Bonus Scene 0 - Meeting
A red gloved hand descended onto the brunette's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as the girl nervously smoothed out her white blouse and looked at her surroundings in awe. "Don't worry, Brianna. The team is very welcoming. I've seen them in action," Captain Atom said reassuringly to his student. Brianna still looked uncertain and had her arms folded protectively.
Black Canary stepped forward and gave Brianna a smile, "The team is out for a routine patrol at the moment, they will be back in a bit. Meanwhile, you can make yourself at home." The brunette returned the smile with a small grin and began to explore the vast briefing room in front of her. There was a hologram of a map right in the middle of the room and it revealed a set of dots moving around the area.
"That's the team?" Brianna asked, pointing towards the hologram.
A rough, deep voice replied, "Indeed. You will join them on their patrols once Black Canary deems you ready for the field." The ever stoic Batman seemed to glare straight into Brianna's soul and she looked away awkwardly.
"She trained with me, I'm sure she's quite prepared," Captain Atom intervened rather protectively as he stood beside the girl.
Immediately, Batman turned and placed a finger on his ear. There was a brief silence before The Dark Knight replied an affirmative and addressed everyone at the scene. "We are needed. You will stay here and wait for the team and the league to return." He pointed at the brunette sternly and Brianna could only nod, overwhelmed by his presence. Her mentor waved a farewell to her as the adults stepped into the tube to be whisked away to an unknown location.
She was all alone now and that made her both relieved and scared at the same time. The former since she was no longer under the imposing glare of The Batman and the latter as she was unsure what future she was going to have with this team of teenagers… There was nothing more to do at the moment but to explore and her feet carried her aimlessly in one direction until she stumbled on what appeared to be a kitchen and a TV lounge. At least she did not have to worry about going hungry.
Brianna continued down a corridor, feeling a little more at ease in what was soon going to be her new home. She should not have to be afraid of a cave if she was to live in it. It seemed she had stumbled onto the sleeping quarters as she saw an orange door with a sign "M'gann" outside and a black door with a lone red "S" symbol engraved on it. The rest of the doors were a uniform blue and she guessed that they were empty. Maybe she could take the room beside the one with the orange door.
During her lone exploration of the cave, Brianna failed to notice that the team had returned and that the computer had informed them to her authorized presence in the cave. "A new member? That's wonderful!" Miss Martian clapped her hands with glee and immediately took off towards her bedroom where the computer said the stranger was.
"M'gann, wait!" Aqualad said, a little too late as the red headed alien neared the brunette girl standing in the middle of the corridor.
"Hi there! You must be our new teammate!" Miss Martian flew in front of Brianna, giving the poor girl a huge fright as she punched fire towards the humanoid in self-defence. M'gann let out a piercing shriek as the flames licked her skin, dropping to the ground to extinguish the fire and the poor brunette was horrified at what she had done. It was too late, Superboy was charging down the corridor with boiling rage in his eyes and the pyro was frozen to the spot in fear.
A yellow blur sped towards Brianna, lifting her off her feet and away from the furious boy with the "S" on his black shirt. "Superboy, stop!" Kaldur'ahm ran after the Kryptonian and collided into him, knocking him off course.
Conner growled, "She hurt M'gann!" He struggled against the Atlantean's vice grip and roared at the girl in Kid Flash's arms.
"I… I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Brianna yelled hysterically as Robin checked on Miss Martian who was breathing hard and perspiring.
"She's alright," The Boy Wonder said as he walked towards Wally and Superboy immediately relaxed. Coming to a stop in front of his best friend, he whispered an apology to the tearful girl in the speedster's hold, "I'm sorry."
The world became black for Brianna as Robin knocked her out with a pressure point.
"I cannot believe you knocked my student unconscious!" Captain Atom said furiously as he stormed up and down the infirmary, looking down at Brianna who was still in dreamland.
The Boy Wonder stood in front of the man confidently, "I'm sorry but she was close to becoming unhinged and I did it for her own safety."
Though Robin's words were true, Nathaniel Adams frowned a little as he looked at his unconscious protégé. How can he face her parents after this?! He promised to take her under his wing and train her safely but she had got hurt without even going for her first mission.
Brianna stirred and let out a moan as she opened her eyes. "Bri, how are you feeling?" The Captain asked and the pyro replied with some difficulty, "A little sore on my neck but I'm unharmed, Capt." She sat up slowly and massaged her neck before realizing the infirmary was a lot more crowded than she thought it was.
Her eyes darted toward the green Martian girl and she panicked, "I am so very sorry, miss! I know fire is dangerous but I never meant to hurt anyone! I should have taken a good look before I struck out."
M'gann gave Brianna a reassuring smile and stepped forward, clasping her hand. "Apology accepted, Brianna. I'm sorry too. I should not have sneaked up on you like that."
The brunette heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at Batman, all embarrassed. She inhaled and stood up, facing the caped crusader and speaking softly. "I understand if my actions today do not allow me to join the team, Sir."
"Your reflexes are impressive but you require more experience. I believe you will be able to get that while training with the rest. Mistakes are part of life and as long as you learn from them, I am certain that you will not repeat it again. I trust Captain Atom's judgement in character and therefore, I trust you. Welcome to the team."
Brianna was speechless as she stared at Batman with her jaw slightly agape. Her mentor gave her a pat on the back while her new teammates surrounded her and gave their introductions.
"Don't worry, beautiful. I will show you the ropes." Wally boasted as he draped an arm over her shoulder while she just stood there taking it all in.
"We are a family here, Brianna. Do come to us if you require any assistance." The blonde Atlantean shook her hand and the brunette finally let it sink in that she was part of the team.
"T… thank you." The new journey ahead might be difficult but she believed that everything would turn out fine with the support of her new family. What she did not know was that in a couple of months, one of her teammates would be thinking of her as more than a family member…
Author's Note: No one has reviewed? I guess my writing isn't interesting? *sad*
Anyway, just decided to update with two chapters since I've already completed them. I had to write scene 0 since the scenario was in my head for quite a long time. Figured this would be a nice time to insert the bonus chapter after Brianna acknowledges Kaldur's feelings.