I do not own Young Justice.

~7 months later: Level 64~

Robin sat around a small table in a well lit room. Him and the rest of the team leaders were having a meeting. Savage had called it to discuss what is to be done about portal. Sitting around the room were not very many people at all, only three actually, Vandal didn't let just anyone join.

"I would like to welcome Gizmo, team leader for The Hive." Savage gave the bald boy a nod before looking over at Robin. "Now there are more of us available. Which means we no longer have to stick around to complete the quests after opening the portal. Or completing the quests before going for the portal."

"I still think we should leave them for other players." Robin said as he crossed his arms. "Most of us are high enough levels to defeat the bosses. We don't need to needlessly grind. Other players need the XP."

"No they don't." Savage looked from Robin to Gizmo. "We are at the front line. We need to be as strong as possible." Returning his gaze back to the dissatisfied bird, he saw Robin still wasn't pleased. "And I noticed none of your teammates have Second Gear. So The League is sending your team out to complete the quests while we open the portal."

Robin looked between the two before standing. "Then I guess I better deploy my team. That way you don't have to wait for us." He walked out of the room as calmly as he could. He stopped and look to his left as Deathstroke. "You got a problem?"

Deathstroke chuckled softly. "Just do as your told and finish those quests. Otherwise the boss won't be happy with any of you." With that said he walked off towards the mess hall in their guild building.

Robin turned and walked towards the exit. Once he was outside he grappled to the nearest roof and continued to travel by rooftop. It was the easiest way to travel around Gotham at night. As long as you avoided Batman's nightly patrol route. He continued on his route till he reached the large penthouse apartment he was renting with the rest of his team.

"I'm back." Robin sighed as he made his way to the kitchen while changing out of his hero gear. "Found out what our Guild Leader expects of us this level." Dick leaned against the wall across from the open kitchen where his teammates had gathered.

"Let me guess..." Artemis spoke up from her perch on the counter. "We are to stay out of the spotlight and take down the Boss?"

"Nope." Dick said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "He wants us to finish off all of the quests. Doesn't want lower leveled players to complete them for the XP."

"Wow. New all time low." Conner spoke from his spot in front of the fridge. "What's the plan?"

Dick sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. It still shocked him how much they had changed during the game. Even though they weren't in the real world, they were still growing in game. "Not much we can do. Deathstroke made sure to let me know they were going to be checking in on us."

"Have I mentioned my dislike for them yet today?" Wally spoke as he looked over the edge of the couch. "Because I don't like them. They call themselves 'The League', but they are worse than the bad guys."

"They have done nothing that we can legally pursue them against." Kaldur spoke while looking at the red haired hero. "We may not agree with what they decide, but they have not broken any rules." He turned his attention back to their team leader. "So what's the plan?"

Dick walked into the living room and pulled the secret lever built into the fireplace. A piece of the ceiling opened and a hologram of Gotham filed the center of the room. "Main quest is the 'Missing Children' mission. We can start by getting the files from GCPD."

"You got it." M'gan said as she finished pulling food off of the stoves. She had made spaghetti. "I just need someone to occupy Commissioner Gordon discreetly." She had been able to mimic men since level 47, but there was always the chance of the real person appearing.

"Lighting the Bat signal should do it." Artemis stated from her new spot beside Wally. "We just need to make sure Batman doesn't find us."

"So we have a plan to start out." Wally stretched his arms up before setting them down on the back of the couch. "Can we start after food?"

Dick let out a laugh at his friend's question. "Yeah, we can leave after food. Then let's get this done as fast as possible." He got a nod from everyone else. They had their mission, even if it wasn't one they agreed with.

"We're really doing this?" Kid Flash said from his spot on the roof. He looked over at Robin with a raised eyebrow. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's the fastest way to our destination." Robin said as he scouted out the alleyway. "Plus it will set Batman on our trail along with the GCPD." Robin jumped down the alley and smirked at the unguarded Batmobile. "Besides, haven't you always wanted to do this?"

Kid Flash followed his friend down to the ground. "Well yeah, but steal the Batmobile?! That's asking for trouble!" He hissed as he looked around, expecting Batman to show up at any minute. "Plus Miss Martian can just use the Bioship. Why do we need to steal the Batmobile?"

Robin shrugged as he unlocked the car and got into the driver's seat. "I wanted to drive the Batmobile." The shot the speedster a smile before starting the car. It roared to life very loudly.

Kid Flash quickly got into the car and buckled himself in. "This is such a bad idea." He said as Robin drove them out of the alley and down the road. The screen turned on and a flashing bat symbol popped up. "You gonna answer that?" He asked his masked friend as they drove towards the boarder of Gotham City.

"Not a chance." Robin reached over and turned off the screen. Only to have it come back on with lines of code running. "Shit. He's trying to hack the system. If he gets a look at our faces we are gonna have Gotham PD on our asses."

"Dude! We already have Batman on our asses!" Kid Flash wasn't too worried about the police, he was more worried about having the greatest directive in Gotham hunting them down. "Why did I let you talk me into this?!"

"Because you thought it would be fun." Robin stepped on the gas as he tried to get them out of range, but there didn't seem to be a range. "This doesn't look good."

"Doesn't look great from here either." Both boys looked up at the screen inside the Batmobile. "I should have you both arrested for grand theft." Batman growled at the two heroes. "Mind telling me why you stole my car."

Robin let out a small chuckle as he split his attention between the road and Batman. "We needed a lift. And we also needed you to help us with something."

"You could have asked." Batman stated flatly. "You're headed for a toy factory out of town. It's been abandoned for almost 30 years now." Batman looked from his computer screen back to the two teens driving the Batmobile. "What is this about?"

"It's about the missing kids." Robin stated as he accelerated again. "We looked at the files of all of the missing kids-"

"What did you find that I didn't?" Batman interrupted. "And I don't believe there are only two of you involved. It takes a lot of skill to break into the Precinct."

"We didn't break in. Or at least Miss Martian didn't." Kid Flash said as he sat back in the Batmobile's comfy seats. "She just walked right in and asked for the files." He smirked a bit as Batman frowned at him, more than he already was.

"We did find something." Robin said as he parked the Batmobile at the edge of the factory boundary. "We found it a little odd that all of the kids had toys from this factory." Robin opened the glove box and pulled out an ear-com. "So we figured this factory is connected."

"You could have said that earlier." Batman huffed as both teens got out of the Batmobile. He had noticed they had both taken an ear-piece. As well as several others. "I'm on my way. Don't engage until I get there."

"Sure thing Batman." Robin said through the com before it went silent. He looked over at Kid Flash with a large grin. "What did I tell you, piece of cake. And I love driving this thing." He patted the hood of the Batmobile affectionately.

Kid Flash rolled his eyes before dragging the teen away from the car. "Let's go meet up with the others." They found the rest of their team waiting just outside of the factory's side door. "Batman's on his way." He and Robin handed out the ear coms they got from the Batmobile. "We going in before he gets here?"

Robin slid open a broken window with a smile. "Duh." He vaulted inside and began creeping along the wall, his team close behind him.

They were all silent as they walked through the deserted toy factory. Not a sound could be heard, even the wind outside did not make a sound in the building. "Charming." Artemis said dryly as they slid a door open. They had reached the main part of the warehouse.

Robin silently signaled for the teams to split up. Aqua Lad stayed on the ground, going down the left's most side of the room, and Miss Martian flew above him. Kid Flash went down the right side on the ground as Super Boy flew above him. He pulled out his grappling hook and took to the ceiling while Artemis stayed on the ground, going up the middle of the warehouse.

Everything was silent as they searched the large room. They didn't find much, just a bunch of broken dolls and doll parts scattered everywhere. "I've got something." Everyone converged on Super Boy's location. I front of him was an area that was only accessible by an opening on the left side of the room. In the area were cages, and in the cages were children.

"Children are so fragile." The entire team turned and looked at the large figure standing in a doorway. "But as Dolls, nothing can hurt them."

"And you are?" Kid Flash asked as he frowned at the man. He didn't recognize the man. But the doll face mask might be included in that problem.

"I am the Doll Maker." The man dropped the bucket he had been carrying. "You've come to take the little ones from me. But I can't allow that. They need me. And I will help make them strong." With that said he pushed a button on the wall, opening parts of the wall around them.

The team stood back to back in a circle. From the gaps in the wall, small figures walked out. Most had patches of hair missing. But one thing was the same, they all wore the face of a doll as a mask. And they were no longer the innocent children they had once been.

"Protect me children, as I have protected you." Doll Maker said as he pointed towards the group of teens.

The Team tensed in preparation. The glass above them shattered as a black cloaked man fell through. Batman got into a fighting stance. "You don't listen very well to orders."

"We felt it was more of a suggestion." Robin said with a smirk. He ducked under a chainsaw that was coming his way. Batman's entrance had broken the tension in the air. He grabbed the child's arm beneath where the chainsaw was attached. He felt bad, but he kicked the child away, dealing lethal damage. "Better they die than live on as monsters." He spoke softly to himself, not noticing Batman's glare he sent his way.

"Doll Maker's getting away!" Artemis shouted as she shot an arrow at one of the doll children. She quickly followed after the man, not wanting to loose him. She brought her hand up to her ear. "I've got Doll Maker in my sight. I'll try to delay him as much as I can."

"We'll come as soon as we can." The reply came from Batman.

Artemis was taken off guard as her feet left the ground and the world began to fly by. "Hey beautiful." Kid Flash smiled as Artemis relaxed in his arms. "Let's get this bastard." He got them ahead of Doll Maker and blocked the man's way. "You're not going anywhere."

Artemis brought an arrow up and aimed at Doll Maker's face. "There are dying kids in those cages."

"Some of them had to be sacrificed so that others may live." Doll Maker stated as he looked around for an escape. He went to run off back the way he had come, but a beam of heat vision stopped him.

"You're sick." Super Boy growled as he lowered himself to the ground with Miss Martian beside him.

Doll maker turned to run off to the side, but the snow rose up and became a solid wall of ice. "There is no escape for you." Aqua Lad stated as his tattoos dimmed.

Robin stepped up and blocked the last opening around Doll Maker. "You're not hurting anyone else."

"You don't understand." Doll Maker whined as he backed up against the wall of ice. "I love them!"

"Shut up!" Robin shouted at the man. He moved to attack the man, to end this quest, but something changed. Doll Maker placed his hands over his heart, gripping and clawing at it. As Doll Maker stopped moving, the wall of ice broke apart. As the wall fell, so did Doll Maker, and revealed a man with a twitching heart in his hand. "Who are you?" Robin examined the man carefully. He wore a mask that very much resembled some sort of bird. His hands had metal claws on the end and he wore a blade on his back.

The man looked at Robin then the rest of the team. "Don't hesitate to do what you think is right." With that said, the man turned and jumped through the trees. Leaving the Team to watch him leave and look down at Doll Maker's body.

"What did you do?" Everyone turned to find Batman behind Robin. Batman's eyes moved from the corpse to the nearest team member. "What did you do?!"

Robin looked back at the corpse then at his team. It didn't look too good. "You think we did this? We aren't killers!"

"I heard you back in the warehouse." Batman said as he stepped up to the red and black clad teen. "Want to explain that to me?"

Robin looked up at the Dark Knight of Gotham. At the beginning of this game he had been level with the man's stomach. Now he was level with his shoulders. His mind wondered where he would stand compared to Bruce. "I don't have to explain it to you. You're not my father. And we are not like them."

Batman looked around at the rest of the team before refocusing on Robin. "If you're not responsible, then who is?"

'Miss Martian, Bioship.' Robin ordered through their connection as he pulled the ear com out of his ear and stored it. He backed away from Batman as he held his gaze. "Figure it out for yourself." He turned and jumped up into the cloaked Bioship. The rest of the team was already inside. "Let's go."

Robin looked around the rooftops curiously. There was no one in sight, and the bat signal was turned off. He smirked as he pulled the window up and jumped down into the dimly lit room. "Glad you could make it." Robin straightened as the room lit up and revealed the masked man from the Toy Factory. "My name is Talon. Welcome to my home, Robin."

"So you know my name. How?" Robin asked as he looked around Talon's home. There were cases of suits and weapons everywhere. Most likely form past people who have held the name of 'Talon'.

"I've been keeping an eye on Batman and those that associate with him." Talon said as he began to walk around the teen. "I've noticed you two don't see eye to eye."

Robin gave a shrug as he walked up to a manikin with a suit on. "He's bound by his 'rules'. But he doesn't understand. This is nothing more than a game."

Talon gave a chuckle as walked up to Robin and stood beside him. He pulled out a pair of twin sai and stabbed them into the eyes, breaking the glass on the face mask of the suit it wore. "I like your style kid." He pulled out one of the blades before extending his hand. "How would you like to join me? Be my partner?"

Robin looked down at the hand then over at the sai. "Can I think about it? Some friends of mine might also be interested."

"They can join, but they won't be like us." Talon said as he watched the teen. Robin reached over and pulled the sai out of the manikin. "Meet me back here in an hour. I'll take you to the Court."

Robin nodded before jumping out of the window. He made sure he was not being followed before he made his way to the rendezvous point with his team. "I'm in. My new friend Talon is going to help me."

"I don't like this Rob." Kid Flash spoke up from his corner. "What do we even know about this 'Court of Owls'?"

"They have been running Gotham from the shadows for years." Artemis spoke up as she handed one of her trackers to Robin, so they could follow him. "There is a good chance they know something about Dollmaker. Or this quest that we are on." She said as she checked her watch. "How much time do you have?"

Robin checked his watch. "Enough time to get back with you all having a safe enough distance behind us." He took a deep breath as he gave his friends a smirk. "I'd appreciate it if you all show up before anything bad happens. Like me dying or my identity being revealed."

"Good to know your identity is more important than your life." Super Boy joked as Robin gave them a salute and left to head back to Talon's hideout.

Robin smiled as he flew through the air. This was his favorite thing about this death trap of a game. He could be in the sky once more. Just like when he was in the circus with his family. A Flying Grayson.

"Good. You're on time." Robin landed on the roof and faced Talon. "We go down from here. I hope you aren't scared of the dark." Talon spoke before he jumped down the the ground. He pulled open a sewer access as Robin followed him down below the city. "The Court in anxious to meet you. And hear about your friends."

"We are rather curious about the Court." Robin spoke as he followed Talon through the maze of sewer tunnels. "Haven't been able to find much on them. Only that people don't talk about it." He watched Talon carefully, making sure he didn't miss anything in the way the man moved and acted. "What is the Court of Owls?"

Talon looked over his shoulder at the teen. He acted much older then he looked. "The Court of Owls is a secret society. Most of Gotham's wealthiest and most prestigious families are on the Court."

"Like Bruce Wayne?" Robin questioned. But as silence continued, it didn't look like he was going to get an answer. "So what does the Court do?"

"The Court maintains balance." Talon explained as he searched a wall for a particular stone. "They make sure everything in Gotham stays as it always has, progressing at the Court's will and influence." He found the right stone and pushed it. "You may want to ask your friends to join us now. The stone is tricky even for me to find."

Robin narrowed his eyes at Talon before pushing the button on Artemis' tracker. In less than a minute his Team stood with him. Talon gave them a nod before entering the tunnel. Robin led the team inside the tunnel, allowing it to close behind them.

"As I said earlier, the Court is anxious to meet you all." Talon spoke as he ushered them all into a large oval room. Talon turned to an exposed balcony that held a seated congregation. He gave a bow to the only member that was standing. "Grand Master, these are the young heroes I spoke of."

The Grand Master looked over the group of six teenagers. Some looked very different than hat was seen as normal, but here things were far from normal. "Welcome, Heroes, to the Court of Owls." His arms spread wide as the lights lit up more, revealing more balconies around the room. "Talon has told us much about you, Robin, Artemis, Super Boy, Aqua Lad, Kid Flash, and Miss Martian." The Grand Master pushed a button on his pedestal, six pedestals rose in front of the teens. "I would like to offer you a place among our court." He pushed another button and six larger pedestals rose with folded uniforms on them. "Or you may join the ranks of the Talons. And Talon has agreed to train Robin to be the next leader of the Talons."

The team looked from the white masks to the uniforms. Both choices gave them a new identity perk, but both had consequences. With the mask, there were mandatory meetings to attend and death awaited them if they missed one. With the uniform, their team would be disbanded and they would forever be a Talon. And both required them to reveal their Secret Identity.

Robin looked at his team, all of them had made the same choice. "We appreciate the offer, but we will not join your Court, and we will not be your Talons." He pulled out a birdarang and threw it at the Grand Master. The birdarang bounced off him, declaring him an Immortal Object, something that was not meant to be destroyed in the game. "What?!" Robin tried to attack once more, but his vision shifted. "W-what?"

"Did you think we would not have precautions measures if our offer was refused?" Grand Master laughed. "The tunnel you came through is filled with an odorless gas. It causes hallucinations and most often...death. Farewell, Heroes." Grand Master pushed another button on his podium, releasing the trap door beneath the Team's feet, dropping them into The Maze."

~Robin~

Robin expected to be in pain when he woke up, but he wasn't. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself in his room. His room in Wayne Manor. He sat up and looked around the room, he was truly here. He jumped out of bed and made his way over to his bathroom. Checking himself in the mirror he found his mask off and Dick Grayson looking back at him. But he was different, he was 13 again.

"Dick! We're going to be late if you don't hurry up!" Dick ran out of his room, not knowing what was going on today, to see what was going on. "Don't make me send Alfred up there to get you!" Bruce Wayne gave his newest ward a smile. "Good, you're dressed."

Dick looked down at himself and was surprised to see a suit. "Umm...what's going on?" He asked hesitantly. He didn't know what was going on. This was home, but this wasn't real. "Bruce?"

Bruce Wayne raised an eyebrow at the boy. "We have a charity event to get to. Don't tell me you went and had a nap and forgot about it." He chuckled as the boy scratched his head and shrugged. "Well, you look good. Now let's get going."

Dick followed Bruce to the garage and into the black Ferrari. He buckled himself in and smiled as they peeled out of the garage and down the long driveway of Wayne Manor. "So, what's the charity about?"

"A new Hospital for Gotham." Bruce stated as he drove through the gates of Wayne Manor. "One with a state of the art children's care unit, a proper Mental Health facility, and the most advanced systems available."

Dick whistled at the list. "Sound like one expensive hospital. What kind of charity event if this? An auction?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Knowing full well that Wayne Enterprises was going to be funding more than half of the project.

Bruce laughed as Dick's question. "No, no auction. But there is a draw and tables of casino games." He turned down one of Gotham's newer highways, heading for Downtown. "I want you by my side the whole night. There's a good chance we are going to have some unwelcomed guests, and I want to make sure nothing happens to you."

Dick snorted a bit before he cleared his throat instead. "Don't worry about me Bruce. I'm more worried you're going to duck out on me halfway through the night again." He looked over at Bruce and frowned, his adopted father had a look on his face. He had seen the look before, like he wanted to tell him something, but didn't know if it was for the best. "Bruce?"

Bruce looked over at his ward. "Dick I-" He was interrupted as the car jerked to a stop and lifted off the ground.

Dick wiped his head around and looked forward as everything began to slow down. He could see the pavement in front of the windshield as the car began to flip over. Catching sight of two cars as the Ferrari flew over them, men with guns standing behind them. Dick briefly wondered why the airbags hadn't gone off.

The car hit the pavement on it's rear bumper and twisted. It rolled on its side for several hundred meters before stopping on it's wheels. The windshield was popped off and the doors swung open. But no one exited the vehicle.

Dick groaned from his spot in the car. He looked over to find Bruce slumped in his seat, a trail of blood going down his chin. "Bruce?" He reached over to shake the man, but there was no response. "Bruce!?" Dick pulled his seat belt off and reached towards the man. Checking his neck for a pulse, but there was none. "Bruce?! Dad!" Dick cried out as he tried in vain to wake the billionaire.

"Looks like the brat's still alive." Dick looked up to see two men with masks and guns standing in front of the car. "But looks like we got our man. What do we do with the kid?"

A man with in a perfectly white suit with a black mask over his face walked up between the two thugs. He eyed the car, then the dead man, and finally the injured kid. "Kid is useless to me. Fill him with lead." He turned away with a wave of his hand.

Dick stared at the men with wide eyes. He looked up at the sky, but there was no Bat signal to be seen. He looked back at Bruce then down at his lap. "Looks like I'm not a hero after all." He closed his eyes as the gun shots rang out and darkness took him once more.

~Auqa Lad~

"Kaldur! Wake up our you'll be late for practice!" Kaldur shot up from bed. That had sounded like his father. "Kaldur? Are you up yet?"

"Yes father. I will be down in a minute." Kaldur threw the sheets off of him and ran around his room gathering his things for school and practice. He was surprised he still knew where everything was. He slid down the stairs on the rail and landed in front of the kitchen. "Sorry. I had not realized how late it was." Kaldur smiled as he picked up two pieces of toast and an apple.

Henry Waters gave the boy a smile. "No worries today. But remember I'm heading out early for the rest of the week. But I will be here when you get home after practice." The man looked over at the kitchen clock. "You better get going Kaldur. You've got that big race coming up."

Kaldur gave his father a smile as he picked his bag up and ran out the door. He made it too school in record time and changed in record time as well. He got out onto the pool deck as was relieved to see others were still warming up.

"Glad you could make it Kaldur." Coach gave the boy a wide smile. "I've got the warm up and training on the board. I just have to step out to a teach meeting real quick. Get in the water and get to class." Coach called out before he left the pool deck.

Kaldur frowned as he watched Coach leave. Coach never left the pool deck during practice. "Looks like Fish-Boy finally decided to show up." Kaldur rolled his eyes as the seniors of the team walked up to him, Devon Malcolm and Troy Beacon. "How about a game? See who can hold their breathe the longest?" Devon asked before he jumped into the pool.

"I don't know. Gill-Guy looks like a landlubber to me." Troy mocked before he joined his friend. "Plus he probably doesn't have the balls to accept our challenge."

"I accept." Kaldur said before he jumped passed them and dove into the water. He surfaced and glared at the two boys. "I have had enough."

Devon gave Troy a look before they both jumped at the teen, pulling him under the water. Kaldur was calm as they dragged him deeper into the pool, he did not feel the need for air. He noticed the other two look between each other, they needed air. Kaldur held both of their arms, keeping them under.

Kaldur glared at them both. "Does it give you pleasure to cause pain?" He asked them as he thrived under the water. "Ever since I have been here you have done nothing but torment me. But I am not your only victim. Others fear you and can not wait till you leave this place. But no more." He pulled them both down and slammed them as hard as he could against the bottom of the pool, more air leaving their lungs. "You will never hurt anyone ever again."

Kaldur let them go, allowing them to float to the surface of the pool. He looked around himself at the bottom of the pool. He had been down this deep once before, it was still so peaceful. He took a deep breath, but this breath was different, this one had no air. Kaldur panicked as he tried to get air to his lungs, but all that was around him was water. He tried to swim up, but two sets of hands held him down.

He looked down to see Devon and Troy holding him and pulling him down into black sand. "You killed us." Devon spoke blandly. "You're a monster." The two dragged him further into the sand as his lungs continued to call for air and his vision began to darken. The last he saw was the surface of the pool glittering far out of reach.

~Super Boy~

Conner opened his eyes and frowned as he smelled Bacon. Last he remembered they had just fallen into a trap by the Court of Owls. Why was M'gan making breakfast? And where was he? Conner got out of bed and wondered how he got into his regular clothes. He shook his head Ashe tried to access his player menu, but it wasn't popping up.

"Trying to catch spiders?" Conner looked over and gaped at his father standing in the doorway. Clark looked at himself closely. "Do I have something on me?" Conner got up and quickly hugged the his father. Clark wasn't sure what was going on, but he hugged his son back with as much force as he was holding him. "Bad dream?"

"Something like that." Conner said as he pulled away from his dad.

Clark ruffled his son's hair with a smile. "Well time to wake up Kon. You still coming to work with Lois and I?"

Conner smirked at the nickname his father had given him since he was born. He had always meant to ask the man, but never got the courage to do it. "Yeah, just let me get dressed." Conner started pulling things out of his drawers. "What are you covering today?" Conner asked as he began to dress for the day.

"Your mom is covering Superman's latest rescue, the tower burning over on 9th street. And I get to cover the football game that happened over the weekend." Clark said as he watched his son dress in a pair of slacks and a button up shirt. "Need help with the tie?"

"I got it." Conner said as he pulled his tie up to his neck and grabbed his jacket. "How do I look?" Conner asked as he tossed his jacket over his shoulder on his fingers.

Clark chuckled at his son. "Like a reporter." The two Kent men made their way down to the kitchen. Lois had pancakes, coffee, and eggs on the table. "Smells great." He gave Lois a kiss on the cheek before sitting down.

"Whatever helps my boys." Lois smiled as she watched Clark dig in. She smiled as she began fussing over Conner's hair and clothes. "Look at you, my snazzy little reporter." She kissed his cheek before sitting him down and taking her won seat. "Are you going to spend the day with your father or with me?"

Conner shrugged as he bit into a piece of toast. "Guess it depends on if White needs me to do other things. Why am I going with you again? Internship day isn't until the spring."

Clark and Lois chuckled. "Since you are off for the summer, we thought you would like to come around more often." Clark said as he held Lois' hand. "And your mom and I thought you would like to spend time with family."

Conner smiled at his parents. "Thanks."

The phone ran and his father picked it up. "Kent residence, Clark speaking." Clark's face lit up with a smile. "Hey Lex, how is it going?" Conner frowned, since when was his dad this friendly with uncle Lex? "We're doing fine. About to have a family day at the Planet." Clark looked over at Lois with a smile. "Sure, we can meet you for lunch. See you then." Clark hung up the phone.

"I'm surprised you want to spend lunch with Uncle Lex." Conner said as he ate his eggs.

Clark frowned at his son. "It happens almost every day. Lex is a good friend."

Conner nodded silently as he finished his breakfast. "We should get going." He followed his family as they got into the family car and drove into Metropolis.

"So Kon, any idea what you want to do after High School?" His mother asked as turned to look at him.

Conner gave a shrug. "Not too sure. I like lifting, but there isn't much money in that. But I like being a reporter." He smiled fondly, remembering his first job as a reporter.

"There is nothing wrong with doing something on the side of your job." Clark looked at his son in his rearview mirror. "Having something you are passionate about helps keep your life happy and motivating."

Conner smiled happily, his father was good at giving advice. "Thanks dad-" Conner stopped as a bright flash lit up Metropolis. A wall of wind approached them, shattering the windows of their car and pushing it back. Then another wave hit them, but this one was far worse than the first. Searing pain spread throughout his body as he heard his mother and father scream. A scream of his own tore through him before darkness took over his senses.

~Miss Martian~

"Miss Morse!" M'gan sat up in her chair with a jolt. She heard people around her laughing, her classmates. "Miss Morse, I don't know what it was like in your last school, but at Hive Academy we do not tolerate nap times." M'gan stared down at her desk as the teacher scolded her. "Detention Miss Morse."

M'gan sighed as the bell rang dismissing the students. M'gan gathered her things and left the room, keeping her head down. "Did you have a nice nap little baby?" M'gan ignored the jeer from one of the girls in her class, just like how she always did.

But then she stopped in her tracks and looked the girl in the eye. "I did, thank you very much. You should try it some time, might get rid of those bags under your eyes." M'gan smirked as the girl tensed and looked herself over in her mirror. She exhaled a smile and made her way to her own locker.

"Hey sis." A pale boy with bright green hair and freckles all over his face crashed into her, giving her middle a tight hug. "Ready for lunch?"

M'gan stared at the boy before she pulled him into a tight hug. "Garfield." She whispered his name as she held him.

Garfield hugged M'gan back hesitantly, she usually didn't hug him back harder than he did. "You okay sis?"

M'gan let the boy go with a giggle. "Just fine Gar." She ruffled his hair as she pulled her lunch bag from her locker. "Let's go find a spot." She followed the green haired boy towards the cafeteria, but there were no open spots left. "Looks like we get to go outside today."

'The freaks are here.' M'gan twirled around to see who had spoken. But as she looked around she couldn't find anyone speaking to her. 'So weird.'

'They should both just disappear.' 'What is with his hair? Is he trying to be an attention grabber?' 'This lunch sucks.' 'Wonder if my parents will be home this weekend?' 'I would totally hook up with her.' M'gan gripped the side of her head as more voices filled her ears.

"Sis?" Garfield asked as he placed a hand on M'gan's shoulder. "M'gan, are you okay?" M'gan looked at her little brother and tried to calm her breathing. 'She's been acting weird all day. Wonder if it's her time of the month?'

"Not you too Gar." M'gan spoke softly as she backed away from the green haired boy. Garfield was staring at her with a mix of confusion and worry. She gripped her head again as more voices filled her head. "SHUT UP!" She screamed loudly to try and silence everyone around her. Wind picked up around her, forcing her to close her eyes. The screams that filled her head forced her to her knees with her hands covering her ears. But soon the screams were replaced with silence.

M'gan took a deep breath before relaxing a bit and opening her eyes. She stared in shock at the scene around her. Blood spattered the walls and the building was in ruins. "What have I done?" M'gan got up and looked around, but she couldn't look for too long. "What have I done?"

"What have you done?" M'gan looked up as Superman lowered himself into the destroyed cafeteria of Hive Academy. He looked around in shock. "You did this?"

M'gan lowered her head in shame. "I didn't-" She stopped when a sharp pain erupted from her head. She looked over to see that someone had joined Superman, Martian Manhunter. 'Get out of my head!' M'gan yelled at the telepath, stunning him temporarily. 'It was an accident! I would never hurt someone like this!' She screamed towards the two as she glared at them.

Superman and Martian Manhunter clutched their heads in pain, M'gan didn't care if she hurt them anymore. "M'gan?" M'gan stopped at the whisper that came from behind her. Looking back she found her little brother laying on the ground smiling at her from under pieces of rubble. "Hey sis." Garfield gave his sister a smile as she rushed over to him.

"Garfield!" M'gan tried lifting the rubble with telekinesis, but it wasn't working. She then tried to pick up the rubble and help her brother out, but that wasn't working either. "Hold on Gar. I'll get you out." She kept trying to move the rubble, but it was too heavy for her.

"Sis, it's okay." Garfield gave M'gan a soft smile before coughing a small amount of blood into his mouth. "I'll be fine."

"Garfield." M'gan felt tears swell in her eyes before they rolled down her face. "Don't leave me. Please." She brushed her brother's hair into place, it was always so wild.

"I'll always...be with...you..." Garfield spoke softly as the light left his eyes. M'gan cried as she closed her brother's eyes, her family was gone.

"She can't control her powers." M'gan didn't move as she heard Superman speak behind her, she had no fight left in her. "This is better." M'gan felt hands hold her head, then a sharp twist and crack, then nothing but silence and darkness.

~Kid Flash~

"Heads up Wally!" Wally opened his eyes and looked behind him as a soccer ball flew at his face and hit him right in the nose. Wally fell back onto the grass stunned. "Usually people duck when someone yells heads up." Coach looked down at the red head before helping him up.

Wally shook his head to try and clear it. Looking around he was surprised to find himself on the field at school. "I'm not exactly one of the crowd types Coach." Wally said as he rubbed the front of his face, the soccer ball was full.

"Right you are West." Coach patted the boy's shoulder before walking to step off of the pitch. "Game on!"

Wally looked down at the soccer ball at his feet and the people running at him. He had a yellow jersey on, so he ran for the goal that was being protected by people wearing blue jerseys. He passed it off to another team member and ran ahead to have a shot at the goal. When he got the ball back he shot at the goal, scoring a point.

Wally's team cheered loudly. "That's what I'm talking about!" Coach shouted, having waited for Wally to apply himself to other sports. The kid was a natural at them all.

Wally smiled as he ran back down the pitch to protect his team's goal. "Go Wally!" Wally turned and spotted his aunt Iris, uncle Barry, mom and dad watching him. They were cheering him on.

Wally waved to them before running off to help his team. The hairs on the back of his neck picked up and he jumped to the side, missing a blast of ice. Wally turned around to try and find were it came from. But there was no one there, just dark skies and falling ice. Screams burst into life around him as everyone tried to find cover.

"Wally!" Wally looked over at his family, they were waiting for him to join them before leaving. He began running to them, but something was off, he wasn't moving as fast as before. "Hurry up!" He tried to push himself to go faster, but it was no use.

Wally opened his mouth to shout, but his voice froze in his throat. He watched as a large block of ice hit the bleachers beside his family, knocking it over on top of them. "NO!" Wally finally cried out as he reached the mess of metal, ice and bodies. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to get rid of what he had just witnessed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough." He stood there as tears ran down his face.

Screams continued to ring out around him, but there was nothing for Wally West to fear. His family was gone, never to speak to him again. He looked up as more pieces of ice fell from the sky, but none near him. He ran out into the middle of the field and glared up at the sky. "Hit me! You almost did it once! You can do it again! So come on!" He shouted to the sky in anger. "Hit me damn it!"

He closed his eyes as one rather large piece of ice came barreling at him. But a strong pair of arms picked him up and moved him out of the way. "That was close." Wally opened his eyes and gaped as he came face to face with Flash. "You okay there kid?" Flash gave the boy a worried look, he had been meaning to get himself killed.

Wally dropped his gaze from his favorite superhero's. "My family is gone, I couldn't save them. There's nothing left for me."

"I'm sure your family would disagree." Flash placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You can't save everyone kid. You need to accept that. You're only human, same as me." Flash gave the boy a smile as he ruffled his hair. "Now stay here, I'll be back in a flash."

Wally watched as Flash ran back out and pulled more people out of the rain of ice. "Just like him?" Wally watched as Flash zoomed around the field, picking up people and carrying them to the school before running back out and collecting more people. The man was amazing, and beyond human. "I can never be like him." Wally sat back down against the ice he was hiding behind. He look up and smile daddy to see another piece aimed right at him. "Goodbye Flash." He spoke softly before the cold crashed against him. Sending him into a cold and silent blackness.

~Artemis~

Artemis shot up out of bed at the sound of a gunshot. Now she lived in Gotham, so shootings were a regular thing, but this one was in her house. Artemis looked around the room curiously till her eyes landed on an old wooden baseball bat. She grabbed the bat and quietly snuck out of her room and down the hall. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a muscular blond man standing over her bleeding mother.

"You shouldn't have kept her from me Paula." The man said before he aimed his gun at the woman and let off another shot.

"NO!" Artemis shouted as she ran up to the man and swung at him. The bat broke to pieces against his arm. Artemis looked from the bat to the man with wide eyes.

"So you're Artemis." The man looked at the blonde girl with a sneer. Artemis recognized the man, it was the same guy Jade had warned her to stay away from, her father. "Looks like you got more of me in you than Jade did."

"What?!" Artemis looked around the room till her eyes fell on an overturned couch. She ran over to the couch and found her sister laying in a pool of blood. "Jade!" Artemis knelt beside her sister. "Hang in there kitty."

"Run Artemis." Jade spoke softly as she looked over at her little sister. "Run and don't look back."

Artemis shook her head. "I'm not leaving you." She spun around as heavy footfalls approached her. She sent a glare at Lawrence Crook. "You're gonna pay for this." She smashed the display case beside her and pulled the katana out of it. Jade had given it to her as a gift, now it was gonna be of some use.

Lawrence laughed at the girl. "You think you can take me on? You don't stand a chance baby girl."

"Don't call me that!" Artemis yelled as she pulled the blade out and attacked. She ducked under a punch and slashed at the man's exposed skin. She landed several cuts, but they weren't too deep. "You are not my father."

"Genetics would disagree baby girl." Lawrence blocked a sword strike with his gun before back handing the girl. "And your actions scream whose kid you are. And you are all me baby girl."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Artemis shouted as she stabbed her sword through the man's leg. She pulled it up and pushed him to the ground. "All I have ever been told about you is to stay away. That you are a terrible person that only hurts people. And the first time I meet you you attack my family!" Artemis pulled her blade out and stabbed it higher on the man's leg as she swung herself around to kick the man in the face. "Let this end it all." She pulled her blade out as she harshly whispered those words.

Lawrence chuckled as he looked up at Artemis. "This is what you were born to be Artemis, daddy's little girl-" His voice choked as the blade entered his throat and lodged itself in his spine. He gave the girl one more sneer before he stopped moving forever.

Artemis left the sword where it was, she didn't want to touch it. "Mom?" She numbly walked over to her mother. There was a bruise all down the side of her mother's face and a hole in her chest from a bullet. Artemis looked away as tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Arty?" Artemis looked over to see Jade leaning heavily on the couch. Her older sister was looking at their now dead father. "What have you done?"

"I did what I had to." Artemis walked over to her sister to help her. "I'm sorry Jade."

Jade tucked a stray piece of Artemis' hair out of her face. "Don't be, little sister." She placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I was trying to protect you, but it looks like you can certainly take care of yourself."

Artemis gave her sister a weak smile. "Let's get going before anyone else shows up." She pulled her arm over her shoulder to help her stand. But her attention was pulled to the kicked in door as three more thugs ran into the apartment. These guys had larger guns. "Shit."

"End of the line Crook." One of the thugs spoke before the sound of gunshot dominated the air.

Artemis fell back as more bullets dug into her skin. The pain of the first one was numbing the others. Now they just felt like annoyances. As her head hit the floor, the room spun around till everything faded into darkness.

"Artemis?" A voice drifted to her from the void she had lost herself to. "Artemis please wake up." Wally's voice began to grow louder and her senses came back to her. She was expecting pain, but all she felt was a mild headache and a warm hand holding hers. "Artemis?" She opened her eyes to find a smiling red head looking down at her. "Welcome back babe."

Artemis slowly sat up and looked around. "What happened?" She noticed the rest of the team scattered around the room. Although it wasn't so much a room. More like a section of one of multiple levels. "Where are we?"

"The Batcave." Everyone looked over as Batman walked over to them. "Your lucky you all still had the ear pieces on you person. Otherwise I may not have found you all in time."

"In time for what?" Artemis asked as she looked around. It seemed she was the last to come to.

"The Court of Owls hallucinogenic." Batman stated as he turned, expecting the Team to follow. "It causes people to experience one of their worst fears. And they will see it through till the end. And the end usually ends with their death. But I was able to get you all the cure before that happened." Batman sat down at his computer and began typing. "We need to be ready. By the time I found the Court, they were all dead. I'm assuming you all had nothing to do with it."

"We didn't." Robin stated as he leaned against the keyboard of the computer. "They were alive the last time we saw them. So if anyone did it, it was probably Talon. He didn't seem to like being under their thumb."

"Why exactly do we need to be ready?" Kid Flash asked as he raised his hand. "I mean, why would he come after us?"

"Because we are a threat to him." Batman stated as he continued to type. Pulling up information on Talon. "He wants to be in control of Gotham, and that won't happen while I'm around, or anyone else that can stand in his way." As he finished speaking an alarm sounded off. "They're here." The Team and Batman tensed as Talon Warriors and Talon himself dropped from the ceiling onto the many floors of the Batcave. "There's a climate control panel in the storehouse on the bottom floor. Those Warriors are fragile when frozen. -20 degrees Celsius should do it."

"Got it. Aqua Lad, Miss Martian, Super Boy your on Climate Control. Kid Flash, Artemis stick close together and take out as many soldiers as you can." Robin started listing off orders as the Warriors began running at them.

Aqua Lad jumped over the railing, shortest route to the ground, and rolled away from a sword strike As he landed. He pulled out his water bearers and blocked other attacks as he worked his way through toward the storehouse. "I will go for the control while you two take care of the Warriors. I believe you two will be able to take down more than myself."

"You got it." Super Boy said as he unleashed a beam of heat vision. He grimaced as severed body parts continued to move after being cut off. "That is just gross." He continued to fight as Aqua Lad made a run for the storehouse, Miss Martian covering him. "I really hope this works."

They continued to fight and hold back the Warriors as the temperature of the Batcave began to drop. Soon they could see their breath as they breathed. And not long after did the Warriors stop moving and crystallize. Super Boy punched one of the Warriors, shattering it into ice shards. "I believe it worked my friend." Aqua Lad spoke as he walked out of the storehouse.

~Batman~

"Robin you're with me." Batman said as he ran past the teen, smirking as the boy caught up to him. "We're taking on Talon." He got a nod from the boy as they began their attack.

"So the Batman has a sidekick." Talon taunted as he blocked Batman's attack. "So you decided to fight against me, Robin." Talon kicked at the boy, but Robin kept over his leg in a twisted jump. "So you are a skilled acrobat? Who taught you?"

"None of your business." Robin said as he threw birdarangs at the man. He followed up with more close up attacks in between Batman's assaults.

Talon chuckled as he backed away. "I'm only curious. I know a family that are skilled acrobats as well. Their son was suppose to be my apprentice. But they had an accident and died before the contract could be fulfilled."

"What?" Robin paused for a moment, but it was a mistake. Talon landed a solid kick on his chest, knocking him into the concrete wall of the Batcave. He grunted as his life dropped by a third. "Totally starting to feel the 'dis'." He flipped himself up onto a hanging bar as a knife landed where he had been moments earlier.

"You think you both can take me on?" Talon dodged another attack from Batman. He got a hold of the man and tossed him over the edge of the railing. He avoided an attack from Robin before grabbing the teen by the neck. "You're just like me, Robin. Full of potential, but misguided."

"No. I'm. Not." Robin landed a hit on Talon's face. He landed and tried to move, but Talon had hit him with a paralysis. "No!"

Talon brushed himself off. "I'm doing this for you Robin. Without them you could be so much greater." Talon turned his body to go and finish Batman as his face continued to face the red and black hero. "This is for your own good-" As he turned to face the railing, Batman landed a punch on his face.

"He can chose for himself." Batman said as he landed another punch on Talon. "Kid's make mistakes." He dodged a kick and landed one of his own. "That's how they learn." He blocked a punch before delivering a headbutt. "And it's not up to us to decide-" He was cut off as Talon stabbed a knife into his gut.

Talon stood over Batman as he knelt on the ground. "It is for me to decide." He kicked the man in the face. "He doesn't know what the world is like. I can show him how to survive the best." He kicked the man again, turning him over onto his stomach. "And together we will rule." A pair of spikes came out of the bottom of his boot as he stomped down on Batman's back.

"No!" Talon looked up as Robin landed on his face and pushed him back. Robin knelt down by Batman, he was in the red for health, but so was Talon.

"Let him go Robin. Let him die." Talon hissed as he readied to finish off Batman, and if needed Robin.

Robin pulled out his eskrima sticks. "No." He ran at Talon, blocking his clawed hands as they pushed against each other. "My fate is my own. And I have already made my choice." Robin ducked down, sliding Talon's claws past him and landed two hits on his stomach. He spun away from him before landing two more kicks and knocking his feet out from under him.

Talon rolled away from the teen and pulled out his twin sai. He lunged at Robin, blocking his blunt weapons. "So you choose to be weak."

"I choose to be better than you." Robin swung at Talon, but the man knocked his eskrima stick out of his hand. So Robin returned the favor.

Talon landed another kick on Robin's chest. The boy flew a feet feet away, his other weapon flying from his hand. "It's over Robin." Talon walked up to Batman and picked him up by his neck. "You will always be stuck under his shadow. And you will never become who you were meant to if you stay there." He flexed his claws. "Say goodbye."

Robin grabbed whatever was nearby, a fallen sai, and ran at Talon. "No!" Robin swung up and sat on the man's shoulders, punching the side of his face.

Talon released Batman as he tried to get Robin off of him, but the hero had a firm grip. He rolled back, sliding out of the hold and stood tall. He froze as a sai was aimed at his face. He noticed Robins serious expression, and Batman watching behind them. He smirked as he grabbed Robin's hand. "Don't doubt your instincts." He pulled the boy forward, impaling his neck on the boy's weapon.

Robin let the sai go as Talon fell back. He looked down at the man in shock. He shook his head as he turned away from the dead body. He looked up as a shadow covered him. "Killing is never the answer." Batman said as he looked down at the teen hero. "But sometimes it's the best choice available to us." He gave the boy a small smile. "Good job."

Robin was about to answer as a message popped up along the top of the Batcave. "Level 64 Boss defeated! Level 65 now open!"

"It seems you have somewhere else to be." Batman said as he looked towards the rest of the Team. "I wish you all the best of luck. The road only gets harder from here."

Kid Flash frowned as he looked at Batman. "Wait, what?!"

"This game is only going to become more difficult as you progress." Batman said as he looked over at the slow fading body of Talon. "The graphics are also changing. Instead of instantly vanishing, the bodies are going to take some time to vanish. Be careful."

"You know this is a game?" Artemis raised an eyebrow as she pointed at Gotham's Dark Knight. "How?" Batman turned away and said nothing to the blonde archer as he left the team to continue on their own. "Anyone else lost?"

"Well he is Batman." Miss Martian pointed out. "We should get to the portal. Wayne Manor right?"

"Yeah, at the center of the maze." Robin walked over to the Batcave's teleporter. "This should get us right outside of the gate."

"How do you know this?" Super Boy asked their leader.

Robin shrugged. "Hacked the Batcomputer back on level 26. Now let's get to that next level."

Oh My Gosh this one took me so long to write. But I quite like it. Please let me know what you thought of the level. And just a heads up, work is taking a lot of my time away from me and I do not have a chapter ready for next week. So please don't hate me if there isn't an update next week. I will try my hardest to have one done, but there is no guarantee.

Thank you for sticking with the story so far. And for those that are new to the story, welcome and enjoy.