"Linda, please!" Superboy pleaded as he used his photonic shield to deflect a chunk of debris. "Talk to us! Talk to me!"

He flew towards the being that was in the process of tearing Young Justice apart. Her name was Linda Danvers and she was once a great friend and well-respected member of said team. As Firebird, she was always the most powerful member of the team. Only this time, she had turned against them.

"Talk?" Linda asked. "The only thing I need to do with you...is bury you!"

She extended her fire-red wings outward and, accompanied by a telekinetic blast, through Kon-El down into Wonder Girl and Jade.

"Umm, Rob?" Impulse asked.

"What?" the team's leader replied angrily.

"We're getting our butts whooped," Impulse answered.

"I know," Robin sighed. "But what are we supposed to do? We can't hurt her!"

"Well, if we don't stop her," Jade cut in, "someone else will!"

"'Of Mice and Men'," Robin sighed. "Alright. We've got to take her here and now...or she doesn't get taken!"

"We don't want anything from you," Christopher Bedlam sneered, pointing at Jade. "If Sam surrenders and comes with us willingly, you won't be hurt."

Standing behind Bedlam, whose mutant power allowed him to disrupt anyone's thought process, were the Hellions. Magma could control the earth's tectonic plates and cause lava to erupt from the ground. Bevatron could generate bio-electric energy blasts from his hands. Firestar could generate microwave energy and shoot fire from her hands. Empath's telepathic abilities allowed him to subjugate others to his will. Tarot's cards could cause great harm to those she directed their magiks to. Thunderbird's strength was paralleled by few. Roulette had a habit of making those around her have some really bad luck.

"You'd be better off agreeing," Thunderbird said. "You don't want to take on all eight of us."

"Well, Jimmy," Sam said, "Ah didn't expect to run into you again...'least not with the Hellions."

"Sam told me all about you guys," Jade said. "You and the Hellfire club. You've already done enough to Young Justice. You won't lay a hand on him."

"We gave you a choice," Bedlam shrugged. "Hellions--"

Before Bedlam could give his order, a red and gold streak moved around the ground. Shortly after, every Hellion tripped and fell.

"Impulse?" Sam asked.

"I tied their shoelaces together," he grinned proudly. "Everyone's on their way."

"Speedy, you won't get a second chance at that!" Empath called. He unleashed his powers on Impulse.

"Er..." Impulse said. "Are you gonna do something? 'Cause I hate waiting around."

"My powers!" Empath exclaimed. "They don't work on him!"

"Who cares?" Magma said. Seconds later, two pillars of lava exploded from the ground, sending the trio fleeing. Soon the Hellions had untied and retied their shoes, allowing them the chance to take the offensive.

Cannonball rocketed forward, hitting Thunderbird hard in the chest with his fists. "Sorry, Jimmy...but I knew you hadda be taken out quick."

Firestar poured her fire blasts down against Jade. The emerald heroine simply created an emerald shield to withstand the attack, relying on her force of will to create anything she needed.

A blue disc raised from the ground, and when it disappeared, the rest of Young Justice had arrived: Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Arrowette, and the team's teleporter Magik.

"Looks like a fair fight now," Arrowette said, pulling two trick arrows out of her quiver and into her bow.

"You kidding?" Superboy said, bringing his humming shield to life with a flick of the wrist. "These bozo's don't know what they've gotten themselves into!"

Roulette grinned when Superboy flew himself into a light pole, her bad luck discs working wonders.

"Hey!" Wonder Girl yelled. "That's not fair!"

Wonder Girl flew at Roulette, only to be intercepted by Bevatron, who fired off a round of electric blasts at her. He, on the other hand, was quickly put out of the fight by two gas arrows from Arrowette.

Magik called upon her Soulsword, which instantly covered her body in armor as well as gave her a weapon. She charged forward and knocked the cards out of Tarot's hands.

"Non!" she exclaimed.

"Enough," Bedlam replied. He sent his powers out in a flash. Though it affected the Hellions as well, he knew that his powers would be enough to take YJ out of the fight. Soon, he was the only one standing. That is, except for Impulse.

"What?" Bedlam asked. "First you evaded Empath's abilities...now mine. How is it possible?"

"I know what Superboy would say," Impulse shrugged, "but I don't like that very much. So how about I say this? Goodnight!"

Impulse rushed forward and knocked Bedlam out with one punch. Slowly, the Hellions and Young Justicers shook off Bedlam's attack.

"Good work, Bart," Robin said. "Now, Hellions...did you wish to continue this fight? Or can you respect a draw?"

"I suggest the Hellions retreat," Tarot said. "The rest of this fight...well, the cards do not look kindly on it."

"Next time, Sam," Magma frowned.

"Whatever," Sam replied. Moments later, a teleportation disc brought the team back to base.

The Red Tornado flew through the evening skies, his winds helping to make sure that Chicago earn the nickname of the 'Windy City'. He had come to this city only a few times since his 'return' to 'life'. The only reason he came at all was because of the two people with whom he might still share a shred of humanity with. Kathy and Traya Sutton, the woman who, in another life was his wife, and the girl who, in another life, was his daughter.

"Daddy," Traya whispered to herself as she noticed the trees start to wave far more than usual. She looked away from the window and to her mother.

Kathy smiled. "John..."

Soon after, a brief knock came to the door. Kathy opened it, and smiled a little more at the man--robot, who stood in the doorway.

"It is...good to see you again," Red said.

"Good to see you, too, John," she replied. He stepped in and almost bumped into the excited Traya.

"Hi daddy," she smiled.

"Hello, Traya," he replied. "Thank you both for having me once again."

"We enjoy having you over, John," Kathy said. "I'm just glad it doesn't bother you that it's always for dinner...even though you...don't need to eat."

"It is quite alright, I--" Red stopped as another knocking came to the door. "One moment."

Red Tornado slowly opened the door and found a young man and woman behind it. "May I help you?"

"Yes, you may," the woman said.

"More than you know..." the man grinned.

Jade dove into the swimming pool, splashing playfully. "Come on in, Sam...it's great!"

Sam hopped over the pools edge and into the water.

"What, no cannonball?" Jade asked.

"Too predictable," Sam replied. "But this water is nice."

"You guys have a pool at your old base?"

"We had a lake," Sam replied. "But Ah didn't go swimming much. But, Ah got a question for you."

"Shoot," she grinned, swimming closer to him.

"Is it true you were a model for awhile?"

"Yup...a short while, anyway. Why?"

"No reason, Ah guess. Ah just can see why."

She grinned and splashed water at him.

"Bad move," Sam replied. "'Cause that means war!"

Robin sat at a computer screen, going over the fight. "Hmmm..."

"Find something important?" Arrowette asked as she walked over to him.

"Oh, hey Arrowette," Robin replied. "And no, not really."

"Hey, it's Cissie when I'm in my civvies," she replied. "Not that I really like my name, or anything...but you're the only one of us who doesn't have a real name to share."

"You know it's not my call," Robin replied. "I'm not big on the fact that I have to hide everything about me from you or the rest of the team."

Cissie sat down in the chair next to Robin and pushed it closer, looking at the monitors on the wall. "What's the point of analyzing the fight?"

"So I can see what we did wrong," Robin replied. "The best way for me to help you all, and myself, improve, is to see our mistakes and correct them in training sessions."

Cissie nodded. "So, Rob...if you're so used to watching our technique...how's my figure...there?"

Rob turned to her, only to find Cissie looking straight into his masked eyes, their faces barely inches apart. "I...er..."

"Rob?" Wonder Girl called.

"Yes?" he asked, jumping out of his chair.

"Er...sorry to interrupt," she replied. "Umm...er...it's not important. Sorry."

Cissie sighed, got out of her chair and walked off with Cassie.

"Thanks a lot," Cissie sighed.

Two figures slowly approached a third. Two of the three were totally covered in trench coats, the third walking casually in normal dress.

"So you got my message?" the woman who was waiting asked.

"Yup," the normally dressed woman replied.

"Good," the woman replied. "Call me Grey Lady."

"Danielle Moonstar," one replied.

"Feral's fine," said the other.

"I've got a sweet deal for you ladies," Grey Lady grinned. "I'm starting a group called the Point Men. I think our goals concerning mutant life might interest you. You remember the MLF, right?"

"Mutant Liberation Front?" Dani asked. "Who could forget. A bunch of fools caused way to much trouble for us."

"Well, don't harbor feelings that are too bad," the Lady continued. "Because we're gonna be operating somewhere along the same lines. People need to understand that mutants aren't gonna keep taking the same crap they've been taking. Forget what you two were learning as the X-Men's understudies...people won't accept peace. They need to be forced to have peace. That's what we're gonna do."

"Good," Feral grinned. "It's about damn time."

"Come," Grey Lady said. "Meet the others who will support our case."