A young blond girl was running in terror from some unseen evil in a dark, foggy laboratory. She glanced back for a moment to see if her assailant was still tailing her, but that loss of concentration meant that she lost her footing and tripped onto the unforgiving, cold ceramic floor.

A black mist surrounded her as she began to sob and hug herself. Two red glowing eyes appeared from the mist behind her. She turned around and with a face of pure terror, began backing away from the eyes.

"N-no..." she stuttered. "S-st-stay away!"

The mist began to form the outline of a figure around the red eyes, with its skin like ash, red cracks visible over its face. It took a few silent footsteps towards her.

"Why do you run from your destiny?" It asked.

"I'm not evil!" She began to cry. "I'M NOT!"

Her scream caused multiple green tubes around the lab to break, flooding the floor with fluids and releasing the unholy abominations in costumes that they held.

"Actions are evil and are only designated as such by those who do not benefit from them..." the figure spoke as the abominations began crawling towards her. "You have a lot to benefit from, young Greta..."

"STOP!!!" The girl's voice sounded much deeper as she screamed. Her cry of horror sent a shockwave around the lab, disintegrating the abominations who were crawling towards her. Though the figure had no facial features other than those horrible red eyes, the girl knew that it was smiling.

"YOU BELONG TO ME!!!" It bellowed.

...

"NO!!!"

The girl screamed as she sat up bolt right. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually registered that what she saw was only a dream.

The very same dream that she's been having for months, before which she never dreamt.

"Are you alright, Greta?" The girl turned to look at the door which led towards her room.

A young man in his late teens dressed in a red and black outfit with a black cape and cowl, a stylized symbol that resembled either a wave or the top part of a bird's head was on his chest.

"I'm fine, Tim..." she replied. "Only a nightmare..."

"You've been having nightmares for a while..."

"Yeah, you know... we're all stressed..."

"I know... it's just that... well... I'm not an expert but I didn't even know a ghost could dream..."

"Can we change the subject already?!"

"Okay okay, sorry..." Tim exclaimed. Though he was willing to let it go for now, his detective senses were tingling, and he was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another. "It's best that you're awake now anyway, Diana called us..."

"Okay... I'll be right out..."

Greta landed on the ground, not noticing that she'd been floating up until that moment. She pulled up her hood and walked out the door which Tim so generously left open for her, even though she could've just phased through it.

Tim couldn't help but feel bad for Greta. Sure, it wasn't his team that found her in that lab and saved her, but she was the only member of Damian's Young Justice to... still be with them, so to speak. He couldn't imagine how lonely she must be feeling at the moment, seeing as how he was the first Robin who didn't have deceased parents once he joined the Bat Family, but after the cataclysm... he didn't want anybody to be alone.

He walked with her along the marble streets of Themyscira, watching as the armored Amazons who were walking around minding their own business eyed him. Even after six months, some of the Amazons weren't completely on board with Diana's decision to house not just one, but thousands of outsiders on their island. He just sighed and ignored them, not being able to fully blame them for their feelings.

It took a while, but the two of them finally reached their destination, the caves deep beneath the main palace and the entrance to the Underworld.

Waiting for Tim and Greta were many heroes:

Wonder Woman, the first real superhero. Founding member of both the JSA in the 60s and the Justice League in the 2000s. Her attire remained the same; white leather and gold armor with a dark blue skirt sporting three white stars. The only difference being that her hair was half painted blue.

Batman, the first non-powered hero of the modern age. The title had just been reclaimed by Bruce Wayne the previous year after a two-year hiatus brought up by Bane breaking his back and his contingency plans being stolen by Vandal Savage's Secret Society. Some heroes, particularly Diana, still find it difficult to trust him.

Big Barda, former leader of the Female Furies and wife of the universe's greatest escape artist. Since she was one of the New Gods, her battle armor remained untouched.

There were other superhumans there such as the Ray, Hawkman, one of the many Starmen, King Shark and others, but Tim knew that his attention should be on the three that he saw first.

"You're late..." Diana said, crossing her arms and looking uncharacteristically angry.

"We're not the only ones..." Tim replied, trying to appear as aloof as Batman.

"Wally went out to search for survivors..." Bruce replied. "And he needs Alan to teleport them here..."

"Okay then, so what's Clark's excuse?"

There was silence from everyone.

"Figures..." Tim scowled and crossed his arms. "Alright, what's the status today?"

"One of the seers stated that she saw a number of Parademons patrolling right outside the perimeter of the magic barrier..." Barda answered. "They haven't found us yet, but they're getting closer..."

"This just goes to show that we can't stay here forever!" Hawkman exclaimed. "We have to do something!"

"Going to war now would be unbelievably foolish, Katar!" Diana replied.

"So, what are you suggesting?!" He asked. "That we wait until they find us, then run away like we did on Apokolips?! This is not what we do, Diana!"

"And what can we do?!" Bruce barked. "At this moment, Themyscira is the only safe haven left on Earth! If we go to war now, we leave it unguarded, along with all the civilians we brought here over the months!"

The heroes began arguing amongst themselves with so much animosity. Greta simply huddled herself in a corner and closed herself up in a fetal position, trying to drown out all the shouting.

It would be so easy to shut them up!

Greta quickly shook that thought out of her head. She wasn't evil, she was just stressed like everyone else. Right...?

"Hey, sorry I'm late..." came Wally's cheerful voice from the stone stairway that led to the tombs. "Had to bring the new guys up to speed..."

Everyone stopped talking as he walked towards them with Alan, Jon, Imra and a reluctant Constantine in tow.

"Constantine..." Bruce turned to face the semi-drunk Brit. It was hard to tell, but Bruce didn't mean to show any malice in his tone, he was simply trying to greet someone he had known for a long time.

"Don't you 'Constantine' me, Bats!" He replied, most certainly angry. "You all got a lot of nerve bringin' me 'ere! Oh, and by the way, Princess, yer so-called 'Paradise' reeks! Or am I the only one who's notice how everyone 'ere smells like they haven't showered for six months?!"

"He's a lot more irritable than I remember..." Diana stated.

"Survivor's guilt..." Bruce replied. "Judging by the looks of him, he's been trying to drink himself to death since he ran away..."

Constantine's eyes widened before being filled to the brim with rage. He balled his fist and punched Bruce in the face with all his might, before being held back by Tim and Hawkman.

"That was a low-blow, arsehole!" He exclaimed.

While the adults were arguing, Jon started to walk around, wondering what this place is? Wally did say that they were going to "the Hell below Heaven", but it wasn't nearly as scary as he'd envisioned. If anything, it was just... dull.

"Jon?!" He turned around at someone saying his name. He turned to the direction of the voice and his eyes lit up.

"Greta!" He exclaimed, flying up to the corner she was hugging to give her a proper hug, only for him to phase through her body completely, her body transforming to and rematerializing from mist.

"Hey!" Greta snapped at him as she hugged her shoulders, shivering a bit. "Not cool!"

"I'm sorry!" Jon apologized. "It's just... I'm really glad to see a familiar face, that's all..."

Greta calmed down. The feeling was, of course, mutual.

"It's okay..." she said, ashamed of having yelled at him. "Sorry I yelled at you... I've not been feeling well lately..."

"Tell me about it..." he replied. "Yesterday, I'm having a reality check moment, then bam! The future starts being destroyed and the next thing I know, I'm in the middle of a ruined Metropolis talking to a drunk magician and fighting other Superheroes..."

"What you're describing is just a regular Thursday..." she smiled, trying to lighten up the mood, but failing miserably.

"Greta... What happened...?" Jon asked with the most serious voice he could muster.

Greta looked away and shook her head. She didn't have the full details and the things she did know were too painful for her to recount.

Back with the adults, Imra was waiting for the tension between them to be defused so that she could talk to them.

She walked around the hall before coming across a surprising sight. Sitting in a corner in a fetal position and rocking back and forth, was one of her fellow Legionnaires; Thom "Thomas" Kellor, better known to her as Starboy.

Thomas had stayed in the 21st Century since the Fatal Five sought to use Jessica Cruz, one of the many Green Lanterns of Earth, to bolster the power of the Empress' Emerald Eye.

Since then, he had joined both the Justice League and the JSA and changed his codename to Starman.

"Thomas!" Imra exclaimed as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him.

"21 bridges..." he mumbled, causing her to let go and eye him with worry. "Can't forget... can't forget... have to find the Limelight, 21 bridges...!"

"Thomas, it's me..." Imra said as she looked into his eyes. "You found Jessica. You helped stop the Five. You saved the world, Thomas, you can relax now..."

"Relax...?" He said in a distant tone. "Nonono, can't relax... the Great Darkness... the Great Darkness is upon us... we need a miracle... we need a miracle... 21 bridges... have to find the Limelight..."

Imra looked at her friend with sadness. Poor Thomas had suffered from an undisclosed mental illness for as long as she knew him. He was heavily medicated, but his remedy must've run out while he stayed in the past.

"Oh, Thomas..." she said, holding back the tears. "I'm so sorry..."

Wally had managed to defuse the situation between Bruce and Constantine, giving Imra the perfect opportunity to walk over and talk to them. She gave Thomas a peck on the cheek, mouthed 'I'm sorry' one more time and walked over to talk with Batman and Wonder Woman.

She was nervous for many reasons. The obvious one was that she had just seen how easily a verbal and physical argument could break out, but the other was because she was about to talk to living legends.

Superman may have been the main inspiration for the Legion, but Batman and Wonder Woman were no less iconic to her. And she had years to practice talking with Clark while this would be her first time meeting the other two-thirds of the Trinity.

"Excuse me..." she said, nervously, catching everyone's attention.

"Who are you?" Bruce asked, as distrusting as ever.

"She calls herself Saturn Girl..." Wally said. "Says she's from the 31st Century and a personal friend of Superman..."

Diana sighed. "We'll have to confirm that with Clark..."

Imra's eyes widened. "He's here?!"

Before waiting for an answer, she turned to Jon and waved him over. Finally, she thought, good news.

...

A man in his mid-sixties walked along a single narrow strip of marble towards the entrance of a cavern. He was wearing a torn-up US Military uniform with a name tag that read "General Sam Lane", though the word 'General' had been partially carved out.

The man lit up a torch and entered the cave. He only took a few steps in before a powerful gust of wind nearly blew out the flame he used as a light source. He scoffed and continued forward until he saw what appeared to be natural blue light coming from a chamber in the cave.

He entered the chamber, revealing it to be covered in colorless and blue crystals which reflected the artificial sunlight created by a giant lamp which was attached to the ceiling.

In the middle of the chamber, meditating under the sunlight was a man. His messy black hair reached the middle of his neck and white streaks were already beginning to creep from the front of his temples. Connected to his mane was a bushy black beard. The man was wearing a black suit which covered every inch of his body below the neck, and on the suit were silver accessories and a belt, not to mention the big, silver S-Shield on his chest, identical to the one worn by Jon.

"Can you please come back another time, General Lane?" He asked, trying to sound as polite as he could. "I'm trying to meditate..."

"Sure you were, Kent..." the General replied, his disdain for the man in front of him apparent. "Meditating for so long you forgot about your little costume party with your friends..."

"Batman's the strategist and Wonder Woman's the leader... they can handle this without me..."

The General's eyes narrowed.

"Well then, I guess you don't want to see your son again..."

Clark's eyes immediately shot open as he stood up.

"Jon's here?!"

He nodded. "With someone who calls herself Saturn Girl."

"Where are they?"

"Last I checked they were coming here... you better do some tidying up. Don't want Jon to find anything... dirty..."

And with that, the General turned around and left.

Clark looked down. What would his son think of him if he saw him like this? A failure? Would he be able to look him in the eyes ever again? Clark looked at his hand for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

General Lane had also gotten under his skin. From his dismissive attitude and cryptic warning, it was impossible that he didn't know, or was at least suspicious of Clark's little plans.

The Man of Steel turned over to a cluster of crystals and took one out, causing a small chamber to be opened in the cave wall. From behind a stalagmite, Clark withdrew a gun. A silver gun, whose design looked out of this world. He took another deep breath before placing the gun in the chamber and sealing it by placing the crystal back where he found it.

Clark was unbelievably ashamed of himself for even considering the possibility he was training for, but he knew, deep down, that there was no other option.

"Dad?!" The unmistakable voice of his son echoing through the cave filled Clark's heart with something he hadn't felt for a long time: joy.

Despite his hesitance, just the knowledge that his son was alive and well was enough to make him forget everything else. He was no longer a failure, a hero who fell from grace or a soldier training for a war that may never come. He was just a father.

Clark turned to the entrance of his little Fortress of Solitude and saw him: Jon! Walking alongside Imra, Bruce, Diana, Barda, Tim, Greta and... Constantine? That didn't matter to him.

"Jon...!" Clark struggled to say as the tears welled up in his eyes.

Jon was equally tearful. The two haven't seen each other for so long. Without a care in the world, the two ran to each other, Clark opening his arms and Jon leaping into them. Clark spun his body around as his son was finally in his arms again. They stayed in their embrace for what felt like hours, but it really must've only been a few minutes. They would have stayed there for hours if not for one pain in the arse who decided to ruin the moment.

"Ugh..." Constantine groaned. "My stomach's contents are about 80% alcohol now, so if I see this sort of hug one more time I'm going to barf. And I'm not gonna clean it up either..."

"Why did you even come here, then?!" Greta asked him, annoyed.

"To see the little one's face when Big Blue finally tells him what he wants to know..." he replied. "Might as well get some enjoyment out of staying in this Hellhole called 'life'..."

Even with Constantine's rude comment, the father-and-son duo remained locked up in each-other's arms for a few more moments before finally breaking apart.

"Look at you..." Clark said, stroking Jon's hair. "You've grown..."

"Was about to turn 13 before all this mess..." Jon replied with a smile, as he wiped away his tears. "I'm so happy to see you, dad!"

Clark simply smiled in return before his attention shifted to Saturn Girl.

"Hey, Imra..." Clark said as he stood up, still holding Jon in his arms like he was a baby. "I assume I have you to thank for bringing him back safely..."

"Me and Brainy..." she replied. "He didn't..."

Imra paused. She finally let the realization of what happened sink in. Up until now she had something to keep her from thinking about the Legion. But now, with nothing to distract her, it finally dawned on her.

Her home. Her friends. Her fiancé. Her whole life. Was gone.

She knew she had to stay strong, if not for her sake, then for Jon's. But even heroes have a breaking point, and Imra has reached hers.

She tried. She really did. But all that came out were some choked-out syllables and tears. Imra collapsed onto her knees, one hand on her mouth as she wept.

Clark and Jon looked at her with sorrow and sympathy in their eyes. Jon got down from Clark's hold and went over to comfort Imra.

"The future was erased..." Jon said with a heavy heart.

While these news were depressing for Clark who spent a portion of his life training in the future and having considered the Legion as his friends and mentors, this revelation also filled him with fear.

The Trinity's eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Was all Bruce could say.

"Brainiac-5 said that something that wasn't supposed to happen did..." Jon explained. "And because of that, the future that the Legion comes from was changed so much that they couldn't exist anymore, and we're here to find out what happened. But listen, I know it's going to be hard for Saturn Girl, but from what I've seen the world needs us now more than ever, so I'm more than happy to help you guys kick the butt of whoever wrecked Metropolis!"

"Jon..." Greta said as she approached him.

"I know that we don't have many heroes with us, but the ones that are in that creepy basement should be more than enough now that you have another Kryptonian..."

"Jon..." Bruce said, his face actually filled with lament.

"Come on! I'm tough! I handled Validus on my own the other day, so there's no reason not to let me help!"

"Jon..." Diana now spoke, looking away.

"So, what's the plan?"

There was a deafening silence inside the chamber. The only sound being heard were Imra's sniffs as she desperately tried to stop crying.

Clark closed his eyes and looked away.

"The plan is to survive..." he lamented.

"No! I mean the plan to save the world, what is it?!"

"There is no plan to save the world..." Clark finally admitted as he wished that he was fighting Doomsday right about now.

Jon and Imra looked at him in shock.

"Wh-what do you mean there's no plan?!" Jon asked. "You have Batman with you! He obviously thought of something!"

"No, and I'm not going to..." came Bruce's ruff voice from behind.

"Bu-but there might still be people out there..."

"That's what your father meant by our plan is to survive..." Diana walked up to Jon and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We find uninfected people and bring them here, where they'll be safe..."

Jon yanked himself away from Diana's grasp. He could not believe what he was hearing. The way they spoke and the things they said... it sounded as though the Trinity had just... given up.

"I don't believe this!" Jon exclaimed in anger. "So-so what?! Are you guys just going to stay here and-and pretend that everything's cool?! No saving the world?! No nothing?!"

Bruce and Diana shook their heads.

Jon turned to look at Clark. The tears of joy that once filled his eyes were replaced with tears of pain and anger. Clark couldn't even look at him right now.

He was so ashamed.

"Dad..." Jon struggled to say. "What the Hell happened?!"

More silence followed. But Clark knew that he couldn't stay silent forever. Sooner or later, he would have to come clean to Jon, and all he wanted was that his son wouldn't get any ideas from what he was about to say.

"What happened was..." Clark paused and took one final deep breath. "We lost..."