The scarlet Phoenix

Chapter 15: replaced

Batman, Superman, Captain Marvel, Captain Atom and both Green lanterns just died in front of our eyes. "Tornado did you just see-" Tornado cut him off.
        "Yes Zatara we saw, celestial defenses have failed, initiate all terrestrial measures," commands Tornado.
        "Affirmative see you in the field," he replies and the screen went dark and I held back my grief for Batman.
        "I must join the League we will protect the planet at all costs but should we fail the responsibility falls to you," he said.
        "We stand ready," was all Aqualad replies. Black Canary, Green Arrow, Icon, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and both of the Hawks all went down. I flinch as Karma goes down after saving some hot chicks. Of course trying to get the ladies to the very end, I think bitterly. "Red Tornado to the cave I fear that I am the only one left of the League,-" he said but the signal was cut off as he got zapped.
        "We are Earth's heroes now," spoke Aqualad breaking the silence.
        "What are we waiting for a theme song?" questions Conner out of anger.
        "A strategy Earth's weapons are ineffective and it has been made clear that a direct attack will not work," I pipe up pushing Karma to the back of my mind for the time being.
        "Checking satellite imagery now," relays Robin pulling up a map.
        "This one get lost?" asks Conner pointing at a signal dot.
        "Superman's fortress of Solitude!" exclaims Dick.
        "Superman has a fortress of Solitude?" questions Conner in disbelief.
        "It's power source must be attracting the aliens attention, at least enough to send a scout ship to investigate," I state ready for action. Conner goes off and rants about Superman, "we will target this lone ship," announces Aqualad.
        "Yeah break it down, rebuild it, hit those ugly aliens with their own mojo," said Wally putting his fist in his hand. Artemis elbows him.
        "Martian and Kryptonian in the house," she said and I face palm.
        "Not that all aliens are automatically ugly," he defends. We end up heading to the fortress and it looks like someone bleached our clothes because of our winter camouflage. I watch as they all take down the ship, I couldn't really do anything they had it handled but when Wolf jumps up to save Superboy I ran over. "Wolf," said Megan in shock.
        "There was no indication of feedback I'm sorry," apologizes Robin.
        "There's nothing we can do for him now, let's go," mourns Conner tearing the laser off of the ship. They went to attach the laser.
        "Um guys we have company," I say summoning my wings.
        "Miss Martian open fire!" yells Aqualad panicked.
        "Can't weapon systems are offline to incorporate the new weapon and its not fully integrated either," she explains frantically.
        "Got you covered get inside I'll fly after you," I say. "Ice blizzard," I yell taking down one of the three planes.
        "I'll help," insists Artemis taking down another.
         I went after the third plane, "lightning barrage," I yell striking the plane into the ground.
        "ARTEMIS BEHIND YOU!!" yells Megan and I flew over as fast as I could. I get there to see her getting zapped.
        "ARTEMIS," Megan and I yell in horror.
        "One thousand blades of wind," I yell tears seeping out of my eyes and I sent the last ship fifty feet under. I land and fall to my knees.
        "Their dead every signal last one of them if its the last thing I do," threatens Wally. We fly back and I was too upset to even be sick, and even if I could throw up nothing would come up because I haven't eaten since yesterday. Megan was crying, Wally was hitting the dashboard and everyone else was silently mourning. "There will be time to mourn later now we have a job to do, defend the Earth and make sure Artemis's sacrifice was not in vain," Aqualad said giving us a mini pep talk.
        "Back to the cave?" asks Megan.
        "To the Hall of Justice the human race must know that there are still heroes defending them, there is still hope," he said with determination lit in his eyes. We land and I get off the ship not even thankful to see solid ground. "I don't know who you are son, and right now I don't care, you wear the S and you got the job done," said the general dude as Conner protests against being Superman. I ignore the rest of their conversation and head into the hall where all the statues have been beheaded. "They're really gone," gulps Dick as I look at Karma's stupid pervert grin.
        "You bastard what were you thinking leaving us alone," I say mostly to myself but the others heard. Megan went over to the Martian Manhunter's statue and starts crying and then went berserk and lifts the statue to reveal her uncle.
         "Megan check his mind, make sure who he appears to be," said Aqualad.
         "It's him he's real and he's alive," she rejoices.
        "But we saw you get disintegrated you and Superman and everyone," accuses Conner.
        "Yes, I remember but I cannot remember how I survived or how I arrived here," he said rubbing his head in confusion.
        "Well maybe you were density shifting and the beam passed right through you," suggests Megan.
        "Scrambling your brains along the way," adds Dick with realization.
        "My mind is clouded I feel certain that I had something important to tell you," he trails off.
        "Hello Wally cmon," said Wally stealing Megan's catch phrase. Wally figured out that the beams were giving off the same thing as the Zeta tubes and everyone was getting teleported. The good news was cut off by a bunch of incoming ships. We all fall back to the zeta tubes where everyone was slowly making it through. "Aqualad you next," I insist after Martian Manhunter went.
        "Sorry Kate but you are more important," he said picking me up and tossing me through before I could protest.
          I land with a thud, "he's gone," I mutter holding back the grief.
        "Our next mission is clear if we believe the aliens are teleporting their victims,-"
        "Which we do," said Wally cutting Dick off.
        "The only reasonable detention center is here, their mother ship atop of what used to be Smallville. Ring any bells?" he questions turning to Martain Manhunter. "No, I'm sorry," he replies grimly.
        "Superboy you'll create a distraction,-" he was cut off again by Megan
        "NO, he's offering you as a sacrifice Aqualad would never do that," she protests with tears.
        "You're right Aqualad would sacrifice himself a mistake that just cost us our leader," I say bitterly this was the worst day ever.
        "Superboy is the most likely to be perceived as a threat motivating the aliens to deploy," finishes Dick.
         "Worse case he gets teleported inside and we set him free with Artemis and Aqualad and everyone," said Wally trying to hide the fact that he was mostly concerned about Artemis. Later when we deploy our plan I flew KF and Robin into the launch pads. "Ways clear go," commands Robin. We hid behind a pillar and a robot snuck behind us, "ROBIN LOOK OUT!" I yells pushing him out of the way.
        "Finish this god damned mission," I manage to say before disappearing into a bright light. I wake up gasping for air and hyperventilating.
        "Kate calm down you're going to go into shock," said Karma shaking me out of it.
        "KARMA!!!" I cry leaping into his arms.
        "You're all alive," said Megan as I sob into his shoulder.
        "Hey Kate," said Dick tiredly sitting beside me and I latch onto him.
        "What happened in there?" questions Batman and joy of seeing him again floods my body but I stayed crying in Dick's arms.
        "The exercise it all went very wrong," moans Martain Manhunter.
         "Exercise?" questions Dick as I embrace Artemis.
        "Try to remember, what you experienced was a training exercise Manhunter psychically linked the seven of you within an artificial reality you all knew this going in what you didn't know was it was a train for failure exercise. No matter what the team accomplished the scenario was designed to grow worse still, you were aware that nothing was real including the deaths of the entire Justice League," he said.
        "That is why you hardly grieved when Wolf was disintegrated in front of your eyes but all that changed when Artemis died. Though consciously Miss Martain knew it was not real her subconscious mind could not make that distinction she forgot it was only an exercise and her subconscious took control and it made all of you forget too," explains Martain Manhunter. Everyone is so going to need therapy after this, I think as Megan apologizes.
        "This isn't her fault. Why didn't you stop the exercise?" asks Conner defending her.
        "We tried but Megan had a death grip on the scenario even Artemis who should have awakened upon her death was so convinced that she had passed that she slipped into a comma. I realized that I would have to take control of Megan's subconscious from within. But upon entering the reality I was overwhelmed by your collective emotion, there was too much noise to think clearly, to remember why I was there. The deaths of Superboy, Phoenix and Aqualad helped but only when the mother ship exploded and Robin and Kid Flash were silenced did my mind clear enough to remember my true purpose; to shock Megan out of the exercise before you commas became permanent. My apologies I had no idea that a training exercise could be so dangerous. So damaging," he finishs. Who's ready for therapy? I think again as I went over and hug Aqualad, "thanks."