The Team managed to escape into the hanger before the sounds of a battle erupted through the hall. No one could blame Damien for waiting at the hanger door, listening intently to the League's greatest heroes at war. It was chilling to hear Batman and Superman - former friends - locked in a fight to the death. What frightened the Team the most was not the small explosions from Batman's gadgets, or the unmistakable crunch of bending metal. It wasn't the sharp clanging of the Bat-a-rangs clattering to the floor, or the terrifying shout of rage that carried Superman's voice through the halls... It was the deafening silence that followed.
That silence… the absence of struggle; the absence of life…
Damien lingered at the hanger door for several agonizing seconds, straining his ears for any evidence that his mentor, his father, was still alive. Hearing none, the young Robin finally closed the hanger door and locked it behind him. He turned his masked eyes towards his Team, all of them staring expectantly at the bird, waiting for the pain and grief of his father's face to break his guarded expression. Robin turned his back to them before they could find any trace of weakness. He couldn't let his father's death affect him. He couldn't let his loss keep him from completing his mission. Damien had been nothing but a disappointment to Bruce. He wasn't as daring as Jason Todd or as intelligent as Timothy Drake. He couldn't even begin to compare himself to the Golden Boy, Richard Grayson. They weren't even his biological sons, but Bruce still cared more for those three wards than he ever had his own son. Well, if he disappointed his father so much in life, he wasn't about to let that continue after Batman's death. He would finish this mission, not matter what the cost.
"Let's move. We've got a mission to complete." Damien said in an even voice, refusing to let even the slightest hint of emotion shake his words.
Crossing the hanger was like crossing an abandoned battleground. The fight had long since moved on to other areas of the base, but evidence of the destruction littered the hanger. Broken equipment, rubble, ash, and blood filled the once-orderly room, but perhaps the most disturbing site was the small collection of covered figures gathered in the center of the hanger. There were five stained white sheets, each covering a motionless League member. Connor knelt beside one of the figures, lifting the edge of the sheet to see a familiar, green, fur-covered limb.
"You just couldn't stay out of the fight, could you kid?" He muttered, gently replacing the sheet to Beast Boy's hauntingly still form.
Wally's eyes trailed from Garfield's body to the other four lying next to him, too afraid to pull back the sheets and find out which of his former friends and allies had lost their lives in this needless war.
A loud bang was erupted across the hanger and the Team hurried to find cover. Apparently Superman was no longer satisfied with his victory over Batman, he wanted the Dark Knight's proteges as well.
"Children, I know you're here. You know you can't hide from me. Surrender and earn yourselves some leniency." Superman announced, pausing for several seconds to see if the Team would comply. When they didn't, Superman's patience for the young heroes abruptly wore out.
"So be it." He growled, using his x-ray vision to scan the room. Kid Flash was hiding amongst the motorcycles, Robin and Superboy were sheltered by the Batwing, and Linx was taking cover behind the Batmobile. Each looked primed and ready for a fight, but Superman's biggest concern was the last Kryptonite tipped arrow Lian was notching into her bow. Not giving the young archer a chance to shoot, Superman kicked the Batmobile, sending it sliding back into Kian and slamming the heroine against the wall. A sickening crack and pained scream were heard as the car smashed her fragile human body into the reinforced walls of the hanager.
The team reacted instantly. Superboy ran out from behind the Batwing and grabbed his former mentor from behind, using every ounce of his super strength to hold the Kryptonian back. Wally sped over to the Batmobile and with Robin's help he was able to shove the car away from Linx, freeing her from the crushing impact. The archer's left side had taken the most damage: her side was torn and bleeding and her leg was mangled so badly she couldn't stand. Lian was shivering from the pain of her injuries hardly able to keep her grip on her bow.
"Get her out of here!" Connor shouted as Superman slammed him back into the opposite wall to break the clone's hold. He reached back and grabbed Connor by his hair and threw him across the room, inadvertently moving the fight away from the door to the Armoury.
Damien held the door open as Wally lifted Lian into his arms and carried her into the safety of the Armoury. As soon as the Speedster crossed the threshold, he heard the heavy metal clang of the Armoury door, and he turned to see Damien on the other side.
"Robin! What are you doing?!" Wally rested Lian on the ground before zipping over to the door, but Damien had already jammed it shut with his bo staff, locking the Speedster and the Archer inside. Damien looked up, meeting Wally's terrified stare with one of determination and resolve. Wally was instantly struck with a vivid image of his best friend. Dick, bloody and beaten, a gun against his head, staring at Joker with that same fearless gaze that his successor now wore; facing his inevitable death with the same courage and honour he held in life.
Staying true to his brother's legacy, Damien left Wally behind that locked door and sprinted back into battle, just in time to tackle Connor out of the way of Superman's deadly heat blast. Wally knew they wouldn't survive. Damien and Connor were an incredible force to reckon with, but they didn't stand a chance against Superman. Despite their inevitable fates, the heroes faced their former mentor with fearless resolve. Just like Aqualad, they would die protecting their last chance at ending this war. As much as Wally wanted to break down the door and rush to their aid, he knew the only way to truly save them would be to finish his mission.
Wally hurried back to Lian's side, helping her back to her feet. The leg was worse than they thought. The bone was clearly broken; Lian wouldn't be able to walk on her own, but he couldn't just leave her here to suffer. The Time Machine was just on the other side of the room. They were so close!
"Here, Lian put your arm around my neck. That's it. Just a few more steps and we're there!" Wally urged, taking the weight off her injured leg.
"Don't move!" A hoarse shout called across the room and Wally turned to see the piercing end of an arrow pointed directly at him and Lian!
"Artemis!" Before Wally could even find the words, the villainess released the string, sending the arrow on it's deadly flight. A painful cry, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor, and Wally was shocked to see Arsenal lying motionless on the floor behind them with an arrow through his heart.
"Killing one Roy Harper wasn't enough for you?" Link hissed bitterly, her temper aggravated by the pain in her leg and her fear for her friends.
"I just saved your life, brat!" The villainess snapped in return. She took a step towards the two only to stumble into the wall, calling attention to her current condition.
Tigress was left in a similar state to Batman, covered in bruises, cuts, and burns from her fight to survive. Her handcuffs had been severed, and now hung limply from her wrists, allowing her the use of her bow, but even fully armed Wally wasn't sure how much longer she could last.
"Artemis…"
"Get to that damn Time Machine Wally." Tigress demanded, leaving no time for him to voice his concerns.
"She's right, you need to hurry. Robin and Superboy won't be able to hold out for long." Lian added, begrudgingly agreeing with her aunt. The young archer pulled herself away from Wally's support and leaned against the wall, not wanting to slow him down. Thier one last hope was finally within their grasp. They had come so far, on a road paved in the blood of their friends and allies, but there was still one final obstacle…
Wally looked at the Time Machine, seeing similarities to the one Bart had travelled back in years before only this one, lacking in future technology, would have to be powered by his own speed. Wally climbed inside the machine and closed the hatch, noticing the gage on his right side that would measure his speed. With one last look at the two estranged archers, Wally began to vibrate.
The needle on the gage slowly began to rise, but even at his maximum effort, he wasn't even half as fast as he would need to be.
"Come on Baywatch, you can do better than that!" Artemis snapped, staggering towards the Time Machine and rested her hand against the glass.
"You can move faster, I've seen it!"
With Artemis' reminder, Wally's mind flooded with memories of all the times his speed was put to the test:
He remembered that frigid journey across the country, ignoring that numb feeling in his legs as he raced to the hospital with Queen Perdita's heart.
He remembered that mission in Bialya, with Artemis in his arms as he tried to outrun the rain of bullets from Queen Bee's soldiers.
He remembered that battle at the Summit, fighting with everything he had to protect his Team, and finally, the day he disappeared…
He remembered using every ounce of his will to push himself faster, knowing that his life and the lives of everyone he cared about, rested on his speed.
These memories only added to Wally's determination. He was almost too late to save Queen Perdita, almost too slow to evade those bullets in Bialya, not swift enough to make a difference at the Summit, and not fast enough to evade those energy surges in the Arctic. If he had only been fast enough then, none of this would have happened. He wasn't going to let that happen again.
As Wally pushed himself far past his limits, the needle continued to rise, but sheer determination wasn't enough. The needle stopped, hovering just below the required speed. Wally could hear the Time Machine humming with life, but without reaching that imperative speed, the machine would risk self-destructing. He pushed himself further, screaming out with effort, but the needle remained where it was, and Wally could already feel himself losing energy!
Without warning, the Armoury door suddenly burst off its hinges. Both Lian and Artemis readied their bows, but nothing in either of their Quivers would do much against Superman. Artemis' arsenal was taken from her when she surrendered to Robin, and Linx had already used her last Kryptonite-tipped arrow. They were defenseless.
"NO! Lian! Artemis! Run! Get out of there!" Wally screamed through the glass of the Time Machine, watching helplessly as Superman approached. Arrows feeble deflected off of the Kryptonian's impenetrable flesh causing no more damage that a mosquito! With a rough swing of his arm, Superman sent Artemis crashing into the wall. Lian tried to back away, but with her broken leg, she couldn't manage more than a few steps before she stumbled to the ground. Her bow skidded across the floor when she fell, leaving the young archer weaponless and trapped as the stalking figured approached. Superman picked up a heavy spear from the weapons rack, and lifted it in the air, prepared to strike.
"NO! Superman stop! Stop this! You don't need to hurt her! Please!" Wally shouted through the glass. He knew if he left the Time Machine now, it would self-destruct, killing everyone in the room, but he couldn't stand by and watch Superman slaughter the last of his Team! The fear and desperation built within Wally, and with his eyes fixed on the murderous Kryptonian, he didn't even realize the needle gradually rising as he vibrated faster with sheer raw emotion.
"Connor told me about your Time Machine Wally. He told me you could go back and fix this; stop this war from ever happening. He made it sound so noble." Superman spoke in a calm voice, hauntingly steady for a man who had just slaughtered half the Justice League!
"But I know it's a lie. You're not fast enough to travel back twenty years Wally. Not even Barry was fast enough for that. But you might be fast enough to travel back a few days and change the outcome of this war." Superman stated, still gripping the spear tightly in his hand as he raised his eyes to meet Wally's
"It's taken me eighteen years to finally beat Batman. Eighteen years to finally end this war! Don't you see Wally? I can't let you save him. I can't let this feud drag out any longer. The fighting will end tonight, and all those who survived the war will finally have their peace! All I have to do is stop you from saving Batman." Superman told him, keeping his voice hauntingly even, as though trying to convince himself that this was the right thing to do. Changing his target, Superman raised the spear in the air preparing to send it piercing through the Time Machine.
With the same courage and determination as her parents, Lian pushed past the pain and lifted herself to her feet, standing in front of the Kryptonian with her arms spread wide, shielding the Time Machine with her own body.
"You can't stop him… I won't let you! I will die before I see you destroy our last chance at fixing this!" Lian hissed, staring daggers into Superman's merciless expression.
"So be it." The former hero stated, angling the spear towards Lian's chest. Wally shouted and pounded on the glass of the time machine as Superman swung the spear down towards the archer with lethal intent. Just before it made contact, the young heroine was shoved violently to the floor and in her place, with Superman's spear driven straight through her heart, was Tigress.
"Aunt Artemis!" The girl shrieked, echoed by a tortured scream from within the Time Machine.
"ARTEMIS!" The pain and fury consumed Wally, deafening him to the shocked sobs from Linx, blinding him from the heart-breaking sight of Tigress limply falling to the floor, and numbing him to the fierce vibrations that shot through his body, sending the needle far past it's targeted speed. The world around Wally disappeared and for the next several minutes he knew nothing but pain, grief, and darkness, all of it ending in an abrupt crash before Wally slipped into unconsciousness.