Well folks, I'm back!

My brief hiatus is over, and I now return with the first chapter of my first ever sequel!

Hopefully this lives up to the hype, as well as the legacy of the original. I feel "Sandman Unlimited" set a decent bar for it, but I think it should be good. I hope you guys enjoy it too!

But first, I have a few questions left after the last chapter of it's predecessor to be addressed:

CRUDEN: Not likely. I love them to death, don't get me wrong (Gillen and McKelvie's Young Avengers is one of my favourite comics), but they won't be appearing much, if at all.

Guest: Nope. It's not quite that far in the future.

Dion ComicWiz: I'm glad you enjoyed the finale of the last story my friend, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Now to answer your questions 1) Maybe, I do have one planned for the near future based of a certain event involving a certain Robin... 2) There might be some inspiration drawn from it, but it won't have much basis from the original Young Justice comic. 3) Oh you might see the Squad some more. Shark and Frost will have major parts to play in this sequel ;)

Spartan of Chaos: No, not really. Sorry

7-Eleventh: No I did not confuse Barry with Bart. I will address this at the end of the chapter briefly, but I did not confuse them. Keemia also already has a codename. As alluded to in "The Once and Future Thing Part 2" her codename will be Djinn. I do have plans for CADMUS, and you'll see just how they fit into all of this. Cole will not be a part of this team, mostly because in the current Marvel canon, she is currently about 25 and leading her own life outside of superheroics.

MoonWolfAtlantis: There will not be a relationship between Elsa Bloodstone and Constantine. At least, not one that's more than their usual flirting banter. As for a Marvel character with the Helmet of Fate... Well that would just be spoilers.

Alright, that should cover all of the questions. As always, I love each and every one I get, it means so much every time. Be sure to leave as many as you'd like after this first chapter here,along with any other comments. I love to read them.

There will be some housekeeping at the end of this chapter, but for now? Let's move onto the disclaimer yet again!

The following is a non-profit fan-made story. Young Justice, the Justice League and all related characters are owned by DC and Warner Brothers. Sandman and Keemia Marko are owned by Marvel comics and therefore Disney (even though they are only now remembering that Keemia exists). Please support the official releases.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for; the first chapter of Alchemic Justice!

Gotham City – July 4, 12:00 EDT

Today was a very special day. All across the country, citizens were celebrating the Fourth of July with barbecues and parties, preparing for the night's festivities and fireworks. In Gotham Central Park, there were several families enjoying their own barbecue lunches. Grills cooked burgers, while teenagers threw Frisbees and dogs happily ran around with their owners. There was a collective feeling of fun and enjoyment that permeated everyone.

At least until the screaming began.

It happened suddenly, and without any warning, but large spires of ice were suddenly blasted into existence before the panicked onlookers. Several people attempted to run, only for beams of ice to freeze them solid, as a chilling fog crept all about the park.

Atop a rocky outcrop, large icicles and ice structures formed, as heavy metal boots climbed across the newly formed ice. The perpetrator smirked dangerously as he surveyed his handiwork. Mr. Freeze; Gotham rogue specializing in cryogenics, and a frequent foe of the bat-family. He looked at the panicked citizens as he aimed his gun towards them. "Enjoying family time?" he asked before letting loose another blast and freezing several more of the fleeing citizens.

He then slid down one of the ice slides created by his attack looking around the rapidly emptying park. "My family has other plans" he chuckled, preparing to attack again. However, before he could fire, two batarangs collided with his hand, knocking his aim off course and distracting him.

He raised his eyebrow, looking around for the supposed source that he knew all too well. "Batman? I was wondering when you…" he began, before turning to retaliate. However, all that he saw was a now empty park.

He continued to watch the perimeter, as a new noise suddenly made itself known; a youthful, mocking laughter could be heard from the surrounding treeline.

As Freeze continued to look for the source of the laughter, two boots suddenly landed firmly on his glass-domed helmet, knocking him to the ground. The attacker was Robin, alias Tim Drake. He was the latest hero to take on this moniker, and sported a black and red version of the costume, as opposed to the original red and green that Dick Grayson, the first Robin, donned. As he landed on the ground across from Freeze, he threw two birdarangs, which promptly cracked the glass of the dome.

Freeze groaned in annoyance as he looked at the smirking Robin. "Oh… Boy Wonder. The bat sent you to drag me off to prison?" he asked, almost bemused as he stood up again. "Frankly I'm, underwhelmed"

Robin's smirk was soon replaced with a scowl as he folded his arms. "Great, but I'm kinda in a hurry here!"

Freeze let out a hearty chuckle at that as he raised his cold gun again, aiming at the sidekick. He shook his head wistfully. "Kids… Always in such a rush"

Robin seemed entirely unfazed by the weapon pointed at him, as he focused on something behind the villain. "Wasn't talking to you" he mocked in a sing-song voice as Freeze all too late realized what he meant.

The villain turned quickly as a sudden shadow leapt into the air, blotting out the sun from Freeze's view; Batman had arrived, leaping into the air and extending his cape out like a pair of great leather wings.

The villain scarcely had time to gasp before the vigilante dived, punching straight through the cracked glass.

Star City – July 4, 09:01 PDT

Early in the morning, several cars found themselves travelling across the suspension bridge on their way to work. The slow moving traffic would soon be interrupted as a skinny figure dove into the street, before standing quickly as numerous large spires of ice spring forth from the ground. As a result, several cars were sent flying through the air, while even more collided with each other in an effort to avoid the icy hazard.

The figure who caused all this stood, watching the chaos with manic glee as he least out a crazed cackle. This was Icicle Jr, the son of the notorious rogue Icicle. His father was well known in his heyday for giving the JSA quite a bit of trouble, and it seemed his son has taken up the family tradition.

Jr was a very thin and gangly teenager, with spiked hair and a pointed chin. His left arm and shoulder seemed to swell with ever growing icicles, making it look much larger than it actually was.

He continued to cackle in glee at the havoc he was causing before several arrows impacted the large ice spire he had conjured earlier. An additional arrow embedded itself into the ice on his shoulder before all of them began to beep rapidly. Within seconds, they all sequentially exploded, stunning the villain as he stumbled around clumsily.

Once he had gathered his bearings he looked up to one of the towers of the bridge only to see Green Arrow and Speedy, the archer vigilantes of Star City, looking down at him as they each prepared another arrow in their respective bows.

Instead of being annoyed by the presence of the heroes, Icicle Jr grinned madly. "Finally! I was wondering what a guy had to do to get a little attention around here!" he said sinisterly before massive claws of ice grew from his fingers and crawled along his arms to his shoulders. He then threw the large ice spikes at the two archers, before making more to keep up the barrage.

"Junior's doing this for attention?" Speedy asked incredulously, as he and Ollie fired a volley of arrows to destroy the shards in mid-air.

Ollie simply smirked with a sidelong glance to his sidekick. "Like you never fought glory hogs when you were with the Titans"

"Not the point!" Roy snapped back before returning his focus to the ice. Years earlier he and Nightwing had decided to break free from their mentors in order to found their own superhero team. Alongside Troia, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Garth, the first Aqualad, they had made a veritable team that proved very strong in their own right. However, after only a year the team went their separate ways. They occasionally reunited, but they never fully formed again.

Speedy had opted instead to become a reserve member of the League, something that always irked him, believing it to be demeaning in a way. As such, he reluctantly went back to Green Arrow, if only to make sure he had a close contact within the League itself.

Despite their arrows destroying most of the ice, eventually they had to go on the defensive as they moved to avoid the last of the shards. The shards struck the tower, creating small ice spires as the two archers leapt onto a nearby support cable, before running along it to continue firing arrows at the cryogenic villain.

"I'm telling you now, this little distraction better not interfere!" Roy said, his annoyance clearly displayed as they fired two arrows at the villain. Icicle quickly made a large shield of ice to protect himself, but the arrows proved to be explosive as they blasted a large hole in the poorly constructed defense.

Jr growled in frustration before throwing a large shard right at Roy. Roy simply leapt off of the cable, back flipping over the ice shard as he readied and fired another arrow before nimbly landing on the ground. His arrow flew quickly, before striking Jr across the face and sending him to the ground, knocked out cold.

Jr's unconscious body slid along the ground for a bit, before Arrow landed next to it, smirking. "Heh, kid had a glass jaw" he quipped as Roy approached.

"Hilarious, now can we go?" he asked impatiently. "Today's the day!"

Pearl Harbour – July 4, 06:02 HST

Early in the morning hours, the sun slowly rose over the large battleships which were docked in the infamous port. Large icebergs surrounded them, and frost crept along the steel decks quickly, several large ice structures already littered all along one of the larger ships. Snow peacefully fell in large flakes all around the ships as a lone woman smirked from the bow of the largest ship.

Killer Frost was carefully watching the two heroes attempting to apprehend her as she fired several beams of ice at them. Aquaman easily dodged several as he leapt onto the lower deck, pursuing her. However, one of the blasts caught him, freezing him up to his neck.

He struggled within the ice, scowling before he was suddenly tackled by the newly arrived King Shark, who had climbed up the side of the ship before attempting to pummel the Atlantean King.

While the two were distracted however, Kaldur'ahm leapt over them as he continued his pursuit of the cold-hearted villainess. He was the newest bearer of the Aqualad mantle, after Garth had opted for the new name of Tempest.

Aquaman had Shark in a tight headlock as he watched his protégé run down the deck. "Don't tell me you're not excited" the King asked with a small smirk, before slamming his opponent into the deck of the ship. He followed up with several powerful punches, while Kaldur simply shook his head.

"Right now my king? I'm more focused on the matter at hand" he said, easily dodging another one of Frost's blasts. She fired another at his feet, so he jumped into the air, drawing his two water bearers, before using them to form maces as his tattoos glowed a bright blue.

Frost was ready however, as once he landed she froze his arms up to his elbows. Kaldur wasn't fazed however, as he simply brought his hands up quickly, upper cutting the villainess with the ice so hard that it shattered into numerous smaller shards.

Frost was sent flying across the deck until she hit one of her ice spires, knocked out instantly. A few seconds later, Shark's own unconscious body would be tossed next to her.

Kaldur inspected his now free hands, before putting his water bearers away. Aquaman walked over before folding his arms expectantly. After living for several years with a hook to replace his missing arm, Aquaman had been gifted a new arm by the mystical Lady of the Lake as a reward for assisting her. It functioned much like his old one, so he was naturally overjoyed to have it. With the villains taken care of, he looked to his protégé approvingly, with a knowing smirk. "Well?"

Kaldur looked to his mentor before nodding, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, I'm excited. Today's the day"

Miami – July 4, 12:03 EDT

Inside a large bank, several of the patrons and tellers had been frozen into solid statues alongside the few guards who attempted to stop the heist. The lone remaining teller quivered in fear as a cold gun was aimed right at their face by a villain bearing a cocky smirk. Before the villain could harass them any further, the door to the bank suddenly burst open as a sandstorm flooded inside.

The sand swirled around before quickly dissipating and reforming into the Sandman. Standing alongside him was a young woman. She was dressed in a black trench coat, as well as black dress pants. She wore a white dress shirt, with a black vest over top, as a purple bandana covered the bottom half of her face, obscuring her mouth. On top of her head was a small top hat, perched off to one side, with a pair of steam-punk looking goggles. Her hair was long and black, with two purple bangs dangling in front of her right eye. She wore a small pouch from her belt, and in her had was clutched a staff. It appeared to be made of two woven wooden branches with a small purple crystal on top.

This was Keemia Marko, alias Djinn. Since her arrival in this universe, she had been spending great deals of time learning the ways of magic. She had been taught by several sorcerers including Dr. Fate, Madame Xanadu, and even Extraño. However, her main teacher was her own step-mother; Zatanna.

The villain seemed almost overjoyed for their arrival as he quickly turned around, a boastful grin on his face. "At last, my first real challenge! Beware heroes, for now you face my criminal might!"

"Um… remind me who this is again?" Keemia asked, entirely confused by the man in front of him. "I don't remember this guy at all, and I can recall the Blue Snowman!"

"I think he's called Cold Blast or somethin' like that" Flint mused, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Used to date the Golden Glider until she dumped him. He's rather low tier honestly"

"It's Chillblaine! CHILLBLAINE!" the now furious villain yelled hysterically as he aimed his gun at them, ready to blast them for their insolence. "And I will destroy you!"

Chillblaine angrily fired several blasts of ice at the two heroes, however Djinn lazily cast a large shield by spinning her staff to protect herself and her father. The ice collided with the shield harmlessly, Djinn rolling her eyes at the pathetic attempt.

"I guess he didn't invest much in power?" she mused.

"I mean he stole the prototypes from Captain Cold back when he started. They can still freeze you solid" he noted, pointing out the frozen civilians surrounding them.

Chillblaine didn't seem to notice how ineffectual his attack was and continued his barrage. With his continued failure Keemia groaned in annoyance before looking at her dad, folding her arms. "Ugh, this is boring. Remind me again why I didn't just go with Z?"

Flint quickly shifted into his sand in order to jump for more cover behind a desk, trying to flank around Chillblaine while the villain was distracted by Keemia. "Two reasons" he grunted, before taking a brief look from out behind his temporary shelter. "Number one, she's doing some espionage work for the Dark Division. And number two, because I'm the only one who could get you to the hall on time today"

"Fine, you made your point" she scowled, looking at Chillblaine as he continued to try blasting the shield. Despite his persistence, the shield was holding strong. "Let's just deal with this second rate hack and be done with it"

"I am not just some second rate hack!" Chillblaine yelled indignantly, stopping his barrage before he was suddenly punched in the face by a large sandy fist, knocking him to the ground.

"Please, you look like a bargain bin Captain Cold. At least Lenny has some good quips. He's a genuinely nice guy. I don't actually hate him coming to Miami anymore" Flint laughed.

"You dare to mock me? ME?! CHILLBLAINE?!" he yelled frantically, scrambling to his feet.

"Huh, guess he's tougher than he looks" Djinn mused as a magic circle surrounded her right palm. She used her staff to make it grow before she set it on the floor and slid it under Chillblaine's feet. "Edam eht roolf a egac rof taht resol!"

As she spoke, the floor beneath him suddenly glowed brightly before a large metal cage grew out of the floor before surrounding him, sealing at the top.

The villain sputtered in shock, looking at the cage that now trapped him. "Hey, no fair!" he ranted, grasping and shaking the bars in a futile attempt to escape.

"Totally fair" Djinn mocked before pointing a finger at his gun. "Evig em eht dloc nug!"

His gun glowed purple before it suddenly shot out of his hand and into Djinn's open palm. One she had it, her hand formed a small alchemic circle as the gun was suddenly turned into a tomato. A tomato that she promptly threw at Chillblaine's face.

"Heh, nice work kiddo" Flint nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now let's get you to the hall, we don't want you to be late"

"Please, we both know the speedsters are gonna be the last ones there" she scoffed playfully, before sitting on her staff like a floating witch's broom.

Flint nodded with a shrug. "Point, but still. Ain't you at least a little excited?"

"A little, are you kidding me?!" she said as her eyes widened with an animated glee. "Today's the day!"

Central City – July 4, 11:04 CDT

Just outside of a jewelry store in the downtown core, Captain Cold found himself surrounded by the two local speedsters. He was just attempting to escape his latest heist, with a bag full of diamonds clutched firmly in his free hand, while he tried in vain to shoot the two speedsters with his own cold gun. However, given their speed, and the fact that the weight of the bag was making him unbalanced, his aim was less than perfect.

He watched the two speedsters carefully, before taking aim and attempting to strike the Flash. However, he missed, instead striking a nearby parked car.

"Stealing ice? Seriously?" Wally asked with a smirk. "Isn't that a little cliché, even for Captain Cold?" he teased playfully.

The villain just rolled his eyes under his goggles before attempting to shoot at Kid Flash instead. Kid Flash, otherwise known as Barry Allen, was Wally's nephew. Once he developed his own speed powers in a similar lab accident, Wally had gladly taken him on as his protégé.

Kid simply ducked his head to avoid the blast before groaning at Wally's quip. "Come on, we don't have time for this!" he said before suddenly pulling his goggles on over his eyes. Once they were secure, he took off running towards Captain Cold even faster than before.

Cold saw his approach, and attempted to blast him again. His shot just barely missed, but Barry quickly rolled to the side as the blast skimmed his shoulder, leaving a small layer of frost. Once within range, Barry quickly stole the gun before sliding to a stop behind the villain.

Cold looked at his now empty hand before scowling and clenching his fist. This was cut short as Wally suddenly ran up to him, punching him across the face to knock him out. Wally looked at the downed villain carefully, before turning to his sidekick. "Calm down Kid. I know how you feel, but you just gotta relax! We got plenty of time"

"Oh Puh-lease!" Barry said impatiently. "You spend too much time talking to people to be on time! You'll chat it up with the cops, with bystanders, with Cold even!"

"Hey, Lenny here is alright! He's a cool guy" Wally defended.

"No, no way!" Kid Flash said before shaking his head as a wide grin came across his face. "Today is the day!"

Washington, D.C. – July 4, 14:00 EDT

Near the Lincoln Memorial, and across from the Washington Monument, there lay a large white building, with great pillars and a large golden statue in front; the Hall of Justice, the Earth based headquarters of the Justice League. This building was the new and improved version of the old Metro Tower, and was given its new name after Flash made a sarcastic remark in front of reporters. No one back then though it would stick.

It did.

Out in front of the hall, assembled together stood a group of heroes and their protégés. Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Aqualad, Green Arrow, Speedy, Sandman, and Djinn. They all looked to the hall with their own senses of pride, accomplishment, and wonder. Each excited and anxious for what would happen next.

Batman seemed to take note of their feelings as he set a hand on Robin's shoulder, the faintest of smiles on his face. "Today's the day"

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice" Green Arrow continued.

"Headquarters of the Justice League" Aquaman smiled.

"And a new beginning for each of you" Sandman finished, folding his arms.

"Aw man!" an exasperated voice called, as the group turned around to see Kid Flash arriving, Flash hot on his heels. He folded his arms with a scowl. "I KNEW we'd be the last ones here!" he complained, while Flash simply looked at him bemused.

With the last of the heroes having arrived, the group assembled together before marching up towards the hall's grand entrance. Their approach was noticed by the several tourists who were admiring the building, who in turn crowded around to take pictures of the assembled heroes.

"Oh man, is that Batman?"

"I see Flash and Flash Jr!"

"Um, his name is Speedy"

"No, Speedy is Green Arrow's sidekick"

"Well that makes no sense"

Djinn watched the crowd of tourists, her eyebrow raised in disbelief before looking back to her father. "They always like this?"

"Nah" Flint said, shaking his head. "Sometimes they get weird"

"Ready to see the Inner Sanctum?" Green Arrow asked, looking to Speedy with a small grin.

"Born that way" the younger archer replied, his smile boasting confidence.

"I'm glad we're all here" Aqualad added, looking to his friends.

Kid Flash simply took in all the sights, almost trembling with excitement. "Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?"

"Don't call us sidekicks!" Speedy barked, his smile gone as his gaze hardened. "Not after today"

"Eh, I always fancied myself as a protégé anyway" Djinn shrugged before Robin elbowed her playfully.

"That's just because you've been doing your training with the Dark Division" he teased, while she fixed him with a light glare.

Kid Flash looked back at Speedy, his smile shrinking substantially as he nodded sheepishly. "Sorry… first time at the hall. I'm a little overwhelmed" he admitted.

Robin seemed to scoff at that. "You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

As he asked that, the group entered into the hall, before seeing seven large bronze statues. Each one was of one the founders of the Justice League; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. The seven statues cast an imposing figure to the sidekicks below as Robin looked up at them in awe.

"Oh. Maybe that's why" he muttered, still awestruck.

Suddenly, a door below the statue of Superman opened, as Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado stepped out to greet them.

"Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Djinn; welcome" J'onn greeted before turning around and leading through the door that had just opened. Inside was what appeared to be a sitting room. There was a large round table with several chairs sitting around it for meetings, a large computer monitor, several book shelves, and a smaller sitting area just off to the side. "You now have access to our gym, our fully stocked galley, and of course, our library"

Flash nodded before holding his arms open wide. "Make yourselves at home!"

"Robin and Kid Flash quickly flopped down in two of the arm chairs, while Aqualad was more sedate with how he sat. Djinn opted to not sit in one of the chairs. She instead sat floating on her staff side-saddle, perched next to Aqualad. Speedy however, stood watching the Leaguers. His eyes narrowed as they seemed to huddle around each other, and away from the younger heroes.

"Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of five ice villains attacking on the same day" Batman said. "We shouldn't be too long"

With that, he turned around as a security sensor slowly descended from the ceiling before scanning each of the Leaguers. After scanning each one, a synthesized voice cold be heard.

"Recognized: Batman-01, Aquaman-13, Flash-04, Green Arrow-08, Sandman-14, Martian Manhunter-07, Red Tornado-16"

"That's it?!" Speedy cried, outraged as a door opened in front of the Leaguers. "You promised us a real look, not a glorified backstage pass!"

"It's a first step" Aquaman reasoned, folding his arms. "You've been granted access few others get"

Roy seemed to sneer before gesturing up. "Oh really?" The others followed his gazer above them to where there were large plate glass windows. On the other side of the glass, there were several tourists, taking pictures and reading pamphlets. "Who cares what side of the glass we're on?"

"Almost forgot we had that" Flint muttered as Green Arrow stepped forward.

"Roy, you just need to be patient"

"What I need is respect!" the younger archer countered before turning to the other young heroes. "They're treating us like kids! Worse! Like sidekicks… This is why I left to join the Titans in the first place. We deserve better than this!"

Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad, and Djinn looked at each other awkwardly before turning back to Roy. Their expressions were unsure, and none of them quite knew what to say.

"You're kidding right?" Roy asked incredulously. "Playing their game? Why?! Today was supposed to be THE day! Step one of becoming full-fledged members of the league!"

"Well, yeah…" Kid Flash started "But I thought step one was a tour of the HQ?"

"Except the Hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Roy revealed, as they suddenly looked to him in shock. "I bet they never told you it's just a false front for tourists, and a pit stop for catching zeta-beam teleporters to the real thing; an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower!"

The Leaguers looked among themselves, surprised that he knew about this, before Batman folded his arms in suspicion, looking at Arrow. Ollie sighed, before turning to look at Batman sheepishly.

"I know, I know. But I thought that maybe we could make an exception" the archer defended weakly, as Batman's eyes narrowed into the infamous bat-glare. "Or not…"

Aquaman simply shook his head before approaching Roy. "You are not helping your case here son. Stand down. Or-"

"Or what? You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son! I'm not even his" he said, jerking a thumb back to Ollie. "I thought I was his partner…" he lamented, before slowly removing his hat. He stared at it in his hands for a few moments before tossing it to the ground in frustration. "Not anymore"

Roy then turned sharply before walking past the other protégés on his way to the door. "Guess they're right about you four. You're not ready" he declared before storming out the door as it closed behind him.

The four watched him leave, unsure what to make of it, before Djinn scoffed and folded her arms in frustration. "Asshole…"

Before anyone else could say anything however, they were suddenly interrupted by an incoming transmission on the monitor. Superman's image came into view as Batman turned to look at it.

"Superman to Justice League, there's been an explosion at Project Prometheus. It's on fire"

"I've had my suspicions about Prometheus" Batman muttered as he approached the monitor. "This could present the perfect opportunity to-"

"Zatanna to Justice League" the sorceress suddenly interrupted, as her own transmission joined Superman's on the monitor. "The sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Atem to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response!"

"So that's what the espionage lead to? That's some pretty heavy stuff" Flint frowned.

Batman frowned as well, considering both situations carefully as he turned back to Clark. "Superman?"

"It's a small fire" the man of steel reasoned. "Local authorities have it under control"

"Then Prometheus can wait" Batman nodded, opening a comlink to all communicators. "All Leaguers rendezvous as Zatanna's coordinates. Batman out" he ordered as the Leaguers headed for the teleporters. The younger heroes started standing as Batman stared at them. "Stay put"

"What, why?" Robin asked, outraged.

"Yeah, what gives?" Keemia chimed in.

"This is a League mission" Aquaman explained, as Flash nodded.

"You're not trained-"

"Since when?!" Barry yelled, cutting him off.

"I meant you're not trained to work as part of this team" Wally sighed, gesturing to Batman and Aquaman as he did.

"There will be other missions. When you're ready" Aquaman said, trying to reason with them.

"But for now, stay put" Batman ordered with narrowed eyes as he turned and left through the teleporter.

Green Arrow leaned in towards J'onn as they were leaving, his eyes watching the kids carefully. "Glad you didn't bring you-know-who?"

"Indeed" the Martian nodded sombrely as they too stepped through the teleporter.

Flint watched the disappointment on the kid's faces with a frown, folding his arms. "I'm sorry 'bout this kiddo, but my hands are tied. There will be other missions…" he trailed off, before an idea slowly formed. "So don't even think about going on the Wotan mission" he finished, leaving with a hopeful smirk.

Red Tornado was the last to leave, his eyes fixed on the kids silently, before he too finally left after his team mates.

The door to the teleporter finally closed, the four kids left staring at it. Each of them had disappointment clear across their faces, each one was unsure about how to process this. It was Barry that broke the silence.

"When we're ready? Ugh! How are we supposed to be ready when they treat us like… like… sidekicks" he sighed, deflating substantially.

"Wotan is something I've trained for! Z and Uncle Kent taught me how to handle other sorcerers! Why wouldn't we be ready for this?!" Keemia asked, pulling her bandana down as she stared after the door angrily.

Aqualad seemed the most somber about the entire situation, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. "My mentor… my king… I thought he trusted me"

"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics!" Barry scoffed. "They have a secret HQ, in SPACE!"

"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad frowned, as Keemia simply shook her head vehemently.

"Are you seriously listening to Speedy on this?" she asked with a scowl. "I mean sure, I'm angry too, but Speedy's looking for an excuse to break our trust in the League like his was. He's had that stick up his ass ever since Nightwing joined them!" She added, referencing how Nightwing had joined the League just months prior. First it was as a reserve. But he soon achieved full-league status, alongside his Titans team mates Cyborg and Troia.

"But that's just it; Nightwing joined the League! Why won't they trust us with this?" Kid Flash continued to rant.

"I have a better question" Robin said, calling their attention. "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

The three all looked down, each wondering why they didn't follow behind the younger archer. Sure he might have been brash and impatient, but after what they had just seen, he did have a point. Why didn't they just leave after him?

Keemia thought about this before considering something else. Her dad was on their side at least… but what was it he said? 'Don't even think about going on the Wotan mission' replayed in her head over and over, before an idea slowly started to form. "What… what is Project Prometheus?" she said slowly.

Robin looked at her curiously. "Don't know…" he admitted, before a smirk started to form. "But I can find out"

He suddenly moved over to the keyboard before typing something into it. There was a brief pause before the computer's automated voice was heard again. "Access Denied"

"Tch, wanna bet?" Robin smirked before furiously typing away, as he rapidly opened and closed files, trying to find a backway into the computer system. Screens of data and different pop-ups flashed all over the screen as the other three watched him in awe.

"Whoa… how are you doing that?" Barry asked.

"Same system as the bat-cave" was his only explanation before he pressed one last button, and the computerised voice spoke again.

"Access Granted"

"That was frighteningly fast…. Think you can get me some free movies?" she asked coyly before Aqualad elbowed her side.

"Alright, Project Prometheus…." Robin read off as he perused the data. "Genetics lab here in DC. That's all there is. But if Batman's suspicious…"

"Solve their case before they do?" Aqualad deduced. "It would be poetic justice…"

"Hey, they're all about justice" Robin added.

Aqualad smiled at that before suddenly deflating. "But they said stay put" he sighed.

"For the blotting out the sun mission, not this" Robin pointed out.

"Ah loopholes. Gotta love 'em!" Djinn grinned happily.

"Wait, are you goin' to Prometheus?" Kid Flash asked excitedly. "Because, if you're going, I'm going!"

Djinn and Robin looked at him with matching grins, before the three turned to look at Aqualad.

"Just like that? We're a team on a mission?" Kaldur asked.

"Hey, we didn't come here for a playdate" Robin countered, as Aqualad smirked.

As Superman had said, the fire at Project Prometheus was indeed a small one. It was contained entirely to the top floor of the building, and was small enough that only the single fire truck on scene would be needed to put it out. However, there were still two scientists trapped inside the building. The two were leaning out of a window, trying to get the attention of the firemen below.

"Help!"

"Get us down!"

"Stay put! We will get you out!" the fire chief ordered, before looking to his men to give orders. However, a sudden explosion from behind the scientists knocked them out of the window and towards the ground.

Thankfully, Kid Flash raced onto the scene in time to save them. Using his super-speed, he scaled up the side of the building, before catching the two scientists, and running them safely onto the roof. That's where his luck ended though, as gravity soon caught up with him. He managed to scramble himself to a windowsill in time, grabbing on tightly.

"It's what's his name! Flash Boy!" the fire chief said with a grin as KF simply shook his head in exasperation.

"It's Kid Flash! Why is that so hard?"

Djinn, Aqualad, and Robin ran in after him, stopping in front of a building across from the fire. The three watched their speedster friend struggle to pull himself inside the window.

"So smooth" Robin muttered, shaking his head.

"Yes, very graceful" Keemia added, floating on her staff as she watched Barry, bemused.

"Does he always have to run ahead?" Aqualad asked in exasperation. "We need a plan to… Robin?" he asked, him and Keemia looking around for their disappearing team mate. They didn't have to look long before they saw Robin's laughing figure scaling the ladder of the fire truck with ease. Robin then used his grapple line to swing inside the window, before leaning out to help Kid Flash inside.

"Well that was helpful" Djinn muttered, before turning to Aqualad. "Guess it's up to us"

Kaldur nodded before running with her to where the firefighters were. He drew his water bearers, pointing them at the fire hose as his tattoos glowed. "I need to borrow that!" he called before using the water from the hose to make a large column of water to bring himself and Keemia up to where the two scientists were.

"Hiya fellas. Need a lift?" Djinn asked playfully before a circle of magic surrounded her right hand. "Etaerc a mroftalp rof meht!"

A platform of magic would appear next to the scientists, as they looked at it unsure. Aqualad simply gave them a steeled look. "Step aboard! Now!" he ordered, and the scientists obeyed him. Once they were safely aboard, Keemia waved her hand again as the platform slowly descended to the ground before the scientists stepped off safely.

Once they were on the ground, Aqualad slowly brought the column of water to the window as he and Djinn jumped inside after their team mates. His tattoos stopped glowing, and the water bearers returned the water to the hose once again.

"Appreciate the help" Kaldur said sarcastically as he looked at Robin, who was busy typing away at one of the nearby computers.

"You handled it! Besides, we're here to investigate. Poetic justice, remember?" Robin retorted before returning to his work.

"Keep telling yourself that" Keemia said sarcastically before folding her arms and leaning against the wall.

Aqualad simply rolled his eyes before moving about the room. He passed Kid Flash, who was sorting through a filing cabinet, before exiting out into a hallway. Once he stepped out, he saw a brief sliver of light from the end of the hall. Turning quickly, he saw an elevator door closing, with a thin horned figure inside.

He looked at the door for a moment as Kid Flash and Djinn walked up behind him. "There was something in the…" he started as Kid Flash frowned.

"Elevators should be locked down" the speedster said suspiciously.

"He's got a point, its basic protocol in buildings like these" Djinn mused. "Maybe it's running on a backup power system?"

Robin took note of what they were looking at and decided to investigate for himself. He approached the door, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This is wrong…" he muttered before bringing up a holoscreen from his wrist. He typed away for a moment before nodding. "Thought so. This is a high speed express elevator. Doesn't belong in a two-story building"

"Neither does what I saw" Aqualad frowned before he pressed his fingers into the door. With a brief grunt of effort, he pulled the doors open wide before looking down. Inside was a massive elevator shaft, descending for several stories into the ground.

"That's why they need an express elevator" Robin said before drawing his grapple and using it to descend down the shaft.

"Etaerc a mroftalp rof su" Keemia cast before another platform appeared in the elevator shaft next to the now opened door. "Shall we?" she asked before she climbed on with Aqualad and Kid Flash, descending after Robin.

Robin grinned wide as he descended rapidly, passing by floor after floor with quick succession. Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a large steel door marked SL-26. "Huh. I'm at the end of my rope" he mused before swinging onto the steel frame under the door, and once again taking out his holoscreen as he hacked away at the controls.

The platform that held his team mates soon caught up with him and he gave them a brief nod as he continued to work. "Bypassing security… and there; go!" he ordered.

Aqualad nodded before leaping next to where Robin was and using his strength to pull the now unlocked door open. The others stepped in after him, looking around in surprise at the sheer size of the room they found themselves in.

"Welcome to Project Prometheus" Robin muttered before Kid Flash suddenly ran off ahead of them to explore.

"Barry, no!" Djinn groaned in exasperation before face palming. "Idiot"

Aqualad tried and failed to catch him before starting to move after him. "Kid, wait!"

Barry promptly ignored them as he cruised down the hall, taking in everything. However, he was soon caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of massive, grey-skinned creatures that lumbered down from a hallway perpendicular to him. He skidded to a stop, rolling along the floor as he narrowly avoided their massive footfalls, before rejoining his team mates who caught up with him.

They all stared in shock at the massive creatures as they lumbered by. They were all easily twenty-feet tall, with short faces and massive tusk-like horns. They walked on their knuckles like gorillas, and had large elephantine feet. A few turned to look at them curiously, before bellowing loudly and continuing on their way.

On top of these creatures sat even smaller ones. They were perched on the heads of these behemoths like miniature gargoyles. They too looked at the young heroes; however, unbeknownst to the kids their own small horns glowed briefly as they saw them.

"No… nothing odd going on here" Aqualad said sarcastically as the creatures slowly lumbered off.

Keemia watched them leave before folding her arms in mock frustration. "I can't believe they made Jurassic Park without me"

In a lab not far from where the young heroes were currently searching, a man with a long ponytail was busy at work, looking through a microscope at a sample he had removed from a test tube. In the lab all around him were various large machines and computers, as well as various half-open folders with notes scattered all across the room. Among these machines were what appeared to be gestation tanks, with several different creatures inside, each displaying a different level of gestation.

This man was Dr. Mark Desmond. He was currently working on a serum known as 'Project Blockbuster', and was making a significant amount of headway. Despite the fact that the original Blockbuster went missing almost a year earlier, after having reportedly joined the Legion of Doom, there was enough of the original formula left for Desmond to test and improve upon it.

He took a few drops of the substance he was looking at under the microscope, and after sampling it with an eyedropper, added it to a test tube, which already contained trace amounts of a crystallised substance. As soon as he added the drops, the crystal substance dissolved, and the entire mixture turned blue. He smirked at his success before hearing the door open behind him.

The intruder was Guardian, a hero from Metropolis. "Dr. Desmond…"

"Tell me Guardian, what part of no interruptions do you not understand?" the scientist asked impatiently, as he set the tube inside one of the many refrigerating units in the room, where it joined several identical test tube samples.

Guardian was unperturbed by the scientist as he continued, placing his hands on his hips. "A G-Gnome on sublevel twenty-six reports four intruders"

Desmond sighed, turning slowly to look at Guardian. "Did I miss a perimeter breach alert?"

"No…"

"Then the G-Gnome is confused. Whatever might occur in our project Prometheus façade above ground, the real lab down here is the most secure facility in DC!" Desmond reasoned.

"My job to keep it that way" Guardian replied, trying to keep his frustration with the scientist in check.

Desmond let out another frustrated sigh before waving Guardian off dismissively. "Fine, take a squad"

Before Guardian could leave, the door opened again as another figure entered. This was Dubbilex, another one of the resident scientists. Dubbilex, however, was very clearly not human. He was very thin and frail looking, with two long horns extending out of his forehead and pointed ears, as well as what appeared to be facial hair coming down from his cheekbones.

"Might I recommend Guardian leave his G-Gnome behind?" the scientist began. "If violence should occur…"

"The little guy would be in my way" Guardian concluded.

"No! The advantage of instant telepathic communication outweighs other concerns" Desmond said derisively, before gently petting the chin of his own G-Gnome that sat on his desk. As he did, the G-Gnomes horns started glowing. Almost immediately, the horns of guardian's G-Gnome also started to glow.

As the horns on the G-Gnome glowed, Guardian's expression suddenly glazed over, almost as though he were in a trance-like state. "I need my G-Gnome with me at all times" he said stiffly, seemingly hypnotised as he saluted Desmond before leaving.

Desmond nodded in satisfaction before returning to his work, once again looking at samples through his microscope. Dubbilex watched the man impassively before he too left the room.

The four heroes continued their exploration of the underground base, as Robin opened yet another large door. As this one opened, the four were suddenly overcome with feelings of awe and discomfort at what they were looking at.

"Okay… I'm officially whelmed" Robin muttered.

Inside the room, were hundreds of glass tubes, each of the tubes containing and insectoid, winged creatures. These creatures were covered in wires and appeared to be crackling blue electricity between each other. The four entered slowly, looking all around with matching frowns. Djinn in particular approached one of the tubes before slowly reaching a hand out to touch it.

"Are they… alive?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah. This is how they hide this massive underground facility from the world" Kid Flash reasoned. "The real Prometheus isn't on the grid, it generates its own power with these… things. Must be what they're bred for"

"No, not Prometheus. That's just a cover" Robin muttered as he typed away at his holoscreen again. "This facility? The real name is Project Cadmus"

"Even the name is a clue" Aqualad nodded. "The Cadmus of myth made life by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth. And according to Greek legends Prometheus created humans… gave them life"

"Wait, isn't Cadmus the group that tried to destroy the League a few years ago? I thought they disbanded?" Keemia asked, remembering the stories her father had told her about the extended and dangerous cold war that the League had with the original Cadmus organisation.

"Apparently not. And this Cadmus creates life too" Robin said dryly before approaching a nearby computer and plugging a cable into it. "Let's find out why" he said before typing away, trying to find any useful information.

As he worked, Keemia continued to look at the creatures in the tubes, her hand once again touching the glass. "This is wrong… these are living creatures!"

"They call them genomorphs" Robin said, bringing up several files about the various different genomorphs that the company had produced. "Whoa! Look at the stats on these things!" he exclaimed as the others gathered around. Robin scrolled through their different information files, each one making his eyes widen more. "Super strength, telepathy, razor claws, these are living weapons!"

"They're engineering an army" Kid Flash muttered, his eyes narrowing. "But for who?"

"Wait… there's something else" Robin frowned. "Project Kr… ugh the file's triple encrypted. I can't-"

"Don't move!" a gruff voice called out, startling the four as Guardian rushed into the room, flanked by more genomorphs. These ones were different from the winged ones in the tubes, and from the massive elephant-like beasts from earlier. These genomorphs were smaller and far more agile, with long claws and tails. Guardian ran towards the four before slowing to a stop as he saw them. 'Wait… Robin, Aqualad, Djinn, Kid Flash?"

"At least he got your name right" Robin smirked as he continued to hack, the other three having taken defensive stances.

"I know you, you're Guardian. A hero" Aqualad said, watching the older hero carefully.

"I do my best" Guardian said simply, putting his hands on his hips.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kid Flash asked.

"I'm chief of security, and you're trespassing" he said seriously before seemingly relaxing. "But we can call the Justice League, figure this out"

"Oh, well when you put it like that" Djinn said sarcastically, pointing her staff at him warily.

"You think the League is gonna approve of you breeding weapons?!" Kid Flash asked again, gesturing to the genomorphs next to Guardian.

"Weapons? What are you…?" Guardian started, initially surprised by his accusation, before the G-Gnome on his shoulder looked to him. Its horns once again glowed as Guardian stumbled over his words. "What have I? Ugh… my head!" he grunted, holding his head in pain. After a few seconds, he released his hold before looking at the four with a glare. "Take 'em down hard! No mercy!"

At his command, the genomorphs around him snarled before leaping forward to attack the young heroes. Robin immediately unplugged from the computer before throwing down a smoke bomb for cover. Once hidden, he used his grapple to escape by leaping over Guardian and running off.

Kid Flash ran off to the side sharply, flipping off of and running along the walls as he tried to out-manoeuver the genomorphs. Despite their own great agility and reflexes, they were unable to catch up with the speedster.

Several more leapt at Djinn, and she hastily conjured a barrier to keep them off her. "What the hell? Are these chupacabras?!" she screeched in alarm as the genomorphs bounced off of her barrier before circling around to attack again. As they did, she raised her hand towards them. "Kconk meht yawa!" she cried out, as a sudden wave of energy blasted the genomorphs back into a wall. Once they were gone, she immediately took off in pursuit of Robin.

While his team mates dealt with the genomorphs, Aqualad engaged Guardian. They were locked in a deadly hand-to-hand combat, their skills a near equal match. However, Guardian's wrist-mounted shield gave him an edge as he used to deflect several of Aqualad's blows. After blocking one of Kaldur's punches, he responded with a powerful kick that sent Kaldur flying into a nearby control panel.

Kaldur quickly rose to his feet again before he launched another flurry of blows. This time, he made sure to play too close for Guardian to counter-attack. Once he had an opening, he put Guardian into a headlock before suddenly shocking him with a massive burst of electricity. He held on until Guardian was unconscious, at which point Kaldur and Barry took off after their team mates, with the genomorphs hot on their heels.

The two rounded the corner, meeting up with Djinn before they continued running. Eventually they came across Robin, who was busy hacking into yet another elevator door.

"Way to be a team player Rob!" Kid Flash said in frustration, before looking back to see the genomorphs still in pursuit of them.

"Weren't you right behind me?" Robin asked as the elevator door opened. Robin and Kid Flash disappeared inside, as Aqualad followed in soon after. Djinn turned back to the approaching genomorphs before waving her hand in front of them.

"Llawerif!" she cast before large jets of flames erupted from the floors, stopping the genomorphs in their tracks. She nodded in satisfaction before joining the others in the elevator, the door closing behind her.

As the four took a moment to catch their breaths, Aqualad looked at the numbers on the elevator. Instead of decreasing with ascension, they were instead increasing.

"We're going down?" he asked in alarm.

"Dude, out is up" Kid Flash nodded.

"Excuse me, Project Kr? It's down on sub-level fifty-two" Robin defended, as Djinn folded her arms.

"I think escaping should be our bigger priority Rob!" she chastised.

"This is out of control" Kaldur sighed. "Perhaps… perhaps we should contact the League"

The other three each looked down in thought. None of them wanted to be on the receiving end of the trouble they'd get in if the League found out. But at the same time, they each knew that what they found was too much for them to handle on their own.

They didn't have long to think on that, as the elevator door soon pinged to inform them they had arrived. They all took on a ready stance as the door opened, expecting resistance. They slowly exited before looking at their new location. Every aspect of this floor was made of what appeared to be organic fleshy material.

Robin ran off ahead as Djinn examined one of the walls in disgust. "God, this just gets better doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically as Barry simply shrugged.

"We are already here" he said before following behind Robin. Kaldur simply sighed before he and Djinn followed them as well. They regrouped before crouching down next to some large barrels as they arrived at a fork in their path.

"Which way?" Kaldur asked as Barry gave a dry laugh.

"Yeah, bizarre-looking hallway one? Or bizarre-looking hallway two?"

"Halt!" a new voice called as they turned to see a new figure approaching from one of the two hallways. Aqualad immediately recognized him as the figure from the elevator. Unknown to them however, this was Dubbilex.

Dubbilex raised his hand, using telekinesis to lift some of the barrels before throwing them at the young heroes. They easily dodged the projectiles as they exploded behind the heroes. Dubbilex continued the barrage, while Robin threw several birdarangs at him.

The genomorphs scientist easily caught them with his telekinesis before he threw more barrels, forcing the heroes to retreat down the other hall. Dubbilex smirked to himself as the elevator opened again, releasing guardian and several of the genomorphs from before.

"They are headed for Project Kr" Dubbilex said, before Guardian ran off after them.

Far down the end of the hall, a large laboratory door opened as a scientist walked out, making notes on her clipboard. She looked up in time to see Kid Flash rushing around the corner. However, neither could get out of the way in time, as Kid Flash tried skidding to a stop. Instead, he slid along the floor, colliding with her legs as he toppled the scientist over.

The other three came around the corner quickly as Kid Flash continued for the door, grasping a large canister and using it to keep the door open. "Hurry!" he urged before diving inside with Robin and Djinn close behind. Aqualad crept in after, looking back to see the scientist standing, as well as Guardian once again in pursuit with his genomorphs. With that, he kicked the canister away, allowing the door to shut firmly behind them.

Robin took out his holoscreen before typing away with a nod. "I disabled the door. We're safe"

'We're trapped" Kaldur corrected as Djinn grasped her staff tightly.

"Fantastic" she groaned.

"Uh guys…?" Kid Flash said, calling their attention. He was standing in front of a small control panel, turning to look at the others with a frown. "You'll want to see this"

He pressed one of the buttons on the control panel, turning on a large spotlight, illuminating a massive glass tube. "Whoa…" Robin muttered as they stepped forward, looking at the figure inside. The figure in the tube was a boy, clearly a teenager. He was in a solid white body suit, with the infamous Superman crest emblazoned on his chest in red. However, the boy appeared to be in stasis, resting comfortably as the G-Gnomes were also in the tube, their horns glowing faintly.

"Big 'K', little 'r', the atomic symbol for Krypton!" Kid Flash surmised, approaching the tank before turning back to the others. "Clone?"

"Robin, hack" Aqualad ordered.

"Right, right" he nodded meekly before immediately typing away. "Weapon designation Superboy, made from data from Project Galatea. A clone force grown in… 16 weeks? With DNA acquired from Superman!"

"Stolen from Superman" Aqualad corrected.

"No way the big guy knows about this" Kid Flash said.

"Galatea was that clone of Supergirl, the one that tried to kill the League!" Keemia pointed out, remembering the now-reformed Kryptonian clone who once attacked the League under orders from Amanda Waller. "So he's not even the first clone they've made…"

Robin nodded before continuing his research. "Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7"

"And those creatures?" Aqualad asked, pointing at the genomorphs perched above Superboy.

"Genomorph gnomes, telepathic. Force-feeding him an education" Robin relayed.

"And we can guess what else" Kid Flash added grimly. "They're making a slave out of, well… Superman's son"

"Now we contact the League" Aqualad decided before they all tried activating their communicators. A few moments of silence followed.

"No signal" Robin frowned.

"We're too deep. Literally" Barry grimaced with a nod.

"I can't even teleport us out" Keemia frowned, her eyes glowing as she looked all around them. "Too much earth in the way"

The four of them were well and truly trapped.

Outside the door to Project Kr, the scientist that Kid Flash accidentally tripped was working on opening the lab again, Guardian keeping watch. The genomorphs that had accompanied him were perched around the walls and floor of the hallway, waiting for a command. This was the scene that Desmond found as he ran over.

"They're still in there, with the weapon?!" he asked, outraged.

"We can't get the door open" Guardian frowned.

Desmond growled before turning to Dubbilex, who was standing nearby. "Use your telekinesis!"

"I have tried" the genomorph scientist defended. "To no avail"

"Useless!" Desmond cried out angrily before marching over to Guardian with a scowl. "This is a debacle. Get some G-Trolls down here to muscle the door open. Now!"

"Already on their way" the hero said snidely, folding his arms.

"You do realize once we get in there, we can't ever let them leave" Desmond said seriously.

"Doc, these aren't your typical meddling kids. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the Justice League" guardian warned him.

"Better than getting on the wrong side of the Cadmus board of directors, believe me" the scientist said seriously before looking to the G-Gnome on his shoulder, a small idea forming. "Contact the G-Gnomes inside Kr"

Back inside Project Kr, the G-Gnomes above Superboy received the relayed message as their horns glowed slightly brighter. However, the heroes didn't notice this as they were too busy discussing what to do next.

"This is wrong" Kid Flash frowned, looking back at the clone.

"We can't leave him like this" Robin agreed as Keemia shook her head.

"Not while we can help him"

Aqualad cupped his chin in thought, before looking up at the clone again. "Set him free. Do it" he urged, looking to Robin.

Robin was quick to comply as he brought up his holoscreen, typing a few commands in. Immediately, there was a hissing of released gas, as the tube was opened up. For a moment, the clone appeared unresponsive. However, his hand slowly lifted off of its resting place before curling into a fist.

The four watched him carefully, unsure of how to proceed before the clone's eyes shot open. In a second, the clone leapt forward with incredible speed and tackled Aqualad to the ground before the hero could react. He then followed up by punching Aqualad repeatedly, before Robin and Kid Flash ran over in an attempt to restrain him.

"Whoa! Hang on Supey!" Barry said, holding onto one of the clone's arms as Robin tried to put him in a headlock.

"We're on your side!" Robin urged.

The clone easily wrenched his arm free before upper-cutting Kid Flash, sending the speedster through another glass tube before he fell to the floor, knocked out.

"I don't want to do this!" Robin said before opening a canister of tear gas and shoving it inside the clone's mouth. He immediately stopped his assault on Aqualad as he clutched his neck, coughing and sputtering at the gas.

Aqualad took his opportunity to kick him back, sending the clone flying through the console. The clone tried to stand up before Keemia raised her hand to him.

"Ekam sniahc ot dnib mih!" she cast as large iron chains erupted from the floor before wrapping around the clone, holding him in place. Robin then drew his Taser before firing it into the clone and shocking him.

This had little effect however, as the clone easily broke through the chains before grasping the cords of the Taser and easily pulling Robin towards him. He caught the boy wonder before slamming him into the ground and stomping on his chest.

Aqualad growled angrily, standing up and drawing his water bearers before leaping at Superboy with a large sledgehammer made of water. 'Enough!" he called out before swinging the hammer and smashing it into Superboy's face.

Superboy flew back, striking a large metal panel before falling to the ground as it crumpled, Djinn pointing her staff at him as she watched him carefully in case he got up.

Aqualad then moved to where Robin was, trying to help him up before his team mate fell unconscious and slumped to the floor again.

Superboy stood up before stepping forward as Djinn conjured a barrier in front of Robin to protect his prone form, while Aqualad stood up, glaring at the clone. "We are trying to help you!"

"We just want to set you free, get you out of here!" Keemia added.

Superboy seemed impassive as he rushed at Aqualad again. However Kaldur was ready, and easily dodged to the side, as the clone punched the floor instead. Kaldur then followed up by tackling the clone into the wall.

He tried to punch the clone, but his fist was easily caught before Superboy kicked him away before advancing on Keemia. Aqualad wouldn't be deterred as he attacked again, combating him hand to hand before putting him in a headlock from behind. Once he had a hold of Superboy, his tattoos glowed as he shocked him again. This time, the electricity elicited a cry of pain from the clone.

Superboy crouched forward before leaping into the ceiling, Aqualad still on his back as they collided with the rock above them before landing on the ground. Once they landed, he leapt into the ceiling again as Aqualad cried out before they fell to the floor again. Kaldur slumped down unconscious before Superboy stood and looked to Keemia.

She was trying to tend to Robin, as she looked at the clone fearfully, backing away. "Please no…" she whispered, very clearly scared as she shook her head, not wanting to be attacked again.

Superboy stopped in his tracks as he watched her carefully, hesitant to strike. She seemingly calmed down a bit before the G-Gnomes' horns glowed again. Instead of communicating outside, they assaulted her telepathically instead. Keemia grasped her head, screaming in sudden pain as she shook and trembled under their assault. Within seconds, she had fallen to the floor as well.

Superboy looked at her for a moment before striding past the fallen heroes towards the door. He easily wrenched it open as Guardian and the genomorphs rushed inside to apprehend the heroes. Desmond simply surveyed the handiwork of the clone, looking at the fallen heroes with a smirk as he placed a congratulatory hand on Superboy's shoulder.

"Attaboy!"

Heh, I love ending on a cliffhanger. It makes everything more exciting.

And now for housekeeping, starting with the more minor aspect: the Dark Division. They will get their own chapter in a side story I'm making regarding their formation and roster. They just take care of supernatural threats, at least until they need the regular League's help. They'll appear periodically, certain members at a time, in supporting roles.

Next, the Young Justice team itself. Since I am working this in as a continuation of Justice League Unlimited there had to be some minor changes. First, since Dick Grayson is already Nightwing, I just used Tim. He was already Robin by the time JLU started, and he was 10 when he started, so he should be about 15 here. Kaldur needs no explanation. Roy is still Speedy, and the Titans existed in the past. This will work mostly for Roy's own development. Just know that his appearance in JLU during "Patriot Act" is still canon, he just wasn't a reserve yet. And now for Barry... Well since Wally is the Flash in JLU and by extension in Sandman Unlmited, I just swapped his role and Barry's, making Barry his nephew. Hopefully this alleviates some confusion. I mean, I could have used Bart. But, Impulse's arc from the show will be continuing and operating as normal.

So with that taken care of, there's your first chapter. Will the young heroes escape? Will they be able to help Superboy? Who else will join this intrepid crew?

Tune in next time to find out!

As always be sure to read and review!

It's good to be back my friends, ciao for now!

~WafflesTheApprentice