The Team returning to the mountain was a silent, remorseful, and grisly affair.

The moment their designations were called out, the deep voice of Batman had come over the intercoms, ordering them to go to the debriefing room. They wanted to put Senka in the medical bay so that he could be examined by Canary who they knew he had some modicum of trust with. At least she could say goodbye to him- they had seen how Senka had begun to loosen up around her when she came for their training session earlier that day.

Conner had opted to be the one to carry Senka's body and no one objected to it, seeing that he felt intense guilt over the fact that Senka had died defending him.

When they entered, their mentors or DNA donors were waiting, all wearing varying expressions of shock, horror, or (in batman's case) indifference. Conner had refused to put his shirt back on when they boarded the Bioship, instead gently easing it over the head of their fallen teammate to give him sone semblance of dignity over his fatal wound; Batman looked at the team silently before speaking, not even addressing the cold corpse they had been forced to bring back.

"Report."

The team, every single member in it, flinched before stilling.

Robin had seen Batman like this when assessing homicide cases- it was to separate hmself from the idea that the victim was someone's child, mother, father, sister, brother, or guardian and all the victim's families had left.

And yet…

To see him like this with a person they had saved, and despite the team's distrust and negligence towards Senka, the meta had put himself on the end of a blade to take the hit from a strike that he felt Superman's clone couldn't handle… the coldness from Batman had the boy wonder feeling like ice had flooded his veins.

"Are you serious…?" Artemis' trembling voice mate the leader of the Justice League look dispassionately at the girl, taking in her red-rimmed eyes and blotched cheeks. "One of our teammates has fucking died, and you want us to give a fucking report?!"

Kaldur scowled, his own grief and anger over not doing anything for the one under their care surging to the surface. "I must agree with Artemis on tis matter, Batman," the teen growled. "My team and I have witnessed the passing of a brave individual who has been treated unfairly by us and the League, and I want to know why you think his sacrifice is not worth being even remotely alarmed over!" the Atlanteans' gaze flicked to his King, the blonde atlantian turning away with an expression akin to shame flitting over his features.

"If you will not let us pay our respects t a fallen comrade without your presious report, I will gove it to you- Doctor Ivo stole his android back, put it together, and set it on Superboy and Senka. Senka fought back to protect his current partner and paid for it with his life."

Green Lantern frowned. "Hold on a moment son," he said. "That meta was only following orders placed by us. It has nothing to do with you-."

"IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH US!" Superboy shouted, arms trembling as they gripped the unmoving body still in his arms. The team had avoided forming an attachment to Senka because they thought he wasn't trusted, and they could only see he was trusted after he had died for one of their own. Conner's guilt had reached an all-time high.

"He realized that the android had scanned his powers the moment it's eyes turned purple," Conner grit out. "He didn't have to protect me- he knew, he KNEW, that I'm a clone of Superman- it probably wouldn't have even given me a scratch! But he still did it."

Conner looked up; his eyes were as red rimmed as Artemis' were.

"You said something to him before we left for this mission,"

Robin finally spoke up, his voice low and trembling as he clenched his fists. The boy wonder took a step towards his impassive mentor, and the slight brushing against Senka's limp wings made a streak of of still wet golden blood mar his suit.

"You spoke about a deal. What the hell was this deal you made with him, Batman? What is it that the entire League is in on?"

"That is none of your-"

"He forced Senka into an ultimatum," it was Superman who spoke this time. Batman's lips twitched downwards, the only indication he was irritated. The kryptonian was pale, his form not standing tall and proud like one would expect, but slumped and tired. "Your protection for his freedom from a cell in Belle Reve Penitentiary."

Kaldur's eyes widened, and he stepped back. "You- what?!"

"He was too powerful, his abilities could counter every one of the Justice League's heavy hitters, including Superman's." Hal said, his face set in a frown. "He has the ability to heal, so we thought he was the perfect candidate to avoid you kids dying."

"We are heroes," Dinah said through grit teeth. "I said it when you all decided to use this child as a meat shield, and I'll say it again: it is cruel and inhumane! Downright evil to take a kid who had been subject to abuse and experimentation and hold hid strengths over his head just to have him die in the place of our proteges!"

Batman turned to Dinah as the kids on the Team processed her words. "And I told you and the others who disagreed that it was a necessary evil!"

"So who should be the next shield, then, Bats?" Robin said dully, making his mentor turn to him sharply. "Me? How about you, Kaldur? M'gann? Wally?"

Every mentor there flinched at the names of their proteges, thinking about them in the place of the meta lying dead in Superboy's arms.

"Just because you think his life is worthless," Wally said quietly, finally speaking. "Doesn't mean it's worth less than ours."

"He may have been closed off and cautious," M'gann said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But he was kind in his alienation when we weren't antagonizing him. He had connected with Artemis on the first day he was able to meet us…" she lifted into the air. "I cannot believe that those who would protect this planet wouldn't do the same for a kid like your own child proteges."

Kaldur turned his back on King Orin, striding from the room. He was followed by the rest of the team.

"Just because he's dead now, doesn't mean he'll stay that way." Batman said. Robin spun on the League leader, his mouth contorted in a snarl of justified rage. "And that makes it okay to use him?! To dangle the prospect of freedom in his face so he'll die for us?! So what if he comes back, he can still feel pain, can't he?! He can laugh and cry and feel anger like any of us can, so what in the nine circles of Tartarus makes what you all forced him into right?!" following after his teammates, who had paused to hear the usually upbeat teen's sudden outburst.

As Robin left his mentor, his adopted father behind, he paused at the doors before speaking.

"I'll be sleeping at the Mountain for a while," he muttered. "Don't wait up for me."

The team left the founding members that had arrived at the Mountain standing in silence and palpable shame.

And even Batman felt a sinking feeling in his gut.

Senka floated.

He felt light and heavy as his eyes fluttered open and he looked around before sighing, seeing the rivers of gold that flowed under him and the pinpoint of light above that ever so slowly grew bigger.

the place was familiar as the back of his hand; he knew the drill- once the light over him got big enough, he was spit back out into the world. the dragon-boy leaned back and crossed his arms, laughing deprecatingly at his situation.

'So… I'm dead again, huh?'

SO! this was a bit of an 'aftermath'/filler chapter. How the team was taking Senka's death and what they thought of their mentors who had planned for this to happen to protect their mentees. Trust has been broken- if the League was prepared to make someone who they had promised to keep safe die so their kids could live, what else would they do?

I woke up at 2 in the morning to write this because my heart said sleep but my brain sai E.