Chapter 2

"This has gotten ridiculous." Artemis threw her hands up. "Don't you guys get it? We're back to square one with these people! We're not heroes to them! We're just children that need to be controlled."

"Chill Artemis. We just need to remain calm and keep our heads on straight." Robin managed to keep his brave face while on the inside, he was feeling the exact same way.

"No! We're just as good! We've battled the Injustice League, we've tangoed with the worst of the worst. At least in our dimension we'd finally earned a modicum of respect. This? This is not okay! We're back in a holding cell and we just let them put us here. It's insane!"

"Artemis-"

"She's right." Wally agreed. "Look at Rob. He's more field experience than a lot of the people actually in The League and we're all still just sidekicks. We'll always be sidekicks." Wally said in a defeated tone.

"Stop it you guys." M'gann cried. "We are not sidekicks. We've earned our places just like anyone else. We're an elite team, emphasis on team. They might not respect us here but we know in our hearts that our mentors, that our families would never treat us this way."

"I don't care about that. All I know is that I'm sick of being caged like an animal." Superboy stood up and glared at the door.

"These are the people that trained us right? If anyone knows their weaknesses-"

"It's us."

"Anyone feel like a little offensive play?"

J'onn paused midsentence to listen. "The girl, my niece is blocking my thoughts. However, I can still feel how irate the children have become. They are not pleased with us for locking them away." He informed the League just as Shayera walked in.

"I don't care about what pleases them. I just want them gone." Batman growled.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Clark inquired. He had volleyed for the team to be set up in individual bedrooms in the watchtower. His idea had been ignored.

"We should call Aquaman and Green Arrow. This is their problem too." Diana said. "If it was my 'partner', I would want to know."

"And the extra backup couldn't hurt." Hawk Girl supplied. "There's no way we can handle them on our own again. Last time, they were scared and focused on finding a way out. Next time, they'll be solely focused on the fight." She said.

"The rage is building. If we do not act quickly, we may have another fight on our hands." J'onn interjected. Clark stood.

"I'm letting them out. This isn't fair to a bunch of kids." He said.

The sound of a door ripping off its hinges told him he had been too late.

"You didn't have to break the door." Robin admonished.

"I told you I don't like being caged." Superboy growled. He threw the now broken door down on the floor. "Let's take 'em down." The team shot forward weapons at the ready.

"M'gann?" Aqualad shouted.

'I've got it!' All their minds were linked. 'He won't get in this time.' She could feel J'onn poking at her shields, looking for an entry point. 'You won't get me this time.' She put her hands to her temples and focused on keeping the older man out of her mind.

'Artemis! I have a plan; we'll need one of your impact arrows.' Robin thought to her. 'Wally, put her on your back again. Artemis proved she could hit Flash, now let's hit him where it counts. We can find this dimension's Zatara and get out of here on our own terms.'

Artemis hopped on Wally's back and drew an arrow. 'Don't slow down until I tell you to.' She warned.

'Anything for you babe.'

'Focus!'

Superman was ready to handle the kids again. He hoped he could talk them out of doing something so foolish but the prospect seemed unlikely.

Suddenly, the room was filled with a thick black smoke and he was being thrown backwards. They meant business this time. The attack was clearly coordinated. With his heightened vision, Clark could make out the bright red S-Shield decorating Superboy's chest. "Been waitin' a long time to do that." The boy said.

"I can tell." Clark threw Conner off of him. The last time, the boy had only wished to hold Clark back from going after the others. This time, he was in full fledged attack mode.

Hawk Girl struggled to dodge the stream of water that almost knocked her out of the air. Aqualad had burst the pipes and was trying his hardest to bring her down. He sent a stream of electricity through the water, effectively using the older woman's flail as a lightning rod. Shayera was screaming when she hit the ground. Her red hair covered her face.

"You're going to pay for that." Green Lantern growled. Aqualad managed to dodge the beams of green light coming his way. He'd seen John Stewart fight before; he just needed to remember his battle strategies.

'Okay, get ready to slow up. Remember the plan.' Artemis readied her bow for what she knew would be a sudden deceleration. She just hoped their strategy worked. 'NOW!'

Wally dug his heels into the metal floor, screeching to a sudden stop. Flash stumbled to do the same and Artemis fired her impact arrow right for his left knee.

Barry felt the pain in his knee before he spotted the arrow. He swore underneath his breath as a second arrow came flying at his right knee, immobilizing him.

'Good thing I'm a fast he healer.' He thought painfully.

"You know what would be awesome for you right now?" Kid Flash suddenly stood in front of him. "If you had a partner, say one dressed in yellow? You may not be in this situation right now uncle B." With those words, Kid Flash and Artemis disappeared.

Martian Manhunter had already begun setting up the zeta beam transport before the fight began. Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Supergirl all appeared in the transporter.

"-now what did J'onn say?" Ollie asked.

"Something about parallel uni- KAL!" Kara Zor-El launched herself at the boy who had her cousin pinned.

"There's a chick version of Supey here? You've got to be kidding me!" Kid Flash exclaimed. Kara pinned Conner to the ground. She lifted her fist to punch him, when and arrow slammed against her shoulder. Conner took her brief moment of distraction to flip her over.

"This was definitely not accounted for." Dick Grayson hissed. He hadn't expected any more Leagues to get involved. Green Arrow was taking aim and Wally and Black Canary was helping John disable Aqualad.

"If you really were my partner, you'd know to account for every situation and how to handle it before entering into a fight." Batman said. He threw another batarang at the teen.

"Sorry if my game's a little off. Transdimensional travel tends to do that me." Robin countered with spiraling back flip.

"It's obvious that I trained you, that's the only reason you've been able to last this long. However, I can't say I understand why I would take on an apprentice." Bruce's eyes raked over the young man. He wasn't stupid, he could recognize his own fighting style.

"You didn't take in an apprentice. You took in a son." Dick vaulted past him.

'Artemis! I need your help!' he thought.

'I'm a little bit busy helping Superboy!' she mentally shouted back.

'It is to help Superboy. We need to take out the blonde and Superman! For that, I'm going to need your help.'

Artemis gasped as she saw Robin's mental plan flash through her mind. It was brilliant. 'I read you loud in clear, boy wonder.' Robin reached into his utility belt and tossed her the item she'd seen in her vision. She removed two of her electrified arrows and readied the assault. She pulled back her bowstring and took aim.

M'gann hadn't even begun to fathom how hard it would be to fight her uncle when she decided to take him head on. The Martian had years of experience and he was the one who'd taught her everything she knew.

'I have to keep the others safe. I have to protect my friends.' She focused hard, trying to deflect all of the potentially incapacitating blows her uncle was throwing her way.

'You do not have to fight. We can settle this peacefully.' J'onn's gentle voice came in her mind.

'No, I don't believe we can. We refuse to be treated like prisoners. This has to end somewhere.' She responded. She could feel him prodding inside her head, he was all over.

'Why, you aren't my niece at all are you? You're a white mar-'

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she screamed. In an instant, the battlefield exploded into chaos. Everyone was vaulted off their feet and thrown into walls, tables, and even chairs. The psychic backlash threw M'gann into the ground and her would-be-uncle spiraling into the nearest wall.

"Damn, Miss M…did you have to hit us too?" Robin struggled to get to his feet. He could see everyone in the room trying to do the same. This was the window they needed. Despite M'gann's battle, the mental uplink remained intact.

'This is exactly what we needed! We can bolt!' he mentally shouted. Superboy yanked up Miss Martian as soon as Kid Flash had Artemis and the pairs vanished. Robin and Aqualad were soon on Superboy's heels.

"Now exactly what was so urgent? I was in the middle of an adventure you know." Aquaman stepped out of transport only to be smashed to the ground by Kid Flash.

"Wally!" Artemis flew off of Kid Flash's back and onto the hard metal floor.

"What in the world? Who are you children?" Aquaman look to the two teens confusedly.

"Aquaman?" Kid Flash asked groggily. "Great, now we really have a party. When is this going to end?"

"It ends the moment we all decided to stop fighting and talk." Neither Kid Flash nor Artemis had noticed the man of steel approached them. "You aren't the only one with super speed." He smiled and held out his hand. "I promise that I won't let them put you in a cage if you promise me that you won't let your friend shoot me with her kryptonite arrow. Smart kid, your Robin friend." He winked at Artemis. She scowled. How had he known Robin had handed her off the Kryptonite.

"Fine. But any of you call us sidekicks one more time I swear I'll-"

"Deal. And believe, you just proved that you're much better than sidekicks."