Disclaimer: see Prologue chapter.

Chapter Three

Thursday

July 29, 2010

7:58 PM

Justice League Moon Base

Meeting Room

"...and once again, I would like to assure you all that we are in very safe hands. Peace will be found, and fewer lives will be lost as soon as the new Sladebot factories begin production of a newer, better soldier. One that will create jobs, save our soldiers, and our homes from this unknown threat. An end will be coming. I promise you. Until then, sleep well, America. You're in good hands."

"'Sleep well, America. You're in good hands.' Now that's the biggest load of bullshit I've heard all day!" Catwoman exclaimed as she dropped into her chair. "Good thing I never voted for this guy. Always knew there was something off about him. But if the American people are that stupid to put this guy in office, then we deserve what we're getting."

"We're not involved with the political aspects of this, Selina. Our goal is to protect the people of the world from the madman whose willing to sacrifice them just to get to us. How'd the riot in Detroit go?"

"Oh it went just fine. I cleaned it up so fast, I even had time to fly over to England and have lunch with the Queen," Catwoman replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "There were still people tearing down street signs when I left. They're all going nuts right now and you know what comes next? Hell. Trust me. Hell comes next. Living Hell. Especially if we keep focusing on the small-time fights rather than going after Major Slade Wilson and all of his lovely Generals. Saw two of 'em out there too. Tarantula and the Peruser or something. I don't know her name. Just that she carries around some giant battle-axe and was definitely not helping us save civilians. More beheading than anything really. Got away in the rush too, so we couldn't catch 'em and show the world who they really are. They really stirred things up down there.

"But back to the politics, Clark. Tell me you didn't vote for that jackass puppet that was defiling our monitors just two minutes ago. Please. Because if you did, then I-"

"No, Selina. I did not vote for President Hyde in the last election. But even at that time, none of use really knew that he was one of Slade Wilson's robot puppets either."

"Plus he had a pretty good campaign platform." Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Green Arrow, who just kept checking the tightness of his bowstring.

"Why am I not surprised?" Nightwing muttered under his breath.

"Old lefty, remember Dick?"

"His campaign was horrible, Ollie," John Stewart told him with a frown. "I can't believe you backed him."

"You weren't even the GL at the time, Stewart. Don't know how you can have an opinion on it if you weren't here for it. You were in space training on planet Gremlin."

"That's enough, everyone," Superman immediately interrupted, foreseeing the fight that would ensue if the discussion continued. "It doesn't matter who anyone voted for in the last election based on whatever principals they follow. Hyde is our President-"

"Seriously, the man's last name was Hyde, if that wasn't a big enough clue," Selina muttered, pulling her cowl down.

"You sure as hell couldn't pick it up before this all happened, Selina," Ollie threw back.

"Enough. Both of you. It's all in the past. The focus is on both now and the future."

"And right now, another attack has broken out in Bolivia," Batman intervened as he entered the meeting room, "as well as Japan and Germany. We need to send squads down immediately for containment before they spread to other cities or villages in those areas. I'll take one down with me to Brunswick."

"Ollie, Selina, and I will check out Toyama," Superman replied before Batman stalked out of the room to collect a team. "Dick, you and Kory will need a larger team in Cochabamba. Sounds like there might be explosives set in the mountain ranges."

"Kory's visiting with Dr. Mid-Nite right now. She hasn't been feeling well these past few weeks, but I'll take Stone, Arsenal, Troia, Raven and Beast Boy with me. We're spread thin enough as it is, so six people will have to be enough for this mission," Nightwing replied after setting his mask on his face.

Fifteen Minutes Later

Cochabamba, Bolivia

"Take out those tanks!" Nightwing ordered as gunshots rained around him. "Arsenal, help me get these civilians to safety!"

"You got it Wing!" the redhead replied, pulling out his tranquilizer pistol and jumping onto the back of a small truck with a wooden bed. "You driving or me?"

"I'll drive, you load and provide cover."

"Deal!" the marksman agreed before shouting in Spanish, "Women and children first! On the back of the truck! Hurry!"

People began rushing toward the junky automobile as the hot metal continued to fly around them.

Troia flew toward the nearest tank and grabbed it's main gun, twisting it around before moving her focus onto the machine gun, using the indestructible bracelet on her right wrist to deflect the numerous bullets being sent her way. She angled her wrist just so as the weapon fired another bullet, sending it back into the barrel of the gun, causing it to backfire on the next shot. She ripped the hatch off of the tank, allowing the smoke inside to permeate the air around her as she yanked the soldiers from the - now useless - machine. Setting them to the side, coughing up smoke. Then she moved on to the next tank, pulling out her silver lasso and throwing it around the tanks main gun, tightening it as she flew overhead, then up - into the sky.

She came back down a minute later, her brow sweaty as she lowered the tank with a now broken main gun and machine gun to the ground, setting it upside down so the soldiers inside would not harm any more civilians.

"You okay, Troia?" Stone questioned as he stuffed an arm inside another tank gun, just as they released their trigger, it backfired the shot, destroying the main gun in the process. His opaque eyes winced in pain before he pulled his arm out, the stone chipped and coated in black soot.

"I should be asking you, Stone? You ever stopped heavy ammunition like that before?" the Amazon princess replied, her ocean blue eyes filled with worry for her friend.

"No, but there's a first time fore everything. No pain, no gain."

"You saying that to make me feel better, or yourself?"

"How 'bout both of us? That'll do, right?"

"For now. I'll be fine. Just tired right now. I think."

"You think?"

"I think."

"Knowing would probably be better, y'know?"

"Well, I know they're bringing in five more automatic tanks and that Beast Boy and Raven still haven't found all the explosives around here, so let's take these guys down then go help our friends."

"Sounds like a plan. Most down buys dinner."

"It's a deal!"

BOOM!

A black energy surrounded and compressed around the explosion, containing it for a few seconds before disappearing.

"This is going so well," Raven muttered to herself as she flew toward the explosions location. "Guys, they're starting to set off the remaining bombs, but I don't know if I can contain them all as quickly as they blow. Got lucky with this one."

"This dude is just playing games with us," Beast Boy replied through his own communicator. "I sniffed out five weapons caches that smelled like the bombs, but got nothing around or underneath them. Someone tell me this city's evacuated already and make this a little easier on me. A few days I can live with, but staying up two weeks straight? I need my beauty sleep, people!"

"It does help with all the wrinkles."

"I don't have wrinkles Raven. Not that old yet."

"Buddy, things keep going the way they are, we're all gonna have wrinkles before we hit twenty-five," Arsenal cut in.

BOOM!

"Alright, change of strategy. Beast Boy, Raven, find any survivors you can and get them all out. Stone and Troia will provide our cover. once we get through that first range, take whoever may be left and bring them out with you. We're on emergency evac now, people," Nightwing ordered as he and Arsenal ran back into the city. He signal led Arsenal to move to the left as he took a right.

Blam! Blam! Blam!

Arsenal stopped at the sound. Reaching into his maroon and black jacket, he pulled out one pistol and one small disc. He pressed the button at the center of the disc, watching the shadows move slowly, the lone figure shifting from foot to foot, waiting.

He rolled out from behind the side of the building and threw the disc at the back of the shadow. It landed on the dark blue painted Kevlar and chainlink mail of the masked man's uniform before letting out a short electric charge. The man turned back toward him, a cocky grin set on his face. He stood at about six feet tall, built like an all-American linebacker. A dark blue cowl that matched his body armor, the eyes of his mask opaque, covered his face. Holsters for his two firearms were saddled on the light blue belt around his waist, the silver hilt of a sword shown over his left shoulder.

"Your name's Arsenal, and that's really all you've got, kid?" he asked the redheaded superhero, his voice a little raspy. "Disappointing already. I was hoping you'd give me some fun. They sure as hell didn't." He motioned to the dead bodies behind him.

"Your sick. I just want you to know that before I kick your ass, Blue," Arsenal replied, reaching into his jacket with his left hand and pulling out another pistol. His maroon tinted shades reflecting the dead children's bodies behind the villain.

"It's a war, buddy, and there are casualties in war. Names Ravager, by the way. Just want you to know that before I kill you."

"Good luck trying!" Arsenal raised his left arm in the air, firing his pistol and sending out a yellow smoke.

Ravager fired off his guns as the thick smoke began to fall around them. Arsenal flipped back to miss most of the shots, letting a few hit his Kevlar jacket and fall to the ground leaving him unharmed as he disappeared into the smoke.

Ravager stood his ground, waiting for the twenty-year-old hero's next strike. It came low, in the form of a line being fired off, wrapping around his right knee. He dropped his gun and reached back for his sword just as the line became taught and pulled him down. He used the weapon to cut the strong rope, but by that point, the younger man was on him, a large staple being fired out next hitting the wrist of his sword hand and bolting it to the ground.

Then a maroon booted foot landed right on his stomach. "You aren't really that good at this are you?" the cocky redhead questioned him, before using the foot he had set on the villains stomach as leverage to turn and kick the man in the face, dislocating his jaw. "I know I've fought better. And I've been at this since I was like ten or eleven or something. Just saying."

Ravager growled before yanking his arm up, removing the large staple from the dirt ground as his fist tried to crash into the hero's knee. Arsenal moved his leg quickly and flipped backwards as Ravager pulled a knife from its holster on his left leg and flipped onto his feet. Arsenal swung his jacket off of his right arm and used the momentum to wrap it around the villains left hand, but Ravager pulled at it, the motion causing the heavy Kevlar to pull itself off of the hero's left arm, turning it inside out. Arsenal grabbed onto the end of the sleeve with his black-gloved left hand and swung a strong punch at Ravager's face. Ravager ducked and used the jacket to swing the hero over his shoulder, driving him into the ground, back first.

Both of them let go of the jacket at the same time and a knife popped out of the toe of Ravager's light blue booted foot as he swung his left leg back then straight toward Arsenal's shoulder. The hero rolled to the side then back to his feet, dirt covering his bare forearms and black gloves. Reaching both hands to the back of his utility belt he pulled to sensors out and slipped one onto the inside of each palm quickly as Ravager sent a kick sweeping up toward his chin, barely missing as Arsenal took a step back. Then the red-haired hero slapped his hands together to ignite the sensors before stepping toward the villain, fists clenched and swinging toward the masked villains ears.

Ravager ducked and drove his knife into Arsenal's side just as a sharp sonic pulse erupted over his head. Both men clenched their teeth at the sound as Arsenal stumbled back in pain from his new wound and the pressure on his eardrums. Unclenching his fists, he used one hand to pull the knife from his right side where it had been deeply buried.

Ravager was back on him instantly, slamming his fist into Arsenal's face, a resounding crack remaining unheard over the loud pulse, which slowly began to fade away.

"You sure you been at this for almost what? Ten? Eleven years? 'Cause that was pretty weak little boy," Ravager taunted as he grabbed at Arsenal's throat, his fingers clenching around it tightly.

"I'll show you weak, you...jackass," Arsenal grunted out before slashing the knife across the man's chest, breaking through the Kevlar, and creating a small gash across it. Just enough for Ravager to tone down the pressure on his throat. Ravager let out a small yell before Arsenal rammed the bottom of his palm to the underside of the villain's chin, causing him to bite his own tongue. Then he rammed his open palm into Ravager's stomach, causing him to double over in pain, allowing Arsenal to kick him away with his left leg, the steel toe of his booted foot connecting with the mad man's right cheek, sending him two feet away from him.

"You aren't the badass you think you are, Ravager. Killing innocent people - children - in cold blood... That doesn't make you a soldier, it just makes you a psychopath." Arsenal slammed his clenched fists together again, sending out the sonic pulse again, effectively blowing out not only Ravager's ear drums, but his own as well.

Ravager yelled in pain, staying on his knees, before reaching back into his own belt and pulling out a small hand grenade. He yanked the pin out with his teeth and threw it toward Arsenal with a smile before jumping to his feet and taking off.

"Okay. Backup would be good now," Arsenal muttered as he turned and took off in the opposite direction. He grabbed his injured side as he jumped over a broken hunk of building just as the explosive was supposed to go off behind him.

Instead, it came from above and he let out a short sigh of relief.

"Hey honey! Sorry I'm late," Troia told him with a bright smile as she landed beside him.

He let out a small chuckle as she lifted him up. "Better late than never, sweetie. Let's get out of here!"

Forty Minutes Later

Justice League Moon Base

Level Three

Medical Lab

"This is all getting even more dangerous," Dinah commented as Roy pulled on his new uniform shirt.

"We've gotta update our weaponry. Prepare for heavier fire," he told her as he stretched.

"We can't go in there wearing armor, yet, Roy," his wife told him as she set the purple ray on its charging stand, "We're still down there to just keep the peace. The people are already thinking we're taking sides either for or against attacking nations and that is not what we want."

"We're on the people's side, Donna! The ones who are being attacked by foreign militaries! Some, like in Bolivia, by their own! Let the press tell whatever stories they want. We know what we're fighting for and who we're trying to stop."

"We have no proof to give the people, Roy. Especially when Deathstroke's using dressing up his own generals in costumes and having them murder people on cameras that just 'happen' to be there for news footage later," Dinah sided with her daughter-in-law, "We're already losing a lot of people's trust and we're completely disorganized. Everyone's coming and going with barely any rest in-between. This is only the beginning and we're already gonna be down one major fighter for at least six more months. We need to organize better and...start gathering anyone who can help and trust us. Who won't mind putting on masks or even letting others see who they are as they help us. Doctors, weapon engineers, soldiers...we have to tell these people and try and get them on our side. And we're definitely going to need more of those purple healing rays, Donna. Diana hasn't had the chance to go back to Themyscira and ask, but if you can...?"

"Not a problem, Dinah. I'll talk with my mother, she'll be happy to help."

"Wait a minute? What do you mean someone's out for six months? Who? And why?" Roy asked quizzically. Donna and Dinah smiled brightly. "What the hell have I missed now? Seriously, am I ever even in the fucking loop or what?"

"Language, Roy. Especially around the baby when it comes," his wife lightly admonished him with a knowing smile.

"Baby? You're...not that, y'know, it'd be a bad thing or anything, but...you're not pregnant, are you Donna?"

"No, Roy. I'm not. But my sister is."

"Diana? Again?"

She shook her head no.

"Then...?" He grinned. "No fucking way! You're both serious?"

"She found out today," Dinah told him with a smile.

Meanwhile

Level Four Hallway

"I can't believe I'm gonna be an uncle!" Robin yelled happily as he and Catwoman walked down the hall to his older brother's room. "And she's gonna be a grandma!"

"Say that one more time, little bird, and you will not be able to have children anymore," his adopted mother warned him.

"Sorry. I'm just excited. Aren't you? I mean, it's about time we got some good news after all the bad that's happened."

"Oh, I'm excited. Just wish this was all happening at a better time. You know, like not at the beginning of what could possibly be the end of the world. Just an idea."

"Doubt it was planned."

"Well at least they're married. Worse when it's not."

"I know."

"So, when are you gonna tie the knot, little bird?" a red blush crept up Robin's cheeks, almost matching the bright red of his uniform, "Oh! Blushing big time now. I hope you at least asked the Commish before he left. He does have a gun and definitely knows who you are now."

"He knows who you are too!"

"Only by relation. The guy's a detective. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about Bruce and I the entire time. Just couldn't acknowledge it without arresting us for being vigilantes. Now...well, we're technically dead, so..."

"They didn't actually find any bodies at the mansion."

"It was bombed, Tim, and the cave is sealed shut until further notice. Bodies don't have to be found under rubble. People just have to missing long enough and, right now, however long this war lasts is definitely long enough. And, on that pleasant note, let's go congratulate the happy couple!"

Catwoman typed her special all-access code into the keypad.

"...exactly did this happen?" they heard Bruce ask as the door slid open and they stepped into the room.

"Wow. We definitely came in at just the right time. Giving them your usual questioning of joy, Bruce?"

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as Alfred and Nicholas looked at him with disapproval.

"Relax, Bruce, we know you didn't mean to ask it like that," Kory interrupted. "From what Dr. Mid-Nite told me, because of all the excitement over the past three months - from the destruction of Blüdhaven, to my three week long coma, to my...depression - I just didn't pick up on any of it."

"What about the radiation that put you into that coma, Kory? Is that gonna have any effect on the baby?" Selina asked, sitting beside her daughter-in-law.

"Dr. Mid-Nite says I'm in perfect health and that according to all of the test he ran, it shouldn't, because of the irradiation suit that I was wearing to hold up Chemo, but we won't know for sure until the babies are born."

"Babies?" Tim asked with a wide grin.

"We're uh...," Dick paused with a small smile as he looked at his wife, "we're having twins."

A/N: Whew! Finally got some action in here. It is a war story after all, and this is a much needed part. This chapter also leaves Starfire out of the big loop for a while. Sorry guys. She'll still be taking part in a lot of the meetings and overall strategies, but since she's pregnant, and has clearly already been through a lot, she needs to...take it easy. She'll have people watching over her, though, don't worry. You'll see later on in future chapters as her pregnancy progresses a little more. As for how Dick and Kory know they're are already having twins, the technology on the Satellite is very advanced.

Thanks for reading! Please review.