DON'T OWN JL.

Wonder Woman checked the last six frequencies with a sigh. J'onn, who was standing next to her, placed a hand on her shoulder,

" We will find them."

" I know we will. But I can't even get a fix on their signals. What about you?"

" I have reached out with my mind on several levels. I have yet to find them." They stood in silence once more, listening to the beeping of the monitors and hoping for the pitch to change. Diana looked back down at her screen,

" Something's wrong." Lantern's signal had begun to blink rapidly, and then it vanished from the screen all together.

" No." J'onn was already at the computer typing every possible access code he could think up of, praying that the lost signal was a glitch.

222222222222222222222

The green shield dropped as Lantern did. Weakly he held up his hand once more, wincing when an attacker slammed a heeled boot onto his hand. Barely he could see someone reach down to pull his ring off,

" Put him with his friends. Keep the ring in Level five isolation." Plastic cuffs were placed around his ankles and wrists. He was hauled roughly to his feet and through the wreckage that was once Main Street. A large unmarked truck was waiting underneath a flickering street lamp. The backdoors swung open and John was hurled in. The light grew dark as the doors were shut. There was silence then the engine began revving up. John hit the other side of the truck as they took a corner.

" You okay?" The voice came from the far end of the truck and John looked to the side to see a kneeling, bound Batman next to an unconscious Flash. Using the same maneuver he had learned in the Marines, he got onto his knees and slid over to Bruce.

" Fine. You?"

" I'll live."

" What about the kid?"

" He's been out for a while." Both of them were wearing an odd sort of headband, like the ones Solivar had used to stop Grodd's mind probes. Batman's cheek was swollen and Flash's shoulder looked like it was burnt. They watched the armored sides of the truck. It was a while before Lantern spoke again,

" Do you know where they're taking us?"

" New Mexico." John bit back his groan. All the way to New Mexico in the back of an unmarked U-Haul truck? Batman stared at John,

" Try contacting J'onn. Before they put the head band on." The words had barely left his mouth when the truck began decelerating. From the vent near the top, they could hear the angry voices of their captors,

" You forgot to put it on?"

" Geez, I'm sorry! Look, pull over here."

" McKay is gonna have your ass on a platter, pal." John shut his eyes and called out with his mind. The doors were yanked open and Batman threw himself onto the guards to give Lantern more time.

' J'onn!'

' Lantern? Where are you?'

' New Mexico. Truck.' The connection was cut off as a guard kicked Batman away and shoved the ring onto Lantern's head. The two heroes were shoved father back and three guns pointed at them.

" Fair warning. You two are expendable." The doors were closed once more. The truck moved again and Batman returned to his former position,

" Did you get the message through?"

" As much as I could." Depression began filling the area.

Next to them Flash whimpered in his sleep. His mouth was pulled into a frown and he was curling into a small ball.

For a moment he looked like the young private John had met during Desert Storm. His brother had been killed in a skirmish and every night after he had received the news he would curl up in his sleep and cry. When he woke the next morning he would not remember any of what had passed and none of the other soldiers would mention it. Instead, he and the others would take turns sitting up with the younger man, watching to make sure he would be all right, sometimes even whispering words of comfort to him. He had become the younger brother to all of them. It had nearly broken apart the unit when he had been killed in combat only a week before they were to return home.

John supposed that was the reason he had been so harsh to Flash the first shaky months after the League had been formed. In the back of his mind he could see the young private, so happy to be part of the team, eager to prove himself, and a little impulsive. He did not want to see the same fate befall his new friend. Or any friend for that matter. He and another soldier had delivered the flag to the last brother, who had been brought home a month before losing his other brothers.

" Lantern." John was snapped out of his thoughts by Bruce's gruff voice,

" Yeah?"

" Did Flash ever talk about his father to you?"

" No. He never talks about his past with anyone. Why?"

With that Batman explained about everything that he had found and that had transpired.

" Son of a bitch."