Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Tuesday 22nd September, 16:40

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

The Cave

"Come on!"

The group barely had time to process the sight of Superboy standing before them, seemingly unharmed despite the chaos around them. Mentally, they struggled to adjust to this unexpected reveal, but physically, they sprang into action as their trained instincts kicked in and took control. Robin, Batgirl, and Artemis sprinted toward him without hesitation, Batgirl pausing just long enough to hurl a smoke bomb behind them, a plume of thick grey covering their retreat.

Superboy wasted no time either.

He gripped the nearest door, wrenching it free with raw power and snapped the metal in half, hurling one chunk at the male android and another at the feminine android. The first smashed into Red Torpedo's chest, staggering him slightly, while the second smashed into the female android with enough force to send her flying as unlike her male counterpart, she had not been able to right her footing in time to brace for the attack.

"This way!" Robin shouted, motioning toward the access tunnels ahead.

They bolted into the tight, dimly lit corridors, leaving their pursuers momentarily behind as they moved swiftly and silently. Superboy's pace slowed intermittently, keeping himself at the rear as he strained his hearing to pick up on any sign that they were being followed. The tense silence that had befallen them stretched out until finally, he stopped, the others noticing and in turn, coming to a halt as they turned to face him.

"We're clear," he said, though his tone was sharp with frustration.

The team collectively exhaled, their shoulders sagging, deep breaths being taken as they allowed their bodies chance to recover. They shuffled into a cramped section of the tunnel, the space just wide enough for them to crouch but far from comfortable yet far better than being out and exposed in the corridor.

"Is everyone okay?" Batgirl asked, glancing at the others and getting varying affirmations before she focused her attention on Superboy solely as did the others. "What about the rest of the team? Are they okay? Where are they?"

Superboy didn't answer immediately, his clenched fists betraying the anger simmering beneath his calm exterior. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders stiffly, unable to raise his gaze to meet theirs.

"What do you mean, are they or are they not okay?" Batgirl pressed, her voice rising slightly in panic.

"I don't know!" Superboy snapped, the frustration spilling over. "I've spent the last hour being hunted by those damned machines. I haven't exactly had time to check on anyone else!" He ran a hand roughly through his hair, the tension in his body apparent by the way his hand shook. "The only reason I got a breather was because you three distracted them. But I didn't exactly get a chance to breathe properly because I came to your aid and for that, you're welcome."

"I… I'm sorry," Batgirl said quietly, ashamed of her outburst. "I was just worried."

Robin interjected, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. "How did you last this long?"

Superboy sighed heavily, leaning back against the tunnel wall. "Almost didn't. Me, Esau, and Wally got separated from M'gann and Kaldur pretty early on. We were up against the water android, while they had to deal with the fire one. We didn't know what happened to them until later. By the time we realized Kaldur and M'gann were beaten, Wally was taken out soon after. It was just me and Esau from then on."

-X-

Tuesday 22nd September, 16:55

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

The Cave

A massive pillar of water surged forward, slamming into Wally with an unrelenting force driving him into the concrete structure leaving visible cracks surrounding his impact point. As the torrent receded, Wally's unconscious body slumped to the ground completely still, Red Torpedo turning away from the body dismissively as it focused on its remaining two targets.

Esau and Superboy barely had time to glance and see Wally's chest rising, confirming that he was indeed alive unlike they had initially feared, before they were forced to evade another attack. A twisting vortex of water lashed out, tearing through the space where they'd stood moments before, Superboy rolling to the side, his fists tightening in frustration. All the while Esau landed on all fours, claws digging into the floor for traction, his blood-red eyes locked onto their enemy.

The android stood motionless, his blank, featureless face betraying no emotion yet his precise, calculated movements spoke volumes. It raised a hand, and another torrent of water materialized out of nowhere, crashing forward with devastating speed that destroyed everything in its path.

Esau dodged the strike with a powerful leap, his tail snapping out to catch himself in mid-air on an exposed pipe and threw himself out of harm's way completely. He landed with a controlled crouch, eyes narrowing as he quickly realised that he couldn't afford to stay on the defensive. In this wide-open area, Red Torpedo had every advantage and the longer that remained the case the closer they got to imminent defeat.

Esau needed to change the tide.

Retreat wasn't an option.

Especially not with Barbara, Dick and Artemis set to return soon.

He would not allow them to walk into a trap, so that left him with only one option, this fight needed to end here. As Esau's lips curled into a snarl, his determination hardening, he knew that with just him and Superboy, they needed to defeat what was quickly turning out to be an extremely dangerous and powerful foe.

His claws extended, glinting ominously under the dim lighting. "Superboy," he called, his voice low and steady. "You ready to stop playing around?"

Superboy smirked, rolling his shoulders. "I thought you would never ask."

Esau surged forward first, his claws slicing through the air and Red Torpedo responded instantly, conjuring a narrow wall of water to block the attack. Esau's claws struck the barrier, creating a sharp hiss as the water resisted, but he pushed through with sheer force, slicing through the shield horizontally.

Superboy followed up immediately, launching himself at Red Torpedo's exposed side, his right hand drawn back as he threw his whole body behind the strike. His fist connected with a thunderous impact that cracked the ground beneath them as Red Torpedo was launched from the ground and would have quite possibly barrelled into the other side of the Cave had Esau not been there ready for it. Esau didn't miss a beat; using his tail for momentum, he twisted mid-air and delivered a spinning kick to Red Torpedo's torso launching it back in the direction it had come from over Superboy's overextended body.

If it would have been any other opponent, that might have ended the fight right there.

Even if they had been durable enough to withstand that strike, they would have been momentarily stunned by the two powerful strikes that landed in less than a second.

But this was no ordinary opponent.

This was a cold, calculating and unfeeling machine.

As a result, as it was catapulted through the air, water spilt from its limbs in sharp bursts, it quickly recalibrating as it raised both hands. Twin streams of arms coiled around its arms like serpents that when unleashed up Esau and Superboy, erupted into a powerful geyser of water.

"Split!" Esau barked.

The two darted in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the water strike, Superboy vaulted over the second wave, using his strength to grab a large piece of debris and hurl it at Red Torpedo. The android deflected it with ease, but that split-second distraction was all Esau needed as he used his tail to propel himself forward, closing the gap in an instant, his claws flashing. His strikes were relentless, a flurry of precise and ferocious attacks aimed to overwhelm the android's defences, Red Torpedo countering with bursts of water, but Esau's agility kept him one step ahead, weaving through the attacks like a predator circling its prey.

"Now!" Esau shouted.

Superboy leapt forward, his fists hammering down on Red Torpedo's back as he came down from height adding extra force to his strike. The android stumbled forward, directly into Esau's path and with a growl, Esau grabbed Red Torpedo by the arm and swung him down, smashing the cold steel body into the ground. Yet Red Torpedo had been calculating its next move and unleashed a short burst of water that struck Esau in the stomach and launched him back.

"Don't let up" Esau yelled already flipping in the air as he unfurled his tail, extending out to Superboy who was there ready and waiting. He reached out, grabbed a hold of the furry appendage and spun him in a controlled, but powerful arc before unleashing Esau once more. The added momentum sent the blonde hurtling toward Red Torpedo at incredible speed as Esau slammed his fists, into the android with a forceful blow that echoed through the cave as Red Torpedo was launched backwards, crashing into the far wall.

For a moment, it seemed they had the upper hand.

But Red Torpedo rose, his movements unbothered by the damage raising his arms again and summoning a massive surge of water from the ground, splitting into countless tendrils that lashed out in every direction. Superboy gritted his teeth, shielding himself as the water struck with bone-jarring force as he leapt back. Esau did his best to dodge but there were too many tendrils moving in perfect coordination and when one struck, numerous more followed leaving him completely exposed as he flailed through the air.

"Esau, move!" Superboy called, but it was too late.

A towering wave crashed down, engulfing Esau completely the force smashing him into the ground, his body skidding across the floor. Superboy surged forward, but Red Torpedo intercepted him with another wave, forcing him to retreat.

Esau groaned, his vision blurring as he tried to rise, his body screaming in protest and even with his healing factor kicking in, it struggled to keep up with the damage. He had never been one to view water as that much of a threat, he knew what Kaldur could do with it, but it was quickly becoming apparent that he had underestimated the power of water far too much.

As Esau looked up he saw the next attack coming.

This one aimed directly at Superboy.

With a final burst of strength, Esau launched himself forward, his tail wrapping around Superboy's torso, yanking him out of harm's way as the water struck. The impact sent Esau flying back, his body slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch as he remained stuck there, unable to fully move as he was so firmly lodged into the structure.

"Esau!" Superboy shouted, his voice filled with alarm.

Red Torpedo advanced, his cold, mechanical gaze fixed on him and Superboy clenched his fists, ready to charge again. In response, Red Torpedo raised a hand, summoning another surge of water making Superboy hesitate, torn between retreat and fighting on. His gaze flicked to Esau, unconscious and battered, then back to the relentless android and with a growl of frustration, he turned and ran, vowing to come back for his friend.

-X-

Tuesday 22nd September, 18:20

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

The Cave

"That's the last I saw of Esau or the rest of the team," Superboy said grimly, his voice tight with frustration. "I spent the rest of my time just trying to survive. Those machines, they've been chasing me ever since. If you had shown up a few minutes later, I'd be done for."

Robin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're here now."

"Do you have any idea where they might be keeping the rest of the team?" Artemis asked cautiously.

Superboy shook his head. "Haven't had time to figure it out," he admitted bitterly.

Before anyone could say more, a cold, robotic voice echoed through the comms.

"Attention, Robin. Attention, Batgirl. Attention, Artemis. Attention, Superboy. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished."

The group fell silent, their eyes meeting as the weight of the threat settled over them.