Sorry I'm late. Didn't have the chapter finished on Friday, and was gone all of Saturday, then didn't have time on the computer yesterday.
So here I am!
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Guest review:
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Kim: He really would hate that, wouldn't he? Glad you enjoyed it :)
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Disclaimer: Yep, I own the sky, and the grass, and the internet, and- (cops break down my door) gotta run! DON'T OWN THINGS! You'll get sent to the bad place! O_O
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Chapter 16
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Mount Justice
May 22, 16:23 EDT
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Black Canary had gathered the Team for training, but it was clear to everyone that they were all distracted. Kid Flash beat Miss Martian, something that rarely happened, and this time only because M'gann dropped her telekinesis when Troia leaned over to whisper something in Zatanna's ear. Artemis accidentally fired off an exploding arrow at Rocket, whose shield protected her, but the resulting flames had to be quickly put out by Wally, who created a vacuum in the air to snuff them out. Black Canary had finally decided that they'd best not try any more practice bouts, because she really didn't want to see what damage Superboy and Troia would cause in their fight.
Wally had to admit that he was relieved when their trainer left the cave early, before anyone actually got injured. He'd been really worried when he actually beat M'gann. That had only happened a couple of times before, usually when he took her by surprise.
He and Jason stayed in the training area to spar, so they were the first ones to hear as the recognition system kicked in.
"Recognized, Batman, 02, Lieutenant Marvel, B14, Sergeant Marvel, B15, Batgirl, B16."
At the title of Batgirl, both boys exchanged surprised glances, and Wally zoomed over to stand near Batman as the three new people entered. The final one was wearing jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and dark sunglasses. Her red hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"So, you're at the cave," Wally said with trepidation, his eyes on Barbara. "Did something happen? Am I hallucinating?"
Barbara frowned and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Batman roped me in," she said sharply. "I'm only here to help find Robin." She caught sight of Jason and sighed. "The other Robin."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Good to see you BG," he said quickly, using a nickname that Dick had once come up with. It worked for Batgirl, but in all honesty, it was her initials put together.
"Jaybird," Barbara said by way of greeting, using another of Dick's nicknames.
"Batman, who are these guys?" Wally asked, his attention suddenly switching to the two kids standing with the Gotham hero. "Why is BG here? Do you have a mission for us?"
"Tell the rest of the Team to gather here, then I will explain everything," Batman said quietly.
Wally frowned, then took off, running throughout the cave. He stopped in the living area where the rest of the Team was gathered. "Batman's here," he said quickly. Then he was back standing next to Jason, who didn't even blink.
The Team trickled in slowly, exchanging glances at the sight of the three new heroes standing near the Zeta Tubes. When they were all there, Batman stepped forward. "These three young heroes have requested or been asked to join the Team," he said slowly. "Lieutenant Marvel," the boy stepped forward, raising his hand in greeting, "and Sergeant Marvel." the younger girl stepped forward as well, nodding politely.
"Batgirl, one of my prodigies, will also be joining the Team, for her own reasons. I leave them in your hands," he added, then turned away, ignoring the dark glare Batgirl sent after him as he left.
"Batgirl?" Artemis said, a sharp look in her eyes. "How many back ups does Batman have?"
Barbara scowled, and Wally winced. "For the record Artemis, Robin is the one who started teaching me to be a hero. Trust me, Batman only agreed to start to start training me when Rob disappeared."
"I can vouch for her," Jason said. "Only if absolutely necessary though. She'll prove herself to all of you easily enough."
"You all seem very concerned about Batgirl, but none of you seem at all worried about us," Sergeant Marvel said, raising one eyebrow. "Is something going on that we don't know about?"
"Robin, Batman's partner, has been missing for weeks now," Wally said, being careful not mention exactly how long. It would easy enough to connect Robin to Richard Grayson if you looked hard enough, and he didn't want to leave it any more open than it already was.
Somehow, Wally doubted Batman wanted these two kids to know the batfamily's secret identities.
"But Robin is right there," Lieutenant Marvel said in confusion, pointing at Jason in confusion.
Jason grimaced. "I'm going now," he muttered darkly. "You all can have the pleasure of explaining the complicated life of a hero."
With that he left, nearly vanishing the way that Robin usually did. Batgirl looked as though she wanted to follow him, but didn't. "So. Are you all going to introduce yourselves?" she prompted. "I may be trained by Batman, but I'm not related to Martian Mahunter; I can't read your minds."
Of course M'gann floated forward, a welcoming smile on her face. "I'm Ms. Martian, but you can call me M'gann. Welcome to the Team."
Barbara smiled. "Thanks," she said warmly.
"I'm Mary, and this is Freddie," Sergeant Marvel said, her sharp eyes looking around the room. "There are more of you than I thought there were."
"No kidding," Artemis said wryly, making her way to stand next to Wally. "I'm Artemis by the way, although somehow, you already knew that." she shot a glance at Batgirl, and Wally wondered if she possibly recognized the redheaded girl from school. Both girls went to Gotham Academy, and it was entirely possible that Artemis was already figuring out Barbara's identity. There weren't exactly a lot of fiery redheads who hung around with Richard Grayson after all.
"Superboy," Connor said shortly. "Connor if you want to call me something else while we're off mission."
"I am Kaldur'ahm, the leader of the Team," Kaldur murmured, stepping forward. "When we are on missions I am known as Aqualad."
"Tempest," Garth said gruffly.
"Garth!" Tula said reproachfully. She shook her head. "I am Tula, or Aquagirl, and this is Garth. It is good to meet you," she added.
"Donna," Donna said shortly. "Or Troia. Honestly, I really don't care what you call me so long as you don't bother me."
"My name's Raquel, and my hero name is Rocket," Rocket said warmly, stepping up and shaking the new Team members hands. "Good to meet you all."
"I'm Zatanna," Zatanna said slowly. Her blue eyes were focused on Batgirl, and there was a faint frown on her face. She turned to the younger new members, and smiled. "How about Rocket and I show you two around the Cave for a bit?"
Mary and Freddie exchanged glances, then Freddie shrugged. "Sure," he said, while Mary nodded in agreement.
When the four were gone, Batgirl seemed to relax slightly. "Thank goodness," she groaned. "I don't mind revealing my identity to some people, but Zatanna Zatara is not one of those people."
Wally grinned. "Yeah, I can see how that might be awkward, BG," he agreed.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "I've heard that attitude before," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "BG. Wow. Wonder who came up with that one?"
"Wasn't me," Wally protested as his girlfriend's eyes rested on him. "I swear, it was all Robin's doing."
"True story," Barbara agreed, removing her mask to reveal her blue eyes. "Good to see you out of school, Artemis."
"How long have you known who I was, Babs?" Artemis asked. "Just out of curiosity."
Barbara shrugged. "Really, you need to come up with a different hero name. It wasn't that hard to figure it out, and once Dick told me he was Robin . . . Well, let's just say his fascination with you made a lot of sense."
Artemis snorted. "'We'll laugh about this someday,'" she muttered under her breath. "The little troll. I don't feel much like laughing."
Barbara grimaced. "Yeah, me neither." She looked around at Kaldur, M'gann, Connor, Tula, Garth, and Troia, all of whom seemed to be a little bit confused. "Barbara Gordon. I attend Gotham Academy with Dick and Artemis."
"She's also the daughter of Gotham's Police Commissioner," Artemis added, causing Barbara to sigh.
"So you were friends with Robin before you knew he was Robin," M'gann said, sounding as though she could barely fathom the thought.
"Yes. We've been friends since we were ten," Barbara said softly. "He only told me he was Robin about a year ago."
Wally sighed in remembrance. "Ah yes, that was the day that Dick called and begged me to save him."
"Why?" M'gann asked in confusion.
"I made him marathon Teletubbies in three days," Barbara said, a broad grin stretching over her face. "It's an old children's tv show," she added when M'gann looked confused.
Artemis winced, although her eyes were flashing. "Why Teletubbies in particular?"
"He hates it!" Wally crowed, speeding around the room. "Every time he sees it, he moans like it's the end of the world. He called so that he could somehow retain his sanity."
"I don't think it worked," Barbara said dryly.
Artemis snorted. "Wally doesn't have enough of his own sanity left to help Robin keep his."
"Hey!" Wally yelped in protest, managing to look hurt by the suggestion. "Rob and I are perfectly sane!"
"It's true that once you've met the Joker, both of you seem completely rational," Barbara admitted, her eyes twinkling, "but around normal people you just don't make the line of normal sanity."
Yeah, Wally was pretty sure that having Batgirl on the Team was going to be a lot of fun.
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Welp. No Robin again. Sorry about that :) but I promise, the next chapter will be FOCUSED on Rob.
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