ᑌᑎᔕTᗴᗩᗪY

Plants

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
~Hurt ~ Johnny Cash~

...October 1, 2010...

Right now, Robin and Kaldur are practice battling. Of course, I'm watching from the sidelines, taking in the amazing sculpture that is Robin.

Conner and Megan walk in with Wolf as the training session ends.

"You know they're a couple, right?" Robin whispers to Kaldur as I walk towards them.

"I believe I knew before they did," Kaldur says.

Artemis and Wally come in from another hallway and the three of us look.

"Do we tell them?" Robin asks.

"It is not our place," Kaldur says.

"So if Zatara is our babysitter of the week, why's he still here?" Wally asks, pointing at Captain Marvel who's standing beside Zatara, eating. "And why's he eating my snacks?"

"Wally, everybody eats your snacks," I admit.

"What?!"

"Recognize: Batman, 02."

"Computer, national news," Batman says, before he's completely there.

A screen appears in the room.

"The initial attack was short-lived, but Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve. And despite the intervention of Superman and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight," the news lady, Cat Grant, reports.

"Should we get out there?" Robin asks.

"No. The League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here. According to your Intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus' blockbuster formula to Kobra," Batman says.

"Who combined it with Bane's venom to create Kobra venom," Wally says.

"Which the brain used to create his animal army," Robin notes.

"And upgrade Wolf," Superboy adds, scratching under Wolf's chin.

And Storm... though she was the original test subject...

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars like the ones at Belle Reve penitentiary," Megan says.

"Batman, is it possible that plant thing's on Kobra venom, too?" Artemis asks.

"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis. Divine cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra venom variant," Batman answers.

"These cannot be coincidences, unrelated criminals are cooperating with one another worldwide," Kaldur says.

Robin pulls up his own screen.

"Exactly. It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of secret society of super villains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning," Batman says.

"You got that right," Robin says, typing on his holographic keyboard. "Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham city, Paris, Star City, Taipei–"

The screens suddenly turn to static.

"Dude," Wally huffs.

"It's not me. Someone's cutting in the satellite signal. All satellite signals," Robin complains.

Joker appears on the screen and he knocks on the glass.  My eyes widen. Papa... So this is what he's been up to lately...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this important announcement from the Injustice League," Joker says, laughing and turning the camera to other villains. The villains include Count Vertigo, Poison Ivy, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Ultra-Humanite, and Wotan.