Sigh, wow, so it's been more than a year. Time really just gets away from me! but hey update! I know I probably lost a lot of people interested, but I still want to finish the story... eventually. Anyway, old followers, welcome back and thanks for waiting, and any new people, hello!


Wally awkwardly scampered through the halls, trying to be as stealthy as possible while holding the back of his paper gown shut- Wally didn't want Wonder Woman (or any other leaguer really) getting a peek at his bare butt. Wally peered around a corner into the main hall.

If Wally had any doubts about sneaking out and following his team, they were now gone. The speedster walked into the center of the room, staring up at the huge monitors. He wasn't worried about being caught anymore- none of the leaguers were home to send him back to bed.

On the screen was a chaotic scene that looked like it belonged in a ridiculously overblown action movie, not on NY news. Skyscrapers crumbled like sandcastles, beams of light flashed- Wally didn't stay to see exactly what was causing the pandemonium. He knew it was only a distraction to keep the Big 10 busy while the Injustice League led his team into a trap.

Wally shook his head and sped through the halls, checking rooms as he went. There was no time for worrying- only action. Eventually Wally stumbled upon his uniform. He grabbed it and shook it out. Too bad no one had done his laundry. The outfit reeked of hydrogen sulfide (classic swamp smell), was stiff with dirt and slime, and looked like it had been through a shredder considering all the snags and slashes that marred the fabric. His spare was at the cave, but there was no time. Wally sighed and dropped his gown, pulling on the crusty uniform.

As he slid his arm into the sleeve, a jab of pain seized his shoulder. Wally stumbled forward, bracing himself against a counter. He grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for the pain to fade into an uncomfortable throb.

"Man that was not pleasant," Wally muttered to himself, carefully shrugging on his uniform. The sweat on the back of his neck caused him to shiver. If he was having problems putting on his uniform, how was he going to fight an entire team of villains? Wally's heart began to pound as dismay settled over him like a heavy fog.

"I don't have a choice. I have to try." The speedster told himself. As a test run, Wally ran to the zeta-tubes. Running normally tore at his shoulder, so the speedster ran while trying to hold his injured arm still, which was awkward and significantly less super-speedy than usual. But he was going to have to deal if he wanted to get to his team in at least decent fighting condition. Wally stepped into the teleporter, zeta-ing to the port that would get him closest to the villains' base. But even then, it was still a thirty minute run at super-speed, and realistically longer at Wally's current less-than-super-speed.

The team gazed up through the darkness at the dome of the Injustice League headquarters. The new glass panels over the dome glinted like sharpened knives under the moonlight. Other than the repaired greenhouse, the laboratory seemed to be an uninhabited ruin, sinking slowly into the swamp. But this was where Wally escaped from- where the villains were keeping Artemis.

Robin let out an audible sigh. "Trap?"

"Trap," the team echoed in unison.

"But what choice do we have?" Kaldur said, taking the lead.

From her chair, Artemis gazed around the large storeroom. The empty space would soon be filled with chaos and fighting. She knew exactly how this was going to go.

Her father told her the plan- the weaknesses of each teammate that would be exploited, which villain would fight which teammate, and how they would take each teammate out. Artemis committed the horrible plan to memory, because if she was responsible for any screw ups…

The archer shook her head. She would not let herself think about the worst-case scenario. What was about to happen right in front of her would be torture enough. Her entire body ached, knowing that she would be the cause of her team's downfall.

The comm Sportsmaster ordered her to wear buzzed to life. Artemis grit her teeth as her father's disgusting voice poured into her ear. "They're coming little girl. Hope you're ready."

Artemis slumped forward in her chair and hung her head. She wasn't restrained- another way for her father to tempt her. She wanted nothing more than to get up and run to her friends, but if she moved, he would die. Footsteps echoed from the hallway into Artemis's room.

"Artemis!" M'gann called her name. Artemis felt like she was ready to snap, but she held her body still.

A strong hand seized her ponytail and yanked it back. Artemis let out a genuine yelp. The blade of a knife pressed against her throat.

This was not part of the plan.

"Stop right there." Sportsmaster growled, yanking Artemis's head back farther.

"He's bluffing!" Superboy proclaimed.

"You're evil, but not evil enough to kill your own family," Zatanna snarled.

"Who said anything about killing? Now, maiming… preventing her from ever using that little bow and arrow again, well…"

Artemis cried out as the knife moved down, cutting into her shoulder, blood dripping down to her hand.

The team froze. From behind Sportsmaster appeared Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Count Vertigo, Ultra-Humanite, Wotan, and the Joker.

"How are you all…" Robin was slack jawed and shaking- but not with fear. Rage bubbled up inside the young hero.

"How are you free?!" He demanded.

"We've been planning this for a very long time," Count Vertigo smiled.

Atomic Skull brought forward a ring of inhibitor collars.

"Not yet… have a little fun with them first. Give them a chance to fight for their lives." Sportsmaster jeered. With that, the Injustice League sprang into action.

As the chaos unfolded in front of Artemis, Sportsmaster chuckled. "Nothing personal, just a little improv to make it look real."

Artemis didn't respond, she just watched as the events unfolded exactly the way her father described.

Black Adam grabbed Rocket, spinning and flinging her into Miss Martian. With the psychic disabled, Captain Marvel's evil twin swooped around and flew straight into Kaldur, knocking him into M'gann and Rocket with such force that Artemis jerked forward. Her father's heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder as the fight continued.

Atomic Skull encircled the three fallen heroes in fire using an energy beam, causing the Atlantian and Martian to collapse. Rocket began to stir, but was rendered motionless by a hit from Ultra Humanite. Zatanna rushed over to help, but Black Adam clamped a hand over her mouth and grabbed her, rising into the air as she struggled against his inhumanly strong arms. Wotan flew up to meet them, touching Zatanna's forehead and muttering a spell. She fell limp, and Black Adam dropped her to the ground.

Superboy leapt into Black Adam, knocking him out of the air. Simultaneously, Count Vertigo aimed a sonic blast at the ceiling, causing beams and debris to fall on Superboy. The Kryptonian lifted his hands and caught an I-beam before it smashed him, which left him vulnerable to Ultra Humanite smashing into him from behind, holding Superboy in a headlock as Black Adam slammed his fist into the hero and Count Vertigo blasted his head with sonic waves, rendering the superhuman unconscious.

In the far corner of the room, the Joker was stalking robin, walking slowly but menacingly towards him. "Wanna see something neat?" The Joker brought a stick out of his jacket pocket, flicking it out, tripling it in length. Then, the end enlarged, forming the head of a hammer with "Pop goes the Weasel" scrawled around it. "The joker sighed. "It was a gift. Too bad it doesn't say 'Pop goes the Bird Brat'!" Robin allowed himself to be too distracted by the Joker. Count Vertigo blasted him continuously from behind, causing the boy wonder to sink to the ground. "Aaand whammo!" The Joker swung, his hammer hitting robin in the head, knocking him across the floor, where he landed and didn't move.

Sportsmaster clamped an inhibitor collar around each of Artemis's teammates as she sat and watched, helpless. As Ultra Humanite and Black Adam hauled the team away, Count pressed a hand to his ear. "Another one approaching… fast." He snarled.

Artemis wanted to be hopeful, but with Wally's condition and her father's trump card… there was no hope to be had. Defeated, Artemis turned to Sportsmaster. Even under his mask, Artemis could sense her father's menacing grin.

"What are you going to do to him?" her voice came out soft and hoarse.

"The question isn't what will I do to him, its what will you do to him." Sportsmaster sneered.


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