Midnight in The Room of Spirit and Time

Two hours later...

Several members of the JLR are in the kitchen packing their possessions. Soon, they will all leave the comforts of this temporary home and leave The Room of Spirit and Time.

RM552 [wiping a line of dust from the table with his finger]: Anyone seen DLD? He's been slacking.

Vegi-La: Saw him just after I got kicked in the nads. He was headin' out with his mop.

Brit: Heading where, exactly?

Vegi-La: I dunno. Figured he wanted to clean The Room before we left.

Ace: He does know The Room extends forever, right?

Chant: That's a lot of cleaning!

JLR: [yuh huh]

Suddenly everything becomes extremely still and a bright neon light pours in through ever window, blinding everyone inside.

Three minutes earlier...

Months of exposure to the elemental forces of the Room of Spirit have taken their toll on (young)'s uniform. His body, HOWEVER, has not aged a day. His normal bodily functions HAVE slowed to a crawl, his hair and nail growth is unnoticeable, and his eyes remain shut.

(young) Nightwing's mind mimics the maelstrom of The Room around him. Multiple scenes and images battle for supremacy, flashing across his mind's eye:
The Room
Dende and Mr. Popo
The Hulk and The Defenders
a Martian Manhunter
a Batman
a contest of champions
a barn
La Machine reading a letter
clones
Olympus
Chant
Superfly Sr.
the shadows
reality falling down around him
space
darkness
paper golems
JMAngelo
The Batchelor Pad of Justice
a new team
....."I wanna be in the Justice League too!"

Suddenly, the hero's eyes snap open and much of his remaining energy pours out of him. But rather than the usual golden light extending miles in every direction it is a blinding multi-hued neon light. Then he speaks his first word in months...

"Midnight."

In the kitchen...

CJ: What was that?

Chant: It came from outside!

CJ: Well, DUH!

Chant: [DOH!]

CJ: [mwah hwah haa]

Brit: Are you okay?

DBP: Yes, but we should go check on Mr. (young)

Brit: We should go check on (young)!

JLR: Right!

DBP: I said that already.

Brit: Yes, but not everybody here is fortunate enough to have a direct line INTO MY HEAD!

DBP: Oh, right.

In minutes, the JLR have braved the distance to find their friend.

Ace: (young)...

Brit: you're...

CJ: not...

RM552: glowing!

MS: I remember everything now. It took nearly all of my power to sustain me for all those months. I'm nearly tapped out, and it may take years to acheive the power I had before, but it was worth it. My name is not "(young) Nightwing."

He looks at his friends. The team he now truly remembers.

MS: I am Midnight Spectre.

Brit: But that would mean you're--

DBP: My love, something is very wrong!

Brit: Where is i--

And with that, the entire mansion explodes.

KABOOOOOM!!!

CJ: Oh my Gob!

Slowly, a lone, untouched figure rises from the ashes of the home they shared and stops high above them in the air. Then, in near abandon he smiles, looks down upon the team of do-gooders, and speaks so in a voice so loud they must cover their ears or go deaf.

AGW: HEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!

DBP [looking into the eyes of her fiance]: He wants to kill us all.

CJ: But... he's our friend.

Vegi-La: I know, but we can't think about that right now. Right now we've gotta worry about takin' him down before that door comes. We can't let him get out of here, not like this. Ace, Chant, and CJ, on the left. Brit, DBP, RM, you three got the right.

Midnight: No.

Vegi-La: I know what you're thinking, Midnight, but you ain't got--

Midnight: With all due respect, La Machine, you've all had months to train...."

He can see the crazed glare of a friend who may be too far gone. Midnight does not smile as he walks toward their broken home to begin what could be the last battle of his life.

Midnight: ...now it's my turn.

To be continued.....