Opening Notes; Originally, this story started with Zatanna using a spell that ended up blowing up in her face, thus sending her and most of the team to Thedas about the same time the Amells, and Hawke, were fleeing the Blight. They would have wound up in Kirkwall, but for the life of me, I could not get the story to go where I wanted it to go, so I eventually gave up on it as a lost cause. Then I found a couple of Dragon Age stories recently, and it gave me a new way to approach this. How they get there will be the interesting part. D

Also, thank you Nomad-117 for the help on this, as well as Archer83. They provided more than a few ideas for this latest insanity lol. Check out their stories if you get the chance, you won't regret it. For now, Welcome to the New Age.

Episode 1; Trouble in Arkham

Gotham City, Connecticut

Arkham Asylum

August 15th, 2016

10;37 PM

The high dark walls towered forebodingly for anyone that approached the infamous building that sat on the edge of Gotham City. No one was welcome here, the gothic architecture said as much at least. Gargoyles lined the edges of the roof of the three storied estate, the entire perimeter had a high, brick and metal fence that ended in wickedly pointed spikes, and the land itself had twisted and gnarled trees that dotted the open grounds within the fence. This place was a prison despite what the sign on the front gate said to the contrary.

Once a place of healing called Mercy Mansion, it was now little more than a prison for criminals whose insanity defied any reason. To say that the Asylum had a spotty record was putting it mildly, escapes were frequent and more than one staff member had become a resident. Even the chief of staff had become a permanent resident once upon a time, proving that no one was safe from whatever madness had gripped the Asylum and hadn't let go since its initial conception in the 1900s. And the modern criminally insane 'patients' proved things hadn't gotten any better.

The screams and curses from the criminally insane were common fare for any guards unfortunate enough to walk through the infamous Arkham Asylum. To the uninitiated, it would have sounded like any other day, but for those that had been around for some time, there was clearly something wrong. There was a noticeable edge in the air, a tension that wasn't normal, even for the ancient, notorious Asylum, and the guards and inmates alike noticed.

"Hey Harry. Is it just me, or is there somethin' weird goin' on today?" One man asked as he waved his ID badge over the scanner before a blue, pulsating forcefield while the man behind the bulletproof checkpoint checked the information before deactivating the field. The checkpoint guard only shrugged. "Gee thanks."

"I just started last week Gerard, crazy sounds crazy to me." Harry grunted back before going back to his magazine.

"I'd put that away if I was you Harry. Bats might drop in or send one of his sidekicks since the inmates are actin' crazier than usual. Just you wait and see!" Harry only grunted again while Gerard sighed before walking through the checkpoint just as the forcefield activated behind him. "Fine, your funeral." Without another word, Gerard continued on his rounds through the two level cellblock, a number of walkways and stairways on either side of the hallway. Guards were stationed almost everywhere, a number of crowd control weapons ranging from riot shields and high powered stun batons evident on their persons. All it would take for them to gather equipment of a more deadly nature were for the alarms to start going off, and every man and woman in the complex would run for the nearest armory. They were highly trained officers, ready to respond to almost any threat at the drop of a hat. They dealt with the likes of Mister Freeze, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and worse, and they were still there to talk about it.

Gerard knew the Asylum, having been present during every major jailbreak in the last decade. He knew the complex was old, and had been built on top of a massive network of tunnels that connected to the city sewers. While most of those old tunnels were sealed, there were many that weren't since it was a literal maze down there. Once every couple of weeks, unless someone went missing or escaped, someone was asked to go down there and take a look around. Gerard was the unlucky man that got the detail this week.

He sighed as he activated his pocket mounted flashlight before taking his stun baton out. With the way the inmates had been acting up lately, as if they had been spooked by something worse than them, he was half tempted to go to the nearest armory and grab a shotgun and a box full of ammo, but he was already at one of the 'secret' entrances to the maze of tunnels below. He didn't want to turn back now, to appear weak in front of his fellow guards only to likely find a pack of giant rats or something which could easily be dealt with by a few well placed zaps. So instead, Gerard pushed upon a certain brick in a distant corner of the basement level and wasn't surprised when the wall slid away to reveal a dark, musty tunnel beyond.

With the lights out, not that surprising given the recent end of the world plot the Justice League and their sidekicks had averted by the skin of their teeth, (a lot of places had suffered at least minimal damage during the attempted Reach Apocalypse,) Gerard was glad he had taken the time to make sure his flashlight was fully charged. The last thing he needed was to stumble into a spider's nest or something equally unpleasant while fumbling around in the dark. His thoughts derailed though when his nose picked up on something foul.

It was the smell that alerted him to something worse than rats. Gerard immediately powered up his baton and started forward, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he proceeded forward. Activating the ear comm wedged into his right ear, Gerard waited until the wall slid back before sending a message to central command. "We might have a problem down in the tunnels. There's a horrible stench, possibly from a body. Hate to say it but we might have a dead stiff down here. Have someone do a sweep, see if any of our 'guests' are missing."

"Roger that." Was the response as Gerard proceeded forward down the stone and steel reinforced tunnel, the occasional wooden pylon acting as support for the cavern roof. Coming up on a fork that split in two different directions, Gerard was about to take a closer look when his comms beeped. "None missing that we can tell. Although we found something odd in one of the basement cells by your point of entry. Looks like some kinda weird fungus. One of the guards swears up and down that it tried to grab him when he got close."

He didn't hear any of it though as movement caught his attention. "Step into the light, now!" Gerard shouted as he grabbed at his side arm with his free hand. The shadows ahead went deeper into the tunnel, away from his current position, and disappeared into the right hand passageway. "Guess we do this the hard way pal." He grunted as he ran ahead. He never saw the second group as they swarmed from the left side passage, and slammed into his back, hard. He tried to roll to a stop, but the enemies from the right had since turned back, closing the jaws of their trap. He never saw the sword coming.

August 19th, 2016

7;12 PM

"Why are we patrolling the Asylum again?" Artemis grumbled as she turned to Jaime, Dick, and Virgil as they were cleared through the checkpoint by one of the Asylum guards without a word needing to be said to them. They were working with the Justice League, that was good enough for most people. She sighed though as she adjusted the bronzed tigress mask before Artemis put her hand on her slender hip. Despite the good work they did on a regular basis, she didn't want to be here. It felt too much like a prison, where her mother had spent a lot of time while she was still in diapers.

"I don't know, I just thought we were gettin' the grand tour." Jaime said as he shot a glance over his own shoulder. The sentient blue scarab attached to his spine remained silent to everyone except him. "Yeah I know. We're here under Batman's orders, doesn't mean I can't be curious!" None of his team so much as raised an eyebrow at the young man who was seemingly talking to himself. The guards however gave him a strange look, but Jaime ignored them, having grown used to the stares a long time ago.

Nightwing pulled up video surveillance of the heavily secured cells that housed some of the most dangerous criminally insane the world had ever seen, the Joker being the worst of the bunch. "Because of this." The black armored, blue bird insignia emblem on his chest marked him as a member of the Bat clan. The holographic interface that appeared over his right wrist also marked him as their technologically superior minded member of the team. "Arkham guards and now inmates are disappearing. Something or someone is responsible. Batman wants to know what, and so do I."

The video had their undivided attention as Gerard went to investigate the tunnels under the complex, but he never returned. An hour of fast forwarded video later, something came out. "What the heck was that?!" Virgil pointed at the image of some kind of creature sticking his head out of the tunnel before slipping back inside. "Did Halloween come early and no one bothered to send me the memo?"

"Sorry Static, no such luck." Nightwing replied as he deactivated the video before motioning his friends forward with him in the lead. "We need to detain and interrogate if possible, see what that thing is, if it has allies. What its plans are."

"The usual then. Got it. If it's alien, that's why I'm here." Jaime said as he had his scarab activate the armor that was his own trademark. The blue beetle styled, form fitting armor enveloped and encased him from head to foot, covering his civilian clothes without any trouble or discomfort to him. It was no secret that the armor came equipped with all manner of defensive and offensive weaponry, as well as an universal translator. If it talked, Jaime could understand it, thanks to the scarab's advanced alien tech.

"Yeah, stay alert though. Something here doesn't feel right." Dick muttered as he nodded to Artemis, who immediately drew her sword from the sheath on her back and the hand crossbow on her hip.

The rest of the team followed her example as Virgil pulled a circular piece of metal out of his pack, threw it on the ground at his feet before he channeled lightning through his board. A moment later, it started levitating a foot off the ground, even after he hopped on top of it, perfectly balanced. "Oh yeah, still loving this meta gene power I got." Virgil grinned as he pulled his goggles over his eyes and easily kept pace with his friends.

Blue Beetle meanwhile primed his sonic cannon. His right blue and black hand glove shifted, elongated as it grew at the same time, and powered up a sonic charge once his chosen weapon had finished transforming. All it would take was a thought to activate the mostly non lethal, but powerful, weapon.

No one said it, but the bad feeling Nightwing had hinted at, they all it felt as well. They had seen too much and experienced hardships galore to ignore their instincts now, and all of them were saying the same thing. They were walking into the lion's den.

"Why are you leading the team anyway Nightwing? I'm not complaining, I'm just curious." Artemis asked as she kept her gray eyes focused on everything around her. They had since reached the basement level, where several people had gone missing since those in control of the Asylum had called in outside help.

"Kaldur was asked to protect his King's wife and son while he was busy on a League mission. Black Manta has been causing trouble, and Kaldur and several members of the team were asked to assist. That left us." Dick replied as he pulled his escrima sticks from his belt before he activated the same door Gerard and his unknown assailant had disappeared through. "Impulse and a few others are in the Watchtower, they can zeta beam down at a moment's notice if we run into something we can't handle." While the chances of that were slim, the reassurance was enough to relieve some of the tension from the four heroes.

"Well alright then, who wants to go into the spooky tunnel first?" Virgil asked, trying to keep the mood light as he drew power from the complex above by his very nature. After having been experimented on by the Reach invaders, his code name, Static, fit him perfectly since he could channel and redirect electricity as easily as breathing. "I can keep the juice goin' for a while, but ask me to light the place up, and I might be a liability." He explained as the lights flickered before eventually remaining steady. The terrible smell wasn't helping, but he blocked it out for the most part.

"So find the generator, got it." Dick stated as he brought up an up to date map of the maze of tunnels they were heading into. "Unless someone's been digging down here, this should be an accurate 3D representation of the tunnels. We could search for days down here and not find anything, but we're not going far. Not if we don't want to end up on the MIA list like everyone else who's gone down here. We're here to recon the first two sub basement levels, that's it. If we don't find anything on these two, we come back with more of the team." The others nodded their heads before falling into a classic diamond formation, with Nightwing at their point.

"Let's find the emergency generator first. We're still not sure just what Static's capable of." Artemis stated, and Dick nodded his head as he highlighted a section of the map, further into the maze. Before Virgil could try and say he would be fine, Artemis put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not saying you're not strong enough to stand with us, we're just being careful. Alright?"

"Right, sorry, still getting used to this gig." Virgil shot back as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Mentor's an awesome teacher, been pushing me pretty hard, but I appreciate what he's been doin'. Especially since I started out with Luthor and all." It was an old story, but one that he didn't like to talk about considering what Lex Luthor represented. He was the white collar prince of crime, and one of the few humans that had ever ran against Superman and come close to putting the Man of Steel six feet under.

"Esse, you worry too much about that bro." Jaime replied as he activated his suit's advanced sensor array, his protected eyepieces flashing yellow, and began to do an extensive sweep. He stopped when he saw a trail of blood leading away towards the left hand tunnel. "Found blood, almost three days old from what the scarab's tellin' me. Likely belongs to one of the guards jeffe." He said as he looked to Dick. His armor covered face still showed his worry quite clearly.

"Okay. Stick close and keep your head on a swivel." Again they nodded, their earlier tension increasing exponentially since they had hoped they'd find the guards and inmates still alive. The trail of blood suggested they'd only find body parts, and that didn't sit well with any of them. They were used to hostage situations, fighting armed men in most instances, not seemingly wild beasts intent solely on bloodshed. This was something else, every instinct they had screamed it at them.

Entering the chamber where the generator was located, Dick held up a hand and pointed to what was left of the guard that had gone missing just a few days ago. He had been….eaten, for lack of a better word. The bite marks were distinctive, humanoid, and their was some kind of strange fungus covering what little of the body that hadn't been viciously mauled. When Virgil went to touch it, Dick slapped his hand back before pulling a small knife from his utility belt, as well as an empty vial. "Dude, that's just gross." Virgil stated as Nightwing collected a sample of the fungal residue and deposited it into the empty vial.

"You might be glad I did if this fungus is contagious in any way. We'll need to analyse this as soon as we get back." Dick replied as he stood to his feet and turned to the others who had been busy in trying to get the generator going. "Any luck?"

"No, the generator's been smashed. Something big came through here and tore it to pieces." Tigress stated as she jerked her head to what was left of the generator. If Dick hadn't known any better, he'd have said Conner had been down there and had used it as a punching bag. The frame was dented, shredded, as if someone with incredible strength had pummeled it into the ground. The fact that Superboy was with Kaldur and most of the team, and that the footprints in the dust were a lot bigger than he was, said otherwise though. More of the same purplish fungus was also present, covering the smashed generator and the ground around it. "Whatever hit this also left this mess behind." The blonde archer said as she swept her eyes over the mess. "Kinda reminds me of those fire bogs on Raan that Beast Boy talked about."

"This stuff reeks mi amigo. Like something was left rotting in the sun for a year." Blue Beetle groaned as he waved his hand in front of his face. "Even the scarab doesn't like that stuff. Said something about it being….unnatural. Not compatible, like Apokoliptian tech." Jaime paused then and sighed. "Oh fine esse. It says that it can do a field analysis if you want Nightwing, but it would take time. We'd be defenseless while it did the scan." By 'we', Jaime meant himself and the scarab, a clarification none of them needed.

"Let's wait and see what's up ahead first BB. I'd rather have all hands on deck." Nightwing replied before they stopped at another junction, this one splitting off into three different directions. The first two passages led to empty chambers that hadn't seen anyone in them for some time. Stacks of old, forgotten boxes and palettes were stacked almost to the ceiling along with barrels of gasoline, among other things. The third on the far left however, wasn't so deserted, or quiet for that matter. Without a word, all of them moved forward as quietly as they could, hoping they could get close without being seen. To find out what they were up against at last.

When they turned a corner they saw a group of small ugly little creatures, standing just at the edge of the light, but as soon as the creatures saw them, they turned and ran into the darkness. All the while, the strange creatures growled and screeched in high pitched tones.

"Cowards." Artemis muttered disdainfully.

"After them quickly, before we lose them!" Nightwing ordered and chased after them but still never stopped his observation of their surroundings. Something didn't feel right, but if he wanted to catch these creatures he had to take a risk. "BB, think you can slow 'em down?!"

"On it jeffe!" Jaime shouted back as he shifted his sonic cannon and replaced it with what most of the team called his staple gun. A blue light appeared within the weapon before bars of metal shot out of the end of it, slamming into a trailing enemy's back and slamming him into the distant wall. The two pointed ends attached to the bar buried themselves deep into the wall, pinning the beast where it stood. "Ha! Bullseye!"

"Behind ya BB!" Virgil shouted back as several more shadows peeled themselves from the passage they had just left. Blue Beetle jumped back as the nearest one slashed at him with a hideously clawed hand while Static blocked a second with his board as he shot backward like a rocket, a trail of blue electricity following in his wake.

"We've been led!" Nightwing shouted when the tunnel ahead of them became alive with activity. The creatures they had been chasing were soon joined by several more of various shapes and sizes, all of them armed with crude weapons and armor.

"Gee, you think?!" Artemis shouted while firing one crossbow bolt after another at the oncoming horde, each one finding its mark in an non-lethal area, but still incapacitating them. "What was your first clue?!"

"You want me to answer that?!" Static shot back, his hands enveloped in electricity which he promptly fired into the creatures that had gotten the drop on them. They gave ear piercing shrieks before falling to the ground, their shaggy like manes of hair standing on end from the static discharge he had thrown into their midst. "Way back's clear, far as I can tell! Let's book it!"

"Right behind ya!" Blue Beetle said as he stapled several more into the walls and floor before two transparent wings sprouted from his back. "Let's go mi amonos! We need backup!"

"Someone with some sense!" Artemis growled as she kicked at the nearest of the creatures, sending it spinning to the floor as she slammed her fist into a second. She followed that by slamming her foot into a third beast's chin, dropping it like a sack of rotten apples.

Nightwing spotted the new shape first and warned the others. "Watch out!"

The warning nearly came too late as a fireball flew from the thing's hands and exploded near Blue Beetle's head. "Per porver! What the heck was that?!" Jaime groaned as he pulled himself off the floor. Even as the words left his mouth, the scarab was supplying an answer.

The parts of the armor that were nearest to the blast seemed to spark slightly as if some form of residual energy was trying to eat through it. Dick had seen a lot of things in his time in the hero business, and the only thing he could think of that could cause such an reaction was magic. He lightly grimaced, he wasn't overly fond of the supernatural, it seldomly seemed to follow any logical guidelines which made it unpredictable. It also didn't help that Superboy and Superman, who could withstand the Omega Beams of Darkseid, were vulnerable to it. He was almost glad they weren't down here to see this debacle, let alone to put themselves in danger.

He was tempted to shake his head since hardheaded Kryptonians even without their powers, wanted to protect everyone from everything. Although Conner would never admit it, what with his attitude problems, but those thoughts were derailed when the creatures' mage started to incant again. "Tigress!" Dick shouted, and pointed to the mage in the back.

"Fancy headdress freak, got it!" Artemis shouted back as she ran up one of the monsters, sprung kicked off the back of his head, and leveled her crossbow at the mage before he could get another shot off. The high tensile strength net that shot out of the bolt entangled the monster and dropped him to the floor in a heap. "Target down! Let's go!" Artemis shouted as she landed in a crouch before fighting her way back to her teammates. That proved far easier for some reason. She didn't know why, but she suspected it had something to do with her taking down the mage. Because the rest of the monsters suddenly weren't so organized. Even so, what they lacked in coordinated assault, they more than made up for in primal rage.

"Might wanna blow the caves to the Asylum jeffe." Jaime stated as he fired back, having switched his staple gun for his sonic cannon. He swept his gun across a wide arc, forcing the monsters back as they slammed their hands over their ears before falling to their knees. The walls and ceiling started to shake from the sonic vibrations from his weapon, but they were too strong for him to bring it down himself.

"Artemis, Blue Beetle covering fire. The rest of you retreat." Nightwing ordered calmly while he threw a few explosive birdarangs at the creatures. The blasts knocking them down and unbalancing the ones further away. He took the brief time in the lull to throw a few more at the support pillars, further destabilizing the tunnels. The moment they found their marks, the explosions that followed had the ceiling starting to come down thanks in no small part to Blue Beetle's sonic disruption.

"Wait, where's the big one?" Static shouted over the sound of the explosions. Again he threw electricity at any that had managed to avoid their combined assault, laying them flat wherever his lightning fell on them.

Big one? Dick thought confused, until he remembered the smashed generator and the huge footprints beside it. Oh hell! How could I have forgotten about that! The heavy hitter that came out of the collapsing tunnel they had just left had his blood turning to ice as it easily pushed through Static's assault. Even Blue Beetle's sonic cannon did nothing but annoy the muscular brute. It tossed its horned head, put an armored arm in front of its face, and kept charging forward. "This could be a problem. Full retreat, now!"

"Working on it!" Artemis shouted back as she battled aside a sword thrust meant for her stomach before spinning like a top, her right foot leading. Her boot clipped the creature across the face, blood flying from its battered mouth. Dick happened to be right next to the creature, and took the spray in the face. The foul tasting blood had Nightwing coughing and wiping at his face in an effort to keep anymore from getting into his eyes or mouth while Artemis dragged him away from the oncoming brute. "No more playing around!" Artemis shouted before she loaded up a foam bolt into her crossbow. Just as the giant horned monster started to take a swing at her and Nightwing, she fired, and wasn't disappointed as the quick hardening foam stopped the brute in its tracks. With him trapping the others behind it as the foam filled the tunnel, they didn't have to worry about immediate pursuit from the rest of its allies, leaving them time to get away.

They hadn't gotten far when Nightwing's comlink started to crackle before they could finally understand what was being said.

"Nightwing can you hear me? Nightwing come in!" The voice of Zatanna Zatara said via comlink. Dick tried to reply, but for some reason, he couldn't send anything, only receive. The others apparently had the same problem, even Blue Beetle which made Nightwing suspect magic once more. "Nightwing if you can hear me, do not I repeat do not enter the tunnels! We lost your signal shortly after you arrived at Arkham. There appears to be a lot of mystic energy from some unknown source. Standby until we find out more." Zatanna said as if to confirm his suspicion.

He sighed, the League always seemed to contact him with such information when it was already too late. He wouldn't be surprised if they called him one day to tell him that his heart stopped and that he should stop dying.

"So what's the plan?" Artemis asked Dick while she looked him over, checking for any wounds he would likely try to hide.

Dick shook her off since he had avoided getting hit. The only thing that had slowed him down was the blood she had accidentally gotten into his face. "We try to get out of this mystical jamming field and contact the League. This mystic anomaly they discovered is undoubtedly tied to these creatures." Nightwing decided, much to the relief of his teammates. They certainly would feel better when they had back up while facing these creatures. Just because they had collapsed and sealed one tunnel didn't mean those things wouldn't find another way out. If they hadn't already.

Speaking of the collapsed tunnel, Dick looked over his shoulder, and frowned when he could see a part of the giant's horns sticking out of the rubble. The foam at least had held the brute in place, but a part of him had hoped that thing would have been buried completely. While he was confident in his abilities, Nightwing wasn't about to fool himself into thinking they could take something that strong on their own. "BB, watch our backs. If that thing moves…"

"Got it hermano." Jaime said as he backed away, his staple gun primed and ready to pin the horned giant to the ground if it so much as twitched. "So….magical jamming field?" He asked after several tense, silence filled seconds. It would explain why his scarab had been unusually grumpy since they had entered the tunnels. Magic and his scarab armor didn't mix.

"It would seem so. Of course, we didn't get the heads up until after we came down here." Nightwing chuckled despite the rather dire situation. They didn't know how many of those things were here with them, and how far they had spread before they collapsed the tunnel that connected to the Asylum. "Still, could be worse I guess. We got out of there before we were overrun."

"Yeah, let's just hope the guards wise up and break out something a little stronger than those stun batons." Tigress grumbled as she again looked towards Nightwing, her gray eyes full of concern for whatever she had hit him with earlier. He still hadn't stopped coughing from the bad taste of blood lingering in his mouth, but at least he had started to look better from the initial splatter. That still didn't stop her from hovering at his side.

By the time they reached the secret entrance to the tunnels, Dick had stopped coughing altogether, and was able to walk out of the passageway under his own power. Only Static was surprised by the welcome they received as a large group of Arkham guards jammed an assortment of automatic weapons in their faces the moment they emerged. "Whoa! No need for that fellas! We're on your side!"

The guards looked at each other and simultaneously lowered their weapons, but Nightwing could tell that the rumbling below had likely alerted them to trouble. A quick explanation had them relaxing around the four heroes, but orders were quickly sent out to double patrols until they had an idea of what they were dealing with underneath the Asylum.

When they reached the main lobby of the Asylum, they saw that the League had finally decided to send reinforcements in the form of Zatanna, Impulse, Miss Martian, and Superboy. Having arrived by her bioship, a semi living vessel much like the martian's clothing which were designed to respond to her thoughts, Miss Martian was the first to nod her head to the four in front of her. No smiles or cheerful exclamations were heard from any of them. Until the situation was handled, it was all business. All in all, it was just another day for the team of former sidekicks.

"What can you tell me about the field, and what was with the late breaking news Zat?" Dick asked, earning him a small eyeroll from their sorceress supreme at his slight teasing.

The small smile disappeared off of her face though as she beckoned them outside. "It'll be easier if I just showed you." Zatanna said as she led the way outside of the building. "I'm surprised you didn't notice going in." She continued and pointed towards the darkening sky.

"We did….but it didn't look anything like that." Jaime said first, after he was able to found his voice again.

Upon their initial arrival, the team had noticed a number of dark storm clouds forming over the Asylum. While unusual, it wasn't exactly unheard of for storms to roll in. What was above the complex was far more than simple storm clouds. It was a swirling mass of pitch black, forebodingly ominous, voluminous clouds that were full of lightning and howling winds, but not a single drop of rain. "It's a manifestation of whatever is generating that jamming field." Zatanna confirmed their unspoken question when they had managed to tear their stunned gazes away. "The source is deep beneath us. That much I know for sure. We need to shut it down, fast."

"Easier said than done." Nightwing replied as he pulled up a recording of their fight against the monsters. "Besides the fact that they seem to come in all shapes and sizes, one type seemed to possess some level of magical ability." The gold color armored brute in the back of the horde was shown clearly by Nightwing as he paused the video with a few skilled finger taps at the wrist mounted computer embedded in his suit. "The headdress wearing creep seemed able to command the rest to some extent, giving us if nothing else, a target of opportunity in future engagements. The biggest problem however is that when we went in there, we were hit on all sides by their sheer numbers. We were lucky to have gotten out of there when we did."

It never ceased to amaze the team how thorough Nightwing, and by extension, Batman, was when it came to analyzing their opponents. One confrontation with this latest threat had revealed quite a bit of information for the observant youth. While they likely still had a lot to learn about the creatures, they had gained much needed intel that would save them a lot of headaches later.

Without their leaders, these creatures seemed to be fairly unorganized and primitive in their tactics, an advantage that could save their lives. When Artemis had tied up the mage with one of her special trick bolts, the rest of the monsters had devolved into a mass of uncoordinated primal brutes. Even so, that hadn't made them any less dangerous as a whole, and the effect had only been temporarily. Dick suspected that they would have to kill the mages to get a permanent reaction. That was something he wasn't looking forward to.

"You sure we can just subdue these things?" Conner asked, giving voice to something few of them wanted to openly consider after Dick had finished his detailed debriefing. "I'm just saying, if this is the head of an invading force, we might have to lose the kiddie gloves."

"This isn't some psychic training exercise Conner. We were trained to fight and defend innocent people, but killing? That's what we stop the bad guys from doing, but we don't do that ourselves." M'gann exclaimed, even as a part of her wondered if that was what it would take to end this menace before it got out of hand.

"We don't even know what they are, where they came from, or what they want. The scarab's thinking we might not have a choice but to get our hands bloody with these creeps. Somethin' about 'em doesn't seem natural." Jaime reluctantly agreed to Conner's statement, hating to do so but they were in this together or not at all. That was how it worked for them. They had come through too much together to start splitting apart at the seams now.

"You mean the fact that they tried to stab us? Or that it seemed like they wanted to eat our faces? Because I think that qualifies as not natural." Artemis said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. She held up a hand before any of the others could say a word. "I'm not eager with the prospect of going down there with the sharp and pointy arrows in my quiver, but I agree with Blue. Something about those things didn't strike me as the talkative type. Even the League of Shadows have some humanity about them, even if they are highly skilled killers. Hell, Mongul seemed better than those things, and that's saying something." Considering said Mongul had tried to destroy their world in an 'act of mercy' against their Reach occupiers, that was indeed saying something about whatever they had ran up against under the Asylum.

When all eyes fell on Virgil, he held up his hands and grinned sheepishly. "Hey, don't look at me. I just do what you guys do, just slower." He said, not about to pick a side since he honestly didn't know what to make of it all.

"I think we should learn more about them before we decide what kind of action we want to take. We are not Judge, Jury and Executioner. We won't make that kind of call until we can be sure that these things can't be reasoned with. We didn't kill the Reach, and we won't kill them either. Agreed?" Nightwing asked his team though it was said in a tone that made it clear that they better answer with "yes".

Artemis was the first to comment on the plan, making her distaste plain as day. "I still say it's a mistake, but we're with you Nightwing."

Dick took a moment to stare at the back of the archer's long blonde covered head before he opened his mouth. "Tigress, we all mi-"

"You don't want to finish that sentence." Artemis growled through her teeth before stomping towards the front doors.

Dick didn't need M'gann to tell him that even mentioning Wally had been a mistake as the martian woman put a hand on his shoulder. "When you tried to imply her new hostility was born of her grief, I sensed a great deal of rage. I….wouldn't do that again. It's still too soon for her."

"Can't imagine why." Conner muttered quietly. It was no secret to anyone on the team that they had loved each other. Artemis and Wally would have eventually gotten married, had kids, started a family, the whole nine yards. But the job had killed the speedster during the end of the Reach occupation.

Nightwing could understand that to a certain degree, but he was worried about her behaviour which seemed to get more and more violent. In her anger, she didn't even consider that she wasn't the only one who missed Wally. He had been like a brother to Dick, but he had yet to allow himself the time to grieve for his friend. He had to appear strong for the team, and maybe even more importantly, for himself.

To say that Artemis' recent behaviour was taxing would have been a colossal understatement, and Nightwing found it difficult to hold his tongue. He knew it was the right thing to do, but a part of him wanted to snap at her, to yell at her that she wasn't the only one who had lost a loved one that day. But now was not the time. They had a job to do, and they needed to see it through, one way or the other. "Let's get this done. Then we can hopefully figure out what we're up against before the night's through." Dick said at last and led the way back into the Asylum.

Back in the tunnels

Only a few people had a complete map of the Asylum, and Batman had long since mapped every square inch of the place from top to bottom. That meant Dick also had a copy, and he led all seven of his friends into another tunnel entrance shortly after catching up with Artemis. Once more, Static was asked to power up the lights in the tunnels while the rest of the team fanned out, covering every possible angle of attack.

"Stick together, we sure as hell won't split up like in those stupid horror movies." Nightwing told his team while he slowly creeped into the tunnel. "Zatanna, can you tell me what we're looking for?"

"I'll know it when I see it." Was all their sorceress would say on the subject.

"Well that's reassuring." Static stated, his tone light, but it didn't take a mind reader to know it was empty cheer as his eyes flicked back and forth. "Keep away from the walls, some of these things like to jump right outta them. Trust me, one of 'em got my board. Woulda got a leg if I hadn't jumped back when I did."

"Right." Conner growled as he tightened his fingers into fists before he cocked his head to the side. "East tunnel. There's a group up ahead, I'm sure of it." The kryptonian clone pointed to the nearby tunnel that likely joined the one they had collapsed earlier.

"Leave it to kryptonian hearing." M'gann's gaze had fallen to Conner's back, and more than a few of the team could tell what was on her mind if the twinkle in her brown eyes was anything to go by.

"Keep your head in the game Miss M." Dick gently reprimanded her, but couldn't help but smirk at the martian since it warmed his heart to know they had gotten back together. Conner and M'gann were good together in his opinion.

"The mystical energy seems to be coming from that general direction. It seems we'll have to face those creatures sooner rather than later." Zatanna stated after M'gann had hurriedly apologized for her momentary lapse.

"Good, it was getting boring anyway." Artemis muttered, obviously still in a foul mood. Loading a fresh bolt clip into her crossbow, the aptly named Tigress lead the way with Nightwing right behind her. Just as they entered a large chamber that gave way to stone walls and pillars of uncut stone, M'gann linked their minds telepathically, allowing them to stay in communication even if their comm links, for whatever, decided to stop functioning. A quick look down to the floor below them revealed a large number of the monsters. I counted thirty, maybe more. Two of which are those gold, head dress wearing freaks.

I can hear a couple of big ones milling around down there. We take out the leaders, the rest should become disorganized and easier to manage. Conner stated a moment later, hoping Dick's intel was right about how these things operated. If not, this was going to be a very short engagement.

Miss M, can you get us any information about them? Nightwing asked her mentally, hoping to get a feeling for the enemy.

I'll try, but I have a bad feeling about this. A reassuring hand on her shoulder from the physically imposing Conner was all the incentive she needed as M'gann's brown eyes started to glow bright green, illuminating their corner of the dark chamber. Putting her hand to her forehead, she wobbled and if not for Conner keeping her steady, she would have fallen to the ground as a sudden onrush of weakness and fatigue hit her like a brick wall. As it were, it took all she had not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of minds she had opened herself to. Too many….all connected to something….can barely focus. I think...they are following something….something ancient, powerful….and malevolent beyond reason. It was then that her eyes turned a sickly looking milky white as something started to overpower her directly. Oh no….it knows I'm there! It's looking at me! I can't….I can't look away!

M'gann! Disconnect! Disconnect now! Conner frantically shouted as he gently shook her, hoping to jar her back. When her eyes returned to their natural brown state, she slumped to the ground at his feet, the experience having exhausted her in more ways than one. Their telepathic link went down at the same time, relieving the pressure from the martian completely.

But it was already too late. Much too late, because the creatures in the chamber hissed in alarm, having felt the subtle mental touch of the young Martian, and they didn't like it at all. Worse still, they seemed to know where they were as all of them turned as one in their direction and slowly marched towards them, like they knew that there was no reason to hurry. As if they knew that they couldn't escape them.

"Um guys, not to state the obvious, but I think we're in trouble!" Virgil was the first to point out the obvious as an arrow was fired towards the balcony and embedded itself in the wall where he had just been hovering on his board. "Yeah, we're in trouble!"

"Not for long!" Conner shouted before using his body to shield M'gann who was still recovering from her attempt to mentally connect with the creatures below them. A giant rock, thrown by one of the horned brutes below, soared at them was shattered against the clone's fist when he punched the projectile before it could smash against the metal walkway. "Come on M'gann, we need to go!" Conner said as he turned and tried to help the martian to her feet, but she could only stand up for a moment without falling to the ground once more.

"Superboy's right, we're outmatched!' Nightwing shouted, already in the process of holding back three enemies at once with his escrima sticks while Artemis fought at his side. They kept the leading creatures from advancing up the stairs, but by the time they knocked them down, several more were already climbing over their fellows. Even with Blue Beetle using his sonic and staple weapons, keeping the ones on the floor below from running up the stairs, and Zatanna further slowing them down, there were just too many of them as fresh reinforcements poured out of the distant tunnels on the other side of the chamber. They had kicked the hornet's nest this time, and they were about to get stung.

"Superboy! Get down!" Nightwing shouted at his friend as fireballs and other magical projectiles began to rain down on the balcony from three different directions. Conner didn't hesitate as he pulled M'gann down with him, using his body to shield her. Despite his superhuman strength, the few magic based projectiles that found him still had him screaming as they tore through his super dense skin with ease.

Zatanna managed to deflect some of them but she visibly flinched under the onslaught. Even her vast reserves of mystic energy wasn't going to last under the sheer weight that had been thrown against them, and she could only incant so fast. And the news only got worse when she threw a shield over herself, Conner, and M'gann, and immediately felt weaker when another volley slammed into the shimmering barrier. "Something isn't right. Their magic, it feels corrupted! Like it's leeching my reserves right out of me!"

The fact Conner and M'gann were down for the count barely five minutes into the fight was bad enough, now Zatanna was telling him their magic was inflicting harm on her as well without actually touching her? There was only one thing Dick could do now, before more of his friends fell. "Fall back now, full retreat!" Nightwing shouted over the din of steel against steel, even as he and Tigress slammed their boots into their latest opponent and sent him tumbling down the stairs head over heels. A dense cloud of smoke appeared around the young man, obscuring them from their enemies' sight while they made a break for the tunnel they had used to enter the chamber. By the time the smoke cleared, all eight of them had vanished into thin air.

With the angry howls of their opponents echoing through the tunnels, demanding the flesh and blood they had been denied, the team ran for their lives. It was a new feeling, having to flee like this, and it was one none of them enjoyed even if it meant they'd fight another day. The first time they had underestimated the intelligence of these creatures, and the second time their numbers and their ruthlessness. If Dick were to make an educated guess, they wouldn't care how many of their own died as long as they got their prize. More than one projectile fired from their mages had killed a whole group of their own, and the rest had unflinchingly marched on.

"I'm just saying it now, if I hear an 'I told you so,' I'm going to be very put off." Dick grumbled when he caught Artemis staring at him. The blonde archer merely shrugged as she fired over her shoulder, filling the tunnel once more with a quickly expanding glob of hardening foam when the first of the monsters made the mistake of sticking their head into the tunnel. Looking to his right towards Blue Beetle, Zatanna, and Static, he was relieved to see Conner and M'gann were coming around as BB carried M'gann over his shoulder while Static handled the clone, having produced a second board from his pack. It hadn't taken much concentration on his part to rip a few pieces of sheet metal from the wall and form a kind of harness for Conner so he didn't end up falling off the levitating board as they fled.

Once they were out of the tunnel, Blue Beetle wasted no time in shooting the floor of the passageway they had just come out of with a high charged sonic disruption. The tunnel floor buckled and eventually crumbled away, leaving a good sized hole that they hoped would stop anymore of their assailants from using the tunnel in the future. Once the door was shut to the collapsed tunnel, BB gently set M'gann down while Static did the same for Conner. Zatanna was slumped against the wall, sweat pouring down her face from her attempt to hold back the magical assault directed at her friends. Only Dick and Artemis had gotten out relatively unharmed, and even they were exhausted.

Despite her earlier rage, Artemis was the first to stand shakily to her feet before she helped Nightwing up from the floor. "We need to….get back to the Watchtower."