Girl's Night Out
written by Sean Taylor

Prologue

Sonya Moon knew that her brother Joey would never hit her again. She closed her fingers around the jade talisman, feeling the grooves cut by a master craftsman. The fine, strong scales. The long, winding tale. The single, open eye fixed in an eternal, jeweled stare.

The relic looked just like the One-Eyed Dragon from the stories her grandmother told her in the darkness of the old lady's living room. She'd been careful to skip a generation, just as her own grandmother had. And the grandmothers in succession before that, long before the even her own grandmother could trace her lineage.

She knew her grandmother wouldn't approve. The stories were to keep the Moon women afraid of the talisman, not drawn to it. And her mother wouldn't understand. She always believed Joey's side of the story anyway.

After pulling her long, black hair into a thick ponytail, Sonya raised the Dragon to her heart and pressed it there. What was it the odd little man had said? To hold it to her heart and wish? She bit down hard, trapping the curses she knew she wasn't supposed to say. She focused her thoughts, trying to recall each detail of the encounter.

She'd been walking home from school. Joey had escorted her, teasing her and making fun of her as he always did. Then she had picked up the rock, the rock that started it all, and threw it against the back of his head with a loud smack. Jimmy had reached back, felt the blood, and lost his temper completely. He yelled something about how she was lucky that she was a girl, then said never mind, and pulled back and jacked her in the jaw. She had tried to pull away but in his rage, he hit again three more times, causing her mouth and nose to bleed, and her ribs to hurt each time she inhaled. Then he stopped, looked at her face, then his fist, then with a look of shock, rose from where he was sitting on her stomach and ran back toward the school.

In her daze, she had simply lain there, still, letting the other students walk by. Some laughed, some looked away, and a few offered to help her up. She had ignored them all, her eyes focused on the strange little man who was floating a few feet above her.

He had introduced himself as a friend, tipped his old-fashioned purple hat at her, and told her she was the only person who could see him. He told her things about her than only she could know: how the nickname she had privately given herself was "Blue," how she secretly had a crush on Ian Rich, the president of the Student Council -- who never seemed to have time for her since she wasn't "supermodel" enough for him -- and how she wanted more than anything to make Joey pay for hitting her.

She had waited until after the other students finally left her alone, still lying on the ground bleeding. Then she raised to a sitting position, took his hand, and let her help her stand. When she pulled her hand away, she had found it was holding the talisman. But she couldn't remember him ever actually giving it to her.

He told her it had great power, and that with it she could get even with Joey for his cruelty. Then he told her that all she needed to do was hold it to her chest, make a wish, and ... it hit her finally! ... say the name Rumpelstiltskin. She had laughed when he said the name, but he had looked at her sternly and assured her that was the way the talisman worked.

Then he had vanished. Completely.

Rumplestiltskin. What a stupid way to operate a magical Chinese artifact, she thought. And the little man hadn't even been Chinese at all. More like an albino dwarf in a bad suit. Still, if it would help her get revenge on Joey, she'd do what he said, even saying that stupid Rumpelstiltskin name all night if she had too.

Lucky she was a girl. She'd show him. But first she needed a costume, just like those other teen heroes who righted wrongs and got even with the bad guys. She thought of her nickname, then of the traditional Chinese garb for dragon dancers, then turned up the volume on the design to about 11. Still clutching the Dragon, she said the name. "Rumplestiltskin."

Instantly, she was clothed in the iciest blue costume imaginable. Even her skin tone reflected the color. And a swash of darker blue across her eyes and the bridge of her nose topped off the look. And thanks to the magical whammy she'd invoked, she had enough "supermodel" to keep Ian Rich happy for years. She gave the talisman a gentle squeeze.

"Blue Moon," she said in a voice that chilled her and surprised her. Then she said it again. "Blue Moon." This time her new voice seemed just perfect, with the almost sinister edge needed to strike fear in those who would hurt little girls.

Those like Joey Moon.

Lucky to be a girl. Maybe he needed to be so lucky. Maybe all boys did. That would teach them.

The icy voice spoke again. "Rumpelstiltskin."

Chapter One

Stephanie Brown waited. She was getting awfully good at waiting. Peeling back the purple and blue of her costume, she checked her watch. Nearly 10:30. Robin was never this late. Something had to have come up. Maybe the Ghost Dragons or that freako Lady Shiva. Maybe even one of the psychos like Two-Face or that human bug who used to be the Killer Moth. It had better be something big or he'd get an earful of choice words for standing her up.

Oh well, she thought, leaning back against the tree. That what I get for dating the finest young hero in Gotham. The branch she sat on swayed slightly as she moved.

She'd hummed half of the newest Space Girls CD when she finally heard someone call her name.

"Steph."

It didn't sound at all like Robin. The voice was softer, higher pitched, almost lilting. Still, he was the only person she knew who called her by the short form of her real name when she was in costume.

"Robin? Is that you? What's wrong with your voice?"

"I came down with something."

"I'll say. You sound like a girl." She looked for him, but he was nowhere to be found. And the shadows were his element, she knew. If he didn't want to be seen, there was no way she was going to find him. "Where are you? And what took so long? You're almost an hour late. Just think of all the crime who could have stopped in that long." She laughed and waited for him to return the laugh.

He didn't.

"Robin, are you okay? It's me, isn't it? You've been rethinking this whole dating thing, haven't you? I should have known not to trust the old Spoiler luck."

"Steph."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." There was a long pause. "Something really weird happened. That's what kept me. And I mean really weird, something that makes the trip you took to Apokolips look sane."

"So what happened? I'm sure the Bat-boss can solve it just like he fixes everything else in Gotham."

"Well ..." the strange voice said. "I don't think Batman can do much for what I've got this time."

"So show me already, mystery boy." She ran through every possibility she could think of for why his voice would have changed, but came up blank. And it really started to grate her nerves.

"You promise not to laugh?"

"I'll try not to." She sat up and pulled herself to a catlike crouch.

"Promise?"

"Okay, I promise already. Just let me see you."

He did. And what she saw nearly sent her falling from the tree. Stepping from the shadows was one of most gorgeous, raven-haired prom queens Stephanie had ever seen. And she was wearing Robin's costume and looking at her with Robin's eyes.

*****

"Bart!?" Carol Bucklen opened her front door and nearly passed out. Standing in front of her, in the red and white costume of her best friend Impulse, a.k.a Bart Allen, was a beautiful, just-stepped-off-the-cover-of-Teen-Glamour-magazine, redhead with a body that looked like nothing that had ever graced the costume before. "I mean, Impulse, is that you?"

The redhead smiled and said in a bouncy voice, "Sure, don't you recognize the costume?"

"But you're a ..." Carol struggled to remember the word she was searching for, but her mind was too preoccupied with staring at the new Bart to focus.

"Girl?"

"Oh my God, Bart, what happened?"

"I don't know. But it's happened to every boy in Manchester." Impulse looked off toward the horizon. "And Toledo and Hollywood and Wichita and Atlanta and --"

"Alright! I get it already."

"Oh, sorry. "

Carol pulled Bart inside with a hard jerk. "At least come inside so people can't see you." She ran through the house, closing the blinds. "Umm, Bart, could you lock the do--"

Her hair blew in a quick gust of wind. "Doors. Locked. Anything else?"

She stepped back, taking a moment to give her friend a closer examination. The eyes were definitely Bart's. As were the features, but the package that held them was not the Bart she was used to seeing. Not unless Bart had hidden his c-cups underneath baggy clothes for as long as she'd known him.

"You're a girl ..." she said again.

"And I'm supposed to be the one with the short attention span who has trouble with logic?"

Without thinking, she stumbled forward and threw her arms around 'him.' "Aren't you scared?"

"Not really? Stuff worse than this happens in Death Road 3045."

She pulled out of the hug. "This is so weird. So, why'd you come to see me? Why aren't you out doing the hero thing, trying to find who did this?"

Impulse grinned, then glanced down at the floor. A rare still moment for the kid with no patience. "I don't have anything to wear."

Carol laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

"Well, I don't have any girl clothes."

Carol laughed again, refueled by Bart's comment.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

She stopped laughing for a moment, glanced up at the eyes she remembered, now looking at her just a little above a pout that resembled that of a high school seductress.

"Well ..."

She lost it again, this time falling back into the family recliner. She tried to catch her breath to end the laughing fit, and found it worked only when she looked away from "Bartarina," as she started to think of him. When she stopped, she turned to take another look at her best friend's new figure. "Well, I don't know if I'd have anything to, umm, fit you. I'm not exactly your size, you know."

Impulse sighed and let his gaze drop again.

"Ah, come on. We'll find something for you."

In her closet, she dug through to find a few outfits that might work until Bart and his hero buddies could figure out what had caused the gender change and fix it. She tossed a navy pantsuit and a checkered, blue and white mini-dress, and a pair of linen pants and a short-sleeved sweater onto the bed.

"Well, what do you think of these, Bart ..." She paused, giggled, then added, "Or should I call you Bartarina now?"

Apparently Bart had chosen a few outfits of his own. He was standing a few feet from her dressed in the Sailor Moon costume she'd hidden away for next Halloween. "Cool, huh?" he said.

As quick as a thought, he was in another outfit. This time a replica of the Catwoman costume. "Or maybe this one?"

"I don't have a Catwoman costume," Carol said.

"I know. I got this one from the costume shop. What do you think?"

"I think you need to let me make your fashion decisions, girlfriend."

*****

"For the fifth time, Kid, I can't help you!"

"Ah, come on, Guy. We're buds, right? I mean, aside from that whole trying to sneak in and get drinks with the Ravers thing." Superboy hovered a few feet off the ground, looking down at Guy Gardner, owner of Warriors, the premiere super-hero-themed restuarant. Although, Planet Krypton might soon steal the title from him. "You've been through this before. You've got to know something I can do to fix this."

'This' was the newfound bustline that the kid found himself sporting. And the curvy waist and hips. Not to mention the long, dark hair covering his shoulders. One minute, he'd been hanging out at Cadmus, enjoying the attention as Tekka felt his bicep and tricep muscles yet again, and the next -- after she'd pulled away, looking at him like she'd seen a ghost -- he had found that his costume was stretching and comforming in all new places.

"Like I said before, Kid. It was different when it happened to me. Dementor isn't even around now so it can't have anything to do with him."

Kon-el noticed Guy staring and shot him a dirty look.

"Oops, sorry. Whoever did this to you sure did a number on you though. And not just you. You're the third one who's come by this evening asking me for help."

"The third, really? Who else?"

"That blond kid from the Titans, well, the former Titans anyway. Risk, I think. And the little Marvel guy, Cap Marvel's little brother or something."

"Great. What am I supposed to do now? I can't go back like this. Well, at least I can rule out it being some clone disease at least. Now that it's happened to somebody else too."

Guy motioned for the Kid to come down, and 'he' did. "I'll tell you what. I'll contact the JLA and see if they know anything about it. Come on in and make yourself comfortable." He even offered to open the door.

"I'll get the door, okay," the Kid said. "And stop staring at me."

"Sorry," said Guy. "Force of habit, I guess."

Kon-el took a seat at the bar while Guy contacted the Watchtower. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, 'he' found himself still shocked by the transformation that had occured. It wasn't possible, he thought. He looked more like Knockout than Superboy. If she could only see him now. Or even Roxie. Or Tana. Or even Hillary. And it was definitely a good thing that Roquette hadn't had a chance to see him. She'd have wanted to study the phenomenon. Find out if the changes were complete. That would be too weird. Besides, he could tell her they were complete. He was pretty sure he felt what must have been a cramp. Yep, that kind.

And what if the change was permanent? It wasn't fair. The name Supergirl was already taken. It was bad enough not being able to grow up and become Superman someday. But at least he could be Superboy. Now he couldn't even be Supergirl. Unless he could convince the current title holder to change her name to Superwoman.

He glanced at the mirror again. Hmm. He did still look good, just the wrong kind of good. Maybe that Hex woman could help get him a few modeling jobs. If she didn't mind the competition, that is.

"So," Guy's voice trailed back into the Kid's attention. "You're saying there are reports all over the country like this. Freaky. Any clues yet?"

There was a long pause.

"Well?" asked Superboy. "Well?"

"Don't get yer panties in a wad, little lady," Guy said, grinning at his 'wit.'

"Just see if I cut you any slack next time you get turned into a girl."

"Right ..." Guy turned his attention back to the communicator. "Sorry, I was busy with Supergirl here. She's an impatient little thing. Cute though. Oh, sorry, go ahead."

Another long pause.

"Okay, thanks. I'll pass the info on to the babe in the 'S.' Thanks." Then the communicator when blank.

"Well?"

"According to Oracle, teenaged boys all over the good ole U.S. of A. have turned into girls. But not at the same time. There's about an hour lapse between the first accounts and the last ones. Freaky, huh?"

"Yeah, where did the first ones come from?"

"Just outside of Atlanta. A little pocket of suburbia called Marietta."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Let me know if there's any way I can pay you back."

Guy grinned again, then laughed. "Sure, I'll call you if any of my waitresses don't show up. I've got a replica of the old Wonder Girl costume that would look great on you."

The Kid ignored the comment and headed to the door. He immediately thought of his teammates in Young Justice. Not that he'd need any help, of course, but it might be fun to see what look the national makeover had created for Impulse and Robin. 

*****

"Robin?" Stephanie jumped down from her pirch and landed a few away from Robin.

"In the flesh, well, someone's flesh, anyway."

"What in the world happened to you? I've got to tell you, this is really weird. I mean, don't expect me to kiss you while you're like this. I mean, well, I'm not sure what I mean at all. This is just too weird."

She took another long look at the person who was obviously the Boy Wonder she'd grown to love. Only there was no boy to wonder about anymore. With the exception of having Robin's eyes, the lovely creature standing before her was all girl. And quite a girl at that. More girl than herself even, judging by the constricting fit of the Robin costume.

"Tell me about it. One minute I'm putting my Biology book away to grab the costume and change, and the next I'm looking like I walked out of one your teen fashion magazines."

"Any clues why?"

"Nope." Robin grew quiet for a moment, then said softly, "Steph, can you do me a favor?"

Steph cocked her head sideways, giving her 'boyfriend' a quizzical look. "Sure, what?"

"Attack me."

She stepped back. "I told you before. No kissing or anything like that until you get fixed -- I mean, changed back to normal."

Robin rolled 'her' eyes and sighed. "No. I mean attack me. Rush me. Try to knock me down. I'm still trying to figure out this new center of balance thing. I'm no good to anyone if I can fight without losing my footing."

Steph grinned behind her mask. "Oh. Sure, I can do that."

She leaped to the branch above her, swung around it once, and let go, aiming the flat of her feet at Robin's chest. The 'Boy' Wonder managed to deflect the blow, but not enough to put her down. She landed off to the side and sprung again, this time putting 'him' down with a low kick to the knees.

"That's what I was afraid of."

Steph reached down and offered her hand to help him up. "I see your point. Maybe you'd better stick with me until we can get this thing figured out. Besides, I've been waiting forever to get a chance to play the protector. Do you know how tired I get of you trying to rescue me?"

"I thought you said it was cute."

"Well, it is."

"But you just said --"

She pulled him to a standing postion. "So sue me."

"Great," Robin said in the lilting female voice. "My hero."

Steph heard a soft electrical beep eminate from Robin's belt. "Someone paging you, hot stuff? Maybe a hot date with some suburban Romeo?"

Robin smiled. "Right." He grabbed a communicator from the belt. "Robin here. What's up?"

While he listened, Stephanie cursed her luck. She had really been looking forward to kicking some bad guy butt and closing the night off with a little smooching from her own Boy Wonderful. But now, stuck spending the night with the Girl Wonder, trying to reconcile her attraction with his new look, she was ready to just chuck it all and head home where it was 'safe.'

"Steph?"

"Huh? Sorry, I was thinking."

"No prob. Listen, I've got to get to a meeting. Normally, I'd not let you come with me on Young Justice business, but, well, you're probably a little more well-equipped in this case."

"I don't know," she said with a smirk. "From where I'm standing, you're looking pretty well-equipped yourself."

"Very funny, Steph. So, are you game?"

She sighed. "Sure."

"Thanks." Robin pushed a button on his belt and in moments, she saw the Redbird come rolling into view.

Stephanie Brown, she thought, what have you gotten yourself into this time?

Chapter Two

When Robin and Spoiler reached the Young Justice cave, they saw it filled with familiar costumes. Mingled in the crowd were the faces of Arrowette, Secret, Argent, Wonder Girl, and Sparx. The other faces didn't look familiar at all, and if not for the colorful costumes underneath them, the girls wearing them might as well have been total strangers.

It was getting to be way too much to handle. Sure, finding out that her boyfriend would probably look better in her costume was bad enough, but seeing a cave full of find that Superboy, Impulse, and that guy from the Teen Titans could do so too went so far beyond bad that she'd need to leave bread crumbs just to find her way back.

"Hey, it's the Girl Wonder. She finally made it!" shouted a deep, sultry voice. Spoiler looked to see the owner of it. The leather jacket tagged the girl as Superboy, well, Super-model, anyway.

Robin ignored the remark and, after jumping out off the Super-cycle, headed straight for the only 'male' in the room, Red Tornado. Spoiler kept up with him, step for step, trying to shake the image of his runway walk.

"What's going on here?" Robin said when he reached the android.

"Didn't you get the email?" Spoiler turned to see a red-headed bombshell in the Impulse costume darting helter skelter around Robin. "It's a slumber party. And Superboy's stoked because he finally get permission to go into the girls' shower."

"Not while I'm in there," said Wonder Girl loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ahem, welcome, Robin. I'm glad you could make it. I've grown rather tired of having to babysit the new girls," Red Tornado said flatly, "I took the liberty of calling a few reserves. In your present conditions, you might find them helpful."

At once, Spoiler found herself face-to-face with a young blonde girl in a light blue costume. She had deep blue eyes and was looking at her suggestively.

"Nice to meet you, gorgeous," the girl said in a hungry , husky voice."You work out, don't you?"

"Down, boy," Robin said. "Spoiler, meet Risk. He's something of a one-man self-appreciation society."

Steph laughed. "He doesn't look like a one-MAN anything to me."

The girls -- the real girls, the ones who had been girls yesterday -- laughed and watched as Risk, redfaced, backed off. In his place dropped a drop-dead gorgeous, dark-haired beauty with a lightning bolt emblazened across her embarrassingly large chest.

"Hi, I'm CM3. Remember me?" the girl asked.

"Fawcett City blue?" Steph asked.

"In the lily-white, pouty-lipped, man-killer flesh," came a voice behind him. It was Argent. She smacked him teasingly on the backside, like a boy might pat his girlfriend, then said to CM3, "Care to double with me and the real Captain Marvel sometime? I could probably hook you up with Atom or one of his JLA buddies like that dreamy Green Lantern."

"Very funny, Toni." He turned to Spoiler. "So, you like the new look we're all sporting?"

Steph grinned. "It's ... interesting."

"It takes some getting used to. I had to learn how to fly all over again almost. With this new body," he said, glancing down at his chest, "I've got more wind resistance than I've used to. And trying to throw a punch around these things. How do you guys do it?"

She glanced down at her own chest, turning a little red herself. "I guess we just get used to it. I don't know."

"Well, I hope I don't have to get too used to it." Argent opened her mouth like she was going to make another smart-aleck comment. "Not a word, Toni. Not a single word, please."

"Well," she teased, "since you said please." She laughed. "I wouldn't want to start a cat fight."

"Enough fooling around, people." Steph turned to see Robin taking a place at the head of the round table in the middle of the cave. "We need to get some answers fast." Robin was trying to use his take-charge voice, but the new vocal chords defied him, making him sound more like a late-night, female dj with an axe to grind about something.

"Well said," said Red Tornado.

"Well, I know where we need to start looking." The chick in the Superboy costume flew up to the front of the crowd. Every eye in the room looked at her with suspicion. "What, can I have a good idea too every once in a while. Girl Wonder here isn't the only one with a track record."

"Fine," said Robin, looking a little impatient. "What do you know?"

"That they didn't all happen at once. They started in a place called --"

"Marietta, Georgia," Robin said. "At 5:45 this afternoon."

Superchick appeared shocked, her mouth open and her eyes large as eggs. "How'd you know that? I was waiting to tell everyone at once."

"I've got connections. Now if you'd just loosen your bra a bit and stop trying to impress us, let's work together on this."

Spoiler heard a voice say softly behind her, "They're adjustable?" It had to be Impulse.

"Are you really wearing a bra underneath your costume?" Superchick dropped down behind Impulse and placed her hand on the back of the white and red costume. "Oh cool, Bart's really wearing a bra."

"Aren't you?"

"No." Superchick made a 'L' with her thumb and index finger, and pointed it at Impulse.

"I'm gonna get Carol for that."

Robin's lilting voice interrupted the fun. "Well, if that's settled, why don't we try to figure out a plan to get out of these bodies and back into the ones we know and love?"

Steph spoke up. "Robin's right. I don't know about you guys -- uh, well, girls," she added with a giggle, "but the sooner we find out why this happened, the sooner we can all start figuring out how to fix it."

*****

The plan was Robin's idea.

He -- since he still thought of himself that way, no matter what his eyes told him -- hadn't really expected Superboy and the guys to go for it. Well, maybe Impulse. After all, he was the only one of themwho had shown up in a bra.

Undercover work. It was nothing new to him. He'd done it many times, with Batman and solo. But never quite like this. Sure, he'd been a bum, a prep, a grunger, even a waster and a vamp. But always as a guy. Never as a high school supermodel.

Another look in the mirror confirmed that he was ready. Denim mini-skirt, short-sleeve sweater, white pantyhose and a pair of white flats. All chosen by Spoiler, of course. She'd even fixed his hair for the undercover assignment. She was good, he had to admit that. It was embarrassing how attractive she'd made him look. Way too embarrassing.

"Oh well," he said louder than he realized. "It's now or never."

Stepping out into the main hall of the cave, he was greeted by  not only the girls, but the rest of the guys, already dolled up by their 'makeover artists.' He couldn't help but laugh.

For CM3, Argent had selected a curve-hugging, short knit dress with black hose and a pair of high, flat, black leather boots with fringe on the top. Wonder Girl had chosen a pair of khaki slacks and a shiny cream top for Risk, then set the ensemble off with a matching coat and a pair of beige oxfords. Impulse was sitting still -- for once, probably afraid he topple over if he tried to run in the low heels Arrowette had selected for him -- in purple jeans and a white, spaghetti-strapped top with a thin, matching cardigan. But the crowning jewel in the little beauty pageant was Superboy. Sparx had had a field day with him, choosing for him a short, black skirt, v-neck, sleeveless top that left his middrift bare, black tights, and a pair of pointed, black patent flats. To top it off, she'd puffed his bangs into classic 'big hair' style and worked the back into a long, thick braid. He looked like an extra from a bad 80s teen flick.

"One thing's for sure," Superboy said with a grin, "Nobody's going to mistake you for junior partner in the dynamic duo on this mission."

"Oh yeah, your outfit just screams 'Superboy,' doesn't it?" Risk butted in, "And I've seen smaller hair in an Alabama beauty parlor."

"Oh yeah, well, at least I don't look like a librarian."

"Oh yea, well --"

Robin let out a loud whistle. "Okay, ladies, no catfights, please. Or do you want us to get out the mat with the Jell-O?" Neither Risk nor Superboy said a word. "So, are we all clear on the plan?"

Great. It was bad enough when everything was normal. Superboy trying to strut his stuff in front of the girls. Impulse being, well, Impulse. Wonder Girl making goo goo eyes at SB all the time, and looking jealously at Arrowette. And Secret being so secretive. But now, with all the confusion created by the gender change, how would he ever get everyone to work together ? And if they couldn't work together, how could they ever hope to fix whatever had caused all the mix-up?

Some leader he was now. How could he lead a bunch of super-girls with any confidence when he knew he wasn't even able to defend even himself properly? After all, Steph had KOed him in no time flat, something that would never have happened when he was at his prime. It was that stupid new body, and he knew it. How did girls every get use to fighting with so much stuff to get in the way and such an odd center of balance?

Those who could took seats around the circular table. There weren't enough chairs, so some of them were left to stand or sit on the edge of the table. He promptly offered his seat to Steph when he noticed she hadn't found one herself.

"Always a gentleman?" she said coyly, accepting the chair. "Even when just on the inside."

He smiled. Somehow it was easier to take the jokes when they came from her. He was sure that, inside, she was just as confused as he was, and that making a joke out of the whole situation was just her way of dealing with it.

Superboy and Risk, on the other hand, seemed so angry at what had happened that they were way too eager to go toe to toe, if just to let off a little steam.

Yeah, he thought, some leader he was turning out to be. Robin, the Girl Wonder, leader of the League of Superchicks in tight spandex. Not exactly what he'd signed up for when he started training with Bruce.

"Sorry about the chairs," he said, clearing his throat to try to sound less 'sweet and cutesy,' "but we're not used to having more than the seven of us here normally. Let's go over the partners again, okay." He glanced around the table, making mental notes about the team-ups as he reviewed them. "Sparx, you and Risk check out the south side of town. Wonder Girl, you're with Impulse, and you two hit the north side. Arrowette and CM3, you guys take the eastside 'burbs. Spoiler, you and SB the 'burbs on the west side. Then Argent and I will check out the downtown area. The 'guys' will serve as decoys and primary info searchers while the girls stick to the shadows for protection and back up. And I do mean back up. The last thing we need is anyone in a costume inciting a fight before we know what we're dealing with."

He glanced around the table. Every eye was on him. No one said a word. Maybe he did still have what it took to lead. After all, none of the changes had affected his mind. And his mind -- as many from the Joker to Two-Face has learned -- was his greatest weapon. No matter what body housed it.

"Understood."

A fairly unison nod from the group.

"And Secret, you stay here with Red Tornado to monitor the com units. It's not exciting, I know, but somebody's got to do it."

Secret smiled, and gave him a thumbs up.

"Good, then. Let's get out of here and show Marietta a little girl power."

To be continued ...

[HOME]