"Deploying camera-sensor units."

"Attention. You have entered the boundaries of Earth space. Disengage all weapons and engines. This is your final warning." John announced.

"Get ready, Little Red. These people don't go down easy." Hal said and I grinned.

"Good, because I'm fully charged and ready to kick some ass!" I exclaimed and they both turned to me. "What?"

"You've been watching too much TV."

"Sorry..."

For a moment nothing happens, until there is a whirring from the red port in front of them as it lights up and shoots a beam at us.

"ZAR, WATCH OUT!" Hal yelled, constructing a hand to swat me away while they charged up their shields.

They both get their shields up, but the beam persists and shatters the spheres, turning them into skeletons before that too disappears in a flash.

Hal's ring stopped in front of me but, before I had a chance to grab it, it flew back to Oa.

"Wait...HAL!" I cried, flying up to the beam but the Batplane stopped me. "JOHN!"

"Zaria, go back to the Cave!" Batman ordered and I shook my head. "Now, Zaria! There's nothing you can do for them now."

"But Hal..."

"Remember the mission, Zaria... Go back to the Cave."

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

Recognized: Red Lantern, B-04

"Zaria!"

"Robin!" I yelled, running up and hugged him. "It's Hal. He's... he's dead! And John-"

"We know... we saw everything." Dick sighed and hugged me tighter. "But everything's gonna be okay, Crimson."

"RT!" Artemis exclaimed and we both turned to the monitor just in time to see Tornado be disintegrated. "Oh my God..."

"We are Earth's Heroes now." Kaldur says strongly.

"So, what are we waiting for? A theme song?" Connor demands.

"A strategy." Kaldur says as he turns to him. "Earth's weapons are ineffective and it has been made tragically clear a direct attack will not succeed."

Kaldur looks at Dick with a slight hope, the Boy Wonder quickly taps on the HoloGlove. "Checking satellite imagery." the image is pulled up in front of the whole Team. "Here's where the aliens are now."

"This one get lost?" Conner asks, gesturing to one near the North Pole.

"Superman's Fortress of Solitude." I realized after a moment.

"Superman has a Fortress of Solitude?"

"Its power source must have attracted the aliens' attention, at least enough to send a scout ship to investigate." Dick justifies.

"Must be some fortress." he grouches lowly as he turns away.

"We will target this lone ship." Kaldur decides.

"Yeah. Break it down. Build more. Hit those ugly aliens with their own mojo." Wally says strongly, punching his fist into his open hand to prove his point, but Artemis elbows him in the side. "Ow!"

"Martian, Tamaranean and Kryptonian in the house." she reminds him.

The three of us look at Wally expecting him to try and get his foot out of his mouth. "Uh," he half laughs. "not that all aliens are automatically ugly."

"Right... not that all humans are automatically stupid." I rolled my eyes and punched his arm.

"OW! Freakish strength, Zar! We talked about this!"

"You deserved it."

"I know..."

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

"ET's are sealed inside!"

"Time to work, SB." I called out, landing on top of the ship and Connor and I made quick work of keeping the canon still.

"Identifying weapon's structural stress points and links to the ship." Dick stands from his crouch and points them out along the connection route. "Here, here, and here."

M'gann delivers three quick telekinetic blasts right where he was pointing, Kaldur watches from the wing as Connor and I yank at the laser.

"Put your back into it, man!" I groaned.

One of the refiners comes loose and I can hear it whir to life, Connor glances behind him but continues yanking on it. With a growl, Wolf jumps and pushes us out of the way.

"Wolf..." M'gann gasped, staring at the now empty space.

"There was no indication of feedback." Dick slowly turns his head over his shoulder to Connor. "I'm sorry."

He looks down for a moment, before saying. "Can't do anything for him now." and coming back to continue yanking the laser off. "Let's go." he grounds out before it comes loose.

"Rerouting systems to integrate weapon into ship's bio-matrix. We'll need to de-camouflage for a few minutes."

"We may not have a few minutes." Dick says as they watch two more ships fly over their now noticeable location, then loop back.

"Miss Martian, open fire." Kaldur commands, only sparing a quick look over his shoulder.

"Can't. Weapon systems are off-line to incorporate the new cannon. And that's not fully integrated yet either." she too keeps looking back at the now approaching ships.

"Gotcha covered. Get inside! I'm almost there." Artemis says, the only one not on the BioShip, with three arrows nocked onto her bow. She released them at the ships then turns around and runs towards the ship.

"I've got it!" I called out, rushing to the ships and shot plasma at one of their canons. "Artemis, behind you!"

She turns, another arrow nocked, and pulling back on the drawstring. The laser hits before she even releases.

"Artemis!" M'gann screamed while I stood there in complete shock.

"Get inside. All of you." I ordered, flying up to the ship and constructed two hands to tear it in half. "Why is everyone still standing!? Get inside while I-"

"That's enough." Kaldur ordered, setting down his Waterbearers and held out a hand. "We all should get inside. That includes you as well."

"I'm not stopping until they're all dead, Kaldur."

"And you will get your chance. But now, we must get to the Hall of Justice."

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

"Superboy, Red Lantern, now!"

Connor and I dropped down the hatch and landed on one of the ships.

Using plasma, I disintegrated the laser while Connor tore it apart and we moved to the next one but Bioship shot it down.

"Alright, we're done here." I announced and landed in front of the soldiers who immediately started cheering.

"See? It is Superman. I told you he wouldn't leave us out here alone." one soldier says as he elbows his buddy.

"I don't know. He looks kind of young." the other remarks. "Where's the cape?"

Conner turns quickly. "I'm not Superman." he says strongly.

"I don't know who you are, son." the general steps up. "And right now, I don't care. You wear the S, and you got the job done."

"I'm not Superman."

"Tell that to the enemy." he turns to Kaldur and salutes. "General Wade Eiling, U.S. Air Force."

"Aqualad, Justice League. We'll help you salvage as many of the aliens' cannons as possible. Then we start taking back what is ours." He said as I flew inside the Hall until I reached Hal's broken statue.

"Damn you, Hal Jordan... damn you." I cried, slowly falling to my knees. "You were supposed to be invincible."

"They're really gone." Dick mumbled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Damnit, Bats... just when we were fine."

"Uncle J'onn!" M'gann cheered and I lifted my head slightly.

She goes back towards him but Kaldur gets in her way. "M'gann, check his mind. Make sure he is whom he appears to be."

"It's him. He's real. And he's alive." M'gann assures.

"But we saw you get disintegrated." Conner contradicts and accuses. "You and Superman. And everyone."

M'gann helps her uncle to his feet. "Yes, I remember. But... I cannot remember how I survived... or how I arrived here."

"Maybe you were density-shifting and the beam passed right through you." M'gann offers.

"Scrambling your brains along the way." Dick pipes up.

"My mind is clouded. I feel certain I had something important to tell you." Manhunter admits.

"Hello, Wally!" He hit his head before dragging me and Dick outside and gestured to the Bioship's laser beam and Dick immediately used his Hologlove to scan while I used my ring. "It's giving off Zanopenes. The same stuff that powers our Zeta- Tubes." he lifts his goggles as he smiles brightly. "This thing doesn't disintegrate, it- it teleports." he tugs on Robin's arm. "Artemis is alive!"

"Maybe, but-" Dick frowns as he continues to look it over.

"No maybes. They're all alive."

"KF, don't give me hope, alright?" I begged and he frowned. "I saw Hal and John be disintegrated and their Rings flew back to Oa... they're dead."

"Red, you don't get it! Maybe they took off their rings at the last moment and teleported to Oa or somewhere else! They're alive!"

"That must have been what you wanted to tell us." M'gann says brightly.

More ships come their way, firing at the three of us.

"We're on our way." Aqualad says

"Negative. We can't win this. Miss Martian, camo the Bio Ship and-"

The warning comes too late and the BioShip disappears, knocking both Miss Martian and Manhunter off their feet with a grunt of pain.

"Everyone fall back!" Dick ordered and dragged me away when I lifted my hand. "You're not dying also, so move it!"

Eiling leads the way back into the Hall. "We're trapped."

Kaldur opens the doors. "Maybe not."

The soldiers fill the room.

"We can all Zeta to the Cave. If you can grant us computer clearance to access the Tubes." Kaldur says to Manhunter.

"I can only authorize one at a time." Manhunter informs.

"Send the soldiers first." I ordered, standing in front and constructed a giant shield. "I'll hold off the attacks until they're all safe inside."

"Belay that. You seven are assets we cannot afford to lose." Eiling snaps.

Manhunter turns to Kaldur who looks back at him and nods.

"Override: Martian Manhunter, 0-7." he tells the computer.

Recognized: Access granted:

Miss Martian, B-0-6

Robin, B-0-1

Kid Flash, B-0-3

The door explodes behind us, the debris catches one soldier by the shin. Connor is the first to move to help him, Wally goes to assist, but I constructed a hand and pushed him through the Tube.

"Go, go, go!" I ordered, pushing Connor and the soldier into the Tube.

"Red, take it down!" Kaldur yelled and I used plasma to melt the walls until they were sealed but the blasts kept coming through.

"Aqualad, I need to get out there and take down-"

"No! You're getting through the Tube." He said when more soldiers were being disintegrated.

We both grabbed Manhunter and practically threw him into the Tube before turning back to the ships.

"Get back to the Cave, Red!"

"And you!?"

"I'll be right behind you." Kaldur assured and I nodded.

Recognized: Red Lantern, B-0-4

However, right before I was teleported, Kaldur was shot by a ship, his hand outstretched towards me.

"KALDUR!"

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

"Our mission is clear. If we believe the aliens have been teleporting victims-"

Wally cuts him off. "We do."

"Then the only reasonable detention facility is here." Dick uses his HoloGlove to get the image up in the Mountain. "Their mothership. Atop what used to be Smallville." he turns to Manhunter. "Ring any bells?"

Manhunter stands and shakes his head. "No. I'm sorry."

"Superboy, you'll create a distraction." Dick says.

"No!" M'gann nearly screams then turns to Connor. "He's offering you as a sacrifice. Aqualad would never do that."

"You're right." I said calmly. "Aqualad would sacrifice himself, a mistake that just cost us our leader. Superboy is the most likely to be perceived as a threat, motivating the aliens to deploy."

"Worst case, he's teleported inside, and we set him free along with Artemis. And, uh, Aqualad and everyone." Wally states.

"Look, Miss M. If you don't want SB to go, I'll gladly-"

"No!" Dick cut me off and I raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I mean... I need you with us in Smallville taking down the mothership. Without you, we're practically limited."

"Right..."

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

"Now or never!"

"Crimson, make a ramp." Dick said, jumping on Wally's back and he sped away.

"No need." I hummed, flying next to them and made a bridge to the ship.

The two roll through their landing, separating with ease, and make their way through the emptying hangar. Dodging two ships leaving. "Way is clear. Go!" Dick commands as he pokes his head back out then the three of us head towards a pillar in the middle of the hangar. Watching a patrol bot lazily go by.

Dick gave me a discreet nod and I flew out of the ship to help Connor.

"Missed me?" I smirked, constructing a sword and stood next to him. "Alright! Time to show all of you how a real alien fights!"

"How is that going to help you!?"

"You stick to what you know." I shrugged, flying up to the ships.

Conner huffs out a breath as he takes out two more ships. Then the ships start firing back at him. One shot creates an explosion that knocks us back and springs through a back-handspring only to have a ship hit him in the back.

"SUPERBOY!" I yelled.

"Zaria!?" Dick worriedly asked as even more ships appeared. "CRIMSON!?"

"Shut this down, Robin." I completely shut off my mind before fully allowing the Ring to take control and flew back to the entrance of the mothership and blasted the ships. "Time to stop holding back."

Using the Ring's full battery, I managed to destroy all remaining ships before falling to my knees and tried to catch my breath.

Warning: Battery level, approaching zero percent.

"I can take it down." I told myself and managed to stand up only to fall back down and start coughing up blood.

"Zar, get out! The place is about to blow!" Wally yelled through the link. "We're coming to get you!"

"Sorry, Wall. But I've got no juice left." I managed to say before the explosion hit.

We failed... we all failed.