Author's note: Okay, this one should be a much better chapter than the last. It will have action a plenty! It's based off the episode 'Cold Hearted,' which follows Wally as he tries to give a girl a heart she needs. But as you know, this story follows Desmond. So what'll happen in this chapter, you ask? Well… read it!
Disclaimer: The characters of Young Justice belong to DC, not me.
Chapter Twenty Two
Frigid
The room was completely dark as the team sat, hidden. The place was decorated with balloons and a banner that read "Happy Birthday" in big yellow letters. The team was all there, joined by Red Tornado, and Wally's uncle, the Flash. They sat in silence, then heard the cave announce Wally's arrival.
"Recognized, Kid Flash, B03," it called. "Zeta-tube now offline, due to atmospheric conditions." That was something new, but they didn't dwell on it. Wally walked into the kitchen, and Tornado flipped on the lights.
"Surprise!" everyone shouted. Wally threw up his hands in obviously mock surprise.
"Aw, for me?" he asked innocently. "Guys, you shouldn't have."
"Right," said Robin, chuckling. "Like you haven't been hinting for weeks that you wanted a party." M'gann quickly grabbed Wally by the arm and pulled him over to the couch. She strapped a party hat on his head, and presented him with not one, but two cakes.
"Aw thanks, babe," he said. The others rolled their eyes. "What're you all going to eat?"
"We'll split the cupcake," said M'gann. "Make a wish!" Wally grinned and blew out the candles. Then the others began milling around, as Wally began flirting with the Martian. Conner, Kaldur and Desmond went to talk with Flash.
"So, you're the density shifter I've been hearing about?" asked Flash. He held out a hand, which Desmond shook graciously. The Flash had already met every member of the team besides him, so Desmond wanted to make a good first impression.
"That'd be me, Flash, sir," he said. The Flash chuckled, and waved a hand.
"Don't call me that," he insisted. "Just call me Barry." Desmond's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden openness. He'd met a lot of Leaguers by now, and the only secret identities he knew were Martian Manhunter's and Captain Marvel's.
"Okay, Barry," he said. "So, I hear you can phase through walls too." He smiled and looked towards his nephew, who was gazing at M'gann. She gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"Did Wally try it again?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "Every time he does it, a wall needs re-spackling." Conner pointed to the Wally-shaped mark on the kitchen wall, and the four of them laughed heartily. Artemis walked over to the group. "Hey little lady." Said Flash.
"Hey Barry, nice to see you," she said politely. She nodded towards Wally and M'gann. Wally was desperately trying to get a 'special present' from the Martian girl. "Should we tell him?" she asked, mostly to Conner. The three boys exchanged looks, and Flash looked very confused.
"He is the only one not aware," said Kaldur. Artemis smiled.
"Then please," she said. "Allow me." With that she strode over to the couch, and sat next to Wally. She leaned in and whispered the news to him. He looked crestfallen. Desmond quickly filled the Flash in on Wally's crush on Miss M, and her relationship with Conner. He laughed.
"Yeah, that sounds like Wally all right," he said. Just then there was a beep, signaling the PA system was about to be used. Batman's gravelly voice filled the room.
"Attention team," he said. "Suit up. Polar stealth. Mission briefing in five." The eight teens exchanged looks, and quickly ran off to fulfill Batman's request.
XxXxX
The team regrouped, all wearing white and grey versions of their outfits. Flash and Red Tornado were gone. Batman got right to the point.
"A massive ice storm has paralyzed North America from coast to coast," he explained. "Satellite imaging has detected five floating… ice fortresses. Source unknown. They seem to be responsible, and must be stopped. The Watchtower is not weapon-equipped, and with both Green Lanterns off-world I need all hands on deck." Robin seemed to pick up on what Batman was saying.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked excitedly. "The League and the team fighting side-by-side?" The other members of the team all smiled, and exchanged excited glances.
"Miss Martian," said Batman. "Take the Bio-ship. Drop off Robin and Aqualad at Ice Fortress One. I will rendezvous there. Continue on, and drop off Desmond and Superboy at Ice Fortress Two, where they will meet up with Black Canary and Red Tornado. Then you, Artemis and Zatana will continue to Ice Fortress Three. Other League members will take care of Ice Fortresses Four and Five. Kid Flash…" Wally looked up expectantly. "Stay a moment, I have a special job for you." With that, everyone except Kid Flash left for the Bio-ship.
XxXxX
The Bio-ship neared the second Fortress. Aqualad and Robin had already been dropped off, and now Superboy and Shifter would be leaving. M'gann floated over the large floating metal contraption, which was no easy feat, considering the ridiculous winds that were raging all around. She opened a hole in the bottom of the ship. She gave Superboy a quick kiss, and he dropped through. Shifter was about to drop as well, when Artemis caught his shoulder.
"Be careful," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. Despite the cold inside the ship, he blushed. "Now go!" she urged, and Desmond jumped out of the hole. He free-fell towards the dark grey metal below, and landed with a thud. As soon as he stood, he was knocked to the ground again. He looked to see a blue beam sail over his head, and Black Canary lying on top of him.
"Watch your head, Des," she called above the roar of the wind. "Those beams will freeze you solid. Help us take them out." They got up, and went in two different directions. These things were huge, and it would take a while to cover the whole thing. Desmond ran towards the nearest laser, and hardened himself. He slid on his side, and collided with the metal base of the laser, knocking it out of the socket. It continued firing, however, so he lifted it over his head and ran to the edge of the ship. He jumped upwards, and flung the still-firing cannon of the edge.
"Tornado!" he called. The android swooped in, and blasted the laser with gusts of wind, causing it to explode. Desmond smiled at the success of the tag team, and then heard a deafening scream, and turned to see Black Canary shouting at another laser. It erupted in sparks, and seemed to shut down. Superboy then ran up and roundhouse kicked it out of the socket, and it sailed right off the edge of the Fortress. Tornado swooped in and blasted another laser with gusts of powerful wind, sending it flying off the large ship. Things were starting to look up. Then there was the sound of something opening, and the four heroes turned to see it. At least a dozen people stepped out of a hatch. No, wait, they weren't people. They looked like giant, bipedal glaciers, walking around.
"What are those?" shouted Superboy.
"Some kind of… ice monsters," said Desmond. Then, as if to support this theory, the hulking ice-man in the front of the line growled, and out of his mouth shot a spike of ice. It went straight for Canary, who dodged it easily. But when it impacted on the metal floor, it erupted into many smaller shards, all sharp as knives.
"This may prove to be a hindrance on our mission," noted Red Tornado in his monotone voice. Shifter quickly radioed in to Batman, while the other three began taking out the ice monsters.
"Uh, Batman?" he asked. "We have a…situation over here…"
"The ice monsters, I know," replied Batman. "We're having the same problem here. They're reminiscent of Thermonators, androids covered in three foot thick ice created by Mr. Freeze. But he should be locked away in Belle Reve…"
"Um…" said Shifter, dodging a flying ice shard. "Any tips on how to take these guys out?" Batman made a sound like he'd just gotten hit by something, but responded none the less.
"If you can get through the ice," he said. "There should be a thin robotic body underneath. If you pull out the circuits it will shut down. You and Black Canary are perfect for this. Batman out." The radio shut off, and Shifter had a plan. He ran to Black Canary, who was kicking at one of the ice monsters.
"There's a robot underneath the ice!" he shouted. "Batman said if we get through to it, we can shut them down. Scream!" Black Canary faced her adversary, and let loose an eardrum-shattering scream. The ice shook for a moment, then cracks started to appear. It erupted, sending ice everywhere, and left a very frail looking metal figure of a man. Canary kicked at the chest area, and the robot's entire torso fell off. She gave Shifter a thumbs up, and he left her to fight his own. He ran to the nearest ice-bot, and phased his hand through the thick ice. He wrapped his hand around the center of the robot, and just before the monster's frozen arms took a swing at his head, he yanked the metal support hard. He pulled it out from the inside, and the monster snapped in half. He looked over to see Canary shout at two more, and they were incapacitated. Another monster approached Desmond, and he repeated the process. Then he hardened himself, and took the lifeless body of the nearest incapacitated monster, and flung it at the one that was currently heading right for him. They collided, and both tumbled off the side of the Fortress. Suddenly his headset buzzed.
"How you guys doing?" came Robin's voice. "Batman told me you were fighting the Thermonators too." Desmond grunted as he hardened himself and took a full frontal blast of ice.
"Yeah, we are," he said, through barred teeth. "But me and Canary are handling it. How're things on your end?"
"Going fine," he responded after a short pause. "Aquaman and Flash showed up to help."
"And Wally?" Desmond asked.
"Batman sent him to deliver a heart to a girl that needs a transplant," he said. "Across the country." Desmond's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed like a weird request. Not a bad one, obviously, but weird.
"Who's the girl?"
"Batman wouldn't say," said Robin. "Just that it was important. Anyway, any word from Artemis, M'gann or Zatana?"
"Nope," Desmond said, as he roundhouse kicked a Thermonator halfway across the Fortress. "I'll call them now." Robin said goodbye, and Shifter quickly radioed in to Artemis. "How you holding up?" he asked when she answered his call.
"We're okay," she said. He heard the sound of an arrow being shot, and an explosion shortly after. "Hey, have you seen these—"
"They're called Thermonators," Desmond cut her off. "There's a robotic body beneath the ice. Get to that, you shut down the walking glacier." Artemis chuckled.
"You know everything," she joked.
"Well, you know me," said Desmond. He noticed Red Tornado getting battered by a Thermonator. "Got to go. Robin wanted me to make sure you were all okay. And… I wanted to be sure you were okay." Artemis bid him farewell, and Shifter jumped at the Thermonator. But before he could get to it, there were two red beams from out of nowhere, and the ice around the Thermonator melted away. Tornado barraged the exposed robot with wind, and it snapped in half. Desmond looked to Superboy, and found that his friend was staring directly up in the sky. He followed his gaze, and watched as Superman slowly floated down into the battle field. The floating Kryptonian touched down, and Black Canary ran up to him.
"Glad you're here, Kal," she said. Kal? Who was Kal? Desmond let it slide as Canary and Superman continued. "Shifter and I have been taking down a lot of them, but they keep coming."
"Who's Shifter?" asked the man of steel. Canary pointed to Desmond, who was standing awkwardly next to red Tornado. Superman flew over to him, and extended a hand. Desmond took it, acting rather star struck. "You've been doing good work here, son. Let's continue it." He flew off again, aiming for more Thermonators. Desmond's eyes landed on Superboy, who seemed to be seething with anger. He knew that the two Kryptonians had a strained relationship, and hearing Superman call Desmond 'son' probably didn't help. With a roar, Superboy jumped to the nearest Thermonator and started wailing on its chest. Shifter followed suit, delivering punch after punch to the icy robot nearest him. Canary screamed another Thermonator into oblivion, and Superman floated upwards quickly. Then he turned, and dive bombed into a group of three Thermonators. They all skyrocketed, falling in different directions away from the Fortress. He followed up with heat vision to the next two nearest him, and Red Tornado used gusts of wind to knock the half-melted robots off the side. Canary ran up to Shifter.
"Don't just stand there!" she called. "Help me take out these four." She pointed to a group fo four Thermonators, converging on where the two were standing. Desmond nodded.
"Maneuver Twenty Eight," he suggested. Canary nodded. Desmond grabbed her hand, and the two of them phased through the metal below them. They came up again in the middle of the four robots. Then Desmond grabbed Black Canary's shoulders, and hoisted her upwards. She started to scream, and he began spinning in circles, so she was hitting all four robots with her Canary Cry. They almost instantly shattered, and the two heroes set about disposing of the robot portion of their bodies. They were soon gone, and Canary clasped Shifter on the shoulder.
"Good work," she said with a smile. "Those sessions with me have really been paying off, huh?" Desmond smiled and nodded, and turned in time to see Superboy fling a Thermonator off the side of the Fortress. He jumped over to Des and Canary, and Superman floated over with Red Tornado.
"We've put a dent in their forces," said the elder Kryptonian. "Now we need to shut this thing down for good. I assume there's some sort of power source in the center. I can't be sure, though; this thing is coated in lead paint." He turned to Desmond, who felt the overwhelming urge to salute the imposing hero. "Shifter, if you can phase Superboy and me inside, the three of us should be able to get close enough to the power source to shut it off."
"You're assuming it'll be pumping out hazards?" asked Canary. "Some things only skin of steel or extreme density could withstand?" Superman nodded. "Then the three of you go. Tornado and I'll hold off the rest of the robots." Tornado nodded in affirmative, and the two Kryptonians looked to Shifter. He took a deep breath, and held out both his hands.
"Grab on," he said. The two Supers did so. Superman's hand was large and powerful, but warm to the touch. Desmond couldn't help but get a sense of protection from the hero's presence. He looked to his friend Superboy, who was still looking with awe at his 'father.' "Here we go…" said Desmond, and he phased the three of them through the metal. It was really tightly packed, and they couldn't see anything for a moment. Then there was a sudden drop, and the three heroes fell to the ground inside the Fortress. It was a large room, and freezing cold. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and jutted out from the floor and walls. Superboy pointed forward.
"There!" he shouted, and Shifter followed his finger. His eyes rested on a door, nearly completely frozen in ice. "It's got to be in there. The ice is an extra layer of protection." Superman nodded.
"Good eye," he said, and Shifter thought he saw his friend smile briefly at the praise. Superman stood, and his eyes started glowing red. "Stand back." He said. The two teens did so, and Superman blasted the icy door with his heat vision. The ice quickly started melting, and Superman shut off his heat vision just short of the door bursting into flames. Not wasting any time, Superboy jumped to the door, and with one swift punch, sent it flying into the darkness of the next room. Desmond and Superman joined him at the doorway, and the three walked in together. This room was almost infinitely colder than the other. The only light came from a giant orb in the center of the room. It was inside a glass case, and seemed to be pulsating, like a giant heart.
"That's got to be it," said Shifter. He took a step closer, and almost immediately felt the stinging on his face. He pulled back, and touched his cheek. When he pulled away, there was blood.
"Wind and ice shards," said Superman. "Spinning through the whole room. Moving too fast for you to see, but I can see them."
"So can I," said Superboy. "There's no way to avoid them. We'll need to go through it." Desmond breathed out, and hardened himself. Then the three heroes began walking towards the giant icy orb. Even the Kryptonians were having trouble moving in the gale force winds, and the three of them had to help each other, pushing forward, or grabbing a hand when someone started to fall back. After a while, they managed to get about two feet away.
"Superboy," said the man of steel. "You and Shifter take it out." The two teen's eyes opened wide, despite the stinging wind.
"Us?" asked Superboy. "Why not you? Use your heat vision again." Superman shook his head.
"Not in this wind," he said. "It would be diverted. Sent everywhere, and I don't want to risk hurting either of you. You two will have to do it." The teens looked at each other, and nodded.
"Maneuver sixteen," said Superboy. Desmond nodded, and Superboy jumped into the air. This was a maneuver that was a favorite of the two, as it worked with either of them in either position. One would grab onto the other's ankles, and spin in circles, at the end sending him towards the target. So as Shifter began spinning, he waited for Superboy's signal. "Now!" Desmond released his Kryptonian friend, and he rocketed at the icy orb. His body shattered the glass encasing it, and upon contact, there was a blinding white light. The entire room seemed to tilt over, and the three heroes fell to the ground. Suddenly, all their radios went off.
"Superman?" asked Black Canary. "Superboy? Shifter? What's going on in there?"
"Black Canary," called Superman, over the roar of the wind which had increased in intensity. There was now a mini blizzard within the room. "Get Tornado, and get out of there!" She didn't respond, so Desmond assumed she had complied.
"We've got to get out of here!" shouted Superboy. He turned to Desmond. "Phase us out, Shifter!" Desmond crawled over to the Kryptonians, and grabbed their wrists. He quickly lowered their density, and phased all three down through the bottom of the Fortress. As soon as they felt the cold air from the outside hit them, Superman took control. He put his arms around the teens, and quickly flew to a safe distance. They watched in awe as the gigantic Fortress slowly fell further and further, until it collided with the ocean below. Red Tornado floated over to the three of them, with Black Canary in his arms.
"Batman has reported that the other Fortresses have been dealt with, as well," he said. "Excellent work, Superman." Superman smiled, but shook his head.
"Thanks RT," he said, sounding rather informal for the man of steel. "But it was Shifter and Superboy who delivered the finishing blow." The two teens couldn't help but smile at the recognition they were getting. Superboy looked at both of them. "I'm proud of you two." That was amazing to hear. And while Desmond knew Superman was truthfully addressing both of them, he was aware most of the pride was for his 'son.' And he was okay with that; from what he'd heard, the two didn't get along well. He hoped this day would prove to help mend their strained relationship.
"Come on," said Black Canary, breaking the silence. "Superman, you and RT need to get to the Watchtower. The three of us will get back to the cave. I'm thinking hot chocolate." The others (excluding Red Tornado, for obvious reasons) smiled. Before they left, they turned to watch as the last of the Ice Fortress sunk beneath the lapping waves. After a moment of silence, the terrible snowstorm began to subside, and in another moment, the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. Then the Bio-ship appeared from the clouds, and Black Canary, Desmond and Conner were dropped off inside it. They watched from the window as Superman and Red Tornado flew away.
"Wow…" said M'gann after a moment. "Superman, huh?" Desmond and Conner didn't respond, just gazed as the Kryptonian flew away. Then Desmond patted his friend on the back, and the Bio-ship began heading for home.
So that was a good one, right? I'm hoping to try and mend the relationship problems that Superboy has with his 'dad' the further we go in the story. Anyway, I hope you liked it a lot. Thanks to the frequent readers and reviewers, you know who you are. Please review, favorite, and follow if you want to. Thanks!