The road was long, but it was soon to cascade into loneliness. Pretty soon, it would become dangerous and never lonely or dull, shaken with dead life and rogue, wild faces. The quartet of cars turned a curve, crossed over a steel bridge, then headed west towards the safer confines of Smallville. In the Batmobile, Barbara was looking back at the city she called home, depressed and lonely to be thinking about her father and wondering if he was still alive. She turned to Dick and asked.
"There is no other way, is it?"
"No," Dick replied bluntly.
In Wally's car, Zatanna, while longing for her father and cousin Zachary, was bored.
"Why couldn't we just fly to Smallville?"
"You remember what happened to the Bioship," Aqualad reminded her. "It's no use of travel without an aircraft and I don't think Superboy would find it comfortable if he carried all of us."
Wally's eyes perked up at the idea of this road trip.
"Come on, guys. It'll be like that Muppet movie. Getting there is half the fun."
And he played "Holiday Road" on his iPod, which came swooning out of the internal subwoofers.
"At least I'm not the one who's gonna be doing all the shooting," muttered Artemis while reading from an old issue of Vue Magazine.
In the car of Megan, the usual romance was blossoming between her and Kon.
"In case anyone attacks me…will you take them by surprise?"
Kon just stared at her sudden drop in femininity.
"Well…it would make a good plan, but I think you're capable of doing the same."
Passing over another bridge, Megan looked out of the car window at a brown river. Poison Ivy's seemingly uncharacteristic, but desperate plan was working faster than expected. She prayed that they would reach the farm as soon as possible.
In Roy's roadster of a wagon, Cheshire asked.
"How long are we going to be up there? On the Kent's farm? Doesn't Superman's cousin Kara live there?"
"Yes," Roy answered. "and so do the old folks that Superman calls 'Ma' and 'Pa'. I hear they're fun people."
"Then it looks like we're gonna have a smashin' good time up there, aren't we?" teased Cheshire.
The two smiled, content with their fates.
In the Batmobile…
"I wonder what Jonathan and Martha will think about Roy and Cheshire."
Barbara was saying this to Dick, whose mask clad eyes were narrowed on the road.
"All they need is give them some food and they'll be on their way."
Through the psychic link, Megan overheard their voices, predicting a flash of red closed over a man loading his M1. Yet Batgirl was more concerned with her own personal problems.
"I'd rather you'd not hang out with Roy, Jason," she instructed. "You two have too much in common."
"Is that so?" Jason's Robin mask seemed to narrow with his cocky smile and it made Tim and Stephanie nervous.
But Tim, who now had the knowledge of the Bat-Family's identities, tried to score a point.
"There's a very logical reason behind this, Jason. Or should I say Robin?"
"You can call me whatever you want."
Jason crossed his arms and let the motion of the Batmobile guide him to a quick rest.
"I hope Cheshire's nice," mused Stephanie.
A man's voice came from the radio, everyone recognizing it as David Clark of WXAM.
"There are reports of even more serious outbreaks, particularly in Star City, Opal, Gateway and Midway. In the case of Midway, official contacts have been lost. In view of the disturbances, there is some danger that the country might lapse into anarchy."
The team gulped their worst fears down their throats, but at least they were safe from traffic when they stopped at an open field of wheat that was starting to die and sat down to update their route. Even with the Batmobile's computer guiding the way, everyone needed some fresh air.
A trio of F1 fighters soared above them as Batgirl drank some water from a bat-flask.
"They must be from Hal's station of command," she commented.
She huddled closer to Nightwing, Miss Martian and Superboy, who were with Cheshire and Red Arrow. Wally and his passengers were having their own picnic…of rations that Wally picked up from Central City before they left. Robin and Tim came out a few seconds later while Stephanie stayed in the car, Jason asking Miss Martian.
"Yo, Megan, can we sit in Wally's wagon? I wanna see things better."
"Why can't you just ride in the Batmobile?" Megan questioned him.
"I like having a view as opposed to my iPhone," Tim crossed his arms before turning back to the Batmobile. "And I'm Stephanie won't mind, do you Steph?"
He could see the girl shaking her head no.
"Do whatever you want," Nightwing said without a sigh. "We just need to continue on towards West Virginia."
"The roads are unfriendly there," Red Arrow told them. "I know this, because Oliver and I met some of Clock King's men turned mad there when we went to check out the progress of the virus."
"Why would they be there?" asked Cheshire.
"They must have wandered off from Star City in search of their boss. He went missing last year, you know. For all I know, they probably hitched a train and got off there."
Batgirl tried to change the subject.
"Well…I am willing to get to Smallville even if it takes us all night."
"The main thing," Nightwing stated. "Is to keep clear of population centers. They're all whelmed."
Then he stood up, announcing in a strong voice.
"All right! Does anyone have to use the toilet?"
Kid Flash, Artemis, Rocket, Miss Martian, Cheshire and Tim all raised their arms.
"Good, 'cause I don't want to stop later."
Batgirl directed her right index finger to Miss Martian.
"Megan, that spot looks okay."
They went together to piss, while Cheshire walked curiously over to Nightwing.
"Can I do anything for you?"
Nightwing just gave her the bat-glare.
"No."
His voice was raw like Batman's and his eyes went to her green skimpy outfit.
"But dress warmly. You might get a cold, Chessy."
"I'm never cold," Cheshire shook her head. "And please, call me Jade."
But still, she and Roy were sharing the same toilet, as such couples should do in this act of love. Yet with the way she said her name, it was enough to make Nightwing blush as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand.
With "Movin' Right Along" blasting from Wally's wagon, the quartet of cars were speeding down the road once more. But Cheshire was having a petty row with Red Arrow.
"I'd rather you'd not be so flirtatious," Roy warned her.
Jade cared less about his feelings.
"So what? I was trying to be friendly."
"But not that way. I don't want you to shove it down your throat."
Before they could speak anymore, David Clark's voice came on the radio once more.
"In Metropolis, martial law has been enacted by Mayor Aubrey James."
Dick, hearing this in the Batmobile, narrowed his eyes.
"What bullshit. Why doesn't he mention anything about Bruce? All they ever do is just fiddle while Gotham City burns."
"In Bludhaven," Clark continued. "An attempt has been made by organized mobs to break through military barricades set up early this morning by the GCPD, following their temporary ban on travel. Army quarters expect to have the situation in hands."
Batgirl's eyes were narrowed down to Nightwing's squints.
"God, Ivy, what have you done?"
Little did they know about Roy and Jade's roadster coming alongside them.
"Wanna pass them?" Jade asked her love life.
Roy smiled and turned up the radio volumes. Wally saw the overpassing from his wagon and his emotions went cocky.
"Oh, so it's a race now is it?"
"You can catch him," Jason smiled. "Unless your car doesn't have a souped-up engine."
Wally shot Robin a deathly glare and pressed on as Cheshire urged Red Arrow to step on it.
"However," Kid flash told the two boys and his other passengers. "If we do catch them, we won't over pass them like they did to the Batmobile."
The small chase took them to a railroad crossing, where the line traveled to the Horseshoe Curve. Miss Martian and Superboy, now far behind, had to stop when the gates closed on them. It made Kon want to growl at the thought of being left behind but Megan asked.
"Where's the train?"
Then Kon had his own idea.
"I'll push the gates aside."
But he never got the chance. Once he stepped out of the car, he felt sweat, followed by the flash of a green saber made of kryptonite that forced him to shield his eyes. Followed by a flaming lighter that took Megan by surprise as she was dragged out of the car by a second man who dragged her and the weakened Kon into a bush.
When Nightwing noticed how far behind Megan's car was, he and the others drove back. It was still there fortunately along with the burning smell of fire coming around a bush that was not too far from where they were.
"Help!" came the voice of Miss Martian from the psychic link. "This man is trying to force me."
In an open field where the bonfire was taking place around Miss Martian, Superboy tried to force his way through his weakness.
"Let her—!"
He was cut off by the man who threw another blow at him. Superboy could easily see that they were deranged men of Clock King who were well prepared since the last time they met the young heroes.
When Superboy was forced to the ground, watching the other man struggle with his girlfriend who tried to crawl away from the flames, the man with the kryptonite was gripping his shirt. The struggle was so hard and brutal that the man was pulling too hard on the top, his hands covering the House of El insignia. He pulled and he pulled, then after a third hard tug, there came a rip amongst the top of the black fabric, exposing Superboy's chest. Then with an even louder rip, the shirt came clean off. The man prepared to plunge the kryptonite dagger into his chest…
Megan nearly had the worst of it. As the man holding her tried to do the same with her white top, she delivered a very hard uppercut. So hard that it caused the man's jaw to bleed. Fortunately for her, the man was shot in the right temple when he got back up again and so was his partner, who was more wounded than dead. The shots came from Red Arrow, finally putting his guns to good use.
"Don't shoot me!" protested the man with the kryptonite as the now-shirtless Superboy got to his feet and blew out the bonfire.
But Roy would have none of it.
"If you were black," he gritted. "I would smack you so hard, you would end up looking lighter than Michael Jackson. Besides, the guilty don't deserve to die as quick as the innocent."
Superboy saw his cowering attacker and glared, a cold icy stare that ironically led to red lasers coming out of his pupils. The corpse collapsed to the ground, releasing his grip on the Kryptonite dagger.
Rocket, after taking a brief once over on Superboy's topless state, inspected the three piece remains of Superboy's shirt.
"Will you be all right without a shirt?" she asked.
"Sure," Superboy said this like it was nothing. "I'm the Boy of Steel, the cold won't bother me."
He flexed his muscles, turning Megan on.
It was getting dark when they passed through Kentucky. The cars rolling silently down the road were so far as successful from attracting attention. Connor was asleep in Megan's car, letting her drive while he used her cape for a blanket. Wally's passengers were asleep while he himself tried to keep his eyes open. Red Arrow, Cheshire and those occupying the Batmobile were fully awake to hear David Clark's broadcasting.
"Under existing marshal law, a curfew from eight p.m. to eight a.m. will go into effect immediately in the United States and anyone seen on the streets during those hours will be shot immediately—get away from there!"
The mood suddenly changed as well as a new spokesman who was also male.
"This is the city's emergency committee in Gotham. We've taken charge of this station. The former government headed by Mayor Aubrey James has fled the country. Stand by for an emergency announcement."
"It's all falling apart so fast," Nightwing muttered.
Jade found it rude. It woke her up from a pleasurable dream.
"Do we have to listen to this racket all night?"
"Yes," Roy told her. "It will give us something to keep ourselves in bright spirits."
The new broadcaster continued.
"This is Gotham. We bring you the first bulletin of the emergency committee. The facts are these. We found out that the former government was about to execute a plan to drop nerve gas bombs on American cities. It was calculated that half the country's population would be murdered while the rest would survive."
"Now they are really starting to panic," Nightwing muttered.
By open daybreak, over another river damaged by Ivy's actions as well as man's, the team was just driving through the bottom of Illinois when….
"GET HIMMM!"
Another gang of henchmen gone bad were attacking a group of superheroes. They seemed to be around their age and wearing cool and colorful costumes of awesomeness. One was a blue fellow with feelers like a beetle's, the second one was a girl with black hair, black collar and jacket and blue jeans with dark boots and the third was a green guy with amphibian features that caught Aqualad's attention. He immediately drew the powers of himself into his body and threw a huge blast of water that swept the henchmen away.
"Kaldur?" asked the green guy.
Kaldur turned counterclockwise.
"La'gaan? What brings you outside of Atlantis?"
"To help the surface world in light of this disaster. Atlantis is safe, but these two and your team could be my answer to salvation."
He gestured his right hand to the boy and girl.
"This is Blue Beetle and Traci Thirteen."
"Hola," the beetle waved his right hand as Traci did the same.
After the trio took their place in Wally's wagon, they continued on for another five miles before they stopped to rest. Again, they were listening to the radio while sitting outside. Jason and Tim, chomping on M&Ms, heard the committee report. Stephanie, silent and calm, smoothed her upper arms.
"The emergency committee is making arraignments for collecting whatever food is available and having it fairly rationed out. If the country only shows the spirit of the events that followed 9/11, we can pull through. Any action against the citizen's committee will be severely dealt with. Stand by for further bulletin."
"Stand by?"
Nightwing just narrowed his eyes into that signature bat-glare and sat down next to Batgirl, having walked from the dashboard of the Batmobile. He was joined shortly by Kid Flash, trying to brighten the mood with little results.
"It very interesting. Just two days ago, we were still a civilized country. Why did Poison Ivy, out of all the bad guys in the world have to punish us with a virus?"
"You know how protective she is of plants," Nightwing told him. "I guess we were thinking too much about ourselves to think about what's really important in life…taking care of our world. If we still had the Bioship, we could easily move to a new world."
"Where?" asked Blue Beetle. "Oa?"
"They're too far," Batgirl tried to argue. "And none of this would be happening if that battle in Washington never took place."
"What else could we do?" Nightwing sighed. "It was our duty."
Miss Martian, who had been sitting on a picnic blanket rubbing Superboy's washboard abs, frowned sadly at their conversation. But it didn't last long when Nightwing to his feet and announced.
"All right everybody! Time to move on!"
Superboy stood up, stretching his exposed arms as he comforted Megan.
"You know, if I could change things, I would."
"Of course, you would," she kissed his left nipple. "But Batgirl is so upset that…she can't even think about it."
Getting back into her car, they drove all the way to the border of Kansas where they found a trailer hooked up to a tractor, completely blocking the road. Nightwing went out to meet the two men standing guard.
"I just want to let you all know," Zatanna was starting to say. "That if worse comes to worse, let me use my magic."
"Why bother?" Aqualad told her. "That will only cause even more anarchy and we don't want to resort to that, now do we?"
Zatanna sat in defeat as the Bat-Family spoke with the tractor owners. But to their surprise, other men with firearms came from the behind the trees and forced them out of their cars. Jason had a bit of a struggle with one before he was joined by Tim, Steph and Wally's group.
"What is the meaning of this?" Nightwing threatened to use his sticks on the owner.
"We are doing what we have to for our own town," the man sneered. "I am certain that you supers have had a taste of survival?"
"Yes," came the voice of Superboy. He was starting to regret his decision of going bare chested for the rest of the journey as the cold pricked his Kryptonian skin.
Nightwign was almost heartbroken to see the Batmobile being driven off to the nearby town as their belongings were thrown out onto the road.
"There is a pretty stiff penalty for what you are doing."
But Nightwing's words were no match for the man he was facing.
"Starvation is a greater penalty than this," the owner scolded him. "But I'll give you the fair share of taking anything we can use."
Batgirl was appalled.
"What kind of people are you?"
The man smiled a shit-eating grin.
"The same people you are."
Now the team was feeling truly powerless.