Well... that was certainly a long hiatus. A very... very long hiatus...

Allow me to begin this with an apology to you guys. I can only hope you're still waiting for my next chapter. I wouldn't blame you for moving on at this point. As for my absence, my mental health had taken a toll recently. And with a recent move, in addition to the start of university again, and my own participation in NaNoWriMo, my poor little brain child here was on the back burner for far too long. But I can't thank you guys enough for sticking through it with me, if you're still around that is. I appreciate you all like you wouldn't believe.

Hopefully everyone's had an enjoyable holiday season, and a Happy New Year. We're in a new decade now, so let's make this a good one!

Like I said before, I can't thank you guys enough for sticking around here with me this long. I appreciate all of your reviews, they really are a great motivator to me. Speaking of which, time to look at them!:

Mysterygirl145: Well I'm glad that the previous chapter lived up to the hype for you. Hopefully this one was worth the wait as well... But I digress. I definitely agree that Mark Hamill is the best Joker. And his return shall be glorious. His dialogue was certainly fun.

xbox432: Well, yeah, but to be fair most DC content has ended up anachronistic at best, and apocryphal at worst. Do the pits take a toll on a person's sanity? Yes they do. But I figured I could let it slide for the sake of the narrative here. As for people knowing about them, that is a problem. At keast the circle here's been kept small.

Fun fact though, Death actually doesn't mind the pits. She doesn't even care about people coming back to life. She sees it as them having temporary stays with her. They'll be back to her eventually, so she needn't worry.

I can't thank you enough for your kind words regarding Annie's return, and the closure for Victor and Nora. I honestly dislike how DC has been repeatedly making Nora a villain just so Victor can suffer. They deserve their happy endings, dammit!

darthwolf: Damn right, Cassandra is adorable! And no, it isn't actually hypocritical. See, Cass was gonna be killed by Ra's for her "Failure" as it were. Damian, hasn't failed. Nyssa rescued Cass so she wouldn't be killed, not because she didn't want Cass to be a killer. I definitely will be balancing the tables though.

gordhanx: Thank you very much for your kind words, and for a very impartial review. I will agree that insert stories aren't as interesting as they used to be, I'm glad to hear that you found mine to be enjoyable. It's been a lot of fun changing up the way Young Justice works now that it's in the DCAU, and I hope that you'll continue with this story in the future.

7-Eleventh: I'm glad to see that I can still surprise my fans with twists and turns in my story. Annie coming back was something I'd planned for sure, and I definitely think that the execution was well-received. As for the Injustice League expansion, I think you'll like it ;)

Dion ComicWiz: My friend, I can't tell you enough just how much I appreciate your comments each and every time. A double-bill of chapter reviews was the perfect way to lift my spirits throughout this whole process. Chapter Thirteen and the "betrayal" within were definitely something I was glad to see get well-recieved. I had to do some careful managing in order to make it work with the expanded cast. And how could I not go crazy with easter eggs? They're my favourite part. Expect more in the future. The Brotherhood of Dada are my newest delight to write for, and i just can't get enough of them. We really need more of them in the future, and I hope to deliver that. I definitely agree with you about Alan Tudyk's voice though. No need to worry about Terry and Beast Boy, they'll be coming...

Ah chapter fourteen... Well, I'm glad my last minute patch-job for the plot hole was well-received as well. I must admit I was kicking myself when I first found it, but my workaround? I'm happy it worked out. Adapting the Season of infamy as a personal challenge was really dun to tackle, and I'm hoping for more similar challenges in the future. It keeps me on my toes and more flexible as an author I think. Cass and Basil's relation ship, and Nyssa's questionable morals were all so fun to explore, and I'm glad that you're celebrating Annie's return as much as I am. Freeze and Nora definitely deserve theri happy ending. As for the "Batman: SubZero" plothole... I'm considering it Apocryphal. As much as I like that movie, the fact that Freeze STILL doesn't get a happy ending after all that rubs me the wrong way. I want happy endings, dammit!

Thank you again for your kind words though. Hopefully I can find more after posting this chapter.

kuriboh1233: Hey, better late than never.

Thank you one and all for all of your kinds words! I hope to see even more after this chapter!

Speaking of which, disclaimer time: I own nothing but the original concept and a few OCs. Keemia Marko and all associated characters are owned by Marvel and therefore Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.

And now, onto the grand return! Of both this fic, and MARK HAMILL AS THE JOKER!

Metropolis – October 1st, 07:55 EDT

Clark Kent hummed to himself softly, checking the time on his watch as he walked down the bustling early morning streets of Metropolis. His shift wasn't due to start until nine, and his cousin Kara had invited him out to get breakfast before work. With recent League duties leaving them with little time to socialize, Clark immediately jumped at the opportunity and accepted her offer. Kara told him to meet at her apartment at eight, and she would walk him down to a small café nearby that they could try.

He frowned to himself slightly as he continued, passing a young woman who was walking her small dog, as Kara's apartment complex came into view. For the last few weeks she had been rather icy towards him, and it all led back to what he had said regarding his… clone. Clark inwardly sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Superboy, or Conner as the other kids referred to him, was still a hot topic among the League.

Most of the other members thought positively of the boy or, at the very least, were indifferent to him. But Clark was still unnerved by it all. There was just something about Conner that he couldn't abide by, no matter how hard he thought about it. Kara knew this, and her own care for Superboy seemed to be driving a wedge between them.

But now, there was a chance to mend some bridges. A nice quiet breakfast with his cousin so that they could catch up would be the perfect way to get back into a relative sense of normalcy. He entered the building before climbing the staircases up to Kara's room on the fourth floor. Clark couldn't remember the last time he was here. It seemed so long ago now that Kara was rooming with Barbara Gordon while the redhead spent time studying in Metropolis. A favour which was returned in kind to his cousin when she needed a place to stay in Gotham during the Thanagarian invasion so many years ago.

He was broken out of his reminiscing as he arrived at her apartment and knocked on the door. Not even two seconds later, Kara had the door open, looking at him expectantly. She was dressed in a white blouse with a long, pleated khaki skirt. Her usual attire for her day job at CatCo. Worldwide Media, "Hey cousin, long time no see."

"It certainly feels long," Clark chuckled before he leaned forward and captured his cousin in a close hug. He was happy to feel her hugging him back before slowly releasing her from his arms. "Ready to go for breakfast?"

"Almost, just give me one second. Care to step into the living room while I finish up?" she offered, stepping aside to let him in. Clark wasted no time and walked in, his own naiveté driving him forward. He was just stepping into the room when he realised something was wrong. He heard the lock clicking shut behind him, before he saw the others sitting in her living room. Flint was there waiting for him, alongside Peter Parker and Karen Starr. None of them looked too pleased with him.

"Flint, what is this? Why are you here?" Clark asked with a frown, dreading their answers.

"I'm here to talk Clark. We all are." He said simply, leaning forwards in his seat. "Just be glad Lois isn't here for this. We almost called her too."

"This is an intervention." Kara said, entering the room with an expectant look on her face. "We need to talk about how you're treating Conner."

He stiffened at the mention of his clone, his fists involuntarily clenching. "Look, if this is about me ignoring him…"

"It's about more than that, Clark." Karen cut in, her eyes narrowed. "You're not just ignoring him, you're treating him like he's not even there!"

"That's not… No! That's not it at all!" Clark said weakly, reeling back like he'd been slapped. In a way, he almost had been.

"Then why are you never present for him? Any time he's around you find any excuse you can to leave. And you never have anything good to say to him. Nothing to help him!" Peter frowned. "He needs you! He's your clone. Like it or not, he needs you in his life!"

"Clark, if you're worried about the intentions used to make him, we understand." Kara said sympathetically, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Karen was the same way once. Cadmus made her too. But she grew past what they wanted. Conner's grown past it too. He's not their weapon."

"You're almost a father to him Clark." Flint nodded, his face growing softer. "I know that you and Lois are looking towards starting a family of your own someday, but the fact of the matter is that you had a family right there with Conner. He could still be your son." Flint said before standing up. "I've adopted him already, but I know that he'd like to move in with you if you'd only let him. Keemia loves having him as a foster brother, but I think he'd like having you as a father more."

This was a bitter pill for Clark to swallow. He remembered when he first found out about Flint adopting Conner, he felt such a mix of different emotions. But most of all, he felt… envy. He let his own feelings cloud his judgement and he had lost what basically a son to him. He always secretly yearned to fix that but, he was so unsure of how. Would Conner even accept it at this point?

The four watched Clark struggle internally with this conflict, before the man of steel slowly raised his head to them. "You're… right. You're all right… I let my judgement be clouded by feelings that I can't even defend." He said slowly, before letting out a sigh. "How… do I make this right?" he asked.

"By being honest, and making an attempt to connect." Peter said before reaching into his wallet and pulling out a photo. It was of Peter, and two men who looked almost identical to him. Albeit, one was blonde, and the other had longer hair, and a brutal scar under his left eye. "These are my brothers, Ben and Kaine. They're clones, just like Conner. I admit that at first, I was afraid of them. Honestly, I treated them far worse than you were ever treating Conner, but now? They're some of the closest friends I could ever ask for. They are family to me. All I had to do, was try."

"We'll help you with this Clark. We'll make sure that you and Conner work through everything. And who knows? Maybe you and Lois can welcome him into the family soon enough." Kara offered.

"Thank you… all of you." Clark nodded, a genuine smile washing over his face as he felt hope swell in his chest.

"Hey, anything for family." Kara said with a small chuckle. "Now come on, wipe that gloom off your face. If we hurry, maybe the five of us can enjoy a breakfast together." She offered. Clark's mood immediately picked up as the five went to the door to leave.

Before they could make any progress however, the ground suddenly shook violently before screaming could be heard from further down the block. Clark was the first to recover, as he used his x-ray vision to see a massive plant with writhing vines erupt from the concrete before immediately attacking the surrounding buildings.

"Might have to put our breakfast on hold for a bit." Clark grimaced, removing his glasses. "We got some trouble downtown."

"We're right behind you," Flint nodded as he shifted his sand to his usual hero attire while Kara rushed off to change. "Hey Webs, feeling like joining us for this one?" he asked.

"Hey, you don't have to ask me twice." Peter smirked before he and Karen went to go change into Spider-Man and Power Girl respectively. Then, the five heroes took off before engaging the massive writhing plant as it continued to ravage its surroundings. Spider-Man and Supergirl set about moving civilians away from danger, while Superman, Power Girl, and Sandman immediately engaged the threat.

As the five set to work, they all had the same thought on their minds; what was this plant, and where did it come from?

"Lovely… our test is a complete success…" a sultry feminine voice said, as footage of the plant's attack could be seen from a surveillance screen. Several more plants erupted in cities worldwide, before the owner of the voice continued. "We may proceed as planned."

"Agreed," a cultured, Eastern-European voice answered her. "But we've operated in shadow for far too long. Time for the Injustice League, to step into the light…"

Mount Justice – October 1st, 18:13 EDT

Kaldur dodged quickly to the side, avoiding a kick from Tim, as the two sparred on the holographic sparring platform of the cave. Nearby, a digital scoreboard was keeping track of how many blows each boy had managed to land. The two kept going back and forth, neither one giving too much of a lead to their opponent. Tim tried a flurry of well-aimed blows, only managing to land one glancing punch to Kaldur's arm, before the Atlantean responded in kind with a jab at Tim's solar plexus. Seeing how the distance had closed far too fast for his comfort, Tim back-flipped away to safety to prepare his next move.

Nearby to the two sparring teens, Shazam watched the two, eating one of Barry's energy bars. Zatanna stood next to him, her arms folded as she watched the two with a smirk. Tim deflected one of Kaldur's punches with an open fist before attempting an uppercut. Kaldur dodged nimbly before copying Tim's earlier backflip to make some distance between them.

The two opponents squared-off, their eyes fixed on any move that might be made, before suddenly ending their spar as the sound of footprints drew closer. Conner, M'Gann, and Wolf walked down one of the hallways together, Conner flashing a warm smile towards the Martian girl. In return her own eyes seemed to sparkle faintly, clearly love struck.

Kaldur watched their silent interaction with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "You know they're a couple, right?" Tim asked, leaning in with a smirk. Kaldur rolled his eyes before giving a small smirk of his own.

"I believe I knew before they did." He mused before Keemia and Ashley followed behind Conner and M'Gann down the same hall. The two girls were holding hands and seemed to be giggling quietly about something. Keemia then got a devious grin as she whispered something into Ashley's ear, causing the shorter girl to blush a dark shade of red before the two broke into more laughter.

"Guess everyone on the team is becoming a couple now." Tim noted before turning to see Niuhi and Jason approaching them. Jason seemed to hear everything that Tim had said as he fixed the sidekick with a flat glare.

"Don't even think about it." He said bluntly.

"Think about what? I wasn't gonna say anything." Tim chuckled, feigning innocence. Before he could continue, Annie suddenly rushed in and caught him in a tight hug.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jason asked Niuhi as the two seemed to smirk deviously.

"Don't even think about it." Tim threatened.

"Think about what? I wasn't gonna say anything." Jason said in a mocking tone, before Niuhi jabbed him in the ribs gently.

"Alright, quit pickin' on Robin." She relented. "Focus on how cute they are instead." She said before pointing out how Conner and M'Gann were staring at each other intently. They did this rather often, apparently having entire telepathic conversations with each other that nobody on the team knew about.

"What do you think they're saying, anyway?" Tim asked.

"Something romantic probably!" Annie gushed. Despite being a newcomer to the team, she was quick to learn about the blossoming romance between Conner and M'Gann. In fact, the only people who didn't seem to know about it were Barry and Artemis. A fact that everyone else was leery over, considering how much pining Barry and Artemis did for M'Gann and Conner respectfully.

The two in question were the last to appear, walking down the hallways from where the lounge was, as the assembled group turned to look at them. Inwardly, they all wondered the same thing; what exactly was going to happen when they finally learned about Conner and M'Gann.

"Do we tell them?" Tim asked Kaldur.

"It is not our place." Kaldur said, shaking his head.

Niuhi watched the speedster and the archer approach before getting an idea as she leaned in closer to Jason. "I can see what's happening…" she sang quietly.

"What?" Jason asked, confused.

"And they don't have a clue…"

"Who?" Annie asked her with a frown.

"They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line; our trios down to two!" Niuhi finished with a laugh before Jason rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, first of all there are eleven of us. Unless you're counting them as couples, in which case there are seven-" He corrected before turning to look at Tim and Annie. "Maybe five, who are not currently in a relationship."

"And that's assuming they would end up a couple anyway." Tim chimed in.

"Are you saying they wouldn't?" Niuhi asked rhetorically. Before anyone could respond, Barry and Artemis finally made it over to them.

"So if Zatanna is our babysitter of the week, why is he still here?" He asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Shazam. "And why is he eating my snacks?!"

Before anyone could answer him, the teleporter suddenly flared to life. "Recognized: Batman-02." The automated voice announced as Batman strode into the cave, his body stiff and ready for action. Something was urgently wrong. "Computer, national news." Batman ordered as a massive holoscreen appeared in the middle of the mission room. The rest of the team gathered around to watch the news report with interest, as reporter Cat Grant was on scene in downtown Metropolis. "The initial attack was short lived, but Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve." She announced before footage showed another one of the giant plant monsters growing from nearby to the Daily Planet. One camera zoomed in to show Superman rushing in to save civilians, while Power Girl and Supergirl took to the sky to blast the tendrils with heat vision, now joined by John Stewart and Hawkgirl.

"And despite the intervention of Superman and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight." Cat finished before Batman stopped the footage of the League's battle with the giant plants. He then turned to see the team looking at him in earnest.

"Should we get out there?" Tim asked.

"No. The League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here." Batman corrected before typing on a holographic keyboard to display an image of Sportsmaster. "According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied CADMUS Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Kobra-Venom." Barry added, the wheels starting to turn in his head as he considered the possibilities.

"Which the Brain used to create his animal army!" Tim continued.

"And upgrade Wolf." Superboy chimed in as he scratched his new pet's chin affectionately.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars, like the ones at Belle Reve penitentiary." M'Gann pointed out.

"Batman," Artemis started. "Is it possible that plan thingy's on Kobra-Venom too?"

"I had Hal Jordan run a spot analysis." Batman said before typing away and showing an image of plant cells and an all too familiar chemical formula. "The vine's cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant."

"These cannot be coincidences." Kaldur surmised. "Unrelated criminals are cooperating with each other worldwide." He continued, as Tim brought up his own keyboard and began typing away.

"Exactly." Batman nodded curtly. "It's now clear our enemies have formed yet another Secret Society of Super-Villains."

"Ugh, another one? How many has this been now, like five, six?" Keemia groaned in annoyance before Zatanna elbowed her gently in admonishment.

Batman gave Keemia a flat stare before continuing. "The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning."

"You got that right," Tim nodded as he called up numerous more screens with footage from around the world. On each of them, there was a giant vine much like the first. "Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Miami, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Taipei…" he listed off before suddenly every news screen abruptly cut off, now displaying only static.

"Dude!" Barry said sharply as Tim shook his head. None of the heroes were expecting this. Even Batman was surprised by the sudden interference.

"It's not me, someone's cutting into the satellite signal." Tim countered, typing furiously as he tried to get the signal back. "All satellite signals!"

The static continued to blare before the group all heard the same bout of maniacal laughter. It started out slow and quiet, but quickly grew louder, as the source seemed to become more and more enthralled with the sudden confusion. To everyone in the room, the laughter was all too familiar.

"No… anyone but him…" Ace whispered fearfully, as Keemia immediately pulled her close in an attempt to comfort and protect her.

Finally, the picture returned, only to display an unwelcome sight. A man with bleached white skin and dark green hair. He wore a sharp purple suit, and his lips were a deep scarlet, stretched over a wide and manic grin. His eyes were crazed, and yet at the same time very amused. The Clown Prince of Crime, also known as the Joker, had hacked the satellite feed.

He cleared his throat before giving a winning smile. "Hello dear viewers! After eight long years off the air, Joker TV is back! There aren't any little telepaths to stop me now either, so get ready for more of your favourite Gotham brand deranged wackiness! But first ladies and germs, a message from our sponsors, and my dearest co-producers of our little comeback special…" he trailed off before panning the camera to a group of assembled villains. "The Injustice League!"

There were nine members shown, and each one sent a chill down the spines of the heroes watching. First was a tall, vampiric looking man, with magical red armour, a flowing black cape, coarse thick beard, red eyes, and pale blue skin; the chaos sorcerer Wotan. Next to him stood a lithe and feline woman, in a two piece outfit of a sports bra and black leggings. She had dark orange hair, and was covered in dirty blonde fur with dark brown spots, and a long striped tail. This was Barbara Minerva, alias Cheetah. Atomic Skull stood behind her. His gold and green armour relatively unchanged ever since he fought the parademons alongside the Justice League so long ago, his exposed skull still surrounded by crackling green flames.

Behind him was a large white ape. His head was bald, exposing an enlarged braincase, and his eyes held a bemused confidence. This was Ultra-Humanite, a long time Justice League foe. In front of him was a bald man with thick orange goggles and wearing numerous layers of fire retardant clothing, with a heavy brown jacket over top. On his back were two large fuel tanks, connected to a gun he held that seemed to be a futuristic flamethrower. This was Mick Rory, alias Heatwave. Next to him was a fearsomely strong looking man. He had elfin ears, short black hair, and his entire body seemed to be covered in burling muscles. He wore a tight black suit with a golden thunderbolt on his chest and a golden sash around his waist; the fallen servant of the Rock of Eternity, Black Adam. Next to him were two red haired women. One was taller than even Adam, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a yellow and black jumpsuit. Despite her plain appearance, she seemed to radiate power. The other woman had green skin and seemed to quite literally wear an entire array of green leaves and plants. These were Dr. Doris Zeul, aka Giganta, and Dr. Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.

Finally, at the center of the ensemble was an aristocratic looking man. His jawline was sharp, and his blonde hair swept back over his head. He wore an expensive looking green suit, with a long regal looking cape that hung over his shoulders, held across his body by a gold chain that hung over his green silken scarf. This was Count Werner Vertigo, a long-time rival of Green Arrow, and an international despot. Vertigo smirked triumphantly before speaking. "We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. 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…" he trailed off before the Joker spun the camera around again so he could peer in with a smile.

"The longer your world gets destroyed by the machinations of evil flora puppeteered by a certifiably insane criminal wackjob! So hop to it folks, Joker TV needs to get back on the air for good! Don't you worry about those big bad plants, I've got the remotes for them. So sit back and enjoy the show, because we all know what a stand-up citizen I am. Ha ha ha!" Joker finished before once again laughing maniacally as the feed suddenly cut back to static.

As soon as it ended, Batman immediately pressed a finger to the communicator in his ear, listening intently to whoever was on the other side. "Roger that, Aquaman. The UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it won't come to that." Batman said seriously, as Tim furiously typed away on the keyboard, rewinding the video before pausing as soon as the Injustice League's full roster was on screen.

"Count Vertigo, the Joker, Heatwave, Giganta, Poison Ivy, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Cheetah, Black Adam, Wotan, ten heavy hitters. Probably behind nearly everything and everyone we've faced." Tim surmised.

"There's your Secret Society." Barry grimaced.

"And it's one hell of a lineup too." Niuhi frowned, her whole body tensing at the thought.

"Not so secret anymore." Artemis said dryly.

"Perhaps after India, they realised we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer." Kaldur reasoned.

"Yeah, and that was their mistake." Barry smirked, before punching the palm of his left hand eagerly. "Right now, I say we got kick some plant creature butt!"

"The Justice League will handle the plants." Batman corrected. "I have a different job for this team."

"Aw man…" Barry whined before Artemis jabbed his arm with her elbow. "Ow!"

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

"You realise what you're really asking them to do…" Zatanna said, her voice filled with worry and apprehension.

"They're ready." Batman responded simply, looking back at one of his oldest friends in the League as the sorceress gave a careful nod of her head.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Barry asked dumbly, before Artemis elbowed him again. "Ow! Will you cut that out?"

"Hello, Barry!" the archer chided him. "If the big guns are fighting the plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?"

"I don't know! I guess we'll…" he trailed off before following where Artemis' finger was pointing at the image of the Injustice League. His eyes widened in understanding as he gulped slightly. "Oh…"

Ashley still seemed noticeably uncomfortable at the prospect of confronting the Joker again, as Keemia gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's okay. I'll keep you safe out there. You won't even have to go near him."

"I know… I just don't want to lose control out there. What if I can't help myself when I see him?" Ashley asked. "I don't want to hurt you, or the team, by accident…"

"And you won't." Keemia assured her, before kissing her forehead.

"Well, Batman, I trust you're correct in your judgement of them." Zatanna sighed, still watching the team carefully.

"I trust you can locate the enemy." Batman retorted, still focused on the mission.

"Easily." Zatanna said with a small smirk. "If they got a windbag like Wotan working for them, then the plants have to have some sort of magical trace on them. Naturally, the strongest magical signal, would belong to the central control plant. Robin, could you get me a holo-map?" she asked before Tim typed out on his keyboard, generating a massive hologram of the globe.

"And now, to follow the trails to their home," Zatanna smirked as she cracked her knuckles. "Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!" she cast. Immediately small dots appeared on the map where a plant was attacking, before a line was drawn from each of them to a small plot of land in the middle of the Louisiana bayou. "There we go. The home base of the Injustice League."

"Coordinates locked!" Tim said as he copied down the coordinates for the Bioship.

"We are on our way." Kaldur said firmly before the teens all ran off to the Bioship with Wolf in tow. Shazam was about to head after them before Batman called him back.

"Shazam, for this plan to succeed, the entire Justice League must be seen fighting the plant creatures." Batman said firmly. "You, Zatanna, and I are needed elsewhere." He said seriously, as the magically-powered hero seemed to deflate a little before giving a reluctant nod. The League needed to put on a full frontal assault.

Gotham City – October 1st, 19:49 EDT

Batman soared through the skies in his Batwing, surveying the plant before he flew in close and dropped some sort of pesticide from a compartment on the bottom of his plane. As soon as the solution touched the plant, the writhing vines ceased their movement and began to wither. With the mass of vines out of commission, Shazam took over as he tore the plant free from the ground, before taking off into the air and flying the plant out to space. Once outside the Earth's atmosphere, he spun around before hurling the dying plant towards the sun.

He wiped the dust from his hands in satisfaction before soaring back down towards Gotham, where Batman and Zatanna had gone ahead to fight even more vines that had erupted from the streets. They were joined in their efforts by Nightwing and Starfire, who came to help after realizing their hometown of Blüdhaven hadn't been put under the same siege that Gotham had.

Zatanna kept herself enclosed in a protective bubble, which burned any vines that attempted to grasp her. She held her hands out in front of her, before focusing intently as a magical circle appeared before her palms. "Erif, kees tuo siht larutannu erutaerc!" she cast, before massive bursts of flame erupted from the circle and burned away large sections of the vines to ashes.

The plant seemed to have even more unwelcome surprises though as suddenly, massive pods erupted all over the vines before bursting out billowing clouds of a noxious green gas. The gas flooded the streets, catching an unfortunate group of firefighters in its wake. The firefighter immediately collapsed into coughing fits before the coughing gave way to spasms, and then to fits of crippling unnatural laughter. The firefighters laughed and laughed until their bodies finally collapsed dead on the ground, wide eyes and massive, stretched grins on their faces.

Batman's eyes narrowed as Nightwing and Starfire immediately put on emergency gasmasks. Apparently, this Injustice League had seen fit to fill the plant's pods with Joker Venom. He idly wondered what other dangers lay ahead for them.

Joker observed the carnage unfolding with a grin as he chuckled. "Kobra-venom's got nothing on good old Joker Venom. I guess it's true what they say then, you really can't beat the classics." The clown mused as he articulately moved his hands around to control the plants. On his gloves there were intricate lines of glowing circuitry, matching the circuitry lines on the massive vine behind him. This was how the Injustice League was managing to control their plants around the globe all at once.

"But both work well in concert," Vertigo mused.

"Yes, but we're putting considerable strain on my baby." Ivy lamented, perched over one of the vine's massive roots before she flooded its body with restorative energy, thanks to her connection to the Green. Ultra-Humanite and Cheetah took over, using their handheld computers to power-up the circuitry on the plant, continuing their control, while Giganta grew to fifty feet tall to hold the writhing plant still. Wotan then joined, floating to the top of the vines as he held his arms out.

"Valetudo, ut sero!" he chanted, as his magic at once preserved the health of the plan, and strengthened the magic that connected all the plants to each other. He smiled at his handiwork before casting a genuinely soft glance towards Ivy. "We will keep her healthy and safe, Ivy. But she requires more power. Skull! Heatwave!" he ordered before the two rogues used their respective atomic energy and heat beams to power up the massive generators. A flood of energy surged through the plant as its strength was revitalised in an instant. Massive leaves and branches sprung from the plant before they grew to tremendous size, seemingly increasing its range and focus.

"Stunning what a little teamwork can accomplish." Vertigo said confidently.

"Indubitably, my dear Count, indubitably." Joker nodded. "Huh, maybe this is why Harley insists on working with that Suicide Squad. Say Ivy, how is old Harleen anyway?" the clown asked, looking to Ivy with a half smirk.

Ivy scowled murderously in return. She knew better than anyone else just how much pain Harley went through at the Joker's hands. If she'd had her way, she would have killed the clown over it years ago. For now though, she'd need to play nice while they still worked with this team. "She's safe and happy. And away from you."

"Sounds better than I remember her." Joker pondered, tapping his chin in thought. "Last I recall, I left her behind a dumpster."

Before Ivy could snap at him, the proximity alarm for their hideaway blared. The villains all looked up in confusion. They'd thought they managed to keep all the heroes busy with their plants. Vertigo scowled before looking to Adam, Giganta, and Wotan. "Intruder alert!"

Bayou Bartholomew – October 1st, 18:52 CDT

Over the thick clusters of trees and the murky waterways of the bayou, the Bioship quietly flew in camouflage mode, approaching the coordinates of the Injustice League's base of operations. In the ship itself, there was a tense atmosphere. The team was silent as they steeled themselves for what lay ahead of them. They had all dreamt of fighting the big name villains, just like their mentors, but now that they had the opportunity, they couldn't help feeling nervous.

Maybe it was the fact that they were going against ten big name opponents of the League, villains with enough skill and experience to prove troublesome or even dangerous to a seasoned hero. Or maybe they were having second thoughts, worried about their own ability to stand up to them. Now was a dangerous time to be having second thoughts though.

Robin idly examined his flying discs, examining them to make sure they were in top shape. Djinn swirled small pockets of magic between her fingers. Mannequin shaped and sculpted her hands into a variety of weapons and forms. Artemis made sure her arrows were all in functioning order. Ace attempted to calm herself with her own meditation. Red Hood was cleaning his pistols, making sure they were loaded. Coldsnap flexed her fingers in anticipation, slowly freezing small claws over her fingertips.

M'Gann was too focused on flying the Bioship to really consider how nervous she was. Superboy was petting Wolf gently, secure in the fact that his new pet could join them in the field. Kid Flash seemed unconcerned, idly eating a banana as he looked around the cockpit at his teammates. He noticed that Aqualad seemed intently focused on the bayou ahead of them, his eyes unblinking. He frowned at the tension surrounding their leader before seeing the bag under his chair. "What's in the duffle?" he asked.

Aqualad looked at the bag before giving Kid Flash a small shrug. "Plan B." was all he said.

Suddenly, M'Gann lurched forward, grasping her forehead as she groaned, almost painfully. It looked like she was quickly become nauseated. "You alright?" Superboy asked with concern. Wolf even seemed to mirror the worry on the clone's face as they looked to their Martian teammate.

"Dizzy." M'Gann answered, trying to keep her focus.

"Martians get airsick?" Robin asked curiously, as the rest of the team looked to her in concern.

"She does look a bit greener than usual," Barry mused.

"Not me, her." M'Gann answered.

"I feel fine." Artemis frowned in confusion.

"Unless you meant me, but I feel fine too." Keemia said. "There's five other hers on board right now, could you be more specific?"

"I meant the Bioship." M'Gann clarified. "She's trying to shield us from something… but…"

"But what…?" Mannequin asked, now worried. Immediately, Ace scanned the swamp with her telepathy before grimacing as she found the source.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Down below, Count Vertigo intensified the nauseating waves that he fired at the Bioship from his mind, causing the sentient vehicle to drop its camouflage as it desperately attempted to right itself in the air. Black Adam and Giganta stood on either side of the Count, both smirking when they saw the ship coming into view.

"There it is Adam, go!" Vertigo ordered, before the ruler of Kahndaq took off into the sky. He rocketed towards the ship before punching the hull, sending it careening off course as it crashed into the water, spinning wildly until it came to a slow stop. The team groaned inside, quickly recovering from their abrupt landing as massive vines, like the ones attacking the cities, suddenly ensnared the ship. They coiled around the hull, trapping the ship and slowly dragging it underwater.

As the Bioship sank, Adam landed on the roof before digging his fingers inside the walls and tearing it open with his bare hands, leaving a gaping hole in the roof. M'Gann cried out painfully as she grasped her head. "He's hurting her!"

Immediately, Superboy leapt from his seat before punching Adam across the face, sending the villain flying away across the swamp. The ship resumed sinking as water flooded through the new tear in the roof.

Artemis groaned loudly at the sight of the rapidly flooding cockpit. "No. No way am I nearly drowning three missions in a row!" the archer complained before placing a rebreather in her mouth. She then handed one to Barry, who took it with a look of genuine surprise.

"Wow… uh, thanks." He smiled before taking it gratefully.

"M'Gann, we need to get out. Open a hatch." Superboy urged as M'Gann shook off the pain from earlier. She immediately face palmed before nodding.

"Hello, Megan. Of course." She said before growing gills and swimming to the floor of the ship. With a wave of her hands, a large porthole opened for the team to escape through.

"Out! Everyone out!" Aqualad ordered through their telepathic link before they all took after his lead. Once they were in the open water, the Bioship was dragged completely under water by the vines. The team made their way to dry land, but not before Aqualad halted Coldsnap. He gestured off in the opposite direction, and it didn't take too long for the girl to understand his intent. Immediately, she set off the other way, before the rest of the team came ashore to the bank.

M'Gann looked off in the water at where the Bioship sank, while Djinn quickly dried everyone with a series of simple spells. "She's in shock. She'll need time to recover." She explained before the team was assaulted by another wave of nausea, courtesy of the newly arrived Count Vertigo.

"Vertigo…" Kid Flash groaned.

"Count Vertigo to you, peasant." The villain scowled. Superboy seemed to recover, moving to attack the villain. However, Black Adam soared through the trees before punching the clone back down. That was all the distraction Aqualad needed as he reached out with his water bearers, before launching a torrent as Vertigo, knocking the villain back.

"Robin, Hood, Miss Martian, disappear." He ordered telepathically. "We will keep them busy. You three fulfil the mission objective."

M'Gann took the opportunity to turn invisible, just as Adam punched Aqualad across the jaw. Wolf launched forwards, biting the villain's forearm before being thrown back into Artemis and Kid Flash, knocking them into the water.

Mannequin and Ace moved to help them before the fifty-foot tall form of Giganta suddenly appeared, looming overhead. "Going somewhere?" the titanic woman asked before swinging a fist down at them. Ace dodged to the side, while Mannequin simply stayed put. Giganta's fist landed on her body, squashing her clay underneath with massive pressure, causing the villainess to grimace. "Ugh, gross."

Suddenly the mud seeped through her fingers to reveal Mannequin, completely unharmed. "You pulling your punches there?" she asked playfully.

"N-no you… shut up!" Giganta yelled before a beam of magical energy struck her face. She fell back into the water, only to look up and see Djinn floating above her, the same magical energy crackling between her fingers before she was joined by Ace and Mannequin.

"Alright girls, let's take her down!" Djinn grinned before suddenly turning around and conjuring a hasty shield. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to hold back the blast of magic Wotan sent her way, as the shield broke, sending the girls into the water.

"Amateur. Though I must admit, there is potential within you." Wotan chuckled lightly.

"Ugh… at least you're nicer than that stupid witch boy…" Keemia grimaced before rising to fight him, while Ace and Mannequin found themselves occupied with the newly risen Giganta.

Paris – October 2nd, 01:55 CEST

The Eiffel Tower found itself under siege from one of the many large plant monsters, as the massive vines erupted from the ground before wrapping themselves firmly around the tower. The vines tightened and constricted around the bars, trapping frightened citizens within.

Luckily, the Justice League was quick to respond to the crisis. Salamandra and Shocker were already on the ground, keeping further vines from attacking the citizens. Overhead, Martian Manhunter flew in before dropping Aquaman onto the tower. The Atlantean king tore through the plant while the Martian phased through to the tower within.

Vine after vine was torn loose before finally, the people trapped inside were exposed to the open air. Aquaman set to work helping them out as Martian Manhunter flew through the open hole with the injured. Soon they were joined by Steel and Aztek, who assisted in moving the people to safety.

Taipei – October 2nd, 07:56 CST

Flash raced along the ground, cutting through vines at supersonic speed as he ran around the foundations of a nuclear power plant that was being attacked by the villainous flora. Rhino and Booster Gold kept an opening clear while Vibe and Mirage helped the workers to escape.

Blue Devil meanwhile, was focused entirely on the vines that were constricting the cooling towers. He planted his trident firmly in the ground before firing a massive burst of magical energy, completely obliterating one of the plant's many tendrils. He smirked as the pressure from the plant decreased, only to gasp in horror as another massive ball of roots erupted from the earth before destroying the reactor core.

Alarms blared as an explosion was imminent, nuclear fallout threatening to spill for miles around as the heroes looked on helplessly. Luckily, Captain Atom arrived just in time to alleviate the pressure. Garbed in his latest and most durable suit yet, he absorbed the entirety of the radioactive energy before flying off to release it into space, away from where it could harm people.

With the nuclear crisis averted, Blue Devil set back to blasting the plants. The last of the workers had been safely removed, so now there was no worry for injury as he blasted the roots with all the energy he could muster.

Tokyo, Japan – October 2nd, 08:59 JST

Looker unleashed the full might of her telekinesis as she tore through a mass of vines that was attacking the numerous tanker ships in Tokyo harbour. None of the plants that got close could even touch her, thanks to Black Orchid and Constantine working to whither them as they approached.

In the sky above, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. soared through the air, blasting any errant vines, before seeing a massive one erupt near the Tokyo Tower. "Ty, we got a big one out here!" Stargirl called into her communicator.

"I'm on it babe!" Longshadow called back before growing to two-hundred feet tall and using his strength to pull the whole plant free from the ground, before tossing it across the city and into the ocean. His work wasn't done as more vines burst forth, but he tied them together into a tight ball, before leaving it for Stargirl to destroy with the energy from her staff.

Star City – October 1st, 16:57 PDT

It was in the middle of rush hour traffic that another one of the giant plants erupted from the water beneath the Star City Bridge, before attacking the panicked citizens stuck on to road. The colossal vines strangled and bent the towers and foundation, as smaller tendrils started moving to grasp cars full of scared bystanders.

Luckily, Green Arrow arrived on the scene quickly, with Red Arrow by his side. The two archers fired a quick volley of explosive arrows, completely incinerating a cluster of vines that was pulling on the suspension cables. Huntress and Question were nearby, moving citizens to safety, while intermittently firing at any plants that harassed them.

One of the vehicles under attack was a school bus full of panicked students. The vines crept along the sides and roof before Black Canary leapt aboard and started destroying them with her shrill Canary Cry. The high intensity sound waves cut a swathe through the vines, freeing the bus. Unfortunately, the plant was quick to counterattack and swiped the blonde bombshell off of the roof of the bus, where she was caught by Green Arrow before she could hit the pavement.

"Hey Ivy, guess this means we both have green thumbs, ha!" Joker cackled as he watched his chaos unfold. With a flick of his wrist, another tendril slammed down onto the bridge, shaking the entire foundation of the structure. "And it's so easy too. Who knew it would be so much fun taking up gardening?"

"It's impressive too. How you simultaneously juggle multiple scenarios." Ivy commented, rather reluctantly. As much as she hated to admit it, the clown really was exceptional at causing the chaos they needed.

"Well, you know how clowns are with juggling." Joker laughed. "And you all said I wasn't a team player."

"I'll be honest here, I still don't." Skull admitted, as Heatwave gave a curt nod in agreement.

"Oh pish-posh, of course I can work with a team. I did it before with Lex, just ask Ultra-Humanite!" Joker scoffed.

"As much as I hate to admit it… he is right on that account." Ultra-Humanite admitted. He remembered far back when he and Lex formed the first Secret Society upon their escape from prison almost eight years ago. Granted, Humanite never once thought he would leave what he considered the relative comfort of his cell again for such an endeavour, but Vertigo managed to convince him. In any case, he felt this group to be a more competent one than the Society he originally formed.

Joker seemed to nod in satisfaction before frowning to himself. "Skull old boy… do you ever just wake up and think to yourself, 'if only things had turned out differently'?"

"What are you talking about?" Skull asked him in confusion.

"Oh, you know! If only I had walked a different path, maybe my hands wouldn't be so covered in blood… Maybe I'd even be, good…." Joker continued, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'd even join the Justice League, if not for just one… bad… day…"

Skull actually stopped to consider it, absentmindedly powering up the generator as he did. He thought back to fighting the parademons alongside the Justice League, how good it felt to save the day. The only reason he could remember being a villain was because of the accident that gave him his powers… he honestly couldn't remember why he decided to be a criminal any more. Maybe the Joker… was right? "Huh, well actually-"

"Me neither, ha!" Joker grinned before collapsing into a fit of laughter. After taking a moment to collect himself, he returned his attention to the school bus on the Star City Bridge. "Oh right, the job. Huh, wonder if these kids ever learned about gravity…?"

Under the Joker's control, another massive vine reached down before grasping the defenseless school bus and slowly lifting it into the air. The children inside screamed while Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Huntress all fired their arrows at the plant, in a vain attempt to get it to release them. The vine seemed unfazed, and the children inside screamed as the massive plant swung the bus off of the side of the bridge and towards the ocean below.

The heroes all ran to the edge off the bridge, looking on in horror, only to see the bus get caught by a giant baseball-glove made of green light energy. Guy Gardner then flew out from under the bridge, giving the other Leaguers a lazy salute as he carried the bus safely back to the bridge where the road was clear. After another small salute to the bus driver, the panicked children were driven away to safety as the Lantern returned to assist in fighting the plant.

Unfortunately for the Team, their luck was nowhere near as good. Between the combined forces of Black Adam, Giganta, Count Vertigo, and Wotan, as well as their disorientation from the crash of their ship, the team was in no shape to fight back. All of them were beaten quite handily and left unconscious on the ground, even Wolf. Keemia however, had been placed in magical chains by Wotan, as he didn't trust the young sorceress to not have a few extra tricks up her sleeve in case she woke up. Case and point, he observed the stored magic wand he found in her coat pocket with interest before snapping it neatly into two pieces.

"There, no trouble." The sorcerer declared as Adam returned with an unconscious Superboy, unceremoniously dumping the clone in the dirt next to his team. Vertigo looked over the team with a small nod before frowning. Something seemed wrong. He quickly did a head count before his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Three are missing!" he scowled, noting the absence of Robin, Red Hood, and Miss Martian.

Not far away from where Vertigo and his cronies were standing over the fallen members of the team, Robin led Miss Martian and Red hood through the dark underbrush of the swamp. The mud stuck to his boots, but made no noise as he expertly navigated through the rough terrain. M'Gann floated behind him, still under her invisibility, while Jason took the rear, his vision kept sharp as he watching for any ambushes that might come their way.

"I've lost contact with Aqualad and the others. Should we…?" M'Gann asked telepathically, before Robin cut her off.

"Sorry, that's not the gig. This is." He said adamantly, before pushing aside the branches of a bush to reveal the base of operations for the Injustice League. "The Injustice League central control system. Looks like that plant is acting as an antenna to control the other plants worldwide." He noted, looking to the enormous vine that grew out of the central dome of the building.

"I'm sure the others are okay. We'll just need to rendezvous with them later." Hood assured M'Gann, before something caught his vision from the corner of his eye. A plant off to the side slowly moved to reveal two glowing amber eyes. "Look out-!"

He tried to draw his pistols but was tackled to the ground by Cheetah, who dove out of the bushes from their right flank. Robin and Miss Martian turned in time to see massive vines erupting from the earth and wrapping around their bodies tightly. "Well hello," Ivy greeted with a smug and sultry voice, as she placed her hands on her hips.

Ultra-Humanite dove down from the trees behind her, holding a grenade launcher that he in turn aimed towards Robin. "And goodbye…" the Gotham rogue smirked, thinking she had the two of them trapped within the coils of her vines as they feebly struggled.

M'Gann levelled a glare to Ultra-Humanite before her telepathy took over his mind, forcing him to shoot the roots of the attacking plants instead. As a result, the two teens were blasted free from the coils of the plants. The explosions also provided enough of a distraction for Red Hood to kick Cheetah off of him, as the feline villain attempted to claw at his helm. The villainess flew through the air, colliding with Ultra-Humanite as the three teens made a retreat into the bush.

Ivy was unfazed as she simply watched the escaping heroes with a scowl. "Sorry Boy Wonder, but I'm putting an end to your little reconnaissance mission." She smirked before raising her hands as even more vines tore out of the ground to attack them. Robin nimbly jumped upon the massive gnarled roots, using them as a springboard to take to the trees. He twisted through the air, avoiding the spires of more of the fiendish flora, drawing Ivy's attention away from his team mates.

Red Hood led Cheetah into the thicker branches and foliage of the surrounding swamp, using the low-lying branches to try and slow her down as he avoided her sweeping claws. One swipe bounced off of his helmet dully, allowing him to retaliate with a quick roundhouse-kick to her ribs. The feline villain grunted and tumbled on the ground, righting herself before she swept low to knock Hood on his back. She then pounced on him, holding him down as one of her hands grasped his throat beneath the helmet.

"Did you really think you could outrun an apex predator in her natural habitat?" she asked with amusement evident in her voice.

"Maybe, but I don't intend to run. Just fight." Jason grunted as he stared her down. "And when I fight, I aim to hurt!" He yelled before suddenly kicking the heel of his boot down onto her tail, hearing a sickening pop as he crushed the bones into the mud. Cheetah shrieked in pain, her grip loosening before he threw her aside into a ball of gnarled roots and once again rushed into the swamp to disappear from her view.

"Oh you little brat!" Cheetah snarled before lunging after him again, rushing past Ultra-Humanite ho was attempting to knock Miss Martian out of the sky with his grenade launcher. The Martian girl avoided nimbly the oncoming barrage of bombs, turning invisible as she continued her evasive flight through the trees in an attempt to escape the villains' ambush.

Back in Gotham, Batman flew in wide arcs in the Batwing around yet another writhing mass of vines. He focused all of his resources on hand to attacking the plant, while Starfire and Nightwing continued ground evacuations. With the overpass the plant had taken over now mostly empty, it was safer for Batman to use the heavier weaponry on his plane.

Unfortunately for him, the plants seemed to be more resilient than ever, and one erratically flailing root swung at the plane, destroying it with ease. Batman glided to safety just in time, while Zatanna floated over in a protective bubble of magic.

"Niatnoc eht erutaerc!" She called out, clapping her hands together as a massive barrier of energy encircled and contained the vines. Some of the vines had been severed by the sudden formation of the bubble and were now writhing in agony on the road. One of the severed vines lashed out and struck an unfortunate driver who had only just escaped his truck, sending him over the edge of the overpass.

Luckily for the driver, a new hero arrived on the scene. Plastic Man was a relative newcomer to the heroic community, having only recently started his own crusade against crime. His malleable elastic body formed a trampoline to break the driver's fall safely, before he caught him and set him down on the ground.

Then, with a broad grin and a thumbs up, Plastic Man stretched to reach the top of the overpass, searching for any more stranded civilians in need of rescue.

In Paris, the vines seemed to be focusing on the Eiffel Tower almost in retaliation to the Justice League's attempts to stop them. The massive plants swung and lashed out at any hero who got close, as well as any rescue vehicles that attempted to assist in the cleanup.

One news chopper was unfortunate enough to get too close while Martian Manhunter was too busy keeping another gnarled mass of roots from crushing a crowd of fleeing civilians. The camera man and reporter were knocked out of the chopper and into a freefall, until a sudden streak of pink light shot onto the scene and rescued them. This was Rocket, another young hero who had arrived with her own mentor, Icon, to assist the Justice League.

Icon caught the helicopter as it spiraled to the ground, saving the pilots inside as he carefully set it onto the rooftop. The hero had seen the chaos unfolding on the news and had immediately offered his assistance, along with numerous other heroes who had arrived to help where they could.

Kaldur slowly stirred, his head still throbbing gently from the overwhelming nausea Vertigo had subjected him to, as well as the powerful blow Black Adam had struck him with. He rose carefully and looked around to see his team in similar states. Keemia had been bound in magical shackles that stopped her from casting, and Annie was restrained by similar chains, which kept her body solid. The entire team were suspended in a large cage made of magic, which was being flown through the air by Wotan.

Adam flew underneath, helping to support the cage, while Giganta walked alongside. Count Vertigo stood atop the roof, frowning. "They awaken. You're certain this will hold them?"

"The cage is impenetrable." Wotan said confidently. "Even the Superboy has no chance of escaping."

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts, Wotan." Aqualad scowled before grasping the bars of the cage, attempting to flood them with his own bioelectrical magic as he pulled on them. Unfortunately, it was a vain effort as the energy quickly left him.

"Please, Atlantean, do not pretend you're in my League." Wotan laughed.

"You're devoting an awful lot of concentration to your spells here," Djinn mused dryly. "Don't you think that's a little too taxing?"

Wotan let out a hearty chuckle at that. "You have a point young one, but there is still much for you to learn about the mystic arts."

"Speaking of "young", don't you think we were a little too hard on them? They're just kids." Giganta pointed out with a frown.

"Children or not, they are still meddling in our affairs, likely at the request of the League." Vertigo said with a scowl. "Such insolence will not stand. Even if the perpetrators are children."

Giganta looked to Vertigo, her eyes reflecting a lingering doubt, before she cast the team a look of slight regret. No matter how many times it would be said, she still thought using this level of force on children was… wrong. But for now, she kept her mouth shut. After all, it would be her against the entire Injustice League if she said anything else.

In the swamp below, Robin's escape from Poison ivy was beginning to take its toll on his energy. His speed was waning, and his balance was starting to take a hit as he leapt over and along numerous fallen trees to escape her attacking flora. His footing slipped on one landing and that was enough for Ivy to catch up, destroying the log he was standing on and sending the boy wonder crashing into the muddy earth.

He slid along the ground, mud caking his cape and costume, before looking up to see dozens of sharpened, thorny branches preparing to attack him. As they struck at him, they were suddenly ripped apart by telekinetic force as Miss Martian flew in close, still under her invisibility.

"Robin, she's made contact." She said telepathically.

"Um, which she? We've got like six." Robin asked, confused as to who she meant.

"Actually, seven." She answered with a smirk, just as the cage that held their teammates was flown overhead. Robin followed her glance in time to see the Bioship suddenly rocket from the trees and collide with Wotan, sending the sorcerer crashing down into the water of the bayou. The magical energy of the cage disappeared, along with the bindings on Keemia and Annie, as the teens were sent into a freefall alongside Count Vertigo.

Adam immediately dove down to catch Vertigo, as the Vlatavan villain growled in anger. "Not me, stop those delinquents!" he ordered. Adam passed Vertigo on to Giganta, who set the villainous leader on her shoulder, before she and Adam charged after the team.

Superboy and Wolf were the first to land on the ground safely. Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Artemis followed next, while Djinn floated down with Ace and Annie brought up the rear. Once on the ground, Djinn summoned her staff to her hand as the team took point. The splashes caused by their landing attracted the attention of Ultra-Humanite, diverting his attention away from the search for Miss Martian.

Superboy fixed the villain with a glare as Wolf bared his fangs and growled dangerously. "I hate monkeys."

"I hate Kryptonians." Ultra-Humanite retorted before Superboy and Wolf lunged at the villain, forcing the ape on the defensive. The sudden commotion also attracted the attention of Poison Ivy, who emerged from the trees and glanced at Aqualad and Artemis with a smirk. She summoned massive tendrils of foliage, prepared to strike as Artemis and Aqualad instinctively reached for their weapons, only to remember they were missing.

"Ugh, I feel naked. And not in a fun way," Artemis groaned in annoyance, as Ivy rose on a throne of thorns before assaulting them with her vines. The first one was narrowly dodged by Kaldur, slamming into the mud behind him before the Atlantean held it in place with his right hand, and chopped through it with a single blow from his left.

"We will make our own fun, as we have been trained. Maneuver seven!" he ordered, lowering his hands as Artemis gave him a nod of understanding. She ran forward, before using his hands as a springboard, as Kaldur launched her over another mass of vines. Tumbling and flipping through the air, she took Ivy by surprise, striking the villainess in the face with her boot.

"How're you feeling?" Keemia asked Ace, before conjuring a shield of magic to protect them from the sudden stream of fire that the newly arrived Heatwave launched at them.

"Pretty good. Want me to focus on him?" she asked curiously.

"If you can back me up with him that would be great." She smirked before looking up and suddenly pulling Ace close to her. "Tropelet su ot ytefas." She cast hastily, as the two were teleported out of the way of Giganta's massive fist, which struck the ground behind where they were standing just moments before. They reappeared a few feet away in time to see Vertigo landing in front of Kid Flash with Black Adam's assistance.

"New plan, I take the fifty-foot villain, and you can take Heatwave." Keemia decided hurriedly before taking to the air again, as Ace used her telekinesis to project Heatwave's flames away from her and back into his fire retardant uniform.

"Yeah, good plan." Ace grimaced as she and Heatwave stood in a deadlock with each other.

Kid Flash, rushed past his team mates as he ran straight for Vertigo, intent on taking him out quickly. The refined villain had other plans however, and sent another wave of nausea at the speedster. Kid Flash stumbled and groaned at the sudden wave of dizziness, slowing to a stop right in front of the villain before Adam backhanded him away with ease.

Vertigo frowned in worry as he watched the battle unfold. "Where are the bat's children and the Martian?" he asked with a grimace, before avoiding a sudden hail of gunfire as Red Hood lunged from the bushes, still avoiding the rapid slashes courtesy of Cheetah.

"Sorry about that, we were just decorating your Christmas tree," he snarked as Annie came to his assistance, knocking Cheetah away with a massive mallet. The villain flew backwards, before easily landing on her feet with a snarl. As she rushed them again, she would suddenly find her legs frozen in ice as Coldsnap emerged from the water with a smirk.

"There was another?!" Vertigo cried in alarm, as Hood and Mannequin quickly moved to Coldsnap's side to give her support as Cheetah broke free from the ice.

"And where were you?" Jason asked as Niuhi pointed a thumb behind her.

"I thought the Christmas tree could use a little snow."

Ivy used her vines to deflect another blow from Artemis, before suddenly flinching and grasping her chest in pain. She glanced behind her before gasping in horror. "My baby!"

The other villains spared glances to see what had her worried, only to see the large central control plant frozen solid and adorned with explosives, courtesy of Red Hood, Coldsnap, Robin, and Miss Martian. The bombs beeped and blinked with green lights before suddenly detonating all at once. The resulting blast was massive, and thanks to a combination of the explosion and the sudden shock of the freezing cold ice, the plant writhed in pain before collapsing dead in a burning heap.

Standing at the top of the villains' base, on the burning husk of the plant, were Miss Martian and Robin. The two wore triumphant smirks as they gazed down at the villains. "Timber." Robin said, before folding his arms as the smoke billowed around them.

Ivy's eye twitched before she cried out in anger, summoning a mass of thorny vines and launching them at the two young heroes with a yell of anguish. Miss Martian flew forward and stopped the vines with her telekinesis before shredding them with ease. Her victory was short lived as a sudden burst of energy slammed into her from behind, as Atomic Skull and Joker emerged from the building onto the roof.

"Children? Children foiled our plan?" Joker said incredulously as Atomic Skull rushed after a fleeing Robin. "Inconceivable, Unacceptable, retributionable!" He declared before pausing and cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Huh, actually that last one might not be a word… eh, whatever." He shrugged before cackling like a madman and rushing to join the fray.

Vertigo watched the team with narrowed eyes as Ivy and Adam moved to back him up. "Kill them." He ordered. "Kill them all."

At his command, the two leapt back into action. Robin landed on the ground, helping Miss Martian up before the two dodged out of the way of another beam of crackling energy fired by Atomic Skull who continued his pursuit of the team. He would be met with a powerful punch to the face, courtesy of Mannequin, as the young heroine soon started to exchange blows with him, her malleable clay body keeping her relatively safe from his radioactive blasts.

Ivy's barrage of plants was met by Coldsnap firing off beams of ice to freeze them, before she shattered them with frozen claws. The Villainess growled before forming a massive fist made of foliage and launching it at the cryokinetic, sending Niuhi flying from the force of the blow. Superboy ad Wolf were backed into a tree by Ultra-Humanite, as the ape charged at them. Wolf was soon left alone with the gorilla as Black Adam rocketed forwards and tackled Superboy into a large tree to separate the clone.

Artemis soon found herself under assault from Vertigo's mental attacks, leaving her pinned on the ground as Kid Flash stood up shakily. "Leave her alone," the speedster said weakly before being struck in the back by magical energy.

"Enough!" Wotan yelled, as the sorcerer once again rose from the swamp. He easily shielded himself from two of Robin's explosive disks, before he sent a massive barrage of magical lightning towards the young heroes. The team soon found themselves knocked away from the villains and pinned as the lightning caused them to cry out in anguish, writhing in pain.

Djinn weakly summoned a shield to try and protect herself from the barrage, while Aqualad attempted to absorb the lightning. Even Mannequin found herself to be weak to the assault as the lightning coursed through her clay body. With the young heroes pinned, Adam smirked dangerously as he advanced on the vulnerable Robin with malicious intent, cracking his knuckles as the young hero was defenseless.

"Adam, NO!" Giganta yelled before suddenly kicking him with all the force she could muster, sending the dictator of Kahndaq flying several miles away from the sheer force of the blow.

"Traitor!" Vertigo accused as Giganta leered down at the villain.

"They're just kids, Vertigo!" she said defiantly, before shrinking her height down to twenty feet to shield Robin's body from the lightning. She grimaced and bit her lip to keep from crying in pain as he reached out and pulled Ace in front of her to shield her as well.

Vertigo scoffed before looking to Wotan. "Kill her with the children, Wotan. She has made her choice."

The sorcerer nodded before increasing the power in his lightning. Djinn strengthened her shield, extending it to cover Barry and Artemis, while Kaldur held out his hands, absorbing the lightning as he stood over Miss Martian to protect her.

"Plan B." he said seriously, before Miss Martian gave a nod of understanding, telepathically calling for the Bioship. It responded to her commands, flying overhead before opening a hatch to drop the duffel bag in Kaldur's hands. He caught it easily, opening it to reveal a golden helmet.

Wotan stopped his assault as he looked at the helmet warily. "The Helmet of Fate…"

"You didn't…" Keemia breathed in shock as Barry looked to him with a grimace.

"No Aqualad, don't!" he yelled, before a returning Black Adam arrived, delivering a wicked haymaker to send him flying back into a tree, where Barry's arm broke with a sickening crunch. Conner responded in kind with his own punch to Black Adam's face before Kaldur put the helmet on.

There was a bright golden glow as Kaldur was transformed into Dr. Fate, the teenager taking to the air to meet Wotan head on.

"Oh dude… no." Barry whispered, cradling his arm gently as he watched his friend in worry.

"Wotan, you are mine!" Dr. Fate declared in an imposing voice before he and Wotan exchanged powerful blasts of energy. The struggle was powerful but brief, as Fate's magic broke through Wotan's, sending the villain flying back into the ruins of the building before he was bound in chains.

With the barrage having ended, Giganta looked down at Ace and Robin with concern. "You two alright?" she asked, her back still smoking from where the lightning struck her.

"Yes… thank you." Ace nodded, unsure of the woman's intentions as she tried to steady Robin on his feet.

Giganta gave a small nod as she smiled in relief. "Thank goodness… I hate to see kids get hurt. That's a line I just can't cross…" she admitted, before being sucker punched by Black Adam, as she flew backwards from the force of the blow. Adam followed after her, being pursued closely by Mannequin and Superboy as another set of footsteps can be heard walking through the mud.

"Incredible! Simply incredible! Look at all the guest stars I'm getting on my welcome back special!" Joker laughed as he looked at the two young heroes, drawing two switch blades from his jacket's pockets.

"Oh no…" Ace whispered in terror as she took a tentative step back.

"Aw. What's the matter sweetie? Still upset over what I did to your head? Ha ha, well you might want to be specific there, because well… I did a lot." The clown chuckled before he turned to Robin. "In any case, I've killed one Robin, let's try for another, Hm?"

Robin shoved Ace out of the way of one swipe, before he too dodged Joker's assault of blades. The crazed villain cackled as he chased the boy wonder all through the muddy water, ignoring the other fights around him as he focused on the lone hero.

"Come now, let's not be hasty! You're the guest tonight, you get preferential treatment!" he laughed before Red Hood suddenly launched a kick at his face, knocking the clown to the ground. Joker held his jaw before looking up to Red Hood. "Now that was just rude."

"You deserve worse than that," Hood snarled, baring his pistols. "Much worse."

"You seem familiar. Have I threatened you before?" Joker asked, standing up.

"Yes. And now, it's payback time." Hood growled, narrowing his eyes before him and Robin both launched simultaneous attacks on Joker, leaving the villain on the defensive.

Ace was left grasping her head in a panic, seizing up anxiously as horrible memories of her torture at the hands of the Joker returned to her in force. She just couldn't escape the welling panic she felt inside of her as she started hyperventilating.

"Uh… you okay kid?" Heatwave asked curiously as he walked up to Ace. The girl didn't seem to notice him as she was too focused on her own mind to pay him any attention. Soon enough, she was knocked out of her mental anguish when she heard Keemia crying out in pain. She looked up to see Keemia being assaulted from behind by Cheetah's claws, while Vertigo held her down with his nausea wave.

"Kid…?" Heatwave asked again as he saw Ace stand up, murderous intent in her eyes. Next thing he knew, he was launched backwards by a powerful burst of telekinesis, colliding with Ivy as the villainess was mid battle with Coldsnap and Mannequin. Ace then flew forwards with a yell as she flung Cheetah away with another powerful telekinetic blast.

"Get away from her!" she yelled, landing behind Vertigo before she glared at the villain. The look in her eyes sent shivers down his spine before he put on a face of bravado.

"It is futile to stand against us." He sneered before launching a telepathic assault. To his surprise, he found himself not only matched, but over-powered by Ace's own counterassault. He grunted in frustration, cursing himself for underestimating the girl before he engaged in a telepathic battle of wills.

Wotan struggled against the magical chains, his anger building as he fixed Dr. Fate with a murderous scowl. "Solvo quod revert." He cast, shattering them with sudden renewed strength, before he sent them flying towards Dr. Fate as makeshift spears. Fate blocked the chains and absorbed their energy with a massive ankh as Wotan flew to approach him again. "Wotan has prepared for your return, Doctor. Fulmina venite!" he roared, sending a powerful blast of magical fire at Fate. The ankh held for a moment, before suddenly shattering at the assault, sending Fate flying back from the force. He quickly righted himself in the air, before his eyes glowed and he soared back to battle.

Ivy attempted in vain to strike at Miss Martian with vines and other dangerous flora. However, while the Martian girl was invisible, she avoided her assault with ease. "I can't see you Martian, but perhaps I'll hear you scream."

Vertigo looked to Ivy, keeping a fraction of his power focused on holding Ace back as he raised a hand. "And perhaps I can be of some assistance, Miss Isley." He smirked before firing another wave of nausea from his hand, forcing M'Gann to become visible again. M'Gann groaned in pain before falling to the ground, but the victory was short lived as Kid Flash suddenly sped by, disorienting Vertigo as he tore a strip from the villain's cloak.

Vertigo spun in place, before being subject to Ace's full assault which left him powerless to avoid a violent kick to the face courtesy of Artemis. The young archer sent vertigo crashing into Ivy, putting both villains down on the ground, before she moved to where Barry was sheltering behind the trunk of a tree.

Barry looked at her before groaning in disdain as she took the shred of the cloak from his grasp. "Hey, that's my souvenir!"

"Hold still," Artemis admonished him simply, before she tied the strip of cloth around his body like a sling in order to keep his broken arm from moving too violently. Kid Flash was about to say something, before Wolf was sent flying into her.

"Artemis!" he yelled before narrowly avoiding a punch from Ultra-Humanite, as the ape's massive fist collided with the trunk. It was him that had sent Wolf flying into Artemis in the first place, and now he had turned his attention to Barry with a roar of frustration.

Fate and Wotan flew through the air, engaged in a magical, aerial dogfight as they exchanged powerful bursts of magic. "Surrender, sorcerer. You cannot hope to defeat a Lord of Order!" Fate cried out before launching a burst of magic in the shape of an ankh to strike at Wotan.

Wotan held out his hands, absorbing the magic before he teleported behind Fate. He then released the same energy he had just absorbed to strike at the Lord of Order. "I can defeat you, and I will!" he yelled.

"Ekirts natoW nwod!" A woman's voice called, as Wotan turned, only for a massive fist made of magic to strike him in the face, breaking his jaw with an audible crunch. The villainous sorcerer was sent careening to the ground, as Zatanna arrived on a platform made of magic, surrounded by numerous other members of the League. "Not tonight Wotan!"

The teens gathered together on the ground, standing in a huddled group to defend each other from the villains, just as dozens of League members and associates arrived on the scene to back them up. In total, there had to be nearly forty heroes gathered together, as they surrounded the villains.

Batman sent a glance over to the team, his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw an unconscious Giganta reduced to her base size, and tended to carefully by an injured Djinn. "We need help for her here, Batman." Djinn groaned. "She helped us, we should return the favour." She said weakly.

Before Batman could answer, Shocker and Zatanna rushed over to the kids. Shocker took Giganta from their hands while Zatanna set to work with healing injuries. "Darlin', can you hear me?"

Giganta groaned softly before opening her eyes. "Hey Tex… I kept the kids safe." She said slowly as he gave a short chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah you did." He nodded.

Seeing the villains surrounded, Batman returned his attention to them. "It's over." He declared. True to his word, the plants had all withered away to decayed husks as soon as the central one was destroyed. Seeing his alliance surrounded by the League's united front, Vertigo slowly raised his hands in surrender, alongside his compatriots, sans Giganta.

"There will be another day." The villain muttered with a scowl.

"Another day? You mean we're giving up? What are we, France?!" Joker asked in disbelief. "That's not how Joker TV ends a broadcast; we go out, with a boom!" he cackled before raising his hands and suddenly spawning dozens more of the vines from the water, Joker venom pouring out of them in a thick, noxious cloud.

"Joker Venom spores, don't breathe!" Batman ordered before he struck the Joker across the face, knocking the villain unconscious to prevent him producing any more.

The cloud continued to billow around them threateningly, until Dr. Fate rose above them and summoned a massive ankh. "Fear not, fate has intervened!" He declared as the gas was absorbed into the ankh and safely destroyed.

"What were you thinking?!" Kid Flash exclaimed in anger. "How could you let him put on the Helmet? Nabu will never release him now!"

"What are you talking about, Barry?" Keemia asked with a grimace, examining the bandages that were wrapped around her arm where Cheetah had clawed her.

"When I put the helmet on, Nabu tried to hold onto me. He said the world needed a Dr. Fate. The only reason he let me go is because he knew that I had no magical training." Barry ranted. "But Kaldur's gonna be trapped forever now!"

As he said that, there was a flash of golden light as Dr. Fate removed the helmet, reverting back into Kaldur's body. Barry looked at him in shock before rushing forwards. "Nabu let you go?"

"He almost did not," Kaldur admitted with a whisper. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello." Barry grinned in response before Batman called their attention again.

"We're done here." Batman declared. "The latest Super-Villain Secret Society has been neutralized. As for your performance…" he trailed off, as the team looked at him expectantly. There was an extended silence before he continued. "… It was satisfactory."

The team couldn't help but chuckle at that as Ashley and Keemia hugged each other in relief. "Thank goodness, I'd hate to be called a failure after a mission like that." Keemia laughed.

"Me too… but do you really think it's over now?" Ashley asked, unsure. "And, does Batman think so?"

"Nah, Batman never thinks it's over. He'll be perusing clues to find any greater link, you can set your watch by it." Keemia snorted. "But for now, I at least think we have a small break." She mused before pulling her into a kiss.

"Guess that means date night." Ace giggled. "Did you know I find battle scars attractive?"

"Oh? Well in that case, I hope I can keep mine." She laughed before the couple walked with the team back to the Bioship. The League continued their cleanup as they watched them, before Supergirl and Sandman nudged Superman.

The Man of Steel turned to see the two of them, plus Power Girl and Spider-Man, watching expectantly. He understood their intent and braced himself before approaching the team.

"Superboy… I mean, Conner…" he called out. At that, the entire team stopped in shock. Not once had they ever heard Superman refer to Conner by his name. Superboy in particular was shocked as he looked to the team, before carefully approaching the Man of Steel.

"Yeah?" he asked pointedly, his voice holding a small twinge of hope.

"I just…. I wanted to say I'm sorry. For how I treated you." Superman said ashamedly, looking at the ground. "I let my own fears cloud my judgement, and you suffered for it. I know we won't be quite as close now as we could be… but for what it's worth… we could at least start over." He offered, extending his hand to the young clone.

Superboy couldn't hold his mask anymore and looked at his extended hand with shock. He hesitated for a moment, wanting nothing more than to continue to hate him. But underneath it all… he finally had what he truly wanted; acceptance. With a small nod, he reached out and shook Superman's hand.

"Cousin Clark… I'm Conner. Conner Marko." He said softly.

Superman flinched slightly before nodding. "Cousin Conner, I'm Clark Kent. It's nice to finally meet you properly."

After a moment, the two released their grip on each other, before hugging close. Flint watched with a smile seeing Conner finally getting his closure. He wasn't too sure, but he could have sworn he heard the clone crying, but that was okay. He needed this.

Conner finally had his family back.

Belle Reve Penitentiary – October 1st, 23:21 CDT

"Huh, guess the plant attacks are over then," Wilcox mused as he entered into Warden Strange's office, carrying two mugs of coffee.

"Yes indeed. We're lucky the Justice League was able to stop them." Strange nodded as he accepted the mug and took a sip.

Wilcox snorted quietly at that before handing Strange a file that he had tucked under his arm. "Here are those files you wanted from the front desk. But, are you sure you want to let this one out on good behaviour?"

"But of course, there's no need to keep him here any longer. Besides, he's shown nothing but exemplary behaviour since the attempted breakout." Strange reasoned. "If we're really in the business of rehabilitation, then we should at least try and act like it."

"Tch, I still think it's a bad idea." Wilcox said, before leaning against the wall. "But, I suppose you know what you're doing."

"Indeed." Strange nodded before snapping his fingers as an idea came to him. "Tell you what, if he truly rehabilitates once released, you owe me lunch."

"You're on Doc." Wilcox laughed before shaking his hand. "You're on."

"Wonderful." Strange laughed. "Well, I suppose we'll see how this turns out. He'll be released on the 10th."

Wilcox nodded as he walked towards the door. "Alright, we'll see what happens then. I have to get back to my patrols now. Have a goodnight, Doctor."

"Goodnight Wilcox."

[Unknown Location] – [Time Redacted]

"Impressive." A gravelly voice said, as numerous television screens displayed videos of the Justice League's battle with the plant monsters. Clips from all around the world played on repeat as the heroes were seen destroying the plants and saving civilians. Images of the Injustice league's original threat were also displayed. "The plant creatures have proven their usefulness as potential weapons."

The figure continued as it approached the screens, which now displayed a full image of the Injustice League. "More importantly, the so-called heroes now believe our Secret Society has been revealed and crushed. With the Injustice League serving as our proxies, we are once again free to operate with impunity."

The owner of the gravelly voice emerged from the shadows, revealing himself as vandal Savage. The Ancient Immortal turned to look at his compatriots; Queen Bee, Black Manta, Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor, Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Brain.

Savage looked to his allies with a triumphant smile before returning his attention to the monitors. "And the shadows still conceal our Light."

Boom! Five months of buildup and waiting has delivered.

Was it worth it? Well, that's for you to decide.

In the meantime, minor housekeeping:

The Joker: His dialogue got a fucking overhaul. A MASSIVE ONE. The Young Justice version of the Joker is far and away the worst version of the character ever animated. Anyone who gives crap to the joker from The Batman has to apologize in the face of this travesty. All I had to do to fix him? Imagine him with Mark Hamill's voice and make his dialogue actually begin to sound like things the Joker would say. I don't even like the Joker that much, but I can at least say this is an improvement. Just keep him funny, that's all you need.

The Injustice League: Giganta, Heatwave, and Cheetah are regular additions to any incarnation of a villainous DC team-up. They seemed natural fits.

Giganta's "Redemption": Eh, it might be a full redemption. I'm undecided but I wanted to leave it open. In any case, It's there for you guys to decide. Fun fact: she and Shocker have been seeing each other behind the backs of their respective teams. Their romance shall be explored later.

Black Manta: Yep, he's just replacing Ocean Master since Orm died all the way back in Season 1 of Justice League.

Superman: So, the intervention has happened. But why? Well, that's a simple one. I was tired of Clark being a dick to Conner. This isn't the Young Justice Superman, this is the Superman from S:TAS, and Justice League. There's no way he would have been such a dick to Conner. I wanted it resolved and I wanted it done before the finale of the first season. They're not father and son, but cousins. That way, they can attempt to patch their relationship, while Conner is still a member of Flint's family.

Belle Reve: Turns out I like Wilcox, who knew? Oh, you wanted to know about this figure getting released? Well, you'll have to find out more next time!

Red Tornado returns! The team sets out to teach their former mentor a lesson, but have they bitten off more than they can chew? Who's the mysterious person released from Belle Reve? Who will they kidnap for an interrogation? And just what has Cass been up to this whole time?

Tune in next time for "Humanity"!

Hopefully it doesn't take anywhere near as long as this chapter did.

As always, remember to read and review.

Ciao for now!

~WafflesTheApprentice