Issue #1: "Fired!"

[5 Years Ago...]

We felt so useless that day. After all we had put into our training, after everything we had risked, they just threw us out.

The teen heroes stood in awe after hearing the words that had just left Batman's lips. Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Speedy, and Captain Marvel Jr. were speechless in the presence of their respective mentors on the Justice League's moon base watchtower. Kid Flash had found the courage to break the deafening silence.

"We're what?"

"You heard me, I said you're all fired." Batman responded in his deep, gravelly voice.

At first, I didn't think they were serious, I doubt any of us did. We had been loyal for years, it just didn't make sense for them to fire us out of the blue.

"You're kidding, right? Wally what's really going--" Kid Flash was abruptly cut off before he was able to finish his comment.

"Bart just shut up and listen." The Flash's words angered Kid Flash. He grinded his teeth and obeyed his mentor as his his eyes flashed into a green tint for a split second. In an attempt to calm the hot headed sidekicks, Superman spoke.

"We've all come to the decision that it was wrong for us to put you kids in harm's way. It is important that we preserve your future before something happens to one of you."

"What are you talking about? I'm invulnerable, no harm can come my way." Superboy boasted as a cocky grin formed on his face.

"And we've all seen how dangerous that can make you." Batman spoke the words that Superboy had feared since the day Luthor and forced him to attack his friends. Superboy retaliated by bringing up Batman's weakness.

"Just because you failed Jason Todd doesn't mean we're all screw ups too." His eyes began to glow red as the two stared each other down, only to fade away when Wonder Girl stepped in to break the two up.

"Haven't we proven ourselves to be more than some helpless kids? This is ridiculous." Even when she spoke, it was obvious that she was becoming more of a warrior, much like her mentor, Wonder Woman. The strength in her voice forced the older heroes to listen, though it still wasn't enough to sway them.

They seemed to have an excuse for firing us, but I knew something was wrong. This whole thing stunk, and I wasn't trained by the world's greatest detective to not sniff around something like this. I had just been observing in the background until Batman singled me out.

"Tim, do you have anything to add?"

"I think..."

I swallowed hard. I couldn't make it obvious to Bruce that I knew something was up, but I couldn't just side against my friends. They looked at me like they always have. I'm the smart one, they can rely on me to get them out of this. That's why it pained me so much to say what I was about to.

"I think we should do what they say." Robin reluctantly forced the words out of his mouth. The teens stood there in disbelief as their friend abandoned them. "They make a good point. We shouldn't be putting our lives on the line anymore." Robin stepped towards the ominous mentors, removing his mask and throwing it in front of himself while staring Batman straight in the eye. "They want us to quit...then we quit."

"This is a joke right?" Kid Flash whispered to Superboy as Robin walked out of the room ashamed of himself. "Right?"

"Damn it." Superboy said under his breath while he clenched his fists in anger. Wonder Girl attempted to calm him, but he responded to it by shrugging her off and pounding his fist into a nearby wall. "Damn it!" He removed his pulsating fist from the newly made dent in the wall and stormed out of the room, his eyes glowing red. The rest of the teens followed suit still with a look of confusion frozen on their faces.

I don't think Conner ever forgave me for that. I know I haven't.

The older heroes walked towards the conference room, each of them feeling dirty after what they had just done. Before Wally could enter, Kid Flash stopped him.

"You've been wanting to do this since I first became Kid Flash."

"Bart, this isn't about me, it's about the safety of you and your--" This time, Kid Flash was the one cutting his sentence short.

"Cut the crap Wally. It may not have been your decision, but I know you've never believed in me." His voice began to tremble, still digesting the recent events. "How do I gain your respect? I have your powers, hell I even have some that you don't have! You can't just fire me!"

The Flash looked down as if he was trying to resist the words creeping out of his mouth.

"Bart, just because you have powers," he clenched his fists, "doesn't make you a hero." Kid Flash was astonished, unable to believe what he had just heard. His eyes changed to a green tint, but the Flash did not see this as he purposely avoided eye contact with Kid Flash. The Flash extended his arm out, but before he could stop him, Kid Flash had disappeared.

Bart took the firing the the hardest. To this day, I wish I would have gone back and told them why I went along with our mentors. I couldn't though, I had other business to attend to.

Wally entered the conference room to see the others waiting for him.

"I can't do this. You have no idea what I just had to say to Bart." Wally looked like he was about to pass out, Captain Marvel helped him walk to his chair.

"We heard what you said son, and I agree that we've been too harsh with them."

Green Arrow stood from his seat, confronting Batman.

"How can you just sit there while we crush these kids' spirits like this?" He yelled in an accusing tone. "I understand this plan that we have for them, but is it worth it just so they can--"

"Wait." Batman waved his hand up to hush Green Arrow, he noticed something.

Batman walked over and punched through the thin wall, dragging Tim out with his hand.

"Get your hands off me." Tim smacked Batman's hand away.

"I think it's time you and your friends left."

"You think I don't see what's going on here? This isn't just about our safety is it?" Tim started to lose his temper.

"I said, it's time you left." Batman placed his hand onto his former sidekick's shoulder. Tim pushed the hand off and planted an uppercut on Batman.

"And I said keep your hands off of me."

I hit him harder than I should have, but after all I had gone through...I had never been so angry with him.

As Tim looked towards the heroes that he had grown up admiring with disappointment, each of them had felt that punch just as much as Batman did. Tim exited the room in silence, and Batman walked up to Green Arrow.

"You asked if this is worth it Ollie? This isn't about you, me, or anyone in this room. This is about their future, continuing our legacies. I would give anything for that." He pulled out 6 pens and sheets of paper and threw them onto the round table.

"This is the most important letter of your life. None of you leave until your heart and soul are on these pieces of paper."

[Smallville]

A green light shines bright inside of Conner Kent's fist. He is sweating profusely, desperately trying to withstand the Kryptonite rock he is holding. He looks towards the lead box by his dresser, then quickly turn his head towards the window, hoping that looking out towards the peaceful Kent farm will help keep his mind off of the pain. Cassie Sandsmark walks into the room wearing one of Conner's old Superboy shirts.

"Why do you keep hurting yourself like this Kon?"

I haven't been able to get a hold of Conner, he's been cutting himself off from the rest of the world. I can't help but think that it's my fault, if only I had just let him in on my suspicions...I could have saved our friendship.

He puts the Kryptonite into the lead box. Out of breath, he responds to her question.

"We're gods to these humans Cassie. We shouldn't have any weaknesses."

I try to keep track of where my friends are, but I don't know anything about Conner other than the fact that he is living on the Kent farm with Cassie. I just hope he hasn't changed too much since we last saw each other.

The next day, Tim turns on his TV to see the same shocking sight that is forcing millions of other Americans to glue their eyes to their televisions. In Keystone City, the streets are filled with fear. He switches the channel, seeing the same on every station, finally settling on one featuring reporter Linda Park-West.

"Keystone is seeing it's darkest hour today. This morning, citizens woke up to a strange ball of energy in the center of the city that has been destroying everything it touches." The shaky camera man turns to the direction of the energy that is growing by the second. Everything that is touched by the energy is disintegrating, including the super heroes and heroines attempting to stop it.

"The world's greatest heroes have gathered together, but the meta-human casualties are already nearing the 50's, and there is still no word on what we are facing." Mia sits next to him at a loss for words as Tim gets up and grabs a set of keys.

"Where are you going?" Mia asks him, though she know the answer to the question. In a grim voice he responds.

"I'm going to talk to Bruce."