Young Justice Season 3: Return

by TheHer0

Picking up 5 months after the death of Wally West and the defeat of The Reach, The Team has changed, and life goes on. But what happens when an old friend returns from the dead? And how will they react when he's turned foe? Secrets will be uncovered, lives will be shattered, and friendships will be strained beyond their breaking point. Revenge is all he wants. It's all he has.

1. Episode 1 - Return

APOKOLIPS

JULY 5, 00:16

TEAM YEAR 6

Flames roar. Two shadowed figures meet in the center of the pits of hell.

"Business as usual." one growls as the two shake hands, solidifying a deadly pact that ensured their names would be engraved in the memories of the universe itself for eternity.

THE WATCHTOWER

DECEMBER 5, 20:16

5 MONTHS LATER

"Oof!"

Robin was thrown across the room, smacking into the wall and landing face first onto the cold ground. Picking himself up, he extended his bo-staff and surveyed the battleground. Static was on the ground a few feet away, struggling to regain his footing. Cassie had just been thrown back, but didn't relent in her offensive, letting out a scream and flying back into the fray. Please, Cass, don't hurt yourself, Tim thought. He had to shake off those thoughts, she could handle herself, and he knew that. Robin turned his attention to the newbies instead.

First there was Spoiler. She was taking cover behind an overturned table readying her weapons. Stephanie Brown started out as a crude vigilante that had tried to roam the streets of Gotham at night. Tim had found her foiling a bank robbery some 2 months prior, and her skills showed potential, but she was nowhere where she needed to be if she was going to be fighting crime. Robin had taken her under his wing, and here she was now, part of The Team. There was still some work to do, but she was eager, and showed promise.

Then there was Vibe, who had dropped to a knee, tossing shockwaves in the direction of their attacker. Cisco Ramon had come to the League shortly after news of Kid Flash's sacrifice reached the public. He looked up to him, having come from Central City, where Wally and his mentor were decorated heroes. The victory over The Reach inspired more heroes to come out of shadows and start actively helping to better society, and the energetic, flashy Vibe was one of them.

"Robin, look out!"

Tim looked up just in time to roll out of the way of a chair tossed in his direction. Now it was time to focus on the hulking mass in the center of the room, Bane.

"Better pay attention, Chico, or a bird is gonna get squashed." Bane growled at the battered heroes around him. "Although I give you respect, your girlfriend packs quite a punch."

Robin narrowed his eyes and tossed a few smoke pellets in his direction, buying time. Static ran over to help Tim up, out of breath. "We're running out of time. We have to take him out now!"

"Agreed. Alpha, regroup!" All five formed up at one end of the room, waiting for the smoke to clear. Cassie spoke first.

"So do you have a genius plan to get us out of this one or am I gonna have to punch our way to victory?" she said playfully. Tim smirked and before answering he was cut off by Stephanie.

"Robin always has a genius plan, right Robin?"

"Uhh.."

"Look, I know what Rob's thinking, and you all do too. We've practiced it enough times over the past week, there's no reason we can't do it now."

Tim smiled. Virgil had shown signs of leadership at around the same time he grew more confident in his abilities, thanks largely to Black Lightning's mentoring. It would be some time, but Tim couldn't wait to see the hero he would become.

"Go ahead, hablan. Allow me to regain my strength." Bane's voiced echoed in the training room, his voice glitching ever so slightly as he adjusted his venom pump.

Robin broke the huddle and pointed his staff at the villain. "You heard the man- less talking, more action. Alpha Squad, Maneuver 16!" The Team had practiced Maneuver 16 -the combination of abilities- to a tee, and it showed. The heroes moved fantastically in sync with one another, Spoiler flinging flash grenades into Bane's face, then giving way for Wonder Girl to deliver a -in Tim's opinion- sexy uppercut, sending him face-first into the wall with a loud bang. Vibe made sure he stayed there, blasting the brute, cutting his venom tube, and forcing him farther in. Robin followed up by launching his staff through the air, where it was charged courtesy of Static, and all it took was contact with Bane's connecting port to cause his image to fizzle out.

With a smile Cisco lifted up his glasses. "Hasta la vista, baby!"

The lights in the room went brighter, and the AHS (advanced hologram simulator) shut down completely. The windows overlooking the room un-tinted to reveal Superboy. "Great work you guys, go cool off and meet up here in five."

Recognized: Red Arrow-B06, Aqualad-B02

"I'm glad all is well, my friend. I wish her a speedy recovery."

The Roy Harper clone put a hand on Aqualad's shoulder as he spoke, both of them in their civvies. "Thanks, Kaldur. But it's me who's glad you're back. How was Atlantis?"

The two made their way down the corridor, heading towards the Mission Room. "Fine. Things are prospering there, Garth and the Queen extend their greetings. But for now I must return all my attention to The Team."

"And your attention will be welcomed." A door opened and Superboy walked out, smiling towards Kaldur. "Good to see you buddy, Krypton knows I can't stand all this overseeing work, although it's nice to see progress. Virgil is becoming more confident, Cassie less reckless and more patient. Vibe keeps impressing. Stephanie needs some work, but Tim's been doing a great job with her. He's a natural leader. Just like his brother."

At the mention of their friend, Kaldur looked up with questioning eyes, and was met with a disappointing head shake by Connor. "Still haven't heard from him."

Kaldur nodded and thought of the first Boy Wonder. He had bowed out after Wally's death, and the Team hadn't heard anything from him since. His birthday came and went, and although Aqualad suspected he had shared it with Barbara, as per usual, he didn't press for information on his whereabouts, or even a timetable to return. With M'Gann visiting family on Mars and Artemis taking a more conservative role, he could use someone with Dick's leadership abilities, but would have to do without. He lost his best friend, and needed time to grieve.

Roy sighed. "You would think five months is enough time to brood. Then again, he was trained by Batman." Conner grunted in agreement, although both were sympathetic. "What's the report on our squads?"

Superboy walked over to the computer. "Alpha called from Cleveland. They're all done and heading back. Beta hasn't checked in, but I doubt they have a problem..."

BOSTON

DECEMBER 5, 20:18

Fire blazed at every street corner. Waves of red and orange licked at the white snow, and a sweltering heat broke the chilly air. A mechanical voice echoed throughout the empty streets, taunting two heroes in the shadows. "Why do you hide from me, heroes? I would think with all the cold you would welcome a little heat!" More flame erupted from the maniac's weapon, a new grade flamethrower.

"Sorry buddy I actually like the cold! But it sounds like you need a serious chill pill!" The new speaker received an elbow to the side from his companion as a burst of fire lit up a parked car, setting it ablaze.

"Bart, if you spit one more cold pun out of that big mouth of yours I'll get La'gaan to give you one of those 'hurricane' wedgies he's always talking about."

"Oh come on Artemis, you know he's just bluffing. Besides, you know there 'snow' way I'm gonna stop." The second Kid Flash shot back, himself cringing at that one but knowing it would get to her.

Tigress facepalmed and groaned. She had worked with Bart quite a bit over the past few months, and had grown fairly used to his puns and quick-witted comments. Initially she feared it would remind her too much about Wally, the way he could banter with her every step of the way, the way sometimes his laugh sounded just like Wally, and especially the suit. Instead it was somewhat comforting, familiar. She had to admit he kept her on her toes, and it was helpful during cold nights like this. "I'll forgive you if you can wrap this up in the next five minutes so we can get back to the Watchtower."

"Five minutes? Damn Artemis you're getting soft. Especially when we're talking about this chump. I mean, who names themselves after a bug?"

Artemis smirked. "I am so telling Jaime."

Bart's eyes widened. "No way Artemis I didn't… I meant… oh shut up you know what I mean!" With that the speedster dashed off to put their plan into action. "Hey Fire Freak! I think you need to cool down!" Speeding out into the street, he started to run circles around the hovering Firefly, dodging blasts of flame.

A torrent of air began to form in Kid's trail, becoming faster and more powerful as he picked up speed. Firefly started to wobble in mid-air, his jetpack having lost control to the tornado-like nature of Kid Flash's whirlwind, which was quickly gaining height. Just when the criminal began to adjust, Tigress rolled out from her cover and fired three shots from her crossbow, taking out the jetpack.

With a yelp Firefly came crashing down, straight onto yet another parked car, rolling off unceremoniously. In a flash his armor was gone, replaced by a straightjacket and a sign that read 'Kick Me'.

"That's a nice touch Kid, I'll give you that." Artemis chuckled, just as sirens began to sound a block away.

"Or would you rather say an 'ice' touch?"

"Shut up, Bart."

WATCHTOWER

DECEMBER 6, 6:42

"At 10:48 last night the G. Gordon Godfrey Show received an anonymous phone call threatening the life of Senator Jeremy Ryder of California. As you know, he is a popular candidate for the President-elect's cabinet, and should figure heavily into the discussion for Secretary of State." The Briefing Room of the Watchtower was quiet except for the commanding and monotone voice of the Batman, standing beside Aqualad and surrounded by a group of young heroes. "We were unable to trace the call and as of now, we have no information on the identity of the caller."

Robin spoke up, gazing out through his dark shades. "No voice recognition?"

"Negative. Subject was using a voice modulator and could not be identified. The Senator's anti-hero policy prohibits the League from interfering publicly, especially since he still plans to give a speech at an outdoor rally in Jump City today at noon. That's where you come in. Aqualad will brief you." With that Batman walked away, gone almost as soon as he arrived. Aqualad took Batman's place and lit up a 3D diagram of the Jump City town square.

"Superboy, Static, Tigress, and Lagoon Boy, you will be part of the protection team, Robin will lead." Tim raised his eyebrows a bit, but didn't object, something he often did earlier in his career. He was more confident now, he knew that, his teammates knew that, Cassie knew that. Leading a team of heroes more experienced than him was nothing new; after all, Dick had done it more than a few times in his career, but it was still a daunting task.

Aqualad continued. "The stage and podium on the south end is flanked by the vacated apartment buildings to the east and west, and the bay completes the square on the north side. The buildings are due for renovation in a few weeks but for now they're abandoned, and that makes for perfect kill position. There will no doubt be his own personal security up there, so stay low and out of sight. We don't want any incidents."

Static spoke up with a grin. "You here that, Connor? Low and out of sight."

"What, I've gotten better... sort of."

"It's the out of sight part you'll have trouble with, Virg. When you get nervous, you spark like a torn wire!" This time it was La'gaan taking a friendly shot at his teammate. Artemis remained silent. It was good to see friendly banter, but they needed to focus on the task at hand.

"So we get in and patrol the area until the speech is over?"

"Correct, Robin. Simple recon mission with a simple task: ensure the safety of the Senator. Study this map and meet up at 10 with the Super cycle. Good luck, and be safe." The holomap folded away and the squad dispersed, leaving Tim to catch up with Aqualad as he began to walk away.

"Kaldur," Tim began as the Atlantean turned around, "I think we should bring Spoiler. She's been coming along well and the experience would do her good."

Aqualad put a hand on Tim's shoulder. "She's got a long way to go, but you've done an excellent job with her. Dick would be proud."

Tim smiled at that. He often wondered if Dick would have done anything different in teaching her, or if he would've even mentored her at all. A rogue off the streets, not used to being a team player at any level. But that was why he was committed to train her, just like Dick had helped Batman train him.

"Take her. But make sure to pair her up with someone."

"Thanks, Aqualad. This'll do her good, I know it." He nodded to his friend and turned away to begin preparations.

JUMP CITY

DECEMBER 6, 12:39

The mercenary leaned up against a wall in one of the apartments, he could hear the Kryptonian thudding around in the room on the other side. Just a few more minutes... He didn't think of himself as a mercenary, even though technically that's exactly what he was. Only for the moment, he thought, this job and maybe a few others are all I need to get on my feet. Then they're really screwed. He started softly towards the door and slipped out into the hallway. He checked his belt again to make sure his brass knuckles were in place. He wouldn't call them brass, but his target would find that out soon enough. A few more steps led him into the next room, and he took position behind a chair. The floor creaked only slightly as he lowered himself to a crouch. "Sweet upholstery job," he noted. The footsteps of his advisory stopped short. Aaaand I said that out loud, didn't I?

Suddenly the chair was lifted off the ground, exposing the assassin to the smirking face of Superboy. "I don't suppose I get a do-over?" His words were met with a slow shake of the head. "Alright then, Plan B." The merc leaped up and tossed a punch at the Kyptonian's head, and met air as it was dodged, with his fist just barely grazing Superboy's ear. He followed it up with a punch to the gut, which connected and sent waves of pain up his arm.

"You don't do much research, do you?" Superboy grinned as his opponent turned his back to him, hunched over his hand in pain. A soft green glow began to emanate from his crouched position as the merc fastened his new knuckles.

"Heh. Exactly the opposite, actually." Whipping around, he unloaded his fist into Superboy's face, knocking him back across the room, bowling over a couch in the process. "You would not believe how easy it was to get this shit." The merc began a slow walk to where Superboy had disappeared behind the overturned couch. "Personally, I'd like to call them krypto-knuckles. The guy who gave it to me wasn't particularly amused, but hey, patent pending. I even got it under my boot, so watch ou-" he was cut off by the couch itself, which hurdled through the air, slamming him into the wall with a crash.

"Superboy to Alpha, I found the-" He broke off in confusion as his fingers scraped at air.

"Looking for this?" The assassin stood smirking under his helmet, his opponent's com between his fingers. "Swiped it when I whiffed on your cabeza a minute back. You know, right before you taunted me for being unprepared. Remember that, asshat?"

Superboy narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? Why do you want the Senator dead?"

"So many damn questions and," he paused to listen to the Senator's speech, echoing around the plaza. He was farther along than the merc would've liked. "You're making me late." One by one he dropped pellets to the ground, the smoke rising up until it engulfed him and Superboy was left to flail at air.

"Where the hell…"

"Right here, bud!" The assassin leapt out from behind Conner, putting him in a headlock and covering his face with a rag. "That's the beauty of Kryptonite, you can make almost anything from it." His voice was a triumphant whisper as Superboy's struggles grew weaker, fine green dust puffing out from under the rag. When he had finally dropped to the floor, the sound of footsteps came down the hallway, heading for the door.

"Superboy? I couldn't reach-" Static dropped to the floor as the merc leveled him with one punch.

"Sorry but I'm running short on time. I'd ask for a raincheck, but you'd probably short out, or something." The merc smirked and took off, he had other sidekicks to pound.

o_0_0_o

Tim moved to a crouch at a window on the ground floor, watching the crowd for any suspicious characters. Artemis was out there, in her civvies. La'gaan was out in the bay, Superboy and Static were across in the eastward buildings, and Stephanie was paired with Tim, although he had just sent her to the basement to check things out. He thought about checking in with them but decided against it. He didn't want to seem overbearing when in charge, and besides, they would contact him if anything came up.

A gun clicked behind Tim's head. "Earpiece. Now. I'll know if you alert anyone else." Slowly, Tim reached into his ear and let the com drop, where an armored boot crushed it to pieces. "So, Robin, huh? You as good as they say you are?"

"I guess you're just gonna have to find out." In a flash his bo-staff was out, and Robin was on his feet, striking the gun out of his attacker's hand and advancing with a series of short blows, all parried to perfection and with ease. Eventually the merc grabbed hold of the staff and sent Tim flying with a powerful kick, the shiny floor squeaking as he skidded across it.

"Look kid, if you keep up with this generic shit I'm gonna get real bored, real fast."

"Why, got somewhere to be?"

"Places to go, people to kill, you know the drill." It was during this time that the Boy Wonder surveyed his opponent. He was lean, taller than Tim, and actually only a few years older, he guessed. He sported gray boots and gloves, contrasting with his black kevlar-reinforced body suit and jacket.

"Who hired you?" The merc smiled under his helmet. This Robin was accessing him, buying time to size him up, and he wasn't about to give that to him. Leaping forward, he went on the offensive this time, lashing out and landing hit after hit, exploiting the gaps, if very small, in the Robin's defense. The two traded blows, moving through the rooms at breakneck pace, the crowd roaring outside, Robin getting the edge on his opponent in speed and agility, but being outmatched in shear force. The merc knew that the speech would soon be over, and he needed to end this fight.

Tim's eyes widened as his opponent pulled out a knife, landing on top of him, immediately breaching his defenses and slicing his arm. Robin was frustrated, his moves didn't seem to land. The assassin matched up with perfect, well-timed counters to Tim's strikes. He was being backed up forcefully, almost as if his opponent was driving him somewhere specific. He needed something, anything that could possibly throw his enemy off balance.

"Robin!" It was Spoiler. She came bolting around the corner wielding two batons, electricity sparking off them.

The merc almost growled. "Back off, bitch!" He fired the knife across the room, where it lodged itself in her shoulder. She let out a scream and tumbled to the floor in pain. "Holy hell that was quick. Is this the crap you guys train nowadays?"

Enraged, Tim tore the "R" off his chest, and thrust it into his shoulder, eliciting a snarl of rage from the warrior. Taking advantage, Robin headbutted his enemy, cracking his helmet. Grabbing him by the collar, the Boy Wonder flipped him over onto the ground. He pulled the merc to his feet, pinning him up against a door. The crowd roared once more as the sound echoed through the side alley that led out in front of the stage. "I'll ask again. Who hired you?"

The merc spoke through his helmet, the crack distorting his mechanized voice ever so slightly, the sun gleaming off it through a window and into Tim's eyes. "Boy you are a mixed bag, aren't you?" Tim narrowed his eyes as he continued. "You're a good fighter, I can tell. Smart. You think about every move, but you do it quickly. Yet you're predictable. I can tell you practice everything until you've got it to a tee. A good trait, I'll give you that, but it's wasted. I gave you openings that you could've exploited by seriously hurting me. You saw them, I know you did. But you're a product of the system - exactly what they want you to be. And you're okay with that."

Tim tightened his grip on the assassin. Was he talking about Batman? About Nightwing? "You don't know anything about me."

The merc chuckled dangerously. "Guess again. I know all kinds of shit about you. This fight told me everything. No wonder they were so quick to scoop you out of the nest; or into it, I should say. You are the cookie-cutter of a crime fighter they've wanted all along. You're not your own Robin, you're theirs. And that's why I'm going to get what I want today. That's why you're going to fail, Drake."

Tim's eyes widened under his domino mask. His grip loosened. "Wha-?"

He was cut off by a searing pain in his lower leg. A small shiv had slid from the toe of his enemy's boot and with one kick had sent him doubling forward. The merc followed up with a head-butt of his own, grabbing Robin by the throat and slamming him backwards on the table. "You follow them blindly. That makes you weak." Grasping a fistful of hair, he hurled him against the wall, forcing a grunt out of the younger fighter. Robin fell limp as the merc grabbed his cape, kicked open the door, and flung him out into the alleyway. "Go ahead, little bird! Ask. Ask me how I know all about who's hiding under that mask of yours!" Robin struggled to get up, and a boot landed on his hand, grinding it against the hard concrete. The Boy Wonder grimmaced hard, desperately trying to summon the strength he needed to overcome this attack, but finding none. "Nothing? Is that it?" He received a half groan, half growl in response.

"Pathetic." He glanced down and dug the "R" out of his shoulder, splattered with blood, and tossed it on the ground next to the Robin's head. "You can have this back. Seems like you need it." Dropping down to a knee, the merc picked up Tim's head, holding it close to his own and pointing it in the direction of the street, where only a policeman stood guard between them and the wide expanse of concrete where the Senator held his rally. "See that cop over there, Timmy? That's Raul. In about sixty seconds, I'm going to slip my man Raul a fat wad of cash. He's going to let me through, and I'm going to put three bullets in Ryder's chest. Then I'm going to detonate my charges in the bay, take care of whatever aquatic friend you've got lurking there, politely hand that blonde's ass to her, and make my leave. And just remember, when all that is happening, you'll be here, on your ass, beaten. Got that?"

Tim spit out blood and met the merc's eye slits. "Who the hell are you?"

Robin could hear the smile in his voice as he responded. The world began to spin around him as the blackness he'd been fighting off finally swamped his vision, a tired and painful wave engulfing his body, and the last thing he heard before succumbing was the sound of three gunshots.

WATCHTOWER

DECEMBER 6, 18:16

Barbara walked down the outermost corridor of the Watchtower. Her eyes were closed and her head was bowed. It was all over the news. All over. Senator Jeremy Ryder, lead candidate for Secretary of State, dead. Shot dead, in fact, by a helmeted assailant in broad daylight. The fact that the assassin had engaged Tigress and Static in public, and beat them both made things worse. (Beaten was a loose term, Barbara knew Artemis would have taken him down if it weren't for the explosion in the bay, which had served as a way to knock out La'gaan and as a distraction). It was as if the media couldn't decide whether they were angry with the heroes for ignoring Ryder's policy, or for letting him die.

The redhead broke course to stare out the window, into the depths of space. It wasn't the media that was worrying Barbara, though. In all her time as Batgirl, she had seen and faced many foes that had the ability to take down entire squads with ease. Usually, these were hulking masses wielding either far superior strength, intelligence, or power. Sometimes all three. Never had she seen someone like him, someone who by all accounts had no powers, no special abilities besides the seemingly endless supply of foresight and inappropriate wit. She was worried for Tim most of all, and that thought pushed her onward to the medical bay, where she had been summoned. Robin had woken up.

Metal doors swooshed open to reveal Mal standing, a worried look on his face. Barbara greeted him with a nod. "How is he?"

"Better come see for yourself. He was roughed up pretty bad, and he's drifting in and out, but he's stable." He said.

"Thanks." Barbara walked past him and to the bed, sitting next to Artemis and Bart. "Kaldur?"

"Gone to get Batman."

"And Cassie?"

Bart looked at the clock. "She's on her way."

She nodded and looked down. Tim looked small in the bed, his face bruised, bandages around his head and hands, his eyelids flickering slightly. They sat in silence, the TV blaring news of the Senator's death. Anger built up in Barbara, seeing the boy she trained beside defeated, news of their failure broadcasting all over. "Will someone turn that off?" she snapped, and the TV was on for no more longer than a second before quieting. Bart put a hand on her shoulder, and Artemis turned sympathetically.

"The majority of it is minor injuries. He's more exhausted than hurt, honestly." Artemis said.

Barbara sighed. "I know. He's strong, it's just a matter of-" she was cut off by a groan from the Boy Wonder. Tim's eyes fluttered open and he shifted in discomfort. "Tim? Tim, its Barbara. Can you hear me?" Eyes glazed with pain, the third Robin looked at the girl he considered a sister and gave a hazy smile. Barbara smiled back and mussed his hair, feeling better.

"Miss me?" he croaked out.

Before Barbara could answer, the doors swooshed open, and the Dark Knight charged into the room. "Update."

Narrowing her eyes at her mentor's flat tone, Barbara spoke up. "He's only just woken up. He'll need time before-"

"Tim. Who did this? What do you remember?"

Robin dropped his smile. His gaze hardened as he recalled what did this to him. Who did this to him. He remembered the name.

"Red Hood."