Young Justice Darkest AU

Chapter 1

Nightwing knew that everything went according to plan... but that didn't mean he had to like it. 

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As Kaldur snapped an inhibitor collar around his neck, Nightwing looked up with a smirk and said quietly, "Sorry, no powers for your collar to turn off."

Kaldur looked at the hero in front of him and wished he did not have to go through with the plan. He forced a grin and said, "That is not all they do," he pressed a button and the collar began to electrocute his former teammate. As he watched his friend writhe on the ground, he felt a stab of guilt and remorse. Why couldn't the Reach have just stayed in space? Then he and his old friend would not have to do this.  He decided it had been on long enough and turned off the flow of electricity. Nightwing's body continued to spasm small spasms, and there was a slightly charred smell coming off him, but Kaldur knew the electricity hadn't been on long enough to do any permanent damage. He sent his friend an apologetic look that he made sure none of his current crew saw, then turned around to order his men to take the metas in the cave at this point: Beast Boy, Impulse, and Blue Beetle. Nightwing had said when they were discussing the plan that he wanted as many people out of the cave as possible. 

"You won't gt away with this!" Nightwing said. 

This was the cue he needed to do whatever he could think of on the spot that would slip Nightwing a flash drive that the young hero would give to Wally before he went into a coma from a medicine he would take, then he would 'die', allowing Kaldur to 'revive' him, and they would proceed with the plan from there. 

Kaldur punched Nigthwing in the gut, which provided him with the perfect position for him to discreetly slip Nightwing the flash drive.

"I'm sorry," Kaldur whispered, lips hardly moving. Nightwing was still doubled over, so he went to the tan case he had brought along that held a bomb much like the one that was use to blow up Malina Island. He unzipped the bomb and brought out a decoy trigger. "This bomb is identical to the one used to blow up Malina Island," he pressed down on the trigger, "I am holding down the dead man's switch, if for any reason my finger comes off of this, the bomb will explode. There is a five mile range. Do not attempt to pursue." With that, Kaldur turned and nodded to the Terror Twins. They nodded back and each picked up a hero. In Tommy's case, two. 

They walked back to their entry point and onto the plane. Once Kaldur, the Terror Twins, and Icicle Jr. were out of sight and hearing range, Nightwing straightened, walked over to an unconscious Superboy, shaking him awake while at the same time steeling himself for what he was about to do. 

"SB, dude, you better be feeling the aster, or we're both not gonna be traught." once Superboy was awake, he turned to him and said, "Take the Supercycle and go, I have to make sure everyone's out. I'll be right behind you," he added when he saw the clone's look of trepidation.

Once Superboy finally relented, he ran back through the mountain, checking every bedroom, bathroom, and the commons and kitchen, even though he knew no one was still in the mountain. He had to make it look like he was just too slow to outrun the blast. When he knew Kaldur would be about to push the real trigger, he ran for the bay doors. He jumped just as the bomb went off. He felt the heat of the blast, felt shrapnel and rock embed themselves in his skin, and when he was about three feet from the water, a large chunk of rock about the size of the Supercycle hit his arm, shattering the bone. He was unconscious from the pain before he hit the water. 

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When he came back to himself, his eyelids felt heavy, like they were each weighted with bricks. When he did manage to open them, he immediately tried to shut them again from the bright lights. He noticed he couldn't feel his arm and his back was a mess of weird tingling sensations and sharp pains. He let out a quiet groan of discomfort, and noted that his lungs felt dry and brittle, which, if his memory served right, he probably breathed some seawater before Conner was able to get to him. It was then that he noticed someone had been having a conversation that had abruptly stopped. 

Someone grabbed his hand and spoke, "Dick?" he now recognized the hand as that of his little brother, Tim. He was definitely one of the ones that Dick would most regret having to leave behind when he went undercover.

"Timmy?" he tried to say, but a breathing tube got in the way so it came out garbled and ragged. 

He felt a hand remove the breathing tube and hold a straw to his lips. He started taking small sips, knowing not to drink to much at one time. The straw pulled away when he gave the signal he was finished. He opened his eyes more fully and saw his family. Tim, Babs, and Wally. He smiled and they grinned and came forward, hugging the life out of him. Once he had greeted everyone, Wally asked if they could be left alone for a while. 

His face dropped the smile and he frowned. "Where is it?"

Dick's hand unclenched where it was resting at his side, and offered his palm up. On it was a small, unsuspecting flash drive. Wally took it, and stepped back again.

"So now we proceed?" he asked, a questioning look on his face. 

Dick nodded, "Yes. Do you have it?"

Wally reached into his jean's pocket and pulled out a circular, white pill about the size of his pinky nail. "Here, and just so you know, I still don't like this part of the plan."

Nightwing popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed it dry. "Yeah," he stated, falling backward slightly, "I don't either." He fell back the rest of the way.

Wally, following a script Nightwing and he had come up with, yelled for help. Tim and Barbara ran back in, saw their brother relatively unharmed, and Wally with a carefully constructed concerned look plastered on his face, just a little of his real concern for the plan showing through. 

"What happened?" Barbara demanded, rushing forward to check Nightwing's pulse and vitals. 

"We were talking and he just passed out!" More of the real concern was showing through now. Did he get the dosage right? The heart monitor was still on that steady beeping rhythm, so he thought he did. 

The horrified look on Babs's face was answer enough, the pill did its job. "He's in a coma," she announced to the silent room. 

Tim let out a small sob, and ran from the room to find the rest of the team. Their leader had fallen into a coma, he thought they deserved to know. Babs was quick to follow. 

Wally turned and spoke to the unmoving boy in front of him, almost as white as the sheets beneath him. "I hope you know what you're doing, Rob." With that, he walked from the room to go back to his apartment in Palo Alto. Artemis needed to know their part of the plan was finished. 

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