act one — chapter one.
( it's a miracle, the crowd all screams. )

Sometimes, Nell Bishop thinks she might be dead.

Her thoughts, feelings, the near-constant ache in her ribs from training, and the sorrowful tugging of her heartstrings as she flies around Oa half-girl and half-ghost. They tell her she's still alive– here to see another day– but they also remind her that the clock is ticking.

She can hear it sometimes, she thinks, in her dreams. Her room in John's apartment is small – only larger than her room in Hal's place on Earth by the tiniest fragment – and when she's curled up in bed at night, she can hear the familiar tick of a clock she knows John doesn't have. Time on Oa works differently than Earth, after all. There's no need for a measly human clock to know the time of a planet in the Centre of the Universe.

The clock she hears isn't telling her that the sun is rising, it isn't reminding her that she has school, or therapy, or visitation with her mother. It's telling her that time is running out. It's telling her that she, like most other Green Lanterns, is nothing more than a dead girl walking.

So, scratch that. Sometimes, Nell Bishop knows she's dead. Or that she will be soon enough, anyway.

An active Green Lantern, on average, lives for four years and three months. She's almost five months past that now. Surviving from here on out is a luxury, not a guarantee. Every Green Lantern knows that. They know what they're sacrificing–what they're giving up for even the slightest chance of bettering the universe.

Every Green Lantern is prepared to lay down their life for the cause.

Which is why, instead of the training grounds or the Hall of Great Service, Nell finds herself in the medical bay on Oa. Sitting beside a lone bed, she hugs her legs close to her chest as she stares down at the motionless, unconscious man in front of her.

It's been a week since Guy Gardner was downed in battle. A week since he told her a stupid joke, or went back to Earth, or helped her with the essay he promised they'd finish together over her summer break.

They said he was in a coma. They explained it in such a soft way; that he could wake up in a month's time, perfectly healed, or he might never wake up at all.

When people think of him, they think of his smirk or his arrogance. He had pissed off everyone in the Justice League more times than Nell could count, and that was all before she had ever even gotten her own ring. They think of how he leads the fight with his fists and not his head.

They never talk about his heart. They never mention the lengths he'd go to just to make the people he cares about smile.

It was Guy who took her to school in the mornings, and taught her how to stand up for herself when one of her classmates tried bullying her. It was Guy who held her hand on the way into her mother's apartment every month, and bought her ice cream before the trip back home. And it was Guy who had, despite not being invited to the Justice League himself, cheered for her when Batman announced the sidekicks would be joining the League a few weeks ago.

He got her in ways Hal and John never could.

He had been a Green Lantern for two whole years before she joined the Corps. An active hero for over seven years now. It was only two weeks ago that Guy had joked about joining "The Greats", because of course out of all people, it was another human beating the odds.

Hal wasn't regarded as the greatest Green Lantern, the best to sling the ring, because he survived past the average service time— but it's an easy dinner table joke, between Guy and Nell when they need something to laugh at so they don't think about the weight of it all, that living past it means they join The Greats right alongside her sector partner.

Now, Guy's laying in an infirmary bed, about to be transferred off Oa and onto the Justice League's Watchtower for the foreseeable future. The clock is ticking, and Nell can hear it in the back of her head. It was louder than ever before– because if Guy is going to die, if he's already halfway there with one foot in the grave, then she knows her time is running out too.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like if she were in his place. Aside from John and herself – and Hal, because she knows he'll visit every chance he gets despite protesting against it – Guy doesn't have anyone to sit at his bedside. His father is dead, and he hasn't spoken to his brother in years.

Nell supposes her mother would visit, if they kept her comatose body or buried corpse somewhere on Earth. If she was sober enough to remember. Maybe the Corps would come see her from time to time, but they would move on. The list of losses grows longer each passing day, and her name would just become another lost to time.

If it were John, he would want his sister and his mother at his side. He'd probably be buried somewhere near his younger sister, and his family would visit often.

Hal would have his brothers, and his niece, and Nell all at his side. There's no doubt in her mind that Carol would grieve his loss too, though the thought breaks her heart more than the idea of one day being forgotten.

Green Lanterns don't fear anything. But she can't, doesn't want to, think about leaving somebody else behind to grieve her when she's gone. She couldn't think of a more evil thing to put somebody through.

"Are you ready, Nell?" John's voice echoes through the infirmary and Nell, who has barely looked away from Guy's motionless body since she arrived in the medical bay this morning, glances over her shoulder with a frown.

"Do we have to?" She asks, her voice small and tired. "If we give him another week here, the ring could wake him up. And you know he'd want to see Oa."

John sighs quietly, then steps forward until he can rest a hand gently on her shoulder. "We can get him better help back on Earth, you know that," he says.

In the back of her mind, she knows he's right. The Watchtower is better for him. The League will always be watching over him, and he'd have access to human doctors that could be trusted– who would understand him and his human biology more than the other Lanterns ever could.

But if the Corps can't help him, if the ring and the Guardians can't help him, then what chance do human doctors have? What could they do that some of the more advanced alien planets can't?

"It'll be easier for you to see him if he's on the Watchtower," John adds a second later. "And he wouldn't want you to miss the big day."

Her nose scrunches as she turns away from John, resting her chin against her knees as her green eyes flicker back over to Guy. "The day is a hoax anyways," she mutters stubbornly. "We're only getting a tour of the Hall."

"The Hall is just the first step," John reminds her, a faint smile crosses his face as he lets his hand fall away from her shoulder. "Now come on, Hal's ready to head out."

Every summer, Nell finds herself on Oa to undergo more training with Kilowog. Every single summer, without fail, she leaves Earth the day after Summer break begins and it's been that way since she became a Green Lantern.

But between her and the other sidekick's meeting with the League coming up, and Guy's condition keeping him comatose in the Watchtower since they brought him home last week, she's grounded to Earth for the first summer in almost five years.

In an hour, she and Hal would have to make their way across the country and over to Washington for their meeting with the League. The Day, the others were calling it. It's not the day, or anything even that special really, but Nell knows how important the first step is for her friends.

In bright pink shorts and a white pyjama shirt with a unicorn printed across the middle, Nell sits at the dining table in her and Hal's apartment. There's a half eaten bowl of cereal in front of her, beside an open book.

Her thoughts are miles away, drifting somewhere between the stars and the Watchtower. The topic of Guy Gardner's condition has been weighing on her heavily these past few days, and the day ahead – heading to Washington to meet with the Justice League – feels like just another thing she has to get through. She hasn't had a proper moment to breathe since Guy's body was brought to Oa.

She lets out a huff, her gaze flicking back to the top of the page she had been rereading over and over for the past five minutes, unable to truly absorb a single word on the page. Sa'laak had let her borrow a book from the Hall of Great Service detailing the stories of the first Green Lanterns. She had to take it back in a week's time, which would usually be no problem but with her thoughts all over the place, she can barely get past the fifth lantern; Jal-Al of Krypton.

Hunched over the table, her gaze pointed at the book and her head in the clouds, she doesn't notice Hal walk into the kitchen. She doesn't notice him as he walks past her and to the other side of the kitchen nor does she notice as he makes his own bowl of cereal with the box she left on the counter. It's only when he sits beside her, reaches across the table, and steals the book from beneath her hand that she finally notices his presence.

"The First Lanterns, again? Seriously?" His lips are twisted into a calico grin as his eyes flicker between her and the book cover. "We've gotta get you out more, kid. Make more friends."

"I have friends," she points out, one hand pressing against the wooden table as she leans over to snatch the book from his hands. "Kaldur, Wally and Roy are my friends."

"They don't count." Hal glances back at her and, when she parts her lips to speak again, he shakes his head. "Neither does Arisia. You know heroes never count in this conversation, Nellie."

"That's just unfair," Nell scoffs, then closes her book. The topic had been quite common. Nell's supposedly lack of friends outside of other heroes or the Corps. Each time, she would name someone and Hal would always say they didn't count. "And you're bad at the game."

"I'm great at it," Hal grins. "You're the one who needs to make more friends."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." She rolls her eyes, slumping back into her chair as she pushes her half-eaten cereal aside. She'd never quite understood Hal's obsession with her supposed lack of "regular" friends. She was used to the Corps, used to being surrounded by people who understood what her life was like.

The more people that care about her, the more people who will be hurt when she inevitably falls in the heat of battle. At least other heroes can understand that– at least other Green Lanterns can understand that. She can't promise she'll be around forever, and with Guy in a coma, that's never been more clear to her.

She's quiet for a beat, then glances at her watch, her lips pressing together as she checks the time. They'll need to leave in just under an half an hour for the meeting at the Hall– the downside of Batman running on Eastern Standard Time means that a 2 p.m. meeting time in Washington is actually an 11 a.m. start in Coast City. The upside is that, as Green Lanterns, she and Hal can leave three minutes before 11 a.m. and still make it there before the Flash even thinks about leaving his post-fight interview.

She's still not too sure that The Day is even worth the hype. The idea of all the other young heroes gathering together in one place is significant, sure, but it feels more like an introduction than anything. As usual, the grown-ups will take the lead, and the kids will just follow suit.

And all the while, she'll be thinking of Guy's condition.

But there's no room for pessimism in the Jordan-Bishop family apartment, and she doesn't want to be a burden on a day like today. So, she plasters a smile across her face as she glances back up at Hal. "We're still leaving soon, right?" She asks, and watches as he nods his head while eating another spoonful of cereal. "Great. I'm going to finish this chapter first, then."

Reporters, journalists and fans alike were all gathered outside the Hall of Justice; it wasn't every day that the Justice League expanded their roster, certainly not to those considered sidekicks by the rest of the world. But today is the day, or so the others were calling it.

The first time Nell had been to the Hall of Justice was when The League first unveiled themselves and their new public headquarters in 2006, following the Joker's attack on their previously hidden Secret Sanctuary back in Rhode Island. Then again, a few months after that, when she and Robin – Dick Grayson – were revealed to the world as the first two sidekicks of the Justice League.

Four years since then, and the building has barely changed. She wonders if it still looks the same inside as it did four years ago, or if the League's PR team stacked more trophies inside to appeal to the masses.

From where she stands on a small hill overlooking the Hall of Justice, she can see the crowd gathered outside the Hall. They had yet to notice the heroes but, even from behind the barriers set up by security, it wouldn't be long.

Nell crosses her arms over her uniform, cautiously observing the crowd while Hal makes idle chatter with Batman somewhere behind her.

"Can you believe it?" An awestruck whisper reaches her ears, dragging her attention away from the Hall and its crowd, and over to the boy who had moved to stand beside her at some point between his arrival and her distraction. Dick, with his hands on his hips and a bright grin tugging at his lips, flicks his masked eyes back and forth between her and the large building. "We're finally joining the big leagues."

"Maybe you are," Nell comments as she turns to face him. Her lips twisting into a smug smile. "But I'm already part of the big leagues. It's kinda my job to protect this entire space sector, remember?"

Dick's grin falters, and he gives her an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

She's known Dick longer than she's known Kaldur, Wally, or even Roy, and it's a chilling thought. For some reason, she's never been able to grow closer to him in the way she had with the others.

"Look who it is!" Hal's cheer has both of the teen heroes turning around. Green Arrow and Speedy – Oliver Queen and Roy Harper – had walked up from the other side of the hill but, while Green Arrow stops at Hal's side, Roy continues forward until he reaches Nell and Dick.

"Robin." With a grin, he fist-bumps the younger boy, then glances at Nell. "Hey, lightbulb."

Nell's stomach immediately drops at the nickname, the smug smile falling from her face and her cheeks warming in embarrassment as she straightens up. "You said you'd stop calling me that!" She looks between the two boys, her green eyes narrowing slightly at Roy as he chuckles. "My name's Green Lantern. Not lightbulb."

"It could be worse," Dick laughs.

"Oh, really?" Nell's voice drips with sarcasm. "Like what?"

"Like glowstick."

Nell glares at Dick. "You're not helping."

Roy laughs at his suggestion, and she is quick to shoot him a warning glance. "Try it, Robin Hood," she dares him. He holds his hands up in surrender but, before he has the chance to say another word, Nell catches a glimpse of movement over his shoulder. The smile instantly returns to her face as she pushes past her old friend and waves to catch the attention of the newcomer, "Aqualad! Over here!"

Standing beside his mentor, Aquaman, Aqualad has his hands behind his back as he greets both Hal and Green Arrow. But when he hears Nell's shout, he turns around, his lips curling into a smile. "Green Lantern," he greets as he walks over to join their group. "Robin. Speedy."

He then looks around, his brows furrowing. "The Flash and Kid are not here yet?" He questions.

"Kid said they'd be here the same time as Batman and I," Dick announces, then glances down at his gauntlet with a teasing grin. "Which means in about... Three, two–" A sudden gust of wind brushes over the group of heroes, two red blurs breezing by. Dick finishes counting down, "One."

The Flash appears first, a grin on his face and his hands at his side as he waves to Hal, Green Arrow and Batman. Half a second later, Kid Flash – Wally West – appears at his uncle's side, with his goggles perched atop his head, his arms crossed over his yellow and red suit, and an unimpressed frown etched across his freckled face. "Oh, man!" He complains loudly. "I knew we'd be the last ones here."

"Told you," Dick says, his hands falling back to rest on his hips. When Nell glances over her shoulder to look at him, there's a knowing grin on his face as he stares over at the two speedsters and she has to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, well it doesn't take a genius to know the Flash's would be late," she points out. "They always are."

Wally's frown deepens as he catches Nell's remark, and he puts on an exaggerated scowl. "Hey, I'm not always late," he protests, though his tone is more playful than offended. "Just... fashionably delayed."

Nell smirks but doesn't respond. Instead, she raises an eyebrow at Wally's signature smugness. "Right, because no one looks cooler than a guy who can outrun time and still show up after everyone else."

Wally grins. "You just wait, Lantern. One of these days, I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"You'll have to catch me first," she shoots back, her confidence returning.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get you to agree to that race one day, and we all know who's winning that." He falls quiet for a moment, his grin faltering as, for once in his life, he thinks about his next words carefully. "Hey, speaking of Lanterns," Wally says, his voice dropping to a lower, almost uncertain tone, "how's Guy doing?"

Nell's shoulders tense slightly at the mention of Guy Gardner's name. "Don't worry about it," she replies quickly, brushing a strand of her red hair behind her ear as she attempts to sound unaffected. "He's tough. He'll wake up when he's ready." Her voice is steady, but she can't quite shake the tightness in her chest as she speaks.

Wally looks unconvinced, his brows furrowed. "You sure? I heard it was pretty bad."

"I said he's fine, Kid," Nell insists, her tone sharper than she intended. She forces a smile, trying to hide her unease. "It's Guy. If anyone can survive a week in a coma, it's him."

Wally looks like he wants to say more, but before he can push it further, Batman clears his throat behind them. "It's time," he informs the group of young heroes.

Their attention shifts quickly, and Nell finds herself grateful for it, as the brief and awkward moment surrounding Guy's condition fades back into nothing. What could she even say? What was there to say that she hasn't already been telling herself since the day Guy was brought back to Oa?

In a few days, or a week, or a month's time, Nell doesn't care. She knows he'll wake up.

No one can keep a good guy down for long.

The young heroes fall into line with one another as they walk towards the Hall of Justice, their mentors trailing closely behind. It's almost overwhelming when they reach the crowd. The loud chatter, children squealing in excitement, and camera flashes going off as reporters take photos of the heroes. Had Nell not grown up with this, a camera in her face documenting each time she did her job of saving the world, maybe she would've flinched at the bright lights periodically going off with each step they take.

Instead, she wears a bright grin on her face and waves to the cameras.

"I'm glad we're all here." Kaldur says, a warm and polite smile on his face as he glances between the three other heroes by his side.

Wally nods in agreement, "Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?"

Nell hums in thought. She had spent afternoons at Wally's house in Keystone, ran missions with the boy and his uncle over the years since they met. Occasionally, she would meet up with Roy in Star City for lunches or investigations that seemed more on the alien side. However, she couldn't say she had done the same with Kaldur'ahm or Dick.

"Don't," Roy's tone grows sharp, "Call us sidekicks. Not after today."

For a moment, there's the urge to bite back – Nell has never been anyone's sidekick. She has been a full fledged member of the Green Lantern Corps since completing her mandatory year of bootcamp four years ago. She's Hal's partner, not his sidekick. But she doesn't bark, or bite, or even roll her eyes at the comment. She just glances back at her friend.

"Today's the day, right?" She asks with a smile.

Roy grins back, "Today's the day."

"Sorry." Wally says sheepishly. "First time at the Hall. I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" Dick wonders aloud.

The group passes through the doors of the Hall, the outside chatter silenced as they shut behind them, but all Nell can focus on is the interior. Seven large statues of the League's founding members tower over them– golden, glimmering, and as intimidating as the heroes themselves. Those certainly weren't here four years ago, Nell thinks to herself, her green eyes widening slightly as she stares up.

"Oh..." Beside her, Dick lets out a shaky breath. Completely starstruck by the towering statues. "Maybe that's why."

They push forward, continuing through the Hall until they reach the outside of large metal doors marked with an Authorised Personnel Only sign. The doors open with a quiet hiss and the teens are greeted by Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado.

"Green Lantern, Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash. Welcome," Martian Manhunter greets them. He then turns around, missing the fist-bump between Wally and Dick, as he leads the group through a long hallway. "You now have unlimited access to the gym, our fully stocked gallery, and of course–" They come to a stop in the largest room at the end of the hallway. "–Our library."

"Make yourselves at home," the Flash tells them, motioning to the cushioned black seats with a warm, welcoming grin. Wally and Dick take a seat next to one another, while Kaldur sits across from them and Roy stands with his arms crossed behind the latter's seat.

Nell lingers near one of the large bookshelves taking up almost the entirety of the right-most wall, her gaze scanning over the books before she flies up for a better look at the higher shelves.

Their mentors gather in front of another closed door, their backs turned to the young heroes as they discuss something quietly. Batman turns around a second later. "Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day," he informs them. "We shouldn't be long."

Nell floats back down onto the ground, right beside the chairs where the boys are sitting, and crosses her arms as she watches a small machine pop out from above the Justice League Only doors. She had been told before that members of the League who couldn't fly, those who couldn't withstand space like John and Hal, used a zeta-tube to access the Watchtower.

This, she thinks as she watches the machine, must be the zeta-tube.

"Recognised: Batman, zero-two." The machine announces as it scans the Dark Knight, then moves onto the other heroes, "Aquaman, zero-six. Flash, zero-four. Green Lantern, zero-five. Green Arrow, zero-eight. Martian Manhunter, zero-seven. Red Tornado, one-six." The doors slowly hiss open.

"That's it?!" Roy snaps, taking a step forward as his shout captures the attention of their mentors. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass."

"It's a first step, you've been granted access few others get," Aquaman tells the archer.

"Oh really?" Roy lets out a scoff, then throws his arm up to motion to the civilians currently watching them from behind the library's glass ceiling. "Who cares which side of the glass we're on!"

"Roy," Green Arrow says, "You just need to be patient."

"What I need is respect." With a huff, Roy turns around to face Nell and the other boys. "They're treating us like kids. Worse, like sidekicks," he spits. "We deserve better than this."

With furrowed brows, Nell glances over at the others. The sidekicks – barring Roy himself – each share a look, one that has Speedy growling. "You're kidding, right?" He breathes out in surprise. "You're playing their game? Why? Today was supposed to be the day. Step one in becoming full-fledged members of the League, remember?"

"Well, sure," Wally shrugs in response. "But I thought step one was a tour of the HQ."

"Except the Hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Roy reveals in his anger. Nell watches, surprised, as the League heroes behind Roy stiffen while the other sidekicks straighten in their seats. Then, she glances over at Hal, who stares back at her with a surprisingly stern look– as if he expects her not to say anything.

She had always assumed the others knew about the Watchtower, that – even if she had been the first to step foot in the Watchtower only a week ago – their mentors would've told them the truth even if they hadn't revealed its existence to the government or the general public.

Roy's eyes narrow into a glare as he continues,  "I bet they never told you it's just a false front for tourists and a pit stop for catching zeta-beam teleporter tubes to the real thing: an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower."

"The Hall's just the first step, Roy." Nell echoes the words John and Hal have been telling her for weeks.

"You don't get it!" Roy spins around to face her. "You already knew about it, it's not the same to you!"

"Wait, what?" Wally's voice breaks through the tension, his eyes wide with disbelief as he turns to Nell. "You knew about this?"

Nell's hand tightens around her arms as she tries to mask the wave of discomfort washing over her. She doesn't meet Wally's eyes right away, instead fixing her gaze on the zeta-tube. For a moment, she's lost in the quiet hum of the room, wrestling with what to say, how to explain that she hadn't been in on this secret for as long as they seem to think.

She knew about the Watchtower, sure. She'd even been there— if only because it was where they were keeping Guy, and she'd be damned if she let them keep her away. But what Roy doesn't realize is that it wasn't some grand step in her career, nor was it something that had been handed to her on a silver platter. It wasn't a reward for being a Green Lantern, or for being Hal's partner, or for having been part of the League in her own quiet, unnoticed way.

Permission to enter the Watchtower came under circumstances she wouldn't wish on anyone.

She stays silent for a beat, tearing her gaze away from the other sidekicks as they all stare at her with varying looks of hurt in their eyes. "There's a reason some of the new League recruits aren't taken straight up to the Watchtower," she points out stubbornly. "We have to earn it, Roy. That's what today is all about."

That's the truth of it, she supposes. Even if they had been heroes for years now, joining the Justice League means they go back to being rookies– and rookies don't magically earn the right to visit a place the Justice League hasn't even told the government about. Today was never meant to be anything more than a tour of the Hall, a first step on the long path to becoming members of the League.

"Like you even care," Roy scoffs. "You go there all the time."

Aquaman steps forward, his hand reaching out to rest on Roy's shoulder. "You're not helping your case here, son. Stand down–"

"Or what?" Roy slaps the older hero's hand away from his shoulder with a growl. "You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son, I'm not even his." His narrowed gaze flicks over to Green Arrow, whose face falls at the words. "I thought I was his partner–" Roy grips the top of his feathered, yellow hat, then throws it at the ground. "But not anymore."

Nell's eyes widen, her arms falling to her side in shock as Roy spins around on his heel to storm away from the heroes. "Guess they were right about you four," he hisses. His shoulder slams against Nell's as he storms past and, though she doesn't stumble, she takes a step to the side and rests a hand against her forearm as she watches him. The other sidekicks all stand up from their seats, as if they were torn between following after him or begging him to stay. "You aren't ready."

The doors slam shut behind him, but before any of the heroes have the chance to process his sudden exit, alarms begin to blare throughout the library and Superman's face appears on the large computer screens covering the wall beside the zeta-tube. The adults swiftly move to the computers.

"Superman to Justice League, there's been an explosion at Project Cadmus. It's on fire," the Man of Steel informs them.

"I've had my suspicions about Cadmus," Batman says. "This may present the perfect opportunity to–" He's cut off by another alarm, exactly like the one that had played before Superman's call. Nell and the boys move closer to their mentors, eager for a better listen as another face appears on the screen.

"Zatara to Justice League. The sorcerer, Wotan, is using the Amulet of Attan to blot out the sun," the man announces. "Requesting full League response."

Batman hums, then glances up at the Kryptonian. "Superman?"

"It's a small fire, local authorities have it under control," Superman explains calmly.

"Then Cadmus can wait." Batman pushes a button on the computer panel, "All Leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's coordinates. Batman out." Without another word being said, Green Arrow moves toward the zeta-tube with Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado; the other heroes – Batman, Flash, Aquaman and Hal, linger behind and turn to face their proteges.

"Stay put," Batman orders.

"What?" Dick gasps. "Why?"

"This is a League mission," Flash says. "You're not trained."

Wally's eyes widened, "Since when?!"

"I meant you're not trained to work as part of this team," Flash corrects himself, trying to calm the situation before it gets out of hand once again.

"There will be other missions when you're ready," Aquaman tells them.

"But for now, stay put." Batman repeats his order. He moves towards the zeta-tube with the others following close behind, and Nell quickly flies forward, intercepting Hal's path before he can disappear through the zeta-tube with the other Leaguers. As soon as her feet touch the ground, she stares up at him, a pleading look in her eyes; she's a Green Lantern, and a mission to stop someone from blotting out the sun sounds exactly like something she should be stopping.

Hal only sighs. "Sorry, kid. You heard Bats." He reaches out to gently ruffle her hair, his lips tugging into a smile as she quickly swats his hand away. "Besides," glancing over his shoulder at the other sidekicks, he leans in closer to jokingly whisper to Nell, "Someone's gotta stick around and make sure they don't run away."

With a frown on her face, she watches Hal disappear through the zeta-tube, leaving her and the other teens alone in the Hall's silent library. Alone to face the sting of their mentors' words.

Behind her, Wally scoffs. He falls back in his seat, frustratedly crossing his arms as his foot taps against the floor. "When we're ready?" He repeats rhetorically. "How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like- like sidekicks?"

Kaldur lowers his head dejectedly, "My mentor, my king... I thought he trusted me."

"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics! They've got a secret HQ... in space!" He throws his hands up to emphasise his point. He's quiet for a moment, then turns around, his arm resting on the back of his seat as he glances Nell's way. "And you knew about it!"

Nell's gaze flickers toward Wally, then shifts away. "I thought you all knew," she tries to explain herself. "I mean, I didn't really think it was some big secret they were keeping from you guys. I saw it every time I left the planet. It's just something that's always been there."

"How could you keep that from us?" Dick asks, his tone sharp and accusing. "Speedy said you're there all the time!"

"He doesn't know what he's talking about. Where did you think the League was keeping Guy?" Her frown deepens as she finally glances up to meet the gazes of the other teens. Dick has his back turned to her, but both Kaldur and Wally are staring in her direction with sympathetic looks. She pleads, "Trust me, I would have told you if I knew they didn't."

The others are quiet for a long moment, their eyes lingering on her. Then, Kaldur sighs. "What else aren't they telling us?"

She didn't blame them for feeling hurt. She knows that if Hal, or John, or even Guy chose to keep the Watchtower a secret from her, she'd be upset too. They believed they had their mentors' full trust, they believed they were equals; and with one sentence, Roy has completely shattered that delicate illusion.

"I have a better question," Dick murmurs, his back still turned to the group. "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

Kaldur frowns, his eyes flickering from the group to the computers, then back again. "What is Project Cadmus?" He wonders.

That catches Dick's attention, and he glances over his shoulder with a small smirk. "Don't know, but I can find out." He immediately makes his way over to the computers, and begins typing. The automated voice responds with an Access Denied, and the screen flashes red for a moment. The boy chuckles, "Wanna bet?"

Wally walks over to the computers, leaning over Dick's shoulder for a better look. "How are you doing that?"

Dick smirks. "Same system as the Batcave." With one last press of a button, the red 'access denied' screen flashes green and a file related to Project Cadmus appears in front of them. "Alright, Project Cadmus, genetics lab here in DC," Dick reads aloud. "That's all there is, but if Batman is suspicious... Maybe we should investigate?"

Catching onto the boy's train of thought, Nell raises a brow as she glances at him. "And what, solve their case before they do?"

"It would be poetic justice," Kaldur hums.

Dick grins, "And they're all about justice."

"But they said stay put," Kaldur reminds them.

"That was for the blotting out the sun mission," he points out. "Not this."

Hal had always told her to ask for forgiveness, not permission. If it didn't apply here, then what was it for? Nell's lips twitch into a smile as she turns to look up at the Atlantean hero. "Robin's right," she agrees, though the words pain her to say. "They never told us to stay away from Cadmus. Besides, we're staying in DC, right where they told us to be."

"Wait." Wally, who had been standing between Dick and Nell, places his hands on both of their shoulders and grins as he looks between them. "Are you going to Cadmus? Because if you're going, I'm going." The three heroes turn around to face Kaldur, each of them grinning up at the older teenager as he stares back at them with an exasperated look.

He lets out a sigh, his seafoam eyes flickering between the three of them. "Just like that, we're a team on a mission?"

"We didn't come for a playdate," Dick tells him, and Kaldur smirks.

AUTHOR'S NOTES.

   ✶     Finally, after all of this time, we've made it to the first chapter! I have written this chapter, deleted it, written it again, changed the whole course of the plot, deleted it, and then mashed together two different first chapters to make this one. It's been a hard couple of months... But here we are! And we're off to a strong start with Guy Gardner being in a coma, some would say I hate Nell and that's why I'm giving her so much trauma already, and they would be right. Sometimes an oc puts you through such a hard time that you have to traumatise them even harder as a punishment.

   ✶     I want to quickly dedicate this chapter to laevinics who held me at gunpoint to finish this, and said I wouldn't get one of their fics if I didn't. So, please give me Elena now, I think I deserve it as a treat. Also a big, big thank you for making both the new sign-off gif (found below) & the intro gif (found above)! I'm so in love with them hehe!

   ✶     Nell is kind of annoying in this chapter, especially in her interactions with Dick Grayson. It's purposeful, and their dynamic relies quite a bit on them annoying each other and trying to "one up" each other in the things they do. Nightlight are kids, and that does show, even if their dynamic shifts over the course of the act.