Now that they had to walk, the team's responsibility was their load to bear, right inside their suitcases. Kid Flash, knowing that most of the others were not as fast as him, chose not to go fast. He didn't feel like having to carry his suitcase, but at least his iPod was trying to keep his mood upright.
Red Arrow, however, was making a hash out of it until he noticed a fallen man with a Smith & Wesson pistol in his right hand. He picked it up.
"I thought they'd come in handy," he told Nightwing.
"Very intelligent, but you still have your arrows."
"And when the arrows run out?"
"Then we'll have to find a farmhouse with arms, cars and petrol," remarked Kid Flash.
"No more cars," Nightwing groaned. "They're nothing but an invitation to an ambush. And if there's one thing Batman taught me, is that we shouldn't kill our enemies even if they deserve it."
"Batman never understood the consequences," Robin said. "I say we make it a survival of the fittest by killing all the supervillains and letting us heroes be the only ones worth living."
Nightwing just ignored this and unfolded his map.
"We have about 50 miles to the Kent farm. I think we can do it in two days without any trouble."
But what Miss Martin saw next was an evil vision of motorcycle gangs passing and jeering at them. She nearly fainted at this, but she made sure that none of her companions would notice.
The team soon made heavy weather of the journey as a mist settled in and the effects of Ivy's virus had now taken some grass blades as well as animals. They found a goat that looked flattened being watched over by a young man of dark black hair. From the length of it and his skin color, they could tell he was an Indian. His words caused the team the stop in their tracks and give him the pity and attention he deserved.
"It may not seem like it today, but this Earth's climate is getting warmer because all of this pollution has been keeping the heat in and the polar ice caps will melt. Then everybody will drown. A lot of the sun's rays will get through and everybody including my people will die."
The team nearly cringed at his words, but it was enough to give Wally the goosebumps. The young man stood up and his face was friendly compared to that cold stare as he offered his right hand to Nightwing.
"Tye Longshadow. Apache."
"Nightwing. Acrobat."
"Is he coming with us?" Tim asked.
"Yes," Batgirl nodded. "We could always use a real voice of reason like this kid."
Blue Beetle approached the boy.
"Do you know if there is a farmhouse around here?"
"Yes," Tye pointed his left index finger to the little cottage on his left. "My folks and I live right over there."
When the team arrived at the house, Nightwing and Robin went first, walking up to the door while the former rung the doorbell and out came a middle-aged Indian who looked peaceful and content. He was quite obviously Tye's father.
"May I help you?" asked Mr. Longshadow.
"We would like some of your food if you may," Nightwing was the one to say.
Then Robin asked.
"Do you have any…potatoes?"
"We do," Mr. Longshadow replied. "But with this decay in nature, it is best to leave them preserved."
Some two seconds of silence followed, then there was a shot from both the inside, the scream of his wife and before he knew it, Mr. Longshadow had fallen victim to a madman in a greaser jacket. Nightwing and Robin ran like the dickens, hiding behind the side of the house before Robin threw a wing-ding at the man looking around in vain. It plunged into the back of his head before he too fell dead, face first to the floor.
When inside, they saw Mrs. Longshadow looking like she had been sawed in half by a shotgun and felt pity for the now orphaned Tye.
"I'll move the bodies to the cellar," said Nightwing.
"Everything is so different now," reminisced Tim as he and the Bat-Family ate jam sandwiches in silence. "Now we have to fight to live….like in the westerns."
Roy was fiddling with an old radio.
"I think I've got something," he told the others.
The man's voice on the radio spelled nothing but doom and gloom.
"All evidence indicates that France, Germany and Italy and all of Western Europe along with a major part of Asia, South America and Africa have ceased to exist as part of the civilized world. In the midst of complete anarchy and mass starvation, the horrors of cannibalism are already widespread. Numbers of aircraft have already been arriving in Canada and this country. By order of the President, the people in it have been granted asylum. The Prime Minister of France and senior members of the French government and members of the Belgian Royal Family are in this country. It is reported in Halifax, Nova Scotia that the British Government and Royal Family have landed there safely. Here is what the President had to say…"
"We are shocked at the horrors of this happening…we must now preserve the heritage of man's greatness."
Unable to hear anymore, Roy turned the radio off and dead silence filled the room. Nightwing broke it.
"All right, let's go."
Superboy found a nearby jacket that was as blue as Superman's costume and put it on, wrapping his body around it.
"What's the matter, Connor?" Megan asked him. "I thought you liked showing off your body."
"Yes. It's just that I have to be modest sometime."
And Kon was right for one thing: it became useful when they went through a sun shower. Tye, having packed all of his belongings into a single brown suitcase, took one last look at his home before moving on. It was also upsetting for him to see all the animals who lived around the house dead from eating the virus infected plants.
"Ivy loved animals," Batgirl said. "But why so many."
"Simple," Artemis said. "She's going too far with this."
The hills and the fields were now starting to look so bare. A respectable Apache that he was, Tye felt like the Crying Indian from anti-pollution commercials of long ago. Deep in his heart, he knew what would happen to everything that lived here.
When the team arrived at a disused barn, Nightwing knew that this would be a perfect place to sleep in for the night. He instructed his best men:
"Roy, Wally. We'll have to take turns on guard duty."
The roof had tiles that were loose and rattled in the wind, keeping Batgirl awake, but Nightwing didn't mind and neither did the others. But still, he decided to console her.
"Can't you sleep, Babs?"
"No."
"The going gets rough as we get closer to Smallville," Nightwing reassured her. "But it will be different."
"At least I'll get to see Kara again," Batgirl tried to brighten her currently dour mood. "And how exactly will it be different besides having food and drinks."
"That we'll be like human beings again…civilized ones."
He paused before lettings his thoughts run wild.
"Can you imagine what will happen once those mobs from Gotham get up here. And military units? Are they just gonna stand by and obey orders?"
Batgirl looked down, making her decision clear.
"I don't wanna talk anymore."
Roy walked up to them.
"Your turn, Dick."
After Barbara successfully managed to find some sleep, Nightwing got up and made his way to the doors. About fifteen minutes later, he was greeted by Jade, looking as though she was waiting for an invitation.
"What are you doing up?" he asked.
"I just couldn't sleep. Do you have a light?"
She produced a white cigarette from her right hand, but Nightwing's tone was firm.
"I don't smoke."
"And I don't envy you one bit, Nightwing, but you've got a load of problems. Why is Batgirl giving you such a hard time?"
"I don't want to discuss this with you."
He turned his head away from her gaze.
"You don't for sure what we could do together. Tomorrow, we might all be dead."
At last, he faced her.
"I think you had better get back to bed, Jade."
"All right," she sighed. "Can I say goodnight before I go?"
And without even thinking about it, Cheshire gave Nightwing a huge, smooth, sexy, kiss on the right cheek.
"I thought you would be more careful on guard duty…"
They turned to see a maddened Roy and Nightwing tried to make him see reason.
"Roy, I was only—"
"No excuses. Jade, come!"
Jade, looking frightened, moved an inch behind Nightwing before she felt the right hand of her beau dragging her to his left side.
"Let go of me!" she shouted.
All Nightwing could do about it was stare and keep his arms crossed, expecting to see her released from his grasp.
"I've got my pride, Dicky-boy. I thought about killing her when were still enemies, but the price was still high."
Nightwing tried to control his anger.
"Just what are you getting at, Roy?"
"I mean the law…the old law. But there isn't any now…is there?"
"If there were, we should all hang."
"Right, but you know a lot of things, Nightwing, so what kind of law is left?"
"The law of the group for survival."
Now his eyes were narrowed, but Roy remained undeterred as Jade's face flashed with fury.
"And in the head of the family," was his response.
"Still," Nightwing continued. "You should subject yourself to the law of the group."
"I can kill for food, but what about my self-respect?"
His free left hand pulled out the Smith & Wesson, aiming it at Cheshire's throat. She shrieked.
"For God's sake you're breaking my arms!"
"And you're breaking my heart!" Roy shouted before turning to Nightwing. "Now I want my RIGHTS!"
Nightwing just shook his head no.
"Just send her away, Jade. I'm sure she can fend for herself."
"Better yet…"
He pulled the trigger down and great patch of blood now soaked her throat and the right half of Red Arrow's face. The sight reminded Nightwing almost too much of Two-Face if his deformity had been located on the right side.
"What will I tell them?" asked a now-regretful Red Arrow.
Nightwing's reply was simple.
"The truth."
"That's horrible," replied Batgirl once she found out. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"There was nothing I could do," Nightwing replied.
Soon they were back to hiking through the wilderness again, where they came to an old man who took little notice of them as the team conversed.
"The thing that bothers me the most," Superboy was saying to Miss Martian. "Is that I killed a man…even if he deserved it."
"I'm sure you did the right thing," she said softly. "Maybe Superman would have been proud of you."
Through the rocks and over the barren landscapes, the team got through all right until they came across a murdered couple outside of their car…in a picnic setup of all things. Kid Flash kept Robin and Tim back as Nightwing and Batgirl inspected the scene.
"They've been dead for no more than an hour," Nightwing told his partners.
Further gunshots from the distance brought crying crows and screaming pigeons before the team found their strength to move again.
"I wonder what is happening at home. Dad and…"
"Don't think about it Babs," Nightwing scolded.
And she was silent just like that for the remaining time to come.
Jason and Tim felt the burden of the luggage weighing them down in their suitcases.
"How I'd love to be in a car right now," Jason murmured. "My legs are killing me."
"We're all exhausted," reprimanded Tim. "Now shut up."
Behind Wally's group were Roy, Kon and Megan. Their complains were restricted down to normal conversations.
"When I was younger," Roy told the two. "I got into some trouble with the Indians for hunting a couple of animals. Don't tell Tye about this, but I got caught selling cigars, seeing how Indians are commonly associated with them."
"Hold up!" called Nightwing in front. "Let's take a rest."
"Anyways," Roy continued. "When Oliver came into my life, he and I did a lot of things that I never really got to do with my real father, the forest ranger. Like seeing westerns about Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp…you know the rest."
"Would you like to sit next to me, Megan?" asked Wally.
"I'll be fine with Connor, thank you!"
"And I'd like to walk with you," Roy locked his right fingers with her left.
This was displeasing Superboy.
"This is neither the time nor the place for romance. Megan is my girl and we'll be doing whatever we like on Grandpa Kent's farm."
"You're not even Superman's son," Roy tensed. "You're just a clone. I know because Green Arrow told me."
Superboy became defensive around Miss Martian.
"You can have any other girl in Smallville except Megan."
But she found her voice.
"Isn't that my decision to make?"
The row ended just like that. When they continued on their way again, they passed ants feasting over a calf's skeleton and some trash which nearly brought Tye to the point of tears. As the sun reached into it's afternoon position, Nightwing could see other costume clad teens dressed in costume.
"Just the sort of group we need: boys and girls with guns."
The group consisted of a boy who appeared to be Mexican, a much older boy with the wings and armor of a Thanagarian, one with green skin and a red suit, one of black skin and blue clothing, a girl of Asian descent, a blond and raven-haired duo of girls bearing Wonder Woman's insignia and a couple whom Kaldur and La'gaan recognized as Tula and Garth, also Atlanteans.
Nightwing tried to be friendly as he approached the large group.
"Hello, where are you off to?"
"Safer pastures," Garth announced. "Tula and I are helping these kids up to Smallville. We believe it is a perfect place for survival given it's state of the crops as well as food supplies."
"What a coincidence!" Kid Flash's eyes widened. "We're going to Smallville, too! The Kent farm is there and it has food."
"And it's easy to defend," added Nightwing. "We can always use some recruits."
"Recruits like us?" asked the Thanagarian youth.
"Yes," Red Arrow stated. "Aren't you all like us?"
The group, knowing very well that mobs would be fighting over every potato patch in the country would turn to savagery and their immediate trust went to the person whom they saw as their new leader.
The Asian girl asked.
"Are you the leader?"
"Yes," replied Nightwing. "And if you do as I say, you'll be all right."
Gaining her trust in this stranger, the girl shook his right hand, giving him her name.
"I'm Asami Koizumi."
"Dick Grayson, but you can call me Nightwing."
"Your name is Dick?"
The group's heads turned to the source of the voicing belonging to the green-skinned boy who blushed red. Nightwing just narrowed his eyes and continued to speak.
"Yes. And if you know better, I'd suggest you line up behind me and identify yourselves."
Each member of the group gave their names: the green boy was Garfield Logan, known to the others as Beast Boy. The boy in blue was Virgil Hawkins who called himself static. The Thanagarian youth was Golden Eagle, whose real name was Charley Parker. The black- and blonde-haired ladies were Cassie Sandsmark and Donna Troy, who called themselves the Wonder Girls. Eduardo Dorado Jr was the Mexican boy and Garth and Tula gave Kaldur and La'gaan the proper Atlantean greeting.
"Eduardo's town was destroyed with only a few things left," Tula told Kaldur. "They barely got away with just a few things left."
When they had all lined up, Roy said to Megan.
"I'll see you at the next stop."
"Okay."
Then she turned to Superboy, whose jacket was open, enough for people to see his chest. But didn't distract Megan from her objective.
"Don't be angry."
"I'm not," Connor muttered. "I love you."
And he readied himself for the long journey ahead. Batgirl was doing her best to hold on as Nightwing called out "Everybody get going!" and they were on their way again. Golden Eagle watched over the group at an altitude of fifteen feet while Virgil sat on his disk, floating most of the way like he was some kind of guru. Passing a couple of power lines, he noticed Eduardo struggling with his bags and thought about helping him, as friends should do in these hard and troubled times that would mark the end of civilization as we know it.
Dead calves and baby animals perturbed their eyes, forcing some of them to look away. Some who saw Virgil's act of kindness, offered to help others with their belongings. Even though some declined the offers, they had very little choice as to what they could do next in the midst of their walking.
Then Batgirl noticed something.
"Nightwing, that house looks deserted. Maybe we can stop there for the night."
"We still have another 25 miles to go, Babs, it's not like anyone's gonna be whelmed after a walk that long."
Batgirl tsked.
"That's what you think, but you're wrong."
The old, abandoned plantation seemed like the perfect place to sleep for the night….but the shadowy exterior had some frightening aesthetics that scared some of Beast Boy's wits. He was sitting down in the dilapidated dining hall with his group mixed with Wally's. Some coughed, lit fires and Superboy was sitting down to a cup of hot cocoa severed to him by Miss Martian.
All silence, however, would soon be interrupted by a shriek that came from Traci Thirteen as she and Golden Eagle investigated the cellar for any valuables. The cause of her scream, was a pale and lifeless woman in a peaceful sleep. Nestled in her arms was a baby. It too was safe and warm, asleep in death. Gathering her courage, Traci clasped her hands into a prayer and whispered.
"God rest their souls."
Everyone was very silent when they left the plantation that early morning. Superboy had high hopes that they would reach the farm quicker once he recognized the landmarks. What he did see however was a wide looking piece of one-story architecture surrounded by a circular field. But the closer they got to it, the more danger he could sense, and it gave him even more goosebumps than monkeys.
An explosion from a bomb came behind the house and Nightwing could only assume that it was an attack.
"Lets turn back into the trees!" he shouted.
And the group of young superheroes made their quick retreat. When Nightwing took a closer glance at the field down below, he could see the occupants firing their own weapons at men in green uniforms…a military unit.
After looking left and right for a route that would not catch their attention, Nightwing ordered.
"Virgil, Tye, see if that field is clear."
He gestured his right index finger to the left and they proceeded in that direction, but turned back quickly.
"More troops," Virgil informed him.
So the group hid onto the right direction, towards a dip. As the soldiers grew closer, Nightwing could see the men more clearly. The general was none other than Sam Lane, Lois Lane's father. He stood before his troops.
"Listen, men. Those fools down there have committed an act of mutiny in that field and they are going to be shot. I do not want my men to share the same fate, so mind you all return to your barracks."
"What if we don't want to?" The obviously younger men said. "We'll starve for weeks."
"You will do as you are told," General Lane spoke lowly.
But such infamous last words can only count as these when the general felt a strong bullet penetrating his stomach. He fell on his back while a sergeant major who was completely on their side threw a spit on his wound.
"He was asking for it," one of the men remarked as they moved down to the smoking ruins.
As soon as they were out of the way, they came to rest by a river. Tye was upset to see a swan dead before her prime amongst the floating fish and eagle.
"We can't drink that," he told the others. "It's polluted."
A shameful look crossed Superboy's face as he sat down, reminiscing with Miss Martin.
"Superman told me that he and Grandpa caught dozens of fish in that river. Now thanks to the factories, you can't find anything."
"But it looks so beautiful," Miss Martin sighed. "Ivy loved nature so much and yet…she does this…we're all to blame for this predicament."
A noisy argument started between Tye and Eduardo, but Batgirl and Nightwing were quick to break it up.
"I saw you hit Tye without justice," Nightwing reprimanded. "Now you can hit him back."
Eduardo did so. He gave Tye a playful slap and the two laughed as they horse played to the ground, before it was time once again to move on.
They continued through dead trees, rocks and dying patches of the grass family and the cold air was starting to irritate Garth's throat. He wasn't sure if he could go on without being back in Atlantis, but Tula helped him to push forward. Golden Eagle was circling around them, Zatanna in her ball, Virgil on his board and the rest were walking on foot. But Wally felt like speed walking and he did not realize he was too far from the group until he noticed something interesting. He ran back to find the others, yelling breathlessly.
"Guys! Look what I found!"
Out there, in an open field, a battle was taking place between a motorcycle gang and a trio of three other heroes: a girl dressed in a purple cloak, one with orange skin and fiery red hair and the other was a black teen decked out in cybernetic armor. They were firing everything they had on the bikers and Nightwing remembered his duty of protecting those in need.
"Let's help them! Charge!"
Raising his right fist into the air, the others dropped their belongings and rushed into the fray. The bikers knew how powerful they were, so they tried their best to avoid the newcomers. Some of the heroes, however, were more concerned with the belongings they left behind.
"What about my pots?" asked Asami.
"Forget your damned pots and fight!" ordered Donna.
She and Cassie jumped onto the backs of two of the motorists, with Cassie asking sarcastically.
"Need a lift, boys?"
The surprised men lost control of their motorcycles and fell off. Jason and Tim dodged some of the ones that came onto them, hoping to see them crash into each other.
"This is just like Custer's Last Stand, isn't it?" he asked Tim.
"I hope not."
Their strategy was successful and Wally got a chance to run past three of them and right hook them off of their motorcycles. Garth, Tula, Kaldur and La'gaan fired water at them and Roy fired his guns to shoot them off, but it was Superboy who saved them in the end. He threw off his jacket, letting the air get into his exposed chest and with one big roar, he fired his lasers upon them and the fuel in their tanks exploded.
As he breathed, recovering from letting all of it out, his friends cheered and whooped, giving him high-fives, pats on the back and even Miss Martin gave him a kiss on the left cheek. But even with this kind of celebration, there was still a lot of road to cover and Nightwing thought it best to save the party until after they took up residence in the Kent farm. Eventually they were introduced to Raven, Starfire and Cyborg, the trio who originally fended off the bikers and were informed about the team's plight.
"I would love to accompany you," said Starfire to Nightwing. "Even Tamaranians such as myself should help the populace of other worlds, even if they don't deserve it."
Nightwing prevented any further advancements from her when he took the lead.
Meanwhile…
"Okay, Teekl, do your thing."
Klarion the Witch-Boy had been sitting for hours in an empty field far away, waiting for a prey perfect to suit the dinner of his cat. A dog seemed to be pretty fitting, it would go against a cat's nature to eat a dog, let alone chase one instead of the other way around. But Teekl, of course, was not like any other cat. He was cat of demonic power and magic bestowed by his master and was obedient to follow his every command.
Teekl did see a dog: a terrier the size of an average pillow. He was minding his own business when Teekl pounced and ripped open his stomach. Klarion, being the demon child of dark arts that he was, saw the raw and tasty nature of the remains, but seeing it there like that brought a clear weakness into his mind and body: morality.
"At least it's better than nothing," he murmured.
But just in case, he still had a sliver of the fresh meat.