The trees were looking fresh, the air was cleaner, the grass looked like it had been cured and Superboy, after wrapping his jacket around his waist (He was still willing to show off his body to the other girls of the group), could only gasp in amazement at the sight of a lovely little house surrounded by the healthiest crops he had ever seen. To put it simply, he shouted.
"Look everyone, we made it!"
Nightwing crossed his arms with a proud smile forming his lips. The house was surrounded by a wall of grey stone and barbed wire on the top.
"That's quite a fortification!"
The team and their friends walked right up to the very door of the gate. It was obviously closed and there was no doorbell of any kind so before Superboy could make his jump, Nightwing called out.
"WE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH JONATHAN AND MARTHA KENT PLEASE!"
Next came the sound of footsteps. Superboy went in front, while the others, unsure of placing their trust into the Kents, waited out of view. The door opened, and there stood Martha Kent, looking petrified. The same kind of petrification ones feels when he or she sees a ghost.
"I can't believe it," Martha gasped before a smile hit her face.
Hugging Superboy, she added.
"Connor…it's good to see you."
"Thanks, Ma. But I'm not alone."
He turned to the left side and called.
"Hey guys! Come and meet Ma!"
Slowly and doggedly, Nightwing and the others approached the friendly woman and her husband came out of the house as well, his own pistol hidden in his right pants pocket.
"How did you get here?" Jonathan asked. "And where's your shirt?"
"It's a long story," Superboy shrugged. "Can I bring my lot in first? Then you can bring me a shirt."
"Sure thing," Jonathan nodded doubtfully. "But I'm not so sure if we'll have enough room for these youngsters. Nor will the farm be able to support them."
Nightwing came in front of Superboy.
"What if we earned our keep, sir? Me, Batgirl, Robin and the others will cook, clean and even look after the fields."
"Sounds plausible," said Jonathan. "Kara's been inside, hoping to see Clark again. Maybe Connor here can cheer her up."
Superboy smiled the biggest tooth hidden smile ever and rushed into the house at top speed as one by one, the team and their newfound friends entered the fort, Nightwing and Batgirl being the last to go.
Once they were within the safety of the compound, Batgirl looked back at the closing door and asked Nightwing.
"So…safe at last?"
"I dunno, Batgirl. There is a whole big world out there and this one is just so…little."
He turned toward the sun, albeit briefly so that the rays wouldn't blind him.
"When that sun sets, I don't even know if we'll see another dawn. I also don't know if they will ever find a cure for Ivy's virus…but as long as we are together, we will be safe, happy, proud and not whelmed at all."
The two superheroes shared one long kiss before entering the Kent household…knowing very well that their days would soon be numbered.
The first few days of life on the new farm saw Kid Flash, Cyborg and Garth assisting Raven with the gardening of carrots and rutabagas. Wally hoped that there would be some non-toxic rain coming soon, but mostly it was just sunny with only tap water to feed the crops.
Beast Boy came in with a tray of donuts.
"I bought some food," he announced politely. "Anyone hungry?"
"Not really," Raven said to him. "And as far as I have noticed: your personality seems to be getting less annoying these last few days."
"In times like these, we all deal with this in our own way; some people make nervous little jokes, some people cry, some people scream until their throats grow sore..."
His grin faded from his cheerful demeanor.
"Like my parents used to tell me. When my dad Mark got sick from the virus, which he later passed onto my mom, I would turn into a wolf and howl at the moon. On the night they died and Nicholas Galtry took me in...I turned into something wild...a rhino. I rampaged through the town and when I had learned more about the virus, I knew in an instant that I was making life even worse for the people living in it. I saw one couple with a boy who reminded me of myself and my parents and I thought 'At least they've been spared of the pain I went through.' The boy even looked like me when I was still normal...but then again, normal's overrated."
Kid Flash slowed progress in his work and had that nostalgic gleam in his eyes.
"You know, when my parents and I first heard about the virus, we just brushed it off by singing that damn tune that reminded me of Barney the Dinosaur: Yankee Doodle Went to Town."
"Easy for you to say," Raven crossed her arms. "My father is a demon and while his opinion of the virus is supportive, mine is completely negative and that was how I earned Starfire and Cyborg's trust to join them on the path to survival. I could use my powers to get rid of it, but I think it's too strong...even for me."
Inside the farmhouse, Kon-El and Kara watched from the window, enjoying books like Anne of Green Gables and Johnny Tremaine as they soothed their fears.
"I'm glad all that work hasn't upset them much," Kara said to her "cousin".
After a six second pause, another thought entered her mind.
"How is Kal?"
"I don't know, I think Ivy may have killed him."
Fear started to creep in.
"I'm scared for him, Kon."
"I'm scared too. Why does it always take something like this to make us realize how much we take life for granted?"
"Amen to that," said Artemis from the couch beside them. "I don't think I ever got a chance to tell my family goodbye and when Wally showed up in his car with some of the others...it was too late for me to look back."
"You're not the only one," moaned Golden Eagle from nearby while polishing his helmet. "I lost my family too. Why else do you think I looked up to Katar and Shayera as parent figures? I grew up in an orphanage, but that was a long time ago. If they could get through this, so can I."
"Actually," confessed Superboy. "I think both Hawkman and Hawkgirl are dead."
Charley stopped his polishing and set the helmet down to the floor. Tim, Jason and Stephanie watched him climb the stairs towards the bedrooms.
"Sometimes," Jason mused. "Moms and dads drift apart. I know my folks did."
Tim, looking out at the land, couldn't help but wonder if there was any hope for humanity left.
"You know, when I was with my parents some three years before all of this, we watched a British version of The Day After called Threads, and they were similar to this but...it was about a nuclear war and the conditions were a lot worse. I just can't imagine how much destruction man can do to the place we call home."
It was late at night when Barbara found Dick sitting by a lonely light in the living room.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I just thinking about Bruce. He may be dead."
Dick's voice was starting to break, having not felt this sort of depression since the death of his parents. He covered his eyes with his hands and breathed in a frustrated sigh.
"God, where is he? Where is Bruce now? I don't want to believe that he is dead. Ivy could be keeping him alive since she's got a thing for him-"
He stopped and Barbara sat down beside him on the chair, hugging him from the right hand side.
"Don't think about him now," she soothed. "There will be a lot to do tomorrow: a new place to provide for, food for all and a bright future."
"But what if there isn't any?"
This, however, seemed to be a question that Barbara found too difficult to ask. As far as it was going, the future was looking pretty bleak.
This fanfic is not a documentary, but it could be.