Birds of Prey

Disclaimer: I do not own DC, Marvel, or any other characters outside of OCs.

Chapter Two: Team

Metropolis – December 31, 14:52 EDT

Today was the day – their first step to becoming full-fledged members of the Justice League Beyond. Batgirl, Speedy, and Impulse had no delusions of being invited to the JLB on their first day, but it was exciting to be getting a tour of the Metrotower, a privilege very few people got. Daken, on the other hand, didn't try to hide his dissatisfaction, sneering every time they stopped. It took a glare from Batman to stop his protégée from poking at his pressure points.

The Metrotower itself was enormous. Though it looked much bigger from the outside, the interior only twenty-seven levels, three of them blocked off by high-level security. On each of the levels, there was something that was used to contribute to the JLB's war against crime include a state-of-the-art training facility, a library/museum of past heroes and villains, and a Reactor Core that powered the entire Metrotower. Speedy also heard a rumor that the JLB had its own morgue where it secretly kept the bodies of past villains, but when asked, Batman firmly denied it.

The last stop on the tour was communications center/lounge room on the top floor. It was relatively low-key, but it had its own charm. Ignoring the large computer monitor and the "Authorized Personnel Only" door, there were some comfortable armchairs and a loveseat around a glass coffee table in the middle of the room. There was also a long row of bookshelves on the far right wall and a refrigerator in corner of the room next to the sink and microwave. But the best part about the floor was the view; a wide window in the front of the room that gave them the best view of Metropolis possible.

While Batgirl and Daken stayed close to their mentors, Speedy raced over to the window with gleeful expression and Impulse dashed over to raid the fridge.

"Oh, wow!" said Speedy gleefully, pressing her hands against the glass. "This is amazing! You guys are so lucky to work here!"

"Hands off the glass, Mia," said Artemis, pulling her protégée back to the couch. "Jarvis has to clean that up and it's bad enough he has to work at his age. Let's try not to make things more difficult for him." Speedy nodded in understanding. "But you're right. It is a pretty good view. But trust me; the view from the Watchtower is even better."

"Yeah, this is where the Justice League goes to relax after a hard day's work," said Flash. He was already taking the loveseat and kicking his feet up on the table. "Just make yourselves at home. Irey already is."

"Huh?" said Impulse unintelligibly. Her cheeks crammed to the breaking point with cookies, potatoes, and week-old pizza.

"Do not…talk with your…mouth full," said Batgirl slowly. As she walked around the room, her look of disappointment was visible by the slump in her shoulders. "This is…nice. But where is…"

"KYAA!"

Most of the heroes present jumped at the shriek; Daken actually ripped opened his claws with a sharp snarl. Everyone watched a purple blur dropped from their ceiling and dive for Batgirl, but was quickly caught by the arm and flipped onto the floor with a dull thud. Batgirl looked down on her attack, her eyes wide as dinner plates when she realized she had just flipped her best friend, Spoiler.

Spoiler was a superhero that was immediately recognized by the eggplant-purple costume complete with a matching cape and hood. She also wore dark-blue boots and gloves, a black utility belt with silver capsules, a black band across her chest held by a silver ring, a silver holder around her left thigh, and a blue mask that covered her face. (Stephanie Brown – Spoiler)

"Ow…," said Spoiler painfully. Batgirl offered her a hand up, which she accepted, laughing sheepishly. "That could have gone a whole lot better."

"Spoiler…," said Batgirl. "What are…you doing? You should not…sneak up…on me…like that. You know…what I do."

"I wanted to surprise you," said Spoiler, groaning as she took a seat. "But I forgot that you're a little jumpy and I pretty much deserved that. Still…" She glanced excitedly at the girls. "This is the big day for you. The first step to joining the Justice League Beyond. I remember when a couple years ago when I was first invited to join the JLB. I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep and I ended up crashing in the middle of the Boom Tube and somehow ended up in Gem World."

"Oh god," said Daken over the laughter of others. "This is the quality of heroes they let into the Justice League. May as well invite Ambush Bug and Booster Gold to join the League while we're at it."

"What's his problem?" said Speedy

"Just ignore him," said Spoiler. "He was born with a stick shoved up his..."

"If I can have your attention," said an eerie voice that filled the room. "We still have some unfinished business to attend to."

Impulse was just cleaning out the fridge when a pale-white face rippled through the surface of the appliance, causing her to fall back with a shriek. Impulse crawled at the speed of sound behind the Flash, earning a couple of snickers from her friends, as the specter fully emerged from the wall, shutting the fridge behind her.

It was definitely a woman, but with unnaturally pale skin, scarlet-red eyes, and completely bald except for the long ponytail of fiery-orange hair. She wore a white suit against her cleavage that clashed with her skin color, an blue skirt suspended by a red belt, blue boots, a pair of red bands on each of her biceps, and an blue cape to cover herself. (M'gann M'orzz – Martian Manhunter) (1)

"Hey!" Impulse snapped, pointing an accusing finger to the White Martian. "Not cool, man! Not cool!"

"Someone had to stop you from eating us out of stock and barrel," said the Martian Manhunter monotonously.

"Did you get everything?" said Batman abruptly.

"Yes," said the Martian Manhunter. She floated to the middle of the room and waved her hands across the air, bringing up a holographic screen with four profiles – three criminal mug shots and a high school photo. "Blight, Atomic Skull, Reactron, and Hazmat. Four supervillains, all with the ability to generate nuclear energy."

"Three supervillains and a confused kid," said Wolverine.

"Whatever," said Martian Manhunter indifferently. "Batman was right to be suspicious about today's occurrences. Four supervillains with exactly similar powers attacking on the same day in four different locations while known members of the Justice League were in the vicinity. And ignoring the different time zones, I can confirm that the attacks occurred simultaneously. This cannot be a mere coincidence."

"Yeah, Blight wasn't his usual arrogant self," said Batman. "He could have done a lot worse, but it looked like he was holding back. It's like he wanted to be beaten."

"Skull head didn't put up much of a fight either," said Speedy. "It's never been that easy to beat him before."

"So you think those were working together and lost on purpose," said Wolverine. "Why?"

"I don't know," said Batman uncertainty. "I think the best course of action is to…"

"Raven to Justice League Beyond!" At that moment, the side image of a woman with bright-white eyes and her face obscured by a deep-violet hood appeared on the side of the screen. "Raven to Justice League Beyond! Brother Blood and the Church of Blood have located the Jewel of Skath and are intending to break the wards of Trigon's seal! I need all the help I can get!"

"Raven, send all data on the seal's location," Batman commanded urgently. "All Justice League Beyond members coordinate around Raven's location. We can't let Brother Blood free Trigon!" Rave nodded in confirmation and disappeared. Batman whipped to his teammates, who were standing in attention. "Everyone, we are dealing with an Omega-Level threat. Trigon the Terrible – Raven's father – is an interdimensional demon capable of destroying hundreds of worlds. Long ago, Raven managed to seal away her father's power, but now Brother Blood is trying to free Trigon. If that happens, it's the Apokoliptian War all over again."

"Then instead of talking about it, let's move!" said Artemis. She could feel Batman glaring a hole in the back of her head. "You wanna keep frowning or do you wanna save the universe."

"Sweet," Speedy whispered to Impulse as they followed their mentors to the unknown doorway that was labeled "Authorized Personnel Only. "First a tour of the Metrotower and now a mission to save the universe. Could this day get any better?"

"Got any cheese pizza or bacon burgers in that thing?" asked Impulse, pointing to Speedy's quiver. Speedy raised a brow to her younger superhero friend. "What? I have a super metabolism."

Ignoring the every hungry speedster, Speedy followed close behind her green-clad mentor until they stopped in front of the forbidden entrance. Speedy and Impulse looked ready to explode from pure excitement, but Batgirl and Daken managed to maintain perfect composure – years of discipline go a long way. Once at the door, the small computer node hanging from the overhead activated and scanned the different members of the Justice League in a menacing-red light – Iron Man's design, obviously.

"Recognize!" The computer announced. "Batman – 02! Artemis – 08! Wolverine – 12! Flash – 04! Spoiler – 15! Martian Manhunter – 07! Access granted! Boom Tube transport functions now enabled!"

The scanner disappeared and the doors opened automatically to allow for the departing JLB members. Inside was rippling golden portal compressed by a silver ring known as the Boom Tube, an interplanetary transport tube that could travel anywhere in the world. Stronger, faster, and more functional than Zeta Beams, the Boom Tube a gift from the New Gods for defeating Darkseid years back.

No longer able to contain her excitement, Impulse did what she always does and jumped headlong into the rippling vortex. Unfortunately, the Flash snatched her by the nape of her costume, dangling her a few feet of the ground while the JLB members stared at her questionably

"And what do you think you're doing?"asked the Flash

"Going to…save the universe," said Impulse meekly like a child being scolded.

"Uh-uh! No way!" Artemis denied immediately. "This is official JLB business! We can't have sidekicks running around in the middle of a warzone! This is Trigon we're dealing with!"

"But we can help!" said Speedy

"You stay out of this!" said Batman harshly, causing many of the sidekicks to flinch. "I'm sorry I snapped at you guys, but you're just not ready for this kind of mission just yet. Trigon is as much of a threat as Darkseid or Dormammu. If he broke free, we can't risk you guys getting hurt. You're just not trained enough."

"But…you have trained us," said Batgirl softly, glancing away shyly under her mentor's gaze. "You taught us…to fight…to survive…to do what is…right. I…understand…that we might…not be ready…for this mission…but there must…be something…that we…can do. If…we cannot…use our gifts…to help…then what…is the point…of teaching us?"

"I…uh…" Batman stammered. How was he supposed to argue with that?

"Can you give us a moment?" asked Artemis.

Before he realized what happened, Batman was being dragged by his pointy ear to the corner by Artemis. She gestured the rest of the JLB heroes to huddle around, beginning a heated discussion between the members. Batgirl, Speedy, Impulse, and Daken waited on the other side of the room, watching the debate with interest. Speedy couldn't understand what they were saying, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Batgirl understood every word. She heard from Artemis that Batman's protégée had the ability to read body language to a point where she could understand what another person was thinking. Batgirl probably already knew the outcome before the JLB did

Discussions were short, probably because of the urgency of Trigon, but it didn't take long before the JLB members came to an agreement. Martian Manhunter and Spoiler stayed close to the Boom Tube transporter while the rest of them confronted their protégées.

"All right, we'll give you a mission," said Batman. He waited until Speedy and Impulse were done cheering before continuing. "But it's not the Trigon mission. As we said before, it's way too dangerous for you. So we've decided to give you another mission."

He gestured to Artemis, who constructed a holographic dossier. She handed the hard light construct to Batgirl, who immediately passed it to Speedy since she couldn't even understand the words on the front.

"The Justice League Beyond has received intelligence of an experimentation facility near Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada," said Artemis as Speedy flipped through the pages. "The facility was supposedly abandoned by the Canadian government for years, but two weeks ago, the Watchtower picked up a faint electrical charge coming from the area. We have reason to believe that someone may be using to continue the research going on there. We believe the reason we haven't picked up anything until now was because the facility is running on an independent power system."

"Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada?" said Impulse curiously. "Isn't that the place where they did…?"

"Project Weapon X," said Wolverine with a soft growl. "The same place where they did this…" The adamantium claws ripped through the skin of his knuckles, "to me. I thought I trashed the place last time I was there, but apparently they found a way to get things runnin' again. I was planning to investigate with Daken later, but we think you kids can handle this one."

"Thank you…very much," said Batgirl, bowing respectfully. "We will…not let…you down."

"Now hold up there, bub!" said Daken, leering angrily at the JLB. "So that's it! You don't want us getting in the way, so you saddle us up with some crappy investigation mission!" Batgirl covered Speedy's ears, who covered Impulse's ears, who blinked confused. "And what's this shit about me not being ready! I'm more than ready! In fact, I'm the oldest one here next to Logan, so don't give me that bull about not being ready!"

"Yes, you are older than almost everyone here," said Wolverine. "But you still act like a teenager with angst problems and you constantly argue with teammates and authority figures. Unless you learn to get your act together, you're not ready for the Justice League Beyond. Maybe working with these girls will teach you a thing or two about working with others."

"And have them drag me down to their level? Forget it," said Daken spitefully. Shooting one last sneer at them, he turned on his heel and marched toward the door. "You used to be one of the most badass guys in history, but the times have made you soft. I think it's you who needs to learn a thing or two, dad."

And with that comment, Daken left the Metrotower. A pause of awkward silence filled the room.

"That could have gone better," said the Flash jokingly.

"Word to the wise," said Wolverine, rubbing his eyes in irritation. "Never have kids you don't know about."

"Words to live by," said Artemis, smirking.

Cold Lake, Alberta – December 31, 13:23 MDT

The winters in Alberta could be a dangerous territory to a group of girls fresh from the states – especially for an archer from the warm California. The dead forest trees expanded in every direction, the pure, untouched snow-covered fields traveled for miles at a time, and the white-capped mountains shadowing them from above. The facility they were searching for was built into the closest mountain, giving off the feeling of abandonment. But even in this cold, heartless environment, there was still evidence of life in the area.

Soldiers dressing in full winter camouflage armed to the teeth were trudging through the deep snow surrounding the facility. Each member of the security force was distributed at points that would give them perfect visual of the area and be able to discern any potential intruders, whether it was human or animal. But in all likelihood, what idiot would even try to sneak into an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere during the coldest day of the year? But as one soldier patrol around the border of the forest…

"Ow!"

The winter soldier jumped with his gun loaded, swinging back and forth to find something to shoot. But much to his disappointment, there was nothing in sight – it must have been the wind. With a bored sigh, the soldier kept slogging on to complete his round. A full minute passed before the guard was out of sight and Batgirl, Speedy, and Impulse emerge from the snow, garbed in wintery versions of their standard uniforms.

Batgirl's costume was altered to be completely white with a silver utility belt and an icy-blue rimmed bat signal on her chest. Speedy 's costume was colored white with silver clasps over her forearms and shins, but abandoned her cape in favor a white parka with the furry hood; her weapons were also painted to match the environment. The red in Impulse's costume was shifted to pale-gray, the yellow bolts changed to an icy-blue, and she wore a woolly hat to cover her bright red hair.

"Way to go, genius," said Speedy in a low tone, dropping to the ground on her stomach. "You nearly got us caught."

"He stepped on my hand," Impulse whined.

"We're just lucky that Bats gave us this Polar Stealth," said Speedy, tugging at the sleeve of her jacket. "By the way, how did Batman know we would need this tech anyway? We just found out the mission an hour ago."

"Because...he is...Batman," said Batgirl like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She peered into her binoculars, examining the facility and the horde of guards standing between it and them. "Twenty-four men…fully armed… military-grade. Total border…is two miles…which equals…to four-hundred and forty feet…visual each."

"She can't even spell the word mathematics and yet she's a genius at it," said Impulse softly.

"Polar tech…should con…con…" Batgirl stammered hesitantly.

"Conceal us," said Speedy.

"Yes." Said Batgirl. "Polar Stealth…will do that…to a limit. If we…are seen…we will…be swarmed…in a matter…of minutes."

"I can just zip over and knock them out before they even see me," said Impulse.

"No," said Batgirl quickly. "Snow is…too deep. It will…slow you down…and...kick up. They will see…you coming."

"Then we're just gonna have to go in all stealthy-like," said Speedy excitedly, pushing up to her knees after checking that the coast was clear. "Follow my lead, girls."

"Why do we have to follow your lead?" asked Impulse.

"Because I'm the leader, duh," said Speedy obviously.

"When did that happen?" Impulse snapped angrily. "I would be a way better leader than you!"

"You?" said Speedy, snorting. "You're just an eight year old kid."

"So, you're only eleven," said Impulse.

This lead to a heated debate of leadership between the two preteens, an argument that Batgirl wisely took no part in. She was focused on the matter at hand: finding a way into the Weapon X facility and uncovering the secrets inside. Though the idea of another Weapon X seemed highly unlikely. From what she read, meaning Batman read it for her, the only one to have survived the process was Wolverine due to his regenerative healing factor. There were only a limited number of people with a healing ability on the same level as Logan and all of them were presently accounted for by the JLB. If they were working on a new project, the girls needed to uncover it quickly. But unknown to the girls, the forest was littered with security cameras hidden in the trees, one of which was locked on Batgirl

Deep within the facility laboratories, work still needed to be done. The solution to adamantium decomposition and its effectiveness to biological merging was still a controversial problem, one this scientist intended to resolve. Doctor Zander Rice had spent many years of his life researching the Weapon X Project ever since his father worked in the original experiment that made Wolverine the invincible monster he was now.

But there was one thing that was constantly interfering with his plans: his sympathetic research partner, Doctor Sarah Kinney. The woman was without a doubt a gifted geneticist, but her moral integrity was a constant annoyance that hindered their progress. Her emotional attachment to their latest experiment was going to set them back for years if these practices continued. But she had a purpose and she would only remain as long as she served it. The partnering researchers were in the middle of studying their project on biological bonding when they were interrupted when two of their hired forces walked into the room, once again unannounced.

The first of them was a woman with, in most men's opinion, a bombshell body and wavy-blond hair that touched down to her waist. She wore a red, white, and blue costume with a white star stamped on her chest, and a white capital 'A' one her mask. She always wore red knee-length boots and matching gloves with star disks. Her weapon of choice was a red, white, and blue shield with a white star in the center. (Shannon Carter – American Dream)

The other was a dark-skinned woman with shoulder-length black hair and venomous-green eyes. Her attire consisted of a silvery-gray unitard with black-striped siding, a hole over her bosom, and three silver stripes on her leggings. She also wore a pair of silver boots with grey cuffs, a pair of black elbow-length gloves with white bands, and a black belt with a golden clasped buckle. (Kimura)

"What did I tell you about barging in American Dream?" said Dr. Rice annoyed, never leaving his microscope.

"To…stop?" said American Dream slowly.

"And yet, here you are." Dr. Rice sneered, wheeling himself around. "You better have a good excuse this time."

"Security footage has picked up three intruders within the perimeter of the base," said American Dream, constructing a holographic image of the footage. "All three are in costume, but none that we could classify. They all appear to be wearing winter camouflage. But just by their height and body shape, we assume the biggest one is a teenager accompanied by two minors – all female."

"It appears a couple of girl scouts have lost their way," said Dr. Rice tauntingly, returning to his work. "Kimura, please be a dear and eliminate those brats, would you? I already have enough problems with children these days."

"You can't do that!" said Dr. Kinney sharply. Dr. Rice and Kimura did not hide their expressions of disdain. "Doctor, they're only children. Don't you think sending Kimura is a little much?"

"They're costumed freaks," said Dr. Rice. "No doubt they are associated with other heroes like the Titans. If those superpowered monstrosities caught wind of our plans, everything we have done in the last fourteen years would be ruined. Especially if Wolverine knew about the project."

"Bu they're still only kids," said Dr. Kinney. "I know you enjoy the idea of killing them, but there is a more productive way. Why not send American Dream to convince them to leave? Everyone trusts American Dream – she's courteous, honest, and the leader of the New Avengers. They'll listen to her." Dr. Rice only grimaced. He was always like that when he didn't get his way. "If you hurt those girls, then other heroes will find out and they will tear this lab apart to find them."

"Fine…," said Dr. Rice in irritated manner. "American Dream, please show our guests the way out."

"Yes, sir," said American Dream, saluting before she left.

"Well, this sucks," said Kimura disappointedly. "I was hoping to see a little action in this boring place. There's nothing mildly entertaining to do around her…except 'playing' with that little weasel down in the vault. I tell ya, the brat has a nice pair of lungs." She started walking to the door with a dark grin. "You know what, I think I'm gonna head down there right now. Maybe rips out a few of toenails and a couple strands of hair. But especially the teeth, that really sets her off."

"Leave her alone!" Dr. Kinney yelled furiously as she stood up, throwing her chair down in a clatter. "She didn't do anything to deserve this! She's just a…"

"A perfect weapon," said Dr. Rice coldly. "That abomination is a weapon and nothing more. And as such, that…thing needs to learn proper discipline if we are going to maintain control over it. Kimura, make sure to make today's lessons is…memorable." Kimura grinned sadistically as she walked out of the room with a spring in her step. Dr. Kinney moved to stop her, but Dr. Rice pulled her roughly by the arm. "Listen and listen well, doctor. You're only still around because our director thinks you're useful. Personally, I think your sentimental attachments to our subjects are enough to get you fired, but the director feels otherwise. But know this: If you keep getting in my way, I will have to inform the director that you have suffered a…unfortunate accident. Do I make myself clear?"

A typical death threat, one she had heard many times. Dr. Kinney wasn't foolish enough to think he wouldn't go through with it; Dr. Rice was more than willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goals. Though Zander Rice prided himself as a dedicated researcher, he seemed to have his own personal reasons for being involved. He was particularly hostile towards their latest research project and Dr. Kinney could only do so much to protect it. Dr. Kinney had two choices now: continue working and act like nothing happened or do the right thing and risk getting her neck snapped by Kimura.

"Yes, sir," said Dr. Kinney lowly.

Oh, how her heart ached.

(1) – Based on her appearance in Titans Tomorrow.

And there is the second chapter of the Birds of Prey. It's still a little early and there is a lot of other aspects that need to be changed, but things will get better along the way. In the next chapter, for those who don't already know, will be centered on the history of Weapon X and the first fight of the story. I will no doubt be making a lot of changes there, so look forward to it.

Birds of Prey Profile

Name: Speedy
Real Name: Mia Dearden-Grayson
Aliases: Arrowette
Designation: B02
Age: 11
Relatives: Unidentified father (abandoned), Isabella Mahkent-Grayson (Mother), Artemis (Sister), Red X (Brother), Dick Grayson (Paternal Grandfather), Artemis, Cameron Mahkent (Maternal Grandparents), Bruce Wayne (Paternal Great-Grandfather)
Mentor/Partner(s): Artemis
Affiliation(s): Team Arrow, Birds of Prey, Batman Inc.
Occupation: Student, Volunteer nurse
Powers/Abilities:
- Expert Marksmanship
- Physical Peak of Human Condition
- Latent Leadership Skills
Notes:
- HIV positive
- Most Dedicated
- Cool and Confident