A/N: THIS IS IMPORTANT! I apply to the headcanon that Mt. Justice was rebuilt after the events in Invasion. I know it didn't happen from the snippets shown of the future and probably won't ever happen, but it's important for this chapter nonetheless.
Avery watched with wide eyes as person after person filed into the room. She had been told that there was an entire team, but she hadn't known there'd be that many. She mentally counted ten people in the room, not including herself.
Nightwing asked, "Mal and Karen?"
A green skinned girl with short red hair responded, "They're taking a personal day."
A green skinned, what could assumed to be guy, with large red eyes walked up beside a green skinned girl, "What's your name, Minnow?"
Avery shuffled in place slightly and pushed the rims of her glasses back up her nose then quietly said, "My name is Avery."
Robin held in a scoff, "Don't tell me you're shy, Sunshine."
Nightwing leaned in next to Tim and whispered, "You already have a nickname for her? Nice going little bro."
"I am not shy. I just have never been around a group of super powered people that could take me down within seconds if I say the wrong thing," Avery hissed at the younger bird.
A black haired boy with a red Superman insignia on his chest chuckled, "Don't worry, we're all friends here. I'm Conner by the way, otherwise known as Superboy."
Avery smiled her thanks and let everyone take their turns introducing themselves.
"I'm Wonder Girl, or Cassie," Said a blonde girl.
A small green skinned boy with a slightly monkey-ish appearance took his turn next, "Garfield, or Gar sometimes. But I'm also Beast Boy."
The green fish-boy said, "I'm La'gaan, Lagoon Boy on missions."
The green skinned girl next to La'gaan went next, "I'm M'gann, or Megan if it's easier. Otherwise I'm Miss Martian."
A girl with red hair spoke, "I'm Barbra, Batgirl when in costume."
Jamie spoke up from the sidelines, "You already know me, Blue Beetle by the way, but Big Mouth here," He pointed at the boy who called Avery White Eternal, "Is Impulse, or Bart when we're in civvies."
Bart shook his head enthusiastically while he still had his hands covering his mouth.
Nightwing took his turn to speak again, "You'll meet Mal and Karen when they get back. But for now, this is the Team. And we're currently in our base/living quarters. You'll be staying here too."
Avery cocked her head to the side, "You all live here?"
"No," Nightwing clarified, "Not all of us, but we do all have a room here to ourselves for when we wanna crash after late missions and such. You do too now."
The newbie to the Team nodded in understanding. She turned to the group, "Thank you for having me on your team. I will try my best."
M'gann smiled widely, "We're sure you will."
Conner looked at Avery with a piercing gaze, "So what are your powers?"
Avery sent an unsure look to Nightwing, who in turn nodded in encouragement, "I have rapid regenerative abilities," The girl condensed.
Robin shook his head, "She's being modest. Last night she was able to come back from a bullet to the head."
The bird was met with curious glances that quickly got turned to Avery. She rubbed her neck with her left hand out of nervousness. Doing so caused her left sleeve to slide down her arm a bit. Just barely showing a bit of the black numbers hiding under the fabric.
La'gaan asked, "What's on your arm?"
Avery quickly moved her arm straight down to her side so the sleeve would go back down. "Ah, that is just something I wrote on my arm," She lied easily. In the past that was her most common lie for the tattoo.
Nightwing choose that moment to interrupt so as not to reveal anything on accident, "We can all ask Avery whatever we want later. No mission today so everyone's free to do whatever. Robin," He addressed his younger "brother", "Could you show Avery to her room? It's gonna be the spare next to yours actually. Thanks."
Robin could tell there was no way he was getting out of the task. But what annoyed him to his core was that his next door neighbor would be Avery, permanently. "Sure," He ground out. He then walked down a hallway with Avery left to follow behind him.
Everyone left to do what they wished, but Nightwing grabbed Impulse by the collar and made him stay in place until everyone left the room.
"You already know everything about her, don't you?" Nightwing questioned the younger boy.
"Yeah," The boy responded easily.
"I'm going to make this clear right now. You are not to say anything about her past to anyone on the Team until Avery decides to tell everyone herself. It was her one condition for joining and I'd rather not break it," Nightwing snapped into the firm leader he's supposed to be.
Bart snapped into a salute, "Yes sir!" With that he sped off.
Nightwing sighed and wondered how long Bart's agreement in the situation was going to last.
Back with Robin and Avery, the two were going through the halls with Robin pointing out what room was who's until they finally stopped in front of a door. "This one's yours," The bird said.
With a press of a button the metal door slid to the side and revealed a room that was almost empty. There was a full sized bed on a metal frame fitted in the left corner and just across from the door. Besides the bed there was a mahogany bookshelf and desk complete with chair against the right wall. Just to the right of the edge of the desk were two closed doors. The far wall of the room was jagged from the brown rock it was made of. The three other flat walls were a startling white. There were no windows in the room, just a single bare light bulb installed in the ceiling.
Avery took a step in the room slowly, then another and another until she was standing in the center. "This is wonderful!" She cried out happily.
"It's just your room," Robin leaned against the doorway.
"Exactly, I have never had my own room before, that is why this is so wonderful," Avery pointed out.
Robin raised an eyebrow, "You've never had a room to yourself?"
"No, I have always had another person in the room. First it was siblings, and then others as time progressed. Well, if I was not sleeping in a gutter at the time."
"Siblings?" Robin questioned.
"I have a brother who is five years older than me and I had a sister two years older than me. Being the youngest child had its benefits though, even if I did not have my own room."
"So you have a brother but you had a sister. Is he still alive?"
"Yes, he left to America before the war reached us. He started his own family here. I have kept tabs on them for a while. So by that I know he is still alive, although he is confined to a hospital bed at this point in time. My sister regrettably died in the camp we were confined to," Avery held a remorseful expression on her face.
"Does he know you're alive?"
"No, and he will die believing that I died along with my sister and father in that camp."
Robin stepped in the door and it closed behind him, "Why not tell him? It would be pretty great to know part of your family's still alive," He asked with force.
"In a way, I did die in that camp. Besides, I am not about to go to him and let him think he has finally gone senile with old age. He would still see the fifteen year old I have been frozen as."
"So that justifies him thinking that you're dead?" The bird asked like it was the stupidest concept he'd ever heard.
"Birdy, this is not your matter to interfere in," Avery growled with finality.
"I'm just saying-" He was cut off.
"I should not have even mentioned my family. That was my mistake, stop talking now or I will be forced to make another," The black haired girl warned in a low voice.
"Is that a threat?" Robin challenged.
Three quick raps resounded off the door. They could hear Nightwing's voice from outside it, "I come bearing gifts!"
Avery brushed past Robin with a scowl and opened the door, "Yes?" She tried to sound polite.
Nightwing held out a small pile of folded clothes, "The girls put some clothes together for you until you can get your own. They might be a little big," He took note of Avery's shorter stature compared to the other girls on the Team, "But it's the best we've got right now." The team leader put them in Avery's extended arms and invited himself into her room.
"Yes, do come in," She muttered as the door slid closed.
"Alright, there's just a few things to cover here," Nightwing started off as he sat in the desk chair. "Bart knows who you are. He's agreed to keep his mouth shut, but we don't know how long that'll last. And the story with you writing on your arm isn't going to last for long. Really, the odds for your past staying a secret aren't in your favor."
"Sadly, I figured as much," Avery agreed.
"You still get to choose when you get to tell and how, but really, the sooner the better."
Avery nodded in response.
"Okay, and basic rules now. The kitchen is open to everyone, as is the living room, training room and etcetera. You're not supposed to go in anyone else's room after ten p.m. And if you have to go in anyone's room anyways, just ask first. There's the obvious 'no telling anyone you're a hero' rule. But you won't need that just yet. And specifically to you, you aren't allowed to leave here unless you're with someone on the Team or one of the Leaguers. So if you want to go to the mall or something just ask someone around here, they'll probably go with you. Although you're allowed to go to the secluded beach we have in case you're going a little stir crazy."
"So I am basically under house arrest?" She pondered.
"Yup, it won't be forever though, so no worries."
"Is that all?"
"Just one more thing. The girls want to take you to the mall this afternoon to go shopping for a more permanent wardrobe and anything you'd like for your room. Think of it as a girls' day. You can shower in there," He jerked a thumb at one of the doors, which must be a bathroom, "And then go talk to them about when you want to leave."
"There is only one problem. I do not have any money."
Nightwing got a wicked smile on his face, "Your shopping trip will be funded by Batman. Feel free to go wild."
"I will keep that in mind," Avery smirked.
A/N: Semi-long chapter with this quick update. Goodness gracious, I swear I don't mean to write so much angsty stuff when Robin and Avery talk. It just happens whenever they're talking one on one. I don't mean to! Well, I'm gonna go watch YJ (hiatus is finally over!) now, have a nice day.
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