Bruce had been staring at Clark's mobile for exactly five minutes and twenty-one seconds, in complete silence, and a grimace caught on his face. His index finger tapped against the side of the device, keeping some undisclosed rhythm that Barry couldn't quite make out. Finally, he placed it on the desk in front of him and brought up a series of video feeds on the giant computer monitor.

"So... does it help?" Wally asked eagerly. He was standing right behind Bruce's chair with one hand gripping onto the leather spine.

"Maybe." Bruce replied, most of his concentration being exhausted by days of searching. "We can determine that Clark went missing soon after reading your message, at around two-ten, so it's safe to assume that he was completely compromised by two-thirty."

"Okay, so he had gone all loopy by two-thirty, but how does that help us?" Wally asked. "We still have no way of finding him."

In the timespan of a few secluded seconds, Bruce had shifted on his chair and enlarged one of the recorded videos. At the very top was a familiar man draped in blue and red, walking like a zombie in a bloodless environment. Barry leaned closer to the screen. There was no doubt. It was Superman.

"This footage was taken at three. A full fifty minutes after he was supposedly captured." Bruce explained, enhancing the image and zooming in on the man of steel. "He's heading west, so we can assume that their base of operations is in that direction."

"That's it? All we have is a direction?" Barry sighed, scrunching up the chocolate wrapper he was holding and shoving it into the bin beside him. "We're never gonna find them with just that-"

At that moment there was a loud beeping sound that pierced through any conversation that was being had. Bruce pressed a button near his left index finger and the noise ceased, only to be followed by an all too familiar voice saying "I have found it."

Bruce glanced up at Barry with a somewhat smug expression and replied "Don't engage, Diana. Return to the Watchtower and we'll plan our attack."

Usually, Wonder Woman would have already fought her way through the gangs ranks before contacting Bruce, but this time was different. She knew that, even if she didn't like it, she'd have to wait for the right moment to strike. She could take on Superman, but it would be difficult, so she certainly couldn't handle him alongside Shazam and whoever else was in there.

Diana switched off her comm and within the hour she had returned to the Watchtower. She looked anxious to get started, but no one was more on edge than Mineko.

"Show me where they are hiding." Mineko had said the moment Wonder Woman walked through the door. "It is time to end this."

"Not yet." Bruce commanded. "We wait here until the others are in position."

"What's taking them so long?" Wally groaned.

"Not all of them have super speed, you know..." Barry answered. "Some of them might have to take a flight over or something."

"I will not wait here another second." Mineko finally broke, straightening her posture to one of clear defiance. "The longer we delay, the more Yan's influence grows. I will do this myself if I have to."

Barry gulped, and as she attempted to step away, he grabbed her wrist. She turned but he said nothing, at least not verbally. On his face was a look plastered in worry, and dread, as if he had already decided that her fate was to die in this fight.

"You have a warrior's spirit, sister." Diana finally echoed from the back of the room. "I understand, but this is not a battle that can be won alone."

Mineko averted her gaze, obviously struggling to keep still. "Fine, but I'm going to wait there. I prefer a less direct approach than the rest of you are planning. If you face her forces head on, she will be given enough time to flee. Let me go. I can infiltrate Yan's defences and reach her before she has the chance to escape."

Bruce's frown lines deepened. "So you intend on using us as a distraction..."

"Does it matter?" Mineko replied quickly. "We may only have one chance at capturing her. I would be of no help in a frontal attack anyway...at least not against people like him."

She nodded towards the headshot of Superman which was still visible on the top half of the monitor's screen. Batman glanced from her to the picture, then back again. He squinted, allowing himself a moment to think before nodding.

"Then I'll go with you." Barry said hurriedly. His grip on Mineko had tightened, and the concern in his voice had become so thick that everyone could hear it.

"There is no need. I can do this on my own." Mineko replied, confused by the tone he had suddenly adapted.

"You'll get there faster if I take you." Barry said desperately.

"We need you with us, Barry." Bruce finally interrupted. "We may run into Reverse Flash on our way in. You did say he was the first to be induced by her, correct?"

"Why else would he bring her here?" Wally responded. "She must've found out about where he was from, made him reveal how he does the time travel thing, then taken control of him."

Bruce ignored Wally's unneeded explanation, then returned his stare back to Barry. "She can go, but only if it's without you."

There was no sound that followed Bruce's order, yet everyone was moving... moving and not talking. The air was so brittle it could snap, and if it didn't, Barry might. A few weeks ago Barry would have agreed without a second thought. He ignored any feeling that arose, anything to ease the terrible burden of Iris' death. Anything to avoid ever experiencing grief like that again. But now he couldn't suppress it, and it was painful.

Fearful thoughts looped around in his mind until there was no room for anything else. The 'loop' played like this. If he stayed and allowed Mineko to go alone, then he wouldn't be able to concentrate on fighting Thawne, but if he went with her there was no one that could take him on...and Wally wasn't nearly experienced enough to face him directly. No matter how much faith he had in Mineko's abilities, he would always worry.

"You really are a heartless asshole." Wally spat at Batman, who simply groaned in response. "Don't worry, Barry. I'll go with her."

"I do not need a chaperone!" Mineko raised her voice again, clearly annoyed by all the fuss.

Wally leaned over very indiscreetly and whispered into her ear "Just go with it. Bats doesn't like anyone who doesn't agree with him."

Mineko pursed her lips but still managed to swallow her pride for long enough to agree with him. "On second thought, Wally's assistance...would be appreciated."

"B-But I-" Barry started, only to be interrupted by Wally.

"I'll take care of her, dude. Don't worry...not that she needs it."

This didn't ease Barry's concern, but it made it more bearable to let her go. He knew he couldn't stop her anyway. He never could. That's what made it so hard to accept.

He nodded, taking a moment to stare into Mineko's dark eyes.They were black, not soulless nor lifeless like he had originally thought them to be. Instead they were like two pristine stones of onyx, that lit up with a purple flare when touched by light.

He, for just a split second, found himself inching nearer to them, but the feeling of Mineko's warm breath against his face reminded him of the last time he had been so close to someone... it resulted in death, and a lifetime of heartbreak. He consciously pulled himself away from her, letting his hand slip from her wrist.

It looked like he wanted to say something, but knew that it would make losing her even more difficult if it happened. It would mean that he had completely accepted his feelings towards her, and that her death would be the final piece in obliterating his heart forever.

"Just... be careful." The Flash managed to say, though it was apparent to even Mineko that he was holding back.

"Do not worry. We will end this and both live to say goodbye before I travel home."

A familiar emotion tugged at his chest at the mention of her leaving but he said nothing about it. He nodded and watched as Wally confirmed the location with Wonder Woman before darting away, Mineko being shoved over his shoulder for the trip.

The rest of them left only half an hour later, stopping at a large courthouse with far too many people wandering outside of it. At every other corner Leaguers were hiding, waiting for the signal to attack. Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman resided on the roof of the structure opposite it, from which they could see the rest of the team clearly. Hawkman flew above them, ready to fight through the compromised group and rescue his partner. Firestorm and Red Tornado sat nearby, attempting to be discreet but failing. Closest to the courthouse, Green Arrow stood impatiently. His wife had been taken, and he didn't appear willing to wait much longer.

This was only confirmed when Bruce pressed the button on his communicator and whispered "Go."

Before anyone else had even moved, Oliver had readied five arrows onto his bow string and shot them towards a group of people guarding the entrance. Every arrow hit each of them in the leg, and just as they realised that they were under attack, he had darted behind them then swung his bow in one quick sweep - striking them all in the back of their heads.

"What's the plan now?" Oliver said, urgency weaving through his voice. The answer revealed itself when a few dozen people, seemingly walking by, stopped in their tracks and turned their colourless eyes towards Green Arrow. "Oh... shit."

A creaking sound pierced the air as the courthouse doors opened. From inside came Poison Ivy, a plethora of vines sprouting after each step she made, then followed by one of Oliver's reoccurring headaches...Cupid. Her outfit was the same shade as Oliver's, as if it had been done on purpose, but her hair blazed deep red and clashed strongly with the costume. The arrows on her back were made of light mahogany, and her bow was constructed of fibreglass.

Green Arrow, without any hesitation, darted forward. He nocked an arrow, its tip coated with a tranquillising agent, onto his bow but before he could even aim the sharpened tip at Cupid's wrist, the ground began shaking. Bane had jumped from the ceiling of the structure and landed right in front of Oliver.

Green Arrow skidded to a halt, and after staring wide-eyed at the massive wrestler, he shot the weapon at Bane instead. With venom running through his veins, the arrow barely dented his skin - it only managed to peel back the first layer. Bane smirked mockingly at the man and Oliver gave a nervous cough. "Uh... Hey, lookin' good. Are those two new muscles I see?"

Bane backhanded the witty mortal and he was sent flying into a tree. The outer shell of bark broke at the impact, leaving Oliver with a multitude of bruises that he would surely feel in the coming weeks. It looked like Oliver stood little chance against the three villains and the multiple civilians slowly surrounding him... that is until Batman jumped to his side.

"Oli and I will handle this. Everyone else get inside." Bruce commanded, watching the others disappear into the courthouse without argument. "I don't recall telling you to run in before everyone else."

"What can I say?" Green Arrow exhaled, holding his side as he rose to his feet again. "I like making things difficult."

Inside, things had only gotten worse. It seemed like they couldn't progress a single step without running into one of Yan's pawns. It had started with just regular people she had decided to control for fun, but then a Meta came swooping through the halls like bat out of hell.

Hawkgirl had whacked her mace through the air, only barely missing Firestorm due to Hawkman's interference. "Go. I'll handle Shiera."

The winged man tackled his partner, and they both went spiralling down the opposite end of the building. Wonder Woman was left behind not long after that - when they encountered Cheetah. She was the only one strong enough to handle her. Barry wished that this was the end of it but, unfortunately, the remaining members of the group found themselves in the presence of one of The Flash's greatest enemies. Gorilla Grodd.

The entire situation was immediately suspicious to Barry, who had experienced Grodd's abilities first hand. He was a telepath...one of the strongest Barry had ever met. The question of how Yan could have possibly taken control over him was a hard one to answer.

Apparently, he wouldn't have much time to think about it because the animal suddenly jumped towards them and bashed his fists to the ground. The Flash had managed to move Red Tornado and Firestorm just in time, but the floor quaked enough to make them all stumble. Grodd roared at the top of his lungs and bashed his fists against his chest as if on instinct...and that's what gave him away.

"He's...not under Yan's control." Barry spoke out loud, realising now that the white eyes he saw on Grodd was just an illusion created by the animal. "If he was he'd fight like an empty shell, but he's still acting like Grodd."

"Oh, well that makes things easier." Firestorm stated naively.

"No...it makes things much harder." The Flash's voice wavered anxiously as the ape, not seeing the purpose of maintaining the illusion, stopped imposing the image of his supposed hypnosis into their minds.

"Very clever. For a human." Grodd taunted.

"That was all just a ruse? Why?" Barry barked.

"It is quite the story. Unfortunately you will not be alive to hear it." Grodd snarled before beating his hands against his chest once more and growling savagely. The gorilla charged forward before Firestorm ionized the air in front of him, turning it into solid concrete.

He called to Barry "Go! We got this!"

Barry froze as Tornado and Firestorm engaged Grodd, respectively barraging him with twisters and superheated plasma. He needed to end this...but this was Grodd. No one knew him the way Barry did. Without wasting another second, The Flash blinked and he was standing in the next chamber. If he spent any more time thinking about it, he would've stayed behind.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder reverberated through the cold air, and a bolt of lightning ripped through the ceiling and stuck the concrete floor, blackening the surrounding area. Standing in the smouldering blast mark after the light faded, was a hooded figure with a glowing white lightning bolt on their red costume. Their eyes snapped open, as white as the symbol on his chest.

"Oh no." Barry muttered.

The figure clenched its fist, then thrusted it towards Barry. Luckily for him, the zap of electricity was only moving at the speed of light, so he managed to evade it by twisting free of its path. After that successful feat, Barry was pretty certain that this was it. However...someone patted his shoulder.

"Tag out." Hal quipped as he walked past, winking at Barry.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Hal waved his ring hand at Barry. "Hmm, alien energy weapon on my middle finger?"

"Shut up. Are you sure you can take him?"

Without another word, Green Lantern constructed a mechanical gauntlet around his arm, reeled back, then lashed out with a devastating uppercut. The blow propelled Shazam upward at a ludicrous speed, almost fast enough to seem that way to Barry. He then secured another construct around Earth's Mightiest Mortal, pulling him back down.

"Where's your girlfriend!?" Barry called over the incredible sound of two gods fighting each other.

"She's busy! Kinda has her own sector to patrol!"

"Oh...! Are you sure you got this!?"

"Oh yeah, Green Lantern's got this!"

Barry facepalmed. "It's really stupid when you talk about yourself in the third-person!" He called as he strolled into yet another chamber.

The next person was someone Barry had expected. He was the reason all of this was possible. He was waiting in the centre of the room, ready for a fight. Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne.

"Okay...let's do this." Barry muttered to himself. He made a run for Thawne, who seemed to be moving in slow-motion without his own experience and knowledge of his abilities on his side. When they met, Barry easily outmanoeuvred him, slamming an elbow into his face. Thawne stumbled, and Barry landed a barrage of one-hundred and twenty-two punches onto his gut in point two seconds. The built-up force created a shockwave that hurtled Reverse Flash backwards, head over heels.

Barry smirked. It was easier than he expected it to be. He sprinted at Thawne once again, but something speared through the ceiling and into the ground, almost as fast as he was. The impact was incredible. The floor seemed to ripple from the sheer force, and Barry as well as Thawne, was thrown back over ten metres. With a snap, he crashed into the concrete walls of the structure, head and right shoulder ablaze in pain. He knew the feeling, his skull was fractured and his shoulder was broken.

When he opened his eyes, the sight made his mouth drop open.

Hand buried in the ground, cape fluttering in the gentle breeze, was the Man of Steel. He slowly stood from his kneeling position, stark white eyes staring into Barry's soul. Yan wasn't succeeding with Reverse Flash...so she called for backup. Barry's mind raced. She didn't know how strong Superman was. If she did, Barry would already be dead since he got him by surprise. Superman slowly paced forward, towards Barry.

Yan evidently didn't know about Clark's heat vision either...or once again, Barry would already be dead.

"Uh...Hal...?" Barry called timidly. "Is it too late to tag out...?"

Just as suddenly as he appeared, another blue bolt spiked through the building, this time securing its hands around Superman's body. "Kal! Stop!" Supergirl's voice urged.

It was her, Superman's cousin, Kara. She seemed to be overpowering him, but the longer they struggled, the more Yan seemed to learn how to push Clark's limit.

"This isn't you! You have to fight it!" She pleaded.

Barry braced himself onto the wall, clutching his shoulder. Due to his accelerated metabolism, it should heal in a few minutes but he had to make sure Supergirl could hold him off for that long. Suddenly, Superman snapped free and threw a punch at his younger cousin. She easily avoided the strike, because he wasn't moving as fast as he physically could, Barry noted.

"It's me! Kara! Don't you recognise me?!"

Barry cried "It's no use, Kara! You've gotta knock him out!"

"I...I don't want to hurt him!" She argued.

Another strike was thrown, but the Girl of Steel made it look like Superman was a clumsy human trying to catch a fly. Barry grimaced. It was only a matter of time before...

The next strike found its target and impacted on the side of Supergirl's face. She quickly recovered and tossed herself onto Superman, not seeing any alternatives. Kara threw blow after blow onto Clark's head, but his recoiling only seemed to grow less and less noticeable.

Next, someone kicked the previous door off its hinges. Wonder Woman marched inside, eyes strained in focus. She instantly looked to The Flash. "Barry...!"

"I'm fine, Diana! Help her!"

Wonder Woman approached, yelling at Supergirl "Strike him with all of your might!"

"I-I did!" Kara yelped. "It's not working!"

"Then it isn't hard enough!" Diana retorted.

Kara gulped and steadied her fist. She mustered every ounce of strength that she could... but just as she was about to slam it against her cousins temple, she froze. "I-I... I can't! I'm sorry!"

As if she was nothing more than a mere child, Superman whacked the palm of his hand against her forehead and Kara was sent breaking through three different walls. The last one, leading into a room that clearly showed Yan and Mineko in the midst of a battle.

At the sight, Barry bolted into action. Completely forgetting about Reverse Flash, he attempted to reach her but was thrown off course when Thawne tackled him onto the ground. This at least granted the opportunity for Barry to wiggle out of his grip, then bash Thawne's head against the wooden floor - which seemed enough to render him unconscious.

Before Kara or Barry even had the opportunity to get back up, Diana had rushed over to Superman and punched him with all of her might. It resulted in a very large crater being indented into the floor. Superman, for a moment, looked like he had been dazed by the hit. His head swayed dizzily, and his eyes flickered from white to their memorable, vibrant blue.

It had worked... or so they had thought. Within seconds those deep orbs had lost all their colour again and Superman had placed a well aimed kick to Wonder Woman's stomach. She gasped at the sudden attack, managing to stop herself in mid-air before causing any more damage to the courthouse.

"It didn't work..." Kara said in obvious shock. "We'll have to try something else."

"I can see that, Kara." Diana retorted with a sigh of mild frustration.

It didn't take long before Wonder Woman had charged towards Superman again, this time with the Lasso of Truth held firmly in her hands. She twirled it in the air when she was close enough and threw it around his shoulders. The normal Clark would have simply pushed it back over his head, but this one tried to break the rope... and to no avail. The lasso was unbreakable.

This gave Diana enough time to wrap it around the rest of his body, and wrestle him into a body lock - with her arms wrapped around each shoulder and her legs around his abdomen. She tightened the rope until it was securely tangled around his broad figure and attempted to keep him as still as possible.

"I speak to the form I hold. Who are you?" Diana yelled and the lasso lit up in a golden sheen. Superman struggled against it but the lasso demanded an answer. An answer that Yan couldn't give, and that would, hopefully, force Clark's consciousness to surface. "What is your name?"

The real leader dropped to her knees in front of Mineko, just as they were in the middle of a heated sword fight. She held her head and screamed "I don't know who he is!", but this still didn't quench the ropes hunger for truth.

With Yan incapacitated it was all too easy for Mineko to apprehend her, but she was still in a great deal of pain trying to defy the lasso and keep hold of Superman's mind. That much was clear.

"Answer me! Who are you?!" Wonder Woman roared once more and the lasso brightened.

"Superman, He's-" Yan desperately shouted, but that's when she lost all hold over him.

"Clark." The man's voice finally found air. "My name is...Clark...Kent." Superman's body fell limp.

Wonder Woman unravelled herself from his figure with an exhausted sigh. "Suffering Sappho, that took far too long." The Amazon helped Clark to his feet as Supergirl hurried over and did the same.

"Kal...!" She cried in relief.

Clark glanced around the room, trying to take in his surroundings, when Diana stepped back satisfied that her friend was well enough to stand. Supergirl, however, still stood by her cousin with her hands rested on her shoulders.

"Kal...you had me worried there for a second." She said in relief.

"Only a second?" Clark quipped as he clutched his head with one hand. "What happened?"

Mineko emerged from the next room, dragging the unconscious Yan by her feet. "Your body was under the control of this woman, leader of the Dangetsu."

Realising that this meant that someone else had free reign over his Kryptonian abilities, Clark's eyes widened. "Great Scott! Is everyone okay...!? Did I hurt anyone?"

Kara instantly said to him in a comforting tone "No, of course not. We're all fine."

Diana smiled. "Luckily your cousin and I were the main recipients of your attacks."

Barry flexed his shoulder, which was feeling somewhat stiff from his previous injury. "Well. About that. I think you fractured my skull and broke my shoulder."

Supergirl suddenly stared so hard at the Scarlet Speeder that he swore he was going to spontaneously combust. "Barry! By the name of Rao, shut up!"

"Oh no..." Clark murmured. "I...I hurt him. I-I'm so sorry!"

"Great. Look what you've done." Kara sighed with a roll of the eyes. "You know he's sensitive about that!"

Barry suddenly exploded in outrage "Oh, well excuse me for being fragile! I'm the one who got smashed by an alien solar battery!"

"Stop being a baby, your bones are fine! Don't you heal super fast?"

"That doesn't change the fact that your cousin broke my head."

Diana facepalmed. "Okay, enough. Barry, grow up. Kara, Clark did break his head. That's a matter of fact."

Kara pouted at Barry, clearly not happy about Wonder Woman's motherly intervention. "He doesn't have to be a jerk about it..." She muttered.

Mineko, having barely understood some of the interjections being used, brought her attention towards Barry and whispered "Did he really break your head? Are you injured?"

Barry flushed in slight embarrassment and laughed dismissively. "Oh! Nah, I'm alright. Don't worry about me, Mini."

Kara glared at the man, crossing her arms and hissing "You couldn't have told this to Clark about two seconds ago?"

Barry gave Mineko one more slightly nervous smile and turned to face Clark, who was still in the middle of an internal panic. "I really am okay, Clark."

The Man of Steel bit his lip anxiously, eyelids heavy in concern. "Are you sure? Are you in pain? Can I help?... Gosh I'm so sorry, Barry."

"There really isn't any need to-"

Before he could finish his sentence Clark had engulfed him in a gentle hug. Barry almost immediately started rubbing the tall man's back as if he had been expecting it. Mineko raised an eyebrow at the situation and Barry explained "He's a softy, and he really doesn't like being mind controlled."

The fact that he had said that like this happened fairly often only confused the woman even more. Still, she let it slide. The day had already been stressful enough.

When the police finally arrived to take away the plethora of villains that were motionlessly scattered around the building, Kara had already taken Clark to his parents' farm. He needed time alone to recoup. The rest were in the middle of moving immobilised heroes to the Watchtower (among those passed out being Wally).

Mineko, however, had stayed behind. She wanted to ensure that Yan was arrested without any costly mistakes and that she knew her location when it was time to leave. Their fight would be finished in the past to prevent changing the future. Barry stayed with her. Everything had gone relatively smoothly. Mineko was carrying Yan to the cop car whilst the other law enforcers attempted to fit the rest of the villains into a large van.

"Well, that was eventful." Barry exclaimed, eating a newly prepped kebab from a restaurant in Turkey that he liked to visit (he had been gone no longer than ten minutes, and most of that was waiting for them to cook his food). "Turned out better than I thought though."

"How so?" Mineko asked as she manoeuvred Yan into the seat. "Did you doubt your friends' abilities?"

"Against people like Superman and Shazam? Yeah, a little." Barry shrugged honestly. "But I think they doubted themselves as well so there's nothing to be too upset about."

"When someone doubts themselves or a plan this critical it is your job to whip them into shape." Mineko replied. "You must have faith in them, and in yourself, or no one else will. It is a path to certain failure."

"It worked out alright..."

"Because I had enough faith for both of us." Mineko said with a smirk.

"You're starting to sound like the boy scout." Barry sighed, almost missing Mineko's furrowed brow. "It's just something we call Superman... never mind."

"I believe it is more accurate to say that he is starting to sound like me. I am older, after all."

Barry started to mutter something, but his eyes snapped in her direction after he had properly processed her words. "Was that a joke?"

"You sound surprised."

He blinked at her, lips slowly stretching into a grin. "Can you blame me? You're always so serious-"

At that moment Barry heard a familiar sound penetrate the air. He looked over his shoulder to see nothing. Reverse Flash was gone, but he assumed one of the cops had taken him away, but when he looked back all he saw was Mineko being thrown through the air. That's when he realised that Thawne had escaped, and Barry's heart stopped.

Everything usually went by so slowly in his eyes, but this was so quick that by the time he had flashed to Mineko's side she had already hit the floor. It was like he was watching what had happened to Iris all over again, and this time he knew he couldn't live with it.

"Mineko!" He screamed without full knowledge of his own actions. His voice was drenched in pain and heartbreak as he finally held her body in his arms. She was paralysed, winded... but she was alive. He could hear her trying to catch her breath. He could see her eyes widen when he came into view. "Y-You're-"

He didn't even finish his sentence. Instead, he brought her to his chest and held her so tightly that he was afraid that she'd disappear if he let her go. His entire body was shaking, his arms more than anything. Once Mineko had recovered from her shock, she also noticed that a few quiet whimpers escaped his throat every now and then.

"Did he h-hurt you?" He asked with urgency after calming himself down. He pulled away and Mineko could finally see what was happening behind him. She froze. "Mini? Are you-"

Barry turned, a gasp jumping from his throat at what he saw. Yan was hanging halfway out of the car, throat slit and blood pouring into a puddle beneath her. Thawne had obviously despised the idea of being used, so much so that he risked getting caught in his escape to murder her.

The Flash gulped. She had died in the modern day and that was sure to mess up some of the timeline. Doctor Fate really wasn't going to like this...

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