{Edited: 2017-05-06}

Chapter Two

Preface to Disaster

Five Years Later

August 25

The Watchtower

Five Days Earlier

Third Person's Point of View

Five years had passed since Adrianne had left for her mission in both Rhelasia and Bialya. Before the end of her supposed "year" on the mission, she radioed to Batman telling him that the mission would take her another year or two before she could gather a complete entry of information on the corrupt activity in both of the nations of Bialya and Rhelasia. Despite this, she still messaged often, relaying whatever information she had on hand.

However, after a year, there was no contact from the girl for over four years, leaving a concerned (though he didn't show it) League to figure out where she had been . . . Not to mention Batman as well. One of his wardens was missing. He wasn't just going to let the disappearance of her slide.

The League decided against informing the Cave and its members of her disappearance, making up excuses that she was under deep cover and could not yet return. They didn't want them to shatter, especially since, at the time, Tula had just died and Kaldur betrayed the Team for the Light.

It wasn't long before a package was sent via zeta, containing the dried, bloodied volumes of notes written by Adrianne herself concerning Rhelasia and Bialya.

The League read the volumes, deciphering a few in Morse Code here and there, but otherwise, it was about how Lex Corporations had been funding both Rhelasias, the blue scarab temple, Queen B. and her alliance with the Light, and so forth, but all in great detail. They were great tips in guiding the League towards realizing the complexity of the Reach and the Light's alliance.

In the last volume sent, there was a leather compartment attached to the cover of the last volume of notes. It read:

Batman,

These are all the volumes I Have contained over the course of these years.

I don't Even know when this Letter will reach you . . . However, I have had a

few leads concerning the Light, and will investigate. I'll Probably be back by

this date:

June 20, 2017—To visit Wally, since I did not hear of his death until

just recently.

If I don't come back around by then . . . then I most likely assigned myself

another Mission . . . However, if you're in any dire need for my assistance

at any given time, I will be there. You just need to twist the "pen"

attached to here. It will be rEndered useless after you use it once, but . . .

it will suffice as a pen. I heard that Robin became Nightwing, and a new Robin

has come to take his place. Hahaha, good luck, Jason. I also heard about the

Team's successes against the Reach and how they broke the Light in half . . .

Give them my congratulations. Oh, and the pen thingy . . . it's a recording.

And if I don't come by to wherever your coordinates are without saying

anything within a day, I'm probably dead. I'm kidding. Though that is the

most likely situation. But seriously, I won't die.

Adrianne W.

Upon reading the letter, Batman squinted at the words. Something was wrong. Adrianne disliked incorrect grammar and never sent letters, and, as for a fact, there were capitalized letters scattered here and there . . . And they all spelled . . . "H-E-L-P." Help . . . Was the main message of this letter what this was? Maybe her addiction to Sherlock wasn't much of a bad thing. The letter was torn off after her signature.

"Green Arrow," Batman said monotonously, calling him over to where Batman was.

"What's wrong?" he replied, strolling over to me.

"Read this letter and tell me yourself," the man in black then instructed, handing over the letter carefully.

The archer skimmed the letter, squinting his eyes like his companion had at the randomly placed capitalized letters scattered throughout the letter.

"I thought Adrianne said she never sent letters and hated bad grammar," he raised an eyebrow as he returned the letter back to me.

"Not only that, but the volume of notes are bloodied as well . . ." Batman exhaled a long breath. "The capitalized letters spell "help," which I am not sure if she is the one who sent this letter, someone forced her, or she wrote it like this on purpose."

"Not a word to the Team just yet," I ordered my fellow comrade.

"Alright," he replied. "But they'll have to know eventually . . . especially Robin and Nightwing."

Batman showed no emotion or reflex, but inside, he was reluctant to even mention his ward's disappearance.

~*~*~*~

After a few days had passed and Batman was sure something was suspicious about the letter, he called the "Team" into the main atrium, where he would brief them, and select who was to find . . . the missing Adrianne.

"Team," Batman began in that absolute tone of his. "I believe you all have heard of Adriane, my former ward."

A photo of the missing girl flashed onto the hologram, which, at sight, the eyes of both Nightwing and Robin widened.

"Simply put," he said. "She's missing."

Nightwing's eyes immediately widened—shock plastered across his face. First of all, Adrianne was missing? And Batman didn't even care to inform him first?

A series of murmurs were scattered through the room.

Batman continued, "We have reason to believe her life is endangered, and have gained a few leads as to where she is located." He decided not to tell them of the package or letter.

Aqualad nodded, "What is our game plan?"

"I have decided to send Aqualad, Nightwing, Miss Martian, and Superboy into the Cadmus labs on the border between Rhelasia and Bialya," Batman briefed. "Artemis, Kid Flash, Robin, and Blue Beetle will head to the Scarab Temple and gather as much information about this case and decipher the writings on the walls. Document the relics as necessary. Lagoon Boy, Guardian, and Bumble Bee . . . the lot of you will head into Rhelasia and see if there are any clues into this case . . . You all will be given copies of the evidence we currently have. You will depart after the blood analysis is complete. Any questions?"

The teams then assembled accordingly—each group working on their game plan before departing.

"What about me and Batgirl?" Wonder Girl asked, raising her hand—clearly confused as to why they were give no instructions.

"You two will stay here at the Watchtower, where the League will depart you two on another mission right after we finish collecting all the evidence to this new nemesis Superman has seemed to form . . ." Batman grimaced before dismissing them all for the night.

~*~*~*~

Present

The entire team, aside from both Wonder Girl and Batgirl, were contained in their individual test tubes, chained . . . as Cadmus kept them in their cells.

Nightwing, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy were captured first . . . as they were the first to infiltrate Cadmus, attempting to steal information on their lost comrade within the organization's databases. Not without a tough fight, they were caught by Luthor's and Savage's novel alien technology censors and were subdued.

Second to be captured was the team of Artemis (though technically now Tigress), Kid Flash, Robin, and Blue Beetle, as Queen Bee intercepted their radio transmissions and caught the lot of them off guard with catatonia-inducing gas, knocking out the powerful lot of them within seconds.

Third to be seized was the team of Lagoon Boy, Guardian, and Bumble Bee, who were all captured by Lex Luthor, who had summoned his newly experimented meta-humans. With their enemies' powers so new and unknown, they were also subdued and contained at Cadmus as well.

After the silence of these members for a few days, Batman sent Canary and Green Arrow to the scene, which they found the captured "Team," and were about to liberate them. However, the Brain caught them red-handed, subdued them with the Light's new alien tech as well, and kept them in pods just like the rest of them.

Enhanced Belle Reve collars were upon those with superpowers, so that none could escape with any ease.

After weeks of the two Leaguers missing, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman traveled there themselves to determine what went wrong, but not without a meticulously calculated plan (per Batman). However, like all that was to be, they were also subdued, although Superman did appear to be a formidable opponent . . . it was no match for the Brain's conductivity to mass-produce its new alien catatonic formula.

They were thus contained as well, and when all seemed to take a turn for the worse . . . it didn't.