The premise of this story is a crossover with Danganronpa so it takes most of its cues from there. But this story only uses Young Justice characters (and some DC lore) and the general plot technically applies to all "group survival" stories (Hunger Games, Battle Royale, etc) so I decided to just classify it as a regular Young Justice story.

Prologue: Orientation

Day 0

Washington, D.C.
July 4
14:00 EDT

Today is the day.

The Hall of Justice, headquarters of the Justice League. They were finally here! Wally didn't even care that he and his mentor were the last duo to arrive anymore. Ever since before becoming Kid Flash—ever since he was a child—Wally always dreamed of stepping inside the Hall. Of course some areas were public access, but Wally was fantasizing about the REAL inner sanctum.

There would be a meeting room with a giant table and seats reserved for Earth's greatest heroes. He knew Uncle Barry sat at the end next to Hal, but Wally hoped he would at least get a seat next to his friends. At least then he'd get to play off Dick's comments and vice-versa.

At the center would be a monitor womb for coordinating global events. He could just imagine the rotating hologram of Earth with blinking beacons indicating natural disasters or super villain attacks. Or what about the overhead lights switching red and sirens going off in the event of a major crisis? Wally would have to make sure he is the first out to respond if he wants uphold his reputation as a speedster.

Underground would be a huge hanger or transport bay to dispatch heroes to crisis spots around the planet. He always wondered if Wonder Woman's invisible jet was legit or some dumb internet rumor. That would be the first place he'd check out. Wally absolutely could not let Roy win their bet, especially not after they kept upping the ante every year.

And if Wally actually said all of this out loud, Dick would probably just say he watches too many movies—which is technically true. But it's the Justice League he was talking about!

Still, Wally had to admit he was nervous. The day Barry told him about being granted access to the League Hall caught the teen hero completely off guard. And this was right after single-handedly apprehending four of the Rogues in one fell swoop. It was icing on the cake! Sweet delicious icing...

The teenage heroes—Wally, Dick, Kaldur, and Roy—and their respective mentors were now walking down the Hall's courtyard. The center aisle had already been cleared for their arrival. All it was missing was the red carpet. Tourists behind orange ropes were eagerly taking pictures and shouting questions. The others continued walking, but Wally sneaked in a few poses. Of course, he did them so fast that only Barry noticed, but he simply responded with a light pat on the back.

Wally winced when a woman calls him "Flash Junior"—why does no one ever get it right?—but he soon chuckles when another person corrects her with "Speedy". He shot a quick glance at the red archer to see his reaction but it seems he was too preoccupied speaking with Green Arrow.

"I'm glad we're all here," said Kaldur.

"Have all four sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?" said Wally.

"Don't call us sidekicks," Roy said angrily. "Not after today..."

"Sorry..."

Couldn't Roy have been a little bit peppier? It was a big day after all. Or maybe it was his way of being nervous?

"First time at the Hall," Wally said to Dick, "I'm a little overwhelmed."

"You're overwhelmed. Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

"Okay...?" Wally just grinned and continued walking. "You and your word play obsession..."

This was it! His dream—their dream—would become reality in a matter of seconds. Yet for this speedster, they were some of the slowest seconds of his life.

Three...

They entered the main hall containing the founder memorial, a row of giant bronze statues depicting the initial members of the League: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. Directly underneath the Man of Steel was a steel door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only".

Two...

The doors opened and out came Martian Manhunter with Red Tornado behind him. Wally was personally hoping it would've been Superman or Wonder Woman. On the bright side, at least it was a founder and a veteran member of the Justice Society from back in the day.

One...

"Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash... Welcome."

The two League members turned around, cuing the others to follow them inside. However, Wally suddenly found himself unable to move his legs. Was he really that nervous? Not even fear held him back before when he helped Dick fight Scarecrow or that one time he and Barry fought Sinestro. But soon Wally can't even move the rest of his body.

"What the!? H-Hey, guys! Wait up! I can't-!"

He realized he couldn't speak either, only think. He tried mentally shouting hoping Martian Manhunter would be able to hear through telepathy but the others continued walking without even turning their heads.

"What's going on!? I... I..."

His vision swirled and steadily turned black as he felt his body falling. As his consciousness faded, he began hearing barely audible words. None of them made sense. Were they even English? However, there were a few words that were much clearer than the others.

"Crash"

"Order"

"Hope"

"Light"

"Truth"

Wally's eyes snapped open as he quickly sat up from a bed heavily gasping. He immediately reeled back, clasping his wildly throbbing head. It wasn't a normal headache; the intensity was magnitudes higher than anything he ever experienced. Wally groaned loudly, clutching the pillow and biting his lip to divert the pain but it provided little relief. Fortunately the sensation began fading and Wally could breathe normally again. After regaining his senses, he examined his surroundings.

It was a small bedroom containing basic utilities: a desk, some chairs, a row of drawers, and multiple shelves. The walls and roof were hollowed-out rock with sections of reinforced steel—he was probably somewhere underground. There were two doors, each on opposite ends of the room. Wally assumed the one in the corner lead to a private bathroom. He stood up and walked towards the other door only for it to barely budge when he turned the knob.

Wally then heard a short beep and looked up. He spotted a rotating surveillance camera mounted next to the corner of the door frame. He squinted trying to find a logo or some kind of markings but with no luck. Wally was also discouraged by the red siren resting atop the camera's main body. Now he couldn't risk making run for it, especially when he didn't know the building's layout or what was even on the other side.

"Might as well check out the bathroom..."

It was actually a shower room once he turns on the lights, tiled and very clean—no camera thankfully. A sliding glass door lead into a fairly large shower stall. Next to it was a sink, but Wally was taken aback when he looks into the mirror mounted the wall directly above it.

The mirror revealed Wally West, not Kid Flash. Wally quickly examined himself and realized he was no longer in costume. He had somehow changed into his civvies. Or maybe someone else did it? Wally then recalled what happened at the Hall of Justice. He probably fell unconscious and the others brought him here to recover.

But that still didn't explain the locked door. Or why nobody was here to greet him. Or why nobody else had even shown up despite that camera constantly monitoring him. Just as he attempted coming up with an explanation, a digital tone reminiscent of a school bell echoed throughout the room. Man, he hated that noise—except when it meant the day was over, of course.

"Ah, you have finally awakened," said a deep voice. "The door to your room has been unlocked. Please make your way towards the central chamber. We will begin once everyone has gathered."

There was something familiar about that voice yet Wally shrugged it off and dashed towards the front door. He was relieved to know his powers still worked but soon told himself to suppress them now that he was just Wally West.

He opened the door into a long hallway. Doors identical to his own lined each wall in both directions, some of them already left open. A quick sweep revealed them to be empty but with signs of recent occupants such as opened drawers and warm unmade beds.

Wally soon left to search for the central chamber, following some faint sounds that were reaching the hallway. He eventually heard voices, definitely a crowd. Then there was shouting with an occasional loud echo of something striking the floor. Was a fight breaking out? Wally hastened his pace to a metal door which opened automatically.

"Hey! Stop it already! There's no need to fight!"

"Tell that to him! He's the one who started it!"

Dick? Wally was positive that was his voice.

A group of teenagers were gathered in the large hall, anxiously watching a three-way brawl. One of the participants was Dick–as in Richard Grayson himself and not the Boy Wonder. Wally almost forgot what he looked like under that mask. His opponents were boys of similar ages if not a year or two older.

The first boy scowled, almost ready to kill Dick if his guard fell. He dressed in a red hoodie with an overlaying brown jacket. During a short exchange of blows, Dick had managed to pull down his hood and reveal his face. If Wally hadn't been paying attention, he swore he could've mistaken him for a very angry Dick with a different hairstyle.

The other boy merely stared, bewildered by his opponents. He had short black hair and dressed in a red and black sports jacket and black pants. He was calmly maintaining a martial arts stance, waiting for someone to act. It seemed he was on Dick's side judging by how he moved to intercept the hostile boy's charges at the acrobat, but he still kept his distance from both of them.

Wally quickly approached a nearby group of girls. "Woah, woah, woah! What's going on?"

"That guy in the hoodie just starting attacking him," said a girl with long dark hair. She was dressed in a school uniform but it didn't have any identifying logos. "The guy in the jacket tried to break it up but-"

"Stay out of this!" shouted the hoodie boy. "This guy's an imposter!"

"Me?" said Dick. "Where'd you learn those moves? The only ones who're supposed to know them are-!"

"Hey, c'mon!" said the jacket boy. "Let's just calm down and talk this out."

The hoodie boy pointed at him. "You're not exactly free of suspicion either! Don't think I haven't noticed your techniques too!"

The three resumed their struggle as everyone else watched. Wally took a few steps forward but stopped when he noticed Kaldur a few meters behind Dick. The Atlantean directed the speedster's attention to Roy who was positioning himself behind the hoodie boy. That placed Wally behind the last one. On a silent synchronized count, they charged forward.

Unfortunately, these guys were trained. Wally and Roy were both grabbed after their respective targets leaped over them. Dick, having realized their plan, allowed himself to be captured and quickly told Kaldur to launch him towards the hoodie boy. The Atlantean immediately complied as Roy quickly swung himself and his captor around. The hoodie boy was too off balance to react. Dick and his friends soon had him pinned to the ground.

Meanwhile, Wally was still restrained. He contemplated using his powers to vibrate his arms, but he was soon released before coming to a decision.

"Sorry," said the jacket boy. "Things were getting hectic. I was a little tense."

"It's...no problem," Wally said rubbing his wrists. He glanced towards his friends still restraining the hoodie boy. "Hey! You guys all right?"

"Couldn't be better!" Roy said narrowly avoiding a kick. "Hey! Watch it, punk!"

"Why are you guys helping him!?" shouted the hoodie boy. "That's not Dick Grayson!"

Kaldur and Roy glanced at each other while Dick tightened his grip.

He knew Dick's identity. And the way he said it did not imply he just meant Dick Grayson, adopted son of billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne. As the protégé of Batman, Dick worked hard to keep his secret. To have it spoken out loud to a crowd of people was a serious blow to his pride.

Wally approached the boy and crouched down. "Who told you?" he asked coldly.

"C'mon, Wally! What's with the attitude? You, of all people, should know this bastard ain't Dick!"

The four friends' eyes went wide. He knew Wally's name too? Wally worriedly looked at Dick who responded with the most insulted frown he'd ever seen.

"Start talking," Roy said twisting the boy's leg. "Who are you?"

"Argh...! What is wrong with you guys!? It's me! Jason! Jason Todd!"

"...Pardon?" said Aqualad. "I'm afraid I do not know any Jasons."

"Really, Kaldur? Now you're just ******* with me!"

"'Fraid not," said Dick. "But at least tell me this, why do you think I'm an imposter?"

"Because Dick Grayson ain't some damn kid!"

"Speak for yourself," muttered Roy.

The hoodie boy directed his attention to the crowd of people closing in. "Hey! I'm sure at least one of you follows the news! Who's Dick Grayson to you?"

The teens stared at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. Not including Wally and his friends, there were eleven of them in total: seven boys and four girls.

"Um, isn't he the kid of that Wayne guy?" asked one of the girls. "Not much stuff about him after news of Wayne adopting him died down."

"Yeah, and how old is he supposed to be?

She shrugged. "I dunno. Thirteen? Fourteen? I was still a kid too when that happened."

"Wait, what? But that means you're...?" He looked around at everyone this time. "Hey, what year is it?"

"Uh, 2015. Why?"

"Don't you mean 2016?" asked another boy. "It's okay. I always make that mistake for a while after the New Year comes around."

"New Year? It's the middle of May."

"Uh, isn't it October?" asked a different boy.

Everyone began reciting the date they last recall. The earliest was July 4, 2010 to Wally's relief. The rest fell between now and February 20, 2016. However, one of the boys claimed to be from 2056.

"Okay. Something's definitely not right here."

"Did we all...time travel somehow?"

"C'mon! Is that even possible?"

"Theoretically," said Wally. He recalled having a discussion with Barry about time travel though they never went too much into the specifics. "But Earth technology isn't advanced enough to create the theorized conditions."

"What about tech from the Green Lantern Corps or the Hawks?" asked Roy.

"Even if they did have it, I doubt they could give it to us without breaking some kind of intergalactic law or something."

"Hey," said the 2056 boy, "what matters right now is how we got here. Does anyone remember? 'Cause I sure don't..."

"I was on a trip with my dad in New York City," said the uniform girl. "He wanted to introduce me to some friends of his. I remember him stepping inside one of those old-time phone booths but everything is hazy from there."

"I was on my way to visit my sister," said a black teen. "I remember saying goodbye to my folks over the phone but that's it. I guess I bought a bus ticket and...wound up here somehow?"

"What about you," said Roy, "uh...fish boy?"

Everyone turned their heads towards the strange humanoid among them, a few jumping back after finally noticing him. He was a green-skinned, red-eyed amphibian-like creature: claws, webbed feet, etc. He wouldn't exactly be out of place in an old horror movie. But at least he wore shorts and seemed more confused rather than malicious.

"Something on my face?" the boy asked.

"Forgive them," said Kaldur. "I believe this might be their first time interacting with an Atlantean with...your type of appearance."

The boy frowned and nervously looked away. "Oh, right. I don't like thinking about that stuff. If it makes you guys feel better, I'm still technically human. I just...have gills, hehe..."

"Don't worry," said a red-haired girl dressed in very outdated clothing, more than three decades' amount of disparity. "I think I understand the feeling..."

This time everyone was taken by surprise when her skin became green. She was a Martian—that would explain the Eighties sitcom attire. Wally remembered Barry mentioning how he actually had to search for a VCR just to let J'onn watch his favorite shows, apparently very popular among Martians.

"Um hello," she said with a nervous smile and wave, "I'm M'gann M'orzz from Mars, but you can call me Megan."

"L-La'gann..." said the Atlantean, "from Atlantis."

"Maybe we should start introducing ourselves," said the jacket boy, "so we can get a little more familiar with each other. I'm Tim Drake by the way."

"Of Drake Industries?" asked Dick.

"My dad's the owner, but I'm not really interested in inheriting it."

"Why?" asked a Latino boy with a slight, if not subtle, accent. He dressed in jeans and a light blue jacket. "Isn't Drake Industries one of the biggest companies in the market? How could you not want to inherit that?"

"I...just don't want to talk about it, okay? Anyway, enough about me. What about you? From the Southwest, I presume?"

His eyes went wide but he soon chuckled to himself. "Oh, um, actually, yeah. My name's Jaime Reyes. I'm just...a regular kid from El Paso, Texas. I remember running late for school, but I blacked out after that."

"You too?" asked another girl. She was dressed in a red and white long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and a red headband over her long blonde hair. "Well actually, I was leaving school but the same thing happened. Oh, I'm Cassie Sandsmark. Sorry. Get a bit scatter-brained at times. Other than that, nothing special about me either, hehe!"

"I'm Virgil Hawkins," said the black teen. He dressed in a blue t-shirt, pants, and baseball cap with an overlaying black and yellow jacket. "I'm from up north in Dakota City. And let me just put it out there because of my city's stereotypes that I hate gang violence and want nothing to do with it."

"I'm Artemis," said a blonde teen with a ponytail. She was dressed in a white V-Neck, brown open jacket, and jeans. "I move around a lot because of...family issues, but right now I'm living with my mom in Gotham City. I remember her calling for me while I was in my room. I think she wanted to tell me something but like the rest of you, I blanked out at some point."

"While we're still on the subject of Gotham City," said Dick. "Richard Grayson, adopted son of Bruce Wayne, though everyone just calls me Dick. I know it's an old-fashion nickname, but I like it."

"Jason," said the hoodie boy. "Grew up on the streets of Gotham. That's all you need to know."

"Is he serious?" thought Wally. Being a street kid was one thing, but being a street kid in Gotham? "That would probably help explain his personality..."

"Roy Harper," said Roy. "Nothing special about me too unless you count growing up on an Indian reservation."

"Greetings," said Kaldur. "My name is Kaldur'ahm. Like La'gann, I too am from the country of Atlantis, specifically the city-state of Shayeris."

"Um, I'm Garfield Logan," said the only child among the group. He was a redhead dressed in a black t-shirt under a blue collared button shirt with black shorts. "I live with my mom on her wildlife sanctuary in Qurac. We rarely meet new people that aren't Bialyan troops so sorry if I'm a bit awkward. And I know my name's funny since it's the same as a cartoon cat, but you can call me Gar if you want."

"My name's Zatanna," said the uniform girl. "Sorry about my appearance. I just got out of school. And I guess there's no point in hiding it but my dad's Zatara of the Justice League."

"The Zatara?" asked Kaldur. "I did not know he had a daughter."

"We try to keep on the down low, but it's kind of hard when your superhero alias is your last name," she said with a small laugh. "I know some spells, but they're no way as powerful as my dad's. Speaking of which…egnahc ym sehtolc!"

Zatanna was quickly enveloped by a spontaneous smoke. When it subsided, she was wearing a new outfit: a purple top and white pants.

"Cool trick!" said Cassie. "Any chance you could teach me that? I hate that my school doesn't have a locker room for girls. Would make changing for sports practice so much easier!"

"Hehe! Sorry, family secret. But I may be able to ask my dad if he knows someone who can teach you."

"Alright, enough girl talk!" shouted the 2056 boy. "Bart Allen and…" He dashed over to Wally gave him a hug. "And I'm so excited to finally meet Wally West, my first cousin once removed!"

"Removed?" thought Wally. "That would make him...Barry's…grandson?" He awkwardly pushed the boy to arms' length. "Okay. If you are who you say you are, prove it."

Bart grinned. "How about I show you instead?" In an instant, he disappeared in a gust of wind and reappeared on the far side of the room. While everyone stood bewildered, Bart ran back to his original position at a slower but still astonishing speed. "Haha! Pretty crash, huh?"

He had superspeed but more importantly for Wally, Barry's superspeed. And not only that…

"Dude!" Wally said grabbing him. "You can't just use your powers like that! You'll give yourself away! Including me!"

"What's wrong? I thought we all knew each of us had superpowers?"

"Huh?"

"Y'know: Your superspeed, Cassie's Wonder Woman powers, Jaime's Blue Beetle power armor, et cetera."

"Wait," said Jaime, "how did you-?"

"Oops! Spoilers…"

"No. Go on," said Jason. "What else do you know?"

"I can't!" he said shaking his head. "Can't risk it!"

"You probably already broke the first rule of time travel," said Roy. "Why not?"

"I just...can't, okay?"

"Fine then," said Jason. "Here's something different. Do you know how we ended up here? If you are from the future, it's probably in your history books or something, right?"

"I already told you. I have no idea. I'm just a tourist. I just came back to meet my idols…while they were in their primes, of course."

"So…we all really did time travel?" asked Virgil.

"You doubted it?" asked Jason.

"I mean…duh! This is just crazy! And I have no idea what Bart's saying either. I don't have any superpowers!"

"Anyone want to back up Bart's or Virgil's claims?"

"I believe Bart," said Kaldur. "La'gann and I were classmates at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Poseidonis and I distinctly remember speaking with him recently." He turned his head towards La'gann. "And he was much younger than he is now."

"That would explain things," said La'gann. "I thought it was weird that you looked younger than I remembered you. The last time I saw you like this was when you introduced your friends from your new team in the surface world. Those next few days were pretty eventful."

"New team?" asked Roy as he approached him. "Which friends?"

"M'gann and…hm, I don't think he's here."

"Me?" asked Megan. "I'm already part of a team?"

"You have to be more specific," said Roy. "You're telling me Megan's already a member of the Justice League?"

"Justice League? No, you're a member of the team that works for the League."

"...Still not following."

"Um, what's the best word for it? I think it was used in a surface world movie I watched." He paused for a few seconds. "Black-ops? Is that it?"

"So Kaldur…and Megan are going on top secret missions for the League?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Isn't that…illegal?" asked Jaime.

"Well technically some of Earth's heroes are vigilantes," said Wally. He was quickly elbowed by Dick. "Oof! But, uh…the Justice League itself is recognized by the U.N. so it's totally legit."

"Not the best save," Dick whispered, "but it'll have to do."

"And who else is part of this team?" asked Roy.

"Kaldur only told me their hero names," said La'gann. "Robin, Kid Flash, and Artemis."

"Me and Dick? Artemis too? Wait…If all of this was true, what was the League really doing back at the Hall?"

"What? Now I'm a part of this?" asked Artemis. "I'm mean, sure, I know a few gymnastics, but me on a black ops team?"

"What about Speedy?" Roy said ignoring her.

"He mentioned him quitting and becoming his own hero. I don't think he liked talking about it."

"I knew it!" Roy angrily reached for a non-existent cap and paused when he realized it. He soon settled for tightly clenching his fists and stomped on the floor. Soon he turned to his friends. "I had my doubts, but I didn't want to believe so I chose to ignore them! Tch! What a big mistake that was!"

"Roy…"

"They weren't really going to induct us into the League! Just give us some glorified backstage pass!"

"But hey," said Wally, "at least we're working for the League instead of our solo gigs with our mentors."

"You don't get it! The point is that we're nothing but sidekicks to them! They probably just formed this 'team' to keep a tighter leash on you guys while still being able to consider you League members on paper! And judging by what La'gann said, I at least had the sense to quit while I was ahead!"

"When you put it like that," said La'gann nervously, "it sounds less exciting. I was actually going to join soon myself…"

"For you, it's probably different! But I've been in the hero business for years and this is the respect I get?!"

"Look," said Tim, "it's nothing like that."

"And how would you know?!"

Tim stopped himself before he could reply and just sighed. "Never mind. Forget I said anything..."

"Hahaha! Such tension! I wonder what it will lead too!"

The deep voice from earlier had returned, prompting everyone to scan the room. They noticed the platform in the center of the room lighting up. Soon a hologram of what looked like a monitor appeared, displaying a silhouette obscured by bright light.

"Welcome, children. I will be your Overseer, your Den Mother of sorts."

"Cut the anonymous crap!" said Jason. "Who are you and why're we here?!"

"All in due time. As I said to each of you earlier, we will begin once everyone has gathered."

"There're still more?"

"Just one. He was particularly…unruly. However, he should be arriving any moment now."

Right on cue, one of the doors opened to reveal another person.

"Wait a minute," said Cassie, "isn't he…?"

The boy bore a striking resemblance to Superman himself, right down to the titular logo on his black t-shirt. He ignored the others' stares and walked directly towards the Overseer's screen until he was a few steps away.

"I'm here. Now will you tell me how to get back home?"

"After introducing yourself to your fellows."

He stood motionless for a few seconds, but he soon turned towards the others almost robotically.

"I am the Superboy. A genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish. To destroy him should he turn from the Light."

"A clone of Superman?" asked Dick. "Who? How?"

"Codenamed 'Project Kr' by Cadmus. It bears quite, if not perfect, resemblance to Superman, does it not?"

"Don't call him an 'it'!" shouted Tim. The others stared at his sudden outburst display but he quickly regained his composure. "I mean…he's just as much a person as the rest of us, right?"

"Agreed," said Kaldur. "Do you have another name?"

The clone remained stoic when he responded, "I do not. I am simply the Superboy."

"Well, Bart?" said Tim. "Any ideas?"

"Huh?"

"You apparently know Cassie and Jaime despite being from a different time period. Do you know Superboy too?"

"I... Sure I do. But what about-?"

"I have a feeling 'spoilers' will hardly matter at this point. Does he have another name or not?"

"…Yeah, sure. Connor Kent."

Megan giggled as she approached him. "Connor, huh? I like it. Are you a fan of Earth television?"

"The G-Gnomes deemed entertainment irrelevant to my purpose."

"Oh…well, I can still show you! I'm sure you'll love it!"

"Can we just go on already?" asked Jason. "We're all here. Now what?"

"I presumed you are all wondering why you have gathered here?"

"No ****!"

"Consider this an experiment that all of you graciously volunteered for."

"Volunteer? I sure as hell didn't sign up for this! Tell us the truth!"

"As Overseer, I am incapable of lying. Whether or not you believe me is your decision."

"Jason," said Kaldur. "I kindly ask that you stop antagonizing him until he explains our situation."

"…Fine, whatever."

"Please continue, Overseer."

"Thank you, Kaldur'ahm. As I mentioned earlier, this experiment is simply communal living."

"So just…live here?" asked Cassie. "For how long? I mean, a few days should be fine, but…"

"Until the day you die."

"Until we die?" thought Wally. What kind of joke was this? "You're kidding, right? You can't honestly think we can live here forever."

"There are more than enough provisions and this facility has been equipped with essential and emergency utilities. There are even some luxuries as well. I do not believe any of you will be in any danger of malnutrition, disease, or improper hygiene."

"You're missing the point! We all have families and lives to go back to!"

"There's even a kid here," said Artemis. "His mom's probably worried sick about him!"

"That is none of my concern. From the moment you arrived here, there was no escape. This is your new home."

"This is crazy!" shouted Cassie. "In case you didn't know, I can just force my way out of here!"

"We have a magician, two speedsters, a Martian, apparently a junior Wonder Woman, and maybe more," said Roy. "Do you honestly think you can contain all of us?"

"You are more than welcome to try, but I believe it will be a futile effort. All possible exits have been sealed and are impenetrable. Magic. Science. Telekinesis. Brute force. None of them will allow you to escape. I can guarantee that."

"What about the police?" asked Jaime. "What about the Justice League? Someone's bound to be looking for us sooner or later!"

"Yeah," said Virgil. "Judging by how overprotective my sister can get, she's probably called the cops already!"

"You have freaking Dick Grayson trapped here," said Wally. "Gotham's elite and media are going to go nuts over this! And Batman too…"

"You are all completely cut off from the outside world. No matter what you do, help will not come."

"You honestly expect us to believe that?" asked Roy. "Who in the world has enough power to pull that off?"

"We have the support of multiple benefactors. It is amazing what the mere act of cooperation can accomplish…a little too amazing."

"So there's really no way out?" asked Logan as he warily moved towards Zatanna. "Are we really trapped here?"

"Poor kid… Damn this guy!"

"No. However…"

That last word caught everyone's immediate attention. And he was stalling, possibly relishing all the anxiety.

"If you were to fulfill a certain condition, I will permit you to leave."

"I don't like the sound of this," said La'gann. "This is always the part in the movie where the bad guy gets our hopes up and says something horrible."

"What is this condition?" asked Kaldur.

"Allow me ask a question first. The 'ideal' life you all desperately strive for is one of peace and harmony, is it not? Someone who willingly disrupts that lifestyle obviously has no place in this society. If not, there would be no such thing as crime, no need for prisons or asylums to lock those criminals away."

"So what?" said Roy. "You want us to go rob a bank or something?"

He sighed. "And here I thought the youth of this generation was more creative. Also to answer your question, no. Theft is a forgivable offense given time. I am speaking of an unforgivable act… Murder."

"Come again?"

"Someone who willingly takes another's life also takes away his hopes, his dreams. A murderer cannot possibly be forgiven for such an act. Therefore, whoever murders another one of the group will be allowed to leave. No exceptions."

"But this is murder we're talking about," said Zatanna. "None of us could possibly do that!"

"History can prove otherwise with more examples than I can count. But if what you say is true, then you should be able to live here without any problems. If you want to leave, then murder someone. It's as simple as that."

"That is not how we roll," said Dick. "You must have Arkham-level logic to have come up something as sadistic as this!"

"This is a joke, right?" said Jaime. "We just being punked! That's probably what all those cameras I found are for! To captures all of our reactions!"

Megan touched her head in realization. "Hello, Megan! Of course! That makes perfect sense! I have to say that humans sure do have a strange sense of humor! Hahaha!"

"Then why the kidnapping?" asked Tim. "Even if this was a reality show, they couldn't possibly be allowed to drag us here even with proper consent. Also, why the blackouts? That could imply they drugged us which goes way beyond legal limits. And why the time discrepancies? Like Wally said before, time travel is impossible at the moment. How could a TV studio pull that off? What's really going on here?"

"I assure you that this is real. Allow me to reiterate: You must kill someone if you want to leave."

At that moment, Wally quietly looked around at the others. They were all spread out now (except Gar and Zatanna) just staring at each other. Their eyes said it all. Are you going to do it? Who actually believes this? Is someone going to betray us? Even his friends bore the same expressions but at least they weren't directed at each other. Any hope of complete trust among all of them was shattered with thoughts of escape ingrained in their minds.

Was this the Overseer's plan? To make them fear the only people they could rely on? Either way, Wally knew it was true. He still had his friends, but the same didn't apply for the others. Complete strangers desperate to escape and one already proved he was aggressive.

This was not the day he had in mind.