Author's Note: I got the idea for this story after read the Naruto/Young Justice crossover called Project Maelstrom by Namikaze09. I'm replacing Superboy with my own character but he may make an appearance later in the story.

Young Justice

Chapter 1: Forming the Team

Gotham City,

It was a beautiful day and a number of families were enjoying a picnic in the park until Mr. Freeze arrived and started firing his freeze cannon at people. He stood on a large bolder looking down at a family of three. "Enjoying family time?" He asked before freezing the family. "Unfortunately, my family has other plans." He then walked away and took aim at the crowd of people that were attempting to run away from him. Before he could fire however, a Batarang kit his cannon, causing him to lose his balance. "Batman, I was wondering when…" He turned to face the Dark Knight only to find no one there.

Laughter then filled the air as Freeze looked around. A shadow then appeared from above as Robin, the Boy Wonder, landed on top of the villain, causing the ice user to fall over. Robin then threw some wing-dings at Freeze which cracked the glass dome over his head. "Oh, boy wonder…" Mr. Freeze said in annoyance. "The Bat sent you to drag me off to prison. Quite frankly, I'm underwhelmed."

"Great but I'm kinda in a hurry." Robin said impatiently as Freeze aimed his cannon at him.

"Kids…always in such a rush…" Mr. Freeze commented. "I prefer to preserve these moments… forever."

"Not talking to you." Robin told Freeze who immediately realized what Robin meant and turned around just in time to see Batman coming down on top of him. Batman punched through the glass and hit Freeze square in the face.

Meanwhile, in Star City,

Icicle landed on the bridge over the river, created a wall of ice and laughing as the cars around him started to crash. Icicle had blue ice covered skin and white hair and could fire ice from his hands. Arrows suddenly lodged themselves into Icicle's ice wall and his left shoulder. The one in his shoulder exploded causing Icicle to fall into his barrier just as the arrows in the ice wall exploded. He shook his head and looked to see Green Arrow and Speedy standing up on top of the bridge, pointed the arrows at him. "Finally, I was wondering what a guy had to do to get a little attention around here." Icicle said as his arms began to grow in increased size. He then threw shards of ice at the two archers.

"Junior's doing this for attention?" Speedy asked as he and Green Arrow shot their arrows at the incoming projectiles. The arrows destroyed some but not all of the shards forcing the two archers to move and go went to the support area. They ran down it shooting arrows at Icicle as he tried to hit them with his ice shards. "I'm telling you now this little distraction had better not interfere." Speedy said impatiently.

Icicle formed a wall of ice in front of him to block two arrows. The arrows exploded, causing a hole to form but Icicle used the hole to shot ice shards at Speedy. Speedy leapt into the air and did a summersault. Mid-summersault he pulled out an arrow and as he finished the loop he fired it at Icicle. Icicle had no time to react and the arrow hit him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Green Arrow chuckled. "Kid had a glass jaw." He commented as Speedy landed next to him.

"Hilarious. Can we go?" Speedy asked impatiently. "Today's the day."

At that moment at Pearl Harbor,

At the Naval Yard, two of the ships had been frozen over and the sailors on board were also frozen. Fortunately, Aquaman was on the scene and he had the new Aqualad with him. The new Aqualad was fifteen years old, had dark skin, extremely short blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing black boots, pants and a red sleeveless shirt with black tattoos running down and around his arms. He also had a small pack on his back that held two handle like devices over his shoulder. The two were confronting the one responsible for the strange weather: Killer Frost. Aquaman leapt forward only to be blasted by Killer Frost's ice blasts that came from her hands. He was trapped but the new Aqualad leapt over him and charged forward.

Aquaman was easily able to break free from his icy prison. "Don't tell me you're not excited." He commented as he continued forward.

"Right now, my king, I am focused on the matter at hand." Aqualad replied as he dodged Killer Frost's ice blast. He leapt into the air and pulled the weapon handles from off his back along with some water that was stored there as the tattoos on his arms started to glow. The water-bearers formed the water into maces, one for each of the handles.

Killer Frost froze the maces of water but that didn't stop Aqualad as he landed right in front of her. He used the frozen block of ice to clobber Killer Frost in the jaw, breaking the ice and knocking her out at the same time. His tattoos then stopped glowing as he put the handles back on the pack. Aquaman smiled at his partner's good work. "Well?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm excited." Aqualad said with a smile. "Today is the day."

Meanwhile, in Central City,

Captain Cold had just robed a jewelry store only to find himself being circled by the Flash (Barry Allan) and his nephew Kid Flash (Wally West). Cold was firing his freezing gun at the two circling speedsters but kept missing since they were moving too fast. "Stealing ice, seriously, isn't that a little cliché even for Captain Cold?" Flash asked sarcastically.

"Come on we do not have time for this." Kid Flash stated as he pulled his goggles over his eyes. He then broke from his circling and ran straight at Captain Cold.

Cold pointed his gun at Impulse and fired it but young speedster was able to dodge the attack and took the Freeze Gun right from Cold's grip. Cold was stunned for a second and that was all the Flash needed to punch him in the side of his face. The force of the punch knocked Cold out cold. "Calm down, kid." Flash stated.

"Oh please!" Kid Flash complained. "You'll chat up with the cops, the bystanders, Cold even. No! No way!" He then smiled excitedly. "Today's the day!"

Two hours later, at Washington DC,

Robin, Batman, Aqualad, Aquaman, Green Arrow and Speedy all stood in front of the Hall of Justice. "Today's the day." Batman said as he patted Robin on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice…" Green Arrow started.

"…headquarters of the Justice League." Aquaman finished.

"Aw man!" Kid Flash moaned as he and Flash arrived. "I knew we'd be the last ones here." He complained.

The eight heroes made their way towards the entrance of the Hall of Justice as the crowd around them buzzed excitedly. "Is that Batman?" A man asked.

"I see Flash and Flash Jr." A woman said excitedly.

"I think his names Speedy." A man commented.

"Uh, no Speedy is Green Arrow's sidekick." Another male replied.

"That makes no sense." A fourth person said.

"Ready to see the inner sanctum?" Green Arrow asked Speedy.

Speedy smirked. "Born that way." He replied.

Aqualad looked around. "I'm glad we're all here." He said to his friends.

Kid Flash smiled excitedly. "Have all four sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?" He asked.

Speedy scowled at what Kid Flash said. "Don't call us sidekicks." He growled. "Not after today."

Kid Flash flinched a little. "Sorry." He apologized before grinning. "First time at the Hall, I'm a little overwhelmed."

Robin sighed. "You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed, why isn't anyone just whelmed?" He asked before they entered the Hall and found the bronze statues of the seven founding members of the Justice League (from left to right): Aquaman (King Orin), Flash (Barry Allen), Batman (Bruce Wayne), Superman (Clark Kent), Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz). "Oh, maybe that's why." Robin said in awe.

Underneath the center statue (Superman) was a large door that had the words 'Authorized Personnel Only' on it. The group stopped in front of the door which soon opened to reveal the Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), and Red Tornado waiting for them. "Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, welcome." J'onn said calmly. He then led them into the library as Robin and Kid Flash pounded fists. "You now have unlimited access to our gym, our fully stocked galley and of course our library." The library was filled with books and had a high-tech computer in it.

"Make yourselves at home." Flash said with a smile as he spread his arms out in a gesture to the room.

Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin all sat down in the different sofas and comfy chairs but Speedy seemed upset about something. "Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of four ice villains attacking on the same day." Batman told the younger heroes. "We shouldn't take long." He and the others then walked up to a door in the back of the library with 'Justice League Members Only' on it that had a scanner over it.

The scanner then proceeded to scan each member that was present. "Recognize: Batman 02; Aquaman 06; Flash 04; Green Arrow 08; Martian Manhunter 07; Red Tornado 16." The robotic voice stated before opening the door once it had verified each member.

"That's it?" An angry Speedy asked. This got everyone's attention. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Aquaman was the first to recover. "It's a first step." He replied. "You've been granted access that few others get."

"Oh really?" Speedy retorted as he gestured to a glass window where tourists were standing and taking pictures of what was going on. "Who cares which side of the glass we're on?"

Green Arrow stepped forward to try to calm his partner down. "Roy, you just need to be patient." He said calmly.

"What I need is respect!" Speedy growled before turning to his friends who were surprised by Speedy's angry attitude. "They're treating us like kids… worse, like sidekicks! We deserve better than this!" He told them.

Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash all looked at each other trying to get a clue about what Speedy was talking about before looking back at Speedy. "You're kidding, right?" He asked in surprise. "You're playing their game? Why? Because you think they play fair? Today was supposed to be thee day!" He emphasized his point by slamming the back of his right hand into his left palm. "Step one of become full-fledged members of the League!" Speedy argued.

The others looked at each other. "Well… sure, but I thought step one was a tour of the HQ." Kid Flash replied nervously.

"Except the hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Speedy informed his friends, shocking all three of them. "I bet they never told you that it was a false front to attract tourists and a pit stop for catching Zeta-Beam Teleporter Tubes to the real thing: an orbiting satellite called The Watchtower!"

This information shocked the three other young heroes while Green Arrow turned to face Batman who folded his arms in front of his chest, not at all pleased the Green Arrow had told Speedy that little secret. "I know, I know, but I thought maybe we could make an exception." Green Arrow explained with a nerve smile, hoping that Batman would agree.

Batman narrowed his eyes in response.

Green Arrow sighed in defeat. "Or not…"

Aquaman finally had enough and tried to calm things down. "You are not helping your cause here, son." He said sternly. "Stand down or…"

Aquaman didn't get to finish when Roy interrupted him. "Or what? You'll send me to my room?" He asked angrily. "And I'm not your son!" He then looked at Green Arrow. "I'm not even his! I thought I was his partner but…" He reached up to his hat. "Not anymore." He threw down his hat in disgust, no longer wanting anything to do with Green Arrow or the Justice League.

This action shocked the other three. Yeah, they were disappointed at not being filled in about everything but Speedy seemed to be taking this way too personally. Speedy then stormed out but not before looking at his friends. "I guess they're right about you three." He said as he walked past them and they jumped to their feet. "You're not ready." They all watched as Speedy left the room and the Hall of Justice all together.

Just then, the computer started beeping as a communication started coming in. Superman appeared on the screen. "Superman to Justice League." He said calmly but urgently. "There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus. It's on fire." He informed them.

The League members all walked over to the computer. "I've had my suspicions about Cadmus." Batman told the group. "This may present the perfect opportunity to-" he was interrupted as another communication came in.

Another person appeared on the computer screen in a smaller box. "Zatara to Justice League," the magician said urgently. "The Sorcerer Waton is using the Amulet of Atem to block out the sun. Requesting full League response!"

Batman looked at Superman. "Superman?" He asked.

"It's a small fire, local authorities have it under control." Superman replied.

Batman sighed internally. "Then Cadmus can wait." He said before pushing a button on the computer terminal. "All Leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's location. Batman out." He ordered.

Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash all stepped up to the older heroes, excepting to be given orders for the mission. "Stay put." Batman told them, surprising them.

"What? Why?" Robin asked in surprise.

Aquaman and Flash joined Batman. "This is a League mission." Aquaman told them.

"You're not trained-" Flash started.

"Since when?" Kid Flash interrupted.

"I meant you're not trained to work as a part of this team." Flash continued, gesturing to the Justice League members.

"There will be other missions when you're ready." Aquaman assured them.

"But for not, stay put!" Batman ordered them.

"Glad you didn't bring you-know-who?" Green Arrow asked the Martian Manhunter with a whisper as the Justice League members started to leave.

"Indeed." J'onn stated. The Leaguers went through the other door that was for them only with Red Tornado being the last one before the door closed behind him.

Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash could only stare at the closed door in disbelief for a few seconds before Kid Flash spoke up. "Tch, when we're ready?" He asked in annoyance. "How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like… like… sidekicks?" He could barely say the last word.

"My mentor, my king, I thought he trusted me but now…" Aqualad said sadly.

"Trust?" Kid Flash asked. "They don't even trust us with the basics! They've got a secret HQ IN SPACE!" He exclaimed.

"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad wondered.

Robin sighed. "I have a better question, why didn't we leave with Speedy?" He asked the others but neither had an answer for him.

After a few moments of silence, something else got Aqualad's attention. "What is…Project Cadmus?" He asked Robin.

"I don't know." The Boy Wonder replied before grinning. "But I can find out." He then went over to the computer terminal and tried to pull up the Justice League information on Project Cadmus.

"Access denied." The computer said.

"Heh, wanna bet?" Robin asked before he began hacking into the Justice League computer.

"Whoa, how are you doing that?" Kid Flash asked in amazement.

"Same system as the Batcave." Robin replied with a grin as he finished hacking in.

"Access granted." The computer stated as all the information on Project Cadmus was pulled up on the screen.

"Alright, Project Cadmus, genetics lab here in DC." Robin read off. "That's all there is. But if Batman's suspicious maybe we should investigate?" He suggested to his friends.

"Solve their case before them?" Aqualad asked before grinning at the thought. "It would be poetic justice."

"Hey, they're all about justice." Robin chuckled with a grin.

Aqualad sighed. "But they told us to stay put."

"They only told us stay put for the blocking out the sun mission, not this." Robin argued.

"Wait." Kid Flash said. "A-Are you going to Cadmus, because if you're going, I'm going." He was excited about the possibility of having something interesting to do.

Robin and Kid Flash then turned and smiled at Aqualad. "Just like that, we're a team on a mission?" He asked.

"We didn't come for a play date." Robin replied to which Aqualad grinned.

Over at Project Cadmus,

The fire department was starting to get the fire under control but there were people trapped in the building. An explosion in the building forced two of the scientists to fall out of the window they were by. Luckily, Kid Flash raced up the side of the building and caught them. He got them to the roof before losing his footing and started to fall, only to catch himself on the open window. "Look, it's… what his name…Flash Boy!" One of the firemen said.

"It's Kid Flash!" Kid Flash shouted down at the firefighter. "Why is that so hard to remember?"

Robin and Aqualad arrived shortly after that behind the fire trucks. "So smooth." Robin chuckled.

"Does he always have to run ahead?" Aqualad asked in annoyance as he watched Kid Flash. "We need a plan." He looked to where Robin was only to see that Robin was no longer there. "Robin?" He then heard Robin's chuckling and turned to see him run up part of the ladder on a fire engine and then use his grappling hook to swing up to the window the Kid Flash was currently hanging onto. Robin helped Kid Flash up and the two went inside the building. Aqualad sighed in annoyance.

Aqualad ran up to one of the firefighters who was using a hose to put out the fire. "I'm going to need to borrow that." He said as he pulled the handled form his back and his tattoos started glowing. He controlled the water, turned it into a platform and used it to lift himself into the air. He came to a stop in front of the scientists. "Climb aboard, now." He said sternly.

The scientists did as they were told. Aqualad stopped at the window the others had gone in through and got off. He then directed the water platform to take the scientists down to the ground where they were taken by the paramedics. He then went inside to join the others.

"Thanks for the help, you two." Aqualad said in annoyance to Robin and Kid Flash as he joined them.

"Hey, you handled it." Robin countered before going back to the computer he was trying to hack and Kid Flash looked over some documents he found in a filing cabinet. "Besides we're here to investigate."

Aqualad decided to walk around to see what he could find. He stopped when he heard an elevator bing and turned to see an elevator door closing. There was a creature inside it with horns coming out of its forehead. "There saw something in the elevator." Aqualad replied as he pointed to the elevator.

"The elevators should be locked down." Kid Flash commented as he and Robin joined Aqualad.

Robin ran past Aqualad and went to the elevator. He tried pushing the down button to see what would happen but when nothing happened he got suspicious. "This is wrong." He commented as he activated a holographic computer on his left hand gauntlet and looked over the information he had hacked from the other computer. "I thought so… This is a high speed express elevator. It doesn't belong on a two story building." He told the others.

"Neither does what I saw." Aqualad agreed before walking up to the elevator doors. He then forced the doors open. They all looked down and couldn't even see the bottom. "That's why they have an express elevator." Robin commented before pulling out a grappling hook and fired it at the ceiling inside the elevator shaft. He then jumped down the shaft, using the grappling hook to lower himself down at a steady speed. The others then jumped onto the cable and slid down it. Robin came to a stop at Sub-Level 26. "I'm at the end of my rope." He commented before swinging to the ledge by the elevator door.

Aqualad came down after, jumped over to the ledge and helped Kid Flash over to the ledge as Robin began hacking into the security system. "By passing security…" Robin said as he worked. "There, go!"

Aqualad then forced the doors open. The three walked out into the area which was very large. "Welcome to Project Cadmus." Robin said to his partners.

Kid Flash then took off into the area. "Kid, wait!" Aqualad said urgently, not yelling to avoid being heard by others.

Kid Flash ignored Aqualad as he ran only to suddenly come to a screeching halt as he was nearly tramped by giant creatures with tusks coming from their mouths. Fortunately, he was fast enough to get away from them safely. The others had caught up and were looking at the giant creatures. "No, nothing strange going on here," Aqualad said sarcastically.

One the head of one of the giant creatures, a much smaller creature with small horns on its head was riding on the larger creature's head saw the three young heroes. The tiny horns on the tiny creature's head began to glow red. The three young heroes watched as the creatures walked down the hallway, completely ignoring them.

Meanwhile, in one of the Laboratories,

A scientist was working on combining the correct amount of chemicals into a formula for something called Project Blockbuster. The scientist had light skin, long brown hair with gray around the temples, and wore glasses over his brown eyes. The door to the lab then beeped alerting the scientist that someone was there to see him. The door opened to reveal Guardian and he had one of the tiny creatures from before on his shoulder. "Dr. Desmond." Guardian stated.

"Tell me, Guardian, what part of no interruptions did you not understand?" Dr. Mark Desmond asked arrogantly as he put the formula into a storage unit where other completed versions of the same formula were stored. "If you're here to tell me what caused the explosion on the street level facility, it can wait."

"I apologize, doctor, and I'm still waiting for the firefighters to finish cleaning up before I begin my investigation." Guardian stated. "However, a G-Gnome reported that it spotted several intruders on Sub-Level 26."

Dr. Desmond sighed. "Did I miss a perimeter breach alert?" He asked sarcastically.

"No…" Guardian replied as he raised an eyebrow.

"Then the G-Gnome is confused." Dr. Desmond stated. "No matter what happens in the fake lab above ground that everyone can see, the real Project Cadmus is the most secure facility in this city."

"And it's my job to keep it that way." Guardian stated matter-of-factly.

"Alright take a squad and investigate." Dr. Desmond groaned eager to get back to his work.

The being from the elevator then joined Guardian and Dr. Desmond. "Might I suggest that Guardian leave his G-Gnome behind, if violence should break out…" The creature said.

"Then the little guy would just be in my way." Guardian said.

"No, the advantage of instant telepathic contact with one another far outweighs any other concerns." Dr. Desmond argued. He then scratched the chin of the G-Gnome, next to his computer.

Once the doctor was done, the G-Gnome's tiny horns began to glow red. A moment later and the G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder also had its horns glowing as well. Guardian's eyes widened briefly. "I need my G-Gnome with me at all times." He said in a way that sounded like he was in a trance. He then bowed to Dr. Desmond before leaving. The creature assistant watched as Guardian left as Dr. Desmond returned to his work on Project Blockbuster.

Meanwhile, on Sub-Level 26,

Robin hacked into a sealed door as Aqualad and Kid Flash kept a look out. The door opened and Robin was shocked by what he had found. Inside the room they found strange electrical creatures inside large glass jars, feeing their energy into a generator of some sort. "Okay, I am officially whelmed here." Robin said as he stared at the creatures wide-eyed.

"This is how they are able to hide this massive underground base from the rest of the world." Kid Flash said as they entered the room to look around. "The real Cadmus isn't on the grid. It generates its own power with these… things. Must be what they're bred for."

"Of course, even the name of the place is a clue." Aqualad stated. "The Cadmus of myth once grew a new race of being by sowing dragon's teeth in the ground."

"This Cadmus creates new life too." Robin said as he went over to the computer terminal and connected his wrist computer to it. "Let's find out why." He started to hack into the computer's databanks. "They call them Genomorphs." He looked over the info. "Holy shit, look the stats on these things! Super strength, telepathy, razor claw! These are living weapons!"

"They're creating an army." Kid Flash said. "But for who?"

"Wait there's something else here." Robin said as he pulled up another section of information. "Project X…ugh the file's triple encrypted. I can't-"

"DON'T MOVE!" A new voice shouted at the three heroes.

They turned to see Guardian had arrived with five Genomorphs. "Wait, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash?" He asked in confusion as he recognized each other the young heroes.

"At least he got your name right." Robin told Kid Flash before he went back to downloading all the information he could from Cadmus's files.

Aqualad recognized Guardian. "I know you, Guardian, a hero."

"I do my best." Guardian replied proudly.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kid Flash asked.

"I think that's my question boys." Guardian replied. "I'm chief of security and you're trespassing. But we can call the Justice League. Figure this out."

Robin finished his download while Kid Flash decided to try and get some straight answers. "You really think the League is going approve of you breeding weapons?" He asked angrily.

That caught Guardian by surprise. "Weapons? What are you…?" The G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder had its horns begin to glow. "What have I…?" Guardian then grabbed his head and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. "Uh, my head…" His eyes then snapped open and he glared at the young heroes. "Take 'em down hard! No mercy!" He ordered.

The Genomorphs rushed forward to attack the three heroes but Robin reacted quickly by throwing a smoke pellet in front of them to prove cover. He then used his grappling hook to go over the enemy and took off while Kid Flash and Aqualad fought the creatures and Guardian. Kid Flash was able to take out the creatures using his speed while Aqualad used his electrical powers to stun Guardian. The two took off after Robin and soon found him at the express elevator, trying to hack into it.

Kid Flash reached Robin first. "Way to be a team player, Rob!" He said sarcastically.

"Weren't you right behind me?" Robin asked as he finished hacking in.

The door open and the two rushed inside. Aqualad had to dive into the elevator to keep from being left behind but managed to make it just in time. Kid Flash and Aqualad soon realized that they were heading further down. "We're heading down?" Aqualad asked Robin.

"Dude, out is up." Kid Flash reminded Robin.

Robin however had other ideas. "Excuse me, Project X it's down on Sub-Level 52." He explained.

Aqualad stepped in front of the others and rubbed the back of his neck. "This is out of control." He sighed. "Perhaps…" He looked at his friends. "Perhaps we should contact the League." He suggested.

Before the others could reply, the elevator beeped as they had reached Sub-Level 52. The elevator door then opened. Robin then rushed out into the area. "We are already here." Kid Flash commented before following Robin. Aqualad sighed as he followed the other two.

They made their way deeper into the level until they came to two tunnels. "Which way?" Aqualad asked Robin.

"Yeah, bizarre looking hallway one or bizarre looking hallway two." Robin commented.

"Hold!" They heard a voice shout from hallway one. They looked to see the creature, Dubbilex, that Aqualad had notice earlier step in the path. His horns began to glow as he raised his left hand and two barrels floated into the air. The barrels then flew at the three heroes, who ducked out of the way. Robin threw one of his wing-dings at Dubbilex but he stopped it with his telekinesis.

The heroes ran down hallway two as the creature telepathically threw more canisters at them. Guardian and his squad then exited the elevator. "They're heading for Project X." Dubbilex informed Guardian, who immediately headed towards that area.

The door to Project X opened as a female scientist was coming out after finishing her rounds. Kid Flash then came zipping into view and didn't have enough time to stop, so he skidded on the ground and took the lady's legs out from under her. He saw the door had Project X written on it and that the doors were closing, so he used a canister to keep the doors open long enough for Robin and Aqualad to get in. "Hurry!" He told them.

The three entered the lab with Aqualad looking behind them to see that Guardian had almost caught up. He kicked the canister free and the door slammed shut before any Genomorphs could get in. Robin then hacked the system to make sure that they were safe. "I've disabled the door." He told Aqualad. "We're safe."

Aqualad looked around and saw the truth. "We're trapped."

Kid Flash standing by the control console to Project X and called to his buddies. "Uh, guys, you may want to see this." He told them as he pushed a button and the lights turned on.

All three were wide-eyed when they saw what Project X was. Inside a glass cell was young man about 17 or 18 years old with messy black hair that was shoulder length in a mullet. He had a lean build where it seemed to be on par with a martial artists or Olympic athlete and was wearing what appeared to be wearing an all black solar suit (like the one superman wore in Superman Doomsday when he fought his clone) with a silver X on the chest and fingerless gloves and had a slightly tan complexion as well as an angular face that was derived of baby fat was. He appeared to be in a hibernation cycle of some kind as he wasn't moving and there were three capsules over him with G-Gnomes in them.

"Whoa." Kid Flash said while the others remained silent in surprise at finding another teenager.

"Robin, hack." Aqualad told the Boy Wonder, snapping the others out of the dazed state.

"Huh, oh right." Robin said as he jacked into the control consul and pulled up all the information on Project X. Kid Flash walked around the computer desk to get a closer look at the teenager in the glass case.

After a few minutes, Robin had gotten all the data. "Alright, Project X… According to this he was created by Project Cadmus about 6 years ago with the ability to regenerate at a superhuman level before-" Robin's eyes widened in disbelief and the words were stuck in his throat.

"What is it?" Aqualad asked the Boy Wonder while Kid Flash rushed over next to them.

Robin finally found his voice again. "I don't believe this!" He hissed angrily. "He has been infused with the DNA abilities of certain members of the Justice League, as well as other heroes and several Supervillains."

List: Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain Atom, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, Black Canary, Zatara, Green Lantern aka John Stewart, Aquaman, Black Lightning, Brainiac, Darkseid and several others. There was even the listing of some creature called Doomsday, whatever that was.

This information shocked the other two heroes. "Say what? Something like this shouldn't even be possible." Kid Flash told his friends.

"Unfortunately is wasn't and Cadmus somehow managed to get their hands on samples of the Leagues' DNA right under their noses." Kaldur stated with a frown. "Now, we call in the League."

Robin nodded and tried to use the communicator in his wrist mounted computer but all he got was static. "Uh, we're either too far underground or they're jamming us." He told the others. "Looks like we're on our own."

"So what should we do now?" Kid Flash asked nervously.

Robin's eyes widened again as he continued reading about Project X. "Wait a second, it says here that they can only train him in a simulator because he seems to have a tendency for trying to escape." He informed the others. "Apparently, he seems to have developed his own individual identity even though they tried to breed him as the puppet."

"I must have been a side effect of J'onn's DNA or one of the others who have strong wills." Aqualad suggested before he looked down, thinking of what to do. He then came up with an idea. "Can you get him out of there?" He asked Robin, who caught on, smirked and nodded before he got to work trying to free Project X.

Meanwhile, outside the door,

Dr. Desmond had just joined Guardian, Dubbilex and the female doctor as they were trying to get the doors open. "We can't activate the door." The female doctor informed the group. "Someone has locked us out."

"My guess is it was Robin." Guardian stated, having come across the Boy Wonder before. "He's very good at things like that."

Dr. Desmond growled in frustration. "Then get some G-Trolls down here and muscle the door open!" He ordered. "We can't let them tamper with the weapon!" He looked at the G-Gnome on his shoulder. "Contact the G-Gnomes inside. Have them activate the weapon and have it deal with those three intruders or the board will have my head." He ordered with a hint of fear in his voice at the end of his statement.

Inside Project X,

Robin used his computer to open the glass pod to free Project X. As he worked he explained that the tiny creatures over Project X were called Genomorph Gnomes that were telepathic and force-feeding him an education. When the pod opened they saw him flex his hand and form a fist. They could hear his knuckles pop several times from this action. Aqualad narrowed his eyes when he saw the G-Gnomes horns glow red and Project X's eyes snapped open, revealing two deep blue eyes and in his line of sight were the sidekicks. They all just stared at each other for a moment before the three sidekicks heard a voice say, 'I'm sorry,' in their minds.

Then, without warning, X lunged at Aqualad, surprising the others as he went past them and slammed Aquaman's protégé into the wall. Aqualad struggled to get X off of him but said black hair teen was too strong. X pulled his right fist back and was going to slam it into the dark skinned Atlantean's skull but was stopped by Robin and Kid Flash.

"Hey, cool it man, we're trying to help you." Robin tried to explain as the two other sidekicks tried to pull Project X off of their comrade but X's arm slipped out of Kid Flash's grip and gave the speedster a solid uppercut to the jaw, sending him flying through a glass tank, knocking him out cold. Robin pulled out a gas pellet. "Don't make me do this." He tried again but was ignored so he slammed the pellet into the artificial human's face, making X back up and clutch his throat. This action caused X to loosen his grip on Aqualad, who took this opportunity to slam his foot into the dark haired teen's face, sending him flying into the computers and hitting the ground hard. Robin pulled a taser out of his utility belt as Project X got back up to his feet, slightly coughing. Two cables shot out of the taser and hit X square in the chest, releasing a high voltage of electricity into his body.

The electricity had no effect on X as he simply grabbed the two cables and used his super strength to pull Robin towards him. He grabbed the Boy Wonder by the throat and slammed him to the metal floor. Before Robin could get back up, X slammed his foot down on his chest in order to knock the wind out of him. Aqualad pulled one of his water controllers out of his backpack and water formed a sledge hammer before leaping towards X.

"Enough!" The Atlantean roared as he swung at Project X. X looked up just in time to be struck by the hammer. He crashed into the glass case he had been trapped in and hit the ground. Aqualad helped a wheezing Robin get onto his feet only for Robin to promptly collapsed onto his back and pass out. Kaldur looked to see the black hair teen approaching them with his sights set on Aqualad, who stood up in response. "Wait please! We're only trying to help you!" Aqualad tried again to reason with Project X.

X stopped in his tracks as Kaldur said that and smirked. "I know." He replied, making Aqualad blink in surprise as it was the same voice that the three sidekicks had heard in their heads earlier. X appeared in front of Aqualad, using the super speed he had acquired from Flash, and proceeded to hit him with a series of quick jabs to the face, chest and torso. He then grabbed Aqualad's shoulders and slammed his knee into the Atlantean teen's stomach, making him gasp out. X pulled Aqualad into a powerful bear hug. "But you three need it more than I do." He said as electricity erupted from his body, lighting up the area and shocking Aqualad at the same time.

"AAAAHHHH!" Aqualad cried out in pain as the electricity coursed through his body until it died down and darkness overtook him as he fell to the ground.

Project X looked around and saw what he was wearing. "I really hate when they put me in this stupid spandex." He grumbled in annoyance. He then felt a tug on his mind, so he turned his head to see the G-Gnomes trying to break into his mind again. "I don't think so." X narrowed his eyes at the bio creatures, causing his eyes to glow red and release a beam of concentrated energy (the Omega Beam) at the pod. The pod exploded with only a scorch mark remaining behind. "Sorry for having to kill you but I'm done being a mindless puppet." He commented before walking over to the unconscious sidekicks. He placed Aqualad over his shoulder with Kid Flash and Robin under his left arm and walked towards the door vault.

Meanwhile outside the room,

Guardian and the G-Trolls were trying to force the door open, only for it to be ripped off its hinges and sent flying through the tunnel. This action shocked the group until they saw Project X walking out the doorway with the three young vigilantes in his arms. Dr. Desmond smirked and was about to order him to finish them off when X narrowed his eyes dangerously at the scientist, freezing him in his tracks as the black haired young man's eyes glowed red. Suddenly, Dr. Desmond, along with Guardian, the female scientist and the bio creatures, were sent flying backwards. They crashed into the walls, slumping down to the ground while X walked past their unconscious forms.

"Enjoy your nap, bastards." X growled as he approached the elevator and entered it. A few minutes later, he exited the elevator and found that he was on level 14. "If I remember correctly this is the level where they store the main computer system." He said to himself as he walked down the vacant hallway. He eventually came to a room and mentally opened the doors. Once inside, he mentally closed the doors and gently set the three young heroes down.

X lightly kicked Aqualad in the side, making the Atlantean groan and regain consciousness before going over to the computer and hacking in. Aqualad sat up and saw his still unconscious comrades on the floor next to him while X was working at a computer. "Wh-where are we?" Kaldur asked as X finished what he was doing and pulled a flash drive out of the computer.

X went over the Aqualad and pulled him to his feet. "We're on level 14 of the Cadmus building." X explained. "Sorry for smacking you around like that but it was the only option I had at the time." Kaldur nodded in acceptance as Kid Flash and Robin began to wake up as well.

"Oh man, did anyone get the name of that freight train that hit me?" Kid Flash groaned as he shook the cobwebs from his head.

X smiled sheepishly. "Again, I'm sorry but you're lucky that I've gone through so much training to control my powers otherwise I could've knocked your head off."

"And I am thankful for that." Kid Flash muttered as he and Robin got to their feet.

Robin was about to go to the computer but X stopped him. "Don't both, I've already downloaded everything about the real Project Cadmus onto this flash drive." He said holding up the flash drive. "It has everything about me as well. But we need to hurry if we want to get out of here before more of Cadmus's forces come after us."

The others agreed and they all headed up towards the exit. As they got to the top floor they found Dr. Mark Desmond standing in their way, holding a vial that contained some sort of blue substance. "No one will be leaving out of here alive because Project Blockbuster will give me the power I need to restore order to Cadmus." The scientist then drank the substance before collapsing to his knees and morphing into a grey bulky creature with red eyes with his original skin hanging loosely from different parts of his. Blockbuster roared at the four teens.

X pulled out the flash drive and tossed it to Robin. "Hold on to that for me and keep it safe." He ordered before he rushed Blockbuster and slammed the creature into one of the pillars, reducing it to rubble, shaking the entire building. The three sidekicks heard the sounds of fists hitting flesh and then a black blur came flying out of the shadows, landing on the ground hard, creating a small crater.

X shook off the trauma and his eyes widened when he saw Blockbuster descend from the air with its fists pulled back over his head. X flipped back on his feet and leapt back while Blockbuster slammed his fists down on the area X had previously been at, increasing the size of the small crate. Blockbuster was suddenly slammed in the head with hardened water maces from Aqualad's water-bearers and stumbled backwards. Kid Flash appeared behind Blockbuster and slid forward, knocking the beast off its feet and slamming into another support beam. Robin also decided to get in on the fight, leaping into the air and throwing a couple of Batarangs at Blockbuster, who blocked them with its right arm. He then grabbed Robin by the throat mid air and slammed him into the ground. He brought his fist up into the air and began to bring them down on the Boy Wonder, only for a black blur to pull Robin out of the way before he was squashed.

"Man, that was close, thanks." Robin said gratefully to X who nodded a 'you're welcome'.

X turned his head back to see Aqualad getting punched repeatedly into a wall, causing the room to shake. Kid Flash managed to blindside him and struck Blockbuster in the face, taking the skin off as well. "Got your nose!" Kid Flash teased but Blockbuster just ignored him, so Kid Flash tried again only to get an elbow to the face. Blockbuster was about to smash the Atlantean's skull into the wall but was hit in the back with a powerful blast of yellow energy and was forced to drop Aqualad to the ground.

Blockbuster turned around to see X standing in a fighting stance and make a come on gesture with his hand. Blockbuster snarled at this and rushed towards X with its arm pulled back. Once it was close enough, it swung its massive fist at X who blocked the attack with his left arm. Blockbuster attempted to do a right hook only for X to stop his fist with his palm. The two then got into a struggle of strength with one another. The black haired teen then used the creature that was once Dr. Desmond's arms as a spring to deliver a powerful knee to its chin, making its head jerk back. X then followed up with an aerial kick to Blockbuster's jaw, causing it to crashing headfirst into the ground.

X grabbed Blockbuster by the arm and threw him into the air while his hands were glowing yellow. X then fired an energy beam from his hands which hit Blockbuster in the chest, causing him to hit the ceiling. As Blockbuster began to come back down, X appeared behind him and delivered powerful series of punches and kicks as the descended towards the ground. Just as Blockbuster crashed into the ground, X delivered a final, glowing punch to its jaw, making chucks of the ground shoot up and formed a large crater underneath Blockbuster's body. Once again the entire area shook violently.

"Whoa! Damn, if that didn't take him out then I don't know what will." Kid Flash commented.

Unfortunately, Blockbuster wasn't willing to give up and clinched its fists in anger at it slowly started to get back up. X however, stomped his foot down on Blockbuster's skull. He then leapt into the air and formed a ball of energy in his hand that got bigger as he added more power to it while electricity coursed through the attack. X then slammed by blast of raw power down into Blockbuster's chest. The explosion of power shot through the area, tearing through the ground and completely destroying the remaining support beams.

X leapt out of the crater as a large chunk of the ceiling fell on top of Blockbuster. "I think I may have over done it a little." He commented as he leapt over to the others. "Gather around me, unless you want to be crushed." He ordered the three, who looked at each other and nodded. They gathered around X who created a dome of energy over them as the building collapsed around them.

As the dust was settling, the dome of energy rose up out of the rubble, completely undamaged, before X dissipated the shield. "That was a close one." Robin commented.

"Yeah, thanks for the help um…" Kid Flash started to say but wasn't sure what to call their new friend.

X cracked his neck before looking at the others. "You can call me…Shark Dragon." He replied, thinking of two animals he knew were known for being fierce.

"Well, Shark, thanks for the save back there." Robin said.

Kid Flash chuckled. "Yeah, we would've been pancakes without you."

Shark chuckled but then stopped when he sensed something coming and looked up at the full moon. He saw a man descend from the sky wearing a red and blue costume with a red cape with a diamond shaped symbol with a red S in it on his chest.

"Superman." Kid Flash said as all the members of the Justice League appeared around the demolished building.

The seven founders of the Justice League approached the four teenagers but seemed to be mostly looking at Shark, wondering who he was. "Any idea who the new kid is?" Flash asked Batman who shook his head.

"No, but I'm sure we will be getting an explanation from our protégés." The Dark Knight replied in a calm tone.

It took a couple of minutes but Robin was able to explain to the League how they broke into Cadmus and discovered that they had a secret underground facility that was creating bioengineered weapons. He also explained that Shark aka Project X had been infused with the DNA and powers of several superheroes and villains in order to make him their ultimate weapon. This news shocked the members of the Justice League as they were completely unaware that anyone had managed to get samples of their DNA. After this was all explained, the founders were talking about Shark and his current 'condition' while said black haired teen was leaning up against a nearby wall with his eyes closed. He remained like this until he heard footsteps coming towards him and opened his eyes to see Superman approaching him while Batman was berating the other three on their actions involving Cadmus.

"I take it you're the Man of Steel, Superman, right?" Shark asked the last Kryptonian whose eyes widened in surprise causing a small smile to form on Shark's lips. "I was implanted with memories and information on the outside world during my 'conditioning'." He explained as he quoted with his fingers, receiving a nod of understanding from Superman. "So where do we go from here?" X asked.

Superman sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "We're currently trying to figure that out… the League I mean… With you having powers of certain members as well as ones from our enemies, we're sort stuck at a standstill on what to do with you but we're not going to lock you up or anything like that seeing as you helped the others get out of Cadmus and provided us with information on everything Cadmus had been working on." Superman explained. "Plus we want to make sure that you are capable of using your powers correctly." He gestured to the trashed building while Shark looked sheepish.

"Heh, yeah, sorry about the building but being held in there and being poked, probed and being experimented on for the last five years would more than likely make even someone like you throw a bit of a tantrum." Shark reasoned and Superman had to agree that Shark had a very good point. "But I promise you that this was a onetime thing. Part of my training here was to have complete control over my emotions. Trust me; this little scene won't happen again, I promise." He assured Superman, who looked at him for a moment before he smiled as well.

"Call me strange but I believe you." Superman told Shark. "But just in case, if you need any assistance in handling your abilities like my strength for example, let me know." He then patted Shark on the shoulder before handing him a communicator and then taking off into the sky.

Shark then walked over to where Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad were standing while Batman approached him. The two stopped when they were standing side-by-side, facing the opposite directions. "I take it your protégés want to become more independent, correct?" Shark asked Batman, who nodded. "And they want me to be a part of this new team that you're putting together?" The Dark Knight once again nodded. Shark smirked. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do. They have potential especially if they were able to break into a place like Cadmus and find me in there but they're gonna need someone who has experience similar to that of the League to help them out especially with their teamwork."

Batman looked directly at Shark and raised an eyebrow, asking Shark to explain. Shark smiled. "Cadmus was doing more than just training me to be their weapon. They wanted me to be able to lead their forces against their enemy so I was placed in a very realistic simulation since I was young where I learned that the dynamics of teamwork could mean the difference between victory and defeat." He explained.

"Just how realistic was this simulator?" Batman asked curiously.

Shark frowned. "Any injury I sustained in the simulator really happened to my body." He replied.

"I see. Judging from your eyes, I can tell that you have the knowledge and experience of a leader who has fought in many battles and would be the perfect one to lead this team." Batman said calmly. "So are you in?"

Shark grinned at the Dark Knight.

July 8, at Mount Justice,

Inside the original headquarters of the Justice League, the League members were getting the equipment reinstalled and hooked up for the new occupants. Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and X were all wearing different outfits. Robin was wearing an orange and brown hooded shirt, blue jeans and sunglasses over his eyes to conceal his secret identity. Kid Flash was wearing a short sleeve blue shirt with a long sleeve white shirt underneath, blue jeans and red tennis shoes. Aqualad was wearing a blue and black jacket with a high collar to hide his gills, black pants and black sandals. Shark, now going by the codename Red X, was wearing a black t-shirt with a red X across the chest, blue jeans, black combat boots, as black fingerless gloves on his hands. Shark had also cut his hair so that it was much shorter. He was also wearing a black duster jacket over his clothes with the front open that was made from a very rare but extremely durable material.

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League." Batman informed the teenagers as he walked in front of them. "We're calling it into service again. Since you four are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on league terms." He stopped and faced the teenagers. "Red Tornado has volunteered to live here and act as your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

"Real mission?" Robin asked.

"Yes but covert." Batman replied calmly.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff." Flash explained. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." He tapped the symbol on his chest.

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter." Aquaman added. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."

"The six of you will be that team." Batman finished calmly.

"Cool… wait, six?" Robin asked in surprise.

Red X smirked as he looked behind him while Batman did the same. The others looked to see Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter walking out of the shadow with two females that appeared to be close to Shark's age.

The first one had green skin like J'onn did as well as auburn eyes and shoulder-length red hair as well as had freckles on her cheeks. Her primary outfit consists of a short-sleeved white top with a red X on it, along with a blue skirt, cape, gloves, and ankle high boots.

The other girl was like a teenage version of Wonder Woman having the same smooth shoulder length black hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, wearing a pair of star earrings on her ears. She wore and all red skin tight sleeveless suit with gold stars going down the sides and also had a gold belt with a W on the buckle as well as knee high black boot and silver gauntlets on her arms with a golden lasso on the belt.

"This is Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian, and Wonder Woman's younger sister, Wonder Girl." Batman explained. "They will be your new teammates."

"Hi, my name's M'gann M'orzz or you can just call me the English translation, Megan Morse." Miss Martian said shyly.

"Greetings, you can call me Donna Troy, the youngest Amazon warrior on Themyscira." Wonder Girl informed the males.

The group took turns introducing themselves with Wally trying to act like Mister smooth while Red X was the one who caught both girls' attention. Megan's shirt and cape shifted to match Shark's and she smiled brightly at him. "I like your outfit." She commented.

"I'll say, especially the coat." Donna commented. "It would be easy for you to hide your weapons from the enemy in it."

Shark's training had prepared him for many things but dealing with girls was not one of them. He smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head as a blush formed on his face. Robin and Kid Flash snickered at the scene. "Looks like the newbie, can't even respond to two girls." KF stated as Donna asked if Shark could get her a customized version of his jacket in her size.

Meanwhile, at an unknown location,

The Cadmus Board of Directors watched as Guardian informed Dr. Spence, the female scientist from earlier, and Dubbilex that he had been place in charge of Project Cadmus and decreed that Cadmus would no longer be creating weapons or using G-Gnomes to control people's minds. "This is a kinder gentler Cadmus." Guardian finished.

"Then of course, I will help in any way I can, brother." Dubbilex stated calmly. The screen showing this meeting then went black.

The seven directors of Cadmus all had their faces distorted with white light to make sure that no one accidentally discovered them. They were also given codenames of L-1 thru L-7. "Can the Light afford to leave Guardian in charge without the G-Gnomes?" One of the members asked.

"We have subtler means of control." Another member replied. "What concerns me…is the children." An image of Red X, Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash running through Cadmus appeared on a screen. "We now know that the League is going to be employing these young heroes to do their dirty work. That's a dark twist."

"Yes but one that can be played to our advantage." Another member said calmly. "Even the temporary lose of the weapon, could prove to be useful. Eventually, everyone sees the light."

To Be Continued…