Blüdhaven

July 1, 05:14 EST

I rarely dream when I go to sleep and when I do, they aren't pretty dreams.

I walked into a dark room. If it weren't for the slapping of my bare feet on the ground, I could've sworn I was walking on air.

It was so quiet if you ignored my steps on the ground as I walked forward even though there was no point. The world was only black with nothing around until I seen someone appear in front of me out of nowhere.

"H-hello?" I stuttered to the person as I walked to him with caution.

He had seemed to ignore me as I took one step towards him.

Without warning, he grabbed me by the neck, which instantly caused me to wake up.

I breathed heavily as I looked outside to see the summer thunder storm had awakened me from my slumber. I had started sweating bullets.

I took my feet from under the covers and sat up in bed and told myself, "It's only a dream, Magie."

As I repeated that line while disoriented, my phone rang on my nightstand next to my clock.

I narrowed my eyes to look at the time while picking up my phone. I then looked at the caller I. D. to see it was Wally.

"You have reached the 5:15 AM Magie," I said flatly answering. "She's very cranky compared to Buddy-Buddy Magie."

"Magie, this important," Wally said urgently.

I became serious. "What's up?"

"What am I gonna do about my mom being Tigress anymore?" he asked me concerned. "I actually liked being a sidekick."

He couldn't see it but he knew what my face looked like when I immediately hang up on him.

I flopped back onto my pillow but I wasn't trying to go to sleep. I was to get him out of my head.

It was as if he had a scarecrow mask on but his actual teeth showed through. The rows of teeth were sharp and protruded his upper lip as his frown turned into a smile which I never understood.

Every time I have this dream, nothing changes. They always keep me up afterwards because I'm afraid if I go to sleep so soon, he'll come back.

Watchtower

July 1, 06:57

15 minutes later, I was saved from him by punishment.

When I'm grounded, my punishment is always to wake up at 5:30 AM and go to the Watchtower to train by myself in the virtual training room.

No matter how fake the lasers are, they still hurt and no matter how much I train in there, I can never pass Level 2.

Trying it over for the millionth time, I did a cartwheel to dodge a laser's wrath and kick it to disable it as a flying robo laser system flies overhead and aims down on me.

I jump up, grab it and smash it to the floor when all of a sudden, everything stops.

The warehouse-like setting disappears as my father enters the room.

"I hope you're enjoying your punishment," he said smugly.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked, getting right to the point.

"There's something I need you to do for me."

"Please don't tell me I have to get you coffee because the last time I did that, it spilled everywhere," I whined.

"Nope," he said he said popping the p with a smirk. "I'm giving you solo mission for later on tonight."

I gave him a perplexed look as tilted my head like a confused puppy.

"You hate me don't you," I complained. "I just finished a Justice League standard Level 1 virtual exercise and now struggling through Level 2 and you want me to go on a mission alone?"

He shrugged, "Pretty much."

My blue eyes were burning from perspiration so I couldn't shoot him a glare without looking like I was going to cry.

He put a hand on my shoulder, smiled and chuckled, "It's observe and report so don't worry about not being prepared."

"But something always goes wrong," I sighed under my breath. "What time do I leave?" I asked rubbing my arm nervously.

"10 PM," he responded leaving the room.

I sighed as the fake warehouse reappeared and another robo system appeared out of nowhere and shot me in the back. Getting shot equals a death which equals a lost which equals starting the level over. I can't leave the room till I get to Level 3 which means I'm gonna be here forever!

Happy Harbor

July 1, 09:38 EST

3 hours. That's how long it took to complete Level 2. As my dad put it, I 'set the bar'.

The only bar I set was my max amount of time I will spend training.

After Dad let me go take a shower, I told him I was going to see Marie and he didn't seem to mind because he either forgot I was being punished, or didn't care.

I think it was the second one because he has a sly taco of a mind.

"RECOGNIZED, MAGE, B, ZERO, ONE," the female computer voice reported as I stepped out of a hidden Zeta Tube that looked like a phone booth in an alley.

I stepped out of the alley and looked left and right before I crossed the street.

It was something about Happy Harbor that I loved way more than Blüdhaven. It could be the positive name, low violence compared to "Bloody Haven", or just the fact that everything looked so beautiful.

I stepped up to the doorbell of the Morse-Kent House and rang. I stood there for at least 2 seconds before Malcolm opened the door as Marie raced up behind him. Both of them still in their pajamas.

"What are you doing here?" they asked in unison which I thought was normal from twins.

"I thought you were grounded," Marie inquired.

"Yeah, I thought I was too," I chuckled. "My dad let me go."

Mal opened the door wider to let me in.

"Um, can I trust you guys to keep a secret?" I asked the twins to which they nodded. "My dad's asked me to go on a solo mission."

"Why?" Malcolm asked with his head cocked.

"I don't but the night he found out we were searching for Roy, he asked if we discussed the leader thing."

"And…?" Marie asked curiously.

"I told him we didn't and that's why I think he's sending me on this observe and report mission but, I really don't want to be leader and that's why I came here," I explained. "I was asking if you could be my backup for tonight."

"If we can get out of the house," Marie said rubbing the back of her neck. "We got grounded too."

"I don't want to be the reason you guys get in trouble again," I sighed.

"I'll go," Marie smiled then looked at Malcolm. "But I don't think Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes would want to go."

Malcolm took notice of the comment quickly.

"Hey, Marie, you remember when I got grounded along with you, Wally and Mage?" he commented while shooting her sarcastic laughs in between his words.

"Touché."

"We're in," Malcolm agreed.

I smiled at them.

"What about Wally?" I reminded.

"You seriously thing Aunt Artemis is going to let him out after that?" Marie counter-reminded.

"He can always sneak out a window," Malcolm joked which was actually a pretty good idea.

I took my phone out of the black combat boot I wear when I train and called Wally.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Wally, we have a question for you," I reported to him and he listened.

Gotham

July 1, 22:28

I was perched on a beam in the warehouse my dad had told me to go for my "solo" mission. Along 3 other beams were Wally, Marie, and Malcolm. Malcolm was holding the mind link.

"So tell me again why you asked us to be here?" Wally asked looking at me from the beam farthest away.

I got out of my crouched position and relaxed on the beam.

"Nightdad is asking me to become a leader or something like it, at least but really, I don't want to be a leader," I explained. "I think we're all smart enough to know what we're doing."

A door opened under us and I quickly got into a ready stance.

"When's the seller gonna get here?" asked an impatient man big-boned man in a brown suit.

"He'll be here," a squeaky voiced man answered wearing a similar suit.

A minute later, 2 men walked in the same door both wearing blue suits and fedoras.

"Where's the goods?" asked the bigger man.

"We need to know you could be trusted," said one of the fedora guys as he began pull something out of his inside jacket pocket to which both of the men in the brown suits whipped out pistols.

"Calm down," said a fedora guy as he pulled out a small trigger.

"What is that?"

"Insurance and, make sure you cover your ears," he stated and two guys complied.

He pushed the button that resided on top of the device and my com started to malfunction in my ear. To that, I quickly threw it out of my ear and onto the floor below.

I began feeling quite dizzy and found myself not being able to hold myself up. I looked at the Team who one by one fell off their beam.

My vision became blurry as I dropped to the ground like a bird with no wings. I blacked out as I seen someone else walk into the door.