Chapter 2: Heartbeat
Marshall Law smirked, having himself a good time. Through his glee, he could see that the little bird until his boot was slowly closing his eyes. A final sob and cough of blood were it for the Boy Wonder, his head tilting to the side. He grinned, continuing to mutilate the bloodied body. He lifted his knee as high as it would go before slamming it down with all of the force he could muster. There was a chorus of cracks, pops, and slouching sounds leaving the body of Robin. He sneered, leaning forward so his foot was tilted into the bird's sternum, "You are a filthy creature. How dare you kill my sister? I will never forgive you, you bastard!" He kicked Robin's body away, disgusted by the mere sight of his sister's murderer who'd he vanquished in a mere ten minutes. "I guess now would be a good time to go."
"We're not letting you get away!" A shout alerted him to someone behind him. Just as the larger man turned around, Superman slammed the full force of his body into the disheveled Marshall Law. The blond haired man rolled away, growling and murmuring about how much he hated the Justice League. Mr. Martian floated beside the Kryptonian man, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Marshall Law stood back up, seeing Batman running over to Robin. He glared at the Dark Knight before laughing, "I told you I'd make him sing!" Superman and Mr. Martian launched their attack.
The two aliens worked together in sync, Mr. Martian having set a communication link between himself as Superman so they could coordinate their attacks to make sure that Marshall Law had no chance of fighting back while they pummeled him into the ground. They weren't going to just stand around and let this maniac hurt their precious people. The whole time they were fighting, their minds were on Robin's condition and how the other teenagers were doing. Neither knew the whole story which made each rather worried.
Batman looked down worriedly at his partner. There was blood everywhere, pooling and curling around Robin's body which had become eerily still. Stilling his hammering heart, he leaned his head to listen for anything that symbolized life in his pseudo son. His eyes widened, "Flash! Get over here!" Barry was beside the Dark Knight in an instant. "I need you to do compressions, his heart isn't beating," Batman informed. The Flash nodded quickly, his hands already in position, pumping up and down while counting in his head. Bruce stared at the boy he always considered his son, hoping that he'll be alright. While the speedster did the compressions, the Dark Knight placed two fingers to Robin's neck, searching for a pulse. So far, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. After a set amount of compressions, the Flash backed off so Bruce could place oxygen into the bird's lungs. Once done, the process continued over and over again.
However, deep within the Dark Knight's mind, he could not help the fear of losing his pseudo son overwhelm him.
Aquaman and Green Arrow spread out to wake up the teenagers. Aquaman headed over to where Kid Flash, Kaldur, and M'gann were at. He was surprised that his partner was in this condition. Atlantian skin was much different from a human's skin. It's stronger enough to have a train run over it and only come out of it with a few bruises and cuts. Kaldur's nose was broken and broken bones in his chest could be seen. Wally was bruised from nearly head-to-toe, especially the purple and blue marks around his next while his eyes had completely shut due to swelling. M'gann was in a similar condition to Kaldur's injuries. Her sternum was fractured while her arm was broken. She too was bruised in most places. When he had managed to awaken the three teenagers, they almost got up and fought him. Aquaman hadn't been on guard and almost received a nasty slash from his protégé. However, when realizing who they'd been trying to attack, the three backed off. The minute adrenaline was gone and all three were suddenly extremely tired. Wally had fallen on his butt, breathing heavily. Kaldur and M'gann sat beside him, sitting up and watching Aquaman. Green Arrow looked at his 'niece' and felt his heart break slightly by the condition he found her in. Blood dribbled down her chin from her mouth and nose, her eyes blackening. Her leg was twisted in several ways, obviously broken, and needed to be set into place as soon as they got to Mount Justice. Conner's ribs were fractured in his chest, his Kryptonian blood making it hard for his bones to break. Bruises lined most of his body, especially around his mouth, chin, and chest areas. He seemed to be in a better condition than the others. When Green Arrow had awoken Conner, he almost got a fist to the face. To avoid the fast jab, he kicked the teenager out from under his feet, watching at the Superman clone fell to the ground. That seemed to shake him out of whatever trance he'd been in and nodded in acknowledgment before getting up and sitting beside M'gann. Artemis was a different story. When she woke up, she gave an agonized shout of pain, clutching her leg. Green Arrow had hugged her before picking her up and setting her beside Conner. After a few minutes, Artemis sucked it up and calmed herself enough to start talking. The group of teenagers sat still on the ground, still aching when the inquiry of questions began.
Green Arrow coughed to get their attention, "We would like you five to debrief us on what happened on this mission."
Kaldur shifted a little bit before speaking, "We had found a lab deep underground a mile from where Marshall Law and Mistress Ember were spotted. It was actually by coincidence that we found it at all, with Kid Flash stepping on a pressure sensor which unlocked a secret passage."
"I'm guessing that you went down there?" Aquaman question.
"Indeed. There was only one hallway that led to three different areas. They were exact copies of each other, except for a different colored gem in the center of each room. Holes were carved out of the walls in the middle room so a light from the gems on the side could reach the middle gem. Marshall Law and Mistress Ember seemed to have been getting their power from his, feeding it on it like it was their only light source." He sighed, leaning back against the rock behind him, "Our position was compromised and we fought for about thirty minutes. We were slowly losing due to the fact that the gems were making them stronger the more the siblings were around it and-"
"Wait!" Green Arrow interrupted, "These gems powered them?!"
"Yes. It was rather frightening to fight against because they just kept getting stronger every minute. After we had realized this, M'gann became camouflaged and stole the middle gem before going back down the hallway towards the door." Kaldur explained, "We followed her back and found that the door had locked behind us but we managed to get out eventually. Marshall Law and Mistress Ember had found that we stole their energy source and charged at us. This is where all the fighting started."
Artemis sighed, looking really disappointed in herself, "We tried out best to fight them, we really did."
Her mentor placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's fine. If Batman had known that this was the case, he wouldn't have sent you all on such a dangerous mission."
"Was there anything else?" Aquaman asked.
"Yeah. They were really good at working together so we couldn't really make a solid hit, you know? So, we decided to split them up. Conner, Kaldur, and Artemis used hit-and-run tactics to lead Marshall Law away from his sister while the rest of us ran away from Mistress Ember." Wally explained.
Conner nodded, "That was the plan but an explosion caught Marshall Law's attention and he rushed back to his sister. I don't know who did the deed, but Mistress Ember died and it supposedly triggered a rage-filled episode that transformed Marshall Law. He became three times stronger and seemed unstoppable." Green Arrow and Aquaman gave each other a worried glance. The black haired teenager slammed his fist on the ground, "It was then that everything just went downhill from there."
M'gann sighed, "We decided to use hit-and-run tactics on Marshall Law again because they worked earlier. However, Conner… was attacked and I… oh god, I'm so stupid. I revealed my location by calling for him and I… I tried to fight against him one-on-one, but he got the better of him. I'm so sorry." She looked close to tears, obviously ashamed for potentially bringing her friends towards danger. Her boyfriend rubbed her back soothingly. "Um… guys, can I ask something?" M'gann asked receiving various nods, "What… What happened after I was knocked out by Marshall Law?"
"We launched a surprise attack that didn't… go so… well." Kid Flash responded, his head hung, "Supey over there was the first to go down after you, M'gann."
"I admit defeat…" Conner looked away before sighing slightly, "He was too fast…"
"I tried to get behind him, hoping to get the advantage but he managed to figure out that I was there." Kaldur stated, "I believe that this was the around the time of my unconsciousness. What happened afterward?" Aquaman gave him a pitiful look, giving him a nod, a gesture that would mean in human terms 'you did your best'.
Artemis shivered, wincing slightly, "Every last one of my arrows had no effect on him. They just bounced off a-and then he came closer to me. I… I froze. I couldn't do it… That look in his eyes, it…" Green Arrow hugged her, hating that this had to happen to such young kids.
"You got scared and he knocked you unconscious." Superboy finished for her. She nodded weakly, nuzzling into her 'uncle's' hold.
"What happened after that?" Aquaman asked, trying to direct the conversation away from the trauma suffered by the team.
Everyone looked at Wally whose eyes were downcast. "It was just Robin and I. I sacrificed myself so Robin could call you guys, but he… he was too quick. I thought I was dead…" The speedster's eyes suddenly widened, "ROBIN! OH MY GOD, WHERE IS HE?!" At the sudden shout, the remaining members of the Young Justice started to freak out while calling out for their friend.
The older men felt pity for the youngsters while mentally preparing themselves for what they about to tell them. Green Arrow released Artemis from the reassuring hug to stand by the other Justice League member. "Children." Started Aquaman.
"My King, where is Robin?" Kaldur asked, worry clearly written on his face, "Did you not wake him like the rest of us?"
Green Arrow sighed, standing stiffly, "I regret to inform all of you that Robin… he has been brutally injured by Marshall Law. I'm not sure of how he's doing right now, but I assure you that the Flash and Batman are doing their best."
"Oh god… t-this is all my fault…" Wally said quietly, "I-I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have r-run away from him to… to fight Marshall Law by myself… Oh god!" He wanted to freak out and cry. M'gann clearly saw the distress and hugged her friend tightly, telling him that it's not his fault over and over again. It wasn't working. Wally was slowly starting to hyperventilate. The rest of the Young Justice team crowded around their friend as they hugged it out, a few tears being shed in Robin's name. Green Arrow and Aquaman turned away from the crying teenagers, their hearts breaking for them.
"I've got a pulse!" Batman shouted after what seemed like an eternity. Flash's hand retracted, blood soaked into his gloves. He looked over at the speedster, "I need you to run Robin back to Mount Justice. I'll call Red Tornado who'll meet you there."
"Got it, I won't let you down." He nodded, picking the Boy Wonder up as carefully as possible so he wouldn't further his injuries before running off at high speeds. Batman sucked in air before exhaling it out slowly. He almost lost him. He almost lost his son. Shaking away the thoughts threatening to eat him alive, he called Red Tornado to notify him of Robin's current condition.
It barely got passed the first ring before the machine's voice could be heard on the other side, "How may I assist you, Batman?"
"Robin has been injured. Flash is running him over there now." He stated.
"What can I expect to see when he gets here?" Red Tornado questioned.
Batman grunted, "A shattered ribcage, a broken leg, most likely a concussion, and I haven't identified anything else."
"I will do my best." He stated. Batman could hear off in the distance the computer at Mount Justice recognizing Flash. The speedster's shout before the call had ended. Bruce reassured himself that Red Tornado could handle the injuries Robin sustained and if not, Flash was there to help if possible. Suddenly, a flurry of shouts filled the area. Bruce recognized the voices of the other members of Young Justice calling out Robin's name. The Dark Knight sighed, walking towards the group. When he reached their position, he could see them huddled together on the ground. They were obviously upset about the whole ordeal. He looked over to Green Arrow and Aquaman who gave the Dark Knight a downcast look. Bruce gave a silent nod, walking closer to the Young Justice.
Catching sight of the Dark Knight, Wally ran up to him, "Where is he?!" The others stared at Batman also, expectancy written on their faces.
"Flash has just reached Mount Justice with Robin. He and Red Tornado are going to do their best to keep him alive." He stated bluntly.
"How was he?" Superboy asked, his throat tight and his face showing worry for the little bird.
Batman had expected the question, but he didn't really know what to say. The silence tugged at the hearts of the people around as they waited for his reply. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke, "Robin… almost died."
"WHAT?!" The team shouted, getting up from their feet and rushing over to him. They desperately asked him in a cluster of question what happened to him.
He stood stiffly, "I'm not sure of the events that occurred while you five were unconscious, but I can tell you that his heart stopped for approximately two minutes. Flash and I resurrected him before rushing him to Mount Justice. That is all I know. I do not know of his condition right now." Bruce narrowed his eyes at the group. "Once everyone is back at Mount Justice, you will debrief me on what happened on this mission. Afterwards, you five will be given two weeks for recovery before I even consider another mission for you all."
"And Robin? Can we see him?" Wally asked, his eyes pleading.
"No, not unless I give you permission." Batman stated, walking away, "I will see you all at Mount Justice." Within seconds, he was gone.
