Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Tuesday 22nd September, 16:55

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

The Cave.

Grunting, Wally strained against the twisted and warped chunks of metal that held him in place. He had been unconscious for who knows how long, and when he woke up, it was to find water steadily rising up his body. It was slow, occasionally stopping, but it was terrifying nonetheless and it wasn't like he couldn't exert enough force to break his way out nor could he vibrate his molecules to phase through his prison. It was in moments like these that Wally cursed himself for not taking his training seriously enough because maybe, just maybe he might have been able to do something.

'I guess it could be worse,' Wally thought grimly, his eyes drifting toward M'gann and Kaldur. Both were severely weakened and held within a fire prison, their physiologies' natural weakness to heat proving too much for them to handle. They constantly drifted in and out of consciousness, their faces pale and strained as they fought to stay awake and failing.

His eyes shifted to Esau who was restrained in the same warped metal cage that Wally was in, and his stomach twisted.

Esau had it the worst.

Every time he woke up, torrents of water slammed into him, forcing him unconscious again before he could do anything. The androids had clearly learned their lesson after the first time when Esau had come dangerously close to breaking free. His immense strength and calculated use of his shockwave roars had nearly shattered the restraints binding him, claws targeting weak points as they burst out.

Ever since then, they took meticulous care to keep him subdued.

Wally's hope had been dwindling with each passing moment.

Superboy had been doing well to evade capture, but how long could he survive on his own against opponents like this? Even from here, Wally had been able to hear some of the times Superboy had come face to face with the Androids, battling against them. The shockwaves and explosions rang out before silence reigned and each time, Wally feared that Superboy had been defeated just like the rest of them. That fear subsided momentarily when he heard the arrival of the rest of the team though that fear had come back in full force moments later.

It had been a roller coaster of emotions for Wally since they had been ambushed to say the least.

Then, with a guttural roar, hope returned.

Wally's gaze snapped upward just in time to see Superboy leaping into view, arcing through the air. He landed with a thunderous crack of concrete, his eyes blazing with fury and without hesitation, Superboy rushed the androids, dodging a torrent of water aimed at his chest and rolling to his feet. He jumped straight through the residual mist of water and smashed his fist into Red Inferno's face, the force causing sparks to fly as the female android was catapulted back into the concrete wall behind her.

But no sooner had he landed the blow than Red Torpedo retaliated.

A spiralling column of water struck Superboy from behind, throwing him off balance, picking him up off his feet and straight at Red Inferno who peeled one arm free from where she was firmly lodged into the wall. A powerful blast of fire roared out and engulfed Superboy no sooner than the water had subsided.

It was painfully clear that Superboy couldn't handle both androids alone, hell the two of them had managed to take out all their heavy hitters. For Superboy to now take them on alone was a downright impossible feat. Cursing under his breath, Wally redoubled his efforts to try and break free because as it was, this ambush would be for nought, Superboy would be captured leaving only their non-powered teammates to carry on the fight. Considering the android's overwhelming powers and the durability to take blows from Superboy, the team's physically strongest powerhouse that did not bode well.

Superboy rolled to his feet, shaking off the water that clung to his clothes. "That's all you've got?" he growled, charging at Red Torpedo.

The android remained unflinching, calculating, as it extended a hand toward the charging young hero. A thin, precise stream of water shot out, aimed directly at Superboy's legs who leapt over it. But the android immediately twisted its wrist, turning the stream into a sharp, spiralling blade that forced Connor to land awkwardly as he barely dodged.

"Over here!" Artemis' voice rang out as she and Batgirl struck from the shadows.

Batgirl darted forward, hurling a smoke pellet at Red Torpedo's head, the android stalling slightly as its sensors recalibrated, and Artemis used the distraction to fire a pair of arrows. The first arrow exploded at Red Torpedo's feet, momentarily throwing it off balance, while the second released a dense foam that encased one of its arms.

"Now!" Batgirl shouted, rushing in with her staff.

She weaved between Red Inferno's wild blasts of fire, parrying a jet of flame with her insulated cape and diving beneath another. Aiming for the joints, she struck at the android's knees, sparks flying as the metal joints buckled slightly. Superboy didn't waste the opportunity and with Red Torpedo temporarily restrained, he charged forward, delivering a powerful uppercut to its chest.

The force lifted the android into the air and Superboy followed up with a powerful overhand haymaker to its face. As Red Torpedo careened through the air, Red Inferno retaliated instantly, unleashing a wide circular arc of fire. Batgirl leapt to avoid the flames, using her grapple to swing to safety, while Artemis rolled into cover and notched another arrow, Superboy simply allowed the flames to wash over him.

"Switch it up!" Robin's voice crackled through their comms.

Superboy and Batgirl moved in tandem, he pulling ahead as she followed closely behind moving quickly to attack the recovering Red Torpedo before it had a chance to rejoin the fight. The Kryptonian clone came down upon it with a barrage of punches, each one knocking it backwards as he continued to pile on the pressure. Meanwhile, Batgirl slipped behind it, striking at its joints and interrupting its attempts to counter and recover, allowing Superboy to continue his unending barrage.

At the same time, Artemis had kept her distance firing explosive arrows upon Red Inferno the moment she unleashed her circular arc of fire to disrupt its movements. When Red Inferno attempted to move, either to take care of her or to assist Red Torpedo, Artemis would fire a perfectly placed arrow that detonated at its feet. The explosion would do little to damage it, no more than a few scuffs upon its paint, but it would cause Red Inferno to stumble giving Artemis enough time to reposition.

"Superboy, heads up!" Batgirl called.

Superboy pivoted toward her, just in time to see her toss an electric Batarang and as planned, Superboy caught the weapon and spun. He carried the momentum through into his strike as he slammed an open palm strike against Red Torpedo's chest. Even as the electricity of the Batarang pulsed through his arm, Superboy ignored the sensation and carried the strike-through.

Red Torpedo skidded against the floor, its movements jerky and uncoordinated as the electricity coursed through its body and caused havoc.

"Artemis, now!" Batgirl shouted.

Artemis loosed a specially designed arrow that burst into a freezing mist upon impact, coating Red Inferno's legs in ice. For a moment, the android was immobilized and Superboy didn't hesitate. He charged forward and grabbed ahold of Red Inferno by the shoulders, lifting it off the ground and with a leap high into the air brought Red Inferno smashing down upon Red Torpedo with enough force to crater the ground.

Superboy leapt back, landing beside Batgirl and Artemis, the trio taking a moment to study the crater.

But as they had expected the victory was short-lived as Red Inferno surged to its feet, flames bursting from its hands in a fiery cyclone that forced the heroes to scatter. The two androids regrouped, their attacks synchronized and immediately went on the offensive as streams of water and fire interwove, creating a deadly dance of opposites that the heroes struggled to avoid.

"We're not gonna last much longer like this!" Artemis shouted, narrowly avoiding a spiralling stream of water.

She retaliated with another arrow, but the androids deflected it effortlessly.

"Robin, where are you on that EMP?" Batgirl demanded through the comms, her voice strained as she rolled to avoid a jet of flame.

"Almost there!" Robin's voice crackled back.

"Then keep them off us!" Superboy growled, charging forward again.

Superboy's raw power and endurance allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Red Torpedo, their blows creating shockwaves that echoed through the Cave as the two exchanged blows. It was Superboy's goal to keep the fight up close and personal, ensuring that at least one of the androids couldn't use their powers.

Meanwhile, Batgirl and Artemis worked together to distract Red Inferno, their movements precise and coordinated. At one point, Artemis ran out of arrows, leaving her vulnerable as Red Inferno advanced but Batgirl managed to intercept the android with a well-placed kick, deflecting a blast of fire with her cape.

"Go reload!" she shouted.

Artemis nodded, darting back to grab more arrows.

Superboy seized the opportunity to deliver a devastating punch to Red Torpedo's torso, sending the android stumbling. He followed up with a powerful kick, but Red Inferno intercepted, releasing a wall of fire that forced him to back off.

"Fall back!" Robin called as the androids regrouped the trio having managed to buy the precious few seconds needed for Robin to activate the EMP. It burst out across the Cave and upon striking Red Inferno and Torpedo, both their movements ceased completely, like two puppets whose strings had been cut.

They collapsed.

"It worked!" Artemis exclaimed watching as the steadily rising water and fire prison began to dissipate with no one to control them. Superboy quickly jumped up to free Kaldur and M'gann, taking the nearly unconscious M'gann from Kaldur's arms. Meanwhile, Batgirl checked on the unconscious Esau, ensuring he was stable, while Robin crouched near the androids, Artemis close by.

They had managed to win.