Opening Notes; I feel like a complete idiot. I forgot I had listed Impulse in the last chapter and didn't give him a single line of text lol. May just go back and remove his name from the reinforcements sent to the Asylum, be far easier that way anyway. Beyond that major lapse, I think the last chapter came out pretty well, wouldn't you folks agree? Anyway, here's the second 'episode.' Enjoy!

Episode 2; The Long Knight

The Watchtower, Earth orbit

August 19th, 2016

11;37 PM

Standing by the main window that overlooked the planet below, Kaldur'Ahm looked over his shoulder to regard those that had assembled in the meeting hall. Both Leaguers and his team were there, assembled around the massive table that dominated the center of the room. He had only returned an hour ago from protection duty to Queen Mera and her four year old son, and despite the detailed mission report regarding the threat beneath Arkham Asylum, Kaldur still couldn't believe what they had encountered. Conner was still recovering in the Watchtower infirmary, M'gann was still exhausted from her attempted telepathic link with the creatures, and Zatanna was in a mystic trance in an effort to recover her lost power.

The only ones that had gotten out of the tunnel complex below relatively unharmed had been Nightwing, Tigress, Static, and Blue Beetle, and even they were tired from the fight. What worried Aqualad was that Nightwing had begun to cough a few minutes ago, and since they didn't know what they were dealing with, he feared that he was infected with some unknown pathogen or disease. He was currently being examined from head to toe by Martian Manhunter in the isolation ward in the Tower. With the alien's vast knowledge of life beyond their planet, it was hoped he'd be able to isolate what it was that had started to run rampant through Richard's body.

They had also begun to analyse the sample that Nightwing had recovered from the corpse of the security guard. It was in another fully isolated laboratory, and was being analyzed down to its molecular structure. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to matter if it had been left on living tissue or on the walls of the tunnel it had been discovered in, its capability to slowly grow and cover everything it touched was beyond worrying. Starro Tech had been worrying, but this, this was downright terrifying.

They had never seen anything like it, and considering what the members of the League had seen, that was saying a lot. The closest thing Kaldur could think of was some kind of mutagenic plague, one they hadn't encountered before. It had even killed a few cockroaches they had exposed to it within moments, while the rest had transformed, becoming….for lack of a better word, corrupted parodies of themselves. They had grown bigger, became covered in deformities ranging from spikes to sharp, needle like teeth along their mandibles, and their aggression response had been increased to match their new found size. Whatever they were dealing with, it was extremely dangerous, that much Kaldur and the rest of them were coming to realize. When it became apparent the corrupted roaches couldn't safely be contained when they started to eat their way out of their isolation cell, they had been flushed out the nearest airlock with a little help from Hal Jordan and his Green Lantern ring.

"You've been quiet since your return Kaldur'ahm." King Orin said as he put a hand on the young Atlantean's broad shoulder. "I am certain that they will be fine." He continued, just as worried about this recent development as the rest of them, even as he tried to sound calm and collected. His eyes told the truth even though his neutral visage said nothing was wrong. Such a mask was necessary when one ruled most of the world's oceans and held dominion over those that inhabited it.

"Thank you my King, but that is not the only thing that worries me." Kaldur solemnly replied. "I read the reports twice and cross referenced them with engagements against previous foes. And of all the League's enemies, they are the most similar to Parademons from Apokolips, which Darkseid utilized in an alternate Earth about the same time the Apolaxians invaded our Earth. Of course, they are far more primitive, but their behaviour and tactics show some similarities. Both overwhelm their opponents with sheer numbers it would seem."

Alternate realities were known to exist, and in most of them, the Justice League had united and fought against some kind of otherwise overwhelming force from a distant world. While some things changed, some things remained the same, and the Justice League uniting under a single banner were one of the things that rarely changed, even if their reason for doing so varied from reality to reality.

"I agree, but what these creatures lack in technology, they make up for with their magic and variety, and no one should underestimate the danger of this new pathogen." Batman said directly behind them as both Atlanteans jumped in surprise. His expression even more serious and grave than it was usually, no doubt out of worry for Richard, his adopted son.

"Thank you, Batman." Aqualad said, uncertain what to say to the dark clad hero, though he was truly honored that the best tactician of the Justice League and the world's greatest detective agreed with his analysis.

Batman nodded at him and Aquaman before turning around and silently walking off. Aquaman shuddered lightly and said. "I have known him for years, but he still manages to scare me as easily as he did when we first met."

Aqualad simply nodded at his King since it wasn't any different for him. But as scary and unapproachable as Batman sometimes seemed to be, he was still a respected and valuable member of the Justice League. With another clap to his shoulder, King Orin walked off towards some of the older heroes who were still discussing this new threat among themselves.

As soon as Orin had walked off, he saw Tigress push herself off the wall and walk towards him. His eyes didn't miss how she pocketed a little device that he had seen her using before. It was a listening device, which meant she had heard everything he had said to his King and Batman. When she arrived, she didn't even try to hide what she had done. "So you've analyzed our opponent, what is your recommendation?" Artemis bluntly asked him, her eyes staring at him with uncomfortable intensity.

"I will voice my opinion once the briefing has started. Until then, you can use the time and explain your behaviour from the last few weeks to me. Nightwing's reports were very thorough, and I am not blind either." Aqualad answered calmly, since he too had seen the heightened violence in Artemis` actions, and just like Nightwing, he was also very concerned.

Artemis clenched her teeth in response and hissed. "What do you think is the reason, huh? Or did you already forget what happened?"

Kaldur`s eyes darkened at the insinuation and he answered her in a quiet tone which carried a barely audible warning in it. "I know you are hurting Artemis, but never think even for a moment that you are the only one who misses Wally. The rest of the team were perhaps not as close to him as you, but that doesn't mean that we don't grieve for his death. Just ask Nightwing if you don't believe me, since he knew Wally for years before you even met him, and was his best friend."

Kaldur turned his back to her and marched off, where to she didn't know, nor care as her mind was filled with many conflicting thoughts. What she did know that he was right, even if she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her shaken by his words as she too wandered off. To where, she couldn't say either, only that she needed to get out of the hall before she did something stupid. Like hit Kaldur in the face for instance.

Kaldur meanwhile found himself in the infirmary, and saw M'gann was still unconscious, while Conner was only just coming around. The bandages around his chest and lower abdomen he was in the process of removing, much to Martian Manhunter's chagrin. "Please Conner, you must rest." The martian began, but Superboy was already getting to his feet.

"I'll rest when I'm dead." Conner shot back as he pulled up a nearby chair and sat down by M'gann's side. The concerned look in his blue eyes was easy to read a mile away as he gently entwined his fingers around her limp hand. "Is she…."

"As far as I can tell, she is merely sleeping. Whatever attacked her when she tried to telepathically link with these...creatures seems to have left no permanent damage behind." J'onn explained, much to Conner's immense relief. "However, I would still strongly advised that you remain in bed Conner. You suffered considerable damage under the magical assault you took in place of my niece." While he greatly appreciated Superboy's willingness to protect her, J'onn still cared a great deal for the rest of the team as well, of which Conner was an integral part of.

"I already said I'd rest when I'm dead. Besides, I heal fast, especially since we're in space and the yellow solar radiation is much more intense up here than on the planet." Despite his harsh tone, Conner nodded his appreciation for the martian's concern for his well being before turning his head to look over at Kaldur. "Kaldur. When'd you get back?"

"A little over an hour ago. Queen Mera wanted me to thank you and the team for their assistance before I sent you ahead to assist Nightwing at Arkham." He turned to J'onn next, his small smile disappearing as his gray gaze fell on the distant isolation cell at the other end of the infirmary. "How is Nightwing?"

"His condition is slowly deteriorating. I do not know what it is that he caught from that beast's blood, the tests are still running. All I can say is that it is slowly mutating him, much as it did the cockroaches we exposed to this….pathogen. I do however believe that the more complex the lifeform exposed, the longer it takes for them to change. Into what, I cannot begin to guess." J'onn informed them solemnly, not wishing to cause them further distress but also seeing no point in lying to them. "Doctor Fate did however suggest that there is an...underlying mystic presence, which suggests it is not solely biological."

"Which means that most of our medicines will not affect it." Kaldur stated before he clenched his right hand into a tight fist. "What have we stumbled upon now? Could this perhaps be another scheme perpetrated by the Light?" Even as the words left his mouth, the Atlantean didn't feel certain that was the case. Something about this didn't seem like something they'd risk unleashing on the world since they lived on it. Lex Luthor himself had once said that they only wanted to control Earth, not destroy it, to bring their world into the center of the galaxy as the dominant power of the cosmos. This plague didn't seem like their modus operandi, unless their goals had changed since last month, which he doubted.

"It is possible, but I do not think so. This pathogen seems too… unstable, uncontrollable for them to use. If they did use it, then they had no way of stopping the infection once it started." Martian Manhunter answered the younger hero with a shake of his head.

"Which leaves us with more questions than answers." Conner growled before he sighed heavily and looked to the ground at his feet.

"We will find the answers, one way or the other Conner. There's always a way." Kaldur said, reassuring his friend. He truly believed this, and besides, he wasn't about to lie to his team, to give them false hope. They hadn't nominated him as their leader when they had first formed the covert ops team all those years ago for him to fail them now. Though he was concerned, three members of the original team, counting Nightwing were out of commission and Wally was dead. To the seasoned Atlantean, it felt like the centre was crumbling.

"I'd be more concerned with what's driving the monsters beneath Arkham." All eyes fell on M'gann as she slowly propped herself up, her free hand pressed against her forehead as she tried to clear her mind. "The storm has only just begun. What we saw….it was only the start."

"What do you mean M'gann?" J'onn asked, having a bad feeling what she had seen wasn't going to be good news. His unspoken concern was shared by everyone within earshot as Conner's hand tightened around the young martian's.

She began slowly, hesitantly. The memory was still very fresh, and it had shaken her to her core. "When I was inside their minds, I-I felt something old. It felt like I was being dragged under the countless numbers it commanded. It saw me, overpowered me without much effort, and I felt like I was drowning before Conner pulled me back." It was here that she opened her brown eyes and stared at the others intensely. "For a brief moment I could see what it saw, feel what it felt, thousands of minds all connected, all awaiting the commands of their leader, their god. I'm certain it was this thing I was connected with. Most of them weren't in this world either, but somewhere else, beyond something called an Eluvian. That's all I was able to get before it got to be too much."

"It's a lot more than what we had a moment ago Miss Martian." Kaldur stated before he took a step closer to the pair. "Do you have any idea what an Eluvian could be? Why they are doing this?"

"I didn't get much more than a brief flash, something that looked like a doorway, maybe a stable portal." Once again, M'gann's hand pressed against her forehead as she closed her eyes, and focused her thoughts inward in an effort to sort out the jumble of images and sensations that she had collected. "It was confusing, disorienting, so I can't be sure. As for what they want….I don't know, I only got flashes of things I have never seen before, and I don't know how to connect them. Something about a Black City, maybe where they came from. If I can sort out the images, the feelings, I might be able to provide more intel, but that's all I know at the moment." She sighed, opened her brown eyes, and looked at her hand that was still entangled with Conner's, drawing strength from the contact. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"Do not be so hard on yourself M'gann. You did all that you could." J'onn stated and put a hand on the young girl's shoulder, a soft smile on his face.

"Agreed. As Dick once said, new questions keep the investigation going. We'll look into this Black City and the portal you mentioned. Maybe Doctor Fate or Zatanna will know something. I doubt that their portal is technological in nature." Kaldur rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to process what M'gann had told them. "If you're able to attend M'gann, come down to the meeting hall in the next half hour. Your input will be invaluable in the long term, even if it only leads to more questions than answers."

"Alright." She paused then, and looked to her right, where Nightwing was still isolated. "How is he?" She said at last.

"Not good, which makes our search for answers all the more dire. While he is physically stable for the moment, it is only a matter of time before his situation deteriorates. However, we haven't observed any mental changes like we did with the cockroaches."

"Yet." Conner commented quietly. There was no reason to assume that whatever had changed the roaches wouldn't affect Dick in the same manner. Even he understood that a virus didn't differentiate in its attack pattern just because you were a different species, but he didn't want to upset M'gann further by saying so aloud.

"Cockroaches?" M'gann asked, confused, before she looked from one person to the other.

"Long story." Conner said simply before he softly squeezed her hand.

"We have time." M'gann cheerfully replied, a twinkle in her eyes that had the super clone smiling.

"I'll leave you two to it. I need to talk to Zatanna before the briefing." A subtle look passed between J'onn and himself before Kaldur walked away to find their sorceress supreme. He hoped she had left her mystic trance by now, that she was able to tell him what she had experienced down in those tunnels. Every scrap of information would help their cause in the long run.

He heard Martian Manhunter telling the couple his own excuse. "I also have… things to discuss with other League members. I will see you later M`gann."

Kaldur continued his way to Zatanna's room, and was a little surprised to see Doctor Fate leaving said room. The gold armored Lord of Order nodded his head to Kaldur but said nothing as he made his way down the hall. He had worn the Helmet of Fate, albeit briefly, and knew Nabu better than most. Kaldur had a grudging respect for the Lord of Order, for keeping the balance between Order and Chaos, but his need for a host body was not something the Atlantean condoned. While the one who put on the Helmet knew what they were getting into, ultimately, Nabu called the shots after the Helmet was put on, making it impossible to remove the helmet once it was on unless the spirit inside the powerful artifact allowed it. The only way Nabu would release Giovanni Zatara now, is if he died in the line of duty. Kaldur sincerely hoped that wasn't what was required for Zatanna to see her father again, but the chances of it being any other way were slim if Nabu had his way.

The Atlantean was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and turned and saw Zatanna standing in the doorway. "He...was worried about me." She explained when she saw his unspoken question. "Say what you want about Nabu, my father's still in there, somewhere."

"Indeed." Aqualad answered seriously before he moved the conversation away from such a sensitive topic. "I wanted to check up on you too, and ask you if you could give us any new insights about this threat at the briefing. About the more mystical side."

"I'll do what I can Kaldur, but there isn't much I can tell you since I'm still trying to check my sources. If you want to help me look through the books I have in here, knock yourself out, but the most I can tell you is that their magic was….wrong." She ran a hand through her long raven locks and sighed as she stepped aside, allowing Kaldur into her private quarters. Books lined one wall while arcane items from all over the world lined another. "The best example I can think of is Klarion's chaos magic, except this felt...darker, somehow. Less chaos and more evil intent. That and the spells they threw at my shield were especially draining, like they were reaching directly for me and not just chipping away at my defenses. It was...scary."

"I see, however Miss Martian provided us with some intel. She mentioned that these creatures apparently use some portal shaped like a doorway to get here. She called it an Eluvian. And something about a black city, does any of that sound familiar?" Kaldur asked her in his calm and patient fashion.

Zatanna perked up immediately as she looked towards her bookshelf and shot over to the other side of the room. "Black city, black city. I know I just saw that mentioned somewhere." She muttered, more to herself than anything as she tried to remember which book she had read the passage from as she swept her light blue eyes over her shelf before hesitantly reaching out for one of the books on her shelf.

While Kaldur trusted Zatanna, he hoped that she didn't confuse the desired information with a fantasy novel, though the Lord of the Rings book on her nightstand didn't exactly inspire confidence. "Are you sure you-"

"Found it." Zatanna said as she held up a thick, leather bound volume which she promptly deposited on a nearby table before flipping to the table of contents. "You know there are other worlds, other planes of existence besides this one Kaldur, unless they didn't cover that concept in the Atlantean Conservatory of Sorcery."

"They did, but that wasn't my primary focus. Others found it far more interesting than I." Kaldur admitted, even as a wistful glaze appeared in his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Tula?" Zatanna hesitantly asked, and the Atlantean only nodded as she flipped to the appropriate page. Tula, another Atlantean that Kaldur had had feelings for once upon a time, had given her life, in much the same way that Wally had. She had used all of her considerable power to stop a summoning of a creature powerful enough to cover the world in a great flood, thus wiping out life as they knew it.

Sweeping her eyes over the page, Zatanna cleared her throat, bringing Kaldur back to the present before going over what the passage said. "It's less information than I had hoped for, but it's better than nothing. Apparently this black city is in some kind of non physical realm that is only inhabited by demons and spirits. Aside from that, it's only stated that you can see the Black City regardless of your position in this realm, there's no way into it that has been discovered. It is also unknown if this world is bonded to another and if it is, which one."

"What about the portal? Is there any mention about a doorway or portal?" He asked, and wasn't all that surprised when Zatanna shook her head.

"No, but I can keep looking. Without more to go on though, I don't think I'll be able to find anything before the briefing." Zatanna told him honestly, her hands subconsciously clutching the book tighter.

"Alright. Focus on the city. Maybe you'll get lucky and find the world it's connected to, if it is connected to one. Though I am curious, why do you even think that it is connected." Aqualad asked her a little confused, since he saw no reason as to why anything should have to be connected to any realm.

"This realm often changes appearances, and it always seems to depict something from the physical world. The world itself is shapeless, aside from the Black City, while the rest is formed by the demons and good spirits, but from where and how they get these reflections, I have no idea." Zatanna explained and took a shuddering breath. "I guess I better keep looking. Maybe I'll find something that can at least help Nightwing."

Kaldur reached out and gently squeezed the sorceress's shoulder as he focused his gaze on her face. "We will get through this Zatanna."

"I hope so Kaldur." Though even while she said so, she averted her eyes and crossed her arms. A clear sign that she wanted to be alone for now.

He only nodded his head, and shut the door behind him on his way out. She alone had given him much to think about. While he was proficient in the Atlantean school of combat sorcery, a combination of technology and magic that enabled him to manipulate water and electricity to fight his enemies, Zatanna was a true sorceress, and thus, she was far more intune with the mystical world than he could ever be. He hoped that connection would help them figure just what they were dealing with if all other methods proved inadequate.

Main assembly hall, the Watchtower

August 20th, 2016

12;09 AM

The entire team, plus every available League member, were assembled in the main hall. Everyone, from the Arrow Team that numbered the clone Roy Harper to the founder Oliver Queen, to the armor covered Hawks, Wonder Woman and her own protege, the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, and far more were there. Batman stood at the bend of the table, the de facto leader even though the Justice League had no official leadership structure. Everyone in the Watchtower had a voice, had skills that no one else possessed, and they worked together in common cause. Where they were strong alone, they were far more formidable together, and today, that solidarity would be needed more than ever if their suspected fears became reality.

Batman, the Dark Knight, the man that stalked Gotham's streets as one of the first vigilantes to rise in an effort to stem the tide of chaos that had threatened his home, was the first to speak, silencing the rest of the hall with his mere presence. This silence however, was born of hard won respect and unparalleled trust in most cases, because while the vast majority of the League and the covert team were comprised of super powered beings, he, Richard Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Tim Drake had no powers whatsoever. Yet they had managed to stand toe to toe against beings that their super powered colleagues had had trouble with.

All that was in the past however. There was another invasion force, one that had arrived from beneath the surface of Gotham rather than beyond their stars, and they needed to devise a proper plan of action against these bestial brutes. Not only that, but they needed to deal with the new plague these monsters had apparently brought with them.

"What do we know for certain?" Batman asked as he turned his cowled gaze to Kaldur and his team mates, the same people that had first encountered the new threat.

M'gann chose to lead the discussion at Kaldur's silent prompting. "We know they're hostile. They are capable of coordinated assault, unless their chain of command is disrupted. Even then, they give way to their primal nature before the idea of surrender even enters their thoughts. They can't be reasoned with by all appearances." She paused though, but Conner's hand on the middle of her back gave her enough of a push to continue what she had learned. "I tried to link with them, to understand what they wanted, why they were here, but I was quickly overwhelmed. They are led by something that acts as a unifying force, leading its horde through a hive mind collective consciousness. The enemies we've faced are like bees, working together towards their goals."

"And what is that?" Batman asked, having a feeling he knew the answer as he pulled up a video recording from his son's wrist mounted computer, having pulled the data drive from Nightwing's uniform while he was being checked over by Martian Manhunter. The video showed just how ruthlessly efficient these creatures were from his son's perspective. What they saw only hardened his opinion of this latest threat to the world.

"I'm not sure, but from the sheer amount of rage I sensed before I was pulled under, it'd be safe to guess that they aren't interested in peaceful coexistence." M'gann replied, her tone calm even while her insides were twisted into knots. Not even Psimon terrified her as much as the monsters she had foolishly linked with. The psychic enforcer, while unquestionably evil in his intent, still had some measure of humanity.

"Then there's the new plague we've discovered about the same time. That can't be a coincidence." Artemis stated from beside Kaldur and Conner, her arms crossed over her bronzed color breastplate while her mask remained on her belt. Everyone knew who she was by now, there was no need to keep her identity a secret here.

"It's a mutagenic plague, although into what someone exposed to it will transform into seems to depend on their genetic disposition. The few tests we've run so far suggests that the more complex the lifeform, the longer it takes to convert them, provided it doesn't kill them first. Only the strong seem to survive the pain of being forcibly transformed by this plague."

"As for how it's spread….we think it's passed through the creatures' blood. Nightwing didn't start getting sick until after he took a mouthful by accident during our first engagement." Artemis said quietly as she looked away.

"It's an even greater threat than that. This virus has mystical components, which mean that it can infect anyone." Batman said gravelly and looked at everyone to make sure that they understood the ramifications. Only the few non corporal members, like Captain Atom, or non living members of the League, like their android heavy hitter Red Tornado, would be completely immune to the plague. Atom was completely comprised of energy, while Red was a sentient machine. Everyone else was a different matter. "We have no means to cure the plague, yet, but if you become exposed, come back to the Watchtower and we'll do what we can to slow it down until we find a viable way to neutralize it." The entire League nodded somberly at the news, not about to take a chance with this. No one wanted to imagine one of their close friends transformed into some kind of mindless creature. After letting that circulate among them for a moment, Batman turned to Zatanna and Doctor Fate. "Do we have any idea where they came from?"

"Thanks to Zatanna, we know that they are connected to an incorporeal realm. The only thing we know for certain is that there is a place called the Black City within this realm that is always within sight of those who visit this place, but there was little more other than the realm is inhabited by demons and spirits."

"Actually Kaldur, I found a little more after you left." Zatanna stated, drawing everyone's gaze on her as she stood to her feet before waving her hand across the control console in front of her. The holographic interface activated, and the viewscreen behind Batman changed from the video he had been showing the League, to a page from book that Zatanna had scanned for future reference. The script was almost illegible, but it was clear enough that everyone present could read it for themselves. "It's a partial transcript from something called the Chant of Light. The author doesn't mention how he got his hands on this much, but it and the following passage explains a little more of where they at least originated from."

Those who had sought to claim Heaven by violence destroyed it.

What was Golden and pure turned black.

Those who had once been mage-lords,

The brightest of their age,

Were no longer men, but monsters.

If the passage wasn't clear enough, the page itself changed before their eyes, showing several of the mentioned mage-lords becoming covered in darkness before being horrifically changed. In the background, the once beautiful city that had also been mentioned decayed and transformed as well, becoming corrupted much like the mages had.

"I'm gonna take a guess here and say this Golden City is now the Black City." The Flash, Barry Allen to his friends, said as he crossed his arms and regarded the page Zatanna had put up on the main screen. "Whether this is literal or religious based, it's somethin' to ponder at least."

"Doh! Come on grandpa, keep up!" Impulse, future grandson Bart Allen, grinned as he literally disappeared from sight before appearing by Zatanna's side a split second later, a powerful gust of wind following in his wake. "Black City, Golden City, does it matter where these things came from? We need to seriously crash their mode, then we can worry about the rest."

"He's right." Impulse was stunned into silence when Batman agreed with him. "While their origins might give us clues on how to deal with them, our main concern now should be in checking their advance. That's why we need to treat this as a hostile invasion. We cannot allow these things to spread. Stop them by any means."

"By any means? Or by any means that will have Nightwing back on his feet?" Superman asked, his tone suggesting that they were not one and the same thing. He held up a hand before Batman could try and argue with the kryptonian. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't push these things back with everything we have if they are as dangerous as they apparently are. I'm only saying that you're….too close to this one Batman."

"My judgment might be in question, but my intentions aren't Superman. While I am concerned by whatever has found its way into Nightwing, our first priority is the protection of Earth and her neighbors. From what we've seen so far, I am convinced that this is an invasion from a hostile entity, whose only concern is conquest." Only those with superhuman hearing could hear the slightest tremor in Bruce Wayne's voice as the otherwise cold as ice hero stood to his feet and looked at each and every one of them in turn. "If this threat is as great as we fear, we might have to consider extreme measures to stop it from getting out of hand."

"If these things are so similar to Parademons as we think, then I think we should employ the same means against them that our reality neighbors did." Flash said reluctantly, surprising everyone with his uncharacteristic seriousness. "Besides, didnt you kill Doomsday to save everyone else Supes?"

"He won't stay dead….but yes." Superman admitted, much to his great personal shame. It was no secret that violence was not something he partook in lightly, but Doomsday was one of the rare exceptions to his rule to try and find a non violent solution. The monster was too wild and bestial to be reasoned with, and was only interested in destroying everything in his path. The problem was that no matter how many times he fell, Doomsday always returned, stronger than his last incarnation. Last time, Superman had thrown the beaten and battered creature into the sun where he had hopefully been completely disintegrated and melted down to his subatomic parts. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work next time, if there was a next time. He honestly hoped there wasn't, but Superman wasn't about to hold his breath.

Pushing those dark thoughts to the back of his mind, the Smallville raised superhero sighed as he turned to his fellow heroes. "While I don't agree with what Flash proposed, I understand why you'd think it's necessary. But our first priority should always be the safety of any civilians that get caught in the crossfire first and foremost."

"No argument here." John Stewart replied, and crossed his arms over his chest as his partner nodded his head. "The Guardians might send us reinforcements if we need them, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that. The Lanterns have an entire galaxy to protect after all."

The Green Lantern Corps were the galactic scale version of the League. While they had partnered together in the past, the Corps outnumbered the League by thousands of members across the known galaxy, and they were largely respected by the citizens they protected as the ring bearers of the light of Will. Due to Vandal Savage's manipulation, despite charges having been dropped quite recently, the League were still considered outlaws across several planets.

Hal shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Meh, I think you're making this more than it is personally. Sure they're big and scary and they bring a plague with 'em, but how bad could they really be if they're still using rusty swords?"

"This coming from the guy who can't find his ring after going to the bathroom." John muttered under his breath, loud enough for his seat mates to hear him.

"That was one time!" Hal shot back, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment as the memory played back behind his masked face. "Someone I won't name here thought it'd be funny to hide it." His gaze settled on Captain Marvel as he finished his comment.

"Hey don't look at me, I was at home with my Uncle Dudley." The only hero among them that was a child under his superhero guise, retorted in his defense. "You can even ask."

"Maybe I will kid." Hal shot back, tempted to fly off and do exactly that despite the dire situation brewing on the planet below.

"Enough!" Batman shouted, silencing the hall once again. "We have more important matters to discuss!" He growled out, and glared at both of them for their lack of focus. He wondered, and not for the first time, why he allowed some of the League members to stay when they acted like children, not that he had room to talk since he had indoctrinated three kids into the life of crime fighting. And all of them were on the covert ops team headed by Nightwing and Kaldur'ahm.

"Indeed." Wonder Woman finally spoke up. "Our world is in jeopardy, and we let ourselves become distracted by petty arguments. We must return to the matter at hand."

"Then what do you propose Wonder Woman?" Black Canary asked, almost as calm as Kaldur normally presented himself, giving ground to the Amazonian princess. Considering she was the League's certified psychologist, that wasn't all that surprising.

"We take the battle to them, go straight into the heart of their base and destroy the portal they came from." She stated matter of factly, as if it were the most obvious answer to their problem.

"Typical amazonian mindset." Hawkgirl muttered under her breath, earning her an elbow to her side from her husband for her rude comment.

"It has its merits, but we don't know where the portal is, or if it can be shut down without destroying everything around it." Black Canary replied thoughtfully, even as she partially agreed with Wonder Woman's proposal.

"So we need to find the portal, tag it with a tracer so we know where it is in case it is moved, and find a way to shut it down, or use it to take the fight to these creatures so they cannot attack us further." Kaldur rubbed at his chin as every eye fell on him and his team. "Is this not why you kept this team together Batman? The Justice League can create a distraction while we sneak behind enemy lines to try and locate the source of this invasion. If we cannot shut their portal down, we will try and find another way to stop this enemy from spreading beyond Gotham City. This is what we have trained for after all."

"I agree." Batman was the first to take a sharp intake of breath as Nightwing walked towards the table, apparently fine even as J'onn J'onzz tried to usher him back to the infirmary. He gently shook off the worried martian before walking to stand at Kaldur's side. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. And if this plague is as dangerous as we believe, then I'm living on borrowed time. I'd rather use what I have to do something worthwhile than be confined to a bed."

The silent exchange that took place between Kaldur and Batman didn't go unnoticed by Richard, but he said nothing as he looked to his dad. The mission might always come first to Bruce when the safety of the world was at stake, but when it came to his family, even the Dark Knight yielded to his desire to protect his family at any cost. For that, Richard was immensely proud and grateful to call the man his father, even if the thing Bruce kept inside him scared, rather terrified him, and made him question what Bruce was willing to sacrifice to see Earth protected. Even though that same instinct had found its way into Nightwing's subconscious, albeit to a lesser extent, Richard was still glad to have become a part of Bruce's family for far more than his aid in bringing down the men that had murdered his biological family.

Before another word could be said, an alert programmed into the Watchtower's computer core had everyone gazing at a live news feed. It became quickly apparent that trouble was stirring in Gotham City. "This is Iris West, reporting live from Wayne Tower!" Barry was on his feet in a heartbeat, but a look from Batman and a comforting hand on his shoulder from one of his fellow Leaguers stopped the man from running to the nearest zeta platform. While Iris continued talking, her camera man panned his towards one of the large windows, away from the charity ball that they had been covering earlier. The reason for Iris's panic became obvious when they saw what was happening in the streets below.

Cars were burning, people were fleeing in terror even as Red Tornado and several Leaguers that hadn't been in the Watchtower but had been listening to what was being said via their commlinks, did their best to hold back the encroaching horde. While they held them back, it was only a matter of time before the League members already in Gotham were overrun if their enemies didn't relent as more and more of the monsters pushed their way out of the sewers at seemingly every intersection. The few people they weren't able to save were either dragged down into the dark by more of the creatures, or were killed there in the street, butchered like animals as sword and claw made short work of those too weak to defend themselves.

"As you can see, the League is doing all they can to evacuate as many people out of danger as they can, but whatever has risen out of the sewers seems to have no intention of slowing their advance as more and more crawl out of the tunnels below despite heavy losses on their side." It was then that Red Tornado took a powerful lightning blast to the center of his chest, short circuiting the powerful android before he fell to the ground in a heap, the tornado he had been generating that had allowed him his flight disappearing about the same time. Icon, Guardian, and the rest were there to pick up the slack as the 'real' Roy Harper, the once named Speedy, now known as Arsenal, covered their retreat while Icon and Guardian dragged the damaged synthetic between them.

Arsenal lived up to his name as his cybernetic arm opened up and revealed the Lexcorp industrial laser contained within, which he used to lay waste to the creatures in front, slicing them in two wherever the red beam touched them. "Go! I got this!" Roy shouted before pulling one of his stolen Reach staff weapons from his back. "Let's dance." The archer said in challenge before he charged into the leading monsters, firing with every step.

Batman had seen enough by then, and turned to address those that had gathered, only to find most of them were already in the process of gathering their equipment as they scattered across the Watchtower. Most of them made a beeline for the armory or their living quarters, while those like Hal Jordan, who carried all they needed or were born with superhuman abilities, simply went for the zeta beam platforms at the other end of the hall. He was unsurprised that Conner, M'gann, Kaldur, Richard, Jaime, and the rest of the covert ops team were among the number beaming down to Gotham.

"Race you to Wayne Tower!" Impulse cheerfully called over his shoulder before disappearing in the bright flash of the zeta beam transporting him and several others to the city the next instant.

"See you in Gotham." Kaldur stated, calm as ever before he too disappeared with M'gann, Conner, and several more.

That left Richard and a handful of Leaguers that were only then returning to the hall before making their way to the platforms as well. Bruce had other ideas however as he stopped before his son and put a hand on his shoulder. Richard didn't let him say a word though before he spoke up first. "I know what you're going to say, but I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"I know Richard." Bruce replied, before pulling the young man into a one arm hug, which surprised Dick more than a little until he felt the dart pierce the side of his neck. Dick was asleep on his feet long before he knew what had happened. "That's why I can't let you go, not like this." He whispered before turning to Wonder Woman and Black Canary, who were the few that had seen Batman sedate one of his own children.

Before he could defend his actions, Dinah spoke first. "You don't have to explain yourself to us Bruce. He's your son, and no matter how you try to hide it, you love him and the rest of your family deeply. You'd be willing to do almost anything to protect them."

"That does beg the question, what do you plan to do now?" Diana asked quietly while she finished tying her lasso to her belt. Cassie had already gone ahead with the rest of the team, and while she trusted in Wonder Girl's ability to stand on her own, she hoped that whatever Batman had planned for Richard wouldn't take too long. For all of her discipline and control, she was an amazonian, and there was a clear enemy on the field waiting to be defeated.

Batman looked to the two women as he slung the unconscious Nightwing over his shoulder before going to the nearest zeta platform. "I plan to talk to Victor Fries. His understanding of cryo technology will hopefully slow down the infection long enough for us to find a cure."

"And if he doesn't want to talk?" Wonder Woman asked, her disdain for this idea easily heard in her voice.

"Then I'll make him listen." Batman retorted sharply, before he finished inputting Mister Freeze's last known coordinates into the computer before he waited for the platform to take him down.

End Notes; One thing I never liked about Young Justice was how they portrayed the titular ice villain Mr. Freeze. His 'family' I liked, Icicle Jr and Killer Frost especially, but as for Fries himself? Not so much. To me, he was always the man willing to do anything for his wife, Nora, who was struck down by a disease which Victor has since dedicated his every waking moment to finding a cure for. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see ya next time. Adios and fave, review, and follow lol.