1.
Dick Grayson and Wally West arrived together on the first day of training, their mentors talking in hushed tones behind them. The sidekicks were dressed in civilian clothes and carrying their heavy duffel bags with them. Wally stared up at Mount Justice with a grin on his face, his bright red hair dancing softly in the summer breeze. He clapped Dick on the shoulder and let out a blissful sigh.
"Well, buddy, looks like this is gonna be our home for the next few months," he said, and Dick grinned.
"Looks cozy," the younger boy noted, tilting his head back to get the full view of the towering mountain in front of them. The landform was bordered by a small, private beach on one side and a sparsely wooded area on the other. It was a good place for a headquarters, Dick thought appreciatively.
"Hey, Flash!" Wally turned to his mentor behind him, abruptly cutting off the hushed conversation his uncle was having with Batman. "Can we take the grand tour?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kid." Flash grinned at his nephew and crossed his arms over his chest. "Wait until the others get here."
Just as he said the words, the ocean began to bubble on the small beach. Dick and Wally watched, eyes wide, as Aquaman and a dark-skinned boy with blond hair rose from the water and stepped onto the shore. The boy had black tattoos winding around his arms and webbed fingers and toes.
"Whoa," Wally said. Dick grinned as the two men approached.
"Nice to see you, Orin." Batman shook Aquaman's hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it." He nodded to the younger boy. "Kaldur."
"I am honored to be here, Batman," the boy said. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"Come meet some of your teammates." Batman led the boy over to Wally and Dick, who gave him friendly grins.
"Greetings." Kaldur stuck his hand out, and Dick shook it first. "I am Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis. You may call me Kaldur."
"Nice to meet you, Kaldur. I'm Dick, and this is Wally."
"Robin and Kid Flash, if you want to get technical," Wally said. "And you're Aqualad."
Kaldur nodded. "Indeed. I am looking forward to working with you both."
The sound of a car approaching on the dirt road made all three of the boys turn their heads. Batman approached the shiny black sedan with his arms crossed. The driver of the car got out and came around the side to open the door for his passengers. Superman, dressed in civvies, and a younger-looking version of him stepped out of the car. The boy looked angry. He had his arms crossed over his chest and glared at the ground like it offended him.
"Clark." Batman shook Superman's hand. "Right on time."
"I had to finish some things at the office," Clark said. "But I'm here, aren't I?" Superman turned behind him and nodded to the boy glaring at the ground. "Conner, go meet your teammates." He didn't say it like an order – it was more of a gentle suggestion, but the boy took it as an order anyway. He stalked angrily over to where Dick, Wally and Kaldur were watching him.
Kaldur stepped forward first and stuck out his hand. "You must be Superboy."
Superboy looked wary, but after a moment, he nodded. He shook Kaldur's hand without a word.
"I am Kaldur. This is Dick, and Wally." He gestured behind him to the other two boys, who gave Superboy the same friendly grins they'd given Aqualad.
"I –" Superboy began, but was distracted by the sight of something in the sky. It was a large red spaceship approaching the mountain. Everyone followed his curious gaze and watched as the spaceship lowered itself down onto a large, empty patch of grass beside the mountain. Batman and Superman walked over to the ship to greet the newcomers.
"It's Martian Manhunter," Wally whispered to his teammates as two green-skinned Martians stepped out of the ship. One was the well-known League member and the other was a girl with red hair and freckles. It should've looked strange with her green skin, but on her, it looked . . . cute. That was the word that popped into Superboy's head when he caught her eye.
The girl's feet left the ground as she flew over to her new teammates. She smiled shyly at them all.
"Hi," she said. "I'm M'gann. M'gann M'orzz, J'onn's niece. You can call me Megan, though, if you want. I mean, whatever works for you guys."
"Megan it is, then," Dick said with a smile. He shook her hand, his dark sunglasses glinting in the light from the sun overhead. "I'm Dick."
"Wally. The green skin totally works for you, gorgeous," Wally winked at her as they shook hands, and Megan blushed pink.
"You may call me Kaldur. Welcome to Earth, M'gann," Kaldur smiled at her, and M'gann nodded excitedly.
"Oh, I'm so happy to be here!" she said. "I've dreamed of coming to Earth since I was little. It's so beautiful here." She turned her eyes to Superboy and blushed again, looking down at the ground.
"Hi," he said. "I'm . . . Conner."
"I've always loved that name," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Conner."
He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off again by the sound of another car approaching, this time a black stretch limo. Dick and Wally looked at each other and grinned. They watched in anticipation as two members of the Justice League stepped out – the first was Green Arrow, dressed in a suit and tie, and the second was Black Canary.
Green Arrow – that is, Oliver Queen – turned around and spoke to someone still in the limo. "Come on out, Artemis. Don't be shy."
"I'm not shy." A tan girl with a long blonde ponytail and a challenging expression stepped out of the limo, digging the heels of her black boots into the ground. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her five new teammates as if daring them to talk to her.
"Well, it looks like everyone's here," Black Canary said, smiling at the six young sidekicks. "Excellent."
As Artemis walked over to where the others were standing, Wally raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Who are you? Where's Roy?"
"Roy opted out," Green Arrow said before Artemis could open her mouth. "He won't be joining your team."
Wally's face fell. "Did he say why?"
"Personal reasons." Green Arrow shrugged, and Black Canary stepped in and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We gave Roy the option of joining, but he declined. And besides, Artemis was specifically chosen for this job, just like the rest of you."
Artemis smirked at Wally, who glared at her. "Who are you?" he asked again, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You'll all get to know each other in time," Black Canary stepped forward. "But what do you say we get settled first?"
The six sidekicks turned towards Mount Justice, and the sight of it sparked excitement and anticipation in their chests.
Black Canary stood in front of the mountain and smiled, opening her arms wide.
"Welcome," she said, "to your new home."