Victor opened a portal to their next destination without even needing to be told. He knew Harper much too well to think that this most recent failure would stop her. She was a stubborn woman, and one that never succumbed to defeat.

"What the hell's wrong with that Bastion guy?" Harper ranted as they stepped out of the boom tube, and into an ancient Japanese building. "How can he not care about what's happening?"

There was a flicker of sympathy that washed across Victor's face, although it only lasted a few seconds. "Well, if we were raised to be Germany's secret weapon in World War 2, I'm sure we wouldn't have much faith in humanity either."

This seemed like enough to prevent Harper from saying anything further on the subject, but it was clear that she still didn't agree with the idea of sharing empathy with someone unwilling to take a stand against injustice. Everyone had a sob story, but that mattered very little in the grand scheme of things. What truly mattered was how someone let that past affect the future. Well, that was how Harper saw it anyway.

"Okay, whatever you say." Harper finally huffed, watching as a few teenagers draped in plain robes shuffled passed them. "Where are we?"

"A monestary." Victor answered vaguely.

"Yeah, I can see that, then what are we doing here?" Harper rolled her eyes beneath the cover of her helmet, and yet another group of people wandered right by them. They were whispering amongst themselves about the strangers, but didn't dare stop for long enough to ask any questions.

"We're here to see Mineko." At the silence that followed, Victor finally realised that she hadn't met this particular League member in her own time yet. "She's Barry's ex. Raizo's mom."

"Yeah...okay...and who's Raizo again?"

"One of the only kids with any sense of responsibility." Victor answered as they started walking through the hallway. The walls were painstakingly plain, as was everything else inside of this structure. "He's a quiet kid, and could topple whole areas in seconds if he wanted, but he's the one that helps evacuate the cities when a fight's about to happen. He even sticks around to restrict the destruction."

"Maybe the others should take a note from their parenting book." The halls became narrower, and the Atlas mech could barely squeeze through the space.

"I don't know about that...he barely sees either of them. In some way, I think his attempts to help people are a subtle way of gaining Mineko and Barry's attention. He partook in a few of the first battles, but it only worsened his bond with his parents. More so, it spelt the complete deterioration of his parents' marriage. I think he hopes that this will somehow bring them back together."

"Is it working?" Harper, surprisingly, did feel a little twinge if sympathy for Raizo - but only because he was doing the best that he could under the circumstances.

"Not at all." Victor sighed. "Mineko doesn't leave the monestary, and Barry's transformed Central city into a utopia. He discarded his identity as Barry Allen, and now just runs forever around the city. It's the only place that the kids won't use as a battlefield."

In that instance, they finally arrived at a room at the end of the hall. It had a sliding paper door decorated with Kanji and floral print; behind which was a shadow stiller than the roots of an old tree. Victor slid it aside and revealed the visage of a tall and toned Asian woman. Her eyes, darker than an ink well, flickered to meet them with a calm sort of serenity.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Mineko." Victor said with much more respect than he seemed to have for Bastion.

"Everyone is welcome in this monestary." Mineko replied in a voice like the lilt of an unwavering river. "Though many do not seek it out unless it is for spiritual guidance or ancient knowledge. What is your purpose here?"

"I think you know why we're here." Victor said, and as he stepped forward he shadow casted itself over the kneeling woman. "We need your help. You and Barry."

The woman's face remained bereft of emotion, but the way her fingers clenched at her sides seemed to say more than words possibly could. "Then I apologise that I cannot be of any further assistance."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Harper growled. "Your son is out there trying to make a difference and you're just sitting here watching it happen! How is it that Raizo's more responsible than his own parents?"

"My son fled the sanctity of this monestary, without permission, and involved himself in affairs that do not concern him." Mineko argued, though there was no bite or anger in her voice. It was just as calm as it had been in the beginning. "I am proud that he has followed the protector's path, but that does not mean that I have the same luxury of decision."

"What does that even mean?!" Harper erupted into an anger that she had been containing for far too long. She didn't understand why no one would help...she barely recognised these people and their insistence to inaction.

"This monestary is the only one of its kind left standing. If I decide to commit myself, and the students within, to a lost cause then this knowledge could be lost forever. I cannot risk devoting them to a fight that could destroy everything we have committed our lives to."

"It'll be lost anyway if these kids go too far. What happens when they decide that they're not satisfied just fighting each other? What about when they realise that they could use that power against the world?"

"We will deal with it when the time arises." Mineko answered rather coldly. "Until then, I have lessons to teach and students to train."

The woman stood then glided over to the door with all the grace of a swan. Harper admired her honesty and commitment, unlike the rest she seemed fully certain of her decision to not get involved without any hostility or anger. Merely logic. However, it was also beyond annoying to be turned away at every turn. "So you're just gonna wait until the world's on the brink of destruction, and those kids are beyond saving? Whatever you were taught in this monestary, I'm sure that ignoring threats to the fabric of society goes beyond the preservation of one branch of knowledge."

"To you, perhaps, but knowledge is the fabric of society. By protecting this, I am preserving the world...and any future generations." Mineko brushed the wrinkles out of her robe. It was dark red, and much less dull than those the students wore. "This is my duty, I will not abandon it."

"But if you join..." Victor tried again, though he knew it was a futile effort. "Barry is sure to come back as well."

"We are not exactly on speaking terms, Victor Stone."

"No but he still loves you. If he heard that you left the monestary he'd come searching for you. It's the only way we'd be able to contact him..."

"It still is not a secure enough cause to devote my people to. Not even with Barry. If the rest return then you'll have me and my students at your service, but until then it is simply a poor decision to join."

She didn't stay for long enough to hear a response. As soon as she had completed her sentence she exited the room and slid the door closed again. Victor and Harper were left inside with hope dwindling out of existence like a star at the end of its life.

Harper fathered what remained of her confidence to say "Who's next?" but only silence answered her. "Victor? There has to be someone else... What about Batman?"

"He...never really left the Justice League. Not officially at least, but he can't fight anymore. His body's broken, he wears a brace just to keep himself standing... I guess all those years finally caught up with him. A lot of us forgot that he was only human, and every hit weighed on him more than it did on us." Victor's eye fell to the floor that was impeccably clean, and which small wisps of smoke had started to rest from the incense. "He's funding the prisons to try and find new ways to contain these kids, and he's keeping the Hall of Justice running. He monitors everything, primarily Earth's orbit, and sends in a few bots to break up petty crime but he can't face metahumans. Especially not now. His main project is building defence systems around the planet."

"Why does he focus on outer space? Isn't there enough happening down here?"

"He's convinced that we're going to be invaded." Victor shook his head. It was hard to see Bruce grow more paranoid with age. "His ex-partner Rahn and his son Zorr disappeared years ago. She was an alien from a largely mysterious and uncharted world. He thinks they'll both return one day with an army."

"And why would they do that?"

"I don't know...I suppose Bruce was a little harsh when they were here. He didn't get involved in his child's life, didn't teach him what it meant to be human, so he only knew his alien heritage. He was no longer connected to earth and so started to despise it." Victor explained. "I think this all stems from Bruce's guilt. I don't think they'll ever come back."

"Fine..." Harper murmured, trying not to express the opinion that Bruce may have deserved his fate after the multitude of medical warnings he had ignored and his general dismissive attitude to everyone. "What about Hal?"

Silence again, but this time it was underlined with undeniable sorrow.

Harper gulped. "He's...dead?"

Victor nodded. He looked relieved that he hadn't needed to say the words himself. It still hurt to think about losing such a good friend. "And Vell, Tarcis' mom, is a Green Lantern. She's dealing with real problems out there and, as Chief Instructional Officer, has her hands full with training recruits. That doesn't leave her with much time to come here and keep these random kids in line."

Finally, the failure settled in. The only people that these kids might have listened to were all refusing to take part, and with a team of only Victor, Martian Manhunter, Raizo, and herself, the whole idea of stopping these atrocities seemed doomed. "Then I'm going to speak with Clark again."

"It's a waste of time, Harp. He won't listen."

"I'll make him listen!" Harper snapped back. She couldn't leave this future to its own self-destruction. She would face the whole group of supers by herself if she had to, but Harper hoped desperately that she wouldn't have to. "Take me to his farm. Now."

There was a reluctance to Victor's movement, but he still obeyed her wishes. She had complete control over his every action; her voice moved him without thought or consideration. He would have jumped into the pits of hell or disassembled himself piece by piece if that was what she wanted. Thankfully, all she required was another portal and Victor wasted no time in summoning it. He already knew what Clark's answer would be, and he feared the disappointment that it might inflict upon her, but he took her there anyway with the faint hope that her ambitious goal wouldn't be crushed in the process.