Chapter Text
Today is the day.
It's amazing to finally say that, even if it is just in my head.
After years of early morning training sessions while juggling schoolwork, the summer internships at Queen Industries, and the late-night patrols, it's nice to be one step closer to something I have worked so hard for.
A group of us was set to meet at the Hall of Justice, but everyone else got caught up by synchronous multi-city attacks by ice-themed villains. I stood with my mentor, Black Canary. She stood with a strong stature, a straight back, arms crossed over her chest, and footing parallel with the shoulders for perfect balance. She was dressed in her costume, a black corseted leotard and leather jacket with dark gray stockings, all made of bulletproof shock-resistant fabrics paired with heavy-duty, light-weight black combat boots. Her blonde hair cascaded naturally on her shoulders in its usual dressed-down casual do. She had the perfect air of confidence; meanwhile, I could not stop shifting my weight or fidgeting with my clothes or hair.
She looked down at me and touched my shoulder as I twirled the end of my Dutch braid. "Patience, Blue, they will arrive shortly. They all just had business to attend to before getting here."
"I know, just feeling excited," I continued to fidget but stopped as her gaze didn’t waiver. "And anxious and scared."
"All valid for you and the other to feel," she moved her hand from my shoulder and affectionately brushed my hair. "I am so proud of you." She replied in Russian.
I smiled widely. "Thank you, Mom," I replied in Russian. Black Canary, also known as Dinah Lance, has been my guardian and then legal adoptive mother since I was 8 years old. She had taken me into her custody when the Justice League found me once after an unfortunate incident with my powers.
I nodded in understanding, "Am I to assume that we won't be a part of the discussion on the not coincidental at-all synchronized ice attacks?"
She nodded. "The League will discuss these suspicious occurrences after your tour."
I sighed in disappointment. "Speaking of the tour, are you absolutely sure they aren't going to show us the tower?" I said with disappointment.
She nodded, "Unfortunately, not today. Some of the members are still apprehensive about minors being involved in this line of work. They are still keeping you in the safe zone, away from the press, and keeping targets off your backs."
"Speedy isn't going to like that," I said sullenly. Speedy, or Roy Harper, is the protégé of Green Arrow, Black Canary's partner in the Justice League, and her personal life partner, Oliver Queen. BC gave me a sullen look and nodded. "He has been raving about this for weeks. There is a very high likelihood he will throw a tantrum." She and I both sighed together.
She nodded, "Unfortunately, I think you are right. He will be unpleasant."
"Who is going to be unpleasant?" a gruff male voice asked. I turned to see Aquaman standing on the stairs just a couple of feet away, along with his protégé Aqualad.
"With any hope, no one," Black Canary shared a glance with me before facing him. "Successful with Killer Frost, we see."
He gave an answer, but I didn't pay attention to it. I was to bust observing Aqualad, who stood stoically at Aquaman's side. Though he is Speedy's best friend, neither of us has interacted with each other much outside of a few missions.
He had dark brown skin, blonde hair, and silver-green eyes that made him appear unworldly. I suppose this makes sense, of course, as he is an Atlantean, which is apparent from his looks and the thick bands starting from his shoulders that twist around his arms a few times before ending at the back of his hands. He was dressed in his hero grab. Red top and dark-colored pants separated by a black belt with a golden Atlantean symbol belt buckle. An amused smirk appeared on my face when I realized the lack of shoes.
After several seconds of observing, he caught my gaze and began observing me as well. He saw me dressed in my suit, similar to that of my mentor. A skintight long-sleeved top with a thickened section over my front chest and abdomen due to built-in bulletproof padding. Paired with tight-fitted black pants of a similar fabric with blue stitching for accent. Donned on my feet were a pair of black combat boots with blue laces. I, of course, had my own leather jacket with matching blue stitching, the back covered with my logo I created. A blue ombre silhouette of a raven. My brunette hair held back in a braid. My last detail, a domino mask partially covering my face as my disguise.
He met my gaze once again and gave me a small smile, "Well met, Blue Raven."
I nod, "Well met, Aqualad; it's good to see you again under better circumstances." We had previously met once before when our mentors teamed up for a mission.
"Aqualad, Blue!" a voice called climbing up the stairs. I looked over Aqualad's shoulder as he turned to the voice addressing us.
Climbing up the stairs, dressed in an all-red and yellow outfit and yellow hat, was one of my favorite archers, Speedy. Following behind him was my other favorite archer, Green Arrow, his mentor.
"Took you long enough," I said as he stopped to stand beside us. "If you need help-"
"We had it handled," Speedy stopped with a smirk. "You know how he likes to talk."
"Every single person," I said, smirking. "Don't know who is worse about that, him or Flash."
"Worse about what?" We three turned to see Robin, the boy wonder, shadowed by his mentor, Batman.
"Hello Robin, who is the worst about being a social butterfly, Green Arrow or Flash," I stated, filling him in on the conversation he walked in on. "My money's on Flash. Especially since he's always late."
Before he could respond, Batman placed his hand on his protégé's shoulder. "Today's the day." He said with a barely visible smile.
Green Arrow grinned and looked at Speedy and me, "Welcome to the Hall of Justice."
"Headquarters of the Justice League," Aquaman added.
Black Canary placed both hands on my shoulders, "The product of your hard work," she murmured into my ear.
"Aww, man!" the voice of yet another teenage boy appeared behind us. I turned to see Kid Flash with arms crossed over his chest. "I knew we'd be the last ones here."
He raced up to the four of us and gave Robin and Aqualad fist bumps. "Hello, Beautiful," Kid said to me as he gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Speedy.” The younger arrow wielder simply glared in response. He got annoyed when the others, mainly Kid Flash and occasionally Robin, flirted with me. He said we signed up to be proteges, not for an exclusive dating circle.
I rolled my eyes, "KF, keep up with that, and Speedy will use you for target practice.”
He laughed and shrugged, "He's got to catch me first."
Black Canary, thankfully, cut in before Speedy could say anything, "Come along, Blue Raven, boys, we are already late meeting Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter with the delay."
We began walking towards the front entrance of the Hall of Justice. Reporters and fans on either side of the roped-off walkway shout for any of the league members to glance their way.
"Is that Batman?"
"Oh my goodness."
"I see Flash and Flash Junior."
'His name's Speedy. Duh."
"No, Speedy's Green Arrow's sidekick."
"Well, that makes no sense."
"Look, it’s Blue Robin."
"One day, a miracle will happen, and they will get all of our names right," I muttered, causing various muffled laughs and guff from the others.
Green Arrow was walking behind Speedy, and I leaned forward. "Ready to see the inner sanctum?"
Speedy smirked. "Born that way."
"I'm glad we're all here," Aqualad said with a smile.
"Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?" Kid Flash asked.
"Don’t call us sidekicks," Speedy said roughly. "Not after today." I elbowed him.
Kid Flash looked over at Speedy, more sullen than before. "Sorry. First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."
"You're overwhelmed; Freeze was underwhelmed; why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" Robin asked.
"Because whelmed is not an emotion, just a description of quantity? To engulf, submerge, or bury?" I offered. "It is an overwhelming day of firsts. The first day of being recognized, the first time all of us are together."
We walked inside the large set of glass doors into the enormous entry hall of the building. Displayed before us were large golden-painted 30-foot-tall statues of the founding members of the league. Underneath the feet of the statue of Batman was a set of double metal doors with a sign in place that read "Authorized Justice League Personnel Only." We stopped in front of the metal doors just as they slid open to show Red Tornado and Martian Manhunter.
"Robin, Speedy, Blue Raven, Aqualad, Kid Flash. Welcome." Martian Manhunter greeted us. He turned around and began walking through the doors. We all eagerly followed; I turned to Speedy, who had a very rare smile on his face.
"You now have unlimited access to our Gym, our fully stocked galley, and, of course, our library," Martian Manhunter listed off as we walked through the large room. Lined with shelves of thousands of books, with a computer nook on the far side and seating areas scattered throughout the room.
"Make yourselves at home," said Flash as he gestured towards a seating area. Kid Flash and Robin took no time sitting down in the nearest chairs. With Aqualad following suit, Speedy stood in his place, and I stayed nearby as an uncomfortable feeling started to appear in my stomach. I watched as the League members moved to gather and stand in front of another door.
"Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of four ice villains on the same day," Batman stated amongst their gathering. He turned towards us. "We shouldn't be long."
A small circle with two doors slid away as an orb-like scanner appeared from the ceiling. "Recognized Batman, 0-2. Aquaman, 0-6. Flash, 0-4. Green arrow, 0-8, Black Canary, 1-3. Martian Manhunter, 0-7, Red Tornado 1-6."
"That's it!" Speedy exclaimed as he started to stride forward towards the group of Leaguers in anger. I closed my eyes and winced. So close. I thought to myself. "You promised us a real look inside. Not a glorified backstage pass," he said with venom. With a sigh, I looked at my mentor as if saying, " Here we go.
"It's a first step. You've been granted access few others get," Aquaman said calmly, but that just angered Speedy even more.
"Oh really?" he said sarcastically and gestured towards the glass windows high above us where tourist were taking photos. "Who cares which side of the glass we're on?"
Green Arrow stepped forward, "Roy, you just need to be patient."
"No, what I need is respect."
"Speedy!" I pleaded. He turned to me and the others with eyes narrowed in annoyance that I used that tone with him. “Please don't do this.”
He looked at me and snorted. "Are you serious?"
I opened my mouth to say more but was stopped by Black Canary shaking her head. I closed my mouth in reservation and pursed my lips in a grimace before crossing my arms over my chest.
"You're kidding, right?" Speedy asked me dumbfounded, "You're playing their game," he looked at the others, "You all are? Why? Because you think they play fair? Today was supposed to be the day. Step one to becoming full-fledged members of the League." The three teenage boys sitting down glanced at each other before looking back at Speedy.
"Yeah, isn't step one a tour of the HQ?" Kid Flash said from his spot.
"Except the hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Speedy exclaimed.
I clenched my eyes closed and released a heavy breath. At her place in the group, my mentor cussed under her breath, "Damn it, Oliver!"
I opened my eyes in apprehension to see the reactions of the other protégés; by their reactions, I knew that this was not going to end well. The silence in the room gave Speedy clearance in his mind to continue. "Yeah, bet they never told you this is just a tourist false front and just a place to put the teleporter. The real headquarters is an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower."
All present Justice League members and Speedy had turned towards Green Arrow, all with varied degrees of annoyance or exasperation on their faces. Or, in the case of Red Tornado, the implication. He looked sheepishly at Batman, who had maneuvered to fold his arms over his chest. His stance clearly implied he was waiting for an explanation.
"I know, I know. I thought maybe we could make an exception?" he asked. Batman's eyes narrowed, "Or not…"
Black Canary stepped closer to Speedy, "Speedy…"
He turned towards her and cut her off, "Save it for your partner."
Aquaman said, "You are not helping your cause here, Son. Stand down or—"
"Or what? You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son! I'm not even his." He turned his glare to Green Arrow, "I thought I was his partner," he said somberly, "But not anymore." He grabbed the hat on his head and threw it to the ground.
"Speedy!” I said quietly from my place. He continued walking toward me, aiming for the exit. I reached out and grabbed his arm, but he shook off my grasp. "Speedy." He kept walking towards the exit. ”Roy!" I yelled, grabbing his attention. He paused for a second and looked back.
"Guess they were right about you. You're not ready!" he exclaimed angrily and then continued out of the room without looking back.
A wind ruffled my hair, and Kid Flash was suddenly at my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him, noticing Robin and Aqualad had stood up from their seats and had begun their approach in my direction. I looked at Black Canary and Green Arrow. "Should I-" I began to ask, but Black Canary stopped with a shake of her head. I nodded and wrapped my arm around my abdomen before reaching with another to grab KF's hand and squeeze it, thanking him wordlessly.
Before anyone could comment further, the large computer screen lit up with a large image of Superman as a live feed. "Superman to Justice League. There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus. It's on fire."
"I've had my suspicions about Cadmus," Batman said as he and other League members walked towards the computer. "This will present the perfect opportunity to—"
The screen morphed, making Superman’s face smaller with another feed taking up the other side. "Zatara to Justice League, the sorcerer Wontan is using the Amulet of Aten to blot out the sun. Requesting full league response."
"Superman?" Batman asked, looking up at the image of the Man of Steel.
"It's a small fire. Local authorities have it under control."
"Then Cadmus can wait. All Leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's coordinates. Batman out," he said as he clicked off the screen. He turned to look at the four of us gathered behind him in curiosity. "Stay put."
"What! Why?" Robin asked, astonished.
"This is a League mission," Aquaman stated.
"You're not trained—" Flashed started to add but was cut off by his protégé.
"Since when?" Kid Flash asked.
"I meant you're not trained to work as a part of this team," Flash finished.
"There will be other missions," Aquaman stated.
"When you are ready," Black Canary finished. "Have trained with us."
"But for now, stay put," Batman said sternly, looking directly at his protégé. They all go through the zeta tube.
A moment of silence passed. "Uh, when we're ready?" Kid Flash asked. "How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like, like, side kicks?" He ranted as he paced and gestured with his hands angrily.
"My mentor, my king, I thought he trusted me," Aqualad sullenly stated.
"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics," Kid Flash argued angrily. "They've got a secret HQ in space."
"It isn't our mentors that don't trust us," I defended. "There are League members that are not comfortable with minors being in the Justice League as official members. They Believe we don't have the maturity to understand the risks that come with being a member."
"Easy for you to say you knew about the Watchtower," Kid Flash commented.
"Because GA blabs, BC said that all mentors were sanctioned to not disclose the existence of the Watchtower unless emergent circumstances," I stated. "I would not have known unless Speedy hadn't told me. BC was not happy when she found out GA broke orders."
"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad said quietly.
"I have a better question," Robin stated, breaking his silence. "Why didn’t we leave with Speedy?"
"Because leaving would have proved to those Leaguers that question our place exactly what they are saying," I said quietly. "I may not be ready for the League, but I know I am ready for something more." A silence passed.
"What is Project Cadmus?" Aqualad asked. I turned to Robin, and Kid both shrugged and turned to me. I shook my head.
"I don't know, but I can find out," Robin said as he walked towards the computer. His fingers began flying across the keyboards, typing in foreign codes. Kid Flash, Aqualad, and I followed and stood beside him as he performed his task.
"ACCESS DENIED." the computer spoke aloud in a female animatronic voice. The same read on the screen is outlined and colored in red.
"Yeah, right," he said sarcastically. "Wanna bet.” The screen morphed into a screen displaying thousands of lines of code.
"Whoa," Kid said in shock as he saw all the data running on the screen. "How are you doing that?"
"Same system as the Batcave," Robin said.
"ACCESS GRANTED."
"Alright, Project Cadmus, genetics lab here in DC," Robin stated with an unimpressed tone.
"That's all that's in the file," I stated in confusion. Besides the address, I lifted my left arm and held it parallel to my chest as I activated my wristlet computer and typed the address in the GPS. I pulled up its location and viewed it geographically. “I’m curious about what makes Batman suspicious.”
"Maybe we should investigate," Robin stated. I froze and looked over the computer at him.
"Solve their case before they do," Aqualad states, contemplating the idea. "It would be poetic justice."
"Hey, they're all about justice," Robin said, smiling.
"Wait, are you going?" Kid Flash asked as he saw a map on my cuff’s screen. "Because if you're going, Gorgeous, I'm going."
"But they said stay put," Aqualad reasoned.
"If we are being technical, Batman told us to stay put for the Sun Blotting mission," I said as I tilted my head to look at him over Robin's shoulder, "Technically, he did not give an order regarding Cadmus. I didn't hear him say anything about staying put for this."
"Technically," Robin agreed.
Robin and Kid Flash smile widely and glance between Aqualad and I. We looked at each other. "If we do this, we will very likely get in trouble," I stated as I closed the computer. "But my gut tells me we need to do this."
All three of us looked to Aqualad. "Just like that," He responds. "We are a team on a mission."
I smirked, "So we are."
"We didn't come for a play date," Robin said.