We'll Never Forget

It had started off as a normal mission. Batman gave the word at Mount Justice, ordering them to do a simple recon job, and they soon went off on Miss Martian’s ship. The ride had been uneventful, filled with the usual banter and Kid Flash’s attempts to woo M’gann, and it wasn’t until halfway there when things took a different, interesting turn.

A factory below exploded, going up in flames and black smoke, the blast shaking everything in the nearby radius. The camouflaged ship shook violently; lurching in various directions for a brief moment, the six teens inside holding onto anything to give them a sense of stability before the ship finally stabilized and resumed the flight.

“What the heck was that?” Kid Flash questioned, looking at his teammates for an answer.

Grumbling, Artemis turned her head to face the ginger. “Honestly, Wally, how do you think we would know?”

“It’s just a question, Artemis,” KF retorted.

“Please, calm down. Now isn’t the time.” Kaldur’ahm ordered. “We should let the League know of this.”

“Are you saying that we should let them take care of this?” Robin asked, jumping to conclusions. “Aqualad, we have to go down there. People might be in that factory and by the time they get here it could be too late!”

Kaldur knew this to be true, and he could only nod his head in agreement. “Yes, you’re right. We shall still alert the League, though. We still have our own mission to complete tonight. Let’s go.”

Within minutes, the Bio-Ship was landing on solid ground, the team filing out and standing before the burning building with embers dancing around them. Miss Martian was already becoming unwell, the sight of the blazing structure alone was enough to make her want to leave the area, and it was something that Kaldur’ahm noticed immediately.

“M’gann, stay with the ship – we don’t want the heat to get to you, and please link us up.” Once he could feel a mental connection with the others, he turned to the rest of the team and communicated with his thoughts. We’re spreading out. Stay alert and be careful. There was a silent nod and the team split up to cover more ground.

Minutes in the unrelenting flames were beginning to wear the team out, the crackling of the fire urging them on as they searched for anyone who might be inside.

I don’t think that anyone’s here. Everywhere I search is empty. Artemis thought.

Same, Superboy agreed.

Same here, KF added.

Watching from the air and no one’s left the building at all. Miss Martian communed.

But then what set off the explosion? Robin questioned.

M’gann, is there anything on the exterior of the building? Artemis asked.

I’ve found nothing so far.

Search for answers. If anything seems suspicious, call us over. Aqualad ordered.

If something seemed suspicious, I think we would have found it already. Robin replied.

We should get out. We don’t know how long the building’s going to keep standing. Superboy brought up a good point as parts of the burning ceiling began to fall sporadically.

Kaldur knew Superboy was right and began to relay new orders. Okay. Let’s all meet up at the—

Hey, I found something! Kid Flash announced, reaching out to touch a large, transparent white sphere that glowed ominously. As he grew nearer, the glow seemed to dim and Wally could begin to make out a scene within the orb – a large tower in the shape of a “T” with clear, blue skies and a bustling city behind it.

Artemis could feel a bad feeling grow in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Wally finding something suspicious. Wally, don’t you dare touch it! She ordered, knowing him all too well.

Though, it was too late. As soon as his hand made contact with the globe, its glow seemed to brighten in an instant and soon the surrounding area was bathed in a pure, white light. Each member of the team felt their feet leave the ground and their insides seemed to drop as they began to feel the sensation of being sucked away by some type of force. It was almost similar to free-falling.

When the feeling and light dissipated, the team was no longer there, and the flames continued to eat away at the surrounding area while the white orb and its glow vanished without a trace.