Author's Note: Hello Young Justice fandom! *waves* Well, this is my first submission in this category. This story was originally written for Black Friar and ARL15's Young Justice competition, but due to time constraints and my own procrastination issues, I'm considering that entry to be a first draft. If you read the one that's posted on the competition site, this first chapter is mostly the same as what's there, but the next chapter is going to change quite a bit and then the final chapter will also be very different (I submitted the story originally as a one shot, but now it's going to be a three shot).

Big shout out to Alexandria–likethecityinEgypt for helping me out with some medical information in order to make it more realistic in this version than it was in the original version. That will come into play in the next chapter.

Since this is my first attempt at a story in this fandom, if you have any constructive criticism with any of the characters and how I can make them better, it would be appreciated! Hope you like it!

Here goes nothing!

Sacrifice

Chapter One

It was supposed to be an easy mission.

But if they were all being honest with themselves, their missions were never was as simple as they were supposed to be.

They had been given the task of covertly infiltrating Lexcorp in order to hack into Lex Luthor's personal computer – his hard drive unable to be accessed anywhere other than from within his personal office – looking for evidence of illegal activity and any connection with the Cult of the Cobra. Lex was supposed to be on the other side of the world on a business trip, leaving his office in the care of his extensive security.

Not a problem for the Team though.

Artemis and M'Gann were on surveillance outside of the building, keeping watch and ready to storm in if backup was needed. Kaldur and Conner were in charge of getting in through security, quietly taking out guards in order to clear a path to the elevator. The office was on the top floor, so the security measures from the roof were much more extensive than on the ground floor. The plan was to bank on the human factor on the ground level and come up to the office from below.

From the lobby, Robin and Wally would climb up the elevator shaft to the top floor, sneaking through air vents in order to infiltrate Lex's private office. Wally would stand guard while Robin hacked his way into the computer system. They would have minutes before the silent alarm would alert security downstairs to the unknown and unauthorized presence in Lex's office. If Robin and Wally could not escape back through the air vents, their emergency exit would be to smash through one of the windows, where M'Gann would be waiting to levitate them out of harm's way.

They had carefully planned this mission, trying to take every precaution possible in order to make it go smoothly. So when things went terribly wrong, it was hard on all of them.

Robin, Kid Flash, you have incoming, Kaldur warned over the psychic link.

Almost done, Robin answered distractedly as he worked.

Luthor's security team has been enhanced somehow, Kaldur responded. He sounded short of breath, which should have been an indication to both Robin and Wally to take what he was saying more seriously. Do not engage. Get out before they get there.

How much time do you think we have? Wally asked from where he was keeping guard just outside of the office. But before he was even finished with the question, he could hear footsteps pounding up the stairs.

They got by me and are heading up the stairs, Conner interjected unnecessarily. You got five minutes tops.

Sounds like less than that, Wally said as he shot away from the stairwell and back into the office where Robin was frantically working, slamming and locking the door behind him. Rob, you almost done? We got company.

Two minutes, Robin said tensely.

We might not have two minutes, Wally said, sending a tense glance back toward the door. It was a little unnerving that security had gotten past the two hardest hitters on their team. Wally and Robin weren't supposed to see any action on this mission.

Almost there, Robin insisted.

I'm cut off, Conner said. I can't make it up the stairs in time.

Miss Martian, be ready, Kaldur said tensely. Kid Flash and Robin are going to need an emergency exit.

Two more minutes, Robin said again.

You said that at least a minute and a half ago, Wally pointed out, sending him an annoyed glance over his shoulder as he turned his body to more fully focus on the door.

Every time I almost work out the encryption, it rewrites itself, Robin said, frustration clear in his mental voice. I just need to… almost… got it!

The second that he said it, the door to Lex's office seemed to explode off its hinges, forcing both Wally and Robin to dive out of the way as the door flew across the room and bounced off the window on the other side. This should have caused the glass to shatter, but as the door fell away it revealed that the window was still completely intact.

Get out now! Kaldur yelled. It was a very rare occurrence when Kaldur lost his cool. Do not engage!

The window is bulletproof glass, Robin reported. He quickly whipped out smoke pellets from his belt, throwing them at the doorway. They exploded, impeding the advancement of the figures that had just appeared.

Artemis, Kaldur said curtly.

On it! Artemis answered.

A second later there was a distinctive TWONK that came from behind the two young heroes. Instinctively, the two dove away from the window just in time as Artemis' explosive arrow detonated, sending debris ricocheting into the small office. For a moment everything was chaos. Then, the moment passed and an eerie quiet settled over the office.

Very subtle, Artemis, Wally said sarcastically as he stood up and dusted himself off.

Hey, you wanted an exit, you got one, Artemis snapped.

Robin laughed lightly as he too stood up, debris cascading off of his cape. Messy, but effective, he pointed out.

Just then, there was a low growl that came from the space where the door once was, the smoke clearing just enough that they could see three hulking figures crowding the doorway.

"What the…" Robin breathed, completely forgetting about the mental link for a moment as he stared.

"Dude, what is that?" Wally whispered.

"No idea," Robin said quietly. "But I don't think we should hang around to find out." He glanced tensely back at the hole that was now in the window behind them. "Go."

As an ominous low rumble rolled out from within the smoke, Wally didn't need to be told twice. He shot toward the window.

You ready, M'Gann? Wally said as he approached the window.

Ready! M'Gann confirmed.

Comin' at you! Wally called as he flung himself out into empty air, trusting his life completely to his teammate. It took a frightening few seconds, but Wally finally felt the reassuring pull of M'Gann's telekinesis slowing his decent until he was floating on thin air. He glanced back up at the building, expecting Robin to be right behind him. But his teammate did not appear. Robin! C'mon!

USB was still in the computer, Robin said. Just grabbing it. Coming out now!

Regroup with M'Gann and Artemis on the rooftop, came Kaldur's order.

Wally felt the pull of M'Gann's telekinesis as he began floating upwards. He was about even with the window he had flung himself out of, moving up and away as he headed for the roof where they had started from at the beginning of this mission. He glanced back at the building, having the perfect vantage point to see Robin sprinting toward the hole in the window of Lexcorp.

He almost made it. Had he been two more steps ahead, he would have been in the clear. One foot was on the floor and the other was halfway through the opening, no time for any of his usual acrobatics as he ran full tilt toward the fifty story drop.

But in the split second before he cleared the building, something that looked startlingly like a giant tentacle shot out from the smoke that was now filling the office. Before Robin even had time to register his surprise, before he was even able to shift his expression, the appendage wrapped itself around his midsection and yanked him backwards, disappearing into the smoke that was still filling the office.

"Robin!" Wally shouted at the same time a shout of surprise tore over the mental link, cut short after just a second.

What happened? came Kaldur's tense voice.

It's got Robin! Wally said. I gotta go back! M'Gann, send me back in!

You are not going in alone, Kaldur said firmly. We have to regroup. Superboy, how close are you to the roof?

Three minutes.

Robin, can you hear me? M'Gann tried. There was a short pause. He's no longer connected to the link.

What's that mean? Wally asked frantically.

At that point, he had just reached the roof where M'Gann and Artemis had been perched. Artemis was still at the edge of the roof, an arrow nocked on her bow, though rather than holding it up and taut, it was hanging lose in front of her as her eyes searched the building across the street. M'Gann was standing a few steps back, her hands to her temples as she concentrated on levitating Wally until his feet finally hit solid ground again.

He was probably knocked unconscious, M'Gann said, sounding a bit unsteady.

We gotta get in there! Wally said.

There was a noise on the other side of the roof, and all three turned in time to see Conner vaulting up onto the roof, clearly having just come from the fire escape at the back of the building. He looked disheveled from the fight, his hair a mess and his shirt and jeans torn.

"Aqualad's right behind me," he reported as he crossed the roof. "Can anyone see him?" It was clear he was referring to Robin as he looked across the street to Lexcorp.

"The office is still filled with smoke," Artemis said, returning her sharp gaze to the building. "What did you guys do, set the place on fire?"

Wally looked confused. "Robin just threw a couple of his smoke bombs to slow them down. It shoulda cleared out by now." He glanced over his shoulder. "Where the hell is Aqualad? We shouldn't be just standing around; we have to go back for him!"

"I am here," Kaldur said, launching himself onto the roof from the fire escape below in the same manner as Conner had just a minute before. He quickly crossed the roof. "Can anyone see Robin?"

"No," Wally said quickly, annoyed that they were rehashing a question they had just answered. "We need to get in there."

Kaldur nodded curtly. "M'gann, can you levitate three of us and yourself over there?"

M'Gann glanced across the street. "The opening is too small for all of us. But I can levitate one at a time."

"Artemis, you stay here as back up," Kaldur said. Artemis had the most effective long range attack. "M'Gann, levitate Conner first, then me, then Wally and then yourself. Let us go."

Without any more hesitation, the plan was carried out. Artemis covered them as they were levitated one by one across the street and into the now smoke filled office. They went in expecting an immediate attack, but the area was strangely quiet. Conner and Kaldur broke out more of the windows in order to clear out the smoke, revealing that the desk in the room had been knocked aside and was in fact in flames.

"That wasn't like that before," Wally said, looking at the scene wide eyed.

"Search the premises," Kaldur told him.

Wally didn't need to be told twice. He took off, pushing himself faster even though he could feel his endurance waning. He would need to eat something soon. There were fifty floors in the Lexcorp building. Wally searched every floor and returned to the top floor where the rest of the team was in five minutes.

"The building is completely empty," he reported flatly. Then, suddenly, he lashed out, punching a nearby wall. "Damnit! I shouldn't have left him. We shoulda gotten back in here sooner! Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

What's going on in there? Artemis demanded.

There are no signs of the security or of Robin, Kaldur reported dismally. We will regroup at your position.

A few minutes later, they had gathered once again on the rooftop where they had started this mission.

"There's been no one in or out of the building since he got grabbed," Artemis insisted. "How could he not be in there?"

"I'm telling you, I searched every single floor!" Wally snapped.

"Well maybe you should search again," Artemis shot back.

"Kid Flash is right," M'Gann said dismally. "I couldn't sense Robin anywhere in that building."

"How did this get so out of hand?" Wally demanded loudly. "This was supposed to be an easy mission, just in and out."

"We were expecting human security," Kaldur said. "At first, that was what we found. But then, several of a clearly more advanced security team appeared, and they had inhuman abilities. They were mutated, some of them were even physically mutated with extra limbs. Superboy and I were outmatched."

"When I went to the stairwell to try and get up to you guys, I saw several come up from below, down where the basement was," Conner said. "There must have been some kind of secret entrance they were using down there. There's no way they were all there when we first got there. Somebody called them in when we started taking out the human security."

"So... what do we do now?" M'Gann said slowly. This was the first time they had lost a teammate in the middle of a mission like this.

"We have to go find him," Wally said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We search the basement, there has to be some sort of passage down there they used to get out."

"Are you crazy?" Artemis shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "Those things already kicked our butts once. We need to go to the League and at least get some back up."

"We go to the League and they're gonna completely take over," Conner said. "It'll be even more proof that we can't handle ourselves."

"But if we go after him and something goes wrong... it could cost Robin his life," M'Gann pointed out.

They all looked to Kaldur, who had been quietly watching the debate. He sighed.

"We should go back to Mount Justice and regroup," Kaldur said, though he still sounded torn and not completely sure of his decision. "We should to report what happened here to the Justice League."

"We go back to Mount Justice without Robin, Batman is gonna have all of our heads mounted on the wall of the Batcave," Wally pointed out.

There was an uncomfortable pause as the others seemed to consider this. While Batman could often seem uncaring and aloof, he had made it clear on several occasions that he was very protective over his partner.

"You know… he's got a point," Artemis said slowly, obviously hating having to agree with the speedster.

"We did this, we should fix it," Conner added firmly, meeting Kaldur's gaze with a determined look.

"Think about what Robin would say if it were any of the rest of us," Wally pointed out. "He would say that we don't abandon our own. If it were you that was taken, Kaldur, he would lead the charge to come after you."

Kaldur sighed in defeat. "Fine," he relented. "We will investigate the basement and see if we can find the passage they may have left from and any evidence to indicate where they were going. If we cannot find anything though, we must inform the Justice League."

"Well then, let's go!" Wally said impatiently.

Once they had a plan, there was no hesitating with putting it into action. The team climbed down the fire escaped and entered Lexcorp through the same back alley door they had broken into before. But this time, instead of focusing their efforts on moving up in the building, they shifted their efforts to finding a way down.

Conner led them to the stairwell he had found before and they headed down into the depths of the building, each member of the team on high alert, expecting trouble around every corner they turned.

But they found none.

They reached the basement to find that it was just as deserted as the rest of the building. This was far from a comforting find. Wally had searched this space during his initial run through of the building, but he hadn't paid much attention to the area after seeing that there was no one there. But upon closer inspection, M'Gann uncovered a secret passage in the floor, a panel that gave way to a staircase leading further under the building.

The Team descended down into what appeared to be a dry, abandoned sewer system that ran underneath Lexcorp. It was dark in the tunnel, but Kaldur was able to light the way with his glowing tattoos, shedding an eerie light over the area. For a while there was only one path to follow. But after hurrying along the passage, they soon found that it opened up into a system that was very much active. Not only that, but the passage suddenly branched out into almost half a dozen tunnels going in different dirctions.

"We will split up," Kaldur said decisively. "Kid Flash and Superboy, start at that end. Artemis, Miss Martian and I will start at this end. Stay within range of the mental link and stay together."

"We're not going to be able to see anything without your light," Wally pointed out.

Artemis reached back into a pouch on the side of her quiver. "I think I have one of Robin's glow sticks," she said, the implication that Robin was usually the one that was prepared hanging in the air. "Here." She handed the glowing green stick to Wally, who immediately took off, followed closely by Conner.

Wally and Conner covered the most ground, finishing their sweep of their third tunnel while Kaldur, M'Gann and Artemis were finishing their second. They were all showing signs of tiring at this point; they had been searching for almost two hours without any kind of break.

"One tunnel left," Artemis pointed out dismally.

"We will search it together," Kaldur said, exhaustion clear in his tone. "If we do not find anything, we will take the Bioship back to Mount Justice and inform the League of what has happened."

No one said it outright, but it was clear that hope was waning thin in each of their faces. Even so, they hurried through the tunnel, Wally pulling a bit ahead and Artemis – currently the only one without superpowers in the group – impressively keeping up at the back of the group. But as they searched, they found this tunnel was the same as they last five. Long, winding and frustratingly empty of life save for the odd rat running around.

"Dead end," Wally said flatly as he reached the end of the tunnel, waiting for the others to catch up.

"We need to find a way up to the surface," Kaldur said, clearly not wanting to waste any more time. Robin had been missing for over two hours now, and he was second guessing his decision not to go to the Justice League right away. "M'Gann, can you -"

"Wait," M'Gann interrupted. Her eyes were closed and her hands went to her temples as she concentrated.

"What is it?" Kaldur asked.

"I... I think..." M'Gann mumbled. "I think I sense something."

"Is it Robin?" Wally asked, a small note of hope betrayed in his voice.

"It's hard to tell," M'Gann admitted. "It's weak and it keeps on fading away. But it does feel familiar."

Conner was looking around the small space. "But this is just another dead end," he pointed out.

"Maybe not," Artemis said thoughtfully.

She reached into her quiver and drew one of her arrows. It was one of the real arrows with a sharp metal tip. She moved to one wall and began tapping the walls with the tip of the arrow. It made a dull clink noise of metal on concrete. She walked along the wall, dragging and tapping her arrow and listening to the noise. She moved along the three walls, occasionally tapping on the ground as well. Then, she reached up with her arrow and tapped along the ceiling. After just a minute there was a sharp ting of metal on metal.

"There," Artemis said. "There's some kind of metal panel here. It could be another passage."

Conner stepped up, looking up at the ceiling that hung just out of reach. "Can someone give me a lift?"

M'Gann stepped forward and reached out a hand, carefully levitating Conner up into the air, letting him hover just a few feet off the ground so that he could reach the ceiling. Conner felt along the ceiling for a moment.

"There's definitely some kind of… metal panel or something," he reported. "But there's no obvious hatch or way to open it."

"I heard him!" M'Gann suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide. In her surprised, she accidentally dropped Conner about a foot before she managed to catch him again.

"What?" several voices chorused at the same time.

M'Gann sucked in a breath and then looked up at the ceiling. "I heard him. He's up there."

"What did he say?" Wally asked quickly. "Is he alright?"

"I… I don't know," M'Gann said unsteadily. "It wasn't words really, just a rush of emotions." She stopped short of saying what kind of emotions she had felt – pain and also a hint of fear – not wanting to alarm the others. "But it was definitely him."

Conner needed no more information. He reached up, feeling one corner of the metal panel and pushed upwards. The metal corner folded up away from him, sending light cascading down into the dark tunnel. He paused, peaking through the gap he had made, looking for any signs of life or threat.

"What do you see?" Kaldur questioned quietly.

"It looks like a warehouse of some sort," Conner said lowly. He listened. "I don't see or hear anyone."

"Open it a little more, enough for M'Gann to slip through," Kaldur instructed.

Conner did as he was told and M'Gann went into camouflage mode and then levitated up into the warehouse.

It looks like the coast is clear, M'Gann reported through the mental link.

"Does this feel wrong to anyone else?" Artemis questioned as the team climbed up into the warehouse. They were in a big open room with a few boxes scattered around, but not a soul in sight.

Kaldur frowned, but turned around without answering. "Miss Martian, can you sense Robin?" he asked.

M'Gann closed her eyes as she concentrated. "Yes, but just barely." She paused and then looked up. "He's upstairs."

"Everyone, stay together and tread carefully," Kaldur warned. "There must be more to this than meets the eye."

It didn't take the team long to find a staircase that led up to the second level. From there, they traveled down a long, darkened hallway, farther into the bowels of this seemingly abandoned building. Along the way, they did not meet another living creature.

"He's just up ahead," M'Gann reported.

"Can you tell if anyone is with him?" Kaldur asked.

"It doesn't feel like there is," M'Gann said after a moment of concentration.

"This makes no sense," Artemis spoke up. "It's too easy. Why would they grab Robin, only to dump him in some random warehouse with no guards?" She glanced around. "This has to be some kind of trap."

"I fear that you may be right," Kaldur agreed reluctantly. "But we have not come this far to simply turn back. We will have to meet whatever challenge is presented to us."

There was a look of steely resolve in each of his teammate's eyes as they looked at him. no more discussion was needed. They would not leave any of their own behind.

They were going to see this through to the very end. One way or another.