SUCKER PUNCHED

Wally West, A.K.A Kid Flash, carefully placed his hand against the smooth round surface of his cage, then drew it back quickly when it gave a high voltage shock. He cursed underneath his breath and looked at his other fellow teammates, minus one, who were also stuck inside their own prisons.

The prisons, Wally grudgingly admitted, were brilliant in design and holding capacity. They were hovering hollow sphere balls that were easy to get to, but impossible to get out.

Superboy, who was in the sphere on Wally's right, charged at the wall full speed. It didn't even flinch, even though Superboy was as strong as a tank. Superboy was thrown backward and landed in a heap on the floor of his cage.

The only teammate who wasn't with them was Artemis. Wally's eyes stung a little as he remembered the archer's sacrifice to get them here, and how she had died for nothing as they sat here, waiting to die.

BEGIN FLASHBACK:

She had been the first to sense the bomb.

"GO!" She yelled, and pushed them forward. The hallway behind them exploded, and no one argued with her.

"Superboy!" Artemis said, gesturing frantically to the steel door next to them. Together, they dragged the door out and managed to clog the hallway. Within moments, the explosions had caught up to them, and the door slightly buckled.

"Someone needs to hold the door!" Robin said.

Everyone fell silent, then Artemis spoke. "I will."

"WHAT?" Wally said, eyes wide. "But, you'll DIE Artemis."

"I know. But you don't understand. They can't hurt me anymore." Artemis said, her eyes wide and earnest. "Please." She said quietly, looking directly at Wally. "We don't have much more time."

The door buckled again, but Artemis kept the door shut still. "Go. Tell my mom that I'm sorry."

Everyone looked at her solemnly, then nodded. "We will never forget you." Kaldur murmured quietly, then the team turned around and sped out.

They had reached the end of the hall way and gotten through the door leading to the main room when the world behind them exploded.