Young Justice: Everymen

Collateral Damage

Disclaimer: Young Justice belongs to Greg Weismann, Brandon Vietti, Cartoon Network, and DC Comics.

The Oxford Comma belongs to Oxford (clearly) but I rather like to use it.

21:22 31 December 2011 Hall of Justice

I heard a scream. It rattled my ears and a white flash of pain seared through my body and enveloped my mind. This pain wasn't mine; my body was uninjured. But then I heard more screams coming from my friends as they too felt the pain. Someone was hurt and everyone was hurting. Like an umbilical chord being cut, the mind link severed. Their voices, their presence all disappeared.

I was alone. It was like I was in a glass jar completely cut off.

It wasn't like that on Mars. We'd all be together- connected- sharing our thoughts, emotions, fears. It helped us live together peacefully.

But everyone in pain wasn't going to help us stop the League. So I cut off the connection. One friend in pain was hard enough to bear. I needed to change.

If it's one thing I've learned about Earth is that they can adapt to every situation. I've watched it happen. I've seen how resourceful the species is as a whole.

And for now, anyway, I was one of them. I was an honory human. And while it was difficult for me to stop sharing my mind, I adapted. I had to.

15:44 7 December 2019 New York City

For some, it's a lot easier.

"Maybe I should have thought this through," Cassie muttered as she dove for cover behind the jewelry counter. Bullets rattled and bore into the walls as the robber's guns discharged in her direction.

She had been just walking past the the jewelry store, minding her own business, when the alarm bells had sounded and she saw two robbers with guns making the customers stand down so that they could get the goods. And well, she had to do something.

Drawing away their fire from one protesting customer, she had dove behind the counter to get cover when she saw the cashier crouched underneath as well.

"Get your own hiding spot," the cashier hissed over the sound of gun fire. She tried to nudge Cassie away with her foot. A stray bullet hit the glass casing and shattered the glass. The cashier stopped and put her arms over her head.

Bitch. Cassie rolled her eyes. And her ears perked up. No more gunfire. Glancing around the counter, she saw her chance before they reloaded.

Quickly, she jumped up as she saw them fumbling for another magazine. Taking no more time, she ripped the cash register and jewelry counter out of the floor and hurled it towards the assailants.

She watched as the counter and cash register tumble through the air and take the first robber with them as he smashed into the second robber. They fell down with a groan.

The cashier gasped at her sudden exposure and crawled away. Cassie grinned. Served her right.

"Take that!" Cassie said loudly, jumping up and punching the air. Like they could one-up her. The men looked shocked for a moment and then scrambled around for their guns.

Then, bearing down, she flew full-force at them and gave them both a knock to the head just to make sure they were out cold.

Ripping out the store's carpeting and tearing it into strips, she tied up the robbers. She stepped back and took a look at her handiwork, rather satisfied with herself.

Robbers stopped? Check. People safe? Check. Nothing stolen? Check.

"I'm sorry boys, but that's what you get. Shoot things at me and I'll..." She paused for a moment looking for the right witty remark. Shoot stuff back at them? Beat them up? Best them up.

"... And I'll shoot you up." She paused still grinning and then realized what she had said. That wasn't right. "...yeah."

Looking around, she saw the customers with their phones out recording her.

"Err... Gotta go!" Cassie said and snatched up her backpack (she had dropped it when she had heard the alarm bells) and ran out of the store. With a small jump, she was airborne and flew up, up, and away.

High above the rooftops, she heard the police sirens and knew that cops had arrived at the jewelry store. She smiled, despite her embarrassment. Not bad for her first armed robbery. Maybe this would give the cops the credibility she deserved. Like Wonder Woman had, she thought wistfully. When she was little, Cassie had once seen the hero fight Ares in Manhattan. She had talked civilly to the cops afterward.

Cassie smiled as she remembered watching the Amazon fight. Cassie needed some of those bullet proof bracelets; it would have made today so much easier. She winced as the cold air stung her calf were a stray bullet had grazed her. And some leg protectors, too.

Cassie banked left and headed home at a leisurely pace.

"As the police came to the scene of the armed robbery, they were surprised to find the robbers apprehended and the hostages safe. The police think that this is the work from the over-enthusiastic, unidentified meta known as "collateral damage girl". Collateral Damage Girl has been a very active meta since her first appearance a year ago when Queens was attacked by inter-dimensional harpies. Here is some amateur footage from the robbery..."

"Mom, I'm home!" Cassie shouted, as she slammed the front door of their apartment.

Her mother looked up from the kitchen television and to her unexpected house guest. "You sure you want her for your Institute? I admit she's powerful but she lacks the finesse. She didn't even get her abilities from the Everyman Project. She got them in a car wreck-"

"An interesting story, I'm sure. But let me assure you, she can learn restraint later. It's rare that we come across a meta with such... developed abilities as hers," The businessman leaned closer towards Mrs. Sandsmark. "Let's be very clear. I don't make house calls. You don't want your daughter to be harmed, do you?"

If Mrs. Sandsmark was scared, she didn't show it. She had raised Cassie on her own without any help. She had faced much more pain than this rich guy ever had. And, dammit, if he so much as threatened her family...

"Cassie!" she shouted. "Visitor here for you!"

Cassie poked her head into the kitchen. She saw a tall, bald man in an expensive looking suit sitting at the kitchen table with her fuming mother.

"So this is Collateral Damage Girl?" The man stood up and offered Cassie his hand. "I am very pleased to meet you. I have held an interest in you and your activities for quite a time now. I was quite a fan of the time you helped save a burning apartment building and accidentally flooded building next door."

"That was her, too?" Cassie's mother put her head in her hands and sighed.

Cassie frowned. Who was this freak? "Mom..?"

The man chuckled. "I forgot to introduce myself. How careless of me. My name is Lex Luthor and how would you like to become a part of my Everyman Institute?"

Next on Everymen: Initiation.

AN: Okay, I lied about introducing Tim to Cassie in this chapter. It broke up nice and cleanly if I stopped it right here. The chapters will also start being longer.

Thanks to all the reviews! And to the anon, thanks for all the info about Lex Luthor's altruism. It was fascinating. Also, I changed the amount of meta-humans in the US to be about 5%. It is a significant drop, but one in twenty is still substantial.