I don't own Young Justice or any related characters.

A/N: I wasn't 100% sure about this chapter. It's kind of a filler, but it is necessary. Still I hope you guys like it. And if not leave a review and let me know.

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Mount Justice

April 3, 18:12 EST

"Nightwing. B01."

He spotted Jaime and Bart as he entered the Cave.

They seemed to be in some intense argument, but he didn't have time for their shenanigans.

"There's no way you could beat Superman in a race hermano. Superman beat your grandad. He'd demolish you."

"He did not beat him. They just put that in the papers to help Supey's ego. We all know I would run circles around Big Blue. But all this talk, we should do it. That would be so crash. But I would need someone to practice on; work my way up."

"Dude, no one is going-"

"Where's Superboy?" Nightwing asked, his voice cutting through their discussion and leaving no room for the comedic relief Bart was so used to giving.

"I think he is in the back with Aqualad," Jaime answered, sensing it was best just to give him what he wanted.

Nightwing stormed to the back. "And Superman would win," he retorted.

The new Cave resembled the Watchtower in a lot of ways. For starters, it had a lot more rooms to accommodate the expanding team. It had a monitor womb that made it easy to hand out assignments. And it had a proper commissary that was always stocked. It made Nightwing smile to think how much Wally really would have enjoyed that, Impulse had certainly taken a shine to it.

But he wasn't smiling now. He needed to get to the bottom of this mess. He had nearly lost another of his closest friends and he wasn't just going to sit by and watch this time. Fate had pulled him back into this and he was going to make Cadmus or whoever was behind this sorry. But first on the list was Superboy.

Aqualad and Superboy were in the new interrogation quarters in the very back of the Cave as Jaime had said. Nightwing entered the room and stood in front of the one way mirror. He turned on the speaker to hear what was being said in the other room. His foot tapped with anger, as his blood boiled just at the sight of the Kryptonian.

Kaldur and Conner were sitting across each other. The latter had a tired look on his face. Nightwing almost felt sympathetic in spite of his anger. He had been through the ordeal with Barbara. Perhaps Nightwing was wrong in his approach.

"How did you escape?" Kaldur asked.

"I don't know. I just remember walking away. Sometime during it I knew I had to get to the Cave." Superboy responded.

Nightwing could feel every fiber of his being stand on end.

"She wasn't ever a priority for him. He was lucid enough to get himself out, but couldn't care less about the person he left behind. And now he was acting for Kaldur like he was a victim?" Any sympathy he had for Superboy had gone out the window.

He barged into the room.

"And what about your dying partner?! You leave her just as dazed and confused as you to protect herself?"

The expression on Conner's face went from tired to exasperated. He stood from his seat.

"I don't have to justify my actions to you. I did what was best for the mission."

Nightwing began to move before his brain could even register his actions. He had Superboy by the shirt and slammed him against the wall, quickly putting him into a full nelson.

"I don't care about the mission, I don't care where they are; you never leave a man behind."

Superboy pulled his arms down, using his strength to overpower the powerless hero behind him. He turned to face him, taking the offensive.

"Leave a man behind? Where do you get off, High and Mighty, telling me not to leave a man behind? You left all of us, what 'cause you suffered a little heartache? Being a part of a team isn't something you just pick up and put on when it's convenient for you. You don't think it hit all of us when Wally died? No, of course not, only the Great Nightwing has the privilege of stepping out. Stepping out on the people he promised he would lead."

Nightwing struck his former teammate across the face. He could see Superboy struggling to reign his anger as he realized what had happened. Aqualad immediately intervened, pulling Nightwing out the room as the chair he had once been sitting in exploded against the door.

Nightwing paced the room quickly, heat practically radiating off him. Aqualad had hardly ever seen him so frazzled. Perhaps it was the compounded guilt of the tragedies of his closest friends. But he had to push past it. At this point, they couldn't afford to fight amongst themselves.

They both looked over as Superboy slammed his fist into the wall, a dent in its place.

"Nightwing, you need to calm yourself."

"Me?!" he jeered. "He's the one punching walls."

"I understand your frustration, but it is misplaced. Superboy is not your enemy."

"Kaldur, she died because of him!"

Aqualad was taken aback. He hadn't realized the level of the issue with the information he had been given. Now he truly understood why Nightwing was acting the way he was. He had nearly lost it himself when they revealed Tula had passed away as all his friends watched. She had sacrificed herself, and no one stood in the way to save her. There was a small pause before he spoke as he reminisced on his former lover, pushing his own remaining anger away.

"Batgirl is no longer with us?"

Nightwing could hear the melancholic tone to his voice. He quickly corrected his statement.

"No. I mean she did. I had to do CPR. She was gone for a while but by some miracle she came back. But she would have if I hadn't had the mind to go find her. He left her with no intention of going back."

"I do not believe he was aware of all his actions."

"Why is everyone insistent on defending him? He knew what he was doing. Had it been M'gann he would have died before coming back without her."

"That is an unfair assessment. While we have all had romantic relationships, never have they interfered with our mission. And while Superboy is known for his quick temper, he has never been known to lie."

"What about those patches Luthor gave him?"

"Everyone has their secrets they wish to keep hidden, no matter how close others become."

Nightwing stopped pacing and faced the leader. Aqualad was right. He was always right. He never understood how he stayed so cool even in times of extreme pressure. They both turned to look at Superboy who had calmed down. He was now sitting staring at the mirror, or maybe he was using his super vision to watch them. Perhaps he was just thinking. Nightwing took a deep sigh before he spoke.

"They think she was raped."

Aqualad's attention was immediately recaptured. He didn't say a word, but Nightwing could feel his sympathy, and perhaps even a hint of guilt.

"I should've gone. You asked me, and I turned it down to stop a drug cartel that probably would've collapsed in on itself by now anyway."

"No, it was wrong of me to ask you. I should have respected your decision about involvement on the Team."

Nightwing continued to stare at Superboy as he made his next statement. "It doesn't matter now. Even if you hadn't asked me, this would've happened anyway. I just need to get to the bottom of this."

"I know I overstepped my bounds before, but know we are always here if you would like to work with us."

"I appreciate the offer but no thanks. I need to do this on my own."

"Be careful my friend."

Nightwing looked through the one way window one last time before he left. Superboy seemed to be thinking or analyzing something.

"I know you trust him, but Cadmus did something to him. Just keep an eye on him," he pointed out as he left.

They nodded in acknowledgement of each other before they moved their separate ways. Aqualad entered back into the interview room cautious to avoid the splinters that littered the doorway. He stood opposite the Boy of Steel. Superboy was careful to refrain from eye contact. The fit of rage Nightwing had inflicted had passed and in its place Kaldur could see the subtle hints of a guilty, starting with the absence of eye contact.

"He done crucifying me?"

"Nightwing is concerned for the well being of a close friend."

"He really thinks I'd just leave a man behind," he scoffed, "I've been here six years, and he hasn't learned to trust me yet?" He sounded more hurt and upset than angry, another sign of the guilt that was attacking his psyche. "Every time I get a moment to myself, all I can think about is what I did wrong. I would visit her if he hadn't locked her up at Fort Knox. I swear, the lowlifes who did this are gonna pay."

Kaldur could see the anger and vengeance break through the surface of his eyes. It was one he had seen in those he had worked next to while undercover: Cheshire, Sportsmaster, his father, even himself. It sent a chill down his spine. While Superboy was loyal, he was still liable to operate as a loose cannon. He stepped up to stop the clone before he walked out.

"We do not need acts of vigilantism. We need a coordinated effort to stop Cadmus."

"Kaldur, please. Step aside."

The leader remained in his place, unfaltering in his position until they were in agreement of each other.

"Fine. But I need to get out of here. Clear my head."

Aqualad stepped aside, allowing the Boy of Steel to pass, hoping and praying he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize himself or the mission.

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Superboy walked into the main cavity of the Cave. Jaime and Bart, now with Garfield, were still heavily discussing some fantasy match up between the Justice League.

"Nuh-uh. Martian Manhunter is way more powerful than Superman." Beast Boy chimed.

"But Superman can do way more. Heat vision, freeze breath. Martian Manhunter is no challenge compared to Supes. In a fight, Martian Manhunter would be so moded." Bart replied.

Jaime shook his head in disagreement. "I'm with Gar on this one. That's all Superman has on Manhunter. Superman can't shapeshift, density shift, read minds. Manhunter has him beat ese. And I thought you said you could beat him in a race?"

"I can. That doesn't mean I don't stand for the ol' boy scout, the Big Blue, truth, justice, and the American way. That would just be un-American."

"So Bart likes to jump on the bandwagon. Noted." Garfield heckled.

Superboy walked past as he made his way to the zeta tubes. Most things had changed since the rebuilding, but this was the one thing that remained the same.

As he rounded the corner, M'gann passed by. She seemed to hesitate as she noticed him coming at her. He wasn't paying her any mind, but she could feel the tension in her body increase. She had been wanting to talk to him after the fiasco of the previous night, but he seemed to be avoiding her. She didn't have to read his mind to know he was deeply distressed by how the mission went, and the way they had left things made it seem as if she didn't believe him. She wanted to apologize. The situation with Barbara made her realize that they had to take advantage of the moments they had.

"Conner, I need to talk to you."

"Not now M'gann. I need a minute alone." He pushed past her. She saw the anger in his face and the guilt in his eyes. He called for Sphere as he made his way to the tube. She sighed longingly as he was thrust away to some destination.

Washington DC

April 3, 20:52 EST

It was dark outside. The rain poured down. As soon as he stepped out of the tube, he was soaked. Lightning flashed in the background followed by the eruption of his brother thunder. Superboy didn't really know what he was planning to do while he was out. Maybe he wanted to get revenge or just clear his head; he stared out into the distance as he thought it through. He really wanted to hand it to Cadmus, but knew if anything went wrong, his credibility among the Team would be shot, and at that point, he couldn't blame them. So against his desire he stayed away from Cadmus, but promised himself, he would be back.

Sphere began to warble and make noise as the thunder and lightning exploded. She transformed to her bike form as he tapped her side. He jumped on and they rode out into the storm.

The rain stung as it increased, the grounds beginning to flood. As he rode Sphere down the street, he closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened, but it was like an old fashioned tape that had been cut and edited. He continued to draw a blank as a random piece of his memory was pulled to the surface.

As he felt a chill run down his spine, he was repulsed to the mud behind him. But as quickly as he had landed, he was lifted off the ground and blast clear into the street. Standing, he felt all his strength had drained. But Batgirl's cry of pain forced him to press on. He rushed back into the fight, but was brought to his knees as something like feedback filled his ears to the point it felt they were going bleed out. Then the pain moved from his ears to his mind. In the background he could hear Batgirl still struggling against their attackers, intermittent with her cries of pain. Despite his own pain, he tried to push forward. He stood to his feet again and dragged himself, step after step.

He was attacked from the back with another blast of energy and the sharp feeling of feedback had been increased to a thousand times beyond his threshold of pain. He became disoriented. The only thought in his head was to get to the Cave to end this excruciating pain. All his other senses had been dulled as he put one foot in front of the other making his way away from that place, wherever it was.

He had left Batgirl to defend herself against two attackers even he hadn't been able to thwart off. His heart was in his stomach. How could he have done something like that? What kind of hero was he?

Sphere jerked to a halt as thunder rang out. Superboy jumped off. They were in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't see anything in the blackness of night, and even if there had been light, the rain had washed away anything that could give them clues to any information. But still he couldn't shake the air of familiarity.

He walked into the wooded area, not expecting to find anything, but secretly hoping he did. The trees slowed the downpour of rain that refused to lighten. He didn't know what he was doing here, but his instincts told him he was in the right place for whatever was going to happen next.

He travelled on, Sphere rolling close to his side. He looked around for a sign of anything. Again, he halted to a stop as Sphere cut him off to avoid falling in a ditch.

"Thanks," he said. Shaking his head, he knew there was nothing there. "Come on. Let's head back, girl." He tapped her on the side.

The rain persisted. They had walked about a mile in. Another flash of lightning, and an eruption of thunder, but this one was followed by an explosion. Both Conner and the alien technology were forced forward. Behind them, a tree had caught on fire. The blaze defied the laws of any science, burning against the water that tried to snuff it out. Superboy was mind became caught up in the sight of the fire that had started.

There was an explosion behind them. He leaned against Batgirl. He was dazed for a reason he couldn't remember. They were running out of a building, Cadmus he presumed. As they made it out of the building, he removed his weight from her shoulder, and began to match her stride. They took off. Each knew they couldn't take the zeta tube as it was a security risk. They ran out away from the building.

He caught the swing in mid-air. He turned around, a fire in his eyes larger than the one of the tree behind him. He heard the heartbeat and the rustling of the leaves far before the swing had come. The man wielding the tire iron trying his best to finish the swing. Superboy pulled it out of his hands, and grabbed the man by his jacket neck.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing?" he asked.

The man was scrawny. His clothes were soaked and dirty. But it was his face that caused Superboy to pause.

He was scrawny and raggedy, his hair was long and greasy and he looked like he cleaned himself with mud like a hobo from a boxcar. He had a an unshaven face and bags under his eyes. And while he wasn't much, he managed to hold back such an immovable force. Batgirl called for him, but he couldn't move, his body unresponsive to his commands. The scrawny coward in front of him giving a toothy grin.

He was cleaned shaven and his hair was cut. But it was the same man. An off-guard swing to the jaw caused Superboy to release his grip in recovery. The man took off running. Sphere rolled away at another sound of thunder. Superboy took off after the man. He was the key to his missing memory. He wasn't letting him get away.

The limited visibility made the chase even harder than it was already in the wooded area. He used his infrared vision to search for him. As he turned tightly around a tree, he could hear the excited noises of Sphere. She hadn't run away like he had thought, but had gone to cut off, their runner. He felt a smile come to his face at the realization. The man must have run into her and was now slightly disoriented.

As he saw Superboy approaching, he tried again to get up and move, but Superboy grabbed him again and held fast.

"Let me go. I didn't do nothing."

"It was you! You were there!"

"Kid, I don't know what you're talking about. Put me down if you know what's good for you."

"You're not getting the drop on me twice."

The man kicked out to Superboy's private region. Superboy moved his thigh to block just in time. Again the man attempted the swing. Superboy dropped him before it could connect. The fight ensued. The man before him was very skilled, but Superboy was stronger and had trained with the likes of Batman and Black Canary. The man tried to flip over him and sweep him from underneath. Superboy jumped and delivered a kick to the man's skull. Despite the force, the man quickly rebounded, albeit slower. He tackled Superboy, grabbing his legs to ensure he fell to the ground. He then jumped on top, grabbing a particularly large tree limb that had fallen near them. The first whack connected, and it was followed by several more. The Boy of Steel quickly placed his legs around the man's neck and threw him off. Jumping up first, he ran to apprehend his attacker. The stranger spat out, the loogie landing on the hero's face. He stepped back in disgust, wiping viciously at it. Instead of taking off, the man continued to attack, landing punch after punch. Superboy recovered, grabbing the man's fist and returning with a lick of his own. The man stumbled backwards. The teen closed the hero closed the distance, blocking another hit. He quickly stopped the attack with a pinch to the nerve on the neck. Superboy looked at the man's crumpled figure on the ground with disgust. He wanted to end this guy, but knew they needed him for answers. He tossed him over his shoulder and hopped on Sphere, who had transformed back into a cycle, and they rode off into the rain.