[IC] Young Justice Avenger (A Next Generation Amalgamverse)

[mattmanganon]

Stark Tower

Tony walked into his old office, it had been so long since he had properly revisited the old place. Stark-Drones cleaning and freshening the place. He let out a sigh as memories seemed to flood through him. Organizing his duel with Titanium Man, receiving his first of many threats from The Mandarin, it was on that very desk that he and Pepper first... "Better give the desk an extra deep clean, we got kids here. We're pretty much running daycare now... And order a big box of Lego's, kids love that stuff." He called to one of the drones, before looking down at his phone as something triggered the security alarm. He sighed, before punching a few key commands in, before counting on his fingers. "1... 2... 3... 4... 5... Hi there." He said as he turned to see White Wolf tied up by several of the drones and brought in.

"Mr Stark..." He groaned a greeting as he struggled to get free.

"Let the kid down." Stark ordered as the drones cables retreated off of White Wolf and he dropped, instantly flipping to land on his feet in a squatting position. "Hey again, you bring your partner?" White Wolf's eyes narrowed, before he pressed the necklace of the costume and it changed before their eyes to something more casual.

"American Son chose to reject your offer." He replied in his gruff voice, the unmistakable Wakandan accent thick in it. He looked around. "I was looking to check the security systems of this tower, i'm glad to see it is up to standards." Stark shrugged before reaching a hand out, one of the drones hovered over to him with a frosty, Collins-glass full of lemonade, that he took and drank a swig of.

"You don't get as many billions as me without being careful. Motion detectors, security camera's, infra-red thermo sensors, nothing gets in this building without me knowing about it. Speaking of-" He took out the phone and pressed a few more buttons. A drone then approached White Wolf with a touch-pad mobile phone and slowly descended towards his hand, before quickly shooting a needle into his palm and retracting it, far too quickly for White Wolf to react, although he did his best.

"OW, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" He asked. Stark laughed, before motioning to the phone as he took another swig of lemonade. White Wolf looked down at the phone "Daniel Hunter Prince - White Wolf" it said on the phone. "My name is T'Danel. I would ask you tell the machine to use it." Almost instantly, the phone beeped and his name changed on the screen "T'Danel - White Wolf"

"Call yourself whatever you want, but that's what the US Government has you recognized as. If it's not too sore a subject, who was the lucky guy that got to be your dad?" He asked.

"My father is T'Challa, king of Wakanda, he raised me, he cared for me and he taught me how to fight. In my experience, Blood makes poor choices when it comes to recognizing ones family." He said. Tony put his hands up as if to say "Sorry i asked"

"Fair statement, my old man didn't so much raise me as tolerate my existence in his lab." He took another swig, before pointing at T'Danel as he swallowed. "I have a saying of my own, the Superhero business is built on mommy and daddy issues. You'll be hard pressed to find a single one of us without something like that." He took a few more steps around the outside of the room, before exiting onto the balcony and looking out over the New York skyline. T'Danel followed him. "That's what this is all about." He continued "Finding kids like you and the others and getting you used to this life when you are young. Teaching you exactly how long and hard it is and exactly why you need to control yourself."

"I am in full control of myself." T'Danel replied, arrogantly. Tony turned to him and looked him up and down, smiling a little bit, before downing the last of the lemonade in his glass. He looked T'Danel straight in the eye.

"Those exact words last crossed my lips just before i had to switch from the good stuff to this." He said motioning to the glass, a few seconds passed, before "FETCH!" He called as he threw the glass off of the building, a drone streaking after it to catch it. He began to walk back inside. "Your new team should be arriving soon."

"I am honoured you have given me command of this team." T'Danel bowed to him as he followed. Stark looked back and raised an eye-brow.

"Who the hell said that?" He laughed. "Your team doesn't officially exist and i'd like to keep it that way from the rest of the League, at least until you've proven yourselves. If this team did exist, I would be the leader, because it's my building, my equipment, my plan and my training regime." He sighed, before collapsing on a large, 10 person couch that was in the middle of the main floor.

[Bounce]

E A R L I E R
_{London | The United Kingdom}

“You’re watching BBC London. I’m John Patrick and this is the news.”

“Parents in the north of London are in an uproar this evening, as a protest turned violent outside John the Evangelist Academy, a secondary school in Tottenham. The Metropolitan Police Service are investigating the incident, which appeared to involve a protester brandishing a knife against a student believed to be both human and an extraterrestrial. The protest outside the school had been to voice opposition to the child’s attendance at the institution, and follows many earlier such protests regarding the role of mutation or extraterrestrials in Britain.”

“The child is reported to be unharmed and is not being named in our report because of his age. The alleged assailant in this incident was taken to a local hospital with what the Metropolitan Police are describing as non-life threatening injuries.”

“School officials have indicated that they will make available counseling services for students who may have been affected by the violence. We’ll have more on this story as the news develops.”

“In weather, the cold trend continues...”

The television blinked off. The man tossed the remote aside, a hand brushing against the stubble marking his face as he gave a heavy sigh.

Turning, the man peered over where an feminine silhouette was framed in a doorway, her body tense as she seemed lost in thought, peering inside of the room. As Chas made his way over to her, the man put his arms around the Shi’ar warrior, drawing her against him – the familiar feel of her feathers brushing against his cheek – as the two stared off into the dim bedroom.

Inside, a child slept soundly.

“The good Reverend’s been spewing hellfire the last month. Was only a matter of time before it got violent,” Chas noted in a quiet voice.

“Would that your good Reverend would challenge me openly,” Cerise hissed in a low whisper.

“Cowards don’t work that way, Love,” Chas answered dryly. Then, guiding his wife away from the doorway, drew the door shut. “And we can’t protect him forever,” the man noted somberly.

“You sound like that Alistaire,” the feathered amazon opined dryly, as the woman slipped from the man’s arm and moved toward the master bedroom in the back of the flat. “MI-13 wants to take Sai. Protective custody.”

“I don’t much like it either, Love,” Chas opined candidly, following behind his wife. “I want him to have a life – a normal life – but we can’t even send him to school without people protesting outside the gates.”

Making her way over by the wardrobe, the woman started removing her armor. “Half the United Kingdom wants to exorcize him like a demon, the other half want to study him like some...”

“Alien?”

As soon as he’d offered it, Chas winced with regret. The glare that Cerise hit him with made clear it was a poor choice of words.

Holding up his hands, the man tried to push on past the flub. “I think most don’t rightly care one way or another. We’re just caught up dealing with the wankers on either side.”

The look of disapproval didn’t leave her face. As he pulled back the duvet and got ready for bed himself, the man watched his wife for a moment. Then, finally, said, “Something else is bothering you.”

Cerise slipped into her side of the bed. “I received an... alternative proposal,” the woman noted, as Chas joined her in the bed.

“I’m not sure MI-13 is giving us an option so...” the man uttered in a matter-of-fact tone. Looking over at the woman next to him, he added, “What’s the alternative?”

The Shi’ar rolled on her side, a hand picking something up from the nightstand, and then rolling over as she passed the note to her husband.

A quizzical look crossed the cab driver’s face, as the man unfolded the missive and rolled closer to the light in order to read it.

When he had finished, the man lowered the note and blurted aloud, “You’re not honestly suggesting we trust our son to Tony bloody Stark?”

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

PRESENT DAY
_{New York | The United States}

Sai didn’t get a whole lot of time to digest what was happening.

He’d woken up. Had some corn flakes. And then his mum had told him he was going to the United States. Not the normal way, either. Daytripper was going to give him a portal. London to New York in the blink of an eye.

The child found himself in freefall, taking a step through the portal and apparently stepping right off the edge of the sky itself.

A burst of light radiated from out of him, a myriad of colors sparkling as a rainbow seemed to swirl around him as his powers kicked in, slowing his descent to a halt as he righted himself in mid-air.

All around him, a metropolis spread from the sea inward. It was a lot like flying over London. Buildings on top of buildings. He’d been told to find someone named Stark. But how was he going to find one man in a city the size of... well, the size of New York?

As the boy turned in mid-air, one building stood out among the rest. To start with, he was right next to it. Secondly, the building had the word STARK across it. “Oh,” the boy uttered, large violet eyes blinking with the realization that this might not actually be very difficult at all.

For a moment, the youth pondered what he was supposed to do next. Should he fly down and walk in the front door? The top of the building looked like it was made for someone to fly in and land though. Drifting closer to the building, the boy set his feet down on the terraced landing pad.

A pair of flying drones came into view about the same time. Though, Sai realized a second later that there were several more hovering around as well.

“Uh, hi?” the British child uttered sheepishly, as he fidgeted from side to side.

To his surprise, a moment later the drones seemed to move aside, leaving open the pathway to the door that was now visible at the end of the ramp that Sai had landed upon. Hesitating for a moment, the feathered child made his way into the glassed-in suite, with a large couch and two men inside.

The small Shi’ar was a mass of black feathers, his slight frame swallowed by the faded Mucous Membrane t-shirt that he wore. A pair of Nike’s dressed his feet, making him appear to be quite an ordinary kid. Which, he was an ordinary kid.

Just not entirely human.

[Birdboy]

Chie’s eyes were peeled to the tinted window of the cab that separated her and the city of her dreams. As they traveled down the crowded streets she could hardly keep her excitement contained. Being in New York city was exciting, but knowing she would be staying here was a dream come true. She was like a child in a candy store looking at the fancy clothes stores and delicious looking restaurants. Her only qualm was that her family wouldn’t be here to share it with her. As if on cue her phone buzzed and the giddy teen’s face lost it’s radiant smile to a more concerned look.

1:43 pm
Mom
Call me when you’re in your dorm

The text message wasn’t the only message on her phone, by far.Seeing her mom clinging to the excuse she had for being here, though, it was enough to make her feel too conflicted to enjoy the scenery. Now she just wanted to get to the stark tower. Looking for a new distraction, she gave Niel a less-than-gentle shove to wake him up.

“Niel, we’re almost here dude!” she practically shouted with joy. The taxi driver grumbled something under his breath as he turned the radio up to blot out the shrill noises of an excited teen girl.

Reluctantly waking up. Despite Chie’s shrills. Bad dreams kept him up, most of the night. Then again when wasn’t he kept up by something? The crawling bugs of his own thoughts. Or the sleepy alertness. When your mind is awake, but your body is tired. Sleep is one of those finite resources he seemed to lack a lot of from time to time. He could hear it now, sleepiest psychopathic Justice League member ever.

“Eveningnoonmorning,” he mumbles all of them together just to be funny.

Now it has been established that he is, in fact, awake. Sort of. Kind of. Not really. His brain is on one of the dialup speeds, is anyone going to understand the reference? Is he the only young person who does his research into the old and weird?

New York City, huh. It's very flashy. Though maybe not in the classy way the postcards would have you believe, there’s something about it that’s kind of like the creepy handsome guy on a subway train. From a distance he’s decently attractive, next thing you know he’s sending you pictures and details you don’t want to know. New York sort of has that vibe. On the surface, classy, classic, and old. With historical districts, but it’s just strange enough beneath the surface it’s the equivalent of a dick picture.

Chie rolled her eyes at the groggy reply she got. At Least now she could see that his eyes were open. He seemed far less dazzled by the skyscrapers and hotels. Then again, he was from Gotham, he had seen Jump City Bay with the Teen Titans. Perhaps he was just a bit more worldly.She had to contain a gasp as she suddenly lurched forward and pointed to the only parking spot in miles for the driver to see.

“Stop there!” she commanded. The older man sighed as he brought them to a stop.
“Can’t work on any empty stomach, you’ve been knocked out for a while dude. Are you good?” Chie said with concern evident in her tone.

Her wallet currently had what a teen might consider ‘fat stacks’. She wasn’t afraid to splurge a little, especially before she started working for Tony Stark himself. She couldn’t imagine food would be a worry when a millionaire signs your paycheck. Pointing out a small, french-style bistro. The wafting smell of roasted duck and bourguignon of all sorts emanate from the restaurant and towards the duo.

No one should be this enthusiastic, or he’s just cranky because he just woke up. Watching Chie, sighing internally rather than out loud. Raven told him she's going to start to look up to him and he’s not sure he’s ready for that kind of responsibility. He can barely look up to himself. He’s a pretty shite role model even to himself. And this whole Justice League bullshit. There’s a whole sort of ring of mockery. He’s not one of those “heroes”. Then again he has no secret identity. No masked identity either. Who actually spends their time wasting on stuff like that? He’s thinking about all the interviews of the hours they spent making their costume, and coming up with an identity. Like they are looking up online baby names and going with Armageddon because it means destruction or something.

Still food sounds good. One, it’s procrastinating from going to the Stark Tower just yet. And two, he ate nothing on their way out.

“As long as there is coffee to go alongside it,” Niel shrugs while attempting to elbow Chie to move out of the cab.

“It’s french. You know they’ll have coffee” She reassured as she moved out of his way.

Niel wasn’t exactly the kind of company she would take with her on the regular, but being in a strange city and with superheroes in play, Chie was glad to have him by her side. Even if the excitement she had was lost on his more stoic demeanor. Regardless, the two of them found a seat by the window and coffee was served, as well as a spearmint tea for Chie. Food was ordered without any problems, the menu was rather simple.

“Do you know anyone else who might be showing up today?” Chie asked after a long sip of the warm drink. He had mentioned the names of other heroes before. It may not be much, but she was sure that he knew more than she did.
“It must not be anyone too amazing if they’re calling on me” she said with a wince.
It wasn’t worth denying that she was a dark horse in the hero world. No impressive powers, no tragic backstory. She was just a tough kid with a vigilante streak, at least in her own head. It hadn’t exactly crossed her mind that it wasn’t normal for a woman her age to have taken down men twice her size and survived numerous encounters with inhuman villains.
“Uh, no offense” She snickered to Niel as she took another sip.

She’s the least worrisome person he knows, “It must not be anyone too amazing, if they’re calling on you, huh.” he raises a brow, “You, Chie, are exactly what they are looking for. That’s not an insult, you just have all the qualities of a marketable young hero they can stick on the cover of Times. Not an insult. You’re enthusiastic, eager to aid the community, eager to help. It’s more concerning that Tony Stark dipped into the hero bin, and must have been scraping at the bottom to pick me out of it. Considering who my parents are, and the number of deaths I have accidentally caused. Tony was like, mmyeah, this seems like a good idea. That or he did it for a laugh knowing it piss in Batman’s cereal if he did so.”

That was something that hadn’t crossed Chie’s mind. Maybe being a hero wasn’t just about which powerful villain who can topple. Chie only responded with a shrug.
“I guess if they want me on the cover of Time, I’ll need to cover my face a bit more…” She thought aloud as their food arrived. Chie suddenly felt much less of an appetite, Niel’s skepticism was rubbing off on her.
“Maybe Stark learned you have a cool partner to keep you from killing anyone.” She remarked with an uneasy cynicism.
“Seriously though, Stark probably knows we’re a team. If we already work well together, it’ll be easier for him to integrate us into the party, right?” She said with less conviction than she wished she could have mustered.

Crap. The intent wasn’t to make her dejected. Looking over at Chie picking at her seared halibut, a weird choice for a teenager makes his choice of a grilled cheese feel juvenile in comparison. No fries. Just tomato soup to dip it in, “Don’t get depresso on me. Eat your halibut, that shit is expensive. I am not trying to drag you down in the mud of my dark thoughts. You’re supposed to be the chipper one remember. If I make you as jaded as me I am going to need to replace you. That’s a joke by the way. I am aware there’s such a thing of exuding positive traits in a toxic manner.”

Chie chipped away at her meal but it was clear the seed of self doubt had begun to sprout. Still, the overbearing snark her partner exuded never ceased to put a smile on her face. Niel was a lot of things, funny included.
“I guess it’s just all so new to me. You’ve been dealing with this ‘hero’ stuff all your life” She said with a heavy sigh. Still, she gave him a sad smile, doing her best to keep positive.
“But what’s it matter! We’ll do fine! Especially if we stick together!” She said before taking another chop of her fish.
“Damn, this is good. You should try it!”

Dealing with this hero stuff all his life, huh. He’s told her time and time again, he’s not a hero and doesn’t aspire to be one. The very fact Tony Stark is like, that’s what we need, the disillusioned, jaded, morally gray anti-”hero” - means either he’s desperate or started looking into the B tier category for heroes to hire. The A Tier was already taken up by The actual Justice League and there was no one left to higher. So instead of getting your Batmans, he had to hire his ManBats.

“My Pops once said,” Niel tells her, giving her halibut a suspicious look, “that heroes never recognize when they are fallible. He says that they believe themselves to be infallible, often. Just look at the way our society props them up like social figurines to aspire to. In this world, you’re a hero, or you’re getting blown up from an alien invasion in your lifetime, and maybe just maybe Superman’s cape will brush across your house or your window and you’ll never wash that window again. I don’t have the luxury of believing I am infallible, else I’ll become the next Jason Todd, Red Hood. Or the Punisher. But I also don’t have the luxury to constantly fight my mind because that’s too exhausting. I just have to operate in my own category. As I have always done and continue to define. And live with the consequences of that choice.”

He takes another second, staring at the halibut, “And no thank you. Fish is not my thing. Damn you order like a thirty year old. Are you sure you’re in high school?”

Listening to Niel speak while she ate gave Chie a lot to think on. Still, he seemed as nervous as she was, even if he didn’t show it as apparently. Still, despite how poorly Niel seemed to value himself in this scheme, she seemed more upset with how he felt about her choice in food.

“Maybe that was just a lie to keep you off my trail?” She said with a wink. No thirty-year-old looked as young as she did. It was always fun to remind him she had a secret identity. She could hardly call it a secret between the two of them at this point, though. He knew her name, her age, even facts she had let slip out here and there. As she took the last few bites of her fish, the girl nearly gagged when she pulled out her phone.

“We’re going to be late!” She exclaimed frantically, practically jumping out of her seat. She slammed a wad of cash on the counter and looked to Niel with a gleam of urgency in her eyes.
“No way in hell am I going to be late for the first meeting!” She protested, grabbing the young man by his sleeve and tugging.

She’s taking this more seriously than he is. He’s been procrastinating. Sure the two of them are a match set, but Chie and him don’t need to be together. She’d do well. Probably make new friends. Ones less questionable than him. Strange High School Girl makes friends with Mentally Unstable Adult attempting to smoke out a Venom smuggling underground ring, which has a really suspicious ring to it.

Eitherway he allows her to tug him out of the booth, “I’m coming. Do we even know where the Stark Tower is? Maybe if we’re lucky it will be shaped in a big giant letter and be easily recognizable.” he smirks, taking a quick shot at the T tower. The cab was supposed to take them exactly to the Stark Tower instead they spent that time eating. Which, again, no complaints. Tomato soup, grilled cheese, and coffee is a classic breakfast. Lunch? No, the food you eat first determines whether or not it's breakfast or not. And since he just woke up, breakfast.

Chie had them out the door by the time his protest even registered. Without even looking back she flipped open her phone and produced a map of the city. A one-handed search was all it took to locate the tower.
“I’ve got it here, just try to keep up” She said before her brisk walk became a jog. A jog that to most people would be like a sprint. Chie had been running track and cross country since freshman year, making her way on foot may very well be faster than the cars stuck in traffic.

Rounding a few street corners, the large skyscraper with Tony’s Surname was in sight in the distance. It was a towering baston over the manhattan shore, something to marvel at, were they not in a hurry. Noticing him lacking behind a bit, Chie waited for Niel to catch up to her. She stayed by his side now that they could see the tower was in sight.
“You’d think Stark could have sent us a personal driver or something” She remarked as they waited for traffic to pause so they could cross another busy city street. After they had crossed, she looked down at her phone with growing concern.
“Oh… We’re like fifteen minutes late already!” She groaned.

Well they had a personal driver. In the cab they took. Then they took a massive detour, not that he’s complaining. He’d prefer if they took another. Despite his ability to be immune to poison, he’s no track runner and catching up to Chie will his gear is poking him in the ribs - well more like awkwardly rubbing across his kevlar vest. He knows a guy willing to make a “fashionable” vest for him. He might be a nerd, who just is really into kevlar. No one is special. But definitely someone who might have stolen, anyway side tangent over.

“You think everyone is there already,” Niel attempts to calm Chie down, “Come on grandma. We better get inside.”

The two of them made their way towards the tower and within a matter of minutes they had made it to the tower. Seeing it up close, Chie craned her neck to see the top. She was never afraid of heights but being up there: that was scary.
“You’re calling me a granny? I’d have been here in half the time if I wasn’t waiting on the human tortoise” She snarked back at him. Still, she couldn’t help but hesitate as she reached for the door.

Inside, the smell of cleaning chemicals made it smell like a hospital inside. The whole place was oddly vacant, save for a few drones busy polishing the marble floor.

"Uh… hello?" She asked nervously, her introduction being met with silence.
"Anyone, uh, home?"

Niel laughs, “Guess we weren’t as late as we thought,”

[Virani]

Melissa stared out of the bus window with a jaundiced eye, many others on the bus looked out eager to see the city for the first time, but not Melissa. She supposed it was a nice city, at least in parts, but it wasn't her city. She wasn't homesick but she did feel somewhat out of her depth, Star City was her home, the city she knew every inch of and whose criminals she knew and understood. Sighing, she stood and inched down the aisle following the line of passengers disembarking.

While she waited for the driver to hand her the luggage she had brought with her, a single suitcase since she was accustomed to travelling light, she looked around the bus station. It sat in the heart of the city and in every direction there were tall skyscrapers with huge crowds of people walking between them. She wasn't particularly concerned about getting lost, not only because she was confident she could figure out the lay of the land but also because she doubted there was anyone in the city who didn't know where Stark tower was.

Retrieving her luggage she glanced at her phone and decided she had time to grab a coffee on her way to the Tower. The hours she'd spent on the bus had been exhausting and she was in serious need of a caffeine boost. She knew she could have flown here but a woman in costume carrying a suitcase wasn't the smartest move when arriving in a city she was unfamiliar with. With a snort of humour at her thoughts, she crossed the street to the Starbucks she had seen.

A short time later she was walking down the street towards Stark Tower taking grateful sips of her coffee, large caramel latte with extra syrup and coffee, which they'd actually gotten right for once. She'd decided to walk since her legs felt stiff and cramped from the bus journey and it wasn't a bad day for it.

As she walked, she thought back to the conversation that had changed the direction her life was on...

A MONTH EARLIER

Hell that hurt! She winced and pulled herself up into a crouch, she peeked her head above the car she had landed near Crashed more like A hail of bullets hitting the car quickly had her pushing those thoughts aside. Her earpiece bleeped and she tapped at it to answer.

"Songbird where the hell you'd go?" The voice of Roy Harper, aka speedy, asked in irritation.

"Sunbathing topless in the middle of the Caribbean."

"Very funny, seriously where are you?"

"I got jumped by some gang idiots." She paused. "Gang idiots with guns."

"Do you need backup?"

"I know how much you like rescuing damsels in distress but I can handle it."

His chuckle filled her ear. "What and deny my chance to be your hero?"

She rolled her eyes, ducking as more bullets were fired. "You're never going to get a girlfriend with cheesy lines like that. Now shush, I'm trying to concentrate." She tapped the earpiece ending the call not giving Speedy the chance to finish his sentence.

She debated her best move, confident that she could take them, just as she was about to make a move she saw two of the goons go down. Frowning she looked around and saw an arrow strike the man who had come over to check on his friends. A fourth arrow struck a car beside the two left standing and exploded causing them to be sent flying.

Hearing no more sounds of gunfire or movement she saw the gang members were all down. Cautiously she rose to her feet and began to hum a single note, a shimmering purple energy beginning to appear as she did so. She approached the men on the ground and knelt beside the closest. She recognised the arrows and sighed.

"Let me guess, Speedy called you." She said to the man now walking towards her. "I told him I could handle it."

"Actually he didn't." Green Arrow said. "I came here to talk to you."

Melissa frowned at the serious tone of his voice and his too casual body language. "What is it?" She asked for once serious.

Green Arrow saw her concern and reassured her. "It's nothing like that, everyone's fine."

"So why do you look like someone whose pet just died?"

"Nothing to do with this, just had to deal with a lot of idiots today." He said. "I came here to talk about an offer I received on your behalf."

"An offer? Shit, if its a job offer from that new club in the Glades...I can explain that."

He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she sighed. "It's not from the club is it?"

"No." He said with a grin. "It's from Tony Stark."

"THE Tony Stark? As in avengers Tony Stark?" She looked bewildered. "What could he want with me?"

Green Arrow leaned back against the side of a car."Seems your actions here in Star City caught his attention. He wants you to join a new team he's putting together, a group of younger people, that will be trained as a team.

"Like the Avengers?"

"Similar though youre not ready for the big leagues yet."

She eyed him for a few moments. "You think I should accept don't you?"

He nodded. "We both know that you've learned as much as you can from me and Star City. Think about what you could learn from him, a former avenger and a genius on boot."

"I'll think about it."

PRESENT DAY

It hadn't taken her long to decide as she always felt a drive to do better, to control her powers better. And where best to do that than with a member of the Avengers. She finally reached the tower and told the receptionist in the lobby who she was. "Ah yes, miss Lance. He said to let you straight through. Just use one of the elevators there to take you up to the lab, the button is labelled."

As she rode the elevator upwards, amazed at how comfortable the machine was, she felt nerves in the pit of her stomach but she ignored them and as the elevator door opened, ensured she wore a confident smile. She was pleased to see that she wasn't the first to arrive, a kid with the strangest hair she'd ever seen, was already there as was someone dressed in a white costume that reminded her of Black Panther.

She herself wore black ripped skinny jeans, knee high black boots, a royal blue sweater and a black leather jacket. She was wearing multiple necklaces and earrings and her hair was in a long braid.

"Hi." She said to the other two. "Don't suppose either of you know where the coffee machine is?" She shook her coffee cup. "I'm in dire need of a refill."

[Martian]

---

A week ago

---

Hiro felt at home in the Triskelion, the massive SHIELD facility located in Washington D.C. It had been three years since he had last set foot in it, well actually only one year for Hiro due to time travel. The young genius had spent most of his formative years here, working in a youth think tank, coming up with technologies to make the world a safer place.

Even though he hadn’t been here in a while, Hiro still knew the layout well, passing by all his usual haunts. The young man passed by the living quarters assigned to Justice League members staying at the complex, then the Qunijet hangar, before arriving at the research section of the building.

As Hiro entered his old workplace, there were whispers from various technicians and scientists working for SHIELD, people wondering if Hiro came back from the dead like a lot of superheroes do. But Hiro ignored them as he reached a large door. Placing his hand on a sensor, Hiro was glad that he had his security clearance reinstated a few days prior as they had been rescinded while he was thought dead.

Once the scan finished, the large door opened. Hiro walked through, entering the familiar lab. The young scientists within didn’t even turn to look at the newcomer, too engrossed in the work they were doing. Hiro wasn’t surprised to find that he didn’t recognize most of the young researchers, as SHIELD undoubtedly had scooped up more young geniuses in the three years that had elapsed.

But he did spot one familiar face, off in the corner, surrounded by the soft glow of a dimensional rift. While the boy was definitely taller now, Hiro still recognized him as Bentley-23.

“What are you working on?” asked Hiro as he approached Bentley.

“Something far beyond you simple minds,” Bentley replied without looking, “So go back to your tinker suits and stun guns. I’m busy.”

“Yes, busy with an interdimensonal portal. I thought those were banned by SHIELD?”

“Screw SHIELD. I’m doing science,” Bentley said as he turned to Hiro, his eyes widening, “So the rumors are true. You aren’t dead.”

“Yep, not dead. I mean did you guys even look for me?”

Bentley laughed, “Well we just assumed that Toyman killed you. He’s been in maximum lock up since then.”

“Well no one killed me,” said Hiro with a smirk, “I just was bumping around the time stream for a while. I learned that I supposed to grow up to become a supervillain, which sucks.”

“I know the feeling. Most people just see me as a clone of the Wizard, and not my own person,” replied Bentley solemnly, “So which villain are you supposed to be?”

“Kang the Conqueror.”

“You mean the blue faced guy who kicked the Avengers’ asses?”

“Yep. But I’m doing everything I can to prevent that.”

“Like what? Isn’t the time stream fixed or something?”

“I don’t know. But I figured that the best way to prevent me from becoming a supervillain is to become a superhero first.”

“Really? What would you even be? You have no powers.”

“Well I got a super-suit which I stole off Kang. I was thinking of Iron Lad.”

“Isn’t that a little derivative? Plus Tony Stark would probably sue you for copyright infringement.”

“Actually I’m going to be working for Tony Stark,” replied Hiro with a smile, “He’s setting up a team of youth heroes and he offered me a spot.”

“I didn’t know that Stark was good with children,” laughed Bentley.

“I doubt that there would be any actual children. Just people a few years too young to join the League.”

“Well you would have my blessing on becoming a superhero. That is if you do one thing for me.”

“And what’s that?”

“You let me inspect your power suit. I want to see if Kang’s future technology stacks up anywhere close to my own.”

Hiro chuckled at this request. Even after three years Bentley was still the same, overconfident and curious. After how many changes Hiro had gone through since learning he was Kang, it was good to see that some things remained the same.

But he was ready for the change of becoming a hero if it meant he wouldn’t become that time tyrant. Whatever he did, Hiro would never willingly become Kang.

---

Today

---

New York was another place that Hiro hadn’t been in over a year. He had taken a Quinjet from the Triskelion to the Raft, a SHIELD detention facility located just offshore of NYC. The other SHIELD agents aboard the plane were there as transfers to the prison, new guards for the super-powered prisoners.

But Hiro was only on the Quinjet to get a ride to New York. He thanked the SHIELD pilot as he stepped off the Quinjet, fully dressed in his Iron Lad armor. Just as the Quinjet launched off the landing pad, Hiro did the same, the energy of the suit lifting him into the sky.

Seeing the city from above was an amazing experience for Hiro, as he became aware of the simple joy of being able to fly. While he had never been to Stark Tower before, Hiro knew to look for the over-sized STARK logo. Looking through his head up display, Hiro scanned the city, his suit’s computer locking onto the STARK logo from miles away.

Also in his HUD was the time. Hiro saw that he was a little bit late as the Quinjet had not departed on time. So he increased his thrusters as he blasted off to Stark Tower. Within a few minutes, Hiro reached his destination. He saw that there was a landing pad on the side of the building, but his suit warned him that there were defenses in place. Even though he knew that he could probably hack them with his suit, Hiro decided that would probably create a problem.

Instead he descended until he reached street level. Hiro then walked in the front door, still wearing his full power armor. At the front of the building was a receptionist who didn’t even bat an eye at Hiro’s appearance.

“I’m assuming you are here for that young hero gathering,” stated the receptionist, “Can I get your name?”

“Iron Lad. But if you want my real name it’s Hiro Okamura,” replied Hiro.

“Iron Lad eh? Either you’re really derivative or you’re a super fan,” she chuckled, “Anyway just take the elevator up.”

Hiro was slightly hurt at being called a super fan. He had picked the name Iron Lad because he had similar armor to Iron Man and he was a youth. It made sense right? But Hiro pushed the thought aside as he entered the elevator.

As some music played on the elevator’s speakers, Hiro decided to take off his helmet. It always made him sweaty and he wanted to look the best for this meeting. As the door opened, Hiro found that he wasn’t the first hero to arrive.

There was a man wearing white armor similar to Black Panther, a black haired woman, a blond man, a blond woman, and a child with feathers. The last one gave Hiro pause. Apparently Bentley was right in that there would be children involved. He looked maybe eleven or twelve, too young to even be a sidekick in Hiro’s mind. But he trusted that Tony Stark knew what he was doing.

“Hello, my name is Hiro,” stated Hiro as he entered the room, “My apologies for being late.”

Still in his power armor, Hiro felt out of place as most of the others were in civilian garb, save for the Black Panther looking man. Hiro thought of taking a seat on the large couch, but he didn’t want to get any possible gunk that was on the armor on the expensive furniture. So instead Hiro remained standing, helmet in hand.

[Timemaster]

A few hours ago

Loud jeers and shouting could be heard. The usual commotion when a prisoner is taken out of a cell, more so when a supervillain is taken.

Alexis walked forward, her head covered by a black hood in order to keep her from seeing the area around her. A mild blockage for her powers but nothing that she couldn't overcome if she tried hard enough. By her side there were 4 SWAT members in full gear weapons pointed towards her midsection and in front of her, Cyborg from the Titans.

Alexis just bid her time and continued walking, no sudden moves, no power displays...nothing. For once in her life, she was being led away from the cells and from the prison. For once in her life…she would be free. If you can call free, having to meet with a parole officer every few days, having a tracker implanted in her spire and other similar precautions.

When Jinx approached her and proposed this partnership with Stark and the other heroes, Alexis was…hesitant to say the least but after a few lengthy conversations with Jinx and a few promises made, she had no choice but to agree. Join the team for a minimum of 5 years and walk free or spend enough time in jail for Slade or the Kingpin to make sure she never leaves.

Present

A yellow energy enveloped a place further away from the others and suddenly, Ashe appeared from it. A drone that flew too close got zapped almost instantly and shut down.

“ Meh. ” said Ashe with a lit cigarette in her mouth.

She looked at the assembly of heroes and she laughed, hard.

“ Wow. The Black Panther JR, Stark, a small kid and a fcking power ranger and not sure what the rest of you are. I would’ve had better chances in jail to survive than here…damn. Fcking ‘ell. I’m going to die… ” as she talked, light surrounded her making laughing faces and at the end, a person shooting themselves in the head.

“ Anyways, I’m Ashe. Your very own resident supervillain. ” she said as she threw her cigarette on the floor, snubbing it out with her heel…only to light another one up.

[TheRedWatcher]

93 stories? It’s not like Stark handed out RVSP invitations, on the nice fancy paper with written instructions:

Niel's Imagination

93 stories seemed like a daunting task. He didn’t really understand why Tony Stark picked him out of the bunch. There were plenty of B-role heroes to choose from. Truth is, he’s nervous as hell, even if he wasn’t going to admit to that Chie. Whipping his head around, pointing to the elevator.

“Coming?” he asks.

She gives him one of her playful smiles, “How about we race?”

“You want to race up 93 stories? You’re a track star, you’re not a track alien,”

“Scared you’ll lose,”

“More scared you’re going to lose your breaklunch,”

“Sure,” Chie is already heading towards the steps. He’s not sure who she is challenging, him, or the machine.

“Pretty sure you’re just going to make the building mad at you if you think you can beat it,”

“Better hurry or you’ll lose!”

Crap. And she’s run off. Who else is he going to deflect to now? It’s just him and the elevator now. Wonder if any of the rumors are true and that there is an actual talking machine. Stepping into the elevator, wondering if there is a way to rig this thing to play hype music?

“I don’t know if you can hear me or not, or I am talking to myself, but take your time getting up,” because he’s totally nervous right now. And getting there before Chie while she’s still several stories below him didn’t sound like a good time. He hits the 20th floor, knowing full well where he’s supposed to be going. But now alone, he had to sit with the thoughts that had kept him up all night. Wow, how dramatic of a thought to conjure up right now?

“Okay Niel,” he walks himself through it, staring into a blurry reflection from a metallic part of the elevator, “Let’s walk through this, introduction thing.”

Especially not to look like a total nutcase.

“The elevator opens up, and you say,” he’s talking out loud to himself and he knows it, that or he’s being eerily watched by a machine, “Sup. I am Ace of Knaves.”

Sup? Sup? Have you been asked to give an interview before a hit rap music video? Ace of Knaves, you’re not even a masked vigilante. In fact you’re something much worse than a masked vigilante, you’re a private investigator. Way to go you perpetuating the heroism of the police force. You really outdid yourself on that one. Let’s try an introduction that isn’t as try-hardy as that one, please. Just something normal. Cool, well not like cool the way people perceive the word cool to mean.

“Sorry, got lost on the way up, you’d think someone was compensating for something, am I right, Nathaniel,”

That is worse. And what a cliche joke. Like, get an original joke. And that’s two dick jokes you’ve made since waking up. Is there something you’d like to tell yourself, Niel? Oh shut up. That’s not even funny.

“Niel, we have to make a good impression,” he says to himself, attempting now to talk out loud, to wrestle with his anxiety.

“Yeah I got that, but talking in the elevator to myself isn’t helping, what if they hear me?”

“I doubt anyone will care whether or not you’re talking to yourself,”

The elevator stops moving. This is the 20th floor. He laughs nervously, looking down long, sterile hallways, “Oh wow would you look at that wrong floor. Oops.” he presses the button for the 27th floor next.

“I just need a non corny, introduction,”

“How would Robin introduce himself,”

He stands up straight, “I am Robin, it’s a pleasure to meet you guys. I am a natural born leader, who likes to take charge of everything and micromanage just like my Father. Okay Niel tone it back down this is getting bitter.”

Pretty sure he’s going to get turned down if he keeps this up. Pretty sure if the rumors are in fact true about the A.I. Tony Stark will definitely know about the guy freaking out in his elevator. Maybe they’ll say that this guy is too much, and send him off to get his mind flossed. He’s pretty sure this isn’t a normal reaction to anxiety, like some burning itchy, maddening rash.

You just have to come up with a single fucking introduction. Why are you spinning yourself around? In so many damn circles Niel. It’s an introduction, not your whole entire fucking backstory. What are you going to do join the Justice League and treat it like group therapy and trauma dump on them every sad story about yourself?

Oh what’s your superpower Niel? Trauma and angst.

Can you be normal for once?

The elevator stops at the 27th floor.

“Wow weird, how this keeps happening,”

He presses the button for the 35th floor. Just get your shit together Niel. They probably don’t know who you are. Yeah, that’s the spirit.

See you’re sounding like Chie already. How would she introduce herself? Probably bust through the door, and scream, “Hiyah. I am Shuriken, ready to be your sword.” he does a karate chopping motion in the air.

God it's bad when he’s trying to imitate her.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Feeling sorry for myself is like my default though. That or irritation. Then get irritated. I have nothing to be irritated by. Ugh. My head is the worst place sometimes. This is why you couldn’t sleep. He wonders where Chie is. Should he have left her alone?

Make up your mind on where you want to argue with yourself about.

How did this go this far? All he wanted to do was practice an introduction. Instead he’s let his anxiety wind him up like a ball of yarn. His anxiety is like a cat bent on destruction, by knocking down the yarn roll, and you begin to watch as it careens in the living room and you’re desperately trying to stop it from unraveling. Way to be dark and dramatic, Again!

You’re really going to earn yourself the academy award for: Best use of Trope. Emo “Hero”

The elevator stops at the 35th floor.

“Crazy, how this keeps handing, all these floors look the same,” Niel jokes out loud.

He goes to press the 44th floor. Realizing he can’t hit the buttons any more. Crap. No. Is he locked out from hitting any more buttons. He furiously hits the 44th button, but the display screen shows 93rd.

“Fuck you, I wasn’t done having my anxiety attack!” he shouts at the ceiling.

He sort of mashes all the buttons together at once. Fuck you elevator. Furiously pressing the 44th floor, but the display continues flashing 93.

“You piece of shit! This is why machines shouldn’t have a mind of their god damn own, I am sitting here trying to fulfill my mandatory mental breakdown!”

The machine still won’t listen despite him trying to get the elevator to stop at whatever level is next.

“I AM GOING TO DISMANTLE YOU! AND SELL YOUR FUCKING PARTS!”

He tries the emergency stop button. It won’t work.

“THIS IS ILLEGAL!”

He’s resorted to kicking the control panel, “I HATE YOU. YOU STUPID ELEVATOR. I WASN’T READY TO GO IN YET. I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD CHANGE THEIR FUCKING MIND AND SEND ME FUCKING HOME. BUT YOU. YOU RUINED IT. YOU ELECTRONIC KIDNAPPING PIECE OF FUCKING TECHNOLOGY. I HOPE THAT YOUR WIRES SPIT OUT OF YOUR MECHANICAL GUTS!”

Shit, the door is open. Isn’t it? Room is full too of people, he waves, casually while clearing his throat “Hi guys.”

[Birdboy]

Chie took to the stairs like a wild animal, jumping from rail to rail rather than run the spiraling stairs. She did her best not to look down as she began to make great time, but by floor thirty-five she couldn't help it. It nearly made her fall to see how high up she was. She had climbed buildings, clung to gutters and drainpipes, but this height was something new. She nearly lost her grip with how clammy her hands had become, but her other hand snapped around and latched to the rail in the nick of time. With her heart racing for more than one reason, she climbed over the rail and decided for now running would do the job.

A couple of flights of stairs and Chie was already starting to regret things. Her heart was pounding so loud she could hear each pulse of her veins. She let out a groan of frustration as she realized how sweaty she would be. It was far from the way she wanted to introduce herself, but she wasn't about to give up now. She would rather die than give Niel another thing to tease her about, not today!

Two dozen more flights and Chie's resolve was begining to break. She was already gasping for air, her lungs where burning as they heaved her chest up in down in a vain attempt to bring enough oxygen. She was practically crawling up the stairs, propping herself up against the rails. Niel had easily outpaced her by now, and she was cursing her own Naivety. She was only a little over halfway there.
"God...damnit..." She huffed out in spite.
"I'm such a dumbass" She relented in frustration. Why was she still going? The elevator was still working, yet she refused. She had chosen to take the stairs and so up the next flight of stairs she went.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I HATE YOU. YOU STUPID ELEVATOR. I WASN’T READY TO GO IN YET. I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD CHANGE THEIR FUCKING MIND AND SEND ME FUCKING HOME. BUT YOU. YOU RUINED IT. YOU ELECTRONIC KIDNAPPING PIECE OF FUCKING TECHNOLOGY. I HOPE THAT YOUR WIRES SPIT OUT OF YOUR MECHANICAL GUTS!”

Chie could hear the yelling from behind the door to the stairwell. That unforgettable voice made her hesitate before she opened the door. Niel was awkward, sure, but she physically recoiled in tangible pain as she listened to him already making a fool of himself. Well, she wasn't exactly going to do much better. The bright pink shirt she had worn now clung to her from all the sweat pouring off of her. She was gasping for air, her mouth so dry she wasn't sure she'd be able to give an intro. Her throat hurt like she had swallowed glass, and her legs wobbled underneath her weakly as she was moments away from letting them give out.

"Can't let him be the only idiot out there" she said to herself with a sigh before swinging the door open to reveal her own haggard self.
"Shuriken!" She managed to rasp out before coughing from the lump in throat. It took her awkwardly long to get her composure back.
"Reporting for duty!" She continued, giving a salute to Stark even as she doubled over herself.

Tony Stark hardly seemed impressed, but her slid down the pair of sunglasses he was wearing so the group could see his piercing blue eyes. His face told everything he was intending. Disappointment. His glare first turned to Chie.

"Kid, did you just go up ninety-three flights of stairs?" He asked in an exasperated gasp. Chie, through nausea and fatigue could only nod at the man. Her face was bright red at this point: both from embarrassment and her lethargy.

Tony didn't seem done with her, but his stare down was enough for now. He turned to the newest addition and back to her before pinching his nose in frustration.
"Ok" He finally said in defeat.
"Go ahead a get Miss triathlon a bottle of water, a coffee for Miss Lance, did I miss anything?" He snarled in a passive-aggressive display of his waning patience.

[AngelofOctober]

“Gram,”

Welp she noticed.

“You aren’t getting yourself in trouble?”

“No,”

“But you’re sneaking out,”

“Sneaking out,” it’s broad daylight, “in broad daylight, through the front door?”

“You usually tell me where you’re going,”

That’s true.

Especially since he helps out during the day at the bookstore, stationed in downtown York. He thought that he could’ve left earlier, now he’s probably going to be late despite being early.

“I am just going,” MIcheal responds.

“When are you going to be back?”

“Later,”

Gram is staring at him.

“Later, maybe not for a while,” Micheal scans the bookstore, staring at the shelves, “Bye.”

He panics rushing out the front door. He doesn’t like leaving her out of the know, but in this case it’s probably for the best. She’d likely freak out if he told her what he was doing and there is always the risk that someone might try to use them to get to him. Get accepted into Tony Stark's team, suddenly thinking like a bigshot. Think your head is getting a bit big there Micheal.

Viral: I think your head is a little small

“I mean getting an ego,” Micheal says out loud. He’s used to looking a little strange responding out loud to a conversation he can only hear.

All he has to do is walk a few blocks and should be there. But now he’s definitely later than what he intended. Hopefully he isn’t the only one late.

Making a good impression already. He hopes Gram and Gramps aren’t too upset with him flying out of the shop, honestly he got nervous. Explaining hero stuff to Gram and Gramps is kind of difficult and showing them VIral would be a nightmare. Viral’s a bull - well in a bookstore.

Viral: I am not a bull.

Micheal: It’s a saying Viral we have been over this.

Viral: I am merely saying your phrases are inaccurate

Micheal: Sorry. Showing Gram and Gramps a horrendously hulking, four armed, alien monstrosity in a bookstore will go well.

Viral: This is that Human thing when you say one thing, but you mean another

Micheal: Sarcasm

Viral: Sarcasm.

He shakes his head. Speaking of Viral. He’s not sure how to introduce him to a team of young heroes. Taking out a cigarette.

Viral: Don’t worry our meeting will go horrible.

Lighting it. Pausing.

“Is that your attempt at sarcasm?” he ask with lit smoke in his mouth. A woman passes him a look as he walks.

Viral: I did well

Is he flexing his four arms? He probably is proud of himself. Micheal sighs, taking a drag. Inhaling. Then exhaling. It’s a relatively calming task because the truth is that he doesn’t have nerves of steel. A young team of heroes, hopefully Tony Stark knows what he is doing, and hired who he thought was the best of the best of the young heroes.

Finally here. That didn’t take long. But he’s definitely late, hopefully he can get to the elevator because 93 stories was a bit much. Snuffing the cigarette out on the lid of a nearby trash can.

Ready?

Viral: My nerves don’t quake

He’s going to take that as a yes. Stepping into the lobby. Crap. Someone else is using the elevator. And apparently going up multiple floors? Multiple people then? It smells - medical in here. Reminds him of the hospitals in fact. Everything here is so sterile. Stairs it is then. 93 steps. And he was going to have to take it at a brisk pace, wasn’t he?

Viral: I could take the stairs for us.

I don’t really think that’s the best idea.
Viral: Why are you always so worried about how people will react to me?

Because I don’t know if anyone has been briefed and suddenly a large alien monstrosity walks into the room. It’s called tact Viral

Viral: Fear is also a tactic

And this is why you’re not going up the stairs or entering the room

Sighing. This is going to take him a while isn’t it?

Why did it take you so long?

Oh I had to walk up a flight of steps.

Why didn’t you take the elevator?

Oh because it was currently in use.

Viral: Or you could let me have the glory conquering the stairs

Tone down the glory talk
Viral: Will they truly fear me?

Micheal sighs. Crap. He’s being a bit too hard on him. He swears he sees a big black blur up one of these steps.

“Sorry partner, I shouldn’t be so harsh on you,” he apologizes, “This is going to be difficult for the both of us. And you must be anxious too.”

Viral: I do not fear others judgements

Trying to act tough for the both of them, isn’t he? He appreciates Viral's just trying to help and he’s lashing out. He shouldn’t have been so harsh. He’s been a bit too mean to Viral today.

“It’s okay to admit it Viral, you’re a protector, but you cannot always be the one protecting, having vulnerability is okay too. It makes you stronger,”

Viral: Does that mean

Uh no. Let me explain first. Then can you introduce yourself? Okay? Please trust me.

Viral: You’re the only human I do trust, very well

Just take it nice and slow Micheal.

He's result to counting the steps to pass the time;

99

100

Viral: Why are you counting? Is there a significance in this?
You’re going to make me lose track.

200

There are a lot of stairs. Why even have stairs? Why can’t there be two elevators? He hasn’t seen that figure in black since several floors below.

300

Okay he’s going to stop counting. It got ridiculous the moment he reached 250.

500

Why is he still counting? To keep his mind busy he supposed. He stopped being nervous about the situation two hundred steps ago.

800

He has to sit down and take a break.

Viral: What if I told you my nerves quake?

“I wouldn’t view you any less,” Micheal responds, taking a sip of water in his backpack, “In fact I would appreciate the honesty and think that you are truly braver than most who wouldn’t be able to admit such a thing.”

Viral: Hmm I will have to contemplate your answer

Break over.

Where was he 800. Counting is the tortuous part. Standing back up. And starting it all over again at.

801 and go.

900

920

Sure he’s not nervous any more, but doubt is creeping in. Is he the right person for the job? Will Viral and him provide what the team needs? Will they be of any help?

1,000

Seriously this is going to keep going? This is not the end of the stairs?

1,300

Maybe he lied about not being nervous any more. Maybe he was trying to believe he wasn’t nervous. Maybe these steps are some kind of test.
1,500

When are these stairs going to end? The profound thinking of two hundred steps ago have vanished.

Made it!

1,860 steps.

There's a muffled conversation behind a door: "Go ahead, get Miss Triathlon a bottle of water, a coffee for Miss Lance, did I miss anything?"

He’s probably very late. He walks slowly, leg honestly feeling like jelly right now. At least he didn’t run up the steps and simply took it at his own pace. Opening the door, oh that girl looks like she’s going to puke on the rug, doesn’t she? Did she run up here? She’s soaked in sweat. Maybe no one will notice he’s very late, as he tries to sneak in without being noticed. Like being late for class.

[Timemaster]

Ashe looked with interest as the 2 others entered the room. One, talking to himself in the elevator which she definitely recognized. Nathaniel Q. Joker’s pup in person.

This is going to be fun. So. Much. FUN!

“ Oh my, oh my. Looks like we’ve got the baby Joker in person. Hey there kiddo! ’ she said as she waved at him. Images of Joker in different poses appeared next to her, all pointing towards Niel and laughing.

“ Do you recognize me kiddo? ” she added, moving her hands as two muppet illusions of them appeared on the floor in front of them, displaying Niel’s first meeting with Ashe in a comical manner.

She took a breath and teleported next to the Chie as she was breathing hard, sweating.

Ashe bent at her then looked at Stark with a wild look in her eye.

“ There, there. Let me help you, fellow ally. Let me save you! ” said Ashe as an illusionary bucket of water appeared above Chie and dropped on her. While the water was illusionary and Chie wouldn’t feel it normally, Ashe added one small bit of power behind it, giving the sensation, at least to Chie’s brain for a few brief seconds, that it was actually real water.

“ Done. I gave her water Mr. Stark as requested. I helped my ally in peril from being…drowned in her own sweat. ” said as she laughed.

She then teleported back to her original spot, only for a new person to appear in the room. A normal looking person. Out of everyone here, this one looked absolutely normal. Nothing distinguishing about him that she could see then she realized, she did know him. Spidey's friend. Michelangelo or something.

" And another friend of the past! Oh my, oh my! Mr. Stark! You shouldn't have brought so many of my friends here. Thank you so much! " she said with a smile and a mock bow to Stark.

She then smiled at Michael, waved at him and as she did, her face turned to horror. With a pointed finger above Michael's head.

A big guillotine appeared above him, the sharp part of it falling towards his neck.

[TheRedWatcher]

@Timemaster

Embarrassingly looking at the control panel for the elevator. Real smooth there Niel. In fact that’s the smoothest you’ve ever been. “Smoothly” walking in attempting to be more graceful, as Chie looks like she’s going to hurl on the nice rich man’s carpet. Are we still eating the rich or not eating this richy rich? He notices another guy trying to sneak in.

Does he think he’s going to go unnoticed in a room?

Let’s see. We have a kid. That reads Trauma waiting to happen. Yes, he read the age restrictions, yes he is aware that there would be kids. No he didn’t realize anyone would actually hire kids. This world is kind of fucked if you think about it. No one is outright objecting to getting kids killed or injured. Guess it makes sense, superheroes have never heard of child labor laws.

Got a guy who gives him the impression of the one in charge. Younger than him, but he knows that stance and that eagerness in his eye. Fuck. He’s feeling old and he’s only fucking twenty. Guess twenty is the new sixty and sixteen is the new twenty.

Another seventeen year old.

Chie.

“Oh my, oh my. Looks like we’ve got the baby Joker in person. Hey there kiddo!”

Baby Joker? His eye twitches a little and doesn’t register what else Ashe is saying. Baby Joker is fighting words. Now Niel remembers about being smooth. Smooth personality. Not your smooth brain.

See be cool. You can be cool. Not an absolute nutcase. See. Chill. Not everyone who mentions Joker is-

-Did she just pour water over Chie!? Even though he has his limits, “Baby Joker is a nice one. So, what do they call you? The Rude Witch of the West.”

[AngelofOctober]

@Timemaster

There is a kid here. That has to be rough. To be the only kid, and even a sixteen year old is vastly different from an eleven year old. He’d have to do his best to make sure that the kid would be properly protected. Sure in a world of powers kids are more capable, but they aren’t more capable mentally. Wish Tony had thought this through better than that.

There’s the girl who looks like she ran a marathon, up 1,860 steps? That’s either a test of her endurance, but judging how sick she looks - was it worth it he wonders? The younger ones were going to have to be taken care of by the older ones. They had more experience more wisdom

Something about the Joker’s son? Well he takes back anything profound he said just a second ago about the older being more experienced and wise. He’s also starting to creep himself out because he’s starting to sound like some entitled hero with a big head and this is starting to sound a lot like

Micheal: Viral could you not passively influence my emotions

Viral: You were worried about a small head

-That actually wasn’t at all what I was worried about

Viral: Now you’re not

That voice though? That has to be

Viral: Danger!

Viral No!

Micheal -sigh-: It wasn't a real guillotine. Tone it down.

Viral now standing in the room surveying all the little flesh sacks he had been surveying next to Micheal, proudly licks his fangs and flexes his four arms proudly.

"Either way they now know I am on guard and prepared to defend them from danger,"

Micheal: Is that your attempt at a nice save?

[Birdboy]

The next few moments where a blur to Chie. She was caught in her own dizzy exhaustion, but the mention of water was promising. She took the chance to lean against the wall, slowly sliding down and and leaving a trail sweat behind her. So much for a good introduction. She was just glad she had roused more attention that Niel. He had a lot more riding on his shoulders here, being a villain's kid and all. She could tell others where staring at her.

“ There, there. Let me help you, fellow ally. Let me save you! ”

The words shook Chie from her stupor, a kind looking woman was smiling brightly. Chie was glad someone had extended the olive brance, these people where all heroes after all. To her surprise, she felt the suddenly splash of ice cold water across her body. She Gasped sharply, looking up at the woman in fury. She expected to be soaked, though the only thing soaking her was the sweat pouring off her. The gesture may have been rude, but truthfully the cold sensation of water had actually rejuvenated the ninja-to-be. Or perhaps she had just been shocked back into consciousness.

Chie was about to unleash her fury on the woman who had so rudely disrespected her, but luckily Niel seemed to have that covered. Chie then realized a shadow had been looming over her, though for how long was unclear. She turned around, seeing a horrifying monster licking it's lips ominously at her.

"Either way they now know I am on guard and prepared to defend them from danger,"

It's words managed to slip out as Chie stood in terror. She knew she'd be dealing with people with super powers, but this was just insane! She couldn't help but scream in horror, stumbling back and ultimately falling onto her back.

"calm down! I invited him... or, well, them" Tony Stark explained as if it should be evident. Chie stood up and tried to shake the terror off her face, but she so far today had been abysmal.

"Oh... uh, sorry" he said sheepishly. her usually bravado had been crushed by the situation at hand.
"Sorry. I'm Chie- I mean Shuriken! It's, um, nice to meet you" She blurted out. Damn, she had hoped to keep her name a secret. How did super heroes never have this problem?

"it's nice to meet you all. Even the impractical prankster" She added with scorn towards Ashe.

[Bounce]

"Don't suppose either of you know where the coffee machine is? I'm in dire need of a refill."

A woman with blonde hair had come in, looking for the Starbucks? The small Shi’ar had just shuffled his feet, still glancing around the room in obvious discomfort for how much he didn’t fit in. Or even know why he was there.

His mom wasn’t exactly one for lengthy explanations. Was this some kind of superhero camp? Was this, like, superhero school? He hadn’t really gotten any details other than find Mister Stark – which he’d apparently done now – and then he and his mom would talk later.

All of these doubts promptly left the feather-headed boy’s mind when, a moment later, Iron Man showed up and showed out!

...wait, that wasn’t Iron Man. Didn’t Iron Man have a different suit?

Whatever. It was power armor. And it was awesome.

“Hello, my name is Hiro,” this legendary figure of legendary armor of awesome uttered, as the helmet was removed to reveal...

...a teenager?

Whatever! It was still awesome. Particularly in the eyes of a kid who still played with transformers. Sai had no idea who Hiro was, but whoever the Iron Teenager was, Sai was already a huge fan.

“ Wow. The Black Panther JR, Stark, a small kid and a fcking power ranger... "

The F-bomb didn’t startle him. His dad drove a cab in London. Sai heard worse than that in the pub when his dad would start shouting about how Arsenal just walked it in.

No, for starters, he looked around at the mention of the Black Panther. Because Black Panther was, like, legend. But Sai didn’t see anyone fitting that bill. Mister Stark was the old guy with the goatee, right? So then Black Panther, Jr, was… the guy in the white suit?

How did that even make sense?

And the Power Ranger was... Hiro? Hiro looked nothing like a Power Ranger! And Sai knew Power Rangers. He’d been watching them since he was... well, old enough to remember watching anything. One, their suits were never that cool. Two, if anything Hiro would be closer to one of the Zords than an actual Ranger. Did this woman even know what she was talking about? Because Sai was starting to have doubts.

“ Anyways, I’m Ashe. Your very own resident supervillain. "

Seriously. Doubts might have been an understatement.

Two more adults joined them, with the woman coming in as though she’d just finished a workout in the gym.

Mister Stark didn’t seem thrilled. "Ok. Go ahead a get Miss triathlon a bottle of water, a coffee for Miss Lance, did I miss anything?"

“ Oh my, oh my. Looks like we’ve got the baby Joker in person, ” the super sus lady named Ashe blurted out. Then there were images that just seemed to appear around her. And a pair of puppets on her hands?

Then she was gone.

Or, no, she was standing next to the workout lady.

Before the boy’s eyes could even follow the sudden swap, Ashe seemed to douse the other woman with water.

Then she was gone. Or back where she’d been standing before?

And the water was gone..?

Another man walked into the room, prompting the already excited Ashe to point a hand at him as she said something.

Sai wasn’t paying any attention to that. Instead, his gaze locked on where a blade seemed to form right above the newcomer’s head.

The child’s eyes seemed to glow, the soft violet irises blanched as his powers kicked in. Throwing a hand up of his own, a rainbow seemed to leap across the room as a spinning disc-like shield that seemed formed of pure light appeared between the man and the falling blade.

...that was when everything seemed to go right to hell.

To start with, the blade passed right through his shield as though it was not even there.

Second, the man was no longer a man. Or, not the same man? There were four arms and a lot of teeth.

And with the second, came a scream. And not, like, a little scream. The scream is what caused the Shi’ar boy to launch into the air, his feet now hovering about a meter off the floor as the child’s shield vanished and the child just stared at Chie, then Mister Four Arms, then Ashe in turn.

“Bloody ‘ell,” the boy uttered flatly.

That was about all there was to say about all that.

[Timemaster]

@AngelofOctober

This. Is. So. Much. FUN! Even better than planned! A four armed monster screaming as he deflects an illusion. AWESOME!

" Oh wow! Nice arms, big guy. Let me guess your superpower? Deadly hugs? " asked Ashe while she teleported next to him then to his left and right, studying his "costume".

@TheRedWatcher

Ashe smiled her wicked smile at Niel and laughed at the end.

" The Rude Witch of the West? Not funny...daddy should've taught you how to make better jokes. " she said as she teleported in front of him, the golden energy enveloping both for a few seconds.

With a middle finger in the air, she smirked, turned and teleported back to her original spot.

@Bounce

Ashe watched with interest as the kid showed his powers and tried to protect Michael/Viral. She watched closely as his power activated and what it could potentially do, already running scenarios in her mind.

As all these games of hers were fun but they had a different purpose. Power levels. Who was strong enough to be a potential enemy in the future, who would be an ally, who to watch for and especially, where does she fit in this team.

Jinx didn't tell her much about the team as she herself didn't know much. All she knew was that heroes were needed and the powers didn't matter as long as you can hold out on your own.

Ashe did make her case that she's totally not a hero and won't act like one, she will swear, she will joke and will sleep with whomever she wants; to which Jinx agreed. As long as Ashe wouldn't kill, maim or break any laws...she would be allowed to join the team.

Ashe could do that. Play nice. Like Batman. Break the bones of criminals and that's it. If they die after...that's their problem. He did it, why could she do it either?

@Virani

Ashe disappeared for a few moments and reappeared with a coffee in her hand...from Starbucks.

" There you go blondy. Got a classic one, didn't know what you like. I wouldn't drink it now, it's hot...like other people around here. " said Ashe with a wink.

Melissa was interesting. She didn't do anything until now while all the others got their own...special Ashe move. She just watched, probably with interest. Her powers were a mystery as well but that was for later, how she looked intrigued Ashe and she made a mental note to rob a ba--borro--- buy her a beer one day.

[Virani]

Melissa watched the other people's antics with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. This was who she'd be working with? She couldn't decide which of them bothered her the most.

No...the kid definitely bothered her the most. Not that there was anything wrong with him, she just didn't particularly like the idea of relying on a child to watch her back. Plus she never really knew how to behave around them, not surprising really given how she'd pretty much skipped the child phase altogether. Another thing daddy dearest was responsible for.

She had no idea what to make of the guy who suddenly became a lot bigger and a hell of a lot more ugly. She'd maintained her usual relaxed demeanor with an effort when all she'd really wanted to do was either hit it or leg it and she still wasn't sure which of the two she would have chosen. But since it seemed content to just stand there and look intimidating she held off on the running or fighting...for now.

She was confused and a little concerned about the guy who'd basically had a meltdown at an inanimate object. Sure elevators weren't great but she'd never felt the urge to go homicidal on one, but then maybe the guy knew something she didn't about thw true evil of elevators? She smiled slightly at that. Next up under her observation was the girl who looked like she might have a heart attack any minute, not helped by having real...no fake...real ish water? Dumped on her.

Then there were the two in their hero costumes which she couldn't help thinking was a bit overkill. But she couldn't deny that the guy in the white suit looked pretty damn good in it. Obviously connected to Black Panther in some way given the whole feline theme he had going on. She wondered if he was from Wakanda, she'd always fancied going there someday. Maybe he'd invite them all for a visit one day? A girl could hope.

The hero aptly named...Hiro had some sort of metal suit though she couldn't quite see the power ranger that the girl who apparently couldn't stay still for more than a minute, had called him. Still it was an impressive getup and she made a mental note to ask him about it later. She wasn't a big fan of tech and was always worried that if her harness got damaged she'd not know how to repair it but between Stark and this guy she thought that might not be a worry any more.

She was debating whether to say something, anything really to calm this shit show down but was distracted by coffee. She stared down at the cup the girl, Ashe?, had handed to her. She took a cautious sip and found it was actually sweet enough for her tastes.

"Now that." She grinned at Ashe. "Is a useful ability. Who needs to order delivery when we have you." Her tone was light, teasing, taking the sting out of the sarcastic words. She raised the cup deciding she liked Ashe. "Thanks, I pretty much live on caffeine and get real grouchy when I'm low."

She looked at the others gathered around. "Well shit, I thought I'd mixed with an odd crowd back in Star City." She looked at Stark."I don't envy whoever you've roped in to train us into the perfect superhero team."

Stark raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Doubting your teammates already Songbird?" He emphasised her code name, perhaps to see if any of the others recognised the name.

"Nope, I was actually thinking that I know how teenagers behave especially teenagers with powers. Hell some of the pranks Speedy used to pull on me..." She grinned in memory. "There were a few times I thought Green Arrow was going to shoot us both out of sheer irritation, and that was just two of us."

[TheRedWatcher]

@Timemaster

“The Rude Witch of the West? Not funny...daddy should've taught you how to make better jokes.”

Has she ever met his Pops? His jokes are never funny. Gruesome, sure. The punchline always ends up in someone’s torment. Or it’s extremely corny and no one is laughing, there’s just dead silence. The literal kind of dead silence and then the not so literal dead silence.

Sure he recognizes Ashe. From his Teen Titan days, but nothing seems to have changed. Sure he had a meltdown in an elevator, but he wasn’t openly hostile to people. What a way to make friends. Let’s douse someone with water or illusionary water. Let’s pretend to drop a guillotine -

Looking back at the “guy” who had attempted to weasel his way in without being noticed, is now a hulking four armed monster. Chie freaks out, she jumps into the air like a mouse before toppling over.

“You have an odd way of making friends,” Niel tells Ashe, “Being openly hostile with others.”

He takes another second.

Watching her interact with the rest. Sure he’s not always the best person to be around. Yes, he is a walking neon sign of mental issues. But treating one girl right, and the rest the way she did. Didn’t sit right with him. And there’s no way of making that funny. He steps forward as she is interacting with the other young woman he doesn’t know by name.

“Hey Ashe, since we’re airing people’s laundry out,” Niel begins, “How long are you going to stay here before you decide that the hero's life isn’t for you? Yeah I broke an elevator panel, not my finest moment I admit, but I am not trying to catch ants with a magnifying glass and hot sauce.”

[Timemaster]

@Virani

Ashe smiled flirtatiously at Songbird and extended a hand.

" Got some other skills I can show you...but 'till then, I'm Ashe for all these other buggers but you can call me Alexis or later...whatever you prefer. "

@TheRedWatcher

“You have an odd way of making friends,” Niel tells Ashe, “Being openly hostile with others.”

Looking at him, she bowed in a mocking way : " Who said I'm here to make friends? " she left a long pause and then said again " If I would've been hostile with the others, at least 2 of them would've been dead. Trust me on that...Ace of Grapes. "

She then turned around and continued her onslaught of the newcomers, a prank, a joke and some illusions. Nothing that would harm them but enough for them to figure out she doesn't like it here, she doesn't want to be here but she has no choice than being here.

“Hey Ashe, since we’re airing people’s laundry out,” Niel begins, “How long are you going to stay here before you decide that the hero's life isn’t for you? Yeah I broke an elevator panel, not my finest moment I admit, but I am not trying to catch ants with a magnifying glass and hot sauce.”

Ashe turned to him, annoyed that her discussion with the hottie was interrupted...

" We two are like rubber and glue, whatever you throw at me, bounces back and sticks to you. I am not here to pretend that I want to be a hero, I am here because of one thing. My own survival.

If I stay in prison with no access to my powers, I'll be dead within the week. Only reason it didn't happen before was because Cyborg and Jinx watched over me constantly but even they'd slip up at one point or the other...and then I'd die.

Being in this hero team means that I've got at least 7 shiel--allies, willing or not as they are, against any assassins that may come after me. I am ready to whatever I have to do in order to survive. Even playing hero with you guys. 5 years and then I'm gone.

And if you wonder why I just don't teleport to a random place on the globe right now...very simple. I've got more trackers in me than the gold in Fort Knox or Stark's costumes. No chance in hell to escape and even if, for whatever reason, I'd manage to escape...I would have to hide from both you guys and assassins.

So...I say pass...

There, that's my story, people. I'll keep you alive as part of the deal, I'll get you where you need, defeat the "bad" guys and all that shit but don't expect anything else. I ain't here to make friends. " said Ashe, letting out a long speech, loud enough for all to hear.

[Birdboy]

"How eloquently put, Ashe. I think you're missing the point. If you're as willing to do what it takes, you can start by apologizing for the mess you created" Stark said, as he ushered the younger woman towards Chie, who had received a bottle of water from one of the many drones. She was now leaning against he wall, recovering with a scowl on her face, her harsh glare fixed on Ashe.

"If you want to stay in this team, you won't play hero. You'll be a hero. You said it yourself, you don't much of a choice. So quit making a scene" He sternly proclaimed. Readjusting his tie and letting out a huff of frustration, Tony prepared himself for an ordeal of epic proportions. Dealing with the youth was never his strong suit. Babysitting youthful super powered twerps, was a whole other headache.

"I've chosen each of you for a reason. It'd be better to play nice with the team, rather than be openly hostile. I would know, I've been put in a situation like this before. I know you're all out of your element but imagine how I felt when I first met J'onn, and don't even get me started on Thor. He nearly caved in my suit the first time we met" He stated calmly, a mix of trying to soothe nerves and also his own reminiscing. He couldn't help but think back to the motley crew he had worked with in this very room.

"So before you guys start ripping each other apart like wolves, why don't we get some introductions underway? If you haven't guess, I'm Tony Stark" He stated before tapping the core on his chest. A mettalic suit of armor quickly wrapped around him, giving Iron man his iconic suit.
"You might know me better like this. Now, why don't we have this conversation as we walk? You'll be staying here, surely you want to see what all we have to offer" He added.

[mattmanganon]

T'Danel watched the antics going on around him silently. So many people, so many conflicting personalities, so little chance that this was going to work. I mean, if they couldn't stop threatening to kill each other or the people that Tony wanted them to bring in alive, how the hell were they going to do anything other than get arrested by the rest of the league. He looked over at Tony, before he pulled the suit on, T'Danel could see the tell-tale signs of a big grin on his face. T'Danel looked rather confused at this, cocking his head to the side in a dog-like way. He sighed and the White Wolf mask retreated from his face, letting the long, blonde locks flow free. "My name is T'Danel" He began with his thick Wakandan accent "I am the son of King T'Challa and Queen Ororo of Wakanda. The Goddess Bast chose me to protect this world. Mr Stark has asked that i join his little... Experiment... And i hope to enjoy working with the rest of you." He said bluntly.

"Nice..." Tony replied, before sighing "Short and... Pointless. Come on, tell us about the REAL you. I know your old man, he's a chatty guy." T'Danel stared at him. "I also know your mom and..." he stopped to pick his next words carefully. "Well, let's just say that she's a dynamite gal"

"Alright, i think it's rather obvious that i'm adopted, but they are still the ones who raised me." T'Danel replied. The room went silent again.

"Ghaaaaaa!" Tony threw his head back "Who taught you to be so dramatic?" He looked around the room and smiled "His mom is Wonder Woman." T'Danel stared Daggers at Tony. "Look, i have read all of your files, i have read your most intimate little secrets, don't try and keep your flare for the dramatic. This is a team, if you keep secrets, if you don't trust each other, you die. Simple as. There are guys out there that are going to be gunning for you the moment you drop out of the sky and there will be exactly the people in this room to help you. nobody else. If the rest of the league shows up, that's gonna be running time, because my ability to protect you from them will be limited." He shook his head. "We are CHANGING The world and we changing it for all of you." He sighed. "Those stuffy old farts in the League seem to think that 25 is the age limit for Superheroing. Hell, that hypocritic ass Batman hand-rears himself little killers from birth, no offense-" He pointed to Nathan "And then says "15 year olds don't have the ability to make the snap decisions of this business" I brought every single one of you here because i WANT to trust every single one of you with my life... Even if i only trust you because you're wired up like a christmas tree with trackers." He pointed to Ashe. "I see the absolute best in EVERY single one of you." He walked into the middle of them pointed to them. "You may be a knock-off of me now, but i see a kid that will one day surpass me." He said pointing to Hiro. "Some of you are already on the right path and i want to give you the push that you need to go from surviving to thriving." He pointed to Melissa, Chie, Syaoran and T'Danel "And then i look at you two." He pointed to Michael and Ashe. "You two are two sides of the same coin. One of you wants to get better, the other doesn't." He looked them both in the eyes, first Ashe, then Michael, then back to Ashe "I want to turn you-" He said to Ashe "Into him" he pointed to Michael. "And then i want to turn both of you into them." He motioned back to Melissa, T'Danel, Chie and Syaoran.

"You are, ALL of you are the next generation of this worlds protectors. Me and Superman and the other guys are not going to be around forever. I don't want to leave this world with replacements for myself and the others. I want to leave this world with Upgrades to the rest of us." He sighed again. "Now, are we going to become friends and work as a team, or are we all going to jail?" He asked everyone. "Because i'm in the same boat as the rest of you. I don't even want to tell you how many felonies i'm committing here."

"Technically i have diplomatic immunity... So..." T'Danel grunted. Tony stared at him implying that it wasn't even slightly the point. "We are not going to jail." He replied. Tony waved his hands as a thank you.

"Rest of you? Work together or Jail?" He asked everyone together.