It's a helluva town. Or so they say, anyway. I wouldn't know . . . I've never been. But let's just go with it and continue . . .

Here's a recap: Just under a week ago, the teenage heroes called Young Justice were involved in the battle of their lives. A group of powerful, deadly mutants called the Marauders entered the Morlock tunnels and began a systematic slaughter of every living being inside. The team responded and did their best. It wasn't enough.

Many Morlocks were killed. Just about every other one was injured. The team didn't walk away too easily, either. Two of their members were killed. Cassie Sandsmark, a.k.a. Wonder Girl, and Jennifer-Lynn Haden, Jade. Though their sacrifice was not in vain. The team managed to defeat the Marauders eventually, and even stop the robotic being that was behind everything.

Chuck Barnes and Kon-El, Nightwing and Superboy, respectively, were both bed ridden. Chuck had suffered serious injuries and was recovering. Superboy's powers seemed to be depleted, making him susceptible to injury and leaving him fairly weak. Bart Allen, Impulse, was stuck in hyper-mode. His body was moving so fast that he was intangible and couldn't slow down. He was inside a containment tube, being constantly monitored by the team's mentor, Red Tornado, searching for a way to help him. Cissie King-Jones, Arrowette, was temporarily blinded by an attack, but her eyes had since pretty much healed.

Linda Danvers, Firebird, had gotten out of the fight without much harm. Her other persona, however, named Phoenix, had emerged again. The persona was an extremely powerful telepath and telekinetic, and each time it emerged, Linda's own super strength began to fade. She had no memory of the Phoenix's actions, and it worried her.

Hallie Takahama, Jolt, made it own with only minor injuries, as well. She was lucky. And then there were the two guests. A mysterious girl that they called Rebel appeared early on. They knew nothing about her, as she apparently couldn't speak . . . at least, not much. She seemed fairly unharmed. And then there was the Spoiler . . . she entered late, and made it out okay, as well. But the team also had no idea who she was.

Especially Cissie . . . since, she was the Spoiler . . .

But anyway! Getting back to things . . . New York, New York. It's a helluva town! And it's here that we find some of the cast from the recap: Cissie, Linda, Hallie . . . as well as Rebel and Spoiler. The five of them had decided to get out of their mansion base . . . away from all their troubles, at least for a little while. It was a girl's night out on the town . . . a night of fast fun, shopping, dancing, and good food!

For the most part . . .

"This is great!" Hallie exclaimed as the five walked down a sidewalk under the light of a street lamp. The city was still crowded with people; it truly never did sleep. "I haven't done this, in like . . . years! It's so much fun . . . hangin' with friends . . . shopping . . . it's great! It's really helping me take my mind off of everything else . . . "

"Yeah . . . great," Cissie said.

"Oh, lighten up," the Spoiler said.

"Yeah . . . fine," Cissie said, biting her lip to keep from snapping. She's a fake! And only I know it! Because I was Spoiler! I took on that identity when the team was grounded . . . and I began a relationship with Chuck from it. And now, out of nowhere, this little hussy steals my identity! She's nothing like me! Won't tell us her real name, either . . . and she insists on wearing that scarf and those sunglasses to keep us from seeing her hair or eyes . . . though she's seen us. And that Jamaican accent . . . how could Chuck not know she's not the same Spoiler? Some detective . . .

"I am a bit concerned, though," Linda said. "I mean, we still haven't cured Bart . . . figured out what happened to Kon . . . and though our little Rebel is staying with us and seems happy, we don't know anything about her - and she can't tell us! And I would do a mind scan, but that power only seems to appear when I'm Phoenix . . . which I know nothing about . . . "

"Don't worry too much," Spoiler grinned. "She's happy . . . she's smiling. She doesn't seem to care."

"But she's spoken before," Cissie said. "She said 'Morlocks . . . help . . . now' when we first saw her. She hasn't spoken since. I don't get it."

Rebel shrugged.

"Well, at least she understands us," Linda said. "Y'know . . . It just occurred to me that we don't know much about each other . . . "

"You're right," Hallie said. "Hey . . . why don't we stop into that Starbucks there and just . . . hang?"

Linda smiled. "Sounds good to me!"

"Okay," Cissie sighed. The five girls were sitting comfortably around a small corner table, sipping their various drinks. She was up first. "Here goes. My family, well . . . it's sort of got a line of heroes. But it's really secretive . . . we change last names, like, every generation now . . . code names and everything. There isn't a legacy, so much, since it's kept hidden. But I did have a grandfather use a bow and arrow in World War II. Anyway. I'm the second lady of our line of heroes. My power . . . is my eyesight. I've got, I guess, just really sharp eyes. My mom was a super hero for a brief while, but not too successful . . . so she wanted me to be good. When she noticed my eyesight, she trained me in archery. I've been practicing since I was able to hold a bow. I have to practice constantly and work hard to stay in shape, though. I ran into Impulse early on in my career . . . we worked together now and then. When he formed Young Justice with Superboy and Robin, he invited me in . . . and I've been with the team ever since."

"So . . . you're a mutant?" Spoiler asked.

"Excuse me?" Cissie asked.

"I don't mean any insult," she said. "I'm just sayin' . . . born with your eyes . . . mutants are born wit there powers, mon."

"I . . . don't know," Cissie shrugged.

"Well, I received my powers from somewhere," Hallie said. "I used to be just a normal girl . . . I lived with my parents in Chicago for a long time . . . just before I turned fourteen we moved to New York. Got an apartment . . . I missed my old friends, but I was happy. And then . . . then, it gets . . . hazy. From what I've been able to piece together is that a group, called the Rat Pack, was going around that area, murdering parents, robbing them, and stealing away their orphaned children. The children . . . they would go to Arnim Zola, the Bio-Fanatic. He's an insane man, currently working for the Imperial Forces of America. He was trying to create a super-powered army, experimenting with kids . . . only most of his experiments ended up turning the kids into freakish monsters. I was one of his few successes . . . so he tortured me the most, trying to learn just how it was that I worked. He gave me the ability to absorb ambient energy . . . kinetic, anything . . . and use it to give me speed, crazy-style reflexes . . . and shock punches. When YJ came to Zola's base searching for answers about Wonder Girl, they freed me . . . and since I've got nowhere else to go, and these powers . . . I joined. I try not to think about my old life . . . "

Everyone was silent for a moment. Finally, Linda decided to tell her part.

"Well, mine's a little . . . strange," she said. "I'm not sure I quite understand it. I used to live in Kansas of all places. One night, there was a meteor shower. So I went out to one of the big fields near my family's farm . . . and I just laid down, all night, watching the shower. It was great . . . but then, I saw one . . . and it came close. Closer, with each second. I got scared . . . and before I knew what it was, the burst of light that I thought was a meteor, hit me. It was some sort of energy . . . it went into me . . . I screamed . . . and fire burst out from around me. I sent the whole field on fire. It was pretty intense. I guess, now that I think about it . . . that kinda sounds like what happens every time I become this . . . 'Phoenix' person."

"Phoenix?" Spoiler asked.

"Every now and then, I black out . . . yell 'I am Phoenix' . . . and then kick out some awesome light show. A Phoenix is a mythological bird of fire that rises from the ashes . . . I always figured my powers were super strength and invulnerability . . . flight by the wings of fire I can create, limited telekinesis . . . but it could be all psionic in nature. I don't know . . . "

"We'll find out sometime," Cissie said. "Well, since I doubt our Rebel's going to tell us her story . . . "

Rebel simply stared at Cissie, not making any sound.

" . . . Maybe Spoiler here would tell us hers?" Cissie continued.

Spoiler nodded. "I should. You have all been very generous to me, and you know almost nothing of me. Well, let me start off with my name. It's . . . what in the world?"

"What in the world?" Cissie asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"No, Cissie," Hallie said, pointing out the window. "Look!"

Garbage of all sorts was flying about the streets. Papers, old, half eaten food, wastes, old tires, empty bottles and cans, all sorts of disgusting things were filling the streets, swirling about.

"What in the world . . . ?" Cissie asked.

"A tornado?" Spoiler asked.

"In New York City?" Linda asked.

"Let's check it out," Hallie said, leaping to her feet and stepping outside. "It's not all that windy . . . "

"It smells bad," Linda noted.

"It's a mess!" Cissie exclaimed.

"Of course it is!" a man's voice exclaimed with joy. "A perfect mess!" The man giggled as he approached the girls. He was dressed like a bum. Old, beaten clothes . . . messed hair . . . a dirty face. Untied shoe laces.

" . . . Umm . . . who are you?" Spoiler asked.

"Me?" the man asked back. "Why, I'm the Grand Master of Messiness! And this . . . is my mess!"

"You've gotta be kidding me," Cissie frowned.

"I kid you not!" he exclaimed. "Once, I was just a simple bum, forced to live in what many would consider a junk pile . . . a mess! Then, I found the power to get revenge on the world that looked down upon me! I could make anywhere and everywhere a mess! First, New York . . . then the world! They shall all feel my pain!"

"He's serious," Linda frowned.

"Yes I am!" the Master yelled. "Dead serious . . . "

"Of all the lame, cheap-o super villains to come across," Cissie sighed.

"Lame?" he asked. "Cheap? I think not! Taste my wrath!"

Out of nowhere, a blast of yellow mustard soaked Cissie's shirt while spaghetti sauce and noodles landed on her head.

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "You are a mess . . . and your clothes are ruined! Now you know what it's like!"

"Oh . . . my god," Cissie said. "You so did not just do that . . . "

"Oh, but I did!" he grinned wickedly. "And I shall do more . . . !"

"Come here!" Cissie yelled, leaping at him. She began to punch him and beat him up, even pulling at his hair.

The Grand Master began screaming like a little girl. He yelled and started crying, even yelling for his 'mommy'.

"Jeez," Cissie said, letting him go and watching him fall on his butt. "You're pathetic."

The other girls just stood behind Cissie, trying not to laugh.

"It's still messy," Hallie said.

"Make the mess go away," Cissie said.

"No," the Master said, almost whimpering.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes! Right this second or you are so grounded!"

"You can't ground me! You're not my mom!"

"Take the mess away!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because you didn't say the magic word . . . !"

"Oh, for the love of . . . please?"

"No," the Master grinned. "You do it!"

And with that, the Grand Master of Messiness took to the air, flying into the air and out of sight. As he left, the garbage stopped arriving.

"Well . . . that was different," Hallie said.

"Completely," Linda frowned.

"My shirt . . . " Cissie said. "He ruined . . . my shirt!"

"He sure made a mess here," Spoiler said. "I'd hate to be the one stuck cleaning it up."

"Good thing we weren't in costume, too," Hallie said. "Imagine the headlines . . . 'Arrowette Beats Homeless Man!'"

"Lousy bum," Cissie frowned.

"I can't wait 'till Superboy hears this," Linda grinned.

"No no no . . . we're not telling the boys," Cissie frowned.

"Oh, come on," Spoiler said. "Have a sense of humor about yourself!"

"Fine," Cissie said. She pulled some spaghetti from her hair and flung it at Spoiler.

"What?" she exclaimed. "You . . . you . . . a-huh . . . hahahaheeheeha!"

Hallie started laughing, too.

"I don't get it," Linda said. She looked at Rebel. Rebel shrugged. "We don't get it. Ah well . . . let's get home . . . clean you up."

Cissie growled.

The music played in his head. It was almost eerie . . . a sort of jewelry box music. The room in which he stood was made completely out of ice. His entire home was made completely out of ice. It sat on the bottom of the Atlantic, believe it or not . . . though not far in the Atlantic. Just off the coast of Maine. The water was cold enough there that a structure of solid ice, carefully maintained, was able to exist easily.

It was quite a large complex. But there were almost no inhabitants. One man, really. His name was Victor Freeze. Ages ago, or so it seemed to him, he was a scientist. A careful, cool-headed, calculated man. He worked along side Barry Allen, a scientist of physics: speed and motion. Speed, especially. Barry was the second Flash, a super-fast super-hero. They were partners . . . friends.

Victor had a wife, Nora. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He loved her more than life itself. And she loved him. Just the site of her was enough to bring him ultimate joy. One smile was all she needed to show him, and he was happy. But then, it happened. She was diagnosed with cancer.

It was a brain tumor. Completely inoperable. She would die in a matter of months, no matter what. Barry and Victor worked constantly to try and help her . . . but they could come up with nothing. Finally, they came to the option of Cryogenics. Using a reverse theory on the 'Speed Force', that which grants super-speed, Barry and Victor found a way of slowing down molecules, of turning things into ice. If they could freeze Nora, they would keep her from dying . . . keep her in perfect condition until a cure could be discovered. Nora agreed to it. It was to be done.

But something went horribly wrong.

Nora wasn't merely put in cryogenic stasis. She was frozen. She was dead.

It devastated Victor. Barry as well. Victor's heart died with her. For two years after that, Victor continued his work, despite the pain. He lost himself in his research. But there was only so much he could take. His mind began to slip . . . he began to fall into insanity. He killed Barry.

He even tried to kill Barry's legacy. His adopted son, Wally, had become a new Flash. Victor tried to give himself the same powers . . . but it didn't work as expected. The technology which he had created to slow down time burned and scarred him. He created a suit to protect him, to keep him alive. He needed always to be inside a containment suit, at a temperature of nearly absolute zero. He devised a gun to slow down molecules and freeze things. He wanted revenge on all of Barry's legacy . . . but he failed.

The new Flash defeated him. He would have been in jail, if he didn't manage to escape from his initial capture. After which, he went into the Atlantic, building his fortress of solitude, as it were. It was made almost completely out of ice, yes. Except for one major thing: The cyro-chamber that housed his dead wife. It sat in the middle of the complex. His wife Nora floated inside it, having not aged a day since the experiment was done.

Victor lived in eternal, unendurable pain. Not just physical . . . emotional. He had wanted to save his wife . . . but instead, he doomed her. He would give anything to have her back. After all, she was frozen at the moment of death. It was always possible that her heart could be made to beat again. But Victor was too overwhelmed with pain.

So for many months he did nothing but sit with his beautiful wife . . . mourning . . . contemplating. Until one day, he began to compose a theory. The Flash's 'Speed Force' was the exact opposite of his ice powers. If Victor's technology was the opposite of the Flash's powers . . . then maybe the Flash's powers would be the perfect thing to bring her back?

But Flash had already beaten him once before. Would he really stand a chance against him?

Wait! Flash had a younger brother . . . Barty. Bart . . . who also had the 'Speed Force'. Bart Allen . . . Impulse. A younger, less experienced speedster . . . he could be beaten. And though Impulse's death would be forfeit, it just might be what Victor needed to save his wife.

The music in his head grew louder. He almost allowed himself to grin. It was the sweet sound of redemption . . . redemption within his grasp . . .

End Prologue.

"That's about the last of them," Red Tornado said as he walked back into Chuck's room. "The Avengers League arranged hospitals and medical care for every last Morlock survivor we had. I'm not quite sure how they managed to pull it off, but they did."

"We're grateful for all their help," Chuck said from his chair. "And I'm grateful that I can move around freely again."

"But we've still seen no signs of Bart getting any better," Red frowned. "I've run every scan I can think of . . . but to no avail. I even asked Flash, and he could offer no help."

"There's got to be some way to slow him down," Chuck frowned. "One of Flash's enemies?"

"Pardon?"

"Flash had to of had some enemy that found a way to slow him down," Chuck said. "If we could find someone like that . . . "

"Use a villain to save a hero?" Red asked. "Not the safest idea . . . "

"But it could work," Chuck nodded. "And Kon?"

"He's improving," Red said. "His powers are still dangerously weak. But he's healing. His power degradation seems to have been occurring for some time . . . before the massacre even occurred. I asked him if he was aware of this, or if it was possible, and he said no."

"Hmm . . . " Chuck thought. "I'll look into it. And, Reddy . . . ? Thanks. For everything."

The Tornado nodded, then turned and left.

Chuck Barnes was alone with his thoughts again. He had spent too much time alone with them, lately. He did his best . . . but still, he constantly blamed himself for the deaths of Wonder Girl and Jade. They were on his team . . . he led them . . . he let them down. No; he had to stop thinking like that. What happened, happened. And though he would give his own life to see it undone, it couldn't be. It was best that he move on. For his own sake . . . and the sake of the team. There was still work to be done.

None of the boys were up to one-hundred percent. They knew very little about the Spoiler, and even less about Rebel. The mystery of the Phoenix continued. And as for the being behind the massacre of the Morlocks . . . the being called Cerebro? They were still totally in the dark.

Chuck began to stretch again. He stretched every waking hour, now. He had taken a beating. Though it had been a week, he was still far from the shape he used to be in. He stretched constantly to get his flexibility back. He did push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups . . . some weight lifting. He knew if any of the others were to see him, they'd tie him to his bed. But he couldn't just sit still. Unlike the rest of the team, he didn't have any super-powers. He needed to be in top physical shape at all times . . . or else he was just another ordinary man.

"Chuck?" Cissie King-Jones asked as she popped her head in the door. "What do you think you're doing out of bed?"

"Stretching," he replied. "I'm not confined to my bed . . . or my room. I'm an adult . . . I can do what I want."

"If you're an adult, why're you on Young Justice?" Cissie asked.

"You know what I meant," Chuck frowned. "Y'know, you still sound uncomfortable saying my name."

"I guess I'm just so used to calling you Rob," she shrugged. "I had kinda told myself that your name was Robert. Chuck's kinda different. Wouldn't Charles be better?"

"Only Batman calls me Charles . . . and only when he's royally pissed at me. Chuck's just what I'm used to."

"Chuck . . . it's just sorta childish . . . "

He cleared his throat. "Was there a reason for the visit, other than to yell at me and make fun of my name?"

"Not really," Cissie replied. "That was about it. But now that I'm actually inside the room . . . "

Chuck shook his head and sat onto his bed as Cissie walked in.

"Y'know, I was wondering," she started, "what's your connection to this Spoiler character?"

"Meaning . . . ?"

"How do we know we can trust her? She knows all our secret identities now . . . a lot about all of us. She came out of nowhere . . . and you seem willing to trust her implicitly! And when you speak to her, you sound different . . . "

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"What? How dare you even suggest such a thing?"

Chuck laughed as he grabbed his remote, turning on a tv in the room to the news.

"Jealous . . . hmph," Cissie frowned.

"Looks pretty cold out there," Chuck said, changing the subject and watching the news.

"Cold?" she asked. "I was just out there two hours ago . . . it was actually warmer than usual . . . "

"There's ice all over," Chuck said. "It's Manhattan . . . really low temperatures."

"That doesn't seem right . . . turn up the volume."

Chuck nodded and did as she said. The report suddenly came in:

"--In the chopper now, going for an aerial shot . . . repeating this breaking news story: Manhattan is becoming encased in ice! The source is unknown, but it is believed to be caused by a mutant or a metahuman. We know this because of the giant words written in ice covering Central Park. We're getting a full shot now . . . "

"Good god," Chuck said.

"Whoa . . . "

Central Park was completely covered by white ice. And in the middle, elevated high above the rest of the ice, were giant letters forming one giant name: Impulse.

"Impulse is a member of the super-team Young Justice," the news report continued. "His involvement in this is unknown, but this Junior Avengers League has often been mired in controversy . . . are they truly against the people of this city? Or is this another insane plot against them?"

"Someone wants Bart's attention," Chuck said.

"Someone now has YJ's attention," Cissie commented.

"Gather up the girls . . . get 'em in uniform. I'll talk to Kon and Bart . . . we'll move out in ten."

"We?" Cissie asked. "You can't be serious . . . you guys aren't going anywhere."

"We're needed."

"I know we are," Cissie said. "But let Arrowette, Jolt, Firebird, Rebel and . . . the . . . Spoiler . . . handle it. You guys need to recuperate. If we need to, we'll call in Red Tornado."

"Whoever's behind this wants Impulse."

"Which means he or she will be preparing an ambush for a Speedster," Cissie continued. "Us girls won't be expected."

" . . . I shouldn't let you do this."

"But you will, anyway," Cissie said, standing. "And we appreciate it. We'll take the Cycle."

Chuck nodded. "Be careful . . . keep us posted."

"We will. And Chuck . . . ? Thanks."

"It's gonna get really cold," Spoiler said.

"That's why I told you to put on those jackets," Firebird said as she piloted.

"Could this maybe be the Icemaster?" Arrowette asked.

"You've dealt with him before?" Spoiler asked.

"Er . . . no," Arrowette said, catching herself. "But Chuck said he had . . . with you."

"Of course," she nodded. "But he never encountered Impulse, as far as we know. And he seemed more psychopathic . . . less likely to do something this calculated for just one target."

"I see it," Arrowette said, her keen eyesight picking up the large, ice-sculpted 'Impulse'.

"I'm taking us in," Firebird said. "Keep your eyes pealed . . . be ready for anything."

The Cycle landed gently on the ice, its large, alien wheels keeping it from skidding. The five girls dismounted with ease, each wearing extra winter clothing.

"It's quiet," Jolt said. "Too quiet . . . this place should be bustling with scared and confused people . . . "

"I told Chuck this was probably an ambush," Arrowette said.

"Well . . . let's try the obvious approach," Firebird said. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Yes," a voice replied. The ice several yards ahead of them exploded upward as a man in a black containment suit rose from underneath it, standing upon a column of solid ice. "Where is Impulse?"

"He's not here," Arrowette said. "Who are you?"

"Me?" he asked. He pulled out his gun. "My name is Mister Freeze . . . "

Cissie King-Jones, Arrowette: A master bow-woman; Linda Danvers, Firebird: Telekinesis, fire-wings, strength; Hallie Takahama, Jolt: Enhanced speed and reflexes, capable of producing electric shock 'jolt' punches; The Spoiler, armed with an array of weapons and tricks; Rebel, a mysterious girl whose hand-to-hand combat skills are astounding.

Together, they are the female members of the young super-hero group Young Justice. The boys were home, recovering from injuries suffered recently. Impulse, the name written in ice, was one of those boys. However, as he was injured, the girls decided it best to deal with this threat themselves.

"Who are you?" Freeze asked the five girls.

"We're Young Justice," Arrowette replied. She had taken the roll of leader on for this mission.

"I've heard of you . . . vaguely," he said absently.

"Well, that's nice," Jolt smirked. "We haven't heard of you."

"I have no quarrel with you," he said coldly, ignoring her comment. "I only wish to meet Impulse."

"Oh yeah?" Firebird asked. "Meet him . . . then what?"

"It is not your concern."

"Oh, I'd say it was our concern," Arrowette continued. "Impulse is one of our teammates . . . one of our friends. He couldn't come at the moment, so we stepped in for him."

Freeze's expression didn't change. It was motionless as always, with his eyes completely concealed between the large, red goggles.

"You've made a fairly big mess of ice," Jolt said. "Mind telling us what's all the excitement about?"

"You will contact your teammate and tell him to come here now," Freeze said.

"Or what?" Arrowette asked, pushing the envelope.

"Or this," he replied. With a quick shot of his gun, a blast of ice smashed into Jolt. It formed a thick, large ring around her arms, chest and back. The force of the hit knocked her to the icy ground. The cold was intense. "That was a warning shot."

"Some warning . . . " Spoiler muttered.

"Do as I say, or I shall force him to come by hurting you all."

"You can try," Arrowette said, pulling a pair of flame arrows. "But, women though we be, we're far from the weaker sex!"

She released both flame arrows with uncanny speed, both hitting the ice pedestal on which Freeze stood, causing it to melt and break, knocking the man to the cold ground.

Firebird's fire-wings burst out from her back and she took to the sky, getting a better vantage point. Spoiler pulled out a bo-staff and made a break for Freeze. She got in close and slammed it across Freeze's clear face-mask.

"Hey, bubble-head," she said. "How'd ya like that one?"

Freeze didn't speak. He merely grabbed one of the Spoiler's arms and threw her into Arrowette.

Rebel got in close and began a furious attack. However, his suit was strong. Her hands were hurt by punching it, and extremely cold. When she winced from the hurt, she received a punch from Freeze, knocking her back as well.

"This guy is strong," Firebird said. She hit him with a telekinetic burst, knocking him into the ground.

Jolt let loose with an extreme burst of energy, shattering the ice that imprisoned her body. "H-h-holy-y-y cr-crap that's c-c-c-cold . . . "

"Press the attack, Jolt!" Firebird yelled. "Don't let him get up!"

"Too late," Freeze said. He cut loose with an ice blast at Firebird. She dodged the first few, but several more began to connect. Her wings began to get encased in ice. "What . . . he . . . my wings . . . they're . . . they're shattering! What's happening to me . . . ?"

As her wings shattered under the intense ice assault, Firebird fell from the sky and smashed into the hard ice ground.

Jolt leapt in for an attack, but met a punch in the face.

"This isn't going well," Arrowette said as she pulled another arrow.

"Maybe we're lacking in leadership," Spoiler said.

"Shut it," Arrowette continued. "Close your eyes . . . this is a flash arrow . . . it should blind him. Move in and hit him."

Before Spoiler could say a thing, Arrowette fired. The arrow exploded before him with a flash of light. The light also reflected off the icy surfaces all around, creating more light. Freeze yelled out, in either pain or surprise.

Spoiler got in another few hits before Freeze regained his composure and knocked her down. One shot from his ice gun, and Arrowette was trapped.

"I need Impulse . . . " Freeze said in the same tone. "Now . . . "

"That did not go well," said Superboy as he watched the news.

"No kidding," Nightwing frowned.

Kon-El and Chuck Barnes were two founding members of the team, along with Bart Allen, Impulse. The three of them had taken the most damage from their battle with the Marauders in the Morlock Tunnels. But they could see they were needed.

"Any idea who this guy is, Bart?" Chuck asked.

"Not a clue," Bart replied, a shake in his voice. He wasn't afraid or cold, but he couldn't help the shaking. Since an injury suffered during the battle, he couldn't stop from vibrating his molecules at an intense speed. He was intangible at all times, like a ghost.

"I shall go help," the Red Tornado said. He was the team's mentor, a robot capable of generating intense winds.

"Not alone," Chuck said.

"You are all still recovering," the Tornado continued. "You're in no shape to battle someone who just defeated five of your teammates."

"Four on one is still better than one on one, Reddy," Superboy said. "We can help just fine."

"Besides, Bart's gotta come," Chuck said. "He's our ace in the whole. He's who this Freeze guy is after . . . if we bring him with, maybe we can try to talk to the guy, reason with him . . . find out what he's doing."

"Worth a shot," Superboy shrugged.

"Up for it?" Chuck asked.

"You kidding?" Bart replied. "I've been itchin' to get outta this place for waaaaay too long . . . even if I am gonna keep vibrating . . . I'm almost getting used to it."

"Then come quickly," the Tornado said. "We can't leave them at his mercy for long."

Freeze still stood in the park. He had "tied" the girls up by encasing them in bands of ice. A few times the police tried to get near him. A few blasts from his ice gun easily drove them away.

"You called?" Impulse asked as he appeared on the scene. Nightwing, Superboy and the Tornado were hanging back, out of sight, monitoring the situation. Chuck was going to feed lines into Impulse's communicator ear piece, getting him to say the right things.

"You have taken far longer than I would expect of someone with your speed," he frowned.

"Do I know you?" Bart asked.

"Once," Freeze nodded. "I worked with your step-father, Barry. My name was Victor Freeze."

"Victor?" Bart exclaimed. "I remember you! What happened . . . ?"

"You did this to me . . . you . . . Barry . . . Wally," Freeze continued, a hint of anger growing in his voice. "I cannot live outside this containment suit . . . or I will die of burns. I live in an environment as near zero degrees as is possible in order to live."

"What did I have t'do with it?" Bart asked.

"Really, it was more Barry," he frowned. "Barry, who froze my wife . . . killing her. Barry, whose obsession with the 'Speed Force' gave you and Wally powers, while damning me to this. That's why I killed him."

"You . . . y-you were the one . . . who killed Barry?" Bart's eyes went wide.

"Yes," Victor replied. He fired his ice gun, knocking Impulse to the ground.

Bart was surprised that the ice connected to his intangible body and actually trapped him.

"I killed Barry," Victor continued, "as he had killed my wife. Wally defeated me . . . tried to put me in jail. But to balance the scales, I shall need you."

"Wally hurt you . . . so you're gonna hurt me?"

"Not exactly. I believe that, by studying your powers I can harness the speed force . . . discover a way to bring my wife back from the icey-death sleep she is in . . . even cure myself. Your life is a small price to pay to get back my beloved Nora . . . "

"You're messed up," Impulse said.

"No," he replied. He fired another shot at Bart, capturing his legs. Again, Bart was shocked that it stuck.

"That's it," Chuck said. "Reddy, remember what I said to you? A way of curing Impulse?"

"One of the Flash's villains," the Tornado nodded. "We have found one. But it seems to be risky."

"It's the only thing I can come up with," Chuck said. "Here's the plan. Tornado and I will engage--"

"Tornado and I'll engage him," Superboy said. "I can take a lot more damage than you, Boy Wonder."

Chuck was about to argue, but decided it wasn't worth it. "Fine . . . while you two do that, I'll free the girls. We can take this guy down . . . "

Superboy nodded. "Let's do it to it . . . "

"Yo, Popsicle!" Superboy called. "Leave 'im alone!"

Freeze barely looked up, and fired a few ice blasts at the two. They both dodged.

"That the best ya got?" Superboy asked as he flew in and smashed a fist into Freeze's chest. Freeze stumbled back a few feet. I felt that . . . my powers really are getting weaker. This isn't good . . . means I'll have to end this fight pretty soon . . . With a flick of the wrist, he activated his photonic 'S' Shield for added protection.

Reddy swooped in low, the intense winds keeping Freeze from being able to fire a decent shot. He, too, planted a blow against the villain, knocking him back more.

"My quarrel is not with you," Freeze said. "All I need is Impulse . . . "

"Well, that's too bad," Nightwing said.

Freeze turned around to the voice. If he was surprised, it didn't show. But Nightwing stood with the five other members of the team, now free.

"I think we're entitled to a little payback," Jolt said.

"No," Freeze replied simply. He fired his ice gun, quickly forming a make-shift igloo around himself and Impulse. "I have what I need." He fired more blast of ice at Bart, encasing his body with ice.

Suddenly, Bart vibrated out of the ice. As he got clear, he stopped vibrating. "Whoa . . . it worked! I'm solid again!"

Freeze re-aimed his ice gun, but before he could fire, Bart had ran at him. Turning them both intangible, they exited the igloo and made it back to the others. Bart had lifted him into the air, and proceeded to drop him hard.

"Take him!" Nightwing yelled.

The battle was not an easy one. Despite early blows against him, Mister Freeze more than held his own. His suit was heavily armored and left him well protected against most attacks.

"The direct approach isn't working against him," Nightwing said. "We need something different . . . "

"Any ideas?" Arrowette asked as she fired another arrow that had no effect on Freeze.

"One," he shrugged. "Young Justice, scatter and fall back!"

The team was surprised, but accustomed to following Chuck's orders. They did as he said.

"Stand ready," he continued, "but stop your attack. Freeze . . . this has no reason to continue."

Victor Freeze looked at the hero curiously.

"You're angry," he continued. "You're lashing out in pain. You want to bring your wife back somehow . . . anyhow. But it can't happen. I . . . I know what it's like to lose someone. Both of my parents were killed. I wanted nothing more than to hurt those responsible . . . I, too, even lashed out at those who didn't deserve it. And I so desperately wanted my parents to just . . . come back. But they couldn't. There was no way. They're dead. I figured I was alone.

"But I wasn't alone. I had friends . . . people to support me, to help me. You don't have to go on like this. There are people who can help you . . . help you get through the loss of your life . . . help you reverse whatever happened to yourself . . . lashing out and hurting people isn't the answer. It won't make you feel better."

"Feel?" Freeze asked. "I don't feel anything anymore . . . "

"For that, I am sorry," Chuck continued. "But don't fight us. Don't hurt people. Let us help you . . . together, we can make it better."

"Nice words . . . " Freeze said. "But that is all they are. Words. None of you can understand . . . and I have no desire to make you understand. There will come a day when I will have my revenge . . . where I will find Nora's cure . . . "

"It doesn't have to be that way," Chuck continued.

"You're wrong," Freeze said. "It does."

He fired his gun suddenly, but at the ground. It built up, and created a dome of ice around him, much like a snow globe. The icy ground beneath Freeze broke away, and the man went underground.

"Should we go after him?" Jolt asked.

"No," Nightwing shook his head. "We've got to hope that what I said will get to him. And besides that . . . I'm not sure we could take him."

"On the plus side . . . I'm cured!" Bart exclaimed.

"Good," Chuck nodded. "Now let's get out of here before the city asks us to help melt the ice or the press connects us to this in some bad way . . . we'll lick our wounds and come back for another day."

Same goes for Young Justice. Everyone on the team has a secret.

Take Superboy, for example. Nobody knows that the reason his powers are depleting is because of his clone, whose very existence is constantly draining them away. Nor does anyone know of his time with the man called Graviton, who granted him a temporary power boost.

There's Nightwing. He blames himself heavily for the deaths of Wonder Girl and Jade. That may not come as such a surprise, however. There's always the fact that he's terribly afraid of failing. And, of course, how he's been desperately searching for the man who killed his parents all those years ago . . . how he's never stopped . . . and won't . . . until . . .

How about Firebird? The Phoenix persona that keeps resurfacing. She says she knows nothing about it. But is that true? She's afraid. There's so much power in her body . . . she can hardly hope to contain it.

And Rebel? No one knows anything about her. How she became trained as such a skilled fighter. The truth would shock you . . .

Jolt. Hallie Takahama cries herself to sleep every night.

Impulse? You don't want to know . . .

But then there's Arrowette . . . and the Spoiler. The secrets they share are definitely connected. And when a secret boils to the surface . . . all hell can break loose.

"Come on now, focus! Focus!"

Chuck Barnes was yelling and directing them as best he could. He wasn't doing so good.

They had set up a small training area behind the mansion resort to focus their skills as a team. After all, they had suffered injuries . . . had lost some members . . . and gained some brand new ones. Constant training was necessary.

They had divided into two teams of three. On one side: Arrowette, Impulse and Rebel. On the other: Superboy, Jolt and the Spoiler. Nightwing was watching and directing. Firebird was off somewhere . . . she had skipped the practice.

It was a capture-the-flag-esque game they were playing, only the flag was a small cup of grape juice. It had exactly one and one-third cups of the liquid inside. The object was to not only capture the 'flag', but it get back without spilling any.

"I should just run and grab it!" Impulse said.

"You'll spill," Arrowette answered as she shot a rubber-tipped arrow at Superboy. She always used those arrows during team-practicing so as not to hurt anyone.

Superboy deflected the arrow with his photonic 'S' shield. "That the best you got, Cissie?"

"I can't tell if he's using my name or insulting me," Arrowette mumbled to herself as she dodged a punch from Superboy.

Rebel jumped up and kicked Superboy in the face, catching him off guard and knocking him back.

"Good, Rebel," Chuck said. "Nice follow up and aid to Arrowette."

"Nice kick, too," Superboy said.

Impulse was doing his best to fight Jolt, who was doing her best to stay out of his reach with her enhanced reflexes.

"I don't get it," Bart said. "I'm really, really fast . . . how come you're avoiding me?"

"I don't have your speed," Jolt said as she jumped, "but I know how you move. And with my reflexes, I can stay ahead of you just enough . . . and then tag you!"

A shock-punch knocked Impulse onto his butt.

Arrowette made a break for the 'flag', only to catch a jump-kick in the stomach from the Spoiler.

"Didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" she asked.

Arrowette quickly replied with a kick at Spoiler's shin. Cissie then flipped up to her feet and planted another kick. However, the Spoiler caught this one and tried to flip her. Arrowette easily landed back on her feet. She pulled an arrow out, but before she could fire it, the Spoiler's bo-staff knocked it away.

Cissie lunged forward, using her bow against Spoiler's staff, going head-to head.

Their weapons clattered against each-other as the girls grunted and yelled in their fight. They seemed fairly evenly matched for some time.

"Got it," Jolt said triumphantly. She stood back at her base with the cup of grape juice in hand. "And I didn't spill it at all."

"Umph!" Spoiler yelled as Cissie kicked her and knocked her down.

Spoiler yelled as she got back up and tackled Cissie. Arrowette rolled with the tackle and kicked Spoiler off of her. Both stood back up and charged in again, using their weapons for another match.

"Um . . . girls?" Chuck called.

"Hey . . . it's over," Superboy frowned.

Cissie slammed her bow in high, holding it vertically. Spoiler's bow, held horizontally to block it, was successful. Then, with a push, Spoiler's staff knocked Cissie back a bit, and split into two dual blades, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Whoa!" Superboy said, flying in-between. "Time out! Game over! Stop!"

Both girls stopped in the tracks.

"S . . . Sorry," Spoiler said, breathing heavily.

" . . . Yeah," Arrowette frowned.

"That's enough for today," Nightwing said. "Hit the showers, everyone. Accept you, Cissie . . . come here."

Arrowette muttered to herself as she pulled off her mask. "What?"

"What's gotten into you lately?" Chuck asked. "Ever since the Spoiler joined the team . . . "

"I don't like her," she said, straight out. "I don't trust her, either. She's not telling us the truth about anything."

"How do you know?"

"Because, I was . . . " she started. "I mean . . . I just know. I'm getting this vibe from her . . . "

"You ever try just talking to her?"

"No."

"Well, maybe you should," Chuck shook his head. "Go take a shower . . . we'll talk later."

Arrowette frowned more and stomped away.

Kon and Chuck were walking down a hall towards the back deck.

"And Linda didn't say where she was going?" Chuck asked.

"Nope," Kon replied. "And it has me worried. Last time she disappeared, well . . . we had to fight the Hellfire Club to get her back."

"I doubt it's anything that serious," Chuck said as they stepped out onto the deck overlooking the large grounds behind the resort.

"I dunno," Kon frowned. "After our fight with Mister Freeze, she seemed a little different . . . "

"She said she hurt her wings during the fight. Maybe that had something to do with it?"

"I dunno. To be honest, Chuck, she's not the same woman she used to be. I mean, she's still Linda . . . I still love her . . . but things aren't the same. Ever since Mastermind first got his paws on her . . . I mean, yeah, we got her back and everything . . . but she's a little different. And I don't know what to do."

"Well, you said you still love her, right?" Chuck asked. "That's what's important."

"I know, I know," Kon-said. "It's just that--Hey . . . what is that?"

"Eh?" Chuck asked, turning his gaze up and out. He saw it, too. A giant bird of fire flying right towards the resort. "Get everyone else! We have a situation!"

"No, wait," Kon said. "I think . . . it's Linda . . . "

"Linda?" Chuck asked, looking up again.

The bird slowed and then hovered a bit in the sky, over a large patch of grass. It began to lower as the two approached. They then noticed the figure in it's center.

"Firebird?" Chuck asked.

"Not exactly," Linda's voice replied. The bird of fire decreased in size, its energies entering Linda's body before disappearing.

"You've . . . changed your costume," Kon said.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Like it?" It was a skin-tight body suit. The main color was a dark red. The legs and arms were gold. Around her waist was tied a large gold sash that waved freely in the air. On her chest was a gold symbol, a bird, much similar to the one that would show itself around her body.

"It's . . . different," Kon said.

"Well, I'm a little different," she shrugged.

"I called you Firebird," Chuck said, "and you replied 'Not exactly'. What does that mean?"

"Oh, I just changed my code-name," she shrugged. "I was flying over the Pacific and I just kinda decided--"

"Flying over the Pacific?" Kon asked.

"Yeah, it was really neat. But I decided to change my code-name to Phoenix."

"Phoenix . . . ?" Chuck asked.

"Stop looking at me like I'm going to kill you," Linda grinned. "It's just a little change . . . relax!"

"But . . . "

"Anyways, I'm a little tired from all that flying," she continued. "I'm thinking of taking a shower, grabbing a lemonade. Kon, you can join me if you want . . . for both. But you better hurry, 'cause I'm not gonna wait too long . . . "

And with that, Linda's Phoenix-Flame appeared again, much smaller, and she flew towards the resort.

Chuck and Kon just gave each other strange looks.

"I'll . . . umm . . . talk to her," Kon said.

"In the shower?"

"Uh . . . if you insist!" Kon said. He then flew out after her.

Chuck shook his head. "What is going on with my team?"

As he started to head back in, he suddenly noticed Arrowette being flung through the air. The Spoiler leapt out after her.

"Crap," he shook his head, "not again . . . "

Arrowette and the Spoiler were going at it, a full blown fight. Cissie was even using non-rubber-tipped arrows. Real ones, and tricks.

"Alright, both of you, stop it right now!" Chuck said, leaping inbetween.

"She started it!" the Spoiler yelled.

"Oh, I so did not," Arrowette replied.

"But of you, be quiet," Chuck continued. "I don't care who started it. But something isn't right here . . . and let's get to the bottom of it. Cissie?"

"I'm tired of her lying to us," she replied.

"What am I lying about?" the Spoiler asked.

"Everything!" Cissie exclaimed. "You're not the Spoiler! I . . . I am."

"What?" the Spoiler asked.

"When we were all grounded after the Hellfire thing, I still wanted to help people," Cissie explained in a sad voice. "So I took up the identity of the Spoiler . . . I didn't mean to keep using it . . . but Rob--Chuck and I, were started partnering up . . . hanging out . . . maybe on the brink of something. And, I know it was wrong . . . but, well . . . I was really falling for him. And, I can't believe I'm saying this . . . " She sighed. "But then, all of a sudden, in the tunnels, she appeared . . . as the Spoiler. Pretending to be the same person who was fighting alongside Robin before. But you're just a fake . . . "

"And you?" Chuck asked the Spoiler, keeping a cool head.

Spoiler sighed. She pulled off her mask. "My name's Anita Fite. I . . . I have powers. And I really wanted to be a super-hero. I wanted to join Young Justice. I watched on the news stuff about Spoiler . . . and then, she suddenly disappeared for some time. So I took up the identity . . . got wrapped up in her world. And she didn't seem to be coming back . . . "

"What are your powers?" Chuck asked.

"I'm very agile . . . athletic. I'm trained in the use of my staff . . . which can also be pulled apart as two blades. And . . . I can teleport . . . in a puff of smoke."

"Those powers and you chose to be the Spoiler?" Cissie asked.

"I just . . . " Anita frowned.

"Well, I have a secret to confess as well," Chuck said. "I knew."

"You . . . knew?" they both asked in unison.

"I knew from the second you and I met as Robin and the Spoiler that the Spoiler was Arrowette in disguise. And I knew, as soon as you entered the tunnels, Anita, that you were someone completely new."

"You . . . did?" they both said again.

"Yeah . . . I was trained by the World's Greatest Detective, after all."

"And . . . you kept it to yourself?" Cissie asked.

"Yup," Chuck shrugged.

"The whole time?" Anita asked.

Chuck nodded.

The two girls exchanged a glance.

"Truce?" Cissie asked.

"Truce," Anita replied.

"Good," Cissie continued. "Now let's get him!"

"Whoa!" Chuck exclaimed as the two tackled him. "Hey! Hey . . . stop! Jeez!"

"Teach you to play us like that!"

"Men!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry . . . !"

We've been through a lot lately, but we're holding together. We're trying to get back to normal. I mean, as normal as young heroes can get. But we'll see how that goes . . .

"Yeah . . . this is incredible."

"No kidding."

"I mean . . . earth . . . it looks . . . just . . . well, amazing . . . breathtaking from this point of view. The sun looks so alive. The stars . . . brighter than ever, but still such tiny white specks . . . but the earth . . . so beautiful . . . so peaceful . . . and so small against the blackness of space . . . "

"Yeah . . . kinda gives everything a different perspective, huh?"

"How are you doing this . . . ?"

"Well, everything you're seeing is something I've seen . . . I'm showing it to you with telepathy."

"Telepathy?" Kon-El broke from his daze. "You can read minds now?"

Linda Danvers shrugged. "Well, I just . . . yeah, I can. For the longest time I've been fighting to suppress and control all this power that I've felt inside me . . . and now that I've finally stopped, it's incredible. I mean, I can make it from here to China in a matter of minutes! I can fly into space! And yeah . . . I can read minds. My telekinesis is totally stronger, too . . . now I don't need to worry about being invulnerable or super-strong, 'cause I doubt anyone could get that close."

"It's gonna take some serious getting used to."

"I guess."

"I mean . . . you just went from being a member of Young Justice to being someone completely out of our league."

"I don't think so," Linda shrugged. "I feel the same . . . just a bit more free, if anything. Like this great weight's been lifted off my shoulders! It's incredible, really."

"I bet," Kon said. But you have changed. More and more. I'll still stay by your side, because I love you . . . but, well . . . I'm worried.

"So, what's with the new girl?" Linda asked.

"Empress?" Superboy asked back. "Supposedly, her dad's an agent of SHIELD . . . and she was a super-hero junky. How she got her powers, she hasn't said. But she's basically a teleporter. But couldn't you have just used your telepathy to get that information?"

Linda shook her head. "No. Well, I mean, I could have . . . but I wouldn't want to violate her mind like that. Telepathy is a dangerous weapon that needs to be used carefully."

"I'm glad you're willing to be so cautious," Kon smiled. Glad . . . and relieved.

Nightwing and Arrowette sat on the ledge of a small building, watching the busy street below. They had come out there to talk.

"So," Cissie frowned, "you knew all along."

"Hey, I think I already got punished enough for that," Chuck replied. "The injuries . . . and then the cold shoulder."

"You deserve it."

"I dunno . . . am I completely to blame? After all, weren't you the one who (a) broke house arrest and (b) pretended to be someone else in the first place? I mean, after all, you kept finding me as the Spoiler and wanted to hang around with me, completely maintaining a third identity. You ever stop to think I was just playing along, hoping you would one day tell the truth?"

Cissie sighed. "I guess."

"Don't be so depressed about it. I did know it was you, yeah . . . but I still enjoyed all the time we were spending together. And we did have some good times, didn't we?"

"That we did," Cissie couldn't help the smirk that broke into her lips.

"We were on the verge of, like . . . "

"Being a couple . . . ?"

Chuck nodded.

"So then the real question is, now that we know . . . what do we do?"

"Is that really a question?" Chuck asked. "I like you . . . you like me . . . what's to stop us?"

Cissie shrugged. "Well, I guess nothing really . . . "

Chuck smiled. She returned it.

"Nothing?" Chuck asked again, moving in close.

"Nothing," Cissie replied, also moving in. "Except that!"

She pulled back suddenly, her keen eyes noticing a woman leaping across the roofs of moving cars. She wore maroon leather and a hat, all outlined with gold. Under her jacket and cape was a gold shirt. She wore a leather mask and gold earrings. There was a whip on her left side, and in her left hand she carried a brown leather bag of some sorts.

"We needed?" Chuck asked, gazing in the direction of the woman.

"Looks like it," Cissie said.

"Then let's go," Nightwing replied. He grabbed a batarang with a rope and tossed it at a lamp post. Once it was secure, he swung down into the streets, landing on a moving car next to the woman. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

Before he could react, the woman kicked him in the chest, knocking him off the car's roof. Chuck grabbed hold of the other side, using his feet to support him as he held onto the door's handle. The driver was screaming. Nightwing quickly hopped back up, and saw that the woman was several cars up.

Arrowette had managed to get ahead and leapt up onto a car behind the woman. She pulled back an arrow and yelled, "Freeze!"

"No," the woman replied. In a blinding flash, she pulled out her bullwhip and, cracking it, knocked Arrowette's bow aside. She leapt back onto the car Cissie stood on and punched her.

"Who are you?" Cissie asked, returning the punch.

"My name is Tora!" she exclaimed, kicking Arrowette.

"Never heard of you," Cissie replied, blocking a punch.

"Never heard of me?" Tora exclaimed. "The famous jewel thief . . . Tora?"

"Nope," Cissie said. "But at least it tells me what's in the bag."

Tora swung the bag at Cissie, knocking her onto her back and sending her off the car. Cissie managed to flip off the back of the car and land on the front hood of the one behind.

"Any suggestions?" Nightwing asked as he hopped onto the car besides Arrowette.

"Yeah, one," Arrowette said as she pulled out another arrow.

"Be careful," Chuck said. "If she falls off a car she could get hit and die . . . "

"I know," Cissie said. The arrow was shot and it tore apart her bag, spilling tons of jewels and diamonds out. Tora screamed in anger. She then leapt off the car she was riding, onto the sidewalk, and ran down an alley.

"Let's go," Nightwing said. The two YJers leapt off after her.

As Nightwing leapt into the alley, he suddenly got a kick to the face, knocking him on his butt. Tora cracked her bullwhip again, grabbing Arrowette's arm and slamming her into a brick wall.

"I did not become such a successful jewel thief without learning how to handle myself in a fight!" Tora exclaimed.

"Good for you," was the answer. A puff of smoke signaled the arrival of the Empress. Her costume was of a similar color scheme to Tora's, but her face was completely covered, her identity a total secret.

Tora, caught totally by surprise, did not have a chance to block the hit from the bo-staff she received to her face, and fell unconscious.

"All done," Empress said.

"Good one," Nightwing replied.

"How'd you get out here?" Arrowette asked.

"I saw you guys on the news," Empress shrugged. "Figured I'd lend a hand. One teleport later and the fight was over!"

"We coulda handled it," Arrowette said.

"I'm not saying you couldn't," Empress shrugged. "I just wanted to help out."

"It's okay, Empress," Nightwing said. "We're teammates. Teammates help each other. Now let's get this girl to the authorities."

"And in other news, a daring daylight robbery by the notorious Tora was stopped by three members of the heroic Young Justice," the TV buzzed. Most of the members of Young Justice were in the 'party room' that had the ping-pong tables, pool tables, pinball machines, and all that stuff.

"Wow, we got credit for doing something good," Superboy said.

"By we, you mean us?" Cissie asked.

"Yeah yeah," he muttered.

"Hey, is Reddy around?" Hallie asked as she entered.

"Nope," Chuck replied. "He was only staying with us 'till everything was sorted out from the Morlock tunnels. He had agreed to let us be on our own . . . and he's keeping to that agreement. Why, is something up?"

"No, not really," Hallie shrugged. "Bart just overheated his Gamecube again . . . he really likes that Sonic the Hedgehog."

"I can imagine," Cissie laughed.

"I'll take a look at it tonight," Chuck said. "See what I can do. In the meantime, he'll just have to do something else."

"I'll be more than happy to tell him," Hallie grinned, walking out of the room.

"Those two are so cute," Linda grinned.

"Cute?" Superboy asked. "Eh . . . Bart and anybody is just scary."

"Well, gang, I have to say," Chuck started, "it's been a pleasant two weeks. Nothing major happened, really . . . outside of that Mister Freeze, anyways. But we were able to do some, well . . . relaxing . . . really recover from what happened in the tunnels. Say goodbye to our friends. And I'm proud of the way everyone's handled themselves. What we went through was more than any hero, no matter how experienced, should ever have to go through. We took our hits . . . suffered our losses . . . but we made it out. And I'm proud of you all."

"Awww," Kon said, half-joking.

"But seriously," Chuck smiled. "This was a good two weeks. It was something completely different . . . and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed being with my teammates--who, I hope, are also my friends. I just, y'know . . . wanted to say that."

"Good ol' Chuck," Linda smiled.

Chuck's eyes just met Cissie's, and they both grinned.

A private hospital owned by Frost International.

Emma Frost suddenly gasped as she awoke. She was breathing heavily. A doctor rushed in.

"Relax, Ms. Frost!" he urged. "Please . . . take deep breathes . . . "

"What . . . happened . . . ?" she gasped.

"You were in a coma," the doctor explained. "For almost a month."

"My . . . my students?"

"Students?" the doctor asked.

" . . . What happened?"

"They found you in some tunnels, beneath Central Park . . . after the lava was cleared away that had mysteriously erupted. You were the only living soul in there. No one knows, of course. But . . . you were the only one."

Emma's face grew grim. "Get me some clothes. I need to go to the mansion . . . "

"Ma'am?"

"The Hellfire Club. I . . . I need to get there . . . now!"

"Yes ma'am!" the doctor exclaimed, running out.

Emma Frost was still breathing hard. Suddenly, she noticed something different about her. She felt it inside. She concentrated, closing her eyes. When next they opened . . . she was covered, completely, in a see-through diamond sheath. She tapped the wall. Solid.

"Hmm," she said. "Curiouser and curiouser . . . "

It was just after dawn. The sun was barely up. The day looked to be a fairly nice one.

Chuck Barnes was Nightwing. He's usually the only one up that early. The other members of his team happened to enjoy their sleep. But Chuck was at near peak physical perfection. He got just as much sleep as required, woke up, went for a light jog and some exercise, then ate a hearty breakfast of Corn Flakes, a glass of milk, and a slice of toast while watching the news.

You could call it a ritual . . . but it was more of a routine. Chuck loved mornings. So quiet. So peaceful. It really gave him time to think about things. About his own life . . . the future of Young Justice . . . Cissie . . .

He couldn't help but smile. Cissie King-Jones was a teammate, Arrowette. But there was definitely something between them. They were more than friends . . . but less than an item, at least, at that point. He wasn't sure what the future would hold . . . but he hoped it was more of her.

Chuck was finishing off the last of his milk when he noticed a peculiar sound. He eyed the small television in the kitchen, thinking that it's source. It wasn't. Confused, he lowered his glass and stood, concentrating.

"Odd," he said to himself. "Almost sounds like . . . aircraft of some sort . . . pretty low . . . I wonder . . . ?"

Chuck walked over to the large kitchen window and took a look out. His eyes went wide. He didn't have time to do much, except dive for cover behind a counter. A blast burst through the kitchen wall, decimating it. The sound was incredible, the heat of the explosion massive.

Chuck was usually protected by his cape; at the moment, he was just in his civvies. He got lucky.

"We're under attack?" he asked himself, in shock. "But . . . who knows where we live . . . ?"

He heard a few more explosions, as the attacking force opened with full power, attacking the team's current living space. Chuck braved a look, and focused his eyes. He instantly recognized the green and gold armor that the attackers were wearing.

"The Imperial Forces of America!" he exclaimed. Before he could say anything else, he saw Superboy flying out and smashing his fists into a small aircraft, slamming it into the ground and crashing it. Impulse burst out and disarmed a group of eight troops in no time.

Phoenix quickly joined the assault, using her telekinesis to protect the rest of the mansion resort from further attacks while pushing away approaching soldiers.

"What is going on?!" Empress exclaimed as she teleported beside Chuck, still in the shorts and t-shirt she slept in.

"Old enemies," Chuck said. "Surprise attack . . . !"

Another explosion occurred at the other side of the mansion resort. The Imperial soldiers fired their energy weapons at the young heroes, and began to retreat.

"Take prisoners!" Chuck exclaimed, leaping out into the fray. He was quickly joined by Cissie and Rebel. But his orders couldn't be followed out. The Imperial Forces retreated with an incredibly calculated plan, leaving no one behind. They were gone as quickly and suddenly as they came. It was hit and run.

"Report!" Chuck yelled.

"Bart nailed 'em with a tracer," Superboy said.

"They decimated over half the mansion," Phoenix said.

"Everyone here?" Chuck asked. "Everyone okay?"

"Looks like it," Arrowette said.

"Hallie," Bart frowned. "Where's Hallie?"

"Do a quick recon, Bart," Chuck said. "Search the mansion."

Impulse sped away and was back in a matter of seconds. "She's not in there . . . anywhere!"

"I don't get it," Empress frowned.

"Jolt was one of Zola's experiments," Superboy frowned. "We helped her escape. Zola works for the Imperial Forces . . . "

"Oh no," Chuck said. "They did this just to get her back?!"

"Poor Hallie!" Bart exclaimed.

"We've gotta go after her," Superboy frowned.

"Hold on," Chuck frowned. "Let's not do anything rash. Here's the plan. Everyone, survey the damage . . . see if we're in any immediate danger . . . gas mains broken, electricity problems and whatnot. Get together your supplies. I'll gather together all the info I've got on the Imperials for our newcomers. We'll move out in one hour . . . we'll get Hallie back . . . and we'll teach those Imperials never to mess with us again!"

Emma Frost walked back into the mansion for the first time in over a month. She had just recently awoken from a coma after injuries she received during the battle against the Marauders in the Morlock Tunnels. She had been looking for Cerebro, a sentient, mutant-tracking/locating robot. She, and her students . . .

"Ms. Frost?" one of the butler's staff was startled to see her walk in. "You are . . . awake! What a pleasure to--"

"Silence," she said. "The Hellions. Where?"

"The Hellions?" the butler asked. "You mean . . . you don't know . . . ?"

"Don't know what?" she asked. There was a lot going on that the White Queen didn't know about. One of those things, was the fact that she had a new power: a clear diamond second skin that would completely cover her body with but a thought.

"Their bodies were never recovered from what happened in those tunnels," the butler continued, a mixed look of sympathy and fear on his face. "They are dead, Ms. Frost."

"No," she said quietly, lowering her head. She could feel the diamond cover slide over her body. She screamed. "Nooo!!" She smashed her arm through a wall with ease, knocking the plaster to pieces. She stopped, startled at her newfound strength.

" . . . Ms. Frost?" the butler said, wincing.

"Where is Shaw?"

"Master Sebastian Shaw?" the butler asked.

"Yes, our good lord and king," she frowned.

"He hasn't been here in over a month, either . . . he had a business trip."

"That was a long time ago," Frost continued, her diamond skin retracting. "He hasn't returned?"

"He has not."

"Has he contacted anyone?"

"He has not."

"Then where is he?" Frost asked.

"I have no idea."

"Okay, so though the mansion itself suffered lots of damage, there's nothing broken that's gonna make things worse," Superboy said.

"Everyone was able to gather their costumes and gear," Phoenix continued. "Luckily, we all keep most of that stuff downstairs."

"The tracer Bart managed to place on one of their aircraft is working fine," Arrowette said. "We've got 'em tracked to some location in the Rocky Mountains."

"Now what's the deal with these guys?" Empress asked. "Spill it."

"All right," Nightwing frowned. "Awhile back, Wonder Girl's powers began to change. We investigated their origins, leading us to an old castle and a man named Arnim Zola, the Bio-Fanatic. He's a twisted genius, one who used to work for Hitler. He experiments on people. He's even experimented on himself. Anyways, he was responsible for Wonder Girl's powers . . . as well as Jolt's . . . and I believe he said he had ten more 'successes' as he called them, although we only encountered nine. They were called the Brute Force, and they were kinda tough. But Zola was working for a man named William Taurey, the head of the Imperial Forces of America. They're a group that wants to overthrow the American government and take over. They believe in a ruling class, the Elite, and everyone else should be in a servant class."

"Sounds like fun," Empress said.

"We fought them off and rescued Hallie, but before we were able to get anything else out of them, the castle exploded."

"Exploded?" Empress asked.

"It was rigged," Nightwing shrugged. "We all made it out okay . . . but they were long gone. But basically, Zola was in the process of creating a super-powered army to serve the Imperial Forces. Since Jolt was one of his most successful creations, I can only assume that he wanted her back. How they located us, I don't know. It's possible that, since Zola gave Hallie her powers, he knows her energy signature and can track her anywhere."

"They have to know we're gonna come after her," Arrowette said.

Chuck nodded. "I know . . . we're more than likely heading straight into a trap."

"So what's the plan?" Empress asked.

"We'll split up," Nightwing said. "Superboy and Phoenix, along with the Super Cycle's blaring guns, are gonna do a direct attack, pay-back for what they did to us. Impulse, you're gonna take Rebel and Arrowette and head into the camp, engaging whoever you find, in order to split up their forces. Empress, you're gonna teleport us into their main structures, so we can better search for Hallie. I don't know what to expect . . . we might be going in over our heads. If so, then we're gonna get Hallie and get out. Understood?"

The team all nodded and agreed.

"We're coming up on their base," Arrowette said. "It's built into the mountains . . . looks kinda big and fancy."

"Well, let's do it to it," Superboy said.

Nightwing nodded. " . . . And . . . break!"

Impulse sped off, holding onto Arrowette and Rebel. Empress teleported herself and Nightwing away in a puff of smoke.

"Weapons on," Superboy said. The Super-Cycle's plasma canons appeared out of the cycle. Superboy activated his photonic 'S' Shield. Phoenix's firebird appeared around her. "Open fire!"

The cycle launched into attack, opening fire on the base. Superboy and Phoenix took to the air. Superboy charged in low and fast, using his shield as a defense against the Imperial's own defensive weapons. Phoenix began using her telekinetic flames to attack as well.

"We can do this," Superboy said as he punched and smashed a few cannons. "We can so do this . . . "

Arrowette let off a trio of fire arrows, causing parts of the Imperial's base to erupt into flames. Rebel was engaging the troopers head on, her superior fighting skills overwhelming them. Impulse was using his super-speed to deliver massive amounts of punches, taking down several members.

"This is kinda easy," Impulse said.

"You're right," Arrowette frowned, releasing an electro-shock arrow. "You'd think they would've unleashed their Brute Force by now . . . "

"Or at least sent more troops," Bart said, finishing up another group.

"This is gonna make me worry," Arrowette frowned.

Empress and Nightwing appeared in a puff of smoke. Empress was breathing heavily.

"We need . . . a break," she said. "It's hard enough . . . teleporting with another person . . . but going to a half-dozen spots in thirty seconds . . . is taking it's toll . . . mon . . . "

"Okay," Nightwing said. He looked around. "We're in someplace different from everywhere else. See that? In the middle of the room . . . ?"

"Some kind of . . . containment chamber?" Empress asked. It was a large cylinder in the middle of the floor, probably eight feet in diameter. Solid steel all the way around. "Maybe Jolt's inside?"

"That would be too lucky," Nightwing frowned. He approached the cylinder slowly, looking around. He enlarged his bo-staff, and was ready for anything. He read a sign on the floor by the platform. "Danger: Armageddon Man . . . ?"

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

Nightwing turned around quickly, as Empress teleported to his side.

"Zola!" Nightwing exclaimed.

"Indeed," replied the strange creature. Arnim-Zola, the Bio-Fanatic, stood before them. "So nice of you to come."

"We want Hallie . . . and we want her now," Nightwing demanded.

"I'm afraid she's not yours to be had," Zola frowned. "You've come at a most terrible time. We were only planning on holding her here for decontamination. Then we were going to move on from this base . . . after we tested that." He pointed to the steel cylinder behind the two heroes.

"The Armageddon Man?" Nightwing asked. "What is it?"

Zola's big face grinned. "I was hoping you'd ask . . . "

Zola pressed a button on his arm, and the steel cylinder opened itself. A warning klaxon went off. Inside the cylinder was a man with light blue skin, crouching in a fetal position. Suddenly, the man's eyes opened, crackling with gold energy.

Zola laughed. "The Armageddon Man is just as his name implies . . . a final and conclusive battle . . . the end of everything that stands in his way!"

Young Justice had been attacked by the Imperials in their own home, and one of their teammates, Jolt, had been captured. The team retaliated. They broke into three teams: Phoenix and Superboy, along with the Super-Cycle were to lead the attack head on. Impulse, Arrowette, and Rebel brought the fight to the base's core. Nightwing and Empress went in search of their missing teammate.

All three groups met resistance, but not nearly as much as they expected. The team had no idea that the base they had attacked was merely an outpost, one whose sole purpose was to test out the Armageddon Man, a being of unlimited power created by Arnim Zola.

"Did you feel that?" Arrowette asked as she hesitated firing off another arrow.

"Feel what?" Impulse asked.

"The ground shook," she continued. "Pretty hard . . . "

Rebel pointed upwards.

"Huh?" Arrowette asked, looking up. Dark clouds had gathered, almost out of nowhere. Lighting began to appear, followed by the crack of thunder. "What's going on . . . ?"

"I dunno," Impulse said. "But the Imperial Troopers look pretty scared . . . some of 'em are running away!"

"An auto-destruct program?" Arrowette asked. "Are they that concerned about us?"

Rebel just shrugged.

"Whoa," Phoenix said, stopping suddenly.

"What is it?" Superboy asked.

"I'm getting some weird psychic feedback," she said. "Something big is going on . . . "

"I'm inclined to agree," Superboy said. "The wind picked up big time, and look at the sky . . . "

"The Imperials are retreating!"

"Then I'd say something is definitely up . . . come on!"hr>Elsewhere again.

Nightwing and Empress stood in the room closest to ground zero, as the Armageddon man began to awaken. He stood now, in the center of the room, standing six-feet tall. But he was starting to grow . . .

"What is this, Zola?" Nightwing asked.

"My greatest success ever," he grinned. "A purely unstoppable force designed to bring the world to it's knees . . . within the next half-hour he will grow to be four stories tall . . . he will cause tornadoes in Los Angeles, fifty foot waves in San Francisco, Earthquakes in Palm Springs, and lighting that will cause forest fires throughout the pacific northwest. Given enough time, he could take out the entire world's defenses."

"You're insane!" Empress exclaimed. "Such raw power . . . how could you hope to control it?"

"Truth be told, I can't control him," Zola continued. "All I can do is unleash him . . . and box him back up in a dormant state."

"Well, you've had your test," Nightwing said. "Put him back."

"No," Zola grinned. "This is a statement. But I tell you what . . . I shall call him down as soon as you and your team leave . . . and hand over Wonder Girl."

"Well, that's gonna be a problem," Chuck frowned. "We're not leaving . . . and Wonder Girl's dead."

"Dead?" Zola asked. "Silly boy . . . Wonder Girl's not dead. She can't be. She's a being of ionic energy. And what should everyone know about energy? It cannot be created, nor destroyed . . . only transferred from lower to higher levels. Wonder Girl is alive . . . she's just . . . transferred."

Nightwing's eyes went wide. It made perfect sense. Energy cannot be destroyed. "Cassie's . . . alive?"

"But I suppose you cannot turn her over, then," Zola frowned. "Oh well . . . eleven out of twelve will do for now. This test will last until Young Justice is dead. Then the Imperial Forces will plan for a tactical strike against Washington!"

"Not a chance!" Empress exclaimed. She teleported behind Zola and smashed her bo-staff into his back.

Zola stumbled forward, but sent an electric shock back at her.

Nightwing threw a batarang, smashing the view-screen on Zola's chest. "Call him down, now . . . and hand over Hallie!"

"No," Zola said once more. He pressed a button on his arm. "Let's speed things up a bit . . . "

Suddenly, Armageddon Man began to grow taller. In a matter of seconds, he burst through the ceiling, smashing the building to pieces. Nightwing dove and got himself and Empress clear of falling debris. But the blue-skinned man crackled with energy. His voice howled, like the sound of a thousand winds.

"Whoa," Empress said.

"And now, I'll leave you alone," Zola said, "while I attend to my Jolt!"

The mansion used to stand for power. The Inner Circle was a group of mutants whose goal was to rule the world. It had a team of young mutants, the Hellions, an army-in-training. They thought they were unstoppable.

Then, they got stopped.

In their few confrontations with Young Justice, they were shocked to meet their matches. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Sebastian Shaw, the Black King and head of the Inner Circle went to visit other chapters of the club for many reasons, but one of which was a way to defeat Young Justice. That was over a month ago.

After he left, the White Queen and the Hellions went toe-to-toe with the Marauders while searching for a robot called Cerebro. The Hellions were massacred. Emma Frost, the Queen, was in a coma. She only recently awoke, discovering that her powers had mutated, and that was what had saved her. Her skin could be covered with a diamond-hard sheath with but a thought. It was interesting to her. However, Emma was troubled.

The Hellions were students in her care. They were dead. And when she finally returned to her mansion home with the club, she learned that Sebastian Shaw had all but disappeared off the face of the world.

I don't like it, she thought. First, Contessa and Klarion quit and disappear. Firebird leaves us with Young Justice, and Jason Wyngarde's mind is apparently destroyed . . . and he then disappears. Then we learn that Sunspot and Tessa were both spies, and they disappear. Doctor Doom joins, then quits shortly after. And now Shaw has disappeared. I tried contacting other branches of the Club . . . London ignored me . . . there was no answer from Hong Kong or San Francisco . . . but Montreal . . . something was strange there.

"Attend me," she said. A manservant was instantly by her side. "Prep one of the club's military transport jets. Prepare it to host a full crew and passengers, with a scheduled trip to Montreal."

"Yes, m'lady," the servant nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Frost continued. "Tell my driver to bring my limo about. I need to pay a visit . . . to Young Justice."

"We are so outmatched," Nightwing said as Empress teleported the two of them outside the building and several yards away from it.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"What is that?" Superboy asked as he and Phoenix landed beside them. Impulse, Arrowette and Rebel soon joined in.

"He's called the Armageddon Man," Chuck said. "Zola created him . . . supposedly extremely powerful . . . unstoppable."

"Suggestions?" Arrowette asked.

"Funny, that's what she asked," Nightwing said, motioning to Empress.

"Why don't we try the direct approach?" Superboy asked. He flashed his shield forward and flew right at the giant man's chest. He impacted, but was just knocked back from the hit. Stupid, Kon . . . stupid! You're not strong enough to try this stuff anymore . . .

"Well, so much for the direct approach," Arrowette said, pulling out a flame arrow.

"Hold on," Nightwing frowned. "Empress, Impulse . . . find Hallie. Zola's gonna try and bolt away with her . . . we can't let that happen. Everyone else . . . let's try to bring this guy down!"

"That could be easier said than done," Superboy said, shaking off his blow. "He didn't even notice me . . . "

"Maybe I can try something?" Phoenix asked. "Try to soothe his mind?"

"Worth a try," Chuck shrugged. "But be careful . . . you're still a novice with the telepathy . . . "

Linda nodded as the flame bird appeared around her and she began to lift into the air. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"I hope this works," Nightwing frowned. "I don't have any other ideas . . . "

Arnim Zola smiled as a person-sized metal tube was loaded onto a personal transport by Imperial soldiers.

"Hold it right there, Zola!" Empress exclaimed as she appeared in a puff of smoke. "You're not taking Jolt anywhere!"

"I see I did not hurt you enough to teach you a lesson in our previous encounter," Zola frowned.

"You talk a mean talk, but can you walk the walk?"

"I can't believe people actually say that . . . "

"And I can't believe I was able to distract you long enough for Impulse to take out all your guards and free Hallie."

"Eh?" Zola spun around quickly, and saw Impulse and Jolt standing behind him.

"Sucker," Impulse smirked.

"@%*$er!" Jolt exclaimed as she hit Zola with an incredibly strong electric punch. "Leave me alone!"

"Very well," Zola frowned. "I'll have to pick you up when I pick up Wonder Girl . . . after my Armageddon Man has killed you all."

A bolt of lightning suddenly smashed into the building's top, ripping the roof off and setting the place ablaze with fire.

"I hope you rot in hell!" Jolt exclaimed.

With that, Empress teleported out and Bart sped off with Hallie in his arms.

"Bart," she said. "You . . . you saved me!"

"Yeah," he replied.

"You . . . you do care!" she exclaimed. She kissed him on the lips.

Bart stopped suddenly. " . . . Hallie . . . ? What . . . ?"

"Never mind," she blushed. "Come on . . . let's get back to the others."

"So she can make him relax . . . but we need a permanent solution," Nightwing frowned.

"We got her," Empress said as she reappeared. Impulse ran over soon after with Jolt.

"Oh no," Jolt said. "Don't hurt him!"

"You know him?" Superboy asked.

"No, not personally," she said. "But I remember him . . . I remember Zola torturing him, like he did me . . . he's just an innocent kid!"

"Well . . . any ideas?" Cissie asked.

"Let me talk to him," she frowned.

"I don't think he's much interested in listening," Superboy frowned.

"Maybe Linda could connect their minds?" Chuck asked. "So she could speak directly to his mind?"

"Linda?" Kon asked.

"I'll try . . . " she said. Linda stretched her powers further than she had before, and established a mind-link between Hallie and their blue-skinned foe.

No one knew what was said between the two. The thoughts were private. But they went on, for what seemed like hours . . . though were only moments. The whole team stood, tensed and unsure for what would happen . . . and then, suddenly:

"We should leave," Jolt said.

"What happened?" Chuck asked.

"I talked to him . . . and he's gonna do the right thing," she said. "But we need to leave . . . now . . . "

Nightwing put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The Super Cycle flew right over. "Let's go, team!"

The group jumped aboard the cycle and it quickly began to fly away.

"What's going on?" Superboy asked. "Hallie?"

The storm began to center on the Imperial Forces camp, with small tornadoes and bolts of lightning touching down.

"He knows what he's doing is wrong," Hallie explained. "But he can't control his power. So he's going to do the only thing he can . . . focus his powers on himself and the camp . . . destroy the Imperials influence here . . . and bring himself down."

"He's gonna kill himself?" Bart asked.

"No," Chuck said. "At his core, he's got energy . . . he can't die. None of Zola's creations can . . . "

Superboy looked at Chuck curiously. "What are you saying . . . ?"

"I'm not sure," he frowned. "But when we get back home, I think I'll try and find out . . . "

As the Super Cycle sped away, the team could see the storm grow in intensity, tearing apart the small part of the mountains, bringing an end to the threat posed by the Armageddon Man.