Chapter 10

"Darkmatter will be in the main testing lab on the eastern side of the facility 200 meters below the earth's surface. Witch, Quickshot and I will be on point and will take care of him without interference from anyone. Miss Martian, Rocket and Batgirl will head toward the control room on the lower level of the facility and retrieve any and all data concerning Entrocorp. They will be designated Beta. There are three safe areas designed to protect the personnel in case of fire or other disasters. Artemis, Superboy, Robin and Beast boy will be designated Gamma. You will head to the safe zone on the southern side of the facility. Nightwing, Kid Flash, Wondergirl and Lagoon boy will be Delta. You will take the northern safe zone. Kaldur, Zatanna, Blue Beetle and Bumblebee will head to the western safe zone and will be designated Sigma. The alarms to the facility were tripped half an hour ago so there will be fatalities designed to slow us down. You will need to evacuate as many people as possible before the whole place becomes a giant crater. The schematics to the place have been uploaded to the bat's computers and Beetle's suit. Be careful and if you meet resistance of any kind call us immediately. Understood?" Aurora asked getting into battle-mode.

They were in the bioship flying over the Australian desert a few minutes from Entrocorp. She didn't like bringing the Team along but they did need backup.

"If the alarms went off, why didn't the scientists evacuate?" Garfield asked.

"Darkmatter is smart. He will lock them in the one place they can't escape easily so that we will be too busy trying to rescue them to stop him before the bomb goes off." Zoe answered as she twirled he eskrima sticks in her hands.

"You won't be using magic?" Zatanna turned to her daughter.

"Magic is fun, but I prefer a more hands on approach." Zoe smiled as Aurora and Lilly nodded their heads. They did like to get physical with their targets; it was a good stress reliever.

"We have reached our destination." M'gann announced as she lowered the bioship to the ground.

"Good, M'gann link us up." Nightwing stood up and headed to the back of the ship.

"Actually, it would be better if I established the link." Aurora said turning to face her mother.

Zoe and Lilly turned to look at their friend, their faces displaying their disapproval of the idea. "That isn't such a good idea." Zoe trusted Aurora but she was worried about Achilles taking advantage of the situation.

"I am stronger telepathically than MM and my link has an emotional anchor preventing psychic intrusion." Aurora understood their concerns, but she knew her brother wanted to help. M'gann gave a small nod and Aurora closed her eyes concentrating on establishing the link. "Link is established."

The team was overwhelmed when Aurora established the mind-link. M'gann's link was subtle, a feeling in the back of your mind. Aurora's link on the other hand was almost tangible, linking their minds so tightly that it functioned as one. Nightwing rubbed his head at the uncomfortable sensation and was about to say "move out" when the entire group stood up and rallied at his side.

They reached the entrance of the facility and were shocked by the sight that greeted them. Papers and broken pieces of furniture were strewn everywhere. Most of the windows were broken and the walls had holes punched into them. However, what shocked them was the blood. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, the floor and even the ceiling was covered with blood. There were bodies strewn everywhere, unwilling donors to the liquid that covered the walls.

"Why would he kill so many?" M'gann asked, clearly disturbed by the carnage before her.

Aurora was about to respond when they were interrupted by a weak cough. They moved towards the sound of the noise and saw a woman with a large piece of glass protruding from her stomach. Zoe and Lilly moved forward to help them but were stopped by Aurora. "Witch, Quickshot stand down."

"Rory, she needs our help." Lilly said turning to her friend.

"No she doesn't. She isn't part of the mission." Aurora's thoughts betrayed no emotions as she looked at the injured scientist.

"How could you say that?" M'gann asked her eyes wide with horror that her own daughter would be so cold.

"Our purpose is to save lives, regardless of the mission" Nightwing said his thoughts laced with anger.

"This facility has 528 personnel. According to the records, 131 people died during the explosion. One of the names on that list is Dr. Martha Grey." Aurora pointed to the woman bleeding on the floor.

"We can't change the past." Zoe said casting her eyes on the floor.

"Sorry, but we can't stand idly by while someone is suffering." Artemis said as the team stepped forward. The three girls however blocked their path, Lilly raising her bow the arrow aimed at their parents.

"Pots." Zoe said her hands raised in front of her causing the Team to stop in their tracks.

"What do you think you are doing?" Zatanna asked aloud.

"We can't change the past. Saving her life will have serious consequences." Lilly said, her arrow aimed directly at her mother.

"This is getting us nowhere." Achilles spoke up. He was ready for some action and they were wasting time talking. "The scientist has sustained serious injuries. She will not last long. Instead of arguing about it would be wise to spend our energy on finding Alexander."

"Achilles is right. Trust me there is no person who hates me more than I hate myself right now but we can't save her." Aurora walked over to the woman and knelt by her side. She took one of her hands and removed a few strands of hair from her face. "Your death won't be meaningless. Your daughter will go on to become one of the best scientists in the world and her inventions will help millions. I'm so sorry that we could not save you." Martha blinked back her tears and Aurora opened her mind to the woman showing her the future that she would never be a part of. She closed her mind just in time to see the small smile tugging at the scientist's lips before her hand went slack and she took her last breath.

There was silence after Martha's death broken by an angry Nightwing, "We could have saved her. We have medical equipment in the bioship; we could have patched her up."

"No, she was hanging on by a thread. She would have died anyway." Zoe said calmly.

"WE COULD HAVE ATLEAST TRIED." Conner bellowed turning to his daughter.

Aurora, who had not been able to tear her eyes away from Martha's unmoving form stood up slowly and turned towards the junior Justice League. "Do you think that I enjoyed watching her die? That I wanted to rob a little girl and her brother of a parent just like I was. I hate myself right now, but I had to make the call." Her voice was so low and so full of sorrow that the Team's anger subsided. "We have wasted enough time. We need to get back to our mission."

The Team looked at each other before they broke into their respective teams and headed to their designated areas. "This will not end well" Achilles said as they headed towards Darkmatter and hopefully their brother.

A/N
So sorry for the small chapter and for the delay but my laptop and I were separated for some time and I wrote this to get me back in the game. Don't worry the fighting is about to start soon till then, enjoy.