Chapter 5: Fools

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."

Plato

Chapter 5: "Fools"

(Wednesday-January 6, 2016)

Danny lifted a glass of wine to his lips as he eyed the laptop. The Kroloteans had begun their evacuations from their post. One of them had almost been caught by Blue Beetle and a woman dressed in a black and yellow shrinking suit. Both the armored hero and the woman which he assumed was Bumblebee had chased the alien until it disappeared into the sewers to be rescued by Danny's forces.

"You didn't come to bed," Ember slipped onto the chair next to Danny's arm.

"I have work to do," Danny noted. Despite his words, he couldn't stop his eyes from moving to take in the sight of his girlfriend dressed only in a large t-shirt.

Ember reached over to close the laptop, "Some work can wait, you know."

"I'm the youngest in the Light by far," Danny shook his head. "If I don't show my value, I could lose my spot. Then all I worked for would be lost."

"There's nothing you can do personally right now. Trust your allies. They can handle it," Ember took the laptop to place it on the side desk. "J.A.Z.Z."

"Yes?"

"If anyone calls, tell them that Danny is on lockdown by order of his better half."

"Can do."

"Excellent," Ember took Danny's hand and pulled him up.

"Alright, alright," Danny allowed her to drag him to the stairs. As they moved, he looked back to the living room of Fenton Works. Throughout the years, the simple design of his old home had changed to express his and Ember's more intense interest compared to the simplicity of suburban life. The red walls stood as a stark contrast to the pictures of flowing ectoplasm and large concert stages. Despite the changes, there were still times where he thought he heard the noise of a family long since dead.

"Hey," Ember's voice drew his attention to her. "You said that you would be okay being here, but you keep getting that look."

"Sorry," Danny noted.

"Maybe you should think about getting your own home," Ember mentioned. "I don't care either way. Wherever you are is fine with me, but you're not a ghost anymore. Holding onto the past isn't healthy."

"Someday perhaps," Danny sighed. "But right now, I need the motivation. This place is a reminder of everything that happened. It keeps me going…along with you."

Ember snorted, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

"I know," Danny rubbed tired eyes. "It's what kept me on people's good sides for so long."

"True, but remember that words will only take you so far if your actions go against them," Ember stated. "Remember that, because I got a gut feeling that your old friends might catch a whiff of what's up pretty soon."

"You know, when I said that you would always have a place to crash at here, I didn't think that you would bring a fugitive from outer space with you."

Dusk scoffed as he smiled over to his friend, "Well, maybe you should have. You know how crazy my life is."

"That I do. Makes me glad that I'm out of the hero lifestyle," Freddy Freeman sighed as he plopped down next to the halfa on the couch before handing the other boy a drink. He was a teenage boy with plain features seemingly twisted with permanent boredom. His dark hair stood at a stark contrast to his blue eyes. "You're lucky that I convinced my parents to let you stay."

"I appreciate it," Dusk took a sip of his drink.

"You better," Freddy grumbled. "Giving up my bed. Dealing with her snoring. Seeing her disgusting eating habits. I expect a lot of favors in return for putting up with this."

Dusk snorted, "What do you want?"

"Meh, I'll probably use them to help set up a good date with Mary," Freddy's eyes zoned in on the television which hung from the wall of the apartment. More news stories were being displayed about the recent alien events. "Is this really the best place for her, though? I know that Mary's place is out because Billy might show up and inform the League, but don't you have other safe houses?"

"I had one other place where I could go for support, but I needed help from a girl that wasn't insane," Dusk explained. "Starfire will need some clothes that will help her blend in. I thought Mary was the safest bet."

"True. Most girls in our community enjoy leather and chains too much," Freddy nodded. But boy, you got yourself in a mess. I get not wanting to involve the League because of all the political bullshit, but do you actually have a plan about what to do with her?"

"Do I need a plan? She's a fugitive slave," Dusk took a sip of his own drink. "If she lies low until the mess I sorted out, she'll be given asylum by the League."

"Oh, so you're just going to be dragging around the drop dead gorgeous alien by yourself?" Freddy gained a sly smirk. "Teaching her the ways of this world one romantic trip at a time."

"It's not like that."

"Sure, it isn't," Freddy shook his head. "I saw the way you looked at her. Go for it. She's attracted to you too. Just don't accidentally make any mixed up babies. I don't even want to know what a combination of ghost and alien would be like."

Dusk sighed, "Geeze, you've gained a dirty sense of humor."

"It's called being a high school student."

"Glad I'm missing it then," Dusk looked back to see that the room to Freddy's room was still closed. "I won't deny that she's attractive."

"Understatement much?"

"But I'd feel bad if I made a move. She's like my guest. I have power and influence over her mindset about Earth," Dusk leaned forward to stare at the carpeted floor. "Maybe later, but I'll let her adjust first."

"Well, at least you're considering it," Freddy noted. "Greta wouldn't like what you're doing to yourself."

Dusk had no response to that.

"Consider traveling more with the people that helped you back in Tokyo too. Being alone for so long can't be good for your mindset," Freddy stood up from his seat to move towards the window. "Even an asshole like me can see that."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dusk slowly nodded.

"Good. You shouldn't let what happened before keep you down forever," Freddy warily glanced through the closed curtains. "Mary and I moved on. You should to. Even if you are a ghost, you shouldn't let the dead haunt you. They deserve their rest."

"Fair point," Dusk looked to his friend. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing," Freddy's eyes darted across the rooftops to see if he could get a peek of red in the darkness. "A guy from across the street's been acting weird lately. He might be spying on people. I'll report him to the police tomorrow. You shouldn't worry about it."

Vision stood in front of the hundreds of cages holding multiple Kroloteans. All the little aliens were screeching in terror at being teleported somewhere other than their intended destination, "Interesting. So this is what they look like in person."

Plasmius nodded beside her, "Rather typical in appearance, don't you think?"

"Compared to ghosts?" Vision chuckled. "I've seen ones that are just green blobs."

Plasmius shrugged, "True."

"So what is the plan with them?" Vision stepped up to one of the cages to observe one of the aliens. The Krolotean screeched at her but stopped when her eyes gained a dangerous purple glow in warning.

"Information," Plasmius noted. "I gained quite a bit of intel from them already, and there is a chance that we can gain more from them about the wider universe. Perhaps we can even use them as a foothold to get out there to establish ourselves against greater threats. That's what I believe the Light is doing with them. I get the feeling that they will be done with the Kroloteans soon."

"I see," Vision slowly nodded. "And they will likely kill these little ones to keep them silent. If we save them and prove it, we could make these aliens some allies."

Plasmius eyed the cages, "Would that work? I was just thinking that we could use them to send a message. After entrapping them like this, do you really think that they would ally themselves with us?"

"They will if we're the ones that saved them from the Light," Vision noted. "Temporary imprisonment or betrayal and murder? Which would you prefer?"

"Fair point," Plasmius stroked his chin. "I know where their rendezvous point is. That's likely where the Light will deal with the leftovers on Earth, but they will likely have heightened security. I don't want to go in there alone, and you shouldn't fight like that."

Vision looked down to her extended stomach, "True, and we don't have time to recruit proper help. Hmm…you mentioned that you hacked the League's system, no?"

"Yes," Plasmius smiled. "They should find out about the Krolotean base soon enough."

Vision nodded, "We can use their attack on the aliens as a distraction, but I doubt that Dani will appreciate our using them without telling her."

"Well then, the answer is simple. All we need to do is tell her about what's really happening."

"Uh huh," Spirit leaned against a wall within the bowels of Hall of Justice. Compared to the outer layer filled with displays of the League's previous deeds, the steel halls beyond the view of civilians were dull, even if they were far more secure. She had her phone up to her ear and was speaking to the caller. "Seems like you've got things under control. Did you call Joel yet?"

"…"

Spirit sighed, "Yeah, the League mentioned Tokyo. Haven't been back long enough to read the reports, though. So he's lying low?"

"…"

"Well, he'll pop up eventually if aliens are involved with everything," Spirit noted. "The Apokolips thing shouldn't boil over immediately. One step at a time."

"…"

"I can do that," Spirit's eyes snapped to the side to see Cyborg approaching her. "Oh, the meeting is about to start. I'll call you back later."

"Hey," Cyborg kissed his girlfriend after she slid her phone into her pocket. "Family call?"

"Yeah. Wanted to keep them up to date," Spirit began to step through the hallways of the fake base. "Although, it seems like I'm missing a lot of things. What exactly happened?"

Cyborg sighed, "It's hard to explain. The Green Lanterns are looking into it, but it seems like a slave escaped. Your brother helped. Now some weird aliens from the 'Citadel' are demanding her back. Luckily, we are out of their territory, so we don't have to actively look for her."

"Which is why it's a good thing that Dusk has gone off the grid with her," Batman's voice drew them out of their conversation. They turned back to see him standing with Bumblebee. "That's why I wanted to talk to the two of you."

Spirit blinked at Bumblebee, "Why you too?"

Bumblebee grimaced, "Mal was a part of the fight to save the girl. He to—"

"If you wish to discuss the events of what happened in Tokyo, then do it once the meeting is done and you're out of the Hall," Batman noted. "The League has no formal ties with the group which went against the Citadel. It will be easier for us to deflect their demands until the Guardians of the Universe make an official statement if no one in the League has any current knowledge on the matter."

Cyborg raised his one remaining eyebrow, "What about Black Bat? She's your protégé."

"I have not had formal contact with her for months," Batman explained.

Spirit's lips twitched, "Formal, huh?"

"Yes," Batman nodded. "Whether we like it or not, we are in galactic politics right now. Plausible deniability will help prevent more headaches. No matter what, the Citadel slave known as Starfire won't be returning to them, but it will be easier if everyone with possible contact to those involved remains silent on the matter."

"Sounds good to me," Spirit shrugged. "So what about the Kroloteans?"

"We are organizing an assault on their base," Batman noted. "You will be part of the effort, Spirit."

Spirit looked to Bumblebee and Cyborg, "What about them?"

"The League will be part of the mission," Batman noted. "It will be easier to use stealth without a bloated team."

"Not all of us have to be a part of the first line of defense," Cyborg reasoned. "We don't know what the Kroloteans will have to fight us with. Wouldn't having more numbers be the smart thing to do? Besides, the newer members of the Team could use the experience. I can make sure that Blue Beetle is always in proper position to give the Kroloteans a proper scare."

Batman slowly nodded, "Fair point. With most of the League dealing with the Tokyo fallout, it would be best to have as much backup ready as possible. I will mention this to Captain Atom, so make sure that you're ready."

They all nodded, "Yes, sir."

Dusk leaned against the doorframe connecting the living room and the kitchen. His eyes were locked on the sight of Mary outfitting Starfire with a coat and wig to hide her appearance for their trip to the outside. While the alien's orange tinted skin might draw some attention, her disguise would help imply that it was a really bad spray tan.

"There we go," Mary smiled as she placed a hat over Starfire's wig. "You shouldn't draw too much attention like that."

Starfire stared at the dark coat covering her body, "Do Earthlings really use such heavy furs for mild weather?"

"It's below freezing out," Mary picked up her own coat.

"That's it?" Starfire tapped her chin in thought. "On Tamaran, we only wear extra clothing if our bodies would automatically die from the weather."

"W-Wow…" Mary's eyes were wide. "That's…intense."

"Hmm," Starfire glanced to Dusk. "Earth is strange. Some of you seem worthy enough to fight the elite of the universe, yet others would have crumbled before even the Krolos. Do you not have any unique powers?"

"I used to," Mary smiled. "I was blessed by the great wizard Shizam, but I gave those up to save my friends when they were in trouble."

Starfire's eyes sparked in confusion, "You willingly became weak for others?"

"Well, of course," Mary nodded. "People needed my help. What good is power if you can't use it to help people?"

Starfire looked away in thought, "Wow. Earthlings are fascinating."

"I think so too," Mary turned to Dusk. "Do you want to come, Dusk?"

"Err…"

Mary giggled, "That's a no. Okay, we'll be back in a few hours."

Dusk nodded, "Listen to Mary, Star. Oh, and try to blend in."

"Very well," Starfire nodded.

When the girls left, Dusk turned to enter the kitchen. He sat down at the table before looking towards Freddy. The other boy was working with a blender. As he poured his juice, Freddy spoke to his friend, "You sure that you shouldn't go with them?"

"Mary can we handle it. Starfire doesn't need me around all the time," Dusk noted. "Besides, I thought this would be a good chance to talk without anyone around. You've been tense for the whole day."

"You noticed, huh?" Freddy carefully adjusted the blender. Once he was done, he stepped back to the table with his drink.

Dusk eyed his friend, "It may have been a while since we worked together, but I still know you. You hid it better around Mary, but you don't have to worry about stressing me out."

Freddy lifted the glass up to his mouth. Though, his lip movements were hidden, his words could clearly be heard, "Look at the blender."

Dusk did so, "Oh…has it been like that for a while?"

"Yep," Freddy lowered the glass. "Been like that since the New Year. I thought maybe you could help me with it so I don't have to worry Mary about it."

Dusk stared at the reflection in the blender. The glass showed the image of the now unobscured window. His green eyes glowed a bit more up seeing a strange red figure across the street on the opposing apartment's rooftop, "I think that I can handle that."

"Good. The bad thing about not having my powers is the fear of getting cut. I bleed so easily now. I'd just get my fingers cut off if I stuck my hand in it," Freddy noted. "I know that it's a bit more than what you owe for letting you stay here, but…"

"Say no more," Dusk stood. "Just let me go to the bathroom, and then I can fix the…blender."

"Thanks," Freddy nodded in appreciation. While his friend left, though, he clenched his fists in frustration. Why did he have to be so useless?

Plasmius frowned at the screen in front of him, "That's not good."

Vision nodded, "The Light seems extremely invested in this for some reason."

Their words rang true. Inside the volcano base, several prominent Earthling fighters stood within the Krolotean hive. They did not help the aliens in their work to finish the preparation of their rocket ship, but the villains appeared ready for a fight. Based on the dozens of armed men wearing black scuba armor, Black Manta seemed to be in charge of the operation. How he managed to get so many deadly fighters on his side perplexed the ghosts.

They were now grateful for their previous caution. Instead of investigating directly, they sent in tiny bug drones to spy on the enemy. From the safety of their camouflaged airship, the two ghosts examined the inside of the island base.

"Harley Quin, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost, the Parasite," Plasmius shook his head. "And even Harm. I don't think most of those people were even allied with the Light."

"That group is familiar," Vision stroked her veiled chin.

"There have been reports of them working together," Plasmius nodded. "They've only worked together a few times, though."

"Interesting," Vision's eyes danced in thought. "Someone within the Light must be coordinating them. A group with such prevalent personalities doesn't join forces without outside incentive."

"They may have finally filled in the missing places of the previous members," Plasmius noted. "Black Manta would be a strong replacement for Ocean Master."

Vision frowned at the memory of one of her most hated enemies, "Then someone with similar attributes to the Brain and Klarion have appeared as well. Considering that Black Manta has never shown such initiative, one them is conniving and powerful enough to force these people to work for them."

"Things just keep getting worse," Plasmius shook his head. "Contact Danielle. She'll need to know that the threats are far worse than we thought. There doesn't seem to be any specific anti-ghost technology being used. I'm going to move in to try to get an advantage."

"Be careful," Vision stated.

"I don't plan to fight directly," Plasmius moved her veil to the side in order to kiss his wife. "But I need a head start if we're going to pull off our plan."

Once they were separated, Plasmius fazed through the ship in order to fly towards the Krolotean. As he flew, he activated all of his stealth oriented abilities. Despite being invisible and untouchable, the eldest halfa made sure to be extra careful. After all, he had to avoid detection from both the Light and the League. Getting caught in a fight between those two factions could very well prove to be his end.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spirit floated above the mountain base of the Kroloteans. While her parent's warnings did alert her to the presence of Earth rogues in the mountain, she had not been expecting such a dangerous group of enemies. She recognized all of them from a mass escape report from Belle Reve. There had been sightings of the group working together, but they had only been seen on dangerous and strange missions.

The big mystery of them was why they would work together. Harley Quin was an insane psychopath known for being Joker's girlfriend before the Clown Prince of Crime died. Despite her entire body being covered in red and black spandex, she was often armed to a deadly degree. The only person she ever seemed to get along with was her ex-lover, yet she stood comfortably close to Captain Boomerang. Despite his strange title, the man was a dangerous user of homing technology. His large trench coat probably hid enough explosives to bring the whole mountain down.

Another odd group was the pink skinned Parasite standing next to the blue skinned Killer Frost. The Parasite's power was to absorb other's abilities, which was probably why he only wore a pair of shorts to cover himself. He also had an appetite for other people's powers, which made his cooperation with the ice woman strange. Even if she was covered in a fluffy, luscious blue and white coat, Killer Frost's seemingly trust over the Parasite's restraint seemed rather strong.

The final villain struck close to home for the halfa. Harm was an enemy from her childhood. He murdered his sister in order to become "pure" which would allow him to use magical swords. His sister Secret came back to fill him with an actual sense of remorse. Originally, Spirit actually thought that he had tried to redeem himself. Now, it was clear that Secret…Greta's purpose was never fulfilled completely.

Spirit was about to move again when the appearance of a new person caused her to freeze. The person was obviously female in form. Black and red armor was hidden behind a torn cloak. The familiar symbol on her belt, gloves, and helmet burned into Spirit's mind. She remembered the break into Axion Labs, but she never thought that the Red X armor would appear in a place like this.

Red X stopped in the center of a walkway over the water. She looked around the entire base. Her helmeted head first looked up to the side scaffolding, then to the water, before finally looking at Spirit. Before Spirit could react, Red X pulled twin pistols from her hips and opened fire on the hidden heroes inside the base.

Dusk fazed through the roof on the other side of the street to Freddy's apartment. Silently, he unsheathed Soul Shredder. Without doing anything that would give him away, the halfa floated over to the stalker. The stranger was a man wearing a leather jacket and cargo pants. While the red hood which covered his head was eye drawing, Dusk's eyes focused more on the pistols hanging from his belt. Dusk's instincts screamed of the danger that this man presented.

He moved his blade by the stranger's neck, "Don't move."

The stranger chuckled, "It's about time that you showed up. I was about to bust in there."

Dusk frowned, "So you're after me?"

"Yes, but seeing Freddy was a big plus," the stranger noted.

"How do you know him?" Dusk demanded.

"We're friends."

"This doesn't seem like friendly behavior."

"Maybe to normal people, but we're far from normal, Joel."

Dusk's eyes widened slightly, "You know me?"

"Why yes," the man suddenly spun around to face the ghost. A green light originated from the gun in his hand. Dusk was forced to move away from the man to avoid getting shot by the ectoplasmic pistol. "I do."

"Hmm…" Dusk tilted his head to the helmeted man in the red hood. "Who are you?"

"You can call me the Red Hood."

Dusk sighed, "You know, I'm starting to think that people aren't good at coming up with good identities. At least my family has at least a tiny bit of creativity in their names. Don't you think that it's a little on the nose?"

"Maybe," Red Hood pulled out a second gun. "But creative names haven't ever been my family's strong point."

"Any chance for us to end this peacefully and you just telling me what you want?" Dusk questioned.

"Nope," Red Hood rushed forward to the ghost. "I want to see how far you've come!"

Grunting, Dusk swung his sword at the approaching enemy. In a true show of skill, Red Hood ducked under the expert swing while aiming his first gun at the halfa. Dusk spun to the side to dodge the first shot before blocking the extra bullets with his sword. The two fighters then tried to kick at each other, but they managed to block all the blows.

Growling, the halfa moved back to gain some distance. Raising a glowing hand, he fired off ectoplasmic blasts at his foe. Unfortunately, Red Hood stopped each burst with a shot from his own ghost weaponry. Before the stalker could get another attack in, though, Dusk sunk into the concrete roof. Knowing what would happen, Red Hood flipped over to avoid getting pierced by Soul Shredder. Dusk continued his ascent from the floor into the air in order to avoid getting hit by his foe's shots.

Once high enough into the air, Dusk swung Soul Shredder to unleash arcs of energy. Red Hood dodged the first couple of attacks before dropping some smoke bombs. Dusk immediately stopped his attacks. He waited for the smoke to fade only to find that the other man had disappeared. With his sword raised, Dusk prepared for what was to come. Surprisingly, no bullet came.

"Woohoo!"

Dusk turned to see Red Hood waving.

"Over here!"

With a burst of energy, he rushed through the air towards his foe. Red Hood dropped his original gun. He reached up with his free hand to move his hood down and pull off his helmet. His actions caused the halfa to completely stop his momentum. Both the helmet and Soul Shredder clattered onto the roof. As the ghost landed in front of him, Red Hood raised the gun that he hadn't used yet.

Dusk felt the cold metal of the gun press against his forehead. Even if he wanted to use his intangibility, it wouldn't work in this instance. All he could do was look forward to the person threatening his life.

"No…"

The image of the gun holder suddenly became blurry. It was at that moment that Dusk realized that he was crying. His legs suddenly gave out on him. Soon, the ghost was kneeling. Yet the gun continued to be pressed against his head.

With his body numb and his mind blown, Dusk could only let his tears fall. He tried to speak, but his words only came out in an incomprehensible sob. This continued several times before he finally managed to get his words out.

"I…I don't…"

"What's wrong, Joel? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"J-Jason…I-It c-can't b-be…I…I saw your body…"

The unmasked Red Hood glared down at the defenseless ghoul. Shaking his head, he did the only thing he could in this situation. He pulled the trigger.

Water began to trickle down Dusk's forehead. Jason's handsome face lifted into a smile. The J brand burned into his cheek shifted with the movement of his face. His free hand moved up to sweep it across his black hair, "You should see the look on your face. Like I'd really shoot you. I—Oof!"

Dusk punched Jason in the gut, "You ass! Are you really joking right now!? Do you have any goddamn idea how you just showing up makes me feel! I mourned you! Everyone mourned you! That was not funny!"

"Gah," Jason Todd heaved. "S-Sorry, I couldn't think of a way to do it that wouldn't be all sappy. I thought…"

Dusk pulled his best friend in for a hug. He released a quiet sob, "You suck at thinking sometimes, you insensitive moron. But…God, I'm glad you're alive."

Jason returned the hug, "So…you're not questioning this?"

"You're asking a ghost about being surprised about someone returning from the dead?"

"…Good point."

"Three minutes until departure! Everyone get to the ship!" Red X roared as she fought off Spirit with x's on the back of her hands extending into blades. Spirit tried to push back with her Spectral Claws but couldn't overpower her foe.

While the halfa tried to fight off her brother's armor thief, the rest of the base went into wild chaos. The Black Manta soldiers had opened fire upon the Batfamily. While the non-powered humans could deal with the lackeys with ease, things became more difficult when the villains went into action and the Kroloteans went into their walkers. Their backup was forced to blast their way to give support.

With the help of Superman and Wonder Woman, Superboy and Wonder Girl easily tore through the walkers. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Young Justice desperately tried to fight off the super villains. Blue Beetle was having a difficult time fighting off Killer Frost's ice, while Cyborg tried a battle of explosions with Captain Boomerang. Meanwhile, Harley Quin was literally skipping around the battlefield while causing chaos all across the base.

"How can you use that armor!?" Spirit hissed.

"My boss is a genius," Red X taunted. "Oh, and don't forget that you can't focus only on me."

Before Spirit could react, the Parasite grabbed her by the back of her neck. She immediately felt ill as all of her power was drained from her body. Her legs went numb as she dropped in exhaustion. The Parasite licked his lips, "Never had ghost before. Kind of gamy, but it's not bad."

Red X pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Spirit's head, "This suit was designed with fighting ghosts in mind, yeah? Has it ever actually killed a ghost before? Maybe I should break it in…"

"No!"

Both Red X and the Parasite were sent flying back as Aquaman and Lagoon Boy jumped into action. While the inflated La'gann punched Red X across the face, Aquaman hit the Parasite with magic powered Water Bearers in the shape of a giant hammer. Not affected by the Parasite because of lack of contact, the king of Atlantis sheathed his weapons over his back and picked the drained Spirit up.

"Kaldur," Spirit muttered as she glanced up to the dark skinned Atlantian with buzzed blonde hair.

"Everything will be fine, Spirit," the second Aquaman smiled to his longtime friend.

"Neptune's beard," Lagoon Boy muttered at the sight of the Red X's cracked helmet.

A dark haired woman with a terribly scarred face glared at them, "I'm gorgeous, right?"

"Boss," Parasite pushed himself up. "Let me—"

"No. We have no time for any more fun," Red X noted. "Get to the ship."

"We are not done here!" La'gaan shouted.

"We are," Red X smirked. "Unless you want all of us to get caught up in the bomb."

"Bomb?" Aquaman's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. This place will blow in about…three minutes," Red X explained. "I would suggest running. Task Force X, we're done here! Move out!"

"No…" Spirit tried to wiggle free.

"Do not try to move," Kaldur warned. "You are a being completely tied to her energy, no? I do not want you dissolving on me. Let me help you out of here."

With clenched eyes, Spirit nodded. There was nothing more she could do here anyway. With heavy hearts, the heroes began their retreat using the Bioship. As she fought off unconsciousness, Spirit could only hope that her parents accomplished their side of the mission.

Plasmius let out a groan as the last of his duplicates returned to him in a burst of green light. He leaned back to pop his back, "Dear God, I'm feeling my age. This is what I get for being so out of practice. I need to do some workouts with my powers."

Vision floated next to her husband. Their ship continued to hover in autopilot as she moved next to the halfa on top of the rocket ship which he carried out into the ocean, "Good work."

"Thanks," Plasmius sighed in exhaustion. "That was harder than I thought. Staying undetected while overshadowing aliens in the middle of a fight with the Justice League. Who would have thought that would be so difficult?"

"It would have been easier if Superman didn't try to save them, although I do appreciate his sentiments," Vision paused. "Do you think that he will be okay?"

"He's Superman. He'll be fine. Physically at least. He'll probably kick himself when he starts to think that he failed to save them," Plasmius looked down at the space ship. All the Kroloteans remained unconscious after being released from overshadowing. "But his conscience isn't our problem. We now need to focus on these Kroloteans. What do we do with them?"

"We'll have to restrain them until we can reason with them," Vision noted.

"So…I'm going to have to carry them again?"

"Well, are you going to make your pregnant wife do it?"

Plasmius sighed, "You're going to milk that card for all its worth, aren't you?"

"Welcome to the Light."

Danny smiled upon hearing that familiar greeting by Savage. He, like the other members of their group, congratulated their newest partner. Once the congratulating was over, they went over the finer points of the last mission before setting the official time for their next meeting. When everything was done, the members of the Light began to sign off of their group meeting until only Danny and Black Manta remained.

"Congratulations," Danny smiled at his new equal.

"It is thanks to you, my friend," Black Manta returned the grin. "Although, I do not think that such a large force was necessary."

"Better to be careful," Danny mentioned. "I know from experience that the loyalty tests can be brutal."

Manta's smile fell, "Oh yes. I heard whispers of your test. I am impressed that someone so young can be so ready to do what needs to be done. Were you close to her?"

Danny kept his features composed, "Yeah, a bit. We knew each other when we were teenagers, but she was in the way too many times. It had to be done."

"Indeed," Manta nodded. "Well, it is late. We both need our rest for what is to come."

"Yeah, I better get off before my better half gets to me," Danny chuckle.

"Oh? Does the lady in your life have a lot of sway on you?"

"You have no idea. I'll introduce you the next time we meet in person."

"I look forward to it, Phoenix. Good night."

"Night," Danny canceled the connection. He was left looking at his darkened laptop in the darkness of his lab. With a sigh, he moved to turn away from his laptop and head to bed. Before he could take a step, he paused.

Turning back to his laptop, he worked the keys until he got to the video he kept as a reminder of what he had done. Danny watched the footage of himself holding a gun to a kneeling woman's head. Her rolling blonde locks and striking tan features marked her as a true beauty.

"Danny...Please," past Artemis begged. "This isn't you. You—"

The sound of the gun's bang silenced the archer. Blood sprayed across the ground. Her body tumbled onto the ground. Cold, dead eyes stared right into the camera. Both the video Danny and the present Danny looked at the corpse with hard eyes.

"It had to be done."

(Tuesday-January 26, 2016)

Donna Troy was a beautiful young woman. Her dark, long locks rolled down over her toga covered form. The light of the moon shined down to illuminate her gorgeous features which appeared to have been carved to perfection. She calmly stood at the edge of the beach to allow the cold waves to gently tickle her feet. Her mind raced with worry for the sister which would soon be heading outside the realm of the gods. Part of her wanted to see Diana off, but facing Man's World was still beyond her.

"Donna."

The princess jumped lightly before turning her head to the side to see Dusk standing beside her, "Joel?! What are thou doing here?"

"I came to tell you something," Dusk accepted her quick. "It's been a while. You look good."

"Thou look…" Donna bit her lips. "Somewhat more refreshed compared to our last meeting."

"It's been a chaotic month," Dusk noted.

"I have heard," Donna nodded. "Are thou here to warn me of the aliens? Because my sister already told me everything."

"No…It's not that," Dusk sighed. "It's something unrelated. I wanted to come here earlier, but I wanted the heat to die down."

"Yes. Tokyo," Donna hummed in thought. "From what Diana has said, thou saved a female slave and disappeared. Do thou wish to grant her sanctuary on Themyscira?"

"Err, no. This isn't about Starfire," Dusk rubbed the back of his head. "Do you remember the Lazarus Pit?"

"Thy father's bath of immortality?"

"Yeah. He's used it to come back to life multiple times," Dusk explained. "But someone needs a really strong will to use it, and it has the side effect of temporary insanity. It takes some time and effort to get the user back to normal."

"Um…Why are thou telling me this?"

"Just getting you ready," Dusk gestured behind him.

Donna followed his line of sight to see several strange individuals. She recognized most of them. Usually, she would rush to embrace Black Bat and Mal, but a familiar sight made her legs go numb, "Jason?"

"This is dumb," Spirit glared at the members of the League about to head out into space. "You do realize that this is exactly what the Light wants, right?"

"It has to be this way," Superman noted. "We cannot let our reputations be in tatters. Even if it was against our wills, we hurt people. The right thing to do is stand trial and clear our names."

Wonder Woman nodded, "Icon has experience in intergalactic law, so we will have a representative."

"Yes," Spirit muttered bitterly. "The speciesist alien council won't be biased against you at all. It totally won't be a kangaroo court."

"We've discussed this before," Batman remained calm. "We must follow the political requirements of the larger universe. If not, then we will make ourselves enemies of dozens of other worlds. If we don't do this, then we could end up losing Earth's support and going to war."

"Earth is filled with some of the weirdest and most dangerous things in the universe!" Spirit argued. "Kryptonians, death machines, meta-humans, and even ghosts. Not to mention that we could always ally ourselves with Mars. Anyone that would attack us would have to be nuts enough to go against those laws, and you want to take our greatest fighters away to weaken us? That's so stupid."

"It has to be this way," Green Lantern stated. "We can't just—"

"Whatever," Spirit turned away from the League and Young Justice on the beach behind Mount Justice. "We won't convince each other. I can't stop you, but I won't stay and support this either."

"Dani…" Superboy muttered upon seeing his fellow clone step away.

Cyborg silently stepped after his lover. They left the remaining members of their allies to say their final goodbyes. Together, the duo made their way to the peak of the secret base to meet with another group of two ghosts.

Vision stared out into the darkened horizon of the night, "So they're going through with it."

"This will make things harder," Plasmius sighed.

"Idiots," Spirit plopped down onto a stone to glare down at the beach.

Cyborg slowly moved next to the ghosts. Over the past month, they had filled him in on their plans. While conflicted about having a hidden agenda against his friends, he refused to go against his family, "You have to understand their perspective. They are the JUSTICE League after all."

"And that's always been my problem with them," Vision shook her head. "Putting your own principles above the needs of those below you is dangerous. That is the burden of being the strongest and being on top. The Light will surely take full advantage of this."

Everyone on the mountain went silent. Instead of arguing, they silently watched as a spaceship made of energy from Green Lantern's ring took the founding members of the Justice League into space. Only when they were out of sight did one of them speak again. Cyborg frowned, "What now?"

"We need to prepare," Vision noted. "I managed to convince the Kroloteans to work with us out of spite of the Light. We can use their knowledge to our advantage. Although there's no way of knowing what the Light's overall plan is, we have an idea of who their partner is. The Kroloteans refer to them as the Competitor. They are the Reach."

"Building up our forces again is a must," Plasmius stroked his chin. "I have plenty of ideas on how to do that, but you two will need to be careful with your Team. Keep an eye on Blue Beetle."

Cyborg crossed his arms, "Why?"

"He might unknowingly be using alien technology," Vision noted.

"We can do that," Spirit's eyes were firmly locked onto the sky. "You know…something's been bugging me."

"What is it?"

"Well, the missing hours for the League have been cleared up, but not for Danny. Remember, he was under their control too, yet he's never been spotted off world. I wonder what the Light made him do."

(Saturday-January 27, 2046)

"Ow, ow! You're hurting me, Luna!" a bald man wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and a power suppression collar cried out as he was pulled through the destroyed streets of Remnant.

"Well, I wouldn't if you'd hurry up!" Luna hissed to the man as she easily dragged him by the arm. Her long white hair with pink highlights was pushed back to reveal her neon green eyes glowing from behind the green sunglasses covering her heart shaped face. A skin tight shirt with a black torso and white sleeves covered her upper body, while form fitting white jeans with black seams covered her legs. Her slightly elevated shoes gave her extra height. The most noticeable thing about her clothes was the DP symbol on her chest. "Bart's probably getting impatient—"

"Luna!" a thin boy with brown hair suddenly appeared in front of them. His torn clothing hung from his runner's frame. Green eyes shined in panic. "We have a problem! Oh Highfather, we're totally getting put on mode!"

"Calm down, Bart," Luna sighed. "What's the problem?"

"I think that I'm the problem," a large figure appeared behind Luna. Said figure was an extremely muscular woman wearing an apron over thick black body armor. An old gray beanie held her dark hair from view but still allowed the blue skin of her face to show.

Luna turned around, "Hi, Box Lunch."

"Hi?" Box Lunch crossed her arms. "That's all you have to say for yourself? I ordered you to get on escape ship two hours ago."

"I know," Luna nodded. "But I'm not going."

"Oh, Luna," Box Lunch sighed. "Do you always have to be so difficult? We don't have time for this right now. Most of our people are either hurt or dead. The city is destroyed, and our supplies were burnt to ash."

"I know, that's why I'm not going with you," Luna glanced around the city of rubble. Smoke still continued to rise from the recent battle. "There's no point. Earthlings are done for now. There's only one option left for us. I found Grandma's notes."

Box Lunch frowned, "I see…"

"A time machine," Luna shook her head. "That's the only way to fix things now."

"You…You're not wrong," Box Lunch deflated. "That was our plan. Originally, we were going to send Batman, but now that's not an option."

"Then let me and Bart do this," Luna stated. "The machine only fits one, but I can overshadow him."

Box Lunch looked away, "Do you really think that his dad would allow that?"

Bart spoke up, "I already talked to him about this. It took a few hours…well, minutes in your time…but he thinks that this is for the best. Not like there will be much of a life in this timeline for me."

Box Lunch nodded, "Indeed. I see you actually thought this through. Why are you taking Neutron?"

The bald man flinched, "Please don't call me that."

"The plan was to start by saving the second Flash, right?" Luna noted. "Who better to help us set up than his murderer?"

"Geeze…" Box Lunch sighed. "You know what, fine."

Bart blinked, "Fine?"

"Yeah. Fine," Box Lunch nodded "I can get behind this plan. Besides…if Luna's not involved, she's the one most likely to not exist at all if you succeed. Removing her from the timeline could save her."

Luna looked down in shame at the truth of her mentor's words.

"But I won't let you do this alone," Box Lunch looked up. "If we're doing this, then we're doing this right. No need to sneak out on your own rocket. The remains of Earth will invest everything into this."

Luna blinked, "You'll help us?"

Box Lunch nodded. Her eyes stared up from their moon base to look at the desolate orb of ash which had once been the life filled Earth, "Yeah, it's our only option at this point. If we don't change the past, then the fate of the entire human race is extinction."