A/N: I do not own Young Justice, obviously. My apologies for the long waits without posting anything; I have no excuse whatsoever. I don't post anything unless I either have it entirely written or already planned out, so everything I post should be completed... eventually.
This fic takes place in the same AU as my oneshot "Fate is for Fools", and provides context for that story. Warnings for violence mentions and possible implied rape/abuse due to mind control in later chapters. Nothing explicit or graphic.
Justice League Watchtower
Black Canary
Log Entry 01. 12. XX.
Subject: Young Justice
The Team has been corrupted. Although we at first suspected a single mole, not even Batman was prepared for a betrayal of this magnitude. This log exists as an attempt to understand the events of New Year's Day, and the factors which led up to it. May it prove enlightening.
The issues began with the former Speedy. On a mission with Green Arrow, he was kidnapped by agents of the Light and replaced with an identical clone programmed to spy on the League. Refused entry to the Watchtower the clone, now known as Red Arrow, went rogue. When a League mission stumbled across the original Speedy, Arrows Red and Green had an argument which led to Red Arrow officially cutting all ties to the League and declaring us his enemies. It has since come to light that Red Arrow did not, as previously assumed, cut ties with the Young Justice Team at that time. Phone logs have revealed evidence of multiple lengthy conversations with Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash, none of which were ever reported to the League. As of now, Red Arrow is believed to be in the company of the League of Shadows assassin known as Cheshire, although their exact whereabouts are unknown.
The second entry point for corruption lay with Green Arrow's second protégée, Artemis. The daughter of Sportsmaster and the sister of Cheshire, Artemis's faith in the League was worn away through rumor, suspicion, and mistrust. Meetings with Cheshire and, later, Red Arrow convinced her that no one would accept her as a hero if her past became known, and Green Arrow's reaction to Speedy's replacement cemented her fears. It is unknown when, precisely, she decided to turn traitor, but by the events of January First she had cast her lot in entirely with her family and the Light.
Superman's neglect of Superboy was the third turning point. Raised by Cadmus, faced with a father who preferred to pretend that he did not exist, Superboy came to rely on the first adult to show him parental affection: Lex Luthor. Superboy had never owed anything to the League, and Luthor gave him both support and power to match his father. Given the circumstances, his betrayal was understandable and apparently inevitable.
The same cannot be said for Aqualad, who betrayed the League after learning that his father's identity had been hidden from him for his entire life, robbing him of a relationship with a man who genuinely cared for him. This would not have caused quite so many problems had his father not been the supervillain Black Manta, a member of the Light and a colleague of Luthor, Cheshire, and Sportsmaster. I suspect that the combination of friends and family on the side of the Light was enough to lure him fully away from a king and mentor whom he felt had betrayed his trust.
The details of Miss Martian's turning are less clear, but she has been spotted in the presence of Queen Bee on several occasions, and the Martian Manhunter suggests that she may have initially been blackmailed. It seems unlikely that this has remained her primary motivation, given the zealousness with which she now performs tasks for the Light.
Given the content of her many emotional outbursts on the subject, Zatanna blames the League and Doctor Fate for the loss of her father. Study of her magic before and after the January first incident suggests that she is now using chaos magic, indicating the influence of the Chaos Lord known as Klarion the Witch Boy.
Robin's motivations have not been revealed, although Batman suspects mind control or sorcery. Kid Flash has not been seen since before the incident, and by now he is likely a traitor, a prisoner, or a corpse.
No member of the Young Justice Team can be trusted. They have betrayed us to our enemies, sealed off their base to us, and declared themselves to be in every way opposed to our ideals. They have chosen their side, and it is not ours. They know our strengths, our weaknesses, and even our identities. They have the power to destroy us, and there is nothing we can do.
-End Log-