Part 2 Insect Repelling

The bugs kept coming; they entered the water of the moat. If they had any brains, they would have quickly realized that they were out of their element, instead they streamed into the moat, struggled for a little while, then sunk to the bottom.

“The moat is holding them back for now, but it won't for long I suspect. They do seem pretty determined." Robin analyzed the situation looking over the castle wall. "First things first, let’s scope out that "volcano". Impulse..."

"You want me to check it out?"

"If you wouldn’t mind."

"No, I don’t mind at all."

"Well," said Robin, noting that Impulse hadn’t seemed to move.

"Well what?" said Impulse.
"Well, aren’t you going to check it out?"

"What? I already did, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll check it out again. Nope, same thing, nothing's changed."

"Would you mind telling us what you saw?"

"No Robin, I wouldn’t mind that at all."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"For Hera's sake Impulse, what did you see?” Cassie slapped him on the back of his head.

"You guys ever see that movie "Aliens" where there’s this mother alien that lays eggs that hatch into little aliens."

Cissie shook her head on hearing this, "Great! Now I'm fighting alien giant bugs. Me, Cissie king Jones: ordinary private school student, not a superhero. You want to go to the beach with us, Cissie! It’ll be fun, Cissie! Stop being so cynical, Cissie!"

“There’s one more thing,” interrupted Impulse," you know how from the air, the volcano, or whatever, looked like it had recently erupted because the vegetation around it was destroyed,” he said holding up a stick, it had been chewed of at the end, looking like a piece from a beaver damn. ”Well I think they ate it, all the trees are chopped down and every bit of green, and whatever else, stripped from it, including the bark, and that’s not all. I found this in what looked like droppings.” He held up a piece of a jawbone from some sort of animal.

“So they're omnivores, voracious omnivores. This doesn’t make sense, and it's certainly not natural. Before I thought that the supercycle brought us to this beach to save the whales, now I see that's not the case. We were brought here, to put an end to these giant bugs,” said Robin.

"Put an end to?" jumped in Anita, "Robin, we just saved a couple of creatures that are on the edge of extinction, and now you want obliterate these creatures, when we don’t know anything about them?"

"Ah come off it Anita," interjected Kon. "They’re bugs!"

"Yeah!" Cass motioning to the scratches on her skin, "They tried to rip me to pieces, I say they’re toast."

"The point of the matter is that unless they’re stopped they'll spread, leaving destruction in their wake. They must not be native to the region and alien in origin. Quite alien." Robin intoned.

"You mean to say you’ve never squished a bug before Anita?" said Cissie.

"Oh I have no problem with obliterating them mon, I just felt the need to point out, you know, the irony."

"Oh," they replied it unison.


Just then storm clouds blew overhead, in under a minute, a tremendous downpour occurred. The bugs stopped their assault, dazed by the deluge. They then started to retreat back into the forest, where they had come from, toward their mount.

"Well, they're retreating. What do we do now chief?" asked Kon.

"Well," said Robin, “now that we're no longer on the defensive, we could try a frontal assault.”

"You got it chief,” said Kon as he flew off.

"But I don’t know if that would be such a good idea." continued Robin, "Kon wait! Damn! Wonder Girl back him up, and make sure you put on some of that insect repellant. I’m going to make a break for the cycle, see if I can drive it in here. Cissie cover, me in case of trouble. I'd better hurry it looks like the sun is going to go down soon, and the rain can't last forever." With that, he headed off.

Cissie looked at Impulse questioningly, "I wonder what he meant by that?"

Impulse thought for a moment, "The rain can't last forever, hmm... It could a metaphor meaning that no matter how bad things seem now, that things will change."


“There they are the change rooms, I mean the cycle." thought Robin. He noticed the cycle’s body was shiny and unblemished even where the bugs had smashed into it. "If what I'm thinking is correct we'll need you soon." He called to the cycle, putting his fingers to his lips and whistling. "C’mon boy, hunker down, we're going for a ride." In the next instant the booths retracted under the seats. He hopped into the driver’s seat and sped off toward the castle. "I hope I'm right about this."


"Boy was Rob ever wrong about this,” said Superboy as he gazed at the sight in front of him. He had approached the "volcano" opening, intending on trying to collapse it with his tactile TK. However, as soon as he got close, several of the bug creatures blocked him and in the next moment they were on top of him. He used his power to drive as many as he could away from him. But there were too many of them. They surrounded him, threatening to envelope him. Suddenly he heard from behind him.

"Hey bugs, bug off!"

As if hearing her words, the bugs started to retreat from him, he felt two hands encircled his waist, and begin to pull him upward. "Cassie!" Her face lit up at the mention of her name. He continued, "You smell terrible!"

"Kon," she cried, thrusting him away from her into the air. She looked at the situation below them. "This looks hopeless, there are too many of them."

“Yeah Cassie, you're right. What a stupid plan that was. "Try a frontal assault", I mean, he's supposed to be the brains of this outfit, right?"

"Actually Kon, I think he's got a better plan." Cass responded, as they flew off back toward the castle.


"You got to be kidding me! Wait till nightfall! When, according to you, they’re going to attack us. All at once! That's your better plan!"

"Once this rain stops, they're going to be back and in even greater numbers, and if I'm right, come nightfall, every single one of those bugs from the mount, are going to awaken, and attack." Robin responded calmly.

"And you figured this out how? I mean these things are from an another world for all we know right? We don’t know anything about these creatures. Just what makes you think you're right?" Kon asked.

"The rain's stopping.” noted Anita.

"Look they’re back!” added Impulse.

"And in even greater numbers!” chimed in Cassie.

“Get to the towers to defend the castle!” Robin called out, as he headed off.

"Man, how does he do that? He must really be smart,” said Kon, his eyes wide in wonderment.

"Or lucky.” added Anita, as they headed off to the towers.

Impulse turned to Cassie, "Look, I dunno about this, I mean, even so they’re bugs, I still feel bad about killin' em." He said with his head down.

"It's all in your attitude Impulse," said Cassie, "you gotta think like a warrior."

"You mean like Conan, like William Wallace, like Conner McCloud?"

"Something like that, yeah!" said Wonder Girl.


"This is totally weird, fighting giant bugs in my swim suit, I feel like I’m in my underwear." said Kon.

"You mean you don’t feel like you’re in your underwear when you wear your costume?" noted Anita.

"What are you saying Anita? It's not like my costume has a giant flap on its ass or anything,” he said indignantly. "Although, you know, sometimes that would be convenient,” he added in a low whisper.

"Look! The moat's filling up, the bugs are climbing on top of one another, they're going to scale the walls!" shouted Cissie.

"All right everybody, choose your targets and attack!" commanded Wonder Girl, and in the next instant the swarm was swarmed upon.

Superboy used his tactile TK of his bare feet, atop a large sheet of metal, they had salvaged from sunken ships just off the coast. The metal was pressed into the shape of an oversized surfboard. He rode atop of this, crushing the bodies of bugs beneath it, in a series of bounds. "Silver Surfer, eat your heart out."

Cassie used a giant piece of metal, shaped much like a giant fly swatter, to swat at them. Cass called out to Superboy, as she brought her giant metal swatter down on another group of bugs. “Guess we make a pretty good swat team huh?”

Empress threw spears fitted with explosive charges from Robin's well-stocked utility belt and hastily carved by Bart who now asked her bluntly.

"Geez Empress, you going to kill 'em all?"

"No one will be spared."

"Oh, so you're not going to kill any of them then?"

Arrowette fired her bow from the tower. Her explosive arrowheads detonated upon connecting with the bugs’ tough exoskeletons. The explosions ripped to shreds all the bugs within a ten-foot diameter. Limbs antennas and bug slime were hurled outward onto the surrounding bugs, until they too met the same fate from the merciless onslaught of exploding arrows. From the other tower, Empress threw her spears into the swarm with similar results.

And then Bart waded into them in his swimwear. His slender physique wielding a crude sword, which had been pressed into shape by Superboy, and then had it's edge hastily carved and sharpened by Impulse. His overlarge sword hacked into them, as they spilled their whitish green slimy ooze. "Crom's blood!" yelled Impulse. "You seek to best me, creatures of evil. There can be only one!"

"What the hell is Robin up to?” yelled Kon as he passed by Cass.

"He wanted to do something with the supercycle."

"What does he have to go to the bathroom or something?"


The sun was about to go down. Robin worked frantically on the onboard computer system of the supercycle, “C’mon baby. Work with me,” he muttered to himself.


The sun had already slipped over the horizon and the last vestiges of twilight began to disappear. It odds seemed increasingly stacked against our heroes, as the bugs came at them. No matter how many of the bugs they destroyed, there were still more to take their place. Then, on the horizon, they saw them come. No longer a swarm but a stampede. They looked on in horror, as the bugs streamed out of the forest toward them.

“Oh boy! That looks bad.” Cass cringed.

“Doesn’t get much worse.” Kon felt his heart sink.

Then an even more disturbing development occurred. The giant bugs took off and began to fly. They filled the sky. Had it not already been dark out, they would have blackened the sky.

Kon cursed himself, “Never say it can’t get any worse,” he reminded himself, “it’s practically an invitation for things to get worse.”

Cassie gazed helplessly at the swarm flying toward them. "Maybe they're not wings huh?" she muttered beneath her breath.

"Omigod, this is hopeless,” said Superboy.

"Maybe not," voiced Cassie. They saw the vacant supercycle rise into the air, from the castle behind them, and then, in a blinding flash, it turned on its headlights, its high beams on ultra high setting. The effect was blinding.

"Man, is that ever bright!" Superboy put up a hand to shade the light from his eyes. ”Look, the bugs! They’re flying towards the cycle.”

The bugs approached the cycle at blistering speed and then when they came in contact with it, " Bzzztt", they were electrified. They rushed toward the cycle, oblivious to the danger, which they dived headlong into. The cycle acted like a giant bug light. The bugs began to sizzle and smoke as they reached the supercycle’s electrified body. As the electricity coursed through them, some of the bugs were flung dead away from the cycle at great force. Others exploded as they were trapped in the cycle’s electric field. From all around one could hear the snaps, pops, and sizzles of their electrified bodies frying.

“Mon, I love that sound.” Anita said to Robin, who came up behind her, "How did you think of that-?"

Robin smiled at her and added "Bright idea?"

"Oh mon!"

"Actually, I remembered how the bugs kept slamming into the cycle, but only one part of the cycle. I wondered why they would do that. Then it occurred to me that the supercycle is a shiny surface, that when viewed at a certain angle would reflect the sun."

"And because they're attracted to bright lights," added Anita.

"They kept slamming into it,” continued Robin.

"Elementary eh?"

"Actually, I'll have you know I made it all the way to high school."

Outside the castle walls, Impulse was looking up into the air. "Ah I get it now," said Impulse noting the dead bugs dropped from the cycle above them. ”It was one of those mixed up metaphors, cause now it's raining bugs, and when it stops they’ll all be dead, and that lasts forever. So it'll put an end to their evil reign of terror."

"Are you ok, Impulse? You're all full of alien bug ooze." Wonder Girl flew over him.

"Bah, frail woman, such things bother me not, for one day I will be king, but that, is another story." With that, Impulse whipped himself around, throwing the bug ooze from his body. Not to the delight of Cassie, who was splattered in the process.

"Oh Hera, you’re worse than a dog."

"Looks like were out of the woods now,” said Kon.

"Yup." agreed Impulse.


"We're not out of the woods yet people." Robin spoke to the group gathered back inside the castle.

"Geez Robin, of course we are!" said Impulse.

"Yeah!" said Kon.

"Oh really?" said Robin.

"Why of course really. Well, duh!" said Impulse.

"And would you like to explain to me exactly, why you, of all people, think that?” Robin replied.

"Because the woods are over that way," Impulse pointed, "and we're here on the beach. I mean, I shouldn’t even have to explain this to you. I thought it would be obvious.”

"Yes," sighed Robin, as he buried his face in his hands and shook his head "I was about to say exactly the same thing. So you realize this isn’t over then."

"Heck no. We gotta fry the big momma alien! I will smite her with my mighty sword!"

"Oh yeah," said Kon, "big momma alien. She’s toast."

"Actually," Robin explained, "we have to destroy the entire mound, nut just the momma. We have to get rid of the eggs as well. First let's get rid of these dead bugs. Get them all piled together."

"Gross," said Cissie, "you mean we have to touch them."

"You might be too uptight," Kon said. "It's not like the dead bugs bite."


"That's the last of 'em Robin,” said Impulse, as he threw another bug body on top of the huge bonfire they had started.

"Are you sure? I don't want to take a chance on having any of the genetic material from those bugs surviving."

"Sure I'm sure. There's nothing left on the shore, you can be assured."

Anita said, "The cycle sure looks like a mess though." Bug slime covered the cycle. The bright light from the bonfire shone on it but it no longer had its reflective gleam. "Sure looks like it could use a carwash." Just as the words escaped her lips, the cycle jumped into the water of the ocean. Tumbled itself around a bit and bounded out onto the shore, shaking the water from itself like a dog would.

"That mound is huge, not to mention well protected. You planning on using the cycle to electrify big bad momma too?" Kon asked.

"Electrify? No. But we should be able to give her a charge. Several charges, in fact."


Impulse dropped satchel charge after satchel charge inside the mount. "Ya know, Max always said that I would amount to nothing, but what he really meant, now I see, is that I would turn a mount to nothing."

The rest of the Young Justice gang flew high overhead in the supercycle in the area of the mount. The sides of the mound blew apart as Impulse’s satchel charges detonated, it widened the entrance considerably, leaving the alien nest exposed. Robin opened up the weapons array of the supercycle and trained them in wide beam over the entire area of the mount. Laser beams, plasma rays, and an assortment of other energies were fired upon the alien bug nest. With an inhuman sound (as it was not human) the mother giant bug started to fly toward the cycle.

"She's after us!” yelled Cissie.

Robin relied "I don’t think so, I think she’s being drawn to her own destruction, like the moth to the flame." With that, the giant momma bug was incinerated as she reached the area where the beams narrowed, focusing their energy. Everything cooked below them. Shortly there was no sign that the nest had ever been there. The area beneath them smoked and burned. The very rock itself began to melt.

"Wow! It almost does look like a volcano, now,” noted Cass.

"Well looks like we saved the day again,” said Superboy.

"But you ruined my day. I mean, this was supposed to be a simple trip to the beach," objected Cissie.

"Well you know what they say, life's a beach!" said Superboy barely hiding his smirk.

"I wonder how Slobo did with his fishing?" said Cass.

"Look there’s Slobo," Cissie pointed spotting him. "Wait a second, that looks like... No! It can't be!"

"Hey you bastishes, can you believe the one that didn't get away, a genuine humpback whale."

"A Beach Tale"