A five-part fic I wrote about the same time I did TKATA. Updates will be once a week too, as the last chapter is completed. Hope you'll enjoy :)

To Save A Future

Part 1

The metallic construction hissed and sizzled. Sparkles of fire erupted from the circle as the machine activated fully. The four spectators, three men and one woman, crossed fingers and waited. After long ticking seconds, the circuit hiccupped and blacked out, taking down the power of the entire building.

"Well, that was a given," Cyborg muttered, disgruntled. "I was hoping a small powered building would be enough to maintain the circuit but-"

"Great," Luthor snarled. "Now they'll be alerted of our move."

Everyone ignored him. They've gotten used to the former villain's useless complains.

"They knew what we were up to," Zatanna cut short his upcoming tirade. "They just didn't know when or where we would act."

"How long until we can get this started again?" Bruce demanded, not wasting time.

Cyborg ran a few diagnoses and replied:

"Ten minutes. But I'll have to use the whole block's power."

"Then use it. It's our last chance. Zatanna?"

The magician raised a hand to her temple and concentrated. She was never much of a telepath, but her survival instincts had made it a necessity. Focus love, came Constantine's soothing and encouraging voice. You can do it. She let her dead lover guide her through the complexity of the astral plane. Her power hit a strong psychic barrier and she winced.

"They're already here, and they've got reinforcements."

Bruce growled in frustration.

"Cyborg!" he snapped and grabbed a dozen modified batarangs.

"On it."

The power returned slowly and the machine hummed back to life. They needed to reprogram everything, and fast.

"Luthor?"

"Right, right." The former villain muttered and resumed his seat next to the console. His hands were shaking in fear, but even he knew better than to cede to panic in this very moment. Their enemies would not be swayed by his words or money; remaining with the surviving members of the Justice League was, ironically, the safest place he could be.

Zatanna and Bruce stood side by side. They were the last barrier between their enemies and their potential salvation. The Time Traveling portal was their last hope, and they would die before it fell in the other side's hands. Long minutes ticked, only interrupted by the sound of keyboard and Cyborg's cybernetic side whistling.

"How long?" Bruce demanded.

"It's don- ah!" Luthor gasped and fell to the ground, two arrows deeply embedded in his throat.

"They're here!" Bruce shouted and dodged a few arrows that were meant for him.

Zatanna raised a shield around the site to let Cyborg finish his work. The machine hummed louder. The sparkles were growing stronger. A purple light suddenly erupted from the center and hit the ceiling. Bits and parts fell apart, crashing loudly on the floor. The magician's spell protected the machine from the debris, but Bruce could see from afar that the effort was draining her. They had been on the run for months now with little rest. Everyone was coming to their end's wit. If they failed now, there would be no last chance ever.

"Stop them!"

A dozen armored women jumped from the windows and doors into the warehouse. At their head, the one woman Bruce –and mankind -had taken to both loathe and fear. The Queen was dressed every bit like the warrior she incarnated, holding a sword and a shield too heavy for him to lift without the suit. Standing by her side, a purple-haired woman smirked. He felt cold sweat pearling over his forehead underneath his cowl. She had brought her ultimate weapon; a witch.

"Circe," the leader spoke simply, a warning and a command at once.

"Leave it to me, my Queen," the witch purred and raised a hand. She muttered a few words. Zatanna flinched heavily as a part of her shield cracked.

"It's done!" Cyborg shouted. The portal opened, a vague oval-shaped fog floating over the ground, large enough for a man to slip through. Zatanna whimpered in pain under Circe's renewed assault. "Let's go!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the magical shield crumbled into pieces. A flurry of arrows whistled through the air. Zatanna fell first, transpierced by four. Cyborg deflected a few, but those had been a distraction. The sword of the Queen ran through his cybernetic body as she had moved in the shadows of her deadly weapons at a pace unmatched by man.

Bruce stood alone, facing the most dangerous foe Earth had ever known.

The tip of her blade stopped inches beneath his chin. His eyes, filled with disgust and regret, crossed hers, cold, sad and ageless. For a brief moment, it was only the two of them, standing on the deserted platform, her triumph against his loss.

"Give yourself up, Dark Knight," she said, and her voice sounded just as sharp as her sword. "You fought valiantly and fairly. Should you lower your weapon, you will be treated with the respect a warrior of your standing deserves."

Bruce took a very slight, near imperceptible step back. His comrades were dead but the portal was still open. He could still do this.

"No," he replied and did the one thing he had never done in his entire Batman carrier: he turned his back to his enemy and ran.

"Archers!"

The shout was all the warning he got before he felt his flesh being transperced. A stinging pain lashed at his thigh, another at his forearm. He nearly stumbled, nearly tripped over Luthor's body, but the stakes were too high for him to fail. He could not afford to fail.

He threw his last explosive batarang on the hissing machine and managed to cross through the fog before everything exploded.