Chapter 28: Confessions

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession."

Mahatma Gandhi

Chapter 28: "Confessions"

(Thursday-December 30, 2010)

"The Justice League was founded for two reasons. First, that no single individual, no matter how powerful, can solve all the world's problems alone. And second, to uphold the values of truth, liberty, and justice." Superman spoke into the camera. "That, uh, last one's even in the name."

He was met with rounds of laughter.

"Huh…that was actually funny…" Phantom noted as he looked at the screen in the Hall of Justice.

"Hush." Valerie elbowed him.

The camera then turned to Cat Grant. She was speaking softly and explaining how the League was inducting the five new members. These heroes were Plastic Man, Dr. Fate, the Atom, Icon, and Red Arrow. They were all good heroes in their own right and would do well in the League.

Phantom had to wonder how the League felt about his refusal to join them. Were they angry, or did they understand? He wasn't sure yet, but he hoped for the best. Last thing he needed right now was to deal with more drama.

"I'm glad they didn't kick Billy out." Wally smiled as the camera turned to Captain Marvel. The speedster then took a bit of the apple he was holding. "And I love the fact that there's a ten year old on the League."

"There is?" Raquel Ervin A.K.A. Rocket turned to the speedster and gave him a look of confusion. Like Red Huntress, Rocket was a new member of Young Justice. She was a dark skinned girl with a nice figure and short dark hair. Rocket's abilities came from her belt which allowed her to control kinetic energy.

"Ow!" Wally groaned when Robin elbowed him.

"Way to keep a secret, genius." Robin noted.

"Hey, she's on the Team now, right?" Wally argued.

"He's got a point. No reason to keep secrets from new members." Phantom stated.

"You're just saying that cause your girlfriend's here." Conner noted.

"That is…not false." Phantom's shoulders slumped.

"Good boy." Valerie patted him on the shoulder.

Superman began to pass out the membership cards to the new League Members. He gave them to Dr. Fate, Plasticman, the Atom, and Icon.

"You know, I was the one that convinced Icon to become a hero in the first place." Raquel did not look pleased. "I should be out there celebrating with him. Not hidden away in here."

"Welcome to our world." Kaldur noted.

"Well…" Raquel eyed Kaldur. She gave him a once over and seemed pleased. "I suppose there's an upside too."

"And there goes Red Arrow." Phantom noted as Green Arrow gave the card to his former protegee.

"Way to go Roy!" Wally fist pumped.

"At last he has his wish." Kaldur smiled.

"First one of us to make it. No one's going to call him a sidekick anymore." Robin seemed pleased.

"Wait." Raquel spoke up. "Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing? You sidekicks were my inspiration."

"It's a really long story." Phantom chuckled.

"We have time…Wait." Raquel tilted her head. "Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be out there with them? You were never a sidekick."

"She has a point." M'gann stated. "I thought you would be the first of us accepted into the League."

"I guess the tension between the League and the ghosts was too much." Phantom shrugged.

"Ah, that's not fair." Artemis noted.

"Yeah…" Conner eyed Phantom. "…Not fair."

"Well-" Phantom was interrupted when Robin's wrist computer beeped.

Robin looked at the hologram. "Oh…This is good. Guys, you're going to want to see this."

Phantom looked at the picture. He saw something very interesting. Jade Nguyen A.K.A. Cheshire. Not only that, she was carrying the case that appeared on the mission to New Orleans. "Now that is interesting…Why don't we go pay her a visit?"

"Truth be told, I just thought this place was for show." Raven noted as she looked around the Fenton Ops Center. She was surprised to see that it was fully functioning. All the radars, monitors, and bleeping monitors shocked her. "Why haven't we used this before? It could have been useful in preventing attacks."

"Are you kidding?" Dani turned and raised an eyebrow. "Look around at this place."

Raven did look around. There was so much technology. It was taking half of the Phantom Family to monitor everything. The room was filled with Vlad, Vision, Wulf, Nyx, Youngblood, and even Secret. "Oh…This is because of the massive energy in Amity Park, right?"

"Yeah…" Dani sighed. "That's the reason you came here, right? This city literally blocks every other energy signal other than ectoplasm. And even with ectoplasmic energy, it can be hard unless one or several machines are dedicated to tracking one specific signal…Did I get that right?"

"Yes." Vlad gave her a thumbs up and turned back to the monitors he was watching. He could use his duplicates to monitor all of them, but he didn't want to risk the chance of using too much energy before the potential conflict.

"I wanted to use this before, but it's usually impractical." Vision spoke up. "The big threats like Freakshow and the Black Power Ring users would hide their signatures until that last minute. Sneak attacks by human threats wouldn't show up at all unless there was enough energy. Truth be told, doing this all the time would be a waste of resources. Now, though, Savage's group must be prepping for an all-out assault. That just might be enough to get a glimpse through the veil."

"Especially if a powerful magic users shows up…" Nyx noted. It was obvious who she was thinking of. Just what her thoughts entailed was a mystery, but no one asked. It was not their place to intervene. Pandora already spoke with her on the matter, and that should be enough.

Besides, it wasn't like they could get the tall woman right now. She was part of the four person response group made up of her, Torch, Frostbite, and Solomon Grundy. Amity Park was divided into four sectors. If something popped up on the monitors, one of the response members hidden in Amity Park would react.

Then, there was the patrol team that was made up of Dusk, Fright Knight, and Cujo. If something happened that was below the radar of the Ops Center, then the plan was for the patrol team to notice. Cujo's nose would help with Dusk and Fright Knight's keen perception of their surroundings.

All other ghosts allied to the Council were in the Ghost Zone ready to defend the alternate dimension just in case of a sneak attack. Colossus and the Ghost Writer would lead the groups made up of Pandora's, Frostbite's, Torch's, and Vision's followers. Strategically speaking, there might be even more if the rest of the ghosts react to the possible fighting. They would not like the fact that someone had the gull to attack their home.

Luckily, all the preparation and planning was done before any notice of Savage's group contacting Phantom. Today, though, the villains contacted him and told the halfa that he would need to meet with them. Thus, the heroes of Amity Park were on full alert. The enemy would surely be ready to attack if Phantom declined to follow their demands.

Which was what exactly was going to happen. So the attack was now imminent. It was only a matter of time now.

Once Phantom denied the offer, though, he would surely be attacked. Red Huntress's presence would hopefully give him enough back up to escape and retreat back to Amity Park. Then, they would join the fight against Savage's group.

If they managed to find the attackers first, though, then a lot of fighting could be prevented.

"So, this is my station?" Raven sat down at the computer.

"Yep." Dani also sat at her own station. "And let the boredom leading up to the battle begin."

"It's not that bad." Youngblood spoke up. "I'm pretending to be a submarine captain. Does this place have missiles?"

"Yes, but you're not allowed anywhere near them." Vlad glared at the boy.

"Fair enough." Youngblood shrugged. "I wouldn't give them to me either. And that's saying something."

"Hey…" Nyx spoke up. "Where's Polly? Shouldn't your pet be here just in case?"

"Secret."

"Greta, even I'm sick of that joke now. And I'm amused by the word booty…hehehe…booty…" Youngblood turned to the blond haired girl. "So just…stop."

"Secret…" Greta hung her head.

"And as for Polly…" Youngblood shrugged. "I have no idea where he went. I think he was talking about getting ready."

"Alright…" Nyx accepted that. Youngblood usually let his parrot do his own thing. "And while we're asking questions…Why are they here?"

Dani looked over to where Nyx was pointing. "They're helping us."

"But they don't have any powers or fighting experience." Nyx argued.

"Well, no, but someone has to run the Ops Center when you're not here." Victor Stone turned from his computer.

He was not the only regular human there. There was also Damon Gray, Angela Roth, Harriet Chin, and even Victor's parents, Silas and Elinore Stone. Victor's parents were shocked when everything was explained to them, but they were scientists, so as long as the facts were sound, they would cope.

Everyone was sure that they would rethink their position in Amity Park after this was over. They had made a lot of friends and acquaintances in Amity Park, though. So, that, along with Victor's insistence to help his friends, pushed them to help.

"Besides, this is the safest place in the city besides Masters Mansion and Axion Labs." Harriet mentioned. She seemed to be working at several stations with ease. The woman was used to multitasking.

"Even more than Axion Labs…" Silas spoke up. "I saw the specks on this place. It's a fortress, especially after all the adjustments that were put into it."

"Especially the energy shield." Elinore Stone mentioned. She was a tall African American woman with wavy dark hair and a lab coat. "It's amazing. How much time did you put into it?"

"I've been constantly developing the human/ghost shield to block off all beings." Vlad mentioned. "It takes a lot of energy, but the energy field will stop all living beings from entering or exiting the dome while active. This will include magic users and other forms of teleportation. Thus, no enemies will be able to get in or out as long as you keep the Ghost Portal in the basement closed."

"So, we'll be safe?" Angela questioned. Like usual, she seemed worried.

"It is doubtful that the enemy will attack here or Masters Mansion because of their interest in Daniel Fenton." Vision mentioned. "But this is all just in case something happens. The shield will also stop stray attacks and even explosions. After everything begins, put the shield up, and you'll be safe."

"What about the Red X suit?" Victor questioned. "Do you want me to control it from here?"

"It's still broken, but thank you anyway." Vlad mentioned.

"It could be useful, though." Dani spoke up. "We have no clue how many different threats are out there…"

"Knowledge would be helpful. Preparing for everything is one thing, but without any knowledge of what's going to happen…" Raven muttered.

"Um…" Wulf spoke up. "Maybe know more."

"Huh?" They all turned to his screen.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Something happened." Wulf stated.

"I'll contact the patrol team…" Youngblood spoke up. It turned out that he didn't need to, though.

"Control team, this is the patrol team. We have found something that might interest you."

"I see…" The Fright Knight nodded as they flew through the sky. "And does this hidden knowledge bother you?"

"No." Dusk shook his head. "But I felt that I needed to bring it up just in case they try to use it against me. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

"Bark!" Cujo licked his face as they flew.

"Ah, dog slobber…" Dusk wiped his face.

"Hmm…Are you sure that you're not interested?" Fright Knight questioned. "This does involve your parents."

"Even if my parents were more than I thought, then it doesn't matter." Dusk noted. "I have a new family now. That's all that matters."

"True." Fright Knight nodded as they stopped. They landed on a building and overlooked the city. "Just…be careful, young knight."

"I will…" Dusk's eyes widened. "…What's that?"

"A flashing light?" Fright Knight looked at the light which was several blocks away. It flashed momentarily and then faded. "We need to check it out. Be careful, though. It may be a trap."

"…No, I doubt that." Dusk mentioned when he saw who it was. Cassandra Cain. "From what I heard, she doesn't want to hurt ghosts."

They approached the girl on the rook. She was looking at them expectantly. None of them had met the girl before, but she did help them twice. That was enough to take a leap of faith and talk to her, even if she was Shiva's daughter.

"Hello." Cassandra spoke.

"Hello, child." Fright Knight stared at the girl. "Did you want something?"

"Yes…" Cassandra noted. "I have information for you."

"Info, huh…" Dusk eyed the girl.

"Joel…" Cassandra eyed him back. "You've changed."

"Becoming a ghost will do that to you." Dusk mentioned. "And I go by Dusk now."

"Ah…You took a professional name. It suits you." Cassandra stated.

"Do you two know each other?" Fright Knight questioned.

"Yes, Cassadie…"

"Cassandra, Dusk."

"Right, Cassandra and I trained together a few times. She's extremely talented, if not a little strange." Dusk mentioned.

"Says the assassin that refused to kill." Cassandra noted.

"Because it's wrong, but I learned that arguing with you is useless." Dusk stated. "But…I also know when you're trying to trick someone or not, and right now you're not. What information do you have?"

"My mom…she's at one of the bases and is setting up for an attack in case Phantom refused the offer." Cassandra stated. "I know he will, so it's only a matter of time before something happens."

"That much is certain." Fright Knight noted.

"But…I know that there will be casualties on both parts. I have the feeling that my mother will die and Phantom will suffer from all this." Cassandra frowned sadly.

"I see…" Fright Knight nodded slowly.

"So…I want to make a deal. If I tell you the information, you make sure my mother stays alive." Cassandra proposed. "That way, everyone I care for is safe."

Dusk and Fright Knight shared a look. That sounded fair, and Dusk could tell that she was telling the truth. This would be extremely beneficial if everything went smoothly.

Nodding, Fright Knight contacted the control team. "Control team, this is the patrol team. We have found something that might interest you."

"Damn…" Phantom looked around at the crashed plane.

"What happened?" M'gann questioned as she investigated the wreckage.

"Who knows…" Kaldur did not seem happy by this development. "We will just have to search and find out."

After finding out about Cheshire's movements with the secret briefcase from New Orleans, Young Justice went out to search for the plane. They wanted capture Cheshire and take the briefcase. All this was to figure out why the allies of the 'Injustice League' still schemed behind the League and the Team's backs.

Phantom knew the truth, of course. The Injustice League was just a decoy for Savage's group. He couldn't say that, though. Not yet, at least.

Nevertheless, he wanted to know what was in that case. If the Brain, Klarion, and Ivo were involved with it, it must be bad. Plus, any injury against Savage's group was a good one, and Phantom knew that whatever was in that case could cause a big injury if lost.

"How come Homeland Security and the NTSB aren't all over this?" Kid Flash turned to Robin and questioned.

"Cheshire's ID was a League alert. The authorities didn't pick it up and didn't follow its flight plan." Robin explained. "It flew under the radar. Literally. But the Watchtower auto-tracked the jet and recorded the crash."

"Then why isn't the League here?" Rocket finished walking around the downed plane.

"Because our Boy Wonder has some mighty hacking skills and arranged to get the alert first." Zatanna smiled at Robin.

"And because Cheshire and that case represent our unfinished business." Aqualad's eyes narrowed.

"Guh!" Superboy picked up one of the wings and flew it into one of the many different piles of snow on the freezing cold mountain. "Where are the bodies?"

"Here's one. And it. Is. Stunning…" Cheshire's voice caused Young Justice to look up and see the assassin looking down on them.

"Vain much?" Red Huntress rolled eyes.

"She's not wrong…" Kid Flash muttered.

Wack!

"Ow!" Kid Flash rubbed the back of his head.

"Hush." Aqualad ordered.

"I am flora, not fauna. I am foliage, not trees. What am I?" A man in a green suit with question marks on it spoke from the top of the mountain. The man known as the Riddler looked down on them.

With a snap of his fingers, large mechanical beams rose from the rock and snow around them. They formed a perfect circle. The machines quickly began to glow and a large dome of green energy formed around them. Young Justice was trapped.

This wasn't good considering they were surrounded by several men armed with Apokoliptic technology. Not only that, the brute known as Mammoth and the assassin known as Jinx was there as well. Things did not look good.

"Come on, you can get this." The Riddler smiled and showed his gaped teeth. "I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I? I…"

"Am bush…" Robin frowned.

"Oh...That's so terrible..." Phantom noted. "I love it so much, though."

Riddler walked over to the edge of the cliff and leered down. "Didn't you think we'd be tipped you were on Cheshire's trail? We're tired of you interference, kiddies. This is the end game. Ordered from above, and executed by their master strategist, moi."

"I call punching him in the face." Red Huntress noted.

"Damn, I wanted to do that…" Superboy grunted.

'Miss Martian, are we all hooked up?' Phantom questioned mentally.

'Yes.' M'gann nodded.

'Alright everyone, time to show the newbies how to kick ass Young Justice Style.' Phantom grinned. 'Go!'

They all took off in different direction. The enemy responded just the same. Zatanna hung back and used her magic to give them an edge. "Ekahs siht ebolgwons!"

A massive snowstorm formed around them. This hid the young heroes and allowed them to use their stealth training to their advantage. They quickly took advantage as all the members of Young Justice instantly knocked a few of the mercenaries out.

'Superboy, the pylons!' Kaldur yelled after he knocked a few of the mercenaries away.

'I'm on it!' Conner yelled back.

Artemis instantly went the Cheshire and tried to shoot her down. The assassin countered, though, and went of the offensive. The blonde archer was forced to block several sword attacks to her head.

As this went on, the members of the Team quickly went to work on the mercenaries. M'gann used her telekinesis to pull the weapons away from the mercenaries, and Red Huntress quickly shot them down. Rocket and Kid Flash worked to take down several mercenaries. The kinetic energy using girl flew above the mercenaries to distract them as Kid Flash knocked them out using his speed.

Things were not completely smooth, though. The Apakoliptic technology made the normal mercenaries into powerhouses. They almost got the better of the young heroes a few times, but luckily their excellent teamwork saved them.

"Jinx!" Phantom hissed as he once again traded blows with his frienemy…that was the best word for it. "What the hell is this?"

"Idiot. You think you can interfere so much and get away with it." Jinx glared.

"I'm sick of your father and his group." Phantom glared. He flew back and sent several blasts of energy at the girl. Jinx quickly blocked when she used an energy shield of her own. She then sent several hex bolts at the teen boy.

The halfa dodged and flew around to avoid the blasts. He then activated his ice powers. Forming an ice broadsword, Phantom sent a wave of blue energy at the assassin. Before the wave of energy could freeze her, though, Jinx used her bad luck ability to destroy the ice around her.

"This isn't a game!" Phantom roared and charged at Jinx with his sword.

"I know!" With a wave of her hand, Jinx went a blast of energy at Phantom. Unable to dodge, Phantom tried to block with his ice weapon. The following explosion destroyed the weapon and knocked him into the cliff.

"Then stop…" Phantom's eyes widened at the sight above him.

'SB, you're flying!' Robin's shock could be heard through the mind link.

It was true. The clone was flying through the air and carrying the brute Mammoth like he was a pillow. Conner flung his enemy into the shield above him. Mammoth bounced of the dome like a rubber ball. He was sent rocketing down into the cliffs where Superboy used his heat vision and a flurry of fists to beat his enemy into the cliff side.

…And straight through it…

The rocks of the cliff crumbled and fell. They almost smashed Artemis, but she was quickly saved by her sister. It appeared that the bonds of blood were stronger than what Cheshire liked to admit.

Jinx paused as she saw Robin tie up Shimmer and knock her out. Zatanna then used her magic to tie the Riddler up. This allowed Red Huntress to fly up and punch him in the face. The force knocked him out instantly.

"Told you I'd punch him!"

"…Jobs over…" Jinx noted. She turned to Phantom and flung a piece of paper at him. "But I'll see you soon, Danny."

Phantom caught the paper but tried to stop her. "Wait! What do you mean…"

It was too late. In a swirl of pink energy, she was gone. Her message was delivered, though. The halfa frowned at what could only be described as a summons to Santa Prisca. Phantom crumbled up the paper and shoved it into his coat pocket.

It was almost time. Savage's group was calling on him. It was only a matter of time before he would be forced to refuse their offer, and Amity Park would be attacked. He had to call home…But first, he had to celebrate a little. Artemis got the case. They had won.

'Good job, everyone.' Phantom called mentally as Zatanna dismissed the snowstorm.

'So this is what you do with this Team all the time?' Valerie's voice sounded amused. 'I can see why. This was a blast.'

'Yeah! First battle with Young justice!' Kid Flash grinned. 'You two are officially a part of the Team.'

'And all the madness that comes with it.' Robin added his two cents.

'Hoo…ray?' Rocket didn't know what to think.

"This is where the first base is." Cassandra pointed to the map below them. "It's the control center and will give the orders to attack. Once Phantom refuses the offer, the call will be put out and all the other bases will send out an attack force to draw the ghosts out. Then, the second wave will come."

"How many people do you have?" Spirit questioned as she knelt by the girl on the rooftop. She decided to join the patrol team to hear this. Vision wanted her to be there just in case the girl was trying something. Spirit was the only one besides Phantom and Dusk to interact with her before after all. Everything seemed legit, though.

"I have no idea." Cassandra shrugged. "I'm still a kid, you know. I just know where this base is and what's in it because my mom is there."

"Fair enough." Dusk nodded. "What's in it?"

"My mom, Walker, a dozen Necromancers, and…Klarion." Cassandra stated.

"The Witch Boy?" The Fright Knight scowled. "Is he after Nyx?"

"Yes." Cassandra nodded. "His plan was to call Nyx by sending out a small bit of his energy. He knew that she would sense it. Someone would come, and he would capture them and use them to bargain for her."

"I figured that…"

They all turned. "Nyx…what are you doing her."

"I pretended to use the bathroom and snuck out." Nyx frowned. "I knew that this would involve me when I sense the little bit of energy. Not even Vision could feel that much, but me…It's a part of me."

"That's part of the trap. If you go, he wins." Cassandra noted.

"No, if I go, we win." Nyx frowned at the group. "Use me as a distraction. Then, Dusk can sneak in and dismantle the Necromancers while the others attack and capture the enemy. I could then use my own magic and ectoplasm to close any gates my dad forms and keep him from leaving. Then, Mom can come and capture him in her Box."

"That could work…" Fright Knight nodded slowly. "But there is great risk. First for you, and then if they managed to contact the others. I doubt Pandora or Vision will agree to this plan."

"What if we used a signal jammer?" Spirit suggested. "That way, they wouldn't be able to make any calls or signals."

"And I wouldn't be alone." Nyx argued. "I have all of you as back up. This can work."

"…I don't know…" The Fright Knight didn't seem so sure.

"This could be the help we need." Dusk spoke up. "I know it's a risk, but it would be a bigger risk not to act now. Nyx is probably the only one that could cause a big enough distraction that would take Shiva and Walker's attentions enough that would allow us to get the jump on them without them sounding an alarm or trying to kill us."

"But…"

"I can do this. Trust me." Nyx stated.

"…Fine, I'll call the control team…" Fright Knight stood and walked away to call home.

"…There is a few other things I should mention." Cassandra spoke again. "There are a few more orders that even I know about. Joel is not to be killed or hurt too badly, while the girl you call Raven will be killed on spot."

"What?" Spirit's eyes widened.

"They know that she is the daughter of Trigon. When she exited Amity Park when the world was separated, Klarion sensed her demon side…just like Dr. Fate did." Cassandra mentioned. "She is a threat that needs to be eliminated according to the organization. If she is left alive, the entire planet will die."

"No!" Spirit hissed. "I won't let my friend die."

"Same for me. Gloom and Doom will live." Nyx glared.

"We're all on the same page with that, but…" Dusk frowned. "Why do they want me captured?"

"It was ordered by Talia Al Ghul." Cassandra noted.

"Huh…So they have specific targets, huh…" Dusk glared at the map. "Well it won't matter. Because we're going to stop this before it can even start."

"Hell yeah." Spirit grinned. "No one threatens my friends."

"Tell me if this sounds familiar…" Batman glared Young Justice as they stood in the Cave. "You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol, and endangered your lives. And your initiative resulted in the capture of three escaped felons, proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity…Well done."

Smiles and shocked looks spread through the faces of the Team.

"And there's this…" Batman approached the briefcase they retrieved. "Biotechnology integrated with some form of nanocircuitry.

One of the newest League members, Icon stepped forward to pick up one of the squid-like chips. He was a tall muscular dark skinned man wearing a black and red jumpsuit and cape. "Though I am unfamiliar with the species, the biocomponent is clearly not of Earth."

"We'll take it to the Watchtower for further study." Batman grabbed the case and headed for the Zeta Tube.

As Batman and Red Tornado disappeared into the Zeta Tube, Rocket flew up to her mentor. "Congratulations on the League thing. Sorry I skipped out."

"Yes, well, we both seem to have found teams that suit us." Icon smiled.

Rocket smiled back.

"We should go too." Black Canary placed a hand on Icon's shoulder. "Don't want to miss the League's induction party."

With that, the remaining members of the League disappeared.

"Do we have an induction party?" Red Huntress questioned as her visor slid down.

"Nope, but we do have cake." Phantom whispered. "Don't tell Wally, though. I've been saving it."

"My lips are sealed." Valerie had to hide her laughter.

Robin turned to the rest of Young Justice and spoke. "You realize we were set up."

Phantom nodded.

"Yes, Cheshire and Riddler were tipped and ready for us." Kaldur didn't seem pleased by this, though.

"Not the mole thing again…" Artemis placed her face in her hand.

"Mole thing?" Rocket turned to her new friends and gained a confused look. She was really out of the loop. "Again?"

Wally sighed. "We had intel that there was a traitor on the Team."

Conner pushed his way forward. "Mainly Artemis, M'gann, Phantom, or me."

"It is more complicated than that." Kaldur placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder. Conner just shoved it away, though. The clone then began to walk away.

"Hey." Phantom spoke up. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting even angrier than usual, SB. You almost got Artemis crushed. I get that the mole thing pisses you off, and I feel the same way, but that's no reason to act like a jackass."

Superboy winced and grabbed his ear for a moment. Phantom thought that he felt guilty, but he looked angry and in pain instead.

"Superboy?" Kaldur questioned.

Conner turned to them. "There's something I need to do…Something I need to tell you. Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to Cadmus and found a few things out. When I was cloned, only half the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human. That's why I don't have, will never have full Kryptonian powers."

"You sure?" Robin questioned. "You sure seemed to have them today."

"I've been using these." Superboy pulled up his shirt sleeve to reveal a black shield on his arm. "Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight, the heat vision, but I think I also get angry…well, angrier. I'm sorry."

"Where did you get those?" Kaldur questioned.

"From my human father…" Conner pulled out what was probably the shield case. "Lex Luthor."

Everyone's eyes widened. Robin was the first to speak. "Lex Luthor…is your Dad!?"

"He's summoned me to Santa Prisca." Superboy's eyes narrowed.

Everyone was silent for a moment. But then, someone spoke.

"Ah…" Artemis took a deep breath. "Listen. Superboy's not the only one suffering from bad DNA."

The blonde archer walked over to the virtual computer and brought up the pictures of the masked and unmasked Cheshire, Sportsmaster, and Huntress...Not to be confused with the Red Huntress. There was a difference.

"My mother is Huntress, an ex-con. The rest of my family aren't even ex." Artemis gritted her teeth. "My Dad's Sportsmaster, and he's sending my sister Cheshire to fly me to Santa Prisca too."

"That's why…" Kid Flash muttered.

"Yeah…" Artemis nodded. "I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out…"

"I knew." Robin spoke up.

"So did I." Phantom nodded.

Everyone turned to them.

"Hey, I'm a detective." Robin smirked.

"I just had a lucky guess." Phantom shrugged. "It's not like it mattered, though. You don't get to choose who you're related to, but you do get to choose who you'll be. And you…both of you…chose to be one of us. That's what matters."

Both Artemis and Superboy seemed relieved.

Wally walked up to Artemis and smiled. "What he said. So…Who's next?"

"I am…" M'gann had her arms crossed and looked down in shame.

"I swear I was kidding…" Kid Flash raised his hand in defense.

"Queen Bee's been blackmailing me." M'gann muttered. She looked up. "She wants me in Santa Prisca too…"

"Blackmailing?" Kaldur asked in confusion. "How?"

"She knows my…true Martian form…" M'gann stated.

"Bald M'gann?" Robin chuckled. "Who cares if-"

"No…" M'gann took a deep breath. Then, her form began to shift. The cute Martian girl slowly changed into what could be described as a monster from a horror film. She was now white and tall with long veiny limbs. Her head was misshapen with red eye, a strange jaw, and a jewel on the middle of her forehead.

Everyone took a step back in surprise besides Kaldur, Phantom, and Conner. Phantom was not shocked. Long ago, back during his first mission in Bialya, he saw her true form briefly when he witnessed some of the Team's memories. He never brought it up, because he didn't think it mattered.

"Woah…" Rocket muttered.

M'gann looked away in shame and hugged herself. She spoke mentally. 'I realized that none of you would ever accept me if you saw what I really am.'

"M'gann." Kaldur spoke up. "Did we really seem so shallow?"

'I couldn't take a chance…' M'gann's mental voice spoke of only despair. 'Being a white Martian among the green on mars, I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that from-'

"From me?" Superboy asked. He walked up and took her large three fingered hand. 'I've known since you restored my memories back September in Bialya.'

'But…that was before we ever become a couple…' M'gann mumbled. 'Why didn't you say anything?'

'I figured you would tell me when you were ready.' Superboy explained.

'…' M'gann changed back into her green form and hugged the boy. "Thank you…Thank you so much…"

"Don't mention it." Conner held her close.

Phantom shared a look with Red Huntress. She nodded at him. "Er…I hate to ruin the moment, but…I'm being blackmailed as well."

Everyone turned to him.

"It doesn't have to do with my secret, but with someone else's." Phantom explained. "Vandal Savage approached me a while ago. He revealed that he was the one calling the shots along with…everyone you just mentioned. He threatened to destroy Amity Park if I didn't keep quiet from the League and cooperate with him. And…he called me to Santa Prisca as well."

"Wow…" Zatanna's eyes widened. "For the love of God, tell me that's everyone."

Everyone was silent.

"Good…"

"Danny…I am sorry you were put in that position." Kaldur apologized. "If I knew…"

"It's fine." Phantom rubbed the back of his head. "Are any of you mad?"

"You kidding?" Superboy raised an eyebrow. "That's probably the most legit reason I've ever heard."

"Yeah…People's lives were at stake." M'gann smiled.

"Don't sweat it." Artemis smirked.

Phantom was revealed. They were all smiling at him. "Okay…And while we're telling secrets…"

"Danny." Red Huntress gripped his arm. She knew what he was going to do.

"It's fine. I have to do this." Phantom looked at his friends. "The backstory I told you a long time ago…I left a few parts out. Important parts."

"Like?" Wally questioned.

"The fact that I blur the line between life and death. You see…I was there on your mission to protect Fenton." Phantom stated.

"Yeah, you told us that you were operating the Red X suit from afar." Robin noted.

"No…That's not it." Phantom clenched his fists. "It was this."

A white ring appeared above his head. It traveled down and changed Phantom into his human form. Danny Fenton now stood before them.

The amount of shock in the room could not be expressed in words.

"Wha…How…Why…" Wally's jaw dropped. That about summed up how everyone felt.

"You see, about a year and a half ago, my parents…" Fenton paused at the memory but continued. "Built a Ghost Portal. At first it didn't work, so I messed with it, and…there was an accident. Danny Phantom, a half-ghost, was born."

"Half-ghost?" Rocket seemed to get over her shock the fastest. "Those exist?"

"There are a few of us. You can probably guess who they are now, but…That's beside the point." Fenton explained.

"I know this is a lot to take in." Valerie spoke up. "It was for me when I first learned the truth."

"But…how is that possible? Too much ectoplasmic radiation is lethal." Zatanna remembered her lessons with her father on ghosts.

"It's…complicated." Fenton admitted. "Especially for me."

"I see…this changes your story does it not?" Kaldur gained a sad look.

"The Nasty Burger Incident!" M'gann gasped. "That was your family."

"…" Fenton looked down. "It was."

"Bro…" Wally frowned. "That's…Damn."

"What he said…" Artemis nodded.

"I'm sorry I hid this from you." Danny stated. "I just…wasn't ready to share it yet."

"It's fine." Conner nodded to his best friend. "We get it."

"I'm glad…" Fenton smiled. "There are other things I need to explain…especially revolving around my powers, but it can wait. I think right now, we have other things to deal with."

"Yeah, Santa Prisca." Robin scowled. "What do we do?"

"I say…we take them down." Valerie's visor slid up. "Get some payback."

Everyone grinned. They liked that idea…

"Kekekekekekeke!" Klarion grinned down at the girl before him. "I knew you'd come!"

Nyx frowned up at him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Of course you did, I'm incredibly interesting." Klarion beamed in pride as he petted Teekl.

"Well…I know where I get my arrogance from at least." Nyx noted mostly to herself.

Following both the signal and Cassandra's directions, Nyx easily found the hideout. Klarion and the equipment was based in underground storage. The building above it was a simple real-estate office. Nyx had to wonder how all this was moved here. Was it moved by magic, technology, or discretely through the Ghost Zone? Perhaps she would find out soon enough.

The room was very big. It was filled with machines that probably had a wide range of functions. Not only this, the room was filled with Necromancers that seemed ready to go to action.

"Klarion," Shiva glared at the lord of chaos. "This was not part of the plan."

"I was never good with plans." Klarion shrugged. "Besides, I want to talk to her before anything happens. If things go as Savage planned, I won't even get a chance to see her."

"Please, Phantom will rebel. It is in his nature." Shiva rolled her eyes.

"You underestimate Savage." Klarion mentioned. "He plans for everything. A little extra motivation is all it will take. Kekekekekeke…"

As this was happening, the patrol team plus Spirit and Cassandra were surveying the area invisibly. They were using the Fenton Disguise Belts newest upgrade of hiding their ecto signature to keep the machines from sensing them. Luckily, that was a bit of information the enemy did not have. They could tell because Walker was by the machines watching for any other ghost signatures besides his and Nyx's to appear. That was probably the reason they thought Nyx was alone.

"No…" Spirit's jaw dropped at the rows and rows of Necromancers. "I thought you said it was only a dozen."

"There was when I left…" Cassandra mumbled.

"This changes things…" Fright Knight mentioned.

"No it doesn't. They're all still made from Matter Make ectoplasm." Dusk whispered. "I can still make them dissolve. Disintegrating all the way takes time and is extremely flashy. Instead, I can just use my powers to speed up their degradation by ten. While I'm doing that, you can set up the signal jammer and find out where the other bases are."

"What should I do?" Cassandra asked.

"Assist Nyx in acting as a distraction." Fright Knight ordered. "Those three…well, in Klarion's case, the cat…are extremely perceptive. We need their attention to be completely away from what we will be doing."

"I can do that…" Cassandra nodded.

"Wait…" Dusk frowned. "Is the Matter Make machine here? If it is, I could destroy all the Necromancers in Amity Park at once by reversing the flow of energy. I know machine can't be too far out of range of the machines, or they would fade instantly."

"It's not here. It must be at the other bases." Cassandra shook her head.

"Damn…Oh well, let's work with what we got." Dusk sighed.

"Okay then. Let us go." Fright Knight nodded.

The ghosts then spread out. Dusk rode Cujo who was in attack more. The large dog allowed the boy to focus completely on the machines. Dusk still needed time to start the dissolve the process on such complicated creations. He spent several seconds focusing on the first Necromancer. His eyes were closed as he placed his hands on the machine and spread his energy into it. When he was done, he patted Cujo, and the dog took him to the next one.

Spirit and Fright Knight first when to put Cassandra in a spot where her sudden appearance wouldn't be noticed. The girl was quickly turned visible and left to add to the distraction. The duo then went to the machines and began to work with them. Staying clear of Walker, Fright Knight and Spirit set up the signal jammer device they were using to disrupt the bases ability to communicate with the others. They hid the device behind one of the machines and prepped it to stat when they needed.

They also looked for any clues to where the other bases were. Unfortunately, this proved to be difficult. They couldn't work with the machines without alerting the enemy, and any paper plans were wild and disorganized.

"So…" Nyx ideally juggled ectoplasmic balls of energy in her hands. "You made me to be a monster, eh?"

"That was my original intent." Klarion shrugged.

"And you did that to fight against my mom…to fight against order." Nyx commented.

"Yep." Klarion grinned at what he considered to be a happy thought.

"My nature is chaos, but I was raised to protect order." Nyx frowned in thought.

"Quite the conundrum, eh? But I always say that nature defeats nurture." Klarion chuckled. "Let me show you just how much fun chaos is, and I'll sure you'll love it a lot more than order."

"Well, I do like chaos, but I don't want anyone hurt…" Nyx 'accidentally' tripped and caused one of the shadow balls to hit a nearby machine. The machine sparked and exploded into a million pieces. "Oops…"

Klarion was delight. "Kekekekekekeke! See! That was amazing! You weren't even trying!"

"Klarion!" Walker snapped. "We need those machines. Control her."

"Shut up, I'm bonding with her." Klarion glared.

"Meow." Teekl spoke up from Klarion's arms.

"I am too staying focused." Klarion frowned. "My focus is on Nyx right now."

"A cat…" Nyx eyed the animal. "Wait…No it isn't. What is that?"

"My familiar!" Klarion stated proudly. "Teekl is the bestest cat ever!"

"I know cats. That is no cat." Nyx frowned.

"She is very perceptive…" Shiva mentioned.

"SHUT UP!" Klarion roared. His magically energy flared around him.

"Okay, so I got my temper from both you and Mom…Good to know." Nyx mentioned.

"Raw…" Klarion growled.

"Meow." Teekl looked at the Witch Boy.

"Calm…I'm calm…" Klarion let out a breath and dropped his energy.

"Meow."

"Of course you smell ghosts. There's two of them here, dummy." Klarion rolled his eyes.

"Me-"

"So that girl is really Klarion's daughter? Weird…" Cassandra noted as she walked up to the adults.

"Cassandra! What are you doing here!?" Shiva glared at her daughter.

"I was interested in what you were doing in Amity Park again." Cassandra answered.

"How did you follow me…again." Shiva questioned. She was quite perplexed in how her daughter could follow her so often without her noticing. Perhaps she had a blind spot for her daughter.

"I don't really know. Sometimes I just do things. I don't really know how." Cassandra shrugged.

"Amen to that, sister! Testify!" Nyx raised a fist in support.

"I'm glad I did come, because I have some concerns with what you're doing." Cassandra noted. "You taught me that you should only kill with purpose…Only if the person truly deserves it. But the ghosts of Amity Park do not deserve death. They have only done good in the world."

"They oppose the Great One." Shiva stated.

"Well, maybe the Great One is wrong." Cassandra responded.

"OOOOOOOOH!" Klarion's eyes lit up. "Now that's a fun thing to hear! Why don't you go tell that to the Shadow cultist weirdos and see what happens?!"

"…Cassandra. You can't say such things." Shiva explained.

"So we aren't even allowed to express our opinions?" Cassandra did not seem pleased. "Is that the hand that fate has dealt us? Are we merely slaves to Ra's Al Ghul?"

"It's more complicated than that." Shiva sighed.

"More complicated? You're working with a man that's main goal is to kill an innocent child." Cassandra glared at Walker. "Not only that, you want to kill the Raven girl yourself. I know that she's a threat…but she's the same age as me."

"Cassandra, you speak of things you don't understand." Shiva glared down at her daughter.

"That's the thing…" Cassandra glared at her mother. "I understand far more than you give me credit for."

"…And I can read you better than you think I can." Shiva stared at the young girl's face.

"Well, this is a change of pace." Nyx noted as she tried to take the attention back to her. "Why don't we go back to you convincing me to be your puppet...slave…bla bla bla bla… stuff?"

"No." Shiva looked at the machines. They still weren't showing anything. "We are not alone here."

"But the machines aren't showing anything." Walker frowned.

Shiva's eyes swept the room. They paused when they noticed the slightest bit of movement around the machines at the far wall. The assassin instantly went for some ectoplasmic empowered shuriken, but she was stopped when a fist rammed into her face.

"No!" Dusk became visible as Shiva was sent flying back. He knew that their cover was blown. Logically, he probably shouldn't have attacked first. Spirit's Premonition and Fright Knight's Armor would have protected them, but he had to make sure. It was a good thing he did, because the shuriken that Shiva had went flying to the side and blew up.

"Damn!" Walker growled. He reached to a nearby machine and hit a large button. All the Necromancer instantly came to life. Immediately after he did this, though, Cujo turned visible and mauled the ex-warden of the Ghost Zone.

"Change of plans! Attack!" Spirit turned visible and attacked. The Fright Knight quickly followed and did the same thing. It was now a brawl between them and the Necromancers.

"You!" Klarion glared at Nyx. "You tricked me!"

"Yep." Nyx grinned. "But what are you going to do about it?"

Klarion's features became demonic. "I'LL TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

"You came…" Jinx noted as Phantom landed down next to her in the jungles of Santa Prisca. She had used her pink energy as a flare to attract his attention to her.

"It's not like I had a whole lot of choice." Phantom glared at the pinkette.

"Look, I'm sorry about this." Jinx sighed. "I didn't want to do all this. It was Dad's idea."

"Of course it was." Phantom did not seem to be any less upset.

"Please don't be mad. I did try to change his mind." Jinx pleaded. "He's just kind of really stubborn…Kind of like someone else I know…"

"Look…I'm not mad at you, so don't apologize, but also don't compare me to him." Phantom crossed his arms.

"Right…" Jinx nodded.

"Good…Let's get this over with." Phantom stated.

"Alright. This way, some of the bosses are here waiting for you." Jinx pointed to the West.

"Fine. Lead the way." Phantom shrugged.

The pink haired teen then led the halfa through the jungle. They were both silent as they went, until Jinx spoke once more. "What are planning to do when you refuse to work with us?"

"How do you know that I'll refuse?" Phantom questioned.

"Because I know you." Jinx noted. "You won't work with us. Your honor won't let you. Just tell me…do you have a plan so that you don't die? I…don't want you to die."

"Don't worry. I don't plan to die any time soon." Phantom grinned at her.

"I see…" Jinx looked away. "But…I wonder if you're really prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"For that…" Jinx led him into a clearing.

Phantom stared at the group of people in the clearing. Superboy…Artemis…Miss Martian…They were all here and were surrounded by some of the most well-known villains in the world. Bane was there with his men who were equipped with Apakopitic technology. Cheshire and Sportsmaster were with Artemis. Blockbuster was looking menacing, while Mercy was protecting both Lex Luthor.

"What is this?" Phantom glanced to Jinx.

Jinx looked away in shame.

"Ah, and the last one arrives." Luthor smiled.

The other members of Young Justice looked at Phantom in shock. Phantom scowled. "It's not like I have a whole lot of choice in the matter. What is this? Even more collateral?"

"That wasn't the original plan, but it worked out that way." Queen Bee smiled at Phantom. She knew that her enthrallment would not work on this man, so she needed to be more careful in case he turned of them.

"…Fine." Phantom frowned and reluctantly said. "Just…Leave my obsession alone, and I'll do what you say…"

"Excellent." Queen Bee seemed delighted. Like right after the Ghoul Project was destroyed, she gained a look of desire. She looked at him like he was an important piece of furniture needed in order to bring everything together.

Superboy eyed his friend then turned to Luthor. "…Give me more shields, and I'm in too."

Luthor approached Superboy and looked him in the eye. He smirked. "My boy…You're a terrible liar. Red Sun."

Superboy froze before he could do anything. Phantom frowned at his trapped friend but knew there was nothing he could do.

Artemis walked forward. "What do you want us to do?"

"You three, follow me." Sportsmaster pointed at all the young heroes besides Superboy.

"What about Superboy?" Miss Martian questioned.

"He'll be fine." Queen Bee spoke. "He simply requires a few…adjustments."

"Bring him along." Luthor ordered Blockbuster as they began to walk to Bane's Venom factory.

Before Blockbuster could grab Superboy, however, Artemis stepped forward and drew her bow. She shot a foam bow to trap the monster that used to be known as Dr. Desmond. The archer then quickly turned her attention back to her fathers. She drew and arrow and pointed it at him. "Sorry, Dad, I wanted to play you like you tried to play me, but I can't let them mess with Superboy's head."

In anger, Sportsmaster tried to use a javeline to strike Artemis, but M'gann was faster. She lifted up Artemis into the air and floated her there helplessly. At least, this what everyone thought, until M'gann telekinetically knocked Queen Bee into a tree and knocked her out.

"Damn." Jinx hissed as her hands lit up with pink energy. "We need to-Gah!"

"Sorry." Phantom mumbled as he knocked her away. "But I can't let you hurt them."

Phantom then turned to the Bane and his men. He sent ectoplasmic blasts at them. This caused the mercenaries to scatter. As he did this, Artemis used an explosive arrow to do the same thing to the assassins.

'Queen Bee is down. Superboy, you're safe from her control.' M'gann noted mentally.

Superboy instantly cut the act and walked towards Luthor and his assistant Mercy. "I may not be much of a liar, but I fooled you."

"And I'm so proud." Luthor noted as Mercy stood in front of him defensively. "I take it Miss Martian cleansed the Red Sun program from your mind?"

"And confirmed that Phantom, Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash rescued me from Cadmus before you had time to install any other programming."

"All true." Luthor admitted. "Personally, I blame Dr. Desmond."

"RAW!" Blockbuster broke through his restraints and charged at Superboy. He crushed the clone into the ground and towards the cliff side.

It was then that the separated mercenaries of Bane began to fire their weapons. In response, Sphere the Supercycle floated into the air and began to attack them. The following shot lit up the jungle and caused a few fires to start.

"Luthor!" Phantom flew at the billionaire. The bald man was the one in charge now. If he could capture Luthor, then Phantom might be able to get the others to stand down…It wasn't likely, but it was possible. Either way, he needed to make sure Luthor didn't make any calls off the island. He would have helped his friends, but Artemis had already mentally called for reinforcements.

Mercy stepped forward. Her right armed extended and morphed into a canon. A blast of energy was shot at Phantom, but the halfa was used to dodging such blasts at this point. The blasts were strong, though, and he was forced to retreat a before he could get to them.

Luckily, Aqualad worked as backup. He dropped down and held his Water Bearers to Luthor. This caught Mery's attention. She instantantly turned to protect her master. This allowed Phantom to get to Mercy, destroy her weapon arm, and knock out what he assumed to be an android.

Luthor glared at the teens. He held Queen Bee in his arms protectively. "You do realize that you won't be able to keep us captured for long. My lawyers will have me out in hours, and Queen Bee has diplomatic immunity."

"It is the principle of the matter." Kaldur responded.

"Yep." Phantom then froze Luthor's legs to the ground. He wasn't going anywhere. "You got to love payback."

"They are not going anywhere." Kaldur noted. "We should help the others."

"Right." Phantom nodded.

"I can't believe this…" Jinx growled as she watched Young Justice enter the area and take down Bane's mercenaries with ease.

"Believe it." Red Huntress pointed an ectoplasmic pistol to Jinx.

"So…you're here too." Jinx glared at the girl.

"I am, and I'm taking you down." Red Huntress glared back.

"Just try it!" Jinx sent hex bolts at the other girl. Red Huntress quickly dodged the blasts and sent some of her own energy blasts at the girl. They continued this dance for a minute, but then they figured out that this strategy wouldn't work with their current opponent. Thus, the girls rushed in to fight in hand-to-hand combat.

As they did this, the other members of Young Justice quickly went to work on the people in the clearing. Rocket's kinetic abilities made quick work of the mercenaries. Superboy and Miss Martian were fighting back Blockbuster, but the monster proved to be resilient. Robin and Zatanna were taking down Bane. Artemis, however, was being pushed back by her family. She fell to the ground after being hit back by Sportsmaster.

"You know I don't tolerate disobedience…" Sportsmaster glared down at the blond archer.

"Yeah Dad…Jade and I learned that the hard way." Artemis looked back at Cheshire who was pointing a sword at her sister. The female assassin wasn't given a chance to respond, though. Kid Flash quickly came to Artemis's aid. He used his speed to knock Cheshire away and tried to do the same to the blond man. This time, though, the speedster was caught and thrown into the branches behind them.

It was at this point that all the fights were quickly resolved when Phantom, Kaldur, and Rocket used the Apokoliptic technology dropped by the mercenaries to trap Blockbuster and Sportsmaster into the ground.

"GRAW!" Blockbuster roared.

"You should really learn to channel that anger." Superboy noted.

While that was happening, Cheshire quickly retreated, abandoning her father to his fate.

"Jade!" Sportsmaster yelled in rage. He was quickly silenced when Artemis rammed a foot in his face.

"…" Jinx looked over the scene. She and Red Huntress had been trading blows, but when she the tides begin to turn she moved back. "It appears we lose…I lose. He made his choice."

"That's right, and I'm not letting you escape." Red Huntress noted. She ran forward, only to stop when the pinkette raised her hands in surrender.

"Forget it. I'm done fighting today." Jinx noted. "Besides…Danny's going to need a bit of help with what's going to come next. Because all hell is about to break lose."

"What do you call this, then?" Red Huntress glared.

"The entree."

Despite the activation of the Necromancers, the fight proved to be very anticlimactic. Dusk managed to get his job done before Shiva attacked. Nyx and Cassandra bought him just enough time. Thus, the Necromancers quickly fell apart as soon as they were activated. The shock caused the ghost's enemies to pause for the briefest of moments.

That was all they needed, though.

Walker was easily overpowered by Cujo. He was tossed around and pushed down by the large dog. The ex-warden of the Ghost Zone was too rattled by the sneak attack to get any leeway, despite his skill. Cujo held him down long enough for Spirit to use a now rarely used Fenton Thermos to capture the enemy.

Shiva also didn't recover from the sneak attack. Dusk's blow nearly knocked her out. She did manage to put up a bit of a fight, but this did not last long. Cassandra quickly helped the boy in his fight with Shiva. The adult assassin was so shocked by this betrayal that she did not even put up a fight as Dusk used his Pendulum Nunchaku to tie her up.

Klarion actually managed to do a bit of damage. He used magical black electricity to punish Nyx for her actions. The girl screamed in pain until the Fright Knight intervened. The knight ghost used his blade to cut Klarion in half. The Lord of Chaos wasn't killed because of his nature, but this did give the Fright Knight a chance to grab Teekl, throw the cat demon to the floor, and point his blade at its neck.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Klarion cried.

"I won't. I don't know what your death will do. The burst of energy might alert the enemy." Fright Knight noted. "But if you or this cat even twitches, you're both dead."

"Grr…" Klarion glared at him.

"Are you alright, Nyx." Fright Knight questioned.

"I…I think so…" Nyx stood. A small bit of black electricity still danced around her, but it quickly faded.

"Good…" Fright Knight turned to the others in the room. "And all of you?"

"I'm good!" Spirit grinned and waved the thermos around.

"I am as well…" Dusk kept an eye on Shiva.

"Good…" Fright Knight nodded.

"…" Shiva looked at her daughter. "Why did you do this, Cassandra?"

"I saw where the hands of fate were leading us." Cassandra noted. "If things continued the way they were, you and a lot of good people would have died. I couldn't let that happen."

"Foolish girl…I don't care about myself or this city. I only cared about you and your safety." Shiva stated.

"I would prefer happiness and a clear conscience compared to safety." Cassandra argued.

"You are too much like your father…" Shiva gained a distant look. "But…maybe that's a good thing."

"Hmm…" The Fright Knight hummed as he turned his attention away from that scene and to Klarion. "Now that we have captured this base, we can focus on the others. Tell me, Witch Boy, where are the other bases and what is in them?"

"Like I would ever tell you. I ain't no snitch!" Klarion glared. "Even if you threaten Teekl, I won't talk. It may take a while, but we'll reform again one day."

"Damn…" Fright Knight cursed.

"I'll talk." Shiva spoke up.

Everyone turned to her.

"You will?" Cassandra's eyes widened.

"Yes." Shiva nodded. "I…I have never seen you care for anything like this before. You have made your choices, and as your mother, I need to support you."

"Then…you'll tell us what you know?" Spirit questioned.

"Yes."

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Dusk questioned.

"You have my word."

"…Fair enough. Speak."

"What I know…It's hard to say. I don't care how prepared you are, you still aren't prepared enough." Shiva explained. "Savage has planned for everything. "This is by far, the weakest base. We were only meant to signal the beginning of the attack. The fact is, that the battle soon to come shall bring an end to you all."

"Why do you say that? We are strong and ready." Dusk argued.

"Because we have a plan to take each of you down." Shiva noted. "Necromancers, failed ghouls, special tech, and every single villain that has even the slightest grudge against the ghosts."

"What?"

"And they are ready and willing kill all of you." Shiva explained. "Except for Joel and Nyx…You two are special, because the Light has ordered your capture instead of your death."

"Why's that?" Nyx questioned.

"Because you are destined to join our cause." It wasn't Shiva that said that. It was a female voice, though.

"What?!" Dusk turned in alarm. He recognized that voice, but it was too late.

Swish! Crack! Boom!

"No!" Spirit yelled out as the Fenton Thermos was cut in half. Walker was instantly freed. While this was happening, Fright Knight was blasted away and Dusk was knocked back. The youngest halfa felt a foot push him down.

"…Talia…" Dusk looked up at the woman.

Before he could say more, everything went into chaos. Klarion grabbed Teekl and quickly teleported away. Walker grabbed Spirit and used her to bat Cujo into the far wall.

"Hello, Joel. I think it's time that we talked." Talia mentioned.

"Same here, girl." Walker grinned at Spirit. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable."

Swwwwwiiiiiiiisssssssshhhhhhhhh-Boooooooooom!

A white swirling portal called a Boom Tube formed underneath the duos of Shiva plus Dusk and Walker plus Spirit. In a flash, they all disappeared into the different portals. This left the others gaping and in a rage.

"NO!" Fright Knight roared. He looked at Shiva. "WHERE DID THEY GO!?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it is to a good place…" Shiva frowned.

"Did you have to knock out Luthor?" Phantom questioned as he looked at the unconscious billionaire.

"Yeah, when would I ever get a chance like this again?" Superboy shrugged.

"We could have interrogated him…" Phantom sighed.

"He wouldn't have talked anyway." Kaldur noted.

"True." Phantom nodded slowly.

"It's fine. Maybe I can look their minds anyway. Although, it's a bit harder when they're unconscious…" M'gann muttered.

The group of four was quickly joined by the remaining members of Young Justice.

"Wow…" Rocket noted as she looked across the entire scene. "It really is always like this."

"Told you." Zatanna smiled.

"Hey," Robin smirked. "Disaster averted. Feeling the aster."

"Not yet." Artemis noted as she and Wally approached them. "We're not done."

"Yeah, what about Amity Park?" Kid Flash questioned.

"That's why I wanted to talk to Luthor. I wanted to figure out what they were planning, but that can't happen now." Phantom sighed.

"Maybe it can…" Red Huntress stated as she led the cuffed Jinx to the group.

"Hey…" Jinx muttered.

"Hey." Phantom nodded to her.

"You know her?" Rocket gained a curious glance, as did most of the Team that didn't know about Phantom's relation with Jinx.

"It's part of the long story that revolved around my secret identity. I'll explain it later." Phantom stated.

"Fair enough." Superboy nodded. "But how will she help us? She's an assassin. They don't normally talk about business.."

"Yes she will." Red Huntress spoke. "Tell them what you told me."

"I know a lot more than most people. As long as no one finds out…I'll talk about the threats in Amity Park, but nothing else. If only to make sure Danny doesn't die or lose someone he cares about." Jinx mentioned.

"Thanks, but we're kind of pressed for time." Phantom noted. "No one here will contact the enemy in Amity Park, but Cheshire got away…"

"I don't think Jade is in the mood to help the enemy." Artemis noted. "She'll probably just go to one of her safe houses."

"Then that buys us some time." M'gann mentioned.

"Right." Superboy nodded and turned to Jinx. "What do you know?"

"Everything." Jinx stated. "But now that I think of it…I don't think it's going to matter. It may already be too late. You're already in check. No matter what your next move is, you'll either be put in check again or…it will be checkmate."

"Why?"

"Because the real plan is already finished."

Dr. Fate was staring down at the planet below her. The Watchtower had a truly beautiful view. She always loved looking down on Earth. It made everything seem so small.

"Are you not going to join the party?" Red Arrow questioned as he walked behind the Lord of Order.

"No…I am not a part person. Besides, it feels wrong to be here without Phantom." Dr. Fate sighed. "I understand and respect his reasons, but I am still disappointed. I wished to work with him again."

"Oh?" Red Arrow was right behind her now.

"Yes. He is a unique individual, and he was once one with me." Dr. Fate noted. "Fate has already decided that he shall do great things…" She froze as Red Arrow placed a small tentacle like chip on the back of her neck.

"Go wait with the others." Red Arrow ordered. Dr. Fate obeyed without questioned.

She walked to the main hall of the Watchtower and stood next to the others.

'What's happening?' Dora questioned.

'I don't know! I can't move!' Nabu shouted in panic. He couldn't be contained anymore! He refused to lose control of his own fate yet again!

'Calm yourself.' Dora said soothingly. 'We will figure this out. We just need to stay calm.'

'You're right.' Nabu admitted. "But what can we do?"

'We wait and pray…What is Batman doing?'

"Override. Batman 02." Batman ordered the computer as he typed on the hologram keyboard.

Recognized. Access Granted: Vandal Savage A04

Vandal Savage walked into the Watchtower. All the League members knelt down before the man. The only one that didn't was Red Arrow. Instead, he held his head and groaned as if he was waking up. He looked around and realized, "I…I was the mole?"

"Yes…Yes you were…" Despite the situation, Savage did not seem pleased. He walked up to Red Arrow and delivered a vicious back fist. The archer fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. "But not anymore…"

The immortal caveman walked over to the far window and looked down at Earth. "Klarion."

Klarion appeared in a blaze out of the ring on Savage's finger. Like Savage, he did not appear happy. He already told Savage what happened in Amity Park. "So…what now?"

"I have not heard from Santa Prisca. Something happened. That means Phantom denied our offer." Savage frowned. "And it appears that the ghosts are more prepared than I thought they would be."

"I say we burn them all." Klarion noted.

"Not Phantom…not yet at least. He's still useful." Savage frowned. "I'll send a message to Amity Park, though. It is time to start the attack. After I call them, I'll tell them to set up all the signal jammers. We can't have Phantom going there just yet after all."

"What about the rest of the ghosts?"

"If we can use the Starro Tech to control them, then we will. But if they put up too much off a fight…It might just be better to kill them all."

"Excellent." Klarion rubbed his hands together devilishly. "Just leave Nyx. I've just planted the seed of madness after all."

"That's fine." Savage nodded. "And Ra's has dealt with Joel already. That means everyone else there is expendable, and they will all die if they refuse to step into the Light."