Alternative Rewritten

Chapter One: Escape From Cadmus

AN: Surprise!! Welcome to the Alternative rewrite :)

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Today was supposed to be the day.

They were supposed to finally get the recognition they deserved- finally be seen by the public as individual heroes, and not just some accessories for the Justice League. That they weren't just sidekicks.

And at first? It seemed to be going well. Besides the occasional slip up with his name- seriously, how hard is it to remember Kid Flash- everything was going smoothly. The media was hyped about their appearance at League Headquarters, and several reporters made comments about the beginning of their journey to finally joining the official ranks of the Justice League. And that's what it was supposed to be about. Their mentors told them that this was going to be the start of recruitment. That after today, it was only a matter of time before they would be seen as equals to the League.

What a joke.

Wally glared down at his feet, close to joining Speedy after he stormed out of the room in a fit of well placed rage. How could their mentors do this to them? Roy was right, they were being treated like children. Like they were no different than the tourists outside of the glass dome around them, even. Was quitting really the only way to get the League's respect? Is that what it took for them to open their eyes and see that what they were doing was completely unfair? And keeping the real League headquarters a secret, from their own proteges? They couldn't even trust them with that? It was insulting!

Next to him, Kaldur seemed to be in a similar state of anger, though he kept it carefully contained. The only giveaway was the strain in his voice. "I can't believe my mentor, my king, has no trust in me," the Atlantian murmured, making Wally glance up at him for a moment. He was staring ahead of himself, a deep frown tugging at his face. "It makes me wonder what else they have been hiding from us."

Yeah, what else were they oblivious to? The Watchtower was a big deal, but they could always be hiding something even bigger. Wally couldn't even begin to ponder over the massive secrets that could've been hidden from him during his entire career as a hero. The thought really stung. He could expect that level of secrecy from the likes of Batman, but his Uncle Barry? He thought they were partners. Since when was trust a one way street? Since when was respect a one way street? He always thought the League valued the younger generation, because one day, they would be the ones running the JLA. But apparently they only thought of them as sidekicks the entire time, just like the rest of the world.

Wally huffed and turned away from Kaldur, about to make an angry comment somewhere along the lines of wishing he left with Speedy, but he paused when he looked at the giant screen that their mentors had been looking at earlier. Batman said he wanted to find a reason to investigate Cadmus for a long time, but they were busy with a more important mission right now so he wouldn't have the chance for a while longer. But if they really needed someone to investigate...

"Aqualad, I just got an idea that might make the League respect us more," Wally said, turning towards his friend with a toothy grin.

Kaldur stared back at him, face showing the barest traces of curiosity "...Go on."

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