CRUNCHING.
THE SWEET FLAVOR of sugar and milk spilled across my tongue. I furrowed my eyebrows, eyes darting across the bland-looking room.
I sat there for a good few minutes before my teeth clinked on the metal of the spoon, signaling all of my cereal was gone. I reached for the red box with the grinning leprechaun and began dumping the contents into the milk. My eyes still hadn't left the front door at the opposite end of the room.
Suddenly the sound of jingling keys rang from the other side, and the wood swung open. A woman with pale skin, curly brown hair, and dark eyes walked in.
As she set her keys down, she gave me a disappointed look. I continued to chew on the colorful marshmallows, unblinking, as the woman pulled out a chair with a screech and sat down across from me.
"Brielle."
Her tone was patronizing, which just made my eyebrows furrow deeper into my forehead.
"You have to stop using it."
Silence.
I set down the spoon and wiped my mouth with my hand.
"I only did cocaine, like, one time. It made my nose itchy."
The woman looked like she wanted to slam her head into the table. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"No, not drugs. You can't keep using—"
"I've only smoked weed twice, honest."
"Brielle—"
"Okay maybe three times, but I've never done heroin!"
"No, Brielle, you can't keep..."
Even though her mouth kept moving, her words faded off into the background. I rubbed my eyes, looked back up, and was suddenly staring into the midnight cowl of Batman.
I narrowed my eyes. He still had the body of the woman, and his mouth was still moving like she was talking.
I rubbed my eyes again.
Cerulean eyes behind a black curl stared back.
Rub.
I frowned at the new face.
"Aren't you Batsy's butler?"
Gray hair, tired eyes, and a crisp suit blinked at me.
I rubbed my eyes one more time, and it was back to the lady with the curly hair.
"Brielle, don't you dare wake up right now," the woman warned, her tone dangerous.
I glanced back down at the table.
"Hey, my cereal's gone."
"Brielle," the woman's voice got louder, "do not wake up!"
I sighed.
"I really want more cereal."
"Brielle! Do not-- ugh. You can't keep using your--!"
I opened my eyes, brain aching from the darkness. I reached over, my hand feeling around on the table for the lamp, switching it on. I groaned at the sudden light. Sitting up, I thought back to my dream.
"Weird," I muttered, swinging my sock-covered feet off the bed.
Yeah, I sleep with socks on. Sue me.
However, on the bright side, cereal sounds like a great idea right now.
I walked towards my door and down the hall, barely making a sound. I inwardly patted myself on the back for finding my way to the kitchen without getting lost. Opening one of the many sleek cabinets, I pulled out the box of Lucky Charms.
"Take a picture," I spoke as I dug in the fridge for the milk. "It'll last longer."
Successfully locating the milk, I pulled it out and turned around, finding Squidkid staring at me, only clad in navy blue swim trunks. I raised an eyebrow at his attire.
"The team is spending the day by the beach," he explained.
"Wow," I ripped open the top of the box, pouring it into the bowl. "Thanks for the invite."
"You are welcome to come if you wish."
I scoffed. "Yeah, I'm good. I don't think anyone really wants to see me right now."
After pouring the milk, I grabbed a spoon and shoveled a bite of marshmallow-y goodness into my mouth. "Not that I want to see any of them, anyway."
For the next couple of moments, the only sound heard in the room was my chewing.
I glanced up. "So, can I help you with something else? Or was that it?"
The leader looked thoughtful for a moment. "Change into your uniform and meet me at the training pad when you are finished."
Ugh. Training. Suddenly the beach isn't sounding so bad.
"Yeah... thanks but no thanks."
He stopped walking towards the dorms, turning back around. "As they say, do you have something better to do?"
I opened my mouth, pausing, then closed it.
"Fair enough. Give me ten."
* * *
I walked out into the main room of the cave, where the training pad was. He turned to me, dressed fully this time in his uniform, offering a slight smile that I didn't return.
"So," I began, stepping onto the pad, "what exactly are we doing here, Squidkid?"
His eyebrows furrowed at the nickname, but he didn't say anything about it.
"I thought it would be a good idea to get you more... accustomed to fighting with the team," he explained. "Adjusting to each other's fighting styles is crucial in battle. Training one-on-one with each member will benefit not only you-- but the others as well."
"I dunno, Squids," I hummed. "I'm a big believer in winging it."
He pressed the red "start" button on one of the holoscreens, and the training pad lit up white beneath our feet. He pulled out his water bearers, which glowed similarily to the floor.
"You are a part of a team now, Blackout. And though I have been lenient while you gained your bearings, it is best that you learn that."
I raised my eyebrows, putting my hands up in mock defense. "Damn, no need to get all 'leader-y' on me, Squidward. We're all friends here, remember?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Alrighty then," I sighed, cracking my neck before crouching down in a fighting stance. "Let's do this."
We approached each other, and there was a moment of pause before he slashed one of his water bearers over my head. I ducked, swinging my foot under him, but he rolled out of the way.
The fight continued for another couple of minutes, and for the most part, we were evenly matched. Suddenly, the feminine robotic voice sounded throughout the base.
"Batman, 0-2."
Great. Just who I wanted to see.
Shaking my head, I continued to dodge hits, equally dishing out my own. I pulled a knife out of my utility belt, twirling around and trying to slash his arm, but he grabbed my waist, tossing me over his shoulder.
I flipped my body, landing in a crouch before going at him again. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the rest of the team beginning to file back into the base, all of them dressed in bathing suits and faces covered in sunscreen. They stopped near the edge of the training pad, watching us intently.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.
Hm. Well, that sounds like a win if I've ever heard one.
I spun the knife around in my hands before throwing it at Squidkid. As planned, he jumped out of the way, only for the blade to shatter against Superboy's chest a few feet behind him.
"Superboy!" M'gann cried, immediately checking to make sure the boy was okay.
Being the leader he was, Kaldur paused momentarily to turn his head, seeming to forget that Superboy was immune to knives. I smirked successfully, running up to him.
He turned back around, realizing what was happening, but it was too late. I kicked his leg out from under him, using my momentum to flip him over my shoulder, pinning him to the ground with my other foot.
The rim of the training pad flashed red, and a holoscreen popped up next to Kaldur's body.
"Aqualad. FAIL."
I put my hand on my hip, a corner of my lip turning up as he stood up with a groan. He began to walk back to one of the screens, turning the training pad off.
"It's beneficial to you and the team," I mocked, scoffing. "Yeah, beneficial my a--"
Suddenly my feet were thrown out from under me, and I clattered ungracefully to the ground. A sharp pain flared in my jaw as my face hit the floor, gun scattering across the pad. Two heavy boots appeared, black cape swishing over my face as the man walked by.
Irritation pulsed through me as I pushed my upper body off of the floor, blowing a piece of my hair from my face and caressing my jaw.
I looked at the man as he approached Squidkid, holoscreens popping up around the two of them. I narrowed my eyes.
"Seriously, Bats?"
The team gathered near him, most of them snickering at my misfortune. The man barely spared me a breath, much less a glance.
"Just because training stopped, does not mean you shouldn't be on guard at all times."
Then he turned to one of the screens. "The Watchtower detected an immense power surge In the Bialyan desert. Spectral Analysis revealed..."
I groaned, letting my head fall to the ground again before rolling over and pushing myself up. I walked over, right ankle only slightly throbbing (thanks for that again, Bats) and stood next to Artemis, who didn't hesitate to throw me a glare.
Rolling my eyes, I took a few steps back, standing in between Superboy and Robin. As Bats droned on about whatever mission he was apparently assigning us, a thought popped into my head. I nudged the clone with my elbow.
"Hey," I whispered quietly, figuring we were out of earshot from the rest of the team. The boy tensed, looking at me with an angry look. Or... maybe that was just his face. He didn't seem too educated in social graces. Then again, neither was I.
"I just realized-- you're the only person here that I don't actually know your real name. What's the deal with that?"
His posture once again became unnaturally stiff, and it took him a few seconds before he mumbled incoherently under his breath.
"What was that?" I asked, leaning closer.
"I said I don't have one!" he suddenly shouted, face contorting into pure rage.
The team, along with Bats, turned around to look at us. So much for "out of earshot."
I put my hands up in defense, eyes widening. "Whoa, whoa, chill out. I was just wondering. Geez. Sorry."
I looked back at everyone else with a glare. "Well? Don't let me stop you."
It probably wasn't true, but I had a good feeling that Bats was rolling his eyes under his mask as he continued. After another minute or two, I leaned closer to Superboy once again.
"You know," I added quietly. "Not all of us have names either."
He turned to me with a deadpan look.
"Well, I don't," I said. "At least not legally, anyway. I just chose one I liked. You can do it too."
I was met with silence.
"Okayyy," I hummed. "Well, since you asked so kindly, of course I'll choose one for you-- I'd be honored. Umm... you look kinda like a John? No. James? Cameron? Oh! How about Conner? Yes! You're definitely a Conner. Conner...?"
"Kent?" a voice suddenly offered.
I turned to my right to see Dick with the tiniest of smirks on his lips, his eyes stilled trained on his mentor in front. I grinned, knowing we were sharing the same thought.
"Conner Kent it is," I confirmed, before glancing at the angry ravenette for approval.
"Conner... Kent..." he repeated slowly. "I guess that works."
I blossomed with pride. "Well of course it does, I came up with it."
"All communications are subject to interception," I heard as I tuned back into whatever Bats was saying. "Maintain radio silence at all times."
Squidkid stepped in front of Bats. "Alright team, we will depart from the Hangar in ten minutes. Miss Martian, please prepare the bioship."
The perky girl nodded, flying off as the rest of us began to walk towards the living spaces. Seeing as I was already suited up, a sandwich was definitely calling my name right now.
"Blackout," the gravelly voice of Bats called from behind me.
Damn. Almost escaped.
I turned around, raising an eyebrow.
"You are needed on a different mission."
I heard the clapping of a high-five from behind me, following by the irritating voice of Artemis.
"I've never said this before, but Batman rocks," the blonde chuckled from behind me as her voice faded off down the hallway.
I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to Batman. "What? Don't trust me with the children?"
A different set of screens popped up around him. I groaned, walking towards the Dark Knight.
"Penguin has been committing a series of robberies throughout Gotham--"
"Let's skip the talking," I rose a hand, silencing him. "Because to be honest, I've already stopped listening. Basically you think that, since I'm the resident ex-criminal, it only makes sense for me to get him since I have the inside scoop and you want to watch me do it so I can 'prove' myself to you. Right?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some of the team enter the large room again.
"Wrong."
My face fell.
With a swipe of his hand, all of the holoscreens deactivated. "Since you're familiar with Penguin, you will be assisting me in stopping the robbery that is supposedly happening tonight at West Street Bank."
"Assisting you?" I snapped. "I don't know if you noticed, Rich Kid, but I don't like you. And I can handle myself-- Penguin literally looks like a Penguin, he's a B-list fighter at best. Just strap your camera on me or whatever the hell you do and let me handle it."
A pause.
"No."
My mouth dropped as he brushed past me towards the hangar. Shaking my head, I marched after him, having to take extra long strides to catch up. We approached the room, where I was suddenly blinded by the headlights of the Batmobile. He jumped in, leaving me to stand there with my mouth wide open.
"I'm not getting in a car with you behind the wheel!" I exclaimed as the rest of the team trailed into the room.
He turned to me, stare cold and dead, before the roof of the sleek car slid closed, and the engine roared to life. Then the hangar door opened, and he shot out of the base.
A snicker behind me.
I turned to find Artemis and Kid Crash behind me, walking towards the Bioship.
"Have fun being babysat, Blackjack!" the archer called.
"Yeah," Kid laughed next to her. "You need it!"
As they boarded the ship, I make eye contact with Dick, who flashed me a smirk before stepping into the red ship.
If it was cool to stomp my foot, I would so be doing it. How dare Bats tell me that I had to be babysat! If anything, I'm the most skilled player on the team. I'm hardly the one he needs to worry about.
"Ugh," I let out a breath of air, walking over to my motorcycle, which I parked here when I first joined the team. (Well, if you want to talk about technicalities, it was Bruce's, and then I stole it, but potatoe potatoh).
I hopped onto it, adjusting the mirrors and revving the engine.
"I'll show Bats who needs to be babysat," I muttered before following in suit of the Caped Crusader and speeding into the night.
* * *
I'm baaack!! Firstly, thank you all so much for the overwhelming support, even though I have been the worst EVER at updating. Due to all of the virus craziness going on, I have a lot of free time on my hands since I'm basically stuck in my house for the next month, so be prepared for a lot of new updates! Also, sorry this chapter literally sucks-- I've been struggling with it for a long time but I finally sat down and wrote out a plot for this story, so the next chapter will be a lot more entertaining. Also also, I just finished YJ season 3 last night, and let me tell you, it's amazing so if you haven't watched it, please do. Thanks for over 100k, that's literally insane!
xo Alexa