"Not Red Tornado!" Wally screamed as he pointed at another bolt of lightning headed in our direction. I set a slab of earth up to protect us, but the blast threw me back harshly to the ground.

"What happened?" Superboy demanded when Mr. Twister turned away from us. Kaldur knelt down and grabbed my shoulders. "Are you okay, Amara?"

I nodded glumly as Megan revealed the bio-ship blocking our way.

"Ugh, I can't believe you!" Superboy yelled at Megan. "You made us believe that he was Red Tornado."

Wally and Robin chimed in as Megan tried to defend herself, but I saw the look of defeat in her eyes.

"Guys," I said weakly, sitting up from the ground, "we still need to stop Mr. Twister from destroying the town."

"Agreed," Kaldur said, helping me rise to my feet. "Megan, I know you were trying to help, but I think its best if you let us handle it from here."

Her face fell as she watched the boys head off towards the destruction.

"You should contact Red Tornado and see if he has any advice," I suggested, "Maybe he can offer some insight that will help us defeat Mr. Twister."

She smiled weakly and I flew off the ground to join the team.

We fought with vigor, but it had no avail on the situation. Mr. Twister kept knocking us down one by one. Though I was still launching large boulders and streams of water at him, I could feel my strength diminishing.

"Guys," Megan's voice rang out in my head. "I know I made a mistake but I know what needs to be done."

I glanced at Robin who was the closest to me and we exchanged eye contact.

"Go ahead," he said out loud.

A short while later, as we continued fighting, I spotted Red Tornado coming from across the harbor. As he loudly announced his presence, he dismissed us, stating how the situation was out of our hands.

As he spoke with Mr. Twister, I fell through the earth and positioned myself right below then. I listened to their conversation as they displayed their strength and I heard the shutter as Red Tornado fell to the ground above me.

"Now." Megan's voice spoke. I burst out of the ground and knocked Twister several feet into the air before sending a well-placed kick that shot him back down to the ground. The team erupted from around him, knocking him into the harbor only to have Kaldur burst out of the water to send him back across the field.

Mr. Twister finally fell in defeat, the metal on his chest opening to reveal a skinny older man who crumpled to the floor.

Before I could blink, Megan lifted a large rock with her telekinesis and crushed him. The shock was apparent across the group.

"What did you do?" Robin yelled. "I don't know how they do things on Mars, but here we do not execute our prisoners!"

She smiled weakly. "And I thought you trusted me."

The rock rose to reveal several crushed parts of the automaton.

"So he wasn't alive," I clarified as I tried to calm my beating heart.

"He was an android. That's why I couldn't read him earlier. Red Tornado gave me the idea earlier when I came up with the plan."

"I am sorry," Kaldur placed his hand on her shoulder, "we should have trusted you."

Her smile calmed me down. I hated the tension that today caused. As we brought the broken pieces of the android back to the cave, I was able to have a private word with Superboy.

"Are you okay?" He flinched as if to yell at me, but thought better of it and took a breath.

"Yes," his voice was cool. "I'm sorry if I've been a difficult person to live with. I don't mean to be overbearing all the time, it's just hard."

"I know."

I met his gaze as the sadness reached both our eyes. I offered my hand to him. "I'm in this if you're in this. I have to hope that someday we will find our place on this team."

He stared at my hand for several seconds before taking it. "I agree. Thanks, Amara. You did good today."

I smiled warmly, "Thanks, Superboy. You too."

As Red Tornado analyzed the broken android pieces, I met the gaze of Kaldur. His face held an emotion that I didn't understand, yet it sent butterflies to my stomach. I walked over and stood next to him as Red Tornado addressed the situation. Feeling Kaldur's presence next to me gave me reassurance as I looked at the crushed pieces in front of me. Yet the reassurance was quickly replaced with the feeling that whatever we faced today was far from being over.

Hope you enjoy the new chapter! More to come shortly:)