"M'gann!" Conner yelled, crouching low and preparing to spring at the man. I can take him, he thought, burning with anger. He's big, but I'm as strong as Superman. Just as he was about to charge he felt someone lay a shaking hand on his arm—Artemis. He whirled around and growled, "Let me go! I'm going to rip him to pieces!"

"No, you're not!" she snapped, hiding her fear behind rage. "If you attack, the rest of them will shoot. We'll all get killed!"

All eyes—and ears—were trained on them. No one else spoke; the silence unnerved him. He was breathing hard as though he had just finished a fight, but this one hadn't even started yet.

He lowered his voice. "I'm indestructible. They can't kill me with bullets."

"Yeah, but in case you haven't noticed, this isn't about you, Superboy. Those guns are pointed at M'gann and Robin. If you as much as move, they're dead."

Conner gave her a scorching glare that would make flowers wilt. She didn't flinch, only returned a look that was as icy as his was burning. "Stand down," she said through gritted teeth.

He knew she was right—and hated her for it. He backed down.

The giant man laughed. "Smart move, kiddies. She's absolutely right, if you make a move your friends get it. So don't" – he grinned evilly and cocked his gun – "move."

Conner looked sideways at Artemis and Wally, but without Megan to link their minds there was no way they could communicate. He couldn't remember ever feeling so helpless: every way he turned he hit a dead end.

The man was speaking again. "Your Martian friend arranged this," he said, nudging her limp form with a massive boot. "She insisted that I let the four of you go if she gave herself up as a captive. Lucky for you three, she was the objective in the first place. The Light has no interest in the four of you at this time. So, Miss Martian gets her wish… almost." He let go of Robin, who collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for breath. His captor watched, sneering, as Robin crawled to Megan and began shaking her weakly. "Wake up, M'gann," he said, though his voice was so faint Conner doubted the other two could hear. "C'mon, please wake up!"

The giant man kicked him hard in the stomach, and he fell onto his side, coughing and groaning. Conner tensed, and he could sense Artemis and Wally doing the same, but they dared not move. The man reached down with a colossal hand and lifted Robin by his hair; Robin screamed in pain, arms flailing and legs kicking out wildly. The man looked at him coldly, as if he held a pitifully struggling kitten. "Watch closely," he barked at the other three. "We're going to let you go, but first you have to be taught a lesson, so you don't get any ideas about rescue missions. If we catch you again, there will be no mercy." Slowly, deliberately, he strode to the port side railing, so that they had to crane their necks to keep him in view. Never taking his eyes off the three young heroes, he reached past the railing so that Robin, still struggling, dangled over the water; then pressed his gun once more into Robin's back—he pulled the trigger.

Robin's body arced as the bullet ripped through him; he didn't even have a chance to scream. The man released his grip on his hair and he was falling, falling, limp and lifeless as a rag doll, until he struck the waves and slowly sank out of sight. And the ocean claimed him.

"Robin!" Artemis screamed, sinking to the ground and starting to sob. Wally hadn't moved, just stood there, shell-shocked with a horrified look on his face. "No—" the whisper escaped from his lips, "no, no, no. It can't—" he choked on his words as the weight of bitter realization overwhelmed him.

Conner lifted his eyes from the place where Robin had fallen into the water—and met the cold, unfeeling eyes of the giant. He felt his anger boil, lost all control; never mind what Artemis had said, he was going to kill him, tear him apart, beat him until he was as broken as their team. He leaped at him, but the giant only grinned and put an arm up lazily to stop him. Conner slammed into the man's outstretched arm, breath driven out of him, and felt the man's hand close around his neck.

"You—will—PAY!" Conner gasped, struggling to weaken the man's grip on him, to no avail.

The giant laughed again. "I think not, Superboy. I could crush you with one hand. But I won't. My orders don't involve killing you; you may yet prove useful to the Light. But you are no longer essential. You are… how should I put it… Outdated."

With that he tossed the Superboy aside like a throw pillow, sending him careening overboard to land in the water with a colossal splash.

Suddenly his whole world was white foamy water, rushing sounds in his ears, cold, and confusion. The shock of the unexpected plunge left him with no sense of direction, no idea which way was up. He inhaled impulsively, filling his lungs with water, and began to panic. He was impervious to bullets and behemoth men, but he could still drown. It would take longer for him than a normal person, but he would die in the water if he didn't get air soon.

He almost welcomed it.