Excerpt from 'Ashes'

Here's a small look at my new one-shot story 'Ashes'. Tell me what you think!

...

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

It was a training mission. It was to be simple, a stretching of their muscles, get them working as a team. Or at least not actively wanting to kill each other.

It had only been the four of them off on a secluded island so the Wonder Brat couldn’t accidentally hurt someone.

But the League had called.

Some pedestrian earthquake half-way around the world. You would think that the country’s emergency services could have handled such a thing, but no. So Batman and Superman had left them here. Alone.

Super Brat had gotten bored when he had settled down to practice his meditation. They were here to train after all, not engage in social niceties. The boy had wandered off on his own to ‘explore’.

Not five minutes later, laser beams had burst across the sky alongside rapped gun fire.

No one was supposed to have been there.

Especially not pirates with stolen alien tech.

When Damian had gotten to the small clearing near the bay they had the brat surrounded and with his uncontrollable powers he didn’t stand a chance. And then one had downed the boy with a net. Jon’s small cry of anger and fear had him gritting his teeth, reaching for his belt.

So he had engaged.

For a while the pirates thought they were fighting five enemies when there was only but one.

Smoke filled the air, the smell of scorched sand burned into his nose while men were screaming from their burning boats.

Super Brat was hovering a few feet from the ground, the tattered remains of the net still twisted around his torso and his eyes were blazing red when I saw one of the pirates hoist a rifle on his shoulder and take aim, green light glinting from the barrel.

There was only one thing that glowed that kind of bright, sickly green. Kryptonite.

Damian reached into his belt and his fingers brushed air.

He blinked and jostled the other pouches on his belt, a slight pick up in his heart rate the only thing to acknowledge his panic. Three smoke bombs, some medical supplies, antidotes and a grappling hook. No batarangs.

The man fired.

There wasn’t enough time and no way the brat could escape while still tangled in the net.

Damian did the only thing he could. He moved.

The moment he launched himself across the sand he knew the outcome.

There was no other choice to make. The brat had people who loved him. Who would rend the world in their grief. He was annoying and cheerful. He would be missed.

As for him, he just hoped that his father had enough affection for him to take care of the animals. Maya would take care of Goliath. She was efficient that way.

There was no choice. Not really.