Young Justice: The Mimic Contingency (A Young Justice Fanfic)

Super-Rage!! (Updated)

CAPE CANAVERAL - August 22nd

12:07PM 

The sight of the Team caused a momentary break in Desmond's concentration, their abrupt arrival catching him off guard. But as his amused smile widened, his composure steadied.
The seven of them stood there, the lifting night breeze heralding the escalating tension and mixed feelings between them:
Zatanna and Artemis' gazes looked upon their former friend with horror. How was it that Desmond had saved their lives on missions, only to ruin them right now?
Kid Flash and Superboy's gazes bore nothing but livid contempt. They were the closest to the family of Desmond's victims and after witnessing such misery, there was no way they were let him walk away unscathed.
Aqualad, ever the stoic, simply stood there and assessed the situation with his cold, permafrost eyes. If this confrontation was going to escalate any further, he needed to be ready with a strategy.
And finally, Robin and Miss Martian, the two who had lost their closest relatives to Desmond's 'crusade'. Like the other heroes, they had made vows to never take life, but that didn't stop Desmond from noticing a spark of bloodlust in their eyes.
"Never thought I'd see you guys again." Desmond told them, breaking the tense silence.
The Team said nothing, but their hands balling into fists spoke louder than any word.
Hawkwoman's bloodshot eyes widened as she struggled against Desmond's grip. "Wha-What are...you all...do-"
Desmond's hand tightened around her throat, turning the rest of her sentence into unintelligible, choking sounds.
"Not now, sweetie." he told her mockingly. "The kids and I are talking!"
Artemis growled under her breath and stepped forward, nocking an arrow and aiming it straight at Desmond's heart. She knew that such a crude attack wouldn't faze the latter at all, but it gave her some way of focusing her anger.
"Let her and Hawkman go!!"
Desmond wasn't fazed by her threat.
"No can do." he answered curtly. "I need the Nth Metal from their armour."
Robin looked at him with confusion, keeping a firm grip on his Batarang.
"Nth Metal? What do you want with that?"
"Insurance." Desmond told him apathetically. "Storing it away for a rainy day."
The Boy Wonder clenched his teeth and stepped forward, but Zatanna held out her arm in front of him. Her action stopped Robin in his tracks and caught Desmond's eye simultaneously.
"Ask your bookworm friend." Desmond told the Team without taking his eyes off Zatanna. "I'm sure she's familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War?"
Zatanna remained silent.
"Chapter One, The General who wins the battle makes many plans and calculations in his temple before the battle is fought."
He shrugged his free shoulder.
"The Justice League started this war with me and the Light, but made almost no plans at all." he said as he motioned to the broken form behind them. "Look where that got them."
Desmond turned to give the Young Justice a proper view of the body behind him, the sight of it wrenching horrified gasps from them all.
"Hawkman!!" Kid Flash called out. The speedster looked upon the Thanagarian's bludgeoned body for a moment longer before he looked back at Desmond, his teeth grit and hands tightened into fists, as did the rest of the Team.
"You bastard!" he snapped. "You killed him!!"
The Mimic rolled his eyes. "Technically it was gravity that killed him..."
He laughed quietly as Kid Flash bent over, preparing to leap at Desmond while the former was distracted.
But before he could put one foot in front of the other, a green burst of energy shot out from Desmond's hand and wrapped around Hawkwoman, pulling her into his arms.
Kid Flash froze on the spot as Desmond smiled, holding Hawkwoman's chin like she were a doll.
"I don't believe in hostage-taking, Wally." Desmond warned him. "But rush at me like that again..."
His hand slid down to Hawkwoman's throat, his fingers positioned like a predator's teeth.
"...And I'll break her neck."
Kid Flash and the others stared at him, their bodies trembling with rage and indecision. But just as the air became palpable with unease, Desmond's smile suddenly vanished.
"On second thought," he whispered. "Why wait?"
His words froze the hearts of the whole Team. Realizing their meaning, they quickly readied themselves to attack, but it was already too late. Desmond had tightened his grip on Hawkwoman's neck and flicked his wrist sharply, breaking her neck with a sickening crack.
"NO!" Aqualad cried out.
As the heroine's body fell, Desmond tore the Nth Metal armour from her body, scoffing as Hawkwoman's remains hit the ground.
"Four heroes dead..." Desmond said coldly. "Is this all the resistance the Justice League can muster?"
That's when the Team struck.
Each of the sidekicks leapt at Desmond like wild animals, their eyes blazing and their bodies brimming with power. Initially, they had been hesitant to fight him, hoping that somewhere under all that rage and mad power, that their friend was still in there. But after hearing of his campaign against the League and seeing him murder two of their comrades, all love had been lost.
They closed the distance quickly, but Desmond rushed forward and met them halfway. He lifted his leg upwards as they came within reaching distance, slamming his heel into the earth like an axe, splitting the whole hill.
The shockwave blew the Young Justice into the air and sent them bouncing along the ground like scattered ping-pong balls, leaving all but Superboy dazed and uninjured.
The clone leapt at Desmond once more, his fists swatting the air dangerously close to the Mimic's face. This continued for about three seconds before Desmond caught Superboy's arm in a lock and spun him around in the air, slamming him into the ground as Desmond knelt by his ear.
"Red Sun."
And the clone was still. He stopped struggling within Desmond's grip and froze, his limbs rigid and still as a statue.
While Superboy was "unconscious", Desmond's eyes glowed green as he neared Connor's ear again, his gentle words burrowing deep into Connor's mind.
"The Cape Canaveral airbase has been overrun with super-villains, Connor. You need to stop them!"
Superboy's eyes turned a bright jade-green, his body trembling with rage as Desmond helped him back up.
"Go, Superboy!" Desmond ordered. "Save the airbase!"
Connor inclined his head and with a loud cry, he bolted towards the airbase.
Hearing Connor's roars, the rest of the Team began to pull themselves up from the ground, fresh bruises forming on their skin as they saw Desmond scoop up the corpses of Hawkman and Hawkwoman.
"I know you'll want to give them a proper funeral and all that." Desmond said as he threw their bodies and armour into a small Boom Tube behind him. "But I need their bodies to test the Nth Metal properly..."
In the distance, a small explosion went off, followed by alarms and the sounds of planes being torn to pieces.
"Now," Desmond reminded them as he dusted off his hands. "You guys can chase me, where I will probably end up killing you or you can stop Connor, who might have already killed half the airbase.
The whole group looked at Desmond with helpless rage. They could stop Desmond right now and end what he was planning, but even if they could take him down, it would be a long fight. By then, Connor would have already murdered half the airbase and razed it to the ground.
Their decision made, they all began to run towards the airbase, exchanging sinister glares with Desmond.
While the rest of the Team ran mindlessly after Connor, Zatanna paused for a moment, her cyan eyes locking with Desmond's, a gesture that made her fists clench. There was no trace of him within that gaze, only a twisted soldier with her old friend's face.
"What did he do to you?" she asked quietly, tears welling up in her eyes. "What did Savage say to you to make you do this?"
Desmond didn't say anything to her. He simply stood there, staring at her. But this wasn't like any gaze from before, it was a blank, apathetic gaze, as if the sight of her had robbed him of all emotion.
"Maybe he didn't do anything." he said longingly. "Maybe this is how I've always been."
A Boom Tube tore the air open behind him in an explosion of amber light. And with a hum of energy and a single step back, he was gone. 

Superboy has gone on a rampage!
Desmond has escaped with the Nth Metal and killed two more Justice League members!
Can no-one stop him?!
Can the Team stop Superboy in his overpowered state?!
Who will be the next to be killed by Desmond?!

Find out in the next chapter! Be sure to vote f you enjoyed the chapter and comment. comment, COMMENT your feedback and thoughts so far! :D

- Kai-Shiro :D