XI.-

Bart was just two doors away, in the brooms locker.

This time it was easier to open the door. I mean, Cassie just had to bump into its lock with her knee and it opened for her.

He was unconscious too, of course. Cassie rocked him with her foot while I checked the comunicator she was carrying in her hands.

As I had suspected, Con was not in the vicinity.

"Robin!" Bart sat straight as soon as he opened his eyes. "I've found him! He is..." Then he blinked, looking at Cassie and looking at me, at our arms... then looking at his. "Aw. He knocked me out."

"Yes, we thought so."

"Boys, please, no goofing around, ok?" Cass was watching the corridor and it was all she could do to stop herself from flying all the way to the altar and hit Harm. "Robin, fill him in."

So I did while I watched his attemps on getting up. He took it all quite calmly.

Then I told them my plan and they looked at me as if I were crazy. And not daring crazy, but freaking crazy. I didn't care as long as they nodded in agreement, which they did, Cassie more reluctantly than Bart.

"So, first things first." I said to Bart. "You think you can run with your hands at your..."

A draft of air to the left.

My hair going wild.

A draft of hair to the right.

My boots and belt were at my feet.

"...back?"

"I can manage." He grinned. "So, now can you show me how you put your own belt using your feet or what?"

I sighed, sitting at the floor. The boots were going to be tricky but possible. The belt... well... it was going to stay there in spite of Bart.

"Ok, then, Kid Flash..." I said while fighting the second boot. It was harder with one already on. "You know your part."

He knew it, and he did it.

He was back even before Wondergirl lost her patience with me and my boots.

"He has moved the altar." He said, in this kind of way he had of telling things as if everybody knew what he was talking about.

Wondergirl and I, for one, didn't understand a thing.

"What do you mean... 'moved the altar'?"

He told us.

Aparently, the altar was in a kind of platform that could be lifted to the roof of the buildings, where the solar pannels were. And Harm was there, with Superboy, filling the goblet with some liquid and reading from a very big and weird book.

"Did you see the staff?"

"Or the dagger?"

"The dagger was in his belt, and the staff was in the altar." He answered, indicating with his tone that of course he had seen them. What was he, stupid? "He's placed it in a way it's recieving all the solar rays at once."

Of course. Why did he want a solar plant for if not so? He needed all the power he could gather to mantain the force field, our handcuffing, Superboy unconsciousness and, specially, the charade that was going to fool the goblet to gave him a body that was not his.

The easy part of the plan ended here.

The daredevil, stupid, crazy and dificult part was ready to begin.

And it was all really up to Bart, because, if he failed, the rest was rubbish.

But he was not going to fail. He never failed. He would take strange detours sometimes, but he never missed the point.

So he left, leaving me and Cassie alone again.

But we were not going to stay toghether. Given our actual situation, I was just going to delay her. We had talked about it already.

"Tim, promise me it's going to be all right." She said, gathering herself toghether before starting off. "Tell me you trust your plan."

"I don't trust my plan, Cass, I trust you and Bart."

She kissed me on the cheeck.

"I just wanted to say that I love you, Tim, no matter how any times you make me mad."

It felt strangely bitter, as if she was saying goodbye. The moment she began telling me that she was proud of me and it was not my fault I was going to start shouting.

"But you love someone much more than you love me, and you don't have time to loose if you want to save him."

"Aren't you tired of being always right?" She said, mockingly.

Then she flew away and up.

Sure, she didn't had her arms, but her shoulders, back and head were equally strong and, when she was focused and determined she was able to move mountains. Let alone make big holes in the roof, making her own way to the altar.

And me?

I was going to walk and look for some stairs while I waited for Bart to suceed.