Robin was sitting on the ground next to the pool he almost drowned in, trying to get over the events of the past few hours. Now, as he was looking back at it with his mind clear, he knew he probably hadn't seen his dead mother's spirit. It was just a comforting illusion his brain (zonked with the lack of oxygen) created to make dying more comfortable and acceptable.

Robin had already accepted the fact that he will never ever see his parents again a long time ago. It just wasn't possible. It happened, and it cannot be changed. Life goes on. He isn't the only orphan on this planet, and all of them have to get up and deal with it, no matter what. Even though he was living in a world full of miracles, nobody could bring his parents back to life. At least none of the good guys.

A world full of miraculous people with miraculous powers. And one of them was dying right next to him. He shook his head trying to focus his mind on their current problem. "Fucking snap out of it," he said to himself. "Your best friend is dying and you're sitting here, looking like a dumbfuck and thinking about things long lost!"

Robin never swore. It was one of the first things Batman taught him whilst he was re-educating him. He even made sure Robin didn't swear when communicating through M'gann's mindlink. But here, nobody could hear his thoughts.

Once again, he regained his composure before turning to Artemis, who was attending Wally. She was splinting his bones in place with some bamboo sticks and lianas, but there wasn't much she could do for him.

Robin wanted to ask her how Wally was, but the silent trembling of her shoulders stopped him. He wanted to comfort her, tell her that everything would be fine but with little to no shock realized that it probably wouldn't be. After all, they were stuck in the middle of the unknown with no food, a gravely injured comrade and with no way to contact their teammates. He wanted to hug her as a friend, to show her that at least she didn't have to suffer with her thoughts alone, but then decided not to. Artemis was a proud woman, she wouldn't want anyone to see or acknowledge her in this state.

Artemis silently wiped away a rebellious tear that escaped her eye. Lying in front of her wasn't the playboy Baywatch anymore. Instead of seeing a careless child, she saw a friend that had saved her and Robin from certain death in the flames of the explosion. Idiot or not, she couldn't hate him.

She swallowed another wave of tears that came rushing to her eyes and hid any remainder of tears on her voice before she interrupted the silence between them.

"What now?" It was more of a statement than an actual question. If Robin had some brilliant escape plan like he usually did, then he would have tried it out already. This wasn't the kind of situation where his troll side could take all the pleasure from getting into some problem and then save everyone at the last minute, only to laugh his ass off later on at everyone's expressions.

"I honestly don't know."

Both of them knew the answer even before the question was asked but it still hurt to hear it. It was like the last pieces of hope fading away - dispersing out into space. Sure, they wouldn't just dig their own graves, tell each other goodbye, bury themselves and die. But even if they continued on their aimless march through the unforgiving jungle, they were more likely to find polar bears dancing and singing Gangnam Style on an iceberg whilst drinking Martinis from coconut shells than a way home.

Artemis sighed. The end was near. The weight of accepting her fate filled her soul and eyes.

"We must move," she told him, suddenly sounding very calm.

Robin understood that. No matter what the circumstances were, there was no way in the entire freaking multiverse that she would give up. No matter how many times they were defeated or how horrible their injuries were, they would always stand back up and fight.

He gave a short nod before standing up. At this stage, there weren't many words needed. They understood each other perfectly - as only two friends going through hell itself could.

Under the secret Cadmus base

Roy braced for the impact he knew was going to come. Blockbuster was already holding out a giant fist that would most likely rip off Roy's head. What a shame.

He felt completely at peace. He was dying whilst trying to help save his friends. Was there any better way to go?

Roy just hoped Rob, Wally and Arty would get far enough to save themselves.

Blockbuster's muscles tensed. Roy knew the punch was coming. He closed his eyes, thinking, I hope my blood at least mucks up your legs, motherfucker.

He heard the swish of the massive fist cutting through air. He flinched at the thought of how much it will hurt but then realized that the fist was more likely to smash his brain even before he could feel the pain. Then his brain would splash everywhere; mixed with blood and spinal fluid, creating an awful stench that would stay on Blockbuster's clothes forever. Unfortunately, also on the clothes of his friends. Sorry guys.

As he was thinking these grim thoughts, he realized that the punch hadn't connected. He dared to open one eye and then the other. Blockbuster's fist was frozen mere centimeters from his face. Before Roy could wonder why, Blockbuster suddenly flew into air and stayed there. Behind him stood Miss Martian with her hand outstretched and the green glow in her eyes.

XXX

Robin and Artemis were on the move. They didn't have any particular direction in mind. They simply felt they had to do something and not give up and await their inevitable destinies in one place.

Artemis now carried Wally. Robin was still exhausted after the long, mindless run and then almost drowning. Besides, she spent years training with a bow and her shoulders were far more muscular than Robin's. But still, she was exhausted too, and visibly limping. If Robin hadn't known that this was personal for Artemis, his pride and the manners Alfred had ingrained in his very essence would have taken over and he's be the one carrying his best friend. Everyone in the Team could sense the feelings between the two except them themselves. Wally was simply to blind and stuck in his ways. And Artemis was a tsundere - too proud to admit her feelings in front of anyone including herself.

Artemis was getting really tired. She knew the speedster ate a lot, but with his lanky frame he was a lot heavier then she anticipated. But she no longer cared. As the possibility of failure drew nearer, she just wanted to spend Wally's last moments with him. Both heroes walked in silence, having no energy to speak even if they could find the words.

Just as she felt her body starting to give up against her will, she heard the soft rustle of leaves next to her. Then, something heavy crashed into her head. Her vision blurred, then turned into pitch-black darkness and she knew no more.

In his fatigued state, Robin could only watch the scene unfold with a sluggish sense of dread, before meeting the same fate.