Sorry this is late, I've been pretty busy. Anyway, enjoy

Chapter 3

Martian Manhunter lands the bioship at the cave, he and the members of the League who came with join him in bringing them inside and to the medical bay. The mentors taking their protégés, while Wonder Woman and Red Tornado take Zatanna and Conner. All of them are given a thorough checkup. Minus some scratches, there doesn't seem to be much wrong with them, but they're all in a death-like sleep, except Raquel of course. Zatanna shows more signs of wakefulness than the others, she might not be under whatever influence this is.

"There has been an update." Wonder Woman announces. "Kid Flash has been located, he's awake. Still no word on Robin." The League members look among each other in concern.

"Can you read their minds, Manhunter?" Green Arrow asks.

"I can certainly try." He answers, first scanning M'gann's, trying to piece together what happened. He closes his eyes, focusing. "M'gann, can you hear me?"

-Miss Martian-

M'gann has found a secluded spot in the cave, curled up, in camouflage mode.

"Come out to play my pretty lady!" She hears the creatures high pitched voice nearby. She curls in more, trying to keep as silent as possible.

"M'gann, can you hear me?" That's… her uncle!

"Uncle J'onn?!" She yells out. The creature appears in front of her and she screams.

-Real world-

J'onn pulls his hands away quickly from her head, eyes wide.

"What? What happened?" Green Arrow asks.

"She seems to be having a nightmare." J'onn says. He places his hands back to her head, trying to see if he can re-enter her mind, seeing if he can find a way to wake her, sort of like when the Failsafe training exercise happened.

-Miss Martian-

She's flying through the halls of the Cave, trying to find a way out. All the exits seem to be blocked by some strange amber substance.

"M'gann, where are you?"

"I don't know!" She answers. "I'm in some sort of playhouse of this thing and it won't leave me alone!" It's chasing after her on all its tendrils, laughing in its pursuit. J'onn appears down the hall from her.

"Oh look! A new plaything!" It says. J'onn's eyes widen seeing this creature. Like his niece, he can perceive its true form.

"M'gann!" He calls out, holding his hand out to her. She flies to him as quickly as possible, taking it. He pulls her in, hugging her tight. She grips tight to him. "Shh, I have you… This is a dream."

"Then why can I feel pain…?" She questions, sobbing.

"You feel pain?" He asks, knowing that's not normal for anyone who's dreaming. The creature scream-laughs, causing M'gann to cry out in fear, gripping tight to her uncle. J'onn looks at the creature, glaring at it. Its clawed hands grow in size, wrapping themselves around the two Martians tightly, as if trying to squeeze the life out of them. He camouflages, helping M'gann to camouflage and density shifts out of the creature's hand and up through the mountain, escaping outside. They can hear its screams in anger, but they're muffled. "M'gann, look at me." She does, lifting her head shakily to look at him. She breathes in and out shakily, her body racked with sobs.

"They're all gone… I can't feel them…" She says, sniffling. "It said it ate their souls…"

"You must wake up. Come back to the real world. Your mind is powerful, extraordinary. Believe in yourself." He encourages. He smiles softly at her. "I believe in you, M'gann." She nods a little, closing her eyes, trying to focus, trying to find her way out. She trusts what her uncle says, she can really feel that it's him, that he's here with her, like before.

She feels a shift in the energy around her, opening her eyes. She sees her uncle above her. She's lying in a bed in the medical bay. She starts crying, sitting up and hugging J'onn tightly, trembling.

"I knew you could do it." J'onn says softly, holding her close. "I am proud of you."

"Is she ok?" Wonder Woman asks.

"Her mind is heavily damaged…" J'onn says. "This creature… It was the worst being I have ever seen, and I have seen my fair share of disturbing creatures… Violet eyes that almost pierce the core of your being…" M'gann lifts her head, looking at Conner, then the other members of her team that are here. She sees two are missing…

"Where's Wally and Robin…?"

"They're still at the island." Wonder Woman answers. "Kid Flash has been found, Robin has not." M'gann's jaw clenches and she bows her head in worry. J'onn hugs her a bit tighter to comfort her.

"We need to wake the others." J'onn says. "Are you up for that?" She looks up at him, thinking a moment. She then nods a little. "Try not to push yourself if you are unable." She nods again, climbing out of bed as J'onn lets her go. She steps up to Superboy's bedside, looking at him, gently places a hand on his head, taking his hand with the other. She closes her eyes, delving into his mind. J'onn walks over to Aqualad's, placing a hand on either side of his head like he did with M'gann.

-Aqualad-

He's running through the forest again, trying to evade his friends who are now trying to kill him, to get revenge for letting them die.

"Kaldur!" One shouts.

"You should be dead!" Another shouts, he can't even determine who they are anymore, their voices all being muddled together. He just keeps running, covering his ears. He hits into something in front of him. He staggers back, looking up. Batman…

"You failed them, Kaldur." Batman says. "I am so disappointed in you. You're their leader and you failed."

"I couldn't stop it!" Kaldur shouts.

"Kaldur'ahm." A voice calls. He turns, looking at Aquaman. "I never should have taken you as my apprentice." He says. "If I had known you would have killed your Team… They are children! You are the eldest! It was your job to protect them!"

"You did everything you could." Another voice says. A hand lands on his shoulder. He turns his head back to look, seeing Martian Manhunter. "This is a dream. Your team is alive."

"What…?" Kaldur questions.

"That creature has placed you and most everyone in the Team under a spell, creating nightmares. Your greatest fears appearing real, to the point you even feel pain." Kaldur fully turns, facing him.

"How can I believe you…?" He questions.

"Look at them." J'onn says, looking behind him. Kaldur turns again, seeing the images of his friends, all looking dead, violet eyes staring at his sea-foam green ones. "You know your team, your friends. Ask yourself, is this truly them. Would they truly believe you are the one at fault when you are not?" He pauses a moment, looking them over again and again…

"No…" Kaldur says.

"It is time to wake up, Aqualad." J'onn says. "They are waiting for you."

Kaldur's eyes open in the real world. He sits up suddenly, pulling away from J'onn's grasp. Aquaman approaches him quickly, hugging him tight. Kaldur's surprised, but hugs him back. He looks over, seeing M'gann trying to help Conner out of his nightmare.

-Superboy-

Conner is now fighting members of the League, and winning… He's already killed half of them, now he's facing Superman, winning against him too.

"Conner!" He hears a voice shout at him. He had just grabbed the Kryptonian by the front of his suit, a fist aimed at his face, he's barely conscious. Conner slowly turns his head, seeing M'gann… But… He killed her… "This is a dream. You have to wake up!" He screams out in anger, running at her.

"No! Not again! Please!" Conner screams in his mind. "Stop!" M'gann doesn't flinch as he aims a punch at her, attempting to hit her like before. She uses her telekinesis to levitate him up so he stops. Match runs to attack her, but he flies through her, as if she doesn't actually exist. M'gann flies up so she's level with her boyfriend, looking into his eyes. She cups his face gently, smiling at him.

"I'm right here. I'm real, this isn't." She says. "You have to come back to me." She places her forehead to his, she shows him images of the real world, what's really going on. They're in the med bay, most everyone is there. He can see Kaldur waking up, sitting up. Aquaman embraces him tightly. "Please come back to me…" His vision shifts back to her, she leans in and kisses him. He feels himself start to calm down, wrapping his arms around her, closing his eyes tight. He feels her pull away from him after a moment and then he opens his eyes, seeing her in front of him, but this time, they're in the medical bay. "There you are…" She says softly. He grabs her and hugs her tight, but not too harshly. She brings herself up so she's sitting on the bed beside him.

Wolf places his head on Conner's lap, whimpering softly in concern. He pulls away from M'gann enough to look at him, reaching a hand and placing it on Wolf's head. Wolf takes that as an invite to jump onto the bed. Conner laughs a little, appreciating the affection from the fluff-pup. Wolf licks his face happily. Conner nuzzles into his fur, finding comfort in the soft tufts, petting the side of Wolf's neck. Wolf wags his tail like an excited puppy.

"Where's Kid and Robin?" Kaldur asks.

-The Island-

Wally is reunited with his uncle, both run to each other, hugging each other tight.

"Oh, thank god…" Flash says, gently stroking the back of Wally's head. Wally buries his face in Barry's chest, his whole body shakes, crying. "Shhh, I've got you…"

"I was so scared…" Wally admits, sounding like a fragile little child… Flash just holds him tight, letting him cry it all out for as long as he needs.

"What even happened?" Flash asks. Kid looks up at him.

"There was this thing… I-It had these eyes… they just… pierced your soul… And… it was able to blend perfectly with the dark, I couldn't see it with my night vision goggles." He explains. "It took us all down… Like we were nothing… Even Superboy wasn't immune…"

"Sounds awful…"

"The nightmare was worse… Rob and Artemis… They… hated me… I mean, I'm glad I didn't see them die, but it probably would've happened if I didn't escape… I…" He trails off. "I-I had to kill myself…" He tenses up, rubbing his neck a bit. "I-I… slit my own throat…" He mumbles, shaking more. Flash embraces him again, holding him tight. "I-I need to find Rob… He… He's…"

"You need to go home, rest." Flash tells him.

"No!" Kid shouts. He pulls away from him. "Rob's my brother! I have to find him!" He starts running.

"Kid! Wait!" Flash shouts after him, following him. Superman and Captain Marvel take flight.

"There's a cave! On the east side of the island! We found it when we first got here!" Kid Flash explains. Flash nods in understanding.

"Did you catch that, Batman?" He asks.

"Yes. We're on our way." Batman answers. Kid and Flash find the cave, stopping, looking at it. They can't even begin to see into its depths… Batman and Black Canary arrive as well not long after. Kid doesn't waste a moment more, running into the cave, the League follows. There's more and more of the amber-glass the deeper into the cave they go, strewn along the cave walls, hanging from the ceiling… nearly causing them to trip on it. They go deeper and deeper… until… there's a very familiar screeching-laugh.

"Oh goodie, more playthings." The strange echoey voice says. Batman activates a light to help them see as his night vision can't pick up the creature. "And what lovely souls. Especially little Brucie there. Oh, you remind me of my favorite little birdie." Batman glares at the monstrosity, unflinching upon seeing its violet eyes. Superman instinctively steps in front of Batman to protect him, not knowing what this thing is really capable of. "Oh no, your soul is no good at all." It says, scoffing. "Though it does have a certain charm. Like the sweet, sweet, Superboy." It giggles. "I should have savored him more." Superman fires his laser eyes at the creature. It giggles and jumps to another amber-glass bubble, the one it was on breaks off and crashes to the ground, breaking open like an egg to reveal a skeletal body. They're all horrified seeing such a thing.

"It stores its victims in these things…" Superman mutters. He looks up, scanning through them all, seeing if he can find Robin.

"You broke one of my toys!" The creature screeches. Superman finds Robin, he's toward the bottom. He shoots his laser eyes at that one specifically and it breaks off, crashing onto the floor. "NOOOO!" It screams out. Black Canary sends one of her cries at it. Batman runs forward to break open the cocoon, knowing why Superman targeted that one in particular. "You will not take him from me!" It jumps off from its perch to attack Batman, but Superman flies forward, striking the creature back. It hits the wall so hard, more of the cocoons break, bones falling out of them. Batman takes out on of his batarangs to break the amber-glass, but the creature stretches one of its tentacles and grabs his leg, pulling him away from it. Its claws are so sharp it digs through his boot, stabbing into his ankle. It swiftly moves up his body, wrapping around his neck, choking him, using its other claws to pin him down. His body can't seem to move, it starts going numb.

Superman fires another laser at the creature, it hits into the creature's head, causing it to scream in pain. Captain Marvel runs forward to grab Batman, trying his best not to breathe in the smell that churns his stomach. Even though the creature's let go, he still can't move, his consciousness fading. Superman keeps a constant beam on it while Marvel pulls Batman over to Green Arrow and Flash.

"Something about its claws seem to poison the body…" Kid theorizes. "It makes it go numb…" He and Marvel run back over to the cocoon Robin's in. The Captain works on breaking it, though this particular amber-glass is very thick. Black Canary watches the creature carefully, waiting for it to try to move toward them. The moment it does, she uses her canary cry to push it back. Superman has to stop the laser vision to rest for a moment, feeling weak all of a sudden. Was he scratched…? Sure enough, on his bicep. He shakes his head, trying to ignore the poison's effects. It's not as bad as Kryptonite, but it's still leaving his body weak. The cocoon is broken, showing Robin's body, curled up in a tiny ball. Wally goes to grab him immediately. Just then, Canary has to take a breath so she can continue her cries.

"Wally!" Captain Marvel shouts, grabbing him and pulling him away, shielding him as the creature latches onto him, digging its claws into him. It then bites into his muscled shoulder, causing him to scream in pain as his body becomes numb. Green Lantern sets Batman down, looking at Flash, they nod at each other. Flash speeds into the creature, kicking it hard off Captain Marvel. Green Lantern uses his power to pin the creature to the wall, encasing it in his own version of the cocoon. It struggles against it, trying to break free.

"Go!" Hal shouts. Flash helps Captain Marvel up the best he can and races out, Wally close behind with Robin in his arms. Once they're far away, Green Lantern creates a large wall, trapping the creature with its cocoons.

"Cap, transform back, so it's easier to carry you." Flash says. He nods a little.

"Shazam!" He shouts, turning into Billy, who collapses immediately, passing out. Flash picks him up, carrying him out. Black Canary and a weakened Superman grab Batman who's nearly unconscious and pull him with them. Green Lantern uses his power to keep the creature at bay as they all get out, he slowly backs out. Once out of the cave, Superman turns and punches the walls of the cave to make it collapse, allowing them to escape. Green Lantern then makes a plane for them to climb into and leave.

Black Canary and Superman get Batman inside. Flash climbs in, setting Billy down carefully on the floor of the ship. Wally brings Robin on as well, keeping hold of him, but sitting down next to Billy so he's more comfortable. Batman is laid down near them. Superman finally lets himself collapse. While he's not unconscious, he's still very weak. Black Canary rubs his back gently, though notices a dark, viscous goop on his arm where he was cut. She pulls at it, taking a chunk off, smelling it. She recognizes that smell… It was all over the Bioship, and even the cave… That awful smell that's like rotten flesh… with a hint of sulfur. Hal has the ship take off to the sky.

"Green Lantern to Justice League. We have located Robin and are on our way to the Cave." Hal explains.

"Thank the gods…" Wonder Woman says. "Is everyone alright?"

"This creature attacked us, took a few of us down, but we're out of there." Green Lantern explains further. "How is everything on your end?"

"Martian Manhunter was able to wake Miss Martian. Both were able to wake Superboy and Aqualad. They're attempting to wake Zatanna and Artemis now." She explains.

"Understood. We will let Kid Flash know." Hal says.

-The Cave-

M'gann places her hands on either side of Zatanna's head, trying to get into her Nightmare, but… She's… not in a Nightmare… M'gann's eyes snap open, mouth gapping. She looks up at the others.

"She's… Not… She's not in a Nightmare, she's in a coma…" M'gann explains. "The monster didn't get her, it… It couldn't…"

"She was struck by lightning…" Conner mentions, remembering finding her in that condition. "Maybe her already being unconscious protected her…?" M'gann looks down at Zatanna. She'd been cleaned off, but her skin is very scarred.

"I… Don't know what to do… A physically damaged brain can't be healed…" She starts crying. "Oh, Zatanna…"

"Is she brain dead…?" Kaldur asks.

"No… But… I don't know what will be left of her… If she ever wakes up." M'gann explains. The others are downcast, concerned. Meanwhile, J'onn is attempting to wake Artemis.

-Artemis-

Artemis is running through the mall, she manages to get outside and the rest of the Team arrives to aid her.

"No! Run! H-He killed Wally and Robin! Even Batman!" She warns them, her face red from tears.

"Go, Artemis." Aqualad tells her. "Get to the Bioship, we'll take it from here." Sportsmaster bursts out of the mall. Superboy yells in anger and rushes him. Sportsmaster takes out a knife and throws it, hitting Superboy in the chest. Superboy's face contorts in pain and he collapses to his knees

"Heh, how's the kryptonite feel, Superbrat." Sportsmaster taunts.

"Conner!" M'gann screams. She becomes angry, using her telekinesis to lift Sportsmaster up in the air.

"Ekat sih nopaew!" Zatanna casts, taking the chain mace from his hands, it lands on the ground.

"You really think I would be working alone?!" Sportsmaster shouts. M'gann suddenly screams, holding her head. She falls over.

"M'gann! No!" Artemis shouts, looking around for what's causing this. She sees Psimon in the distance. She thought he was stuck in bed for the rest of forever… Sportsmaster lands, grabbing his chained mace and stands back up tall, looking at Artemis.

"Dleihs!" Zatanna casts, sending up a barrier in front of them. Psimon sends out a massive wave of telepathic energy, making all but Artemis collapse, holding their heads, then they all fall limp, blood pouring from their ears, eyes, and nose.

"There now. Their brains are mush." Psimon says.

"Well done, Psimon. We should team up more often." Sportsmaster says. He starts walking towards Artemis. She falls to her hands and knees, giving up. All her friends are dead… Her new family… they're all gone… "Giving up now? I would have thought a Crock would have put up more of a fight. Are you really my kid?" He grabs her jaw, making her look up. "What do you say we go see your mother." A fist suddenly strikes Sportsmaster hard in the face. So hard that his mask falls off and he falls back. Artemis's eyes widen and she looks up, seeing J'onn. He looks over at Psimon and makes him fall over with a wave of his hand.

"There…" He says softly, helping her to her feet.

"Manhunter…?" Artemis questions. "The Team… Batman… they're a-all dead…"

"No, Artemis. They live. This is a nightmare, created by a monster that attacked all of you. This is not real." J'onn explains. He places a hand on her forehead, showing her images of most of the team, all except Wally and Robin. "Kid Flash and Robin are on their way to the Cave."

"So… they're… really alive…?" She asks softly.

"Yes." He answers. "Wake up, and see for yourself." Artemis closes her eyes, trying to wake up. She has to believe that they're really alive, that she's really dreaming. Another hand grabs hers. She opens her eyes, seeing M'gann.

"We're right here, sister." M'gann says, smiling softly. Artemis's eyes widen. She looks where the other M'gann lays, then back to the real M'gann. Artemis hugs her tight. M'gann hugs her back, just as tightly. She opens her eyes in the real world, seeing M'gann beside her, J'onn behind her.

"You're really alive…" Artemis mumbles. She sits up and hugs M'gann for real this time, of course, M'gann hugs her back again. Artemis trembles in her hold, crying.

"Welcome back, Artemis." Kaldur says, smiling softly. Artemis looks at him, smiling a little back, then she sees Zatanna.

"Z-Zatanna…?" Artemis questions. M'gann sighs through her nose.

"She's in a coma… She was struck by lightning and it caused a lot of damage to her body." She explains. Artemis's jaw drops a bit. It then closes and her eyes follow, she turns her head away. Aqualad stands up and walks over to Rocket, sitting beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She doesn't even stir. He looks up at Icon in concern. Icon looks back at him, matching his concern for his protégé.