Thirteen

Chapter 13 - Outbreak

Green Arrow stood firm, crossing his bulky arms over his chest. Superboy held an intense glare before he grumbled and turned away, knowing well that arguing with a League member would get them nowhere. On the other hand, Green Arrow found himself at a loss for words- internally shocked. He got attitude from Roy, but he knew how to deal with Roy's attitude. These kids; however, were an entirely different story which Green Arrow had yet to open.

"Look," Green Arrow began, finding his words harsh, "I know you guys want to help, but you can't."

The fury of glares shocked him.

"Stop saying we can't!" Supeboy yelled, pivoting on a heel to storm back towards the green crusader, "We can do anything that you or the League can do."

"No, Superboy, you can't."

He grit his teeth, "Yes, we can."

"No!" Green Arrow bellowed, his voice cool as ice. "No, Superboy. This is exclusively League business. League. Just stay back and let us do our work. You'll only be getting in our way."

The words left a bitter taste in his mouth and a foul sound in the air. The team looked more shocked at his words than angered. Before wasting another moment, Green Arrow turned and walked away, the fog twisting around his ankles as his footsteps dissipated into the sound of the traffic below. He couldn't wrap his head around the situation- everyone was on edge. Batman was teetering between sanity and insanity, and now with the team chomping at the bit, Green Arrow could only guess what kind of trouble they would cause.

Batman's voice hadn't been frantic, but the whole League could sense the urgency. Green Arrow ducked between rows and rows of buildings, staggering slightly as he went. He could scarcely imagine the stress Batman was under. Bombs around his city, Dick missing, the Batcave destroyed. He sighed.

Nothing Batman couldn't handle.

He should of asked the team to leave the building- to leave Gotham even. They wouldn't be able to avoid Batman for long, especially not standing next to a bomb on the very pinnacle of Batman's own company. Green Arrow hardly knew what to think.

Quickly, he made his way to the Batcave, walking slowly though one of the secret corridors planted in the city. The rubble beneath his boots served as a good indication for the severity of the damage. He believed he was the last one to see the damage and he tried not to expect the worst. If Batman had to call in assistance, it must've been a mess. Rocks crunched underneath his boots and left a trail of pebbles behind himself. The walls caved slightly, crumbling under the stress of themselves. The tremors knocked rocks and gravel loose and small piles were formed all around him. The dust had settled around his ankles but whisked around him as he marched forward.

Green Arrow coughed up chalky dust, smacking his chest to loosen the clumping dirt. The smoke settled at his feet and burrowed into the cool earth below. The Batcave breathed once, lofting the smoke in a vortex once more. Gravity dragged stone on stone, grinding the two together until it cracked and broke away. He could see sparks tracing through the tan maze before leaping into the unknown. The Batcomputer lay in ruins, so distorted it remained nearly unrecognizable. Screens cracked. Sparks dancing. The very heart of the Batcave seemed to be tearing at the seams.

He kicked a stone across the room, echoing to every end as it went before sinking to the bottom of the dusty ocean. Not a thing stirred. No Bats. No security. Even the dust relaxed after swallowing up the piece of rock.

"What happened?"

The words weren't his own but belonged to the Flash. He didn't notice the few Justice League members gathered at the top of the cave. Without welcoming, he made his way up, standing between Superman and Flash. Batman stood with Alfred and Wonder Woman at his side.