Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Sunday, 17th October, 07:00

Kansas,

Smallville

Taking a deep breath, Esau looked out at the approaching ship in the distance as they flew closer before casting a glance around at the team. The Bioship was silent, tension thick in the air as they neared the mothership. With every meter they crossed, the weight of what was to come pressed down on them, growing heavier with each passing second.

He could see it in all of them—the nervous tapping of feet, the beads of sweat forming on their brows, the uneven and unsteady breaths. They all knew the truth—someone wasn't coming back from this. Maybe more than one of them.

It terrified them.

Esau was no different.

Looking down at his hands, he saw them trembling. He inhaled deeply, then clenched his fists, trying to steady them but it didn't work as well as he'd hoped. Turning his gaze toward Barbara, he noticed the way her foot bounced anxiously as she fiddled with the clasps of her utility belt.

It was a nervous habit.

One Esau realized he'd never seen in her before.

As if sensing his eyes on her, Barbara turned. They didn't speak, but they didn't have to. They simply looked at each other, taking in every detail, committing this moment to memory.

"It's time." Martian Manhunter's voice cut through the silence and the moment between them shattered, and the air inside the ship grew heavier, the weight of fear settling over them like a suffocating blanket.

Esau flashed Barbara a small smile, hoping to give her even a shred of reassurance before pulling on his mask. He, Aqualad, and Superboy stood and moved toward the center of the ship. "I'll start things off," Esau said, voice steady despite the storm raging inside him. "Draw their attention to me, giving you two an opening for the main attack."

Kaldur and Connor nodded, neither saying a word as the hatch beneath them began to open. Esau inhaled and then exhaled slowly trying to ignore how his nerves clawed at him, forcing them down, closing his eyes as he reached within himself. When he opened them again, his irises burned a deep crimson, his pupils sharpening into slits.

Then, he stepped off the edge.

Wind rushed past him as he plummeted toward the alien mothership.

He reached for his power—all of it—and let it surge through him. A single tail erupted from the base of his spine, and Esau released a powerful, ear-splitting roar. The moment his feet touched the surface of the ship, he bent his knees, absorbing the impact.

Then, in the span of a breath, he exploded forward.

The turrets locked onto him, but they were too slow.

Esau blurred across the metal surface, a streak of death racing toward the enemy.

As Esau tore through a turret with a sweep of his tail, a second hatch opened from the Bioship above, releasing a massive torrent of water that surged downward like a crashing waterfall.

Superboy dropped from the hatch, landing with a force that sent cracks rippling across the metal surface. Right behind him, Aqualad followed, landing fluidly, his Water-Bearers glowing as he bent the descending water to his will. The liquid twisted and coiled, compressing into a single, massive pillar, before he directed it forward with a thrust of his arms.

The effect was immediate.

The pillar of water surged across the surface, slamming into the nearest turrets, crushing them beneath the sheer force of its impact. Metal groaned and twisted, electrical sparks bursting in all directions as the defenses were obliterated in an instant.

Esau took full advantage.

Bounding forward on all fours, he zigzagged between the remaining turrets, his enhanced speed making him a blur. One turret swiveled toward him, attempting to lock onto his rapid movements, but before it could fire his tail lashed out, the hardened bristles cutting through the steel like a blade through flesh.

The turret shuddered, then collapsed in two, sparking violently before exploding.

Superboy, further ahead, vaulted into the air and came down hard, his fist caving in a reinforced cannon that tried to fire at him. The impact sent a shockwave across the surface of the ship, the metal beneath his feet denting as debris from the wreckage launched into the air. He grabbed a jagged piece of the turret he'd just crushed and hurled it like a missile, striking another defense station with enough force to implode it instantly.

Kaldur, maintaining his water pillar, directed it to sweep across the deck, smashing through rows of defenses while simultaneously keeping a protective barrier around his teammates. A plasma beam fired toward Esau but Kaldur intercepted it, his water rising like a shield, dispersing the blast into harmless steam.

"They're relentless," Aqualad gritted, sending another focused blast of water to rip a turret from its base, sending it tumbling over the edge of the ship.

Esau growled, dodging and weaving between bursts of alien fire, using his shockwave roar to deflect some of the projectiles that came too close. His claws elongated, gleaming wickedly as he lunged at a cluster of defenses, slicing through their outer casings with surgical precision before tearing the internal mechanisms apart with a powerful swipe.

"We're in!" M'gann's voice crackled over the psychic.

Esau and the others exchanged a glance, a silent acknowledgment that their distraction had worked. "You know your roles," Esau barked between dodges. "Find the prisoners, get them out, then destroy the core."

"I'll handle the prisoners," Wally responded instantly, his voice carrying urgency.

"We're moving to assist," J'onn added, M'gann echoing his affirmation.

Esau nodded, satisfied. "Aqualad, cover the rear. Superboy, follow me. We're moving up—clear the top and work our way down."

Superboy frowned, cracking his knuckles. "We sure about this?"

Esau hesitated for the briefest of moments, Kaldur swiftly redirecting his water stream to block an incoming energy shot from the side. "Maelstrom!" Aqualad snapped, snapping Esau from his thoughts.

He clenched his jaw, shaking off the creeping doubt. This was the plan. No time for second-guessing. "You heard me, Superboy,"Esau growled, his tail whipping behind him. "The higher we go, the fewer turrets there are. We clear it level by level and work our way down. I'll ake point!"

"On it," Kaldur and Connor chorused.

Esau moved first.

Tensing his muscles, he launched himself forward, crashing into a turret, sending it skidding across the surface before stomping down and crushing it completely underfoot. His claws found purchase in the ship's surface as he swung upward, landing atop another defensive structure. With a violent snarl, he ripped off the cover, exposing the core mechanism inside. One swipe of his claws sent sparks bursting into the air before the turret short-circuited and exploded.

Superboy followed, leaping high, his trajectory carrying him into another defense station. His fist drove through the armor plating, ripping apart the structure in a single, devastating punch. As debris rained around him, he grabbed another large chunk and sent it hurtling into a row of turrets, knocking them down like dominos.

Kaldur, gliding on his water, surged upward, spiraling the liquid into a protective vortex as enemy fire bounced harmlessly off his ever-shifting defense. With a commanding thrust, he shaped the water into a massive battering ram, obliterating three turrets in one go.

Their strategy was working—for now.

But the further down they went, the stronger the resistance became.

"Guys, there are no prisoners," Wally's voice broke through the comms. "The turrets…they—" He stopped mid-sentence.

That pause said everything.

Everyone froze for a second, even as the battle raged around them.

"The plan doesn't change," Esau said, forcing himself to push forward. There was no time to process what that meant. Not now. Not while they were still deep in enemy territory. "Batgirl, Robin—move to the core and plant the explosives."

"On it."

"Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Manhunter—be there to help evacuate if needed."

A chorus of confirmations rang over the link, and Esau turned back to his two teammates. Kaldur and Connor were holding up well, but the pressure was mounting. The upper levels had fewer defences due to the narrowing structure of the ship, but the further down they moved, the more concentrated the fire became.

Gradually, little cracks began to form.

Esau and his team had been pushing forward relentlessly, cutting through the mothership's defenses, but the deeper they went, the stronger the resistance became. Kaldur's water pillar was gradually shrinking—every energy blast that struck it evaporated chunks of his supply. He was already stretching his limits, using precise control to redirect and block attacks, but with each impact, his defense weakened more and more.

Still, they pressed on.

Superboy ripped a turret out from its base, hurling it into another defense station, sending both structures crashing into the ship's surface. Esau was a blur, bounding on all fours, his single tail whipping out to cleave through a row of plasma turrets before landing on top of another, using his claws to tear it apart in a matter of seconds.

But they were slowing down.

The constant dodging, striking, and defending was taking its toll.

Eventually something had to break.

A turret swiveled, locking onto Superboy's exposed back and before he could react, it fired. Kaldur moved instinctively, redirecting what remained of his water to intercept the blast but it wasn't fast enough.

The beam struck Superboy directly in the back.

For the briefest of moments, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Then, the energy subsided, leaving nothing in its wake.

Superboy was gone.

A single horrified scream erupted over the comms link, a gut-wrenching sound of raw anguish that sent waves of pain through Esau and Kaldur's heads. They both clutched their skulls, grimacing as the intense psychic feedback from Miss Martian's grief hammered into them.

Esau let out a guttural snarl, his emotions surging violently, his tail bristling with energy as an uncontrollable spike of anger tore through his veins. The sheer intensity of his fury severed the psychic link—his mind forcefully rejecting the pain.

His instincts screamed at him to move, and he obeyed.

Diving to the side, he narrowly avoided another barrage of energy blasts, his heightened reflexes saving his life. The scorching beams cut through the space he had just occupied, melting the metal surface beneath him into molten slag.

He barely had time to recover before his eyes snapped toward Kaldur—who was still in the line of fire. The remaining turrets locked onto Aqualad, an overwhelming number of them turning in unison and Esau's heart dropped.

'No. No. NO!' He pushed himself forward, muscles burning as he moved faster than he ever had before, bounding desperately across the ship's surface. 'I'm not letting you die too!' The words screamed in his mind as his tail lashed behind him, carving apart another turret as he surged forward. The world blurred around him, his vision tunneling to the one goal in his mind.

Reaching Kaldur in time.

He could see the moment it happened—Kaldur, wide-eyed, realizing the inevitable as the turrets fired simultaneously. Esau lunged forward, claw outstretched, his body moving faster than his mind could process.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The beams of energy collided with Kaldur's body, and just like with Superboy, when the light vanished—so did he. Esau skidded to a halt, the sheer force of his momentum carrying him forward long after it was already too late.

Silence.

His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles still tensed as if he could somehow undo what had just happened. His clawed hand hovered over the empty space where Kaldur had stood moments ago, fingers trembling slightly.

His chest heaved, his mind racing.

'No…no…no, no, no, no…' The world felt distant, his surroundings fading into the background as he sank to his knees. 'Everything was going fine…we had a plan…we were winning…' His gaze fell to his hands, claws still coated in the scorching residue of battle, but now… they felt empty. 'It's my fault.'

The thought hit him like a hammer to the gut, a crushing weight settling in his chest. Yet beneath that, a thought surfaced, that same feeling as if something wasn't right. It had been there from the beginning, even when he had been lost in thought about other matters.

That feeling of this not being real.

It was still there.

It wasn't denial over losing friends, or maybe it was.

But there was something else, something in his instincts that stayed his rage. 'This isn't real.' The turrets whirred and shifting, targeting him now. The remaining defenses charged their cannons, the glow of pure energy casting an eerie light over his form.

But he didn't move.

'If I get hit, will it end?' He just knelt there, staring blankly as the weapons locked onto him, the seconds stretching infinitely as the inevitable end came rushing toward him. Even if he changed his mind, kept fighting and resisting, it was too late.

There was no escaping it now.