With great effort, Wally pulled himself up to his feet, leaning on Superboy for support. He lifted his cracked goggles away from his eyes and stared back at his old friend. Superboy hadn't changed much. He still looked like he was 16, still with the same short black hair and piercing blue eyes, but two things caught Wally's attention. First, Connor had a rather deep scar stretching from just under his left eye to the corner of his jaw. Superboy's Kryptonian blood made him nearly invincible, so the only possible cause of a scar like that would be Kryptonite. Connor must have noticed Wally's stare, because he promptly turned his head away, hiding the damage from his friend's gaze. Wally dropped his eyes, finding the second distinct change in Superboy's appearance.
Wally could have used one hand to count the number of times he'd seen Connor without his Superman "S" shirt, but right now the young clone was dressed in plain black t-shirt, barron of it's usual shield.
"Hey Supey, what's with the wardrobe change?" Wally asked. Connor merely grunted in response, shifting uncomfortably under Wally's gaze.
"Let's get you to the base. You'll feel better once you've had something to eat." Connor added finally. Wally took the change of subject as a warning not to press the clone any further.
"So you guys got the Mountain fixed up after the last attack?"
Connor sighed. He'd forgotten about Kid Flash's inability to shut up in tense situations. It wasn't that Connor was trying to shield him from the truth - Wally would find out eventually, there was no point in delaying the inevitable - more so, the clone didn't want to relive all the painful events that occurred since Wally's disappearance. Unfortunately, with the speedster's neverending questions, Connor was going to have to face his past whether he wanted to or not.
"We did… but it was destroyed again. The Mountain was taken out of commission once Batman realized it wasn't safe anymore. Too many people knew about it. The Base we're working out of now is attached to the new Batcave… much more secure. In fact, the only people who know where it's located are Batman and the four current members of the Team: Me, Robin, Linx, and Aqualad… Kaldur's protege." Connor explained, helping Wally stagger out of the partially demolished building where he woke up.
"Only four of you? Wow, enrollment is really down, eh? Hang on… you said it was just Batman and the team that were allowed into the new base? What about the other mentors? What about Dick, Jason, and Tim? Bats wouldn't banish his own team." Wally
s questions were met with another sigh and a frustrated grunt. Superboy obviously wasn't in the mood for sharing, but Wally was driving himself mad with questions! These were his friends and family, how could he not be curious?
"Batman doesn't trust any of the other mentors. It's a long story. As for Nightwing and the others…"
"Oh my god! What…? What the hell happened?!" Connor and Wally had just breached the city streets, revealing the massive destruction spanning as far as the eye could see. When Wally woke up, he thought the rubble he was found in was an isolated incident, or perhaps even the result of the energy surges that were sure to have accompanied his reappearance. He had no idea that the entire city he arrived in was nothing more than a wasteland!
"Where are we? What happened here?" Wally stammered. Before Connor could reply, Wally's eyes fell on the broken remains of a hospital sign. The building, now nothing more than a crumpled pile of concrete and glass, would have been unrecognizable were it not for the cracked and dented sign, still legible despite it's clear abuse: Royal Memorial Hospital
"Royal Memorial? We're in Star City aren't we? Connor!" Wally was so overcome with shock and anger that Connor had to keep a firm hand on his shoulder to make sure he didn't bolt. Even in Wally's condition, the urge to run was blatant in his eyes. He needed to get out of here. He needed to find out what was going on! How could Green Arrow let this happen? How could Roy? How could Artemis?! They wouldn't just abandon this place, Star city was the Arrows' home! A new fear nudged its way into Wally's mind and he turned to face Superboy with wide, desperate eyes.
"Where are the Arrows?"
"GA ditched this place a long time ago. Long before it became a war zone."Connor replied gruffly, unsuccessfully trying to hide the anger in his tone.
"And Roy?" Wally asked, knowing by the cringe that contorted Connor's face that he wasn't going to like the answer to his question.
"He's dead, Wally."
"What? How?!"
"Now's not the time." Connor told him. It was already starting to get dark, and after that confrontation with Robin, Superboy wasn't sure he could rely on the kid for backup. He needed to get him and Wally someplace safer before they delved into everything that's happened in the past 20 years.
"Look, Robin and I aren't here by coincidence. We came here to investigate a huge energy spike in the area… probably caused by you showing up from the past. But if we saw it, you can bet the other side saw it too. We have to get back to the base before anyone else shows up." Connor explained, hating the sight of that agony in his friend's eyes. Wally and Roy were like brothers, so the speedster was probably heartbroken by the news of his death. If this was Wally's reaction to Roy's fate, Connor really wasn't looking forward to telling him about Dick and Artemis.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know once we're back at the base. But we have to move. The Zeta Tube is only a few blocks from here; luckily, it survived the war."
Wally felt numb after hearing about Roy. As if the physical pain of being ripped through the fabric of time wasn't punishment enough, now Wally had to face the reality of losing one of his closest friends. Roy, Dick, and Wally had known each other for years, even before the creation of the Team! But it wasn't just grief that dulled Wally's senses, it was fear as well. It would take more than Roy's death to force Green Arrow and Black Canary out of Star City. Furthermore, why had the rest of the League allowed the city to be destroyed? Connor said that Star was a war zone, but the League wouldn't have risked so many lives by bringing the fight into the city, would they?
Wally numbly followed Connor through the rubble, towards the Zeta Beam, hardly paying attention to where he was going. The shock of his surroundings, the harsh truth about Roy, and the physical strain of travelling through time were finally getting the best of the young speedster. Wally's visions was darkening and his legs shook with the simple effort of keeping him standing. Even with using Connor like a crutch, Wally wasn't sure how much further he'd be able to go before he passed out.
"It's ok Wally, we're almost there." Connor spoke up as he felt Wally replying on him more and more. Finally reaching their destination, the clone let out an annoyed groan at the figure currently guarding the Zeta Tube.
"You are not bringing him to the Base." The new Robin stated coldly, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. With his hood pulled down, revealing the ebony hair that hung down in front of his Domino Mask, Wally couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance to Nightwing… only with a much stricter demeanor. In fact, if Wally were to make the call, he'd say that this new Robin looked exactly like a young Bruce Wayne!
"Look at him Robin, he's barely conscious. He needs food, rest, a safe place to recover…"
"You are NOT bringing that imposter to the Base!" Robin repeated, snapping so violently that Connor could almost feel the lash of his words.
"He's not an imposter Robin. This is Wally West; Kid Flash; Nightwing's best friend!" The last bit seemed to be the only thing that sparked any reaction from Robin, and even then it was merely a half-second flinch at the words.
"I won't let you jeopardize the safety of the team, Kent." Robin insisted, pushing himself off the wall and stepping towards the two with menacing intent.
"Wally won't hurt anyone. He's my friend, Robin. He's my team! I can vouch for him." Connor retorted, not backing down. Wally always thought that Connor was the most intimidating member of the team, but seeing him confronted by this violent, cruel-looking Robin-impersonator, now the speedster had his doubts.
Robin gave a cold, humourless smirk as he glared back at his challenger.
"The last time you vouched for someone, Kent, you ended up with that scar. Are you sure you want to make that mistake again?" The tension between the two was thick enough to slice through with a blade! Connor, loyal to a fault, refused to abandon Wally to the dangers of the now-demolished Star City, while Robin looked as if he'd eagerly spill blood from each of them if Connor dared to step into the Zeta Beam. Fortunately, the decision was no longer up to them.
Wally was close enough to hear the buzz of a communicator in Connor's ear and knew this matter was now in more authoritative hands.
"Robin, Superboy, report back to the Base immediately."
"Batman, we found Kid Flash." Connor replied, prompting several seconds of silence before the suspicious tone returned.
"Bring him in."