Okaaaay, im new at dis so pleese b nice!

FUNNY STORY: I uploaded all of de chapters, den realized that i didn't put in the stuff dat says "i dont own dis" so had to come back and do dis crud.

BTW: I DO NOT AND WILL NEVER OWN YOUNG JUSTICE OR THE JUSTICE LEAGUE (sad face)

It was the dreaded, sour Checking Day...

For the members of Young Justice, this meant that their mentors would be coming to Mount Justice to test them, check on their progress with their powers and abilities. All six of the young heroes were nervous, each one trying to find a way to cope with impatience as they waited for their mentors to arrive. M'gann was in the kitchen, cooking who-knows-what; Superboy was watching the TV, or rather, static; Artemis was polishing her bow and triple-checking her arrows; Kaldur'ahm was practicing with making different weapons with his water staffs; Kid Flash was eating like crazy; and Robin was doing something on his computer.

They all sat, their minds filled with worry and their stomachs full of butterflies, even though none of them would admit it.

There came a robotic voice. Batman- 02... Superman- 01... Aquaman- 08... Green Arrow- 09... Martian Manhunter- 04... Wonder Woman- the heroes' eyes grew wide as they whispered, "What is she doing here?"- 03... Hawkgirl- 06... Flash- 04... Green Lantern- 07... Red Tornado- 12... Black Canary- 13...

The six teenagers stood and rushed to the front room, shocked to see all of the Seven standing there (along with Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Aquaman). Kaldur gulped and took a step forward. "We are very pleased to see the Founders all here," he said softly, "but may I ask... why?"

Hawkgirl grinned, shifting her mace to her shoulder, her hip popping out. Kid Flash was almost drooling as she spoke. "We were interested in meeting you guys- after all, you are our Black Ops team."

"Come on," Batman ordered. He motioned for the others to follow him. The Leaguers and Junior Leaguers were all lead into the practice room. They stopped at center-stage, the juniors in the middle of the huddle as all of the adults watched them with an intense curiosity. The mentors could all see nerves in their own proteges, but not in anyone else.

Batman adressed the junior team. "Today, we want to see what you all can do- without your powers."

There was a collective gasp among the meta-humans. Artemis and Robin simply shared a haughty look before snickering at their teammates. Green Arrow and Batman eyed the two, and the snickers came to a halt.

Batman turned back to the team. "You will be put under massive stress, testing the brink of your normal abilities." He turned and motioned for Superman to step forward. The Man of Steel handed what seemed like metal collars to Kaldur'ahm, M'gann, Superboy, and Kid Flash while Batman spoke. "These will disable your powers to avoid cheating," he eyed Kid Flash, "or an accidental use of your powers. This happens when meta-humans are put under extreme pressure."

He turned to the other Leaguers and nodded. They all proceeded to the steel-enforced command room, fifty feet above the arena. "Start them off easy," Diana said to Batman. He half-smiled.

"They can handle it."

He set it at Level 5. Flash and the other mentors looked worried. "Ah, Bats," Barry said, pulling down his cowl, "we are on level 9. What makes you think they can handle level 5?"

Batman smiled. "They can handle it."

He turned on the microphone. "We are having you go one at a time. The machine analyzes your brain, picking out your fears. It will create a scenario that you must overcome to pass. Then, the images will fade away. Kaldur'ahm, you're first."

The team wished their leader good luck as he stepped out onto the field. Aquaman stepped closer to the glass to get a better view of his pupil.

Aqualad watched as the arena turned into a burning warehouse. Why is it always a warehouse? He asked himself. The building itself was a hologram. But it sure did look real.

There was a low roar, and Aqualad turned, only to be thrown back into the wall by a tall, dragon-looking monster. It roared and spewed fire. Kaldur dashed out the way and reached for his water blades. "Crap," he said under his breath. He only had two short sticks of metal, as his powers had been disbanded. The dragon spewed fire and burned the teen's feet as he jumped away. Kaldur didn't wince. He knew that King Corin was watching.

He needed a plan.

Taking in his surroundings, Kaldur saw a large box that hadn't caught fire. A plan, simple, yet working, formed in his mind. He shouted at the beast a string of Atalantean insults, and it roared at him, a shrill shriek filling the room. It again burned his skin as he jumped away.

Kaldur leapt onto another box, but it broke beneath him. Suddenly, he was in yet another box, but this one was made of metal. It was ice-cold and pitch-black. He felt the metal closing in on him, suffocating him. But there was still light above him-

Scratch that. A lid shut out all light.

"Do not panic, do not panic," he told himself, feeling light-headed. His caulostrophobia sunk in, and he began to hyperventilate. "No," he gasped, swallowing back a choke on air. "Calm... down..."

He felt above his head, his shoulders touching each side of the box. Sweat poured down his face and thick biceps, even with how cold the box was. His mind drifted back to when he was a child...

There was a Manoboura, a giant eel/snake/shark creature approaching Atlantis. Little Kaldur'ahm squealed when he saw it. "Mommy!" he cried. "It is so big!"

She saw the beast and cried out in fear, dragging her son inside. She led the small boy downstairs and into a basement of sorts. Kaldur's father appeared. "Mar'isaal," he said in his deep, sonorous voice, "stay here with Kaldur'ahm. I am going to help the soldiers."

Kaldur stood, grinning. "I want to help, Papa!"

Smiling, U'ram put both of his massive hands on the tiny boy's shoulders. "Not now, Kaldur. Some day, when you are bigger."

Grabbing his trident, U'ram swam up the ramp and out the coral house's door. Mar'isaal grabbed her son close and sat in the corner, as far from the opening as possible.

Suddenly, a great quake shook the building. Kaldur squeaked as his mother held him close to her chest. "Mommy! You are hugging too hard!"

She smiled sadly. "I am sorry, Kaldur'ahm." But her grip didn't loosen.

Another quake, much more violent, shook the house.

Suddenly, the pillars holding it up broke under the stress of the quake. Kaldur'ahm shrieked, and Mar'isaal pushed him under an outcropping of rock. The pillar fell- right on top of the woman. Her blood soaked into the water, mixing around in a haze of red. "MOMMY!" Kaldur screamed, tears mixing in with the water as he cried openly. Another pillar fell, breaking off any escape for the five-year-old. He dug at the rocks, breaking open the skin on his fingers. More red seeped into the water, spinning around in a cloud. He sputtered as it went up his gills. He choked on dirt from the broken pillar. "MOMMY!" he screamed hoarsly. "PAPA!"

Nothing happened.

Kaldur'ahm dug and dug and dug, more blood and dirt going into his gills, choking the poor boy over and over again. He cried and cried and cried, but never broke through the rock. Slowly, he grew weary. Curling himself into a ball, he cried himself to sleep, blood and dirt still floating around him in the tiny enclosure...

Now, as Kaldur felt around the box, he heard his mother's screams. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he whispered, "Mommy..."

Suddenly, he banged his fingertips against a tiny gap. It was so small, almost no light came from it. But it was enough.

Kaldur gripped his metal rods firmly and slammed them into the gap. There was a creak, and a groan, and the metal door gave way. Kaldur jumped out, finding himself on the floor of the cave's training room. There was no fire and no dragon. His knees felt like Jello, and his face was bloodless, but he managed to walk over to the bench on the side of the cave and sit down on it. Robin patted his shoulder encouragingly while M'gann gave him a huge bottle of icy water. He sighed. Why had Batman brought up those memories?

Aquaman's proud voice came over the microphone. "Excellent job, Kaldur'ahm! Wallace, you are next."

Gulping, Wally walked to the center of the training room. The lights dimmed, and the smell of liquor and blood filled the air. "Oh, God..." he hissed.