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

A/N: Another one. Hope you enjoy it. Hopefully the next won't be to far behind.

READ. REVIEW. ENJOY.

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Mount Justice

April 5, 18:04 EST

His ears were ringing as he tried to get his bearings. He flew nearly half way across the room before the ground knocked the wind out of him. It had all happened so suddenly. He hadn't really seen it happen. Miss Martian had screamed out in pain, and something had brought him to the ground. But the energy he was trying to dodge made a direct path to his stomach. He was then on his back, tackled by some unknown figure.

He looked over to Miss Martian. She was writhing in pain on the ground. He looked around him to assess his situation. Two targets had infiltrated their headquarters. A tall muscular figure who had a striking resemblance to Captain Atom, and the sneaky skinny son of a gun they had been looking for earlier.

Jeremiah's concentration was solely on Miss Martian. And it seemed the harder he looked, the more pain his partner was in. It took a minute, but the connection hit Nightwing harder than the blow that brought him to the ground. Jeremiah was telepathic. Instinct forced his hand to his utility belt. A birdarang sailed through the air, rushing toward Jeremiah in an attempt to create a diversion. The man cried out as the birdarang connected against his skull, creating the distraction Nightwing needed.

The hero pushed his pain aside and ran to Miss Martian hoping to ensure she was okay before trying to mount an attack. But he never made it. He felt his shirt collar choke him as he was jerked back against the far wall of the Monitor Womb.

"Always playing the hero aren't you? It's gonna get you killed," the bulky figure breathed.

He wasn't in the mood for games or witty banter. They had invaded their sanctuary and they needed to be removed. Nightwing jumped back up. While there was no one in the Cave, he had to stop these invaders and get back to Miss Martian.

"I creamed you last time Bird Boy. Ready for round two?" The man stalked towards him.

"Round two?" Nightwing thought. Unless this was the missing Captain Atom with a costume change, he had never seen this guy in his life. He charged at the nuclear powered villain.

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Miss Martian picked herself off the ground. If her head was hurting before, she was in hell now. Her whole body ached and her head was in an insurmountable amount of pain. Recovering from the blow to the head, the scrawny figure that had strolled in with the nuclear powered behemoth walked into her view.

"Jeremiah," she breathed. The utter shock caused her to take a few steps back.

He stared at her. Confusion shown in all of his body language, the lack of recognition evident.

"Do I know you?" He had a slight British accent. She could see the wheels turning in his mind. Her initial shock quickly wore off. She turned to run. She was in no condition for a battle of the mind at this point. And with the lack of focus and the pain in her entire body, hand to hand wasn't a great idea either.

Jerome shook himself from his thoughts. Why this alien had recognized him and called him out of his name was not his concern at this point. He was sent to annihilate loose ends. He scanned around him. She was out of his physical vision, but not his mind's eye. He immediately found her, her presence a familiar feel to him despite not knowing who she was. His job wasn't to understand. He was to follow orders.

She was weak and in pain. Picking her off would be a simple task. He focused all his energies on her mind and its intricate faculties. He was determined to pick them apart piece by piece until she keeled over from all the pain. The high pitch of her shrill was music to his ears. He concentrated harder, hoping to hear her beg for mercy.

Nightwing couldn't help but look over as he saw Miss Martian behind the monitor screen display. He could practically feel the pain she was going through. He knew if he didn't intervene soon, she wouldn't make it.

The lackey he had been fighting pounced him, pinning him to the ground.

He had to know. If this was the Captain, why was he attacking?

"Captain Atom. What are you doing?"

The villain looked at him with absolute disdain. "Captain At- You think I'm that low ranking poozer?" The villain picked Nightwing off the ground and threw him across the room. Following him with a nuclear powered blast. While his reflexes were quick, he was unable to land and dodge. The blast sent him back even further.

The man came and stood over him. "You're dealing with the Major, boy. Major Force."

He gave him a blast to the face, stunning Nightwing. The shrieks in the background had calmed themselves, but the sounds of pain could still be heard.

"Are you finished yet?" Jerome asked as he watched his colleague yank his adversary off the floor.

"Boss man said finish them. Didn't say we couldn't have fun in the process. Besides you're still working on yours."

"I can finish the Martian off with just a thought. But what logic is there in disposing of her if I have to remain here and wait for you?"

"Even if we finish here, the Cap still won't be done."

"Again, your logic is flawed. His query has acquired several mobility dampening injuries including one to the femur. And she has been heavily sedated for the last few days. There is no reason he shouldn't be finished."

"If he was like us, yeah. But Cap for sure doesn't have the stomach for a kill. And no matter how bad you messed that sidekick up, he always finds a way to screw things up."

"I don't know to what sidekick you're referring, but please finish."

"Gladly."

He turned back to Nightwing who was now awake and furious. He brought his knees to his chest and pushed off with his legs. He landed a kick to the chest as he flipped backwards. It was followed by an explosive that sent Major Force stumbling backwards. With a flash grenade on the ground, he blinded the two. Nightwing rushed over to M'gann.

"No, no. Not again. Not again," she whispered.

"Miss Martian we have to get out of here."

She looked up at him, but continued to whisper to herself incoherently. He didn't have time for this. The two weren't going to stay blinded for long. He lifted her to her feet, draped one of her arms around his shoulder and guided her to the zeta tube.

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Major Force's eyes finally adjusted to the dim light of the Cave. Nightwing would get his in due time. He looked over to his partner who seemed to be having some sort of nervous breakdown.

"Jeremiah pull yourself together," he said annoyed.

The skinny man's head snapped towards him. "This is all your fault. If you had just finished him off like you were supposed to, they wouldn't have got away." He began to charge toward the muscular figure.

Major Force could here the New York drawl in his voice. He nearly laughed as he watched his partner try to beat him in fisticuffs. But the smirk soon fell after he received a hearty kick to the back of his knee followed by a hit to the face. He was small, but had a lot more strength than expected.

He grabbed Jeremiah before he could strike again. "Look Jeremiah. You may have the brain, but don't forget. I will beat you within an inch of your life."

"It's Jerry!" He tried another attack, but the Major blocked and smacked the man across the head. "I don't care who you are or whatever you call yourself. Watch yourself."

Jerry landed on the ground. His head throbbing. This was happening to him more frequently. He still didn't fully understand what was happening to him. He was told he was helping the greater good, but it always caused him a lot of pain and he never remembered what happened prior to the headache.

"What happened?" he asked as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Get yourself together Jeremiah."

"Jerome."

"Jerry, Jeremiah, Jerome. Whoever the hell you are, get it together or I'll do it for you. There's still stuff we need to do."

Jerome stood to his feet. "The DNA, correct?"

"Yeah. Now get lookin'."

Washington General Hospital

April 5, 17:54 EST

Barbara opened her eyes as she laid in bed. She only had feeling from the waist up. Her mind was swimming, and she was only semi conscious of her surroundings. They had filled her with sedatives every six hours for the past 24 hours. Sometimes more frequently. And she hated each one. It felt that they were taking a piece of her away every time. It was making her paranoid.

With all the time she had now, she reflected on what happened a lot. She didn't remember much, but flashes of that night still popped in her dreams.

She was running through the halls of a dark building. She could feel herself being chased. With Superboy using her for support, she had to keep going, but a stealthy escape was out of the question. The explosive she had set was going to go off any moment.

The memory would then jump to a different segment of the night, one that continued to fill her nightmares and probably would for many months to come.

She and Superboy had made it to a forest clearing when her body had stopped responding to her commands. She couldn't lift her legs and it felt as if her abdomen was being constricted. Superboy had tried to move her, but she stuck fast. The feeling in her chest persisted until she felt the snap of her ribs. She was released immediately after. Her body fell to the ground as the pressure finally released.

She could hear Superboy struggling. Knowing that she couldn't allow this injury from helping her partner she rushed to help. She was taken aback to see their assailant, Captain Atom. Pushing the unbelief aside, she reached for her utility belt. Before she could react, she was forced to the ground from behind. Her chest burned with pain as the wind escaped her lungs.

Getting back up, the man in front of her was scrawny and unkempt. He had a crooked grin on his face, and she could tell he was about to do something unwholesome.

Jumping at her, she threw up a series of blocks. He was strong despite his small frame. She couldn't take the offense because his attacks never stopped. Each hit sent her back a step until her back was against a tree. The attacker's smile increased. His fist was aimed at her face. She dropped down as he struck. Coming back up, her fist connected with his chin, disorienting him. She finished with a kick to the gut, giving her distance to move out and help Superboy.

As she struck out, her head exploded with pain. She staggered for a few steps before she was forced to the ground. She could hear Superboy in the background. Whatever had affected her was affecting him too.

She was guided to her backside by someone standing over her. The scrawny attacker again had that sinister grin. She tried to get up, but the weight he was pressing on her chest and the agony her mind was going through were unable to make it happen.

It started with the kisses going up and down the side of her face. The longer he was on top the harder they became. She thrashed as best she could, but the more she did, the greater the high pitched whine became in her mind. She could feel her uniform trying to be removed , but try as she might, there was nothing she could do. She hollered out, but there was no one there to save her.

She couldn't shake it. The images that Dick had showed her continued to flash through her mind, her attacker. She didn't want to be scared. All the scum she fought on a daily basis was ten times scarier than this man. But his face seemed to cause her heart rate to rise, alerting the nurses who would consequently give her another dose of sedatives and painkillers.

While they had assured her the dosage of each was low, each time she was under, she could barely remember her own name. She was in between injections right now. A small space of time for her to think, if she could float a thought across the sea of her mind.

She looked over to the empty chair beside her bed and thought back to Richard. A smile came to her face as she reminisced on the kiss they shared. She had never thought of him as a romantic partner, especially since he and Zatanna had been romantically involved on and off. He had always been more like a little brother to her. But the way he had talked to her yesterday, there was something far past friendship in his voice. She wouldn't push it, frankly, she didn't even know if she really had feelings.

She felt the wind blow on her face. The last nurse who had checked on her let the window up. It was a nice change of pace, but she was eager to get out of here. It had caught her by surprise though. Earlier that day, the doctors were tempted to move her to the mental ward. She had been hearing noises the entire day while under the drugs. The doctors had had to restrain her once as she had tried to run through the door.

The door had been closed since. So when it creaked open, she became worried. She reached for her utility belt hidden in a cabinet that had been presumed locked. Dick had taken it with him the night he had dropped her off. Tim had brought it during his first visit. The screams and noises she had been hearing earlier soon followed. She could feel her heart rate start to rise.

It was happening again. Her paranoia taking over her. She inhaled deeply as she tried a few of the calming techniques Bruce had shown her after a bad run in with the Scarecrow. But even as she tried, the screams seemed to grow louder.

She opened her eyes. Something was telling her she had to move. But another voice was saying this was just all in her head just as it had been last time. Again she looked over at the chair sitting next to her bed, her mind in a war as to whether she should prepare against this unknown threat.

Fear won the battle. She carefully maneuvered out of the bed into the chair. While she wasn't crazed, it would be better here than lie unprotected in the hospital bed. The noises continued to get louder the harder she tried to ignore it. Then the ground shook.

She gripped the bedrail. The ceiling fell through and she was on the floor despite her death grip on the bed. Sitting back up, Captain Atom loomed over her.

"Captain?" Barbara asked, confused as to the nature and actions of his visit.

He didn't answer, only stood staring at her. She moved to stand. A nuclear blast was hailed in her direction. Recognizing it moments before it hit, she grabbed the bed pan to deflect it. She could feel the radiation as it passed her face and destroyed the cabinet behind her.

The barrage continued to hail in her direction. With so many injuries, she wasn't fast enough to get off the floor and dodge. She had no choice but to roll out the way, despite her damaged ribs.

Squeezing under the bed, she took a moment to catch her breath. It felt as if her chest was caving in on her. The whole room seemed to get smaller. Her adrenaline rushing. She knew this was only temporary and had to think of something that was going to get her out of here with the least amount of pain.

Her decision was made for her as Captain Atom lifted the bed and threw it through the door. She grabbed her grapple and attempted to aim it through the window, but she was hoisted off the ground before she could get a good shot off.

"Captain, it's Batgirl. What are you doing?"

His face seemed to soften for a moment, slightly confused, but it quickly returned to its original state. Yet, the split second had been enough for Barbara to shoot her grapple to the next building through the open window. She was yanked from his hands and out of the hospital room, but not unscaved. Leaving the building, her left leg hit the windowsill on the way out. Her face twisted in pain. The painkillers seemed to have worn off and at the worst time.

Her landing on the next building was haphazard. Unable to slow her momentum as she let go of the grapple, she went tumbling head over heels, injuries and all. Her body was screaming for sweet relief. Even with the adrenaline running through her body, it wasn't enough. It seemed that every nerve was put into overdrive to let her know that she needed to stop whatever she was doing.

She mustered the strength to at least sit upright to find Captain Atom flying toward the building. As soon as he landed, he began running at her.

She tried to stand using the one leg, but she couldn't run anymore, her body physically would not let her. She scooted back as fast as she could knowing nothing she could think of right now could stop him, only delay what was coming since she couldn't get away.

Captain Atom charged his hand, the radiation growing around it. She closed her eyes and turned her head not wanting to see her end. As she waited, she could feel the rush of wind around her. A peace calming her despite her intense pain.

Washington DC

April 5, 18:15 EST

Nightwing rushed through the zeta tube with Miss Martian on his shoulder. He was running, his heart pounding so loud in his ears, he hadn't even heard Miss Martian pleading for him to slow down, only noticing when her weight was no longer on him. She was bent over clutching her head as she caught her breath.

He rushed back to her to help her up, assisting her to an abandoned building where she could compose herself. He helped her lean against the wall on the factory floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked, an urgency in his voice.

"Shut up. Shut up," she answered.

He wasn't fully sure she heard him, or if her response was to him or someone present in her mind. He wanted to stay with her, but Barbara was facing life and death. Miss Martian would survive.

"I'll be back," he informed her. He took off before she could ask any questions.

He took off down the street as fast as he could. At that moment he would have given anything for the super speed of his best friend. If Major Force, Jeremiah, and Captain Atom were all supposed to strike at the same time, he might already be too late. He threw up a silent prayer and put all his strength into getting to her.

Upon arrival, he reached for his grapple, propelling himself to her room. He had made careful observations at his visit in case of an emergency such as this. Finding the window already open, he flipped in ready to strike. The room was a mess. The bed was halfway through the door and halfway in the hall. The cabinets were adorned with holes. The chair overturned along with various pieces of equipment.

His heart began to race as he realized he might have been too late. He looked around the room for a clue as to where the two might be. He looked up to find the ceiling destroyed, drywall and concrete falling through the hole. Shaking his head, he thought through all the possibilities. As he turned his head, he caught movement with his peripheral vision. Captain Atom had landed on the adjacent roof and was stalking towards a cowering Barbara. He ran back through his entrance, shooting his grapple to reach the other building across from him. Flipping to land, his outstretched legs connected with Captain Atom's back, propelling him forward, his charged hand creating a hole in the roof.

He and Barbara locked eyes. There was a mixture of pain and fear. His heart longed to take it from her. A fire burned in his soul to make this right. His head snapped back to the rogue Leaguer. He was picking himself off the ground. Not waiting for him to recover, Nightwing raced over to him, his fist connecting to the captain's face as he turned to him. He followed with a elbow to the nose and a roundhouse to the head, bringing his opponent back to the ground, putting the fight in Nightwing's favor. The fury in his body was far from finished.

Kneeling beside the fallen hero, he lifted him so they would be face to face.

"Nightwing?" The confused expression on the captain's face showed confusion, but Nightwing didn't care, the damage had already been done, and he still had explosive energy to quell.

A snarl crossed his face as he began to repeatedly punch the "enemy" in the face. That's what Captain Atom had become, everything he was fighting against in this case. Each punch and each bash meant to bring out the fury he had for each clue yet to solve.

"Richard!"

His hand paused before landing the next blow. He looked down at Captain Atom, visibly beaten, bruises adorning his face. Nightwing immediately released him. Had Barbara not called his name, he didn't know how far he would have gone.

His attention now turned to her. She was crying, tears staining her face. The pain she must have been in. He knelt beside her.

"You were gonna kill him, weren't you?" she asked.

His countenance conveyed the despair he felt. He shook his head.

"I wouldn't have killed him, but I probably would have gotten a lot closer."

She had managed to scoot herself against a rise on the roof. Her teeth gritted in pain as she laid her head against the rise. Her knuckles turning white from how hard she had them closed.

"Barbara, I'm gonna get you out of here. I promise."

He went to grab her as he had only nights before, but she screamed in agony. He immediately retreated. Trying a different approach only yielded a similar response. Her right hand found his arm. He could now feel how much pain she was in, as she was crushing his bicep. She was leaving him with only one option.

"Barbara, I'm going to have to sedate you."

"No! No, please Richard. Don't."

"I have to. It's the only way I can move you without any pain."

She shook her head and looked at him, pleading he wouldn't. He ran his hand through his hair. This was by far one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. He grabbed her hand off his arm and held it in his hand.

"I told you. You're one of the strongest people I've met. You're gonna get through this, and I'm gonna be here the whole time."

He caressed her face to further reassure her.

She took a deep breath and nodded, the tears flowing faster.

Nightwing took out his first aid kit. Using the tranquilizing fluid, he filled the syringe and administered it. It didn't take long for her grip on his hand to loosen, indicating she was asleep. He could've used a painkiller, but it would've prolonged her suffering, and he knew neither of them could bear that. Besides that, it was only low strength. It wouldn't even ebb a stubbed toe.

He looked back at Captain Atom, a fury reigniting.

"Miss Martian." He used the commlink figuring she might still be recovering from whatever happened at the Cave. But with no reply, he began to grow impatient.

"Miss Martian," he called more urgently.

"Yes. I'm here."

"Meet me at the roof of the building next to the hospital."

It didn't take her long to get there. He wasn't surprised at the shock she portrayed, but looking at his face, she didn't ask. He would divulge when it was time. Her head was still on fire, but she was willing to do her part to help her friends.

Nightwing gingerly picked his friend off the ground. He carried her over to Miss Martian who took equal care. He then hoisted the captain over his shoulder. He grappled to the alley on the side to let himself down, Miss Martian followed close behind.

Watchtower

April 5, 18:49 EST

He exited the infirmary. Miss Martian stood outside waiting for him. She and Nightwing stood in silence, his expression was stoic.

"I guess that makes sense," she started.

"What?"

She turned red, clearly embarrassed. "I was going to ask you why come to the Watchtower when there are better facilities at the Cave."

"If Major Force and Jeremiah are there, we wouldn't last with Barbara injured like she is. The two of us barely held our own. And with Captain Atom gone rogue, our chances of winning decrease dramatically." He paused. "That headache is something else, isn't it?"

"It's embarrassing."

"I think it's a lot more than a headache. But you'll get it."

She peered into the window. "How is she?"

"She's stable, but I'm by no means a doctor. There's high grade painkiller in her IV so when she wakes it will at least be bearable. But she needs to be in a hospital. I don't know the extent of re-injury she has because of today, but I'm sure she's gonna need surgery again to redo what was already done."

There was dark tone to his voice, not the upbeat person she had known.

"How are you?"

"I don't know."

She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna talk with Atom. You'll watch her and let me know if anything changes?"

She nodded and he left.

PAGE BREAK

"Recognized. Zatanna A03."

Nightwing sat on the chair in front of the interrogation room. Zatanna rushed by him before even recognizing he was sitting there. It was his civilian clothes that had thrown her.

"Nightwing. What's wrong? It sounded urgent. You said Captain Atom was back. Where is he?"

He got up and led her into the room, gesturing to him as they entered.

"Why is he in an inhibitor collar?"

"He tried to kill Barbara." There was no emotion in his voice.

"What?!" She looked over her former lover carefully. She had known he could get "broody" occasionally when working a case, but he was callous. She couldn't read him at all.

"I called you down because as a member of the League, I need a League member present to investigate him. And if I try to kill him, I need you to pull me out."

"You can't be serious? Nightwing he's not a perp."

"He just tried to murder our friend. He's no different than the rest right now."

As soon as he stepped in the door, Captain Atom began to spill.

"Nightwing you need to listen to me. I can explain," he said. He looked like a little kid who just knocked over his mom's favorite vase.

Nightwing held his hand up to stop the Captain before he really got started. He didn't want the noise. He just wanted the answers he was seeking so he could get in and get out.

"You go missing for five days. You have knowledge of the clandestine location of one of the Team's operatives. You exploit that knowledge to make an unauthorized debrief. Then you abuse the same information and nearly assassinate her. What is there to explain Captain?"

The Leaguer looked small despite being physically the biggest in the room. "You're not gonna believe me. But I don't remember most of it."

The room filled with laughter catching Captain Atom off guard. Nightwing clutched his side as he doubled over laughing.

"You don't remember?" The laughter continued. "There's a lot of that going around, isn't it?" Zatanna was confused as well as she looked on.

A chair smashed against the floor and Nightwing was in Captain Atom's face, the smile he just held no existent.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't give you to Belle Reve right now?" Zatanna moved to the door, ready to pull him out before they had even started.

"Because I may know something you've been looking for."

Nightwing saw the Leaguer coming to get him, but his shook his head and took a deep breath. She scowled at him, but she backed off. "Like what? You just said you didn't remember anything from the last five days."

"Just hear me out."

Nightwing stood back. "Talk."

"When I was in the Air Force, I was framed for murdering my commanding officer."

"And was sentenced to life in prison. You were then offered a pardon if you volunteered for a government experiment. I know your origin. What does that have to do with now?"

"The experiment was performed by an early version of Cadmus. A year later, they repeated the experiment with Sergeant 2nd Class Clifford Zmeck, Major Force. While he was promoted as a hero, he was always underhanded. Since I came out of the quantum field, he was quite active, but has quieted down since. I ended up losing track of him until about a week or so ago. Around the same time, I started to get "headaches" I guess. Something I hadn't felt since I first came back from the field. They weren't normal headaches, but I don't know how else to describe them."

"Like radio feedback. Like you can hear things that aren't being said as if they are."

"Right. How did you know? Are you-"

"Keep going Captain."
"I figured it wasn't a coincidence. So I went to investigate at the beginning of the week, and it brought me to Cadmus." He paused and wiped his face. He looked uncomfortable, but he continued. "When I got there, I found that Luthor rebuilt his underground lab, but-" he stopped again.

"Captain what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. There was no sign of Major Force, but… but I saw something else."

"What?"

"Bat… Batgirl and Superboy. They were... They were there too."

"Captain what did you see?" Nightwing was growing anxious. It looked like it was becoming more difficult for him to finish. But he needed this information. He couldn't get it from anywhere else.

"Luthor… he was… he was there. There was... blueprints… with…" His face grimaced with pain. His mouth opened as if to cry out, but no sound came. And like that he was gone. His body physically there, but his mind was gone like he was in a trance.

"Captain. Captain! Captain!"

Nightwing pounded on the table and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Zatanna followed him back to the spot where she had met him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You tell me."

"Are you suggesting it was magic?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything at this point. One minute he's explaining, and the next he's just sitting there like someone stole the life out of him."

"I would have felt if it was a magical interference." He wasn't listening to her. He was lost in his own head. She grabbed his face and turned it towards her. "Dick listen to me. You're gonna figure this out like you always do."

"I keep hearing that, but I'm still at square one."

"Maybe you need to take another look at it." Her hand passed over his chest as she came to sit next to him. He felt something press against him. He reached in his jacket pocket and found the deed from earlier.

"Or maybe I need to take a detour." The name LexCorp jumped out at him. He abruptly stood from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"Square one. Cadmus."

She gave him a surprised look.

"You're not stopping me. I have to do this alone."

"While I wish you would reconsider taking a League escort, I'm surprised you haven't stopped there already. If that was their mission, then why wouldn't you start where it all went wrong?"

He considered her words. And it was odd that he hadn't even considered looking into Cadmus. He shook the throbbing feeling in his head to the side.

"I don't know, but it ends now."