Flashback Chapter 23 Crisis

Nightwing was scared. He'd never admit it in public, but he was absolutely terrified. Of course, pretty much everyone else was terrified as well, and Batman wasn't exactly helping matters.

It had started when Cyborg vanished, leaving only a quick message that he was off to save the world. Then, Batman, looking more than a little disturbed beneath all his layers of deflection, had sent his Outsiders (a more proactive Justice League) and Robin to crash in the Tower.

Now a massive wall of antimatter was dissolving New York. Nightwing scrambled the Titans, invited their guests to join them, and set off to help evacuate.

Starfire, Wonder Girl, Halo and Metamorpho zoomed off straight away when they arrived. "Kole, separate the civilians from us," Nightwing ordered, pulling up on his bike, Robin riding pillion. "We need room." As the crsytal spinner formed a barrier, Beast Boy changed into an elephant to start giving rides away from the danger, and Black Lightening blasted falling chunks of masonry away from the shell-shocked civilians.

"What use is my sword against a threat like that?" Katana asked, panicked.

"Maybe none, but we need you," Nightwing answered. "We have to keep down the panic."

"Yeah, while I keep this tenement up," Metamorpho grunted. "Figures it would pick a time like the end of the world to crumble apart with folks still inside." He formed a framework around the collapsing block, and Kole made a safety slide.

"It's no use, my starbolts are absorbed by whatever that is," Starfire called out, firing at the antimatter wall. "Do…do you think it might have already destroyed Tamaran?"

Nightwing bit his lip, but was unable to comfort his girlfriend.

Something caught his eye. Wonder Girl was on top of another tenement, using her lasso as an escape route, but another building right behind her was crumbling about to crush her. "Donna!" he yelled. She turned, but was too late to move. The rubble covered her.

And Superman stood up, having arrived just in time to protect her. Nightwing breathed a sigh of relief, relaying the news to the others.

"Then all is well?" Katana asked, relaxing slightly in the presence of Metropolis' most famous resident.

"Not even close," Batman growled as he appeared. "Something's out there, and we don't know how much time we have."

"Then we attack!" Starfire declared. "We fight and we destroy whoever's doing this." She started firing starbolts again.

Superman grabbed her, and with a few words, calmed her again.

Before they could decide what to do next, a glow appeared, and the Flash, Barry Allen, stumbled into view. "Batman, thank goodness," he gasped, sighting the dark knight detective. "I came back in time…everything's unravelling, fraying at the seams…" The glow intensified, and Flash blurred. "I tried warning you…help-" he screamed.

And vanished.

Nightwing glanced sideways. He hadn't forgiven his 'father' yet, nor had the older vigilante apologised, but the little circus boy deep inside still believed that Batman would put everything right. And it needed to be. The sky had darkened, and huge bolts of stationary lightening flared. Purpleish clouds rolled through the air. And a massive brass machine had appeared right in front of the antimatter wall.

Starfire and Halo took off immediately, determined to eliminate the latest threat. A flash of light halfway up the machine had Nightwing reaching for his binoculars. It appeared to be a female oriental version of the villain Dr Light. She called out in another language – Japanese? Cantonese? – and, when Starfire and Halo continued their advance, she used a blast of concentrated energy to knock them out of the sky.

"She's not our enemy," Katana cried, before anyone could avenge the fallen.

"That machines here to save the Earth, not destroy it," Superman agreed, flying off to get the whole story.

Nightwing felt Robin shift on the bike behind him. "Guess I should learn Japanese," he muttered.

"Wait 'til the crisis is over, Li'l Wing," Nightwing muttered back.

The machine worked. More or less.

Time was just a little…mixed up now.

But apparently they were no longer in imminent danger of being consumed by antimatter.

Now, there was a massive conclave of powered-stroke-talented beings from all parts of time to explain what was happening and what must be done.

Nightwing spied Batgirl across the room with Catwoman. The two female Gothamites had had an altercation not too long ago, but were at the truce stage of their relationship. He wandered over to them. "Ladies."

"Nightwing," Catwoman answered. "Call me paranoid, but I'm just a little suspect of some of these people." She nodded at Riddle, Captain Boomerang, Copperhead.

"I agree," he murmured. "If you don't mind me asking, could you get a little closer to them if they split off?"

"Good idea," Catwoman agreed, and meandered over to Penguin.

"You okay?" Nightwing asked Batgirl quietly.

"Yeah, it's just…what can we do? Next to Superman, or Wonder Woman, or any of the others, what can we do?"

"We can do enough," he said firmly. "Maybe we can't do as much, but we can take the pressure off those who can."

"That's kinda what Supergirl said," Batgirl answered.

"See? We'll get through this. Don't worry."

If only he could convince himself…

AN: Late. Sorry. Will try to do better.

This week: LBV and Trek of the Avengers.

Next week: Flashback, Black and Red, Love and Mayhem.

Please review.

Katara