I don't own DC.

Chapter 11—

Boy Wonder hated Happy Harbour, in broad daylight and so close to the head quarters of the recently established team not far enough away. However, he hated T. more. While he had studied Aerokinesis since it was the power of Red Tornado, he had learnt quickly that he just wasn't a fan. Now this Mister Twister was raiding the Harbour's power plant, trying to attract Red Tornado no less. He had been following their work after delving deep in the leaguer's past and finding his was created by the scientist who had once set out to infiltrate the Justice Society of America.

Aware of the danger it put Batman in, he had looked in to find he was bed-ridden with a duplicate continuing the work. And that duplicate had created this opponent, of which he battled. He dodged the whirlwinds, reminiscing of his thoughts for a cape. It would look so cool, oh well. He refused to answer the robots taunts and just concentrated on taking it out to study the components. Batman had taught a little more on computers and he was fascinated. After slipping from the robots vision, he waited for him to become satisfied with getting rid of him.

Since becoming Batman's protégé, two years previously, he'd learnt a lot and the press were none the wiser. Between them they'd call him by a different name, not Trace no, he'd never like that name. He was Robin; a name his mother gave him after how fell he flew on a trapeze. He'd been given a new suit too, the changes were subtle but his boots and gloves were spotted by the press, since the new gloves now had a computer in them. Fan girls had added hacking to the list of talents he had. He agreed with them on one thing though, he needed a cape.

Pulling a bat-a-rang from his belt after running out of his own ammo, he aimed for the robots back when it was turned; it would hit the vulnerable seems of the back panel, leaving the circuits open and electricity bat-a-rang would short the whole thing out. Batman had handed him the smaller weapons to help him extend his ammunition choices and he found it useful at least. He threw.

"Certainly this will get the required attention."

"You've got ours, full and undivided." A voice called, making Mister Twister turn and weapon bounced of its shoulder.

Glaring, Trace turned to where a young redhead was running up. "Kid Flash." Boy Wonder cursed as he watched the speedster in civvies and merely goggles flipped and bounced off the robot.

"Immaterial and insufficient; you are a distraction I can no longer tolerate." It replied.

Close behind, a boy landed from a jump beside him, bellowing in rage as he did so, he wore the iconic 's' symbol and yet was not Superman but a boy and one Trace had not seen before; he wasn't even aware Superman had a son. Must be the Cadmus clone. Boy Wonder slipped back into a shadow of one of the houses and watched them fight.

"…twice the firepower…"

"…so you believe in this…"

"…he left me for my…"

"…the mysterious Boy Wonder…"

"we can be sure Romans…"

"Stop, go back." Artemis broke from the book she was reading and stared at the TV.

Wally flicked back a channel after surfing for two minutes; he had liberated the TV from Connor's static to look for something 'good on'. He hadn't found anything and so didn't complain when Artemis ordered for the news channel to be put on. He just chucked her the remote and joined M'gann in the kitchen as she baked a fresh batch of his favourite snack. Meanwhile the archer fumbled for the right channel and finally found it before abandoning the remote as she became engrossed with the news.

"Gotham is eluded once more as this mysterious vigilante is leaving criminals tied up with their crime inked on their foreheads. He is definitely leaving his mark. Although he sticks to the shadows, he had cropped the crime-rate by almost a third over these four years…"

"What are they on about?" Asked Connor. "I thought Batman patrolled Gotham."

"He does," Artemis hissed back, "but Boy Wonder is the greatest child hero of all time, surely Cadmus taught you about him. No? Then listen, he's awesome."

"Mac Brent survived a murder attempt thanks to Boy Wonder, he describes the night. Mr. Brent, did you see Boy Wonder?" The reporter asked the balding man.

"Yes, it was like a shadow sprung to life and took my attacker down. I saw the fight; he back-flipped back when the murder tried kick him off. Then, as soon as the murder was at his feet Boy Wonder jumped into karate kick and knocked him out. I just watched as he left his mark on the forehead, then he glanced back at me."

"So you saw his face?"

Artemis leant forward for the answer.

"It was dark in the alley but I saw the whites of the mask, he didn't wear a cape though; his clothes were ordinary and black, his grey trainers and pale skin were the only colours that made him stand out from the darkness."

"Would agree with many other rumours? Do you think he's Batman's sidekick?"

Artemis scoffed and leant back, "No, he wouldn't trust his own shadow, he's wouldn't trust someone just as untrusting as him; he only works with Batman sometimes."

"You seem to like him, Artemis." M'gann whispered sitting beside the blonde archer.

"I have a fan-girl shrine in my bedroom. I can't help but giggle at is name. Yeah, I like him. He inspired me to use my talent for the better; going through the rough patch of family life, there was a hero I could relate to."

"Wasn't he the first young hero?" Connor mused.

"Yeah, without him, we wouldn't be in the field."

"I thought KF was the first sideki-partner."

"No, I'm the first out of us. Boy Wonder inspired me too actually." The red-head nodded with a mouth full.

"So you and Artemis have something in common." Kaldur pointed out, hoping it was the end of their feud.

"I heard everyone in school talking about him; I thought he was fictional." M'gann settled back in her seat.

"I've met him." Wally waited for a reaction.

"You haven't." Artemis gasped disbelievingly and turned to him where he leant on the kitchen island.

"I ran into him, quite literally when Mirror Master teamed up with Riddler. I said sorry and then recognised him; I told he was awesome and my idol. I must have been speed-talking because he just said 'stop'. Then he swiped my legs from under me to knock me onto my back."

"He left his mark on you didn't he?" Artemis asked, already giggling at the thought of her idol knocking over the annoying speedster in one move. He turned to Connor and Kaldur to fill them in, "He writes a criminal's offence on his forehead and leaves him unconscious for the police. They call it leaving his mark; the only way they know Boy Wonder's caught them and not the Batman. They say it takes days of scrubbing for the ink to come off."

"Three days; thank god it was a holiday."

Artemis laughed harder and almost would have fallen off her chair if M'gann hadn't pulled her back. Artemis gulped air and asked, "What did he write on you?"

Wally rolled his eyes, "He wrote 'Motor mouth'."

Connor chuckled and Artemis gave in to the laughing fit, M'gann felt their joy and found it contagious. Wally was just embarrassed; he looked to Kaldur for support but the Atlantean was smiling to but only because the team was bonding over the conversation.

At first he had thought their team had a lot of work to do after the many mistakes he, Kid Flash and Artemis made saving Superboy. While M'gann's arrival meant KF had a distraction, their team was without training or experience. He had been a hero for two years and Kid Flash the same. However, M'gann, Connor and Artemis had only a few weeks. If they could look up to this Boy Wonder who had been serving for twice as long as he had then maybe they would learn themselves.

He'd seen the elevator and they'd followed to a labyrinth of genetic and forbidden science. After forcing the doors open, they'd had seconds to climb down before sirens wailed. They'd been spotted immediately but they needed their 'Special weapon' to take them down. With a few words from Aqualad and he had freed them. Kid Flash had nearly died twice and Aqualad had broken nine ribs, even with his Atlantean durability. It had been a failure with only Superboy being a silver lining; nevertheless, they were now a team to make their own names.

"Recognised Batman 02."

"Finally," murmured Wally and zipped to greet the Dark Knight first, "we are all ready for our first official mission. Wait, who will be leader?"

"Work it out among yourselves." He replied gruffly in time for everyone else to hear as they entered also. "Team…."

He knew they had been talking of Boy Wonder, the said kid had hit the news like a storm once again and even though he hid because he didn't want the fame, without knowing it he was becoming more famous than the League. He had to see what they thought and knew about him, that was why he checked the camera. Canary was present too to assess how the kids were bonding—quite well, was her conclusion. However, Batman looked for something else.

Artemis seemed to react just like any teenage girl in the country or possibly world for him. Wally was similar and had met him, his retelling made Batman and Canary chuckle. Batman reminisced how his recent partner, now ward, had humiliated the speedster. Connor had at least heard of him but knew little as did M'gann and Kaldur only commented on the team, not the topic of discussion; the Caped Crusader had to rethink his plan considering the team's reaction to him. He would ask Boy Wonder first of course, for his reactions to the team.

After years of working on the street, BW was able to gauge a person's ability at first glance and change it during battle as any weakness or strengths were shown. His ability to adapt and predict were beyond many League members, making him as dangerous as he was. That was only because desperation drove him that way; Batman only never noted it because the boy seemed sensitive of who he trusted with his vulnerability—he didn't like being reminded of his emotional weakness which was a struggle when Bruce wanted him to talk about it to become stronger.

However, he kept an eye out. He might have survived on the street for years with still a struggle for food and a warm and safe place to sleep. How many times had Batman led him back to the cave to treat him for severe hypothermia over the years between establishing the partnership and the adoption? How many times had he been so hungry that he accepted one of Batman's constant offerings of food? Not to mention the dangerous work of a vigilante. Batman had been the only connection to be had, the only person he would talk and work with. Batman had the only person to notice if the boy died of the many problems he faced.

Boy Wonder knew it too, and was silently grateful. Alfred home schooled him because it was clear Richard was not ready for the sudden social interaction. That was why Batman wanted him on the team, in his Boy Wonder persona; he was stronger, more composed, if he was introduced to connections such as team-mates in his secure personality as Boy Wonder then it may improve Richard's confidence and self-esteem.

"Canary?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to see if I can recruit a sixth member."

"You should introduce him to the League first, then their team leader, whoever they agree to take the role."

She answered almost as if she knew what he was thinking. Of course, he had specifically skipped to the camera footage of the conversation concerning him. Either he was becoming more readable, or…no it was obvious.