"I can't believe we just left them there! They're our friends! Our family!"
"Silence West! We have our orders: get you to a secure location. I refuse to neglect my mission simply because of your stubbornness." Damien hissed at the speedster, pressing forward with his Team. They were almost to the emergency exit when several explosions were heard in succession. Superman's allies were hitting the base from all-sides, not giving anyone inside a chance to evacuate. Artemis was right to warn them. Superman no longer cared about the serious harm he was posing on Batman and his allies, so long as he brought the Dark Knight to justice.
"The mission? Our base is getting blown to bits with everyone we care about still inside, and you're worried about the mission?! Damien, you're father's back there! Artur's father! Lian's aunt! Bart and Uncle Barry! Not to mention the countless other heroes that fought by our side over the years! How can you even think about abandoning them?"
"Perhaps he is right Robin. I will admit, I am worried about my father. So soon after losing my mentor, Kaldur'Ahm… another loss would be devastating." Artur admitted, grateful for the reassuring hand Lian placed on his shoulder.
"We left Kaldur and M'Gaan to fight in Atlantis. That selfish decision cost us their lives. I'm not making that mistake again." Connor agreed, only to feel a hard shove against his chest and see Damien's fierce glare behind his mask.
"You are our leader Kent! You have a responsibility to this Team! To your mission! How dare you disobey Batman's direct orders! You have no right to lead this Team into treason!"
"Then I won't lead them." Connor stated, to the complete shock of everyone in the group.
"I'm not leaving this base until I know my friends and allies are safe. If any of you want to join me, I'll be glad to have you. Everyone else, you can report to Robin." Connor announced, leaving the decision in the hands of their Team. There was a brief moment of hesitation before Lian, Artur, and Wally gravitated towards Connor, leaving Damien alone in his resolve.
"Where do you think you're going West?" Robin hissed, watching the speedster take his place beside Connor.
"My mission is to get you safely out of this base! I will not fail, even if I have to drag you out of here by force!" As soon as the words left Damien's mouth, the hallway shook with the force of another blast. An eerie green light filled the corridor ahead of them while several sets of rushed footprints approached from behind.
"The mission has changed Robin. We're surrounded. We'll never be able to sneak Wally out of here now." Connor admitted.
"Then get me to the Time Machine! I can still stop this war!" Wally pleaded, shifting his eyes between Connor and Damien.
"Robin please. Help me! Let me save your brothers; let me end this!"
"I found them!" Green Lantern raced into view, forging a wall of green energy to block their escape. "Diana, Captain Marvel, they're here!"
The young heroes closed ranks, keeping their backs to each other and their weapons drawn towards their former mentors. As the two beckoned heroes stepped into view, Lian released an arrow that was easily deflected by Wonder Woman's gauntlet.
"Don't be foolish children. Superman only wishes to bring Batman to justice. If you surrender to us now, you will not be harmed." Diana told them, receiving a bitter scoff from Damien.
"Tt, I've heard that before. Right before Zatanna and Arsenal tried to beat me into submission. I refused to surrender to them; what makes you think I will surrender to you?" Robin challenged, peering through the green wall of Lantern's energy to see the narrowed glare of the Amazon. With her eyes fixed on his, she failed to notice Robin's hand slip something from his utility belt and drift behind his back.
"This is no longer a game, Robin. None of us wanted it to come to this, but we have no choice. Batman MUST be stopped. If that means resorting to a more… permanent fate for him and his accomplices, so be it."
"Permanent…" Wally's eyes widened at the insinuation. "You're going to kill us?
"Let them try!" Robin hissed, activating the flash bomb he had hidden behind his back. The corridor filled with a blinding light, disorienting Green Lanterns enough to drop his confinement.
Linx fired an arrow towards Green Lantern's ring hand, causing the hero to let out a howl of pain. She reached for another arrow from her quiver, only to recoil at the striking lash of Wonder Woman's golden lasso whipping her arm. As the second lash came in, Superboy stepped in the way, raising his powerful forearm to block the whip. The golden lasso wrapped tightly around his arm, giving him enough leverage to pull Diana forward. While she was off balance, Wally took the lasso from Connor and sped around the heroine, wrapping her tightly in her own weapon.
Before the speedster could celebrate his victory, he was slammed against the wall by a giant green hand. Linx' arrows and Robin's bird-a-rangs helped to distract Green Lantern, but ultimately, they just made him angry. With a furious yell, Green Lantern forged dozens of piercing green spears all aimed at the young heroes with intent to kill.
Aqualad released his water bearers to encase the young heroes in a protective sphere of water to deflect the lethal attack and before Green Lantern could retaliate, he flung the sphere across the corridor, knocking the former-hero to the ground in the process.
"Get to the time Machine, I will hold them off!" Artur shouted after his friends, not giving them a chance to protest before he sent a surge of water towards the rocky ceiling. The ceiling crumbled, causing a cave-in that divided Artur from the rest of the Team, leaving him trapped in the corridor with an angered Green Lantern and a vengeful Wonder Woman.
"Aqualad!" Linx screamed at the wall of rubble as the others stared in shock. There was no way to reach him now. Artur was on his own, fighting two over-powered League members who wanted him dead. The silence that fell over the Team was chilling, as each of them knew they had seen Artur for the last time.
When Robin finally broke the silence, he tried to maintain that cold, composed tone he usually carried, but they could all hear that slight waver of uncertainly in his voice.
"We need to keep moving. Aqualad blocked our only escape route. The only way to fulfill my father's orders now is to get West to the Time Machine." He stated, turning his back on the wall of rubble and heading back into the depths of the base. The others hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave their Teammate behind, but eventually they fell in line behind Robin, knowing that the only way to help Artur now was to stop this war.
As they neared the bunkers their pace quickened. The once-silent corridors were now filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and angered shouts. By now, Superman's forces had infiltrated the base and were locked in lethal combat with those they used to call friends. Zatanna and Rocket had teamed up to contain Blue Beetle while Arsenal fought to overthrow his former mentor. Green Arrow was forced to fight back, having to defend an unconscious Black Canary from the Roy's attacks. Captain Marvel seemed to be overpowering Martian Manhunter, until the alien forced his way into Marvel's mind. With an agonizing scream, the hero reverted back to his more vulnerable self. With a vicious twist of the Martian's hand, Billy's neck snapped violently to the side and the young man crumpled, motionless to the ground.
"You'll pay for that J'onn!" Batgirl's voice shrieked out, followed by the deafening blasts of several small explosives, surrounding the Martian in a pit of unforgiving flames. Before she could enjoy her victory, Batgirl was forced to dodge the charge of a green-furred tiger snarling for vengeance for his fallen mentor.
Robin snarled at the battle and reached for a bird-a-rang, only to be stopped by Superboy's strong hand. The leader shook his head, knowing that any attention they brought to themselves would risk their chances of getting to the armoury. The Team pressed on, avoiding the battle as much as possible. It was a slow process, but through stealth, perception, and sheer luck, the Team managed to reach the medical wing without being seen. Only two corridors now separated the Team from the Armoury.
As they approached, the door flung open and Aquaman hurried inside, carrying a bloody figure in his arms. Wally knew it was best to stay out of sight, but when he recognized the wounded man he sped to the hero's side before he could consciously stop himself.
"Bart!" Wally cried out, watching helplessly as Orin set the young man on a stretcher. Bart was covered in blood, his face contorted with agony, and his left arm had literally been torn from his body.
"Kid Flash? I thought Batman sent you away?" Aquaman only tore his eyes off the wounded speedster long enough to scan over the remaining members of their Team.
"Where's Artur?" Orin demanded, pressing a thick towel against Bart's shoulder to staunch the blood flow.
"With Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. He stayed behind to buy us time. We never would have made it without him." Connor spoke up, wincing at the horror that widened Aquaman's eyes.
"You left him behind?!" Orin shouted, shaking the walls of the room. He dropped the towel and stormed out, shouting for Wonder Woman at the top of his lungs.
"W-wally... You c-can't st-stay… T-Time Mach-chine… not r-ready… y-you'll… you'll d-die..!" Bart sputtered, fighting for every word. The young speedster was vibrating so fiercely from the pain that Wally feared he'd phase right through the stretcher!
"Easy Bart, don't talk! Just rest!" He pleaded, taking the towel that Orin discarded and pressing it firmly over the wound.
"N-No! Get… get o-out! S-save y-yourself...so y-you c-can...c-can s-save us…"
"I'm planning on it Kid."
Bart tried to laugh, but in his condition, all that came out was a painful groan. The Team had fallen silent, leaving the two speedsters to talk. Each shared a grave look between each other, knowing that Wally's efforts were futile.
"W-who y-you calling K-kid?" Bart teased back, reminding Wally that he was now several years older than his time-travelling cousin. With a valiant effort, Bart managed to flash a smirk at his cousin before his body finally stopped vibrating. Bart's eyes grew dim and the smirk slipped from his face. Wally stared mournfully at the lifeless speedster before hanging his head and letting a few tortured tears fall on the bloody costume.
Bart gave his last words to warn Wally not to risk the Time Machine, but it was too late to change his mind. With all the people Wally had lost and all those still in mortal danger, he had to take the risk. There was no way to end this now. No way to forgive the harm that had been caused. There was no hope in stopping the war, only in preventing it. If Wally couldn't change the past, there would be no future.