Author's Note: I was sick today, and felt it was a good time to get some writing done. This one will be longer than usual, to make up for the past couple. Without further ado, chapter ten!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Desmond.

Chapter Ten

Injustice

Desmond managed to get through school, though his mind was on his meeting with Ra's all day. He tried not to think about it too much, for fear his thoughts would be picked up by Megan. When school ended, Conner and Desmond accompanied Megan to cheer practice. It was their standard routine; Megan would practice with the bumblebees, and the boys would chill out in the bleachers. Desmond would often make passing comments about the hottest cheerleaders, and tease Conner when he did not do the same (because of his feelings for Megan.) Today, however, Desmond was silent. He somberly sat, just watching the cheerleaders, not saying a word. Conner noticed Desmond's strange silence. "Hey man," he ventured. "You all right? You haven't even mentioned how good that Christie girl looks today." Desmond grinned. His friend knew him well. Desmond sighed.

"I'm alright, dude," he assured the Kryptonian. "Just got a lot on my mind. I can't wait to get back home, just relax for a while. No homework due tomorrow, since its Friday. Maybe I'll go for a swim." Desmond had been referring to Mount Justice as "home" for a few days now. Seeing as he'd spent half his life wandering around from town to town, fleeing the tyranny that was Ra's al Ghul, Mount Justice was really the best place he'd ever lived. It was home.

Conner nodded. "Alright, as long as you're cool," he said, and turned back to face the cheerleaders. Desmond smiled again at Conner's genuine concern. That was another part of what made Mount Justice a home. M'gann and Superboy. They were genuine friends, nearly family at this point. Though it had only been a little over a week, he already felt closer to them, and the rest of the team, than his actual family. Talia excluded, of course.

When cheerleading practice was over, and the three teens returned to Mount Justice, Desmond was ready to unwind completely. First he'd watch some mind-numbing TV, just to get his mind off things. Then he'd go for a quick swim, which was always an easy way to clear his head. Then he'd see if anyone wanted to spar with him. For some reason he was hoping Artemis would. No specific reason, he just sort of wanted to hang with her. All these ideas were rushing through his head when they arrived in the Mission Room. It was that moment when all these ideas went out the window. Standing before them, much like yesterday, was the entire team, in full uniform. Batman stood there with them, looking stern.

"Will this be an everyday occurrence?" he asked impatiently. "M'gann, your cheerleading is interfering with team meetings." M'gann apologized, but Batman told her it was fine. There was clearly something on his mind. He turned to the holographic computer. "Computer, national news." The news flicked up, and a startled Cat Grant was reporting. There was a lot of background noise, but from the looks of things, giant plants were attacking all over the world. Desmond's eyes widened. The video showed several members of the League fighting the plants, but the damage was too great to call it a victory. Then the plants returned fire, thrashing buildings and vehicles.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asked, rearing to get going.

"No, the League will soon have the situation under control," said Batman. "That's not why I'm here. According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"Who combined it with Bane's venom to create Kobra-Venom," Kid Flash reminded him.

"Batman?" Artemis cut in. "Is it possible those plant-thingies are on Kobra-Venom too?" she asked.

"The vine's cellulous does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant," he explained, while typing something in on a holographic keyboard.

"These cannot be coincidences," Aqualad spoke up. "Unrelated criminals are cooperating with one another worldwide."

"Exactly," said Batman. "It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of… secret society of super villains. The attacks are only the beginning." Suddenly, the screen behind Batman became fuzzy and distorted. Then, out of nowhere, a face appeared. One that nearly anyone in the world would recognize. The Joker. He tapped the glass of the camera recording him, a wicked smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, menacingly. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this important announcement." He backed away, and turned the camera to the side. "From the Injustice League." He cackled. The camera now showed a group of other notorious villains. Desmond could see Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Wotan, Count Vertigo, Poison Ivy, and Ultra Humanite.

"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities," said Count Vertigo. "If you wish to save them, a ransom of ten billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit, but, the longer your governments wait…" Joker turned the camera back to himself.

"The more we get to have our… jollies…" He leaned into the monitor, cackling like a madman. Well, he was a madman. Then the camera cut out. Batman put a hand to his earpiece.

"Roger that Aquaman," he said. "We'll prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it won't come to that." Robin backed up the footage to show all the members of the Injustice League again.

"There's your secret society," Kid Flash whispered.

"Not so secret anymore," said Artemis.

"I have a job for you," said Batman. "With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously, there must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it."

"We'll be fighting them?" asked Desmond incredulously. "You think we're ready?" Batman nodded solemnly.

"Zatara has already discovered their location," Batman informed them. "You'll be headed to Louisiana. The coordinates are being sent to your communicators." The team nodded.

"We're on our way," said Aqualad. Without another word, the team ran off to M'gann's Bio-Ship.

XxXxX

The ship approached the swaps of Louisiana, and the team began formulating a plan. Desmond had changed in the back of the ship when they first took off. Aqualad, situated at the front of the ship, spoke up.

"We'll try to get in stealthily," he began. "M'gann will hold the Bioship's camouflage until we get near their base. At that point we'll most likely need to think on our feet." Desmond noticed a small duffel bag by Aqualad's feet.

"What's in the bag?" he asked the Atlantian curiously. Aqualad looked at the bag.

"Plan B," he said cryptically, and left it at that. Robin picked up the conversation from there.

"When we get above their base, we should—" Suddenly M'gann gasped. The team looked to her to see what was wrong.

"She's hurt," M'gann said, through barred teeth. The team looked to Artemis quizzically.

"I feel fine," the archer assured the others. M'gann shook her head.

"Not her," she explained. "The ship. It's like something's… interfering with her ability to stay in camouflage. She's trying but…" Just then something from outside hit the ship. Hard. It spiraled through the air, heading straight for the swap below them. The team screamed at M'gann tried to regain control, but to no avail. The ship crashed in the murky swap below. Just when it had touched down in the swampy waters, three or four giant vines shot up, and wrapped themselves around the ship. As if that wasn't bad enough, there was a sound coming from above them. The team looked to see Black Adam ripping a hole through the top of the ship. He shoved his face in, preparing for an attack. In retaliation, Superboy slugged him in the face, sending him flying. He may have been gone, but the damage was done from the vines. The ship was quickly filling with water, and the team panicked trying to escape. Robin and Artemis pulled small devices for breathing underwater out of their belts, and Desmond grabbed Kid Flash's shoulder, planning to phase the two of them out together.

"M'gann, we need to get out," Superboy reminded her. "Open a hatch!" M'gann hit herself in the forehead, and repeated her usual 'Hello Megan' catchphrase. The Bio-Ship created a small hole at the bottom, which Aqualad, Superboy, Robin, Miss Martian, and Artemis swam out of. Desmond and Kid Flash swam to the side of the ship nearest land, and phased through the wall. They came out the other side, and swam to meet the rest of the team on dry land. They crouched behind some trees, and watched in horror as the Bio-Ship was dragged into the murky water by the vines.

"She's in shock," M'gann said. "She'll need time to recover." Suddenly there was an incredible headache shared amongst the team, as everyone screamed in agony. Kid Flash looked up to see their assailant.

"Vertigo," he managed.

"Count Vertigo, to you, peasant," said the regal villain. Superboy got up to fight the Count, but was quickly punched in the face by Black Adam, who returned out of nowhere. Aqualad quickly controlled the nearby water to attack Count Vertigo, who stumbled backwards.

Robin, Miss Martian, disappear, he thought to them. We will keep them busy. You two fulfill the mission objective. Without another word/thought, they did as they were asked, and the rest of the team was left to fight the others. Superboy and Desmond quickly teamed up on Black Adam, while Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Artemis focused on Count Vertigo. Desmond lashed out at Adam, who dodged the fist, but wasn't quick enough to avoid Superboy's kick to his back. Adam was sent flying, but quickly regained his stance. He charged Superboy, who caught his fist, and the two entered a 'pushing match.' Desmond seized the opportunity to check on how the others were doing with Count Vertigo. He wasn't too pleased with what he saw. Kid Flash was in the mud, having fallen to one of Vertigo's blasts. Artemis was cocking another arrow, but just as she shot it Vertigo turned to her, and sent her to the ground as well. Aqualad swiped at him with water, which sent Vertigo to the ground himself, but he quickly got back up.

"Shifter!" called Superboy, causing Desmond to pay attention to his own battle. "A little help over here, huh?" Desmond saw that Adam was quickly getting the upper hand on the Kryptonian, so Desmond charged him. He collided with Adam, sending them both flying into a tree. They broke through the tree, and landed in the mud. Desmond took a few shots at Adam's chest, which he couldn't manage to block. Desmond felt he was finally getting the upper hand. Then Black Adam opened his mouth.

"SHAZAM!" he shouted. A blinding bolt of lightning came down from the sky, coming to give Adam his second wind. Not only did it supply its caller with more energy, but it struck Desmond in the process. The hero screamed in agony, and Adam flung him from his body. Desmond crashed into a large rock jutting out of the mud, and didn't get up. Superboy charged Adam again, but the Egyptian villain merely swatted him away. Then Adam jumped to where Desmond had landed, and stood over the boy.

"Puny mortal," Adam said menacingly. "You can never withstand the power of Black Adam!" He pulled back his leg, and Desmond had just enough time to lower his density before Black Adam kicked out. Passing through Desmond, Adam's foot hit the boulder. The rock instantly shattered. Desmond saw his chance, and phased through the ground. He moved behind Adam, and grabbed his ankle. Yanking hard, Desmond pulled Black Adam underneath the earth, leaving only his head above the ground. Desmond came out of the ground, now having the advantage. Superboy came running up to Desmond.

"The others are down, and Vertigo's coming this way," he said urgently. Desmond smiled wickedly.

"We'll take care of him in a second," Desmond said. "First I need to withstand the power of Black Adam." Desmond wound up his own kick, ready to deliver it to Adam's smug face. Then Adam pulled his secret weapon again.

"SHAZAM!" he shouted. Yet another bolt of lightning came down, striking both heroes in the process. This one was stronger than the last, and Desmond had just enough strength to get onto his knees before he blacked out completely.

XxXxX

When Desmond awoke, he was flying. Well, not really. He was in a cage, which was being carried by Black Adam, who was flying. The rest of the team awoke, to hear Wotan assuring Vertigo the cage was impenetrable.

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts, Wotan!" shouted Aqualad. The tattoos on his arms began to glow as he tried to force his way out of the cage. Suddenly an electric shock ran through his body, and he slumped down, defeated.

"Please, Atlantian," said Wotan. "Do not pretend you are in my league." The cage neared some sort of large dome. There was a giant plant growing out of the top.

"That must be their base," Artemis whispered. Suddenly there was a sound above them, like a jet engine flying, and Wotan was knocked out of the sky. He fell into the waters below, and the cage dissolved. The team began falling to the ground, and it was not a small drop. Aqualad quickly commanded the water to come and meet him, giving him a safe landing. Superboy grabbed onto KF, and Desmond pulled Artemis onto his back. Superboy and Desmond landed with a thud, and let their passengers down onto the ground. Just as they got up from the ground, someone staggered into view. The giant silver gorilla known as Ultra Humanite, carrying a large black gun. Superboy huffed.

"I hate monkeys," he growled, and charged the gorilla. Desmond, Artemis, and Aqualad stood to help, but were interrupted by the presence of another villain, Poison Ivy. She positioned her plants menacingly. The three got in fighting stances, Aqualad and Artemis reaching for their weapons. Said weapons must have been taken by the Injustice league, however, because neither had them.

"Ugh," groaned Artemis. "I feel naked. And not in a fun way…" Ivy sent her plants to attack the three heroes. They dodged the strike, and Aqualad locked eyes with Artemis.

"Maneuver Seven," he stated. Desmond was confused, but Artemis knew exactly what the Atlantian meant. She ran to him, and he cupped his hands together. She jumped, landing a foot in his interlocked fingers. He thrust her upwards, and at Poison Ivy. Artemis delivered a kick that sent the villain to the ground. Desmond glanced in time to see Kid Flash get back-handed by Black Adam. Desmond sneered.

"Round two!" he exclaimed, charging Adam. The villain lunged at Desmond, who dodged the attack, and delivered a swift jab to Adam's rib cage. Adam grunted slightly, and retaliated with a strong punch to Desmond's face. The young hero flew backwards, and landed at Count Vertigo's feet. The Count rested a boot on Desmond's chest, and delivered a blast to him. Desmond couldn't move. Vertigo looked again at Black Adam.

"Where are Robin and the Martian?" he asked impatiently. Just that moment, they heard Poison Ivy cry out.

"My baby!" Everyone, including a downed Desmond, looked to the giant plant sprouting from the top of the dome. It was covered in tons of Robin's small explosive discs. Suddenly there was a high-pitched squealing sound, and the explosives went off, one after another, destroying the giant foliage. When the smoke cleared, Desmond saw Robin and Miss Martian, glaring smugly down at the villains.

"Timber," said Robin. Ivy screamed and shot six or seven vines at the two heroes. Miss Martian made quick work of them, telepathically ripping them to shreds. Then she was hit with some sort of beam. In walked the Joker, and Atomic Skull.

"Children?" asked the Joker, his voice barely audible. "Children foiled our plan?" Atomic Skull chased after Robin, who sprinted away quickly.

"Kill them all!" ordered Vertigo, who had let go of Desmond. Desmond quickly ran to join Aqualad and Artemis. Atomic Skull continued to blast Robin and Miss Martian, and Desmond saw Black Adam swoop in and grab Superboy from behind. Vertigo cornered Artemis, and blasted her, sending her to her knees. Desmond was first on the scene, knocking Vertigo to the ground, and helping Artemis back up. Just then, Wotan levitated into the sky.

"Enough!" he shouted. Robin threw a few explosives at him, but the sorcerer quickly encased himself in a magical shield. Then he sent lighting from his fingertips, striking each member of Young Justice, and sending them to the ground. It shot Miss Martian out of the sky, and she crashed near Aqualad, who was managing to keep the lightning at bay. He turned to her,

"Plan B," he said. She nodded, and suddenly the Bio-Ship appeared. It opened a small hole in the bottom, and out fell the duffel bag from before. It landed at Aqualad's feet. He unzipped it, and pulled out the solid gold Helmet of Fate. Wotan was shocked (no pun intended) and stopped his lightning.

"The Helmet of Fate," he murmured in awe. Kid Flash looked to Aqualad, and held up a hand trying to talk him out of it.

"No Aqualad, don't!" he shouted. Then he was smacked in the face by Black Adam, sending him flying. Desmond quickly smashed Adam in return. Then Aqualad placed the helmet on his head, and there was a flash of golden light. When it died down, Aqualad was gone. In his place was Doctor Fate, floating majestically above the water. He flew up to meet Wotan in the sky.

"Wotan," he said, in a voice that wasn't his own. "You are mine!" The two began a fight of magic, that to those below looked like a lightshow of gold and orange. The Joker took this as a chance to attack Robin, and the two enemies began a fight which mainly consisted of Joker trying to slice Robin with a switchblade. The fight between Fate and Wotan raged on. Miss Martian flew around to get a good strike at Ivy, But Vertigo blasted her out of the sky. Artemis quickly delivered a kick to his smug face. Kid Flash was dodging the giant fists of Ultra Humanite, and Desmond was having a go with Black Adam. Suddenly there was a cry from above, and everyone stopped their fighting to witness the figures of the Justice League float down to end the fighting. In the crowd, Batman spotted Zatara, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary, just to name a few. Batman stepped forward once they'd touched down.

"It's over," he said, addressing all the villains. After sharing a few glances, the Injustice League held up their hands.

"There will be another day," Count Vertigo muttered menacingly. Joker, however, was not so compliant.

"Another day?" he asked incredulously. "Another day!? There won't be another day! For any of us!" He cackled maniacally, and wiggled his fingers, which were gloved with some sort of mechanical webs. Suddenly all the nearby vines erupted, and a sickly green gas came out of them.

"Joker Venom spores!" shouted Batman, covering his face. "Don't breathe!" The Joker laughed harder, but that was quickly ended when Batman punched him in the face. Doctor Fate floated into the sky.

"Fear not!" he proclaimed. A giant glowing ankh formed in front of him, and the Joker Toxin was sucked into it. It was quickly taken care of, and the ankh disappeared. "Fate has intervened!" Fate shouted. The League quickly detained the Injustice League, and flew them off to prison. Soon only Batman, Aquaman, Zatara, Captain Marvel and the team remained with Doctor Fate at the Injustice Leagues base.

"What were you thinking?" shouted Kid Flash at the rest of the team. "You let him put on the Helmet. Nabu… will never release him now. Kaldur will be trapped inside Doctor Fate forever…" Then, without warning, Doctor Fate removed the Helmet, and Aqualad returned to the team. Kid Flash, confused, walked up to Kaldur. "Nabu let you go?" he asked, not believing his eyes. Aqualad smiled.

"He almost did not," the Atlantian explained. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello." KF grinned, and Batman interjected.

"We're done here," he said. "The super villain secret society has been neutralized. And as for your performance…" he let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "It was satisfactory." The team exchanged glances and smiles with each other, and then M'gann called the Bio-Ship to bring them back to Mount Justice.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it! This was an episode I really liked, so naturally I put it in the story. While there will be a lot of original parts of the story, I will definitely take some actual episodes and incorporate Desmond into them. Thanks for all the people who have read, and continue to read! (And happy Halloween!)