FINAL WARNING FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER: THIS CONTAINS CHARACTER DEATHSADDITIONAL WARNINGS: DOUBLE SUICIDE

(I'm sorry)

October 16

Robin and Phantom were the first to go through the Zeta. Both for the possible reaction and recon before the entire group arrived. It would have done no one any good if they collectively arrived if there were ships all over. Luckily the streets were abandoned.

Much like they had hoped, the second time around hurt slightly less. Knowing it was coming, combined with the medication, helped a lot to keep it manageable. The pain was still overwhelming but he managed to keep his reacting to a minimum by going underground for a moment. At least there, any screams wouldn't attract any attention from the aliens. It took him a stressful moment, especially knowing Robin was hiding topside until he came back up again. If it wasn't for the clear lack of air in the ground, his brother would have been down there with him.

Eventually, after some hyperventilating and icing his arm over, he managed to make it back up. Robin administered another shot, hiding the syringe in the ground with Phantom's help. It helped, for about as long as it took for the rest to arrive and rescout the area.

The moment they were all good to go, they started off towards Smallville. Though it was a few miles away, it was the closest they could get without being instantly spotted. The cover of the city helped a lot with hiding, especially since most of the street lighting had broken.

Robin had asked for the mind link to be set up immediately, just in case they'd run into enemies while on the move. Unfortunately, Phantom's usual vocal echo was apparently not a thing in telepathy which made distinguishing him from Robin nigh impossible. At least nobody questioned it openly, if they even noticed it wasn't Robin talking to begin with.

It took them a while, but with the flight support and a resident speedster, it wasn't too long before they arrived. Under the cover of darkness, Robin and Phantom gazed down to the valley that used to be Smallville, checking over the readings one more time before they started.

Miss Martian walked up behind them, gaze fixated on the giant alien ship before them. They all knew the risks, but standing face to face with a ship that would be an actual flight obstacle for commercial flights was something entirely different.

"Stay close to J'onn, he's still a little..." Robin made a so-so gesture as the elder Martian hadn't yet made a full recovery. M'gann nodded, pulling up her hood in preparation. "First team, deploy." Robin called out over his shoulder.

Both Martians took to the sky, near immediately going into camouflage before they got in spotting range. Robin tracked them with binoculars as well as he could. The only indication they were even there was the faintest of a ripple in the night sky. That really was the only downside to camouflage as opposed to full invisibility, but they'll have to do with what they got.

"Ready. In position." M'gann called out a few moments later.

Robin kept watch for any signs of trouble as Phantom looked back towards Superboy. With a small nod, Superboy was also sent into position. The clone slid down the slope a little before launching himself into the air. A few massive jumps later, he was running across the outer shell of the ship. Robin was keeping a close eye on everything as Phantom warned the clone. "Careful, don't disconnect the power source." Doing as ordered, Superboy ripped off one of the stationary guns until the casing came off. With the cables still connected, he used the inner mechanism to fire at the main ship and surrounding guns.

At a first glance, it seemed like there weren't any Kryptonian specific defenses, so maybe Phantom's theory had been wrong. Still, feeling satisfied with how it was going for now, the last trio got into position. Down at a cliff closer to the ship, Robin got onto Kid Flash's back. Phantom hovered around, holding onto Robin and letting invisibility wash over the three of them. Cold shivers ran down Kid Flash's back as he faded from view.

"Now or never!" Superboy called out, grunting as he wrecked more guns and the newly arriving ships.

Right on cue, the hangar doors opened and a wave of ships exited. With the added help of some ghostly flying, Kid Flash rushed forward and made the leap between the cliff and the hangar. Careful with their positioning, Phantom grabbed onto both of his still living teammates as they rolled off the momentum before hiding them behind an internal pillar. A ship rushed past them, narrowly avoiding a collision with the heroes.

"Way's clear. Go!" Phantom called out, dropping the invisibility as Robin led them towards the meeting spot with the Martians. The halls in the hangar were filled with ships, like they hadn't even sent out a single one, yet they all knew thousands had to have been deployed by now. Just how many of these damned things were there?

They rushed in, hiding behind a pillar as a squid shaped robot walked on by. Behind them, another robot lowered down to their floor, spotting the heroes immediately. With barely a breath to spare, Phantom encased it in ice before forcing the icy shell to implode. Softly tapping Robin, he let his brother know Miss Martian and Manhunter had arrived as well.

Taking the lead once more, Robin led the team further into the ship. They followed a map made from internal scans to make their way out of the hangar levels and closer to the center. As they were running, a cold wave of emptiness overcame the mind link. Miss Martian suddenly decamouflaged, losing her balance. She steadied herself against the wall, gripping her chest in pain as shock settled in. "No." She whispered, barely audible even telepathically. "He's gone."

The others stopped as M'gann fell to her knees. Kid Flash rushed over to comfort her, holding her close but just far enough it didn't count as a hug. "It's alright. We'll find him with Artemis. I know it!" He tried to reassure her as she quietly sobbed. His reassurances did nothing as Manhunter confirmed what they had all been fearing.

"No." He stated solemnly, face void of emotion as more memories returned to his distorted psyche. "My mind is clearer now. The disintegration beam is just that. There is no detention facility. No prisoners to rescue. Our mission holds no purpose."

Falling further in denial, Kid Flash grabbed onto his senior's suit. Glaring at the man as if he was personally responsible for the losses they had to face. "No, you're wrong! The Zeta radiation proves she's alive! She's-"

"Stop it, KF!" Robin stepped forward, yanking his best friend off of Manhunter. "I've been scanning for League and team signals since we got inside." He let go, knowing the redhead was actually starting to focus on the truth instead of trying to shift blame or deny reality. "They're not here. Artemis is gone." It wasn't something he wanted either, but there was no point in denying facts. The League, their families, their friends, they're really gone and there is no bringing them back. Not this time.

"But the mission still holds purpose. To destroy this mothership." Phantom added, staying back as he didn't feel like Kid Flash would appreciate him being any closer at the moment. Miss Martian did her best to stand up again, clutching her broken heart while being supported by her uncle. Robin stepped away, walking until he was caught up with Phantom again before he set off running.

Phantom looked back at the others, sending a small pitying smile before he set off after Robin. Martian Manhunter followed suit. Miss Martian lingered a second while passing Kid Flash. She placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, understanding that the pain he is going through isn't the easiest to just push away. But they were still on a mission and, right now, the mission came first. With a frustrated growl, the speedster followed after the remainder of his team.

They all followed as Robin led them to the center of the ship. Running through a final door, they hid behind a large pipe. He pulled up his readings and schematics again. Although the screen was malfunctioning badly, glitching wildly, it was just clear enough to make out that they were in the right spot. "This is the power core. Blow this and the whole mothership blows."

Not even needing a signal, the team rushed forward. Jumping to the next platform, Robin felt himself suddenly caught in a magnetized pull. He tried to turn around but it was already too late as he was being dragged towards the power core. He tried to steady himself, anchor his footing, but the pull was too strong. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground as he slid further down the platform. Kid Flash jump forward to grab on but it didn't do much as he too was being pulled towards the center.

The pair slid off the platform, free falling towards the giant core. Phantom flew forward, grabbing onto Kid Flash's ankle just as they tipped over the edge. "Don't. Let. Go." He grunted through gritted teeth, sweat building up rapidly. He wasn't even sure himself on who he was talking to as it applied to both Kid Flash and himself. It was already hard to carry two people in his current state, let alone needing to fight against a gravitational pull stronger than what he was used to. With all his might he fought against the power of the energy core, trying hard to not have his two passengers become pancakes. He let intangibility wash over in an attempt to lessen the effect over them as he slowly lowered them down.

Above them, a squid robot spotted the commotion. Phantom saw it peek over the edge of the platform it was on, readying a beam to shoot them down. He was panicking, badly. Shooting off anything was a no go. One less hand meant even less grip on the slipping ankle. Cursed be Kid Flash's smooth suit design, great for aerodynamic purposes, horrible to hold onto. They also had yet to see if intangibility evaded the death rays. None of them were particularly keep on trying it out either.

Luckily, the Martians noticed their predicament. Staying up high enough to not get pulled down as well, they flew in to drop kick the alien android. The enemy was down, but chances were it called for back-up. They had to hurry if they wanted to make it out safely.

After much struggling, he finally managed to get them safely onto the surface of the power core. Slightly collapsing from overexertion, he dropped down to his knees while trying to covertly catch his breath. It wouldn't do anybody any good if they noticed how low on energy he was starting to run.

With a swift motion, the twins unclipped the extra utility belts they snuck in. Phantom pulled out the extra bombs he had hidden in his leg. Kid Flash watched in horror as Phantom phased his hand though the outer shell of the power core and dropped the bombs inside. "You knew," The older teen realized. "You knew from the beginning why we were really here." He glared at the undead boy, like it was his fault there were no hostages all over again.

Laying out all the bomb belts around them, Robin activated them with a timer. "Four minutes, let's go." He tried to get everybody to focus again. They didn't have time to have another go at each other when there was enough combined explosive power here to shoot them into space if they didn't get out asap.

Phantom stood back up on shaky legs, trying to hide his exhaustion as much as he could. He couldn't fail them now, not when they were so close to finishing the mission. He wouldn't fail at the last second, not again. "I can fly us back up, but I can't take two."

"I could come down-"

"No, you'll just get stuck in the gravitational pull as well. Make your way outside already and clear a path for us." Robin turned to eye Phantom and then his best friend. He knew. It's hard to hide signs of exhaustion when faced against somebody with Batman's training and similar reactions to needing a break. Locking eyes with his brother, he knew Phantom got the message. "Take Kid first."

Phantom nodded, holding out a hand for Kid Flash to hold. The speedster looked back at Robin and the bombs, not enjoying leaving him behind but wasting time would help nobody. Reluctantly, he grabbed onto Phantom's wrist and tried hard to not react when the cold washed over him again. Jumping into arctic water was more comfortable than whatever that was.

With more effort than what would be healthy, Phantom flew him up to the platform they first entered from. It was painfully slow considering their deadline, but he gave it his all. Panting slightly, he set down the speedster by the door. "Go. I'll grab robin and fly us out. Catch up with the others outside."

Kid Flash frowned, not wanting to leave his best friend with a kid he only met that day. "Are you sure?" He tried stepping closer to the edge, peeking over just enough to see Robin wave up at him. The boy saluted his best friend before he looked away himself, prompting the red head to look away too.

Phantom gave him a reassuring smile, straightening back up and hovering slightly. Even when knowing the speedster wouldn't appreciate it, he still laid a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "You're faster than us, but you can't go through walls. We'll make it, don't worry." Kid Flash eyed him suspiciously, like he was looking for whatever clue he wanted to find. Begrudgingly he nodded, taking a step back and turning around.

"Oh and Wally?" Phantom called out before he set off running. The use of his actual name threw him off, wiping his head back to the boy. They never introduced each other, barely even said their hero names. So how the fuck did this stranger know his secret ID? "Thank you, for taking care of him." Phantom added out loud, purposely evading the mind link so others wouldn't hear.

This was personal.

This was a goodbye.

Why was it a goodbye

Phantom smiled gratefully at the confused teen, giving him a second to process before phasing through the platform. Staying any longer would only serve to delay their escape. Letting himself drop in a free fall until the very end, he made it back within a few seconds. With a shaky smile he looked up at Robin. "Your ride has arrived, good sir." Robin grinned as he dramatically rolled his eyes. He softly punched Phantom's shoulder before holding him in a tight embrace.

Two minutes left.

The second round going up was even more tough, dropping down a few times as dark spots started to cover his vision. Thoroughly exhausted, Phantom involuntarily switched back into his human form the moment Robin's feet hit the platform. Dropping out of the air like a sack of potatoes, Robin caught him before he kissed the floor. With his hair back to black, Phantom really looked like a shaggier version of Robin in civvies right now. Had it been any other time, it might even have been funny.

One minute left.

A group of squid robot came out from behind them, firing shots that they barely dodged. Ducking behind a pillar, they ran for safety. Just as they got close enough to run, the door closed in their faces. "Oh, great." Phantom slumped against the pillar, trying desperately to catch his breath and not pass out.

"26 seconds and counting. Is everybody out?"

"Taking an underground route."

"Two halls away from the hangar. What about you?"

Robin looked at his brother, he looked even paler than when he first saw him in Belle Rêve. "We'll be behind you as soon as the doors blow." They both knew they weren't making it out, and oddly enough, he couldn't find it in him to mind. Together, no matter what. Just like they promised.

Phantom glanced at him, knowing it was a lie. If they said the truth, at least one of them would try to circle back. No, the others were close to making it out. If even one of them made it, it would have been a success.

Looking up to meet each other's eyes, they reached for their batarangs at the same time. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing they came to the same conclusion. With a shit eating grin and not a single care anymore, they didn't need to talk as they both rushed out of their cover.

Dodging a shot, Robin immediately fired off a pair of explosive batarangs. Taking down 3 robots, Phantom threw out some of his own hitting two right in the laser gun.

Robots were falling left and right, it almost looked like they would make it through the small army before the bomb blew. Like a well-oiled machine, they flipped their way through an old routine, one you never forget no matter how long it had been. It almost felt like they might actually make it out.

Almost.

The robots learned the pattern. Throw, flip and reload, throw. They watched them, studied them, and figured out where Robin was going to land. Aiming straight for where his brother would be, Phantom jumped forward without a second thought. With the last bit of his non-existent strength, he summoned a shield around them, blocking the shot.

Robin stumbled, missing his landing to avoid crashing into his brother. "DANNY!" Robin cried out, panicking as more and more of the robots surrounded them with continuous beams of death. The shield was starting to crack under the pressure.

Phantom screamed out in pain, ecto seeping through his bandages as the wounds on his arm reopened under the intense stress he put his whole body under. The drops never reached the ground, getting pulled out of his wounds and straight into the shield to reinforce it.

Robin knew they didn't have much time left, the final seconds on the timer counting down already. Pushing himself up from the ground, he circled around Phantom and embraced him in a tight hug. Nuzzling into his brother's neck, he softly whispered as tears blurred his vision. "It's okay, Nini. You can let go." His brother's body was shaking harder than an earthquake, muscles spasming uncontrollably as he pushed beyond his limits. There was no way they'd make it out, they both knew it. They both accepted it before even jumping out.

Holding on was just prolonging both their suffering. It's their time, and that's okay. He was grateful he got his brother back, grateful he got to spend more time together before they were going to see their parents again.

All of this? It was worth it. No regrets.

Phantom let his head drop onto Robin's shoulders before his arms followed suit, wrapping around the shaking frame of his brother. His knees gave out, but Robin's grip kept him upright. As the shield shattered, they were engulfed in a blaze of heat and fire before everything went dark.