Springfield, Illinois.

It was the capital of a state that, in the north, housed one of the world's most largest and most powerful cities. But down in Springfield, it's just another midwest hick-town. The only thing that separated it from the rest of the area was its importance to state government.

Usually the downtown area was bustling with activity as people and politicians hurried to get on with their daily lives. However, on this particular day, the activity was men, women and children fleeing in terror. Grown women screaming bloody murder. Grown men running for their lives. Poor children crying their eyes out. Everyone in the entire city and surrounding suburbs was gripped in a state of constant, near-paralyzing fear. For something had happened...and in the minds' eye of every conscious being in the area, the city had been invaded by monsters. Demons. Vile creatures that even nightmares wouldn't conjure up. It was as if the gates of Hell were opened and no one was safe. Not in their homes, not in their churches, synagogues or various houses of worship. Wherever they went, the demons would follow.

And nothing the people did could stop them.

Yet, there was a reason for that. The monsters and demons weren't real. They existed only in the people's minds...and, more importantly, in the extremely twisted mind of on man: David Angar.

He stood atop the capitol building and smiled at his handiwork. In only an hour he had induced a mindscream powerful enough to bring the city to its knees. Springfield was the test. Granted, it was a big test. A test that was destined to become rather public. But if he could succeed here...

"A glorious sight, eh?" David asked to the woman who stood behind him.

"Glorious indeed," she answered. Her name was Sandra Deel, but he called her Shriek. They were soulmates. Or they were both really messed up in the head. But either way, David was nothing without Sandra and vice versa.

Shriek prided herself on being able to pry upon people's most hidden fears or memories, the things that terrified them the most, and amplifying them exponentially. Angar took those fears and, with his mindscream, brought them to life before a person's eyes. He held so much power...

"Nothing can stop us," he grinned. "I'll see these people claw their own eyes out, hoping to escape the images...and then watch them yell in terror as they realize there is no escape. That no matter where they go, they cannot escape me!"

He took a deep breath as he watched his handiwork. If one listened closely, they could hear gunshots. Police, and even ordinary citizens broke down, lashing out at the horrifying images the only way they could, more often than not only doing more harm than good.

"How goes our final component?" he asked.

"The girl is almost ready," Shriek nodded. "With the power amplifiers in place, she will grant our psychological powers a physical edge. Where we can bring a city to it's knees, Siryn can bring a metropolis down to it's bedrock!"

He laughed. "I think as a statement...we'll do it here, too. We'll test out her powers here. So what if a few million people die? We'd better get used to the death tolls...after all, once we get to Washington, it'll be a looooot more. Heh."

In the present? Sam Guthrie lie on the table in the team's med-lab...dead.

"He...he can't be...d-dead..." Jennifer-Lynn Haden. Her green skin was one of the reasons her codename was Jade. In recent weeks, she and Sam had been enjoying a flirtatious relationship which had slowly been becoming more...and now?

Illyana Rasputin. As Magik, she was a founding New Mutant...she had fought alongside Sam for over five years. There are no words. Only tears.

Superboy. Impulse. Arrowette. Wonder Girl...they had been his teammates for so short a time. They barely knew him...but what they did know led them to believe that Sam was the best of them.

Robin. He was still technically new to the game. How long had he been Batman's sidekick? How long had he been leading this team of heroes-to-be? He lost Linda already...but at least she was alive. Sam? He's gone...and the Boy Wonder can't help but think...that he might not be cut out for the job after all...

The Red Tornado. He was a robot, right? And robot's don't have emotions, right? Maybe...maybe not. But nonetheless, he acted his part as he always did.

"Though I am very sorry for the tragic events which have just occurred," the robot began, "I fear Young Justice is needed elsewhere."

"Are you kidding me?!" Jade exclaimed. "Sam just died!! Don't you have any semblance of feeling somewhere in that big mechanical body of yours?"

"Springfield, Illinois is being held hostage," Red continued despite the outburst. "No other super heroes are available to deal with the situation. If it is not dealt with swiftly, hundreds of thousands of people will be dead."

Robin locked his chin. "Superboy...Impulse...Arrowette...Wonder Girl...we're leaving immediately. Jade, Magik...stay here."

"You're serious?" Superboy asked. "We just lost...another team member."

"We'll mourn when we have time," Robin replied. "I know that sounds harsh, but it's true...we're needed. We're moving out."

And with that he walked away.

"How could he be so...insensitive?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know," Cissie replied. "Maybe he's not the guy I thought he was..."

"From what I've been able to pick up," Robin explained as the Super Cycle continued towards the city, "is that there's been some sort of sonic assault on the city. That's why I handed out the earplugs...I don't know if it'll work or not, but it should help. We're just going to fly in, take care of whoever's causing trouble, and get back home. None of us are in the mood for this."

"No kidding," Arrowette replied.

"Superboy, Impulse and Wonder Girl, begin scouting the area," Robin ordered. "Get a good idea of what's going on. Arrowette and I'll land the cycle and we'll keep in radio touch."

"Right," Kon-El nodded and the three were off.

For a few moments which seemed like minutes, neither of the two remaining spoke. Finally, Arrowette couldn't hold back any longer. "So what is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?" Robin asked, looking over his shoulder to where she sat behind him.

"How can you be so uncaring at a time like this?" she asked, pressing the matter. "Sam's dead...and you don't care, do you?"

"How can you even say that?" Robin asked. It took Cissie by surprise. It was the first time since she'd known him, that the modulation of his voice actually changed. That he actually was hurt by her words...by what was happening.

"Well, you're so eager to lead us off onto this mission..."

"Because we're needed," Robin replied. "We're heroes-in-training...we formed Young Justice to help people. But I'm this team's leader...you don't honestly believe for an instant that losing Sam is tearing me up inside? Just a month ago, we lost Linda! And now Sam...I'm about two seconds away from cracking! If not for this excuse to get away from things, I...don't know what I would have done."

"Really?" Cissie asked. "I always thought, well...Batman's so cold, so uncaring...and you're his heir. I figured..."

"That I would be as cold as he is? Believe me, I know the reputation Batman has...and I know that someday I'm gonna be expected to take on that reputation...but it's not who I am. I am not Batman. I'm a teenager, just like you. And Young Justice is my responsibility...I'm team leader, which means you guys are putting your faith, your very lives, in my hands every day! And I failed Linda, I failed Sam...and I can't help but think that, sooner or later...I'm going to fail all of you."

"Rob, I..." Cissie was at a loss for words. "I'm...sorry I said that. It's just..."

"I know," Robin nodded. "But we'll...have to deal with it later. Right now, we've got a serious situation to deal with."

He tapped the communications panel on the Cycle as he landed it. "Superboy, do you read me? Kid? Wondy? Bart, do you read me? Anyone?"

"I hear you," Impulse replied. "But you better get here quick...Wondy and Superkid are both going insane, fighting...air!"

"Air?" Robin asked. "They're hallucinating?"

"Get back!" Arrowette yelled. She fired a pair of arrows into the air, not hitting any apparent targets.

"Cissie?" Robin asked. "What is it?"

"Demons...monsters!" she yelled, firing more arrows. "All around us...and my arrows aren't stopping them!"

"But...I don't see a..." Robin stopped. He realized. Impulse's mind is constantly moving, but at the same time, so simplistic that he's immune to most forms of telepathy...if those images or sonic induced, yet psionic in nature, it makes sense that he's not being affected. As for me...I can only hazard a guess that the time I've spent training with Batman has left my mind so well trained that my telepathic blocks are keeping me safe. I don't have a clue how long it'll last, though. And if Cissie, Cassie and Kon are out of the fight already...he grabbed his comm unit. "Bart! Do you know where the attack is coming from?"

"Yup!" he replied, suddenly standing next to Rob.

"Take me there," Robin ordered.

"What about Cissie?"

"We can't do much for her," Robin shrugged. "We've gotta take down whoever's in charge first."

Bart shrugged and picked up Rob. "Whatever."

"I'd say about a hundred percent success," the woman called Shriek grinned. "The entire city is nearly insane with our handiwork."

Angar grinned. "Alright...is our red head ready?"

"Theresa's all suited up," Shriek nodded. "The carapace around her neck will amplify her powers exponentially. The entire city will be destroyed in seconds!"

Angar grinned even wider. "This is gonna be sweet...I can't wait to try this trick on places like LA, Chicago, New York and Washington. We're gonna bring this country to it's knees."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Robin yelled as Impulse burst the two of them into the capitol building.

"What the hell?" Angar asked. "How could you get in here without being affected?"

"We've got good concentration!" Robin replied. "Impulse, they mentioned someone else...Theresa...find her! I'll deal with these two!"

"Okay!" Impulse replied, speeding away.

"Cocky little fellow," Shriek nodded to Robin.

"You may have been resisting us so far," Angar grinned wickedly, "but wait until we focus the full brunt of our powers on you!"

"Are you Theresa?" he asked.

"I am," the girl nodded.

"I'm here to fight you!"

"I dinnae need to be fightin' anyone," she replied. "I believe I'm needin' tae be rescued."

"Well, you're in luck!" Impulse grinned. "I can do that, too!"

"Help me get this carapace off me neck," Theresa asked.

Impulse nodded and, vibrating his arms at an incredible speed, he was able to vibrate the carapace and make it intangible so that it easily fell of the young woman.

"Thank ye," she said.

"Er, sure," Bart shrugged. "So, what's your deal, anyway?"

"I'm a mutant," Terry answered. "Me power is my sonic scream...that carapace was gonna magnify my abilities and I was gonna be forced to use it to destroy the city."

"Then it's a good thing I got here!" Bart exclaimed. "I bet Robin needs help...come on!"

Have to...end this soon...they're starting to...wear down my mental blocks! They're images are...starting to get through!

A kick barely missed a ducking Angar.

"You feel it, don't you?" he asked. "You're slowing down...because you're too busy trying to fight us mentally you can't fight us physically!"

He's absolutely right...if he could bring this whole city down, how can I possibly...last much longer? I need...help.

And almost on cue, for once in his whole life, Impulse burst through the door and slammed his fists into Angar.

"Good...timing," Robin nodded.

"Thanks!" Impulse grinned stupidly.

"Time for us t'end this," Theresa said. She cut loose with a sonic scream that shattered the windows in the building and caused Angar and Shriek to grab their heads in pain. Naturally, Robin and Impulse weren't affected because of their earplugs.

"A few more seconds should knock them out," Robin nodded. "And by taking them out, we'll stop their sonic assault on everyone else in the city. Good job, Bart. I'm glad we could wrap this up quickly.

Ten minutes later, the building was swarmed with police, who found Shriek and Angar tied up and gagged. Robin, Impulse and 'Siryn' went back to the Super Cycle, meeting up with their other three teammates.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Robin asked.

"I'm positive," Terry answered. "I've spent way too long being the prisoner of those two...I've got a father and an Uncle waiting for me back home...I'll be happy to get there."

Robin nodded. "If you ever need anything..."

Terry nodded back. "I'll give ye a call. Thank ye for all yuir help. I'm sure we'll meet again someday!"

"I'm sure we will," Robin replied. And with that, she used her sonic powers to fly off. "Come on, team...let's go back home..."

The five members slowly walked back into their HQ, prepared to finally deal with the events that had happened...with the death of...

"Sam?!" Cissie exclaimed as the team found Sam Guthrie sitting with Jade and Illyana at their briefing table.

"Hi, gang," he waved.

"Guys..." Jade grinned, "He's alive!"