In the exact second that Harkness hurled his trademarked projectile ever precariously close to his unprotected face and torso, time itself seemed to operate in slow-motion for Roy Harper.
Despite the stoic nature of his domino mask, his eyes were flooded with nothing but raw emotion as he faced down the very weapon of his demise. In his moment of self-realization, his life as a costumed vigilante and partner to the Green Arrow was put into full perspective.
But for all the good deeds and friendships, what truly stood out in his mind were all the things he had yet to do: his yearning to be accepted by both friend and foe as an equal to his mentor, his desire to be admitted into the Justice League, his dream to be a hero in his own right.
However, in his emotional whirlwind what he failed to notice was the sudden gust of wind breezing by his right followed by a familiar blur materializing right in front of him.
A gloved hand plucked the boomerang right out of the air, mere inches away from his face. As the blur continued to dash forwards, Boomerang was none the wiser with his pompous smile still etched across his face.
However, he was certainly made aware when a lightning-quick haymaker courtesy of Kid Flash rammed full frontal into his face and knocked him backwards.
Shock soon yielded to slumber as the now groggy Boomerang staggered backwards into a 360 spin before finally stumbling forwards blindly and falling flat on his face, rendered unconscious.
Skidding on the floor to decelerate before grinding to a halt, Kid Flash tossed the boomerang aside before racing back to help Speedy up to his feet.
"Dude, I swear I'm not doing this on purpose!" he insisted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his half-mask as Speedy produced some light gauze from one of his belt pouches and tied it around his injured shoulder.
Switching bow arms, he nodded in appreciation at the slightly fatigued speedster. "Thanks, but we're not out of the woods yet."
"Well ain't that an understatement!"
Both teens twirled around to face the other Rogues, Captain Cold and Heat Wave who confidently sauntering towards them with their weapons primed and at the ready.
Drawing back another trick arrow, Speedy narrowed his eyes as he zeroed in on the duo while Kid Flash assumed a running stance.
"What, too much heat for you kids already?" Captain Cold sneered, his usual vindictive snark present even now.
"I am the heat!" Mick deadpanned in his usual growl, a palpable fire in his eyes as he stared down the two vigilantes.
"Well well, if isn't the other two stooges! Look, if you guys are mad over what we did to Kangaroo Jack we'd be more than happy to spread the love," Kid Flash declared confidently.
In response, Snart merely chuckled to himself before hefting his weapon against his shoulder. "That's funny coming from you, kid. After all, how proud must the Justice League feel sending three boys to die attempting to do a man's job? Sure, they'll mourn once we send them your charred corpses but I hear they've got a pretty good track record when it comes to replacing their sidekicks. Now that's cold, even for me."
"Try this on for size," Speedy responded simply, before letting go of the projectile.
The arrow whistled through the air for maybe a few feet before it was suddenly encased in an icy block, courtesy of Snart's patented cold gun. Instantly weighted down by its now crystallized shell, it plummeted back to the ground and shattered into a dozen pieces at Snart's feet.
"Enough games," Cold scoffed impatiently, before levelling the gun at both of them. "Time to put you boys on ice, permanently."
"Put us on ice? Really, dude?" Kid Flash groaned, before crossing his arms and leaning against Speedy's shoulder. "Snart, ice puns are beneath you. Just like that arrowhead thingy lying on the floor right now."
"The wha-?" Looking down, Snart's eyes widened as he pinpointed the biggest shard of ice next to his boot, the same one containing a now blinking rectangular arrowhead.
As if on cue, the arrowhead exploded into a blinding white flash that instantly stunned the two Rogues, forcing them to shield their eyes until the effects of the flashbang arrow wore off.
"Can you hold them until I regroup with Robin?" Speedy asked him, drawing another arrow.
Adjusting his goggles, Kid Flash saluted his affirmative before dashing forwards and blitzing past both men. Managing to knock down Mick while only staggering Snart, the mere sight of his red-and-yellow blur brushing past both of them shook them out of their current stupor.
Angrily cursing under his breath, Snart re-focused his visor before taking up his cold weapon and, turning away from the lone archer, began firing icy beams at the speedster with his partner following suit.
Unfortunately, Speedy's temporary reprieve from the battle was suddenly interrupted by a narrow projectile hurtling towards at him at a breakneck pace from his periphery.
Moving on adrenaline and reacting by sheer instinct, the red-clad archer was easily able to duck and drop to one knee to evade the projectile as it knifed through the air, its sharpened metallic point just barely missing the hair on the back of his head.
Immediately standing back up with the projectile audibly clinking into a nearby industrial crate, Speedy took aim at his next opponent: the Olympic-inspired mercenary known only as Javelin.
Clad in dark yellow body armor with sleek black protective pads outfitted around his elbows and knees, he continued to sprint towards the archer while reaching for another weapon of his namesake in one of the twin sheath holders attached to his utility belt. A ski mask covered his whole face, while his bulky body armor did little to conceal his Herculean physique.
In a single fluid motion, he unveiled a miniature version of a javelin which upon pressing a button expanded into a 6 feet-long spear which he expertly twirled in one hand.
Hesitating not a second longer, Speedy shot off the arrow he had drawn before reaching for another one.
Then, in a somewhat superhuman feat, Javelin managed to pluck the arrow out of its trajectory just as it reached its torso while maintaining his current pace. Twisting his hips around at the same time he caught the arrow, he spun around a full rotation in the air before flinging the arrow right back at its owner.
Almost caught-off guard by this unorthodox counterattack, the slits on Roy's mask widened as he fell to a knee to avoid being skewered by his own arrow.
CLINK! The arrow whizzed past his shoulder and pierced a nearby industrial crate, just barely missing him while leaving him momentarily vulnerable to the mercenary's next move.
As the archer rose up again, Javelin instead of throwing the projectile plunged it into the ground in front of him mid-sprint and after kicking off of his back leg vaulted into the air using the spear as a makeshift pole to gain vertical height.
Roy barely had an aimed primed when Javelin barreled into him full-throttle with a gargantuan drop-kick that launched him backwards off his feet and into the air.
Feeling every cold inch of the nearby industrial crate "cushion" his fall, Roy immediately grabbed at his midsection in pain before doubling over to the floor. Amidst his now dazed state, his patented bow-and-arrow slipped out of his gloved fingers and skidded across the floor out of his immediate reach.
Still trying to catch his breath after being effectively winded by the mercenary, he was forced again into the defensive as Javelin sprang back up to his feet and lunged forward with the spear in hand.
Rolling to the side to avoid the incoming metallic missile, Speedy clambered to his feet still clutching his midsection as the javelin pierced the exact spot his forehead was mere seconds before.
As soon as the sharp end of the spear embedded itself inches-deep into the metallic surface where Speedy's face just was, Javelin tugged it free and began stalking towards the now disarmed crimson archer.
Twirling the javelin around expertly with only one hand, the criminal eyed his slightly fatigued opponent while circling around him in a predatory fashion.
Bringing his gloved fists up in a defiant boxing stance, Roy also began circling around the mercenary warily while also briefly flickering his gaze at his now fallen bow that was now behind the spear thrower.
Cracking his neck eagerly before hefting the spear with both hands, Javelin studied Roy's body language for a moment longer before lunging forward for the kill.
Reacting in the nick of time, Speedy ducked his first forward thrust before skipping back to evade his second follow-up.
Bobbing his head again around his third jab, Speedy maintained his distance while strategically waiting for an opening in Javelin's offense to capitalize on.
And that moment would come when Javelin switched his strategy and instead opted for a downwards stab towards Speedy's legs, a move that the archer telegraphed and reacted accordingly.
First jumping up as the spear instead scraped against the floor, Roy twisted his body around mid-air and managed to deliver a resonant jump spin kick to the chin of the unsuspecting Javelin.
Sending him reeling backwards to taste his own blood momentarily, the martial arts maneuver only seemed to further infuriate the criminal who shook it off and was upon him again to continue the assault.
Launching a quick flurry of thrusts and jabs aimed at the smaller opponent, each of Javelin's increasingly sloppy attacks speared empty air as Roy continued to bob and weave backwards to avoid being impaled.
Finally seeing another opening, Roy sidestepped the umpteenth thrust to his midsection and pivoted on his heel towards the marksman.
Intercepting him before Javelin would rear his cylindrical weapon back and try again, he hooked the spear underneath his armpit and then aimed a sharp low kick to the back of the criminal's knee, his booted yellow heel digging into his shin as leverage to forcibly knock him down to a half-crouching position.
Then, he landed a particularly nasty forearm shot to the side of his head to stun him, causing his grip over the weapon to loosen. Twisting his hip against the metallic shaft to add extra body weight, Speedy wrenched the weapon free of Javelin's grip and tossed it aside before returning to the task at hand.
Encircling both forearms around his neck before wrenching back violently, Speedy squeezed his biceps tight around the larger man's collarbone and locked him in a sleeper hold.
Almost immediately, Javelin caught his second wind and began thrashing wildly to escape Speedy's sudden rear naked choke. His eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as he sought desperately to relieve the immense pressure to his neck, but Roy's fingers remained clasped firmly together.
Despite his superior body weight, Roy's chokehold was beginning to eat away at the criminal's resilience with every excruciating second of deprived oxygen to the brain. Javelin tried everything from attempting to claw at Roy's mask to reaching for his fallen projectile with his fingertips just out of reach but to no avail. To guard against his desperation moves, Speedy coiled both legs around his waist and continued to apply the chokehold much to Javelin's pained chagrin.
Finally, in one last-ditch move the struggling criminal somehow found the willpower to stand up with the archer still leaning on his back. Speedy instinctively wrapped both legs around his midsection as Javelin groggily managed to find his footing, his biceps now squeezing frantically against the larger man's bulging veins to subdue him.
With his weapon out of arm's reach and vision dimming by the second, Javelin resorted to a desperation move and began to stagger backwards blindly.
Quickly building up speed with each step, Javelin then kicked out of the ground with newfound momentum while the vigilante soon found himself an unwilling passenger.
"Ugghh.." Groans and winces emitted from both adversaries as they slammed into a nearby industrial crate, Speedy's back taking the brunt of the impact.
As soon as the base of his neck smacked against the folded metal surface, the archer slumped forwards in a brief groggy daze allowing Javelin the opportune moment to wrestle free of the chokehold.
Now clutching Speedy's now limp forearm draped around his neck, he easily lifted the vigilante overhead and judo flipped him down to the ground.
Hitting the ground shoulder first, Speedy involuntarily rolled on the floor as the momentum from the throw tapered off. Finally tumbling to a rough halt, he rubbed the back of his head sorely while holding in a pained grunt only to realize that his yellow hat had fallen off in the process.
In the meanwhile, Javelin quickly regained his bearings and shook off the momentarily grogginess. Reaching into one of his rectangular sheaths, he produced another javelin and with mere flick of his wrist expanded it to its standard height.
Stalking towards the downed hero with the speared projectile brandished in one hand, he then raised the javelin above his head with both hands to deliver the final blow while Roy remained defenseless on the floor, or at least so he thought.
In actuality, Roy's right hand had discreetly reached into his quiver and procured a trick arrow which he hid underneath his vest while staring into the ceiling lights. Once his vision became clouded by Javelin's looming figure towering above him, he quickly put his plan into action in the hopes that it wasn't too late.
Just as Javelin was about to stab down, Roy plunged the arrow into the space between them, the arrowhead exploding upon first contact with the floor and releasing a massive pressure wave that knocked both combatants backwards.
While Javelin catapulted back to the same industrial crate that he had knocked Speedy into, Roy was rocked backwards in a dazed heap before finally landing on his sides and rolling on his stomach.
Groaning inwardly as he began to push himself up on his elbows and knees, he started to glare up only for his mask slits to immediately widen in surprise as his line of sight became shrouded in white.
Ducking just in the nick of time, Roy felt the icy cold touch of Captain Cold's signature cold-gun glide over his neck.
The resulting ice beam, narrowly missing his hairline, continued to race past him before finally splashing on the nearby wall.
Following that close call, his eyes darted upwards towards the source of the sudden ice blast.
Captain Cold and Heat-Wave had their backs to each other while facing opposite directions, firing off consecutive blasts of hot and cold at the adolescent speedster who was literally running circles around them.
Running a straight circle around to the two criminals, Kid Flash's face was a determined yet slightly fatigued grimace as he tried to pinpoint any opening between the two that he could swoop in and exploit.
"Stand still so I can burn ya!" Mick grumbled irritably, his reckless aim with the flamethrower a stark contrast to Snart's precise and measured ice beams that seemed to hit everything but Kid Flash.
Finally breaking the loop, the speedster skidded to a halt a few meters in front of them after apparently coming up with a new game plan.
Turning to face him, Snart and Rory nodded at each other before creating some distance between them.
"Getting tired yet?" Snart mocked, noticing his slight panting before slowly pacing around Kid Flash while Mick did the same.
"Of watching you two buffoons embarrass yourself? Not even close, but you do you, dude," Kid Flash smirked, a comment that made the self-professed master of absolute zero chuckle to himself.
"Only one way this can end, kid. The flame or the frost," Snart continued, gesturing at both of their weapons before continuing, "Now personally, I've been told having your insides frozen to the point of absolute zero is hardly the ideal way to go out, but I'm sure it beats whatever Mick has in mind."
"Yeah, and I've been told you guys are supposed to good at this kind of thing. Guess we've both been given faulty information, huh?" Kid Flash shot back, maintaining his cocky demeanor while warily eyeing both of their weapons as he began strategizing.
Rolling his eyes irritably, Snart was about to respond when Mick cut him off before the words left his mouth. "Enough talking! More burning!"
"For once, I agree with you old friend," Snart nodded, cracking his neck eagerly before re-training his sights on the speedster.
Going over his strategy one last time in his head, Kid Flash then took off towards them as simultaneous beams of fire and ice raced towards him.
Streaking in between them, he dropped down to a running slide just as their respective beams intersected at the spot where his cowl was mere moments before.
Still oblivious to Kid Flash's strategy, they inadvertently crossed the streams just as Kid Flash slid out of harm's way.
As soon as the icy beam of Captain Cold mixed with the crimson spray of Heat-Wave, it immediately set off a chain reaction that inevitably resulted in a dual shockwave that knocked both Rogues off their feet and sent them sprawling.
Coasting on his momentum by sliding forward on his elbows and heels, Kid Flash quickly jumped to his feet and created some distance to avoid being caught in the resulting shockwave.
Flung in opposite directions by the simultaneous malfunction of their weapons, Snart and Rory eventually landed on the floor more worse for wear. While Cold clung onto his weapon for dear life, Mick's flailing form in mid-air caused his handheld flamethrower to skid out of reach, at least for now.
Skating to a halt to survey what's happen, a smile crossed the speedster's face as he realized that his plan had come to fruition. However, the awe quickly wore off as he spotted Mick's previously prone body beginning to stir and come to.
"These guys just don't give up," he muttered to himself, before taking off again to finish the job.
As the arsonist began to crawl towards his fallen flamethrower, Kid Flash streaked towards him while racing past the downed Captain Cold. A mistake that he would soon regret.
Immediately sitting back up on his sides as soon as Kid Flash ran by, Snart trained his Cold gun on the floor ahead of the overzealous speedster.
Pulling the trigger, Cold sprayed the floor with a thin yet potent sheet of ice that the speedster unknowingly raced into.
"Whoa! What the-?" Kid Flash's running form was instantly disoriented as he struggled to maintain balance on the frozen runway, his arms flailing about wildly as well.
"Mick!" Snart called out, a command that easily reached the brute's ears and hastened his clambering up to his feet to met the speedster head-on.
Still skidding forward with no way to stop the momentum, Wally was nearly beheaded by a massive clothesline from Mick's left forearm.
Knocked off his feet and to the ground with authority, the youngster instinctively rolled out of hitting range while on the ground as Heat-Wave tried to shake the cobwebs.
Turning his back on the hero for the moment, the arsonist instead staggered towards his coveted flamethrower while Cold also began stumbling to his feet.
"Get your gun then follow my lead, Mick! We're ending this now," Snart barked angrily, regaining his bearings as he tried to shake away the dizziness.
With the two starting to regroup before advancing on the downed scarlet speedster, Speedy immediately snapped out of his spectator goggles and instead refocused his attention on attaining his quiver.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could also see that Javelin was also beginning to recover from the previous trick arrow and used the wall for support to find his footing.
With the quiver lying mere meters ahead of him, Speedy cast one more look at the criminal now reaching for his javelin before breaking into a frantic sprint towards the container.
Retrieving the javelin from the ground, Javelin quickly assumed a throwing stance with his eyes zeroing in on the archer scrambling desperately towards his quiver.
A smirk formed underneath his mask as he locked on to Roy's torso, before he lined the tip of the weapon up with his eyebrow and lunged forward to hurl the weapon forward.
At that very moment that Javelin threw the weapon, Roy threw himself forward in a mad lunge with his arms outstretched towards the arrows still inside.
His face contorted into a strained grimace as his right shoulder hit the ground just as the tip of the javelin began racing towards his outstretched midsection.
As Roy's gloved fingers touched one of the arrows just as the spear touched his suit's fabric, there was an audible piercing sound and then silence.