Young Justice: Echo, Volume One

by Familiar47

In the Aftermath of the Reach Invasion, a new team is formed just as the Light makes its move. At the same time a force infinitely deadlier prepares to harvest Earth after destroying its champions.

4. Episode Four

Young Justice Echo, Volume One

In the aftermath of the Reach Invasion's failure, new heroes have stepped up to join the combined forces of the Justice League and Young Justice. A new team, Echo, has been formed and immediately finds themselves facing a new enemy, and a new invasion.

I do not own The Justice League, Young Justice, or any and all characters associated with either the shows, comics, etc. All are property of DC Comics.

Also, I've decided that I'm not going to bother with the whole EST, UTC, etc. I'll just say what time it is at a particular location.

Echo Team Roster

E01- All-Star

E02- Cyborg

E03- Daemon

E04- Ravager

E05- Star Girl

E06- Nebula Girl

META HUMAN CLASSIFICATIONS

Class 1- Elemental/Psionic/Magical Manipulation

Class 2- Metamorphosis based

Class 3- Biologically natural abilities (Technically not a Meta, but classified as such for convenience sakes one example being Superman whose natural ability to absorb solar energy to fuel his powers has him classified as a Class 3)

Class 4- A combination of any two or more classes.

Class 5- Non-carbon based entity. (Classification only used for Appellaxians in recent history)

Class 6- Cybernetic/Chemical augmentation.

Class 7- Possession Magical Artefact/Weapon-again, used for convenience sake.

Non Meta- Used to identify regular heroes such as Batman, Green Arrow, etc who do not possess any form of powers or magic.

Classes are listed in order according to when they were catalogued by the Justice League dating back to its founding-minus the Non Meta class.

ECHO TEAM CLASSIFICATIONS

01- Class 1

02- Class 6

03- Class 4

04- Class 6

05- Class 7

06- Class 3

Xxx

YOUNG JUSTICE, SEASON THREE, ECHO

EPISODE FOUR – Hunt, Part One

1:21 PM, April 3rd 2017

Watch Tower

Infirmary

"Analysis completed," Red Tornado announced, standing in a control booth while Superboy was laying on his back in the center of a circular room where numerous lines of green light moved across his body, now clad in just a set of black shorts. "Superboy, after conducting scans on your genetic code I have discovered something...startling."

Connor Kent swallowed, not letting his expression change. "Just...say it."

"You are in possession of a Meta-Gene, likely derived from your human DNA." Red Tornado explained. "It is also the likeliest source of the power you exhibited when engaging Thomas Terror; Tactile Telekinesis, the creation of a telekinetic field around your entire body. It amplified your strength many times over, and enabled you to mimic flight. For now though, after viewing your attempts to use it, I have deduced that the range in which it is effective is limited to several feet, no more than sixty five inches."

"So it's short range telekinesis," Connor sat up. "It might not be Kryptonian flight, but it let me beat up Tommy even after all of those injections he gave himself."

"There is more," Red Tornado continued. "...we may wish to contact Superman and request that he cease any long term missions he is taking part in."

"What? Why?" Connor looked up at the robot. "My brother's got a lot of work to do and-"

"Superboy," Red Tornado cut him off. "...your Kryptonian DNA is evolving, reacting to the chemical which you ingested; the same chemical that enhanced Thomas Terror's meta gene induced powers of super strength and invulnerability. I believe that it is allowing recently inactive areas of your Kryptonian physiology to suddenly activate."

"Wait, you mean..." Connor's eyes widened. "I'm...unlocking more of my Kryptonian side? Like powers?"

Red Tornado nodded. "That is a reasonable assumption. As such, Superman should be on sight and ready to render assistance should any Kryptonian powers manifest. Until then I recommend practicing with your Meta-Gene ability."

"Oh you bet I will," Connor floated off of the ground. "It feels so easy to do! I probably had a lot of practice when I was using those Shields a few years ago, but this feels a lot more natural and easy!" He set back down on the floor. "Did you manage to recover any samples of the formula that Terror was using?"

"Unfortunately your body absorbed every last drop," It was now AquaLad who was speaking, having joined Red Tornado. "Superboy, you are cleared for active duty under the supervision of Ms Martian until we are certain that your new power does not show any sign of health related concerns. For now we are ruling out the formula as a form of Meta Gene enhancement or activation key, based off of the field data collected by Cyborg and from Red Tornado's analysis of your body chemistry."

"Yeah...it made Terror stronger and brought my powers out." Connor nodded. "Kaldur, this makes me wonder...what are the odds that I would have a Meta-Gene? I mean...I was created years before the Meta-Gene became a widely known fact, back when even the League was looking into how people kept manifesting powers. What if...what if the Light has known about the Meta-Gene for far longer than we believed?"

"If this is true, then their exploitation of the Reach would have been a boon to any Meta Gene research they were conducting." AquaLad admitted before stepping down from the control booth and into the room as Connor pulled his uniform on. "Especially the Reachs' ability to selectively activate Meta Gene abilities at will. All modern data pertaining to the Meta Gene comes directly from the Reach's captured computer files."

"...the Reach would have been a god send to the Light if they were just in the testing phase of their Meta Gene research." Connor proposed. "What if that was another reason for bringing them to Earth? It would have advanced their research by years, decades even."

AquaLad nodded. "All of this is still speculation though. We need concrete evidence before we begin to follow what is at best a theory, although the evidence to suggest this is...compelling." They both left the room. "For now, I am assigning our squadrons to pursue leads on early Meta-Gene research. One promising lead lies in Intergang."

"I understand that: if it's of alien origins then Intergang likely knows about it. And that could provide us a trail to follow," Connor accepted AquaLad's reasoning. "A trail that could connect us to the Light, and in the long run help locate any associates or research facilities."

"And to what the Light's long term plans may be," AquaLad added. "The War World, the Meta-Gene research...What is Savage planning to do with all of this?" He shook his head. "Six years...and we're only beginning to pick up a scent on their plans." He felt Connor's hand on his shoulder.

"We'll have them this time around, Kaldur." Connor assured his leader before hearing his name being called from the far side of the Watch Tower. "...I think I just heard Clark calling me through several air tight security doors and half a kilometer of metal and stone."

Kaldur raised one brow. "It would appear your super hearing has improved already, and within only a few hours of being exposed to the Meta Gene formula."

Connor turned and began to float up, surrounded by his glowing telekinetic force field. "I'd better go let him know that I'm alright, he's probably-" He paused and set himself back down on his feet. "It feels weird to fly like that...I'll see you later, Kaldur." He then took off, sprinting faster than AquaLad had seen him move before.

"...I just hope your new abilities do not come with undesired side effects, my friend." The atlantian whispered once Connor was long gone.

Xxx

11:00 AM, April 5th, 2017

Watch Tower

YJ Training Room

Two hours ago

"Recognized: Nebula Girl, E06." The computer announced as Nebula Girl placed her hand against the palm scanner of the doors, which hissed open to show the immense training room and her five team mates.

"Welcome to the Watch Tower!" All-Star greeted her. "Can't wait to see what you can do in here."

"Thank you," Nebula Girl, now clad in a dark blue outfit with a black cloak and mask smile. Her mask had white lenses to hide her starry eyes, which could stick out in the dark.

"Alright, we haven't really gotten to know you three since the League let us have the last couple days off," Cyborg said, addressing Nebula Girl, Star Girl and Ravager. "Let's start over. I'm Cyborg, call me Victor."

"All-Star," Nathan took off his mask. "Nathan Shepherd."

"Daemon," Daemon shed her form and became Delilah again. "Delilah Knight."

"Nebula Girl," NG curtsied. "Aurora Winters."

"Star Girl," Star Girl took off her mask. "Courtney Whitmore."

Their eyes settled on Ravager, who looked hesitant to remove her own mask.

"Come on Ravager, we're all team mates here." Cyborg encouraged her. "You can trust us."

...

"Ravager," Ravager slowly reached up and then unclipped her helmet, pulling off over her head. Her white hair tumbled down to her shoulders, and her eye patch was revealed to them "...Rose Wilson."

There was a sudden silence in the training room.

"You mean like...Slade Wilson? Deathstroke?" All-Star asked, looking a shade more pale than a minute ago.

"...yes." Rose shut her eye. "I know from the history of the original team that keeping secrets, especially about family connections to villains is a bad idea...so I will tell you all here and now: Slade Wilson is my father."

Xxx

1:42 PM, April 5th, 2017

Gotham City

Rooftops

"This is Echo 4, I have eyes on the target!" Star Girl shouted as she pulled out of a dive and flew along a tunnel packed with cars travelling in the opposite direction. Luckily she wore goggles to filter out the bright head lights and allow her to fly at full speed after the team's prey. "He's going to come out at the intersection outside of the Grant Tunnel."

"I copy, moving in!" Daemon replied, flying high above the area before folding her wings and going into a dive of her own.

"Hurry, he'll be out in a few seconds!" Star Girl insisted as the shape ahead of her reached the end of the tunnel and glided out into the bright lights of Gotham City, spreading its wings and twisting out of the way as Daemon shot through where it had been and slammed into the sidewalk. Pedestrians screamed and backed away from her, and one police officer even pulled his gun on her as he got out of his parked care.

"Stay where you are!" He demanded, and to his credit he did his best not to sound scared, not stuttering or hesitating for a second before All-Star landed between him and his target. Though a minor hero, the sports themed teen was recognized on the news as an associate of the Justice League.

"League Associates, stand down!" All-Star held up a badge with the official League emblem on it while retracting the grapple line he had used to swing down to where Daemon had landed. "She's with my team!"

The officer lowered his gun. "A-alright, sorry." Now he was just stunned and getting over the brief rush of adrenaline he had received from Daemon's sudden crash landing.

"Daemon, get me up high!" All-Star turned to his team mate. "We're losing the target!"

The magical heroine gripped All-Star beneath his arms and took flight as they tried to catch up to Star Girl and the fleeing winged creature. Star Girl held her staff out and attempted to reign the flyer in, but it became a whisp of smoke as soon as the rope of light looped around it, shooting down into the shadowed alleys of Gotham's downtown area.

"Echo 01 to all units, converge on our general location! Target has gone to ground!" All-Star shouted as Daemon and Star Girl flew down to where they had last seen the cloud of smoke. "We need to cordon off this block, or it'll lose us."

"Echo 04, I'm closing in." Several dozen feet and a few buildings away Ravager expertly weaved through traffic and halted at the mouth of another alley leading into the collection of apartment complexes and storage units. "Echo 05, go up high and keep the area illuminated. That thing could slip past us in any of the shadows. Echo 02, Echo 06, keep to the perimeter. Echo 01, Echo 03, move in with me."

"Why is she acting like she's our leader?" Daemon muttered bitterly as Star Girl flew up and use her staff to fill the alleys with light. "Batman hasn't decided on an official team commander yet."

All-Star turned to her and held up one finger to his mouth, signalling for silence before indicating for her to fly up, pointing to a fire escape and following it up to the roof of the building on their left, a ten story apartment building. Daemon huffed, but nodded and flew up to the roof top, checking it for their target.

"01, 03, report." Ravager said, moving through the very shadows now used by their prey to avoid capture.

"Yeah, alright 04." All-Star sighed. "No sign of the target yet."

"05, anything from where you are?"

"Negative," Star Girl replied. "Wait, wait! I see it! It's heading east!"

Ravager immediately turned around. "I just came from there! Keep your eyes on the target 05! 01, 03, converge on my position!"

"It's heading towards me," Nebula Girl whispered through the radio.

"06, do not engage! Let us handle it!" All-Star insisted.

"I don't think I'll have any choice 01," Nebula Girl sounded nervous. "I-I see it, it's heading right for me and it isn't stopping!"

"Nebula, just let it past and I'll maintain pursuit," Cyborg insisted, driving a motorcycle of his own and just down the street from where Nebula Girl stood by Ravager's motorcycle. "Don't take any unnecessary risks-"

Suddenly the sound of stone shattering and a pained shout made the members of Echo move faster. Star-Girl and Cyborg were the first on the scene, staring at the figure on the ground at Nebula Girl's feet. The youngest member of Echo was wearing what she referred to as her 'Nebula Suit'. It was pitch black and covered her from neck to toe, and was sleeveless. She wore steel toed boots with it along with gloves and a dark blue mask that covered her upper face. Her hair was tied back in a loose pony tail, and a set of white lenses built into her mask covered her starry eyes. White stars were laced into the sides of her pant legs and gloves, with one more resting on her mask between her eyes.

"...I got him," She said numbly before looking up at cyborg. "He swung at me."

Cyborg sighed and rubbed her head. "Good job, kid."

"She disobeyed a direct order," Ravager said as she moved past them. "Don't compliment her for it. If you can't follow orders and avoid putting yourself in danger recklessly-"

"I'm in the least amount of danger!" Nebula Girl snapped. "And you're not our leader Ravager! You act like it, but that doesn't mean you can start bossing us around! I stayed on the perimeter, and he attacked me! I had to do something and I wasn't going to let him walk by just because for some reason none of you can get the fact that me being the youngest on the team doesn't mean I need you all to protect me!" She turned and stormed out of the alley.

"...she has a point you know." All-Star said. He and Daemon had shown up in the middle of Nebula Girl's rant at Ravager, who was cuffing their downed target. "You treat her like she's made of glass, but...you saw her in the training room before we came out here. She's probably in the least amount of danger."

Ravager sighed. "...she's just a child, she shouldn't be out in the field like this." She hauled the cuffed creature up against the wall. "And while durable, she might one day let that go to her head and take on somebody stronger than her, somebody a lot stronger than Tommy Terror."

Xxx

11:03 AM, April 5th, 2017

Watch Tower

YJ Training Room

Two hours ago

"You're the daughter of one of the League's worst enemies?! The Light's Enforcer?! He shot me just a few days ago you know!" All-Star shouted as he paced.

"Tigress' father was once the Light's Enforcer, yet she is trusted here." Rose narrowed her one eye at Nathan. "How is my situation any different? The League brought me in knowing full well about my family connections."

"Yeah well I-" Nathan paused, taking a deep breath. "...you're right. I'm sorry Rose, I...I overreacted. If the League and the leading operatives trust you then...I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt." And seeing as his own brother's touch could make somebody pop like a balloon, he had no right to call on her being an assassin's daughter when he was a psychopath's brother. "How did you end up on opposite sides?"

Rose crossed her arms. "A long time ago my father was training my brothers and I to follow in his footsteps. Myself, Joseph and Grant Wilson were his apprentices more than his children, and...he had us on full missions into places that children of your country will never even know the existence of when we were only ten years old. We weren't given light assignments either...we had to kill people, sometimes numerous people...he never believed in going soft on us."

With the team listening intently, some looking on with pity and others flinching away Rose continued. "Then, just before he went to work for the Light, my father took us on a mission into the Amazon Basin to search for a hidden UN facility. When we got there we found...well...a training facility to government sponsored Meta-Humans."

"I've heard about that kind of thing," Cyborg interrupted. "The Government has always been trying to encourage heroes to become official agents instead of joining the League. They like having powerful people under their control...even I got an invite once."

Rose nodded and put her helmet back on. "The mission went south from there. We barely infiltrated the base before a half dozen psychics and a technopath had detected us. We fled into the rain forest, trying to signal our father for help, but he never came. Joseph...he was infected by the venom found in the sap of a tree...I didn't know the species...then again there's always something new to be found in that jungle. We had to carry him back for three days, and even then we could do little to help once we had medical supplies. Grant contracted something while we were at the base, and over time it began to affect his emotional inhibitions...he slowly became more aggressive and out of control over the time it took us to get out of there."

She paused for a breath. "...when our father finally came, Grant lashed out at him. He tried to kill him, father tried to kill him in defence...and I got between them." She held one hand to her eye patch. "...I got in the way, and Grant pulled his knife on me. If I had been a little slower I'd be dead instead of half blind. After that...my father killed Grant, and Joseph fell into a coma by the time we got him to a real hospital. And with me in my condition my father forced me to undergo an operation to try and restore me to full capacity. He deemed me...his 'true apprentice', and told me that I was to inherit one of his greatest secrets: Serum 82."

"...I seriously have no idea what that is," Cyborg said when the team looked to him for an explanation. "I mean it, nothing in the STAR database or even on the internet, and the moment she said it I ran a check for it."

"That is because Serum 82 is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world, dating back over a seventeen decades." Rose sighed. "It has the eighty second incarnation of an original super soldier formula being developed in the late 19th century by Russian scientists, later hijacked by the Chinese after a scientist went rogue and sold the samples of Serum 01. The Chinese kept experimenting with it until World War Two, when they attempted to create a series of super soldiers using what was then called Serum 16. That was the first successful incarnation of the Serum, as it enabled soldiers to temporarily boost their senses, agility and suppress fear. They became innovative and powerful...but the serum began to cause damage to their bodies over time, and all of the subjects either died or were left as brain dead husks by the end of the war. China kept it covered up by only sending their soldiers to isolated areas, making sure to kill all enemy soldiers to prevent word from spreading."

"Later on the British acquired it from the Chinese in a secret trade and began to work on their own versions which were shared between the two countries. The British had three more successful versions of the formula, but each had to be taken repeatedly over time to maintain the boosted physical and mental effects. Finally an American scientist, Hank Meersman, whose grandson Robert went on to found STAR Labs developed a way to permanently bond the serum's effects to its host."

"He developed a virus that would genetically alter the subject, making the changes permanent and to a greater effect. However by this time numerous samples had leaked out, and the British government had authorized the samples to be seized and destroyed to cover up the security breach and controversy. But...a few samples got out, and Meersman eventually was brought back in around the time of the Vietnam war to finally create the perfect version of the Serum that was used on Deathstroke and myself."

"How do you know about all of this?" Daemon asked, suspicious.

"...because my father told me, and Meersman told him." Rose replied coldly. "My father is older than he appears. He looks to be about forty, fifty at the worst and in amazing shape...my father was born in the 1930s. During the Vietnam war he was recruited for America's first active super soldier program, and is so far it's only surviving member."

"Wait, so Slade is over eighty years old?! The serum is prolonging his life too?" All-Star was amazed by the idea that human hands had created something so powerful: a serum capable of making a strong, intelligent and long lived super soldier like Deathstroke. If only it was used for good...

"My father took care to secure the only samples of Serum 82, which is why there are no other incarnations of it today." Rose continued. "He forced me to undergo an operation that injected the Serum 82 Virus into my system. I woke up days later...and...one perk of the serum was that it was supposed to induce cellular regeneration. But instead of bringing my eye back it..."

She shook her head. "You don't want to know what it did to me...only that after that I took Joey and went underground. The League found me after the Reach invasion, and I offered to give them plenty of info on my father and his cronies in return for protection for myself and my brother. He's in an infirmary at STAR labs where they're trying to bring him out of his coma."

Now Rose Wilson stared at her team, arms crossed and her mask hiding her expression. "There, you have my life's story. Anybody else care to share?" The tone of her voice was level, but it was clear that she hadn't meant to sound so aggressive when she asked the question.

Xxx

1:42 PM, April 5th, 2017

Gotham City

Skyline, onboard JL commissioned short range star ship 'Javelin Mk I' Number 3

The Javelin starcraft were the League's solution to a lack of Zeta Tubes as their ranks and Young Justice's grew over the previous year. Many heroes who were either without a Zeta Tube conveniently located nearby or a friendly flying hero to lend a hand were given one of these small scout craft, which easily packed the firepower of a gunship and a top speed exceeding that of any normal aircraft on Earth. Of course the one on loan to Echo Team not equipped with deadly weapons, but had a cloaking field which allowed them to safely detain, transport and question the captured super villain known as Fiend, AKA...

"Daniel Harris," All-Star glared down at the cuffed, winged teenage boy who was shifting from side to side nervously in the aft compartment of the Javelin, "seventeen, born here in good old Gotham, son of Michael and Natalie Harris and a Meta-Human, Class Two. Subject's Meta-Gene activation has triggered a series of physical alterations, primarily on their back where two wings have sprouted and at their lower jaw where it appears that the bone has separated to allow the lower mandible to split into four different segments at will."

Fiend hissed, his lower jaw indeed splitting while his forked tongue rattled.

"..." Unaffected, All-Star continued to read from a data pad he was holding. "Transformation bears features of bats, avian species, and apparently snakes. Chemical analysis of his system confirms that he was exposed to the Meta-Gene formula like Superboy was, forcing his Meta-Gene to activate rather than naturally occurring; also like Superboy any chemical traces are tainted and cannot be properly analyzed to give the League any leads to follow. However...note that prior to his sudden Meta-Gene manifestation last month Subject Harris worked at the Gotham Zoo." He looked at Echo Team. "And what does that tell us?"

"That his Meta-Gene matches the established pattern of opportunity found in others," Ravager answered, sharpening her sword on a seat opposite of Fiend. "And that the Zoo is where it was activated by this Meta-Gene formula. So we go to the Zoo and take air and water samples from interior areas where this Meta-Gene formula could have been." She held up the blade so that she could examine the condition of the edge while peeking past it and smirking at Fiend from under her mask. "Or maybe we can ask our funny looking friend here to tell us if he saw anything weird around the time he began to grow fur and wings."

Fiend whimpered and looked down, but All-Star interrupted any further plotting against the imprisoned Meta. "Clear the aft cabin, now."

"We still don't have a team leader yet, kid." Star Girl crossed her arms and fixed All-Star with a glare. "And you and Ravager seem pleased to share the spot."

All-Star turned and lowered the visor of his mask, allowing Star Girl to see him give her what could have amounted to the Bat Glare-all of the heroes in Gotham seemed to acquire a talent for this, Bat Clan or not. Star Girl squirmed a bit and backed off, leaving the aft cabin of the Javelin with Cyborg and Nebula Girl. Ravager watched them go before staring back at All-Star. "I can tell that this is personal, but at the same time I'd rather not leave you alone with this thing." She held up her own data pad. "Sonic screams are one of his powers and we don't have a collar for him. You don't want to be stuck back here alone."

"Fair enough," All-Star nodded and shut the door to the cockpit as Star Girl opened her mouth to object. "Engage lock, All-Star 01."

"Lock engaged."

All-Star faced Fiend and flexed the fingers of each hand. "You knew a pair of metas a few years back: Nathan and Robert Shepherd. They worked for Black Mask alongside you. Tell me where Robert is."

Fiend shook his head. "Ain't heard of Robert since he and Nate split! Rob went around blowing people up, and Nate got all upset over it, started acting like one of you heroes."

Clearly not satisfied, All-Star reached down and grabbed Harris by his tattered and thin shirt. He lifted the winged meta up, not needing an ounce of his energy reserves to summon the strength as he slammed Fiend against the wall of the cabin. "You vanished with Robert, Harris. You went with him, and were spotted with him for months along with the other Metas who left Black Mask besides Robert's brother. You all left Black Mask, stayed together and then found a new employer. Now tell me who it is."

Fiend glared down at All-Star. "No use trying to act like you're the Bat, bro. I know you heroes, and you won't-hey!" All-Star swung the cuffed meta around and set him next to Ravager.

"...She isn't a hero," All-Star walked over to the doors. "Bear that in mind. Ravager, I know you hate orders but do everything you can to make him talk." He opened the doors. "I'll leave you two alone."

Ravager smiled beneath her mask as the doors sealed shut again and locked. She turned her head towards Fiend, who cringed. "So...let's talk about Mr Shepherd and your other friends, shall we?"

Xxx

Barely five minutes later the majority of Echo was back in the aft cabin, the Javelin flying over the Gotham Zoo.

"They promised us fifty grand each to start us off and help us settle down, and then a steady rate of two hundred grand a year along with free services." Fiend was spilling everything now. "Then they gave us posts, assignments. I got Gotham and they said I had free reign as long as I keep attention away from Gotham Zoo."

Ravager, who was sitting next to him with one arm draped around the frightened boy's shoulder, leaned her head on his shoulder and opened her visible eye. "You're such a good boy Fiend, you just needed the proper trainer. Now be a sweet little runt and tell them the best part."

"And-and Robert comes by every month!" Fiend blurted out more information while trying to lean away from Ravager. She tightened her hold on him to keep him in place, and he squeaked in fright. "He says that he's one of the Light's Enforcers now; he reports right to Death Stroke!"

All-Star's hidden eyes narrowed. "Figures, Rob always did like to brag."

Daemon raised one eyebrow. "You know this guy?"

"We have a history," All-Star turned away and walked to the cockpit where Cyborg was sitting in the pilot's seat. "Keep the stealth field up and land us on a roof overlooking the zoo. We'll contact the League for further instructions."

Xxx

1:58 PM, April 5th, 2017

Watch Tower, Ops Center

"Teams are still engaged or on high alert in all sectors," Black Canary announced, handling three screens of data on her own as her hands danced across each. "Hawkman and Hawkwoman are reporting in: Hawk and Dove are secure, and Cobra troops have been repelled."

"Good, have them extracted to the Watch Tower," Batman did not take his eyes off of his own screen as he, Black Canary and Aqua Lad continued to coordinate heroes worldwide. "Forty percent of all targets have been recovered or secured from hostile attack. Have we lost anybody?"

AquaLad consulted a screen off to his left. "Green Arrow has failed to respond, and Captain Atom has reported failure to secure Booster Gold. Felix Faust is engaged against Dr Fate in New York, and Captain Marvel is on his way to assist."

"Booster Gold will have to wait until all of our allies are secured," Black Canary insisted. "After this onslaught is over we can delegate a team to locate and rescue him."

Kaldur shut his eyes. "If he is still alive by then."

Suddenly they received a transmission from Javelin 03, and Kaldur dismissed is current screens to open a visual link to Echo Team. "Watch Tower, Echo Team, have you apprehended the target?"

"Affirmative," Cyborg answered. "We also suspect that the Light has been testing exposure of the Meta-Gene formula at the Gotham Zoo."

Batman stepped over to Kaldur's side. "Eco Team, you are to head for the Gotham Zoo and take air and water analyses. The Zoo has a security system provided by Wayne Enterprises, so we can survey footage of Fiend's employment there prior to his Meta-Gene being activated. We will update you with likely areas to check. I doubt that the Light will have stopped dumping their formula there when Gotham has a high number of Meta-Humans appearing every month, a number of them in the younger age groups."

"Like kids who visit the Zoo," Star Girl realized. "Watch Tower, maybe the Zoo isn't the only public area where the Light may or may not have tested their formula. What if they're dumping it in other places where you can find lots of people, especially children? Like schools or subways or-"

"We can follow further leads after you investigate the zoo, Star Girl." Kaldur said calmly. "Still, you may be correct. For now though we need you to focus on your current assignment. With the rest of the League and the Team engaged across the board, Echo remains our only completely covert squadron. We need you to operate out of the spotlight."

"Right...understood, Watch Tower." Star Girl sounded a little dejected.

Cyborg sighed. "We'll begin our survey now Watch Tower, Echo Team out." The screen shut off, and moments later an alert caused the image of Blue Beetle engaged in combat with Poison Ivy in London, England to pop up.

"Delta Team is engaged, five hostiles and no sight of Shining Knight in the area." Batman read Blue Beetle's automated report, sent by his scarab's AI. "Gamma Team is to reroute to London after they finish clean up in Paris. Get Super Boy out of the infirmary and back into active service, we need him to help Gamma finish up with Killer Frost."

Kaldur sighed. "At this rate we'll be engaging every super villain we know of, and then some. What does the Light hope to gain from this?"

Xxx

2:34 PM, April 5th, 2017

Gotham Zoo

"I thought we were running leads on Intergang, why am I looking at a mucky pond looking for Meta Gene formula?" Daemon demanded as she lifted up a Chemical Analyzer taken from the Javelin, which remained parked and cloaked on a nearby structure overlooking the now closed Gotham Zoo. A quick call to the Mayor's Office with mention of a 'potential infestation' by the Watch Tower had made sure that the place was closed off so Echo Team could work without prying eyes.

"Fiend has been seen with Intergang operatives and picking up Intergang dead drops recently. That's why Batman assumed that he would have a connection. Finding out the source of his Meta Gene's activation is just our current objective." Cyborg explained calmly as he finished scanning the droppings of several monkeys on the far side of the Zoo from Delilah. "Oh and you guys can stop looking at the animal food and waste bins; there's nothing off about them. Shift your attention to the separate water filters and check the washrooms."

"Already on it," Ravager responded, stepping out of one of the public washroom structures. "I checked both the men and ladies' rooms to see if the filters could be storing or allowing the formula to pass through. Skin contact allowed Super Boy to unlock his own instantly, but perhaps if diluted in water there is a delay."

Cyborg nodded as he flew up and out of the Monkey Cages. "That or they could have created an alternate formula with an intentionally set delayed activation time so that they could observe anybody exposed without immediately giving away the source of the formula." He landed on solid concrete. "It would look weird if people began to suddenly shoot lasers out of their eyes or get all hairy while washing their hands, that and it would cause a panic which would have brought the League's attention weeks ago."

Daemon flew up and scoped out the Gotham Zoo, which was split into four sections for the team to search. In the upper left quadrant Cyborg and Star Girl had finished their search and were heading south to help Ravager in the lower left quadrant where the washrooms and snack stands were located. Daemon had just finished examining the aquariums in the lower right quadrant, and Nebula Girl was with All Star in the upper right quadrant...

Or they were supposed to be.

"Hey, I can't see All-Star or Nebula," Daemon reported, flying down to land at the central structure in the heart of the Zoo property, a three story structure where the Zoo employees worked, rested and ate. "Echo Oh-One, Echo Oh-Six, where the hell are you two?"

"Relax Oh-Three, we're inside." All-Star spoke up through the radio. "Nebula Girl had a theory that she wanted to check out."

"Did you finish up in your quadrant?"

"Not yet, but we've found something you'll want to see."

Daemon sighed and hopped down to the front entrance of the building where All-Star opened the glass doors for her from the inside. "I thought the Zoo Keeper wanted us to stay out of here. How did you two get in?"

All-Star held up a key. "Night Wing taught me the basics of lifting a few things, and that Zoo Keeper wasn't the brightest bulb." He ushered her in. "Don't worry, the League is making the cameras play looped footage. After they got the older security records they didn't want us to be picked up on the news; Glorious Godfrey would have a field day if we were found here instead of the incoming CDC team."

"Gee, you relieve me of all my worries." Daemon sighed. "All-Star, you can't just go around deviating from the plan whenever it suits you."

"Nebula just wanted to check the Employees' Lounge. It's one of the only rooms here without a security camera, and it has a private bathroom along with a water fountain, vending machine, and lockers where employees sometimes store their lunches." All-Star explained. "All of which we did within a hundred seconds, where as I think you spent ten minutes with the Penguins." He cracked a smile a bit as he led her upstairs and into the Employees' Lounge where Nebula Girl was sitting on a chair, lightly kicking her legs up and down.

"I checked everything," She said to the two older heroes. "Take a look at the lockers."

She nodded to the lockers lining one side of the employee's lounge, opposite of the fridge and counter that was rather...too clean. Nathan and Delilah had worked part time jobs before and found that generally employees' lounges were a mess despite the best intentions of workers. Yet this one was perfectly kept and cleaned, with every dish stored and cleaned and the sink sparkling.

Daemon knelt by an open locker. "This is the locker that Harris was using when he worked here." She held up her Analyzer, and a blue light illuminated the inside of the empty locker. "...and it has trace elements of an unknown compound."

"The same 'unknown' compound that the Meta-Gene is made of." Nebula Girl explained. "Somebody specifically planted it in this and those other two open lockers." She pointed them out. "One belonged to Tyler Fields, and the other to Muriel Greene."

Daemon raised one brow. "Can't say I've heard of them."

"Both are known members of Intergang, and are meta-humans." Nebula Girl pulled her radio out of her ear. "I called AquaLad to ask if there was any record of them. These two apparently stopped working here around the same time as Danny Harris."

All-Star smiled and rubbed Nebula Girl's head. "Good work, you just caught us a lucky break. That's three Meta-Humans with ties to Intergang afflicted by the Meta-Gene serum. We should regroup and inform the League of our findings."

SLAM!

"No actually, you won't be doing that." They all turned to see the now closed door blocked by six men and women, some around their age and others in their late twenties or early thirties. All of them shared three things: an athletic build, grim expressions, and familiar looking energy rifles.

...

"Fire!" The head Zoo Keeper shouted, and the Intergang squad disguised as zoo workers opened fire on the surprised Echo members. Daemon quickly angled her wings to act as shields, deflecting several shots. All-Star pulled a single smoke pellet from his belt and flicked it with his thumb, sending it between Daemon's wings and making it bounce and roll halfway to the Intergang team before exploding, filling the room with smoke in seconds.

"Go!" All-Star darted out from around the metallic wings and extended his bo staff to its full length. Nebula Girl ducked as Daemon returned her wings to their regular position and dove out of the way of the barrage of deadly lasers.

"Echo Team, alert!" Cyborg shouted through the radio link as All-Star managed to get close to one of the Intergang soldiers and scooped up a chair without stopping. He slammed the chair into the man's ribs, doubling him over and making him drop his rifle. All-Star used the man as a stepping stone to leap over the rest of the team and reach the door. "The zoo employees are packing Reach-Human hybrid weapons! This is definitely Intergang! "

"No, really? I had no idea." All-Star muttered as he tried to pick the lock. "Wait, why am I doing this?!" He stood up and raised one leg up, charging the kick with his powers so that it sent the door flying off its hinges. "Daemon, Nebula: retreat!"

Daemon had pounced on one woman, wrapping her legs around her victim and slamming her hands down on top of the woman's skull. The Intergang operative collapsed, and Daemon leaped up while spinning in mid air and swatting another of the Intergang members in the face with her wing. "Coming!"

All-Star turned to rush down the stairs only to find a seventh gunman aiming a now charging energy rifle in his face. He threw himself back, but was saved instead by the man being flung up into the ceiling where he was pinned there, groaning with the effort of trying to free himself. Nebula Girl rushed past him, one hand pointed at the man while Daemon kept them covered with her wings.

"Echo Team! Confirmed Meta-Gene Serum particles located in the Administration building! Converge on our location!" All-Star shouted as he darted down the steps with Nebula Girl and Daemon right behind him. Just as he reached the bottom however a foot slammed into his jaw, spinning him around as a dark clad woman-he could tell from the shape of her body beneath her full body suit and light armor flew past him. Nebula Girl caught him as he fell backwards, and straightened him up as three others clad in dark suits and armor dropped down from the ceiling of the lobby.

"...League of Assassins," Daemon hissed, folding her wings tightly to her back as the Intergang operatives back up top rushed down after them. "Typical."

One of the Assassins pulled out a pair of sickles and crossed them, the sound of metal singing against metal making All-Star cringe even as he got his bo staff out. "Daemon, take the Intergang goons with the guns. Nebula, take the two on the right!" Then the assassins switched formation even as Nebula Girl raised one hand to use her gravity powers just as she had on the gunman and Fiend before. While trying to follow her targets she accidently put All-Star in her line of sight, making her hesitate long enough for one Assassin to strike her in the side with a kick that launched her off her feet.

Daemon spun and fired a single blast of magical fire up the stairs that exploded and knocked the three Intergang members off balance. One rolled down the stairs while the other two just barely grabbed onto the railing to stop their fall. With them out of the game she turned to the Assassins, one of whom leaped through the air and thrust one foot towards Daemon's face. She crossed her arms to block it, only for a mechanism built into the assassin's armor over his leg to glow up with a whine and release a surge of pure force that knocked Daemon back against a wall, denting it.

She coughed and stood up, noting that the technology was similar to All-Star's Kinetic Energy Cell, though rather than storing Kinetic energy it just released it. The assassins wore an apparatus of sorts that linked to the mechanism on each limb of the four assassins, who all moved faster and hit harder than usual.

"Oh great, as if they weren't bad enough before, now they've gone and gotten an upgrade." All-Star said as he used his bo staff to repel a blow from one of the two assassins he was facing. The punch snapped his weapon in half-that really happened far too much for his liking. He gripped the half containing the taser module and activated it, causing the tip to unfold and spark as he ducked under a round house kick from one of the two assassins and jammed the taser into the modules augmenting their performance. The man's apparatus sparked as he gave choked groan of pain, and All-Star used his own Kinetic Module to spin and deliver a kick that sent the man flying back before a sharp pain erupted from his back.

He stumbled forward and choked down the scream that almost tore itself from his throat. All-Star turned to see the second assassin twirling a knife, and some investigation found another that was already buried into his lower back through his armor, luckily missing his spine. All-Star clenched his teeth and unfolded his crossbow, combining it with his grappler module as the female assassin moved in for the kill.

Meanwhile Nebula Girl was dodging numerous attacks from her own opponent, who was using a set of twin swords. The girl showed an affinity for acrobatics that left All-Star green with envy when he had seen her in the training room, but as she continuously twisted, ducked and rolled to avoid being sliced apart she seemed to be pulling at her mask as if to move it aside.

The sword wielding assassin crossed his blades and made to slice through Nebula Girl's neck, only for her to lift her mask up enough for him to see her starry eyes. He paused for a moment, put off by how unnatural her appearance seemed. Her eyes glowed bright yellow and then unleashes twin beams of light that were so hot that the man felt it through his armor, which had thermal settings to keep him at a comfortable temperature at all times. The beams melted his swords down to the hilts, and then the girl stopped the attack and pulled her mask back down.

"What are you?" The assassin whispered, staring at the remnants of his weapons.

"Nebula Girl's the name, and those were concentrated beams of solar energy." Nebula Girl replied before spinning and kicking the man in the face. "It's like a very powerful lens, you're lucky that I was only aiming for your fancy swords."

Daemon caught the fist of the third assassin as he threw a punch at her. This time she augmented her stance with a magical barrier that allowed her to stop his attack and begin to bend his hand back. He groaned in pain as a 'crack' came from his hand, and Daemon delivered a punch to his jaw that sent him flying into the ceiling and then fall back to the floor without a sound.

All-Star fired his crossbow at the final assassin's legs, only for her to move to the right in mid charge. He dove to the side as she slice at him and darted around him, expending energy from his reserves to increase his speed enough that the assassin quickly found herself tied from ankle to chest level. She had raised her arms up so that they were not restrained by All-Star's attack, but she was definitely exposed now. Even as she tried to cut herself free All-Star activated is taser module and fired two cables from his arm opposite of his cross bow. The Kinetic module increased the force and velocity of the cables, which dug right through the assassin's armor and knocked her off balance while delivering a shock to her.

"Echo 01, Admin Building secured." All-Star said as he retracted his taser and folded his cross bow back up. "Presence of Intergang and League of Shadows confirmed."

"We know," The three Echo members looked to the entrance of the building where their team mates stood...with two others present. "These two gave us a hand with the ones outside," Cyborg smiled as he nodded to the two older heroes...

Nightwing and Red Arrow.

"So, you're the new squad?" The former of the two veterans asked, twirling an eskrima stick in one hand. "Nice to meet you, but I think we're going to be a little too busy to get formally acquainted."

"Let's not take too long," Red Arrow insisted, slipping his bow over one shoulder. "If my wife finds out that I'm back in costume I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week."

Xxx

End of Episode Four