"So Erica," Megan was saying, "Christopher Columbus traveled across the ocean in what year?" She closed the history book in front of me so I couldn't look for the answer.
"Hmm..." I squinted my eyes and searched for the answer across her face. "I got it!" I snapped my fingers. "In 1492, Columbus sailed..."
"The ocean blue!" Megan finished. We broke off in giggles at the little rhyme we memorized. "Good job, Erica! Now I'm POSITIVE you'll ace tomorrow's test."
I gathered my vitabu and stuffed them in my bookbag. "Thanks a lot, Megan. I don't how I could pass high school without you. I mean it."
She smiled in response. "No prob."
I headed straight for the opening in the cave when the alarm went off.
"All members ripoti to the Mission Room," Batman's voice blared through the speakers on the ceiling.
I hope Mom won't mind me getting nyumbani a little late tonight, I thought. I dropped my things and flew to the Mission Room.
The team was waiting for me in the Mission Room, where Batman was discussing an important topic with Green Arrow and Superman.
Artemus caressed her bandaged ankle, which she twisted when the clowns rustled her. She hasn't spoken to me after I saved her from the fatal bullets of a gun.
I liked to think of her embarrassed of me saving her.
"Team," Batman interrupted my ndoto thoughts. "Bane has been spotted in Gotham City trying to rob the building of Bruce Wayne. Stop him immediately."
"Be careful, though," Superman added, looking sternly at Superboy.
Superboy glared back, angry. He looked away, which caused Megan to cringe.
"Don't need to tell us that," Robin assured Superman. "We'll get the job done."
We all rushed to the departure area and got into the airplane. Megan started it and we were heading toward Gotham City.
Megan, I called to her in my head.
Yes?
What's up with Superboy? He looked pretty mad back there.
She looked like she didn't want to tell me.
It's okay if wewe don't wanna tell me, I ensured.
She sighed loudly. Superman doesn't really like being around Superboy, it's like he feels disturbed kwa him... her eyes flicked to Superboy and then back to me.
I glanced at Superboy. His mind was elsewhere, probably kicking a certain boyscout's ass.
So we didn't have to worry about any eavesdroppers. Sorry for asking. Just curious.
She tried really hard to smile. It's alright. She closed her eyes for a minute. "Okay, we're in Gotham City. The police transmitters state that Bane's over kwa Wayne Inc."
"He's trying to jack Bruce Wayne!" KF called out.
"Right, Kid. Which means we have to stop him." Aqualad pulled out his two waterswords. "Erica, I'll need some of your bending with me. The rest of wewe stay with Megan."
I unbuckled and flew downward. Wayne Incorporated was a very tall building, tall enough for anyone to see a ripped man rampaging through the offices.
"In there!" I pointed to the floor with many computers. I grabbed Aqualad's hands and carried him through an open window.
Bane was about three feet taller than I was, and I was 5 feet 4 inches. My neck craned as I struggled to get a full glimpse of his masked head.
"Hola, little compadres," he alisema with a Spanish accent.
It took me a while to figure out what 'compadres' meant.
He swung the sacks full of money in his hands. "So the Justice League has little monkeys working for them."
I opened my hands in a defensive position. "Just put the loot down, and nobody gets hurt."
He smiled grimly and dropped the sacks. "Such a false statement, when wewe are the one who will be hurt!" He charged at me and threw me to the wall.
I broke through it and was spinning toward the ground until I pulled myself together. I shook off the bricks and flew back to the building and punched him to the opposite ukuta as payback.
"You're not the only one with comeback moves!" I shouted.
He growled and plugged something into the back of his head. His body shook violently, and his arms and legs bulged out bigger than my head.
"Good Lord," I gasped.
Aqualad clenched his waterswords and jumped at Bane. Bane smacked him and sent him flying through a desk.
"It's not nice to shout things at your elders, little girl," Bane slowly marched to where I was standing.
Heard enough of that, I thought. I raised my arms and made the atmosphere very windy.
Bane didn't songesha an inch. Papers fluttered around the room, slamming into my face and getting Tangled in my windswept hair.
Aqualad, are wewe okay?
Never been better! He lunged at the Spanish weightlifter and thwacked him with his swords.
I joined him and pulled the plug out of Bane's head.
"AHH!" Bane cried, with some other foreign nonsense. His muscles shrank, and he sank to the ground. He breathed heavily and got back on his feet again. "I can still be strong!" he proclaimed defiantly.
He wrapped his arms around me in a death-defying grip, sqeezing the life out of me.
"Erica!" Aqualad shouted, but was forced back kwa Bane.
"This is what wewe get when wewe mess with El Macho!" he threatened.
I gasped with every breath of air I had left. My moyo was stinging with the pain, and then,

Everything went black.