Chapter 15: Perchance to Dream pt. III

Word Count : 12301

It was a tense atmosphere that evening at the cathedral. The men and women seeking sanctuary there were never seen walking alone, all of them having weapons at close hand. Conversations were quietly held, as if the speakers feared that an unseen force of evil was stalking among their midst. And more than once, suspicious and even hateful glares were sent at a particular group huddled around their own little fire.

The team of outsiders that many demanded should be banished, or better yet killed. And because of this open hostility, the team of young heroes chose to stick very close to one another, all of them fearing a knife in the back from their so-called allies. However, there was one amongst them who held no such fear, who dared to openly walk by himself.

With head held high and hands never straying too far away from the plasma pistol and chainsword strapped to his belt, Krieg walked through the ragtag group of refugees with a bag slung over his shoulder. More than one death glare was sent his way, but he was unmoved. And there was no one present who dared to challenge him, many averting their eyes out of fear whenever his lifeless skull mask would swing their way. Coming to a stop at his team, Krieg dropped the bag he had been carrying to the ground before he took a seat, albeit hesitantly, in their little ring.

"I was able to scrounge up enough food from their meager supplies to last us two days out in the field," he reported tonelessly, receiving a short nod from Aqualad.

"Any problems?" he asked conversationally as he picked up the bag and inspected its content. Like Krieg had said, it would last a day or two. Not that it was truly needed, given the circumstances, but it helped bring a small sense of normality to this mess they had landed themselves in.

"Nothing but the usual from rebels," Krieg replied nonchalantly, giving an elderly man with a shotgun a very pointed glare from behind his gasmask, making the man shrink into himself as he scurried away like a whipped dog. Kid Flash gave him a dubious look.

"You call this open hostility 'the usual'?" he asked in disbelief, "Dude! They've been begging to have us killed from the moment we stepped inside!" at least he had the decency to keep his voice low enough that only the team heard his words. And in response to them, Krieg shrugged his shoulders.

"We are a team of xenos, mutants, abhumans and heretics. What did you expect from devout followers of the Emperor?" he questioned dryly, staring deeply into the dancing flams. 'Then does that truly make me a devout follower, or just another heretic?' he asked himself mentally, thankful that the Martian had not set up one of those infernal mind links. By the Emperor, did he hate psykers in his head.

"Jee, what does that Emperor of yours preach?" Robin asked in a half joking, half disgusting manner. He received a very heated glare from Krieg in response to his insolent tone. But eventually, he returned his eyes to the fire.

"That humanity has a divine right to be the sole rulers of this galaxy. That all other alien life forms are unworthy abominations, deserving only extermination for polluting this galaxy with their very existence," Krieg finally replied monotonously. Had he been paying more attention to his team, he would have seen their looks of horror at his admission.

"What gives your Emperor the right to decide that? Have you ever tried to coexist with other aliens?" Superboy questioned furiously. To him, and to all members of the team, such a genocidal way of thinking was evil in its purest form.

"The rewards of tolerance are treachery and betrayal, we learned that the hard way," Krieg replied bitterly. Unlike many of his fellow Guardsmen, he had taken the time to learn about the past of his species, as little as was still preserved. The atrocities committed by the foul xenos in a time before there even was an Imperium, before their great civilization had been ripped asunder by Warp storms, always served as a reminder for Krieg why xenos and humans could never live together.

"What happened?" Miss Martian asked in concern, voicing the question every member of the team. They never received an answer. Instead, Krieg wordlessly stood up from his seat and walked away, heading towards the altar.

"I guess that's all we're getting out of him," Robin murmured quietly. But what little he had explained left a deep imprint on the team. This Imperium of his must have undergone some manner of terrible betrayal in the past to have developed such a strong sense of xenophobia. But in the end, this little moment of contemplation was ruined by the sounds of very loud chewing. The culprit turned out to be Kid Flash, gorging himself on some of the supplies Krieg had brought. Sensing the looks of his team on him, he looked up from his meal.

"What? I was hungry," he defended himself, mouth stuffed full of food. They had a hard time deciding whether this display was disgusting, annoying or humorous.

"You do know that food isn't real, right?" Robin asked in exasperation, receiving a shrug from the speedster.

"Taste real enough for me," he commented before he dived back into his food. The team just shook their heads and left him to his imaginary food. Besides, they found something else to worry about, namely the giant of a man commanding this ragtag group of survivors who was approaching them with swift strides. Aqualad, being the team leader, stood up to meet him.

"You know," the giant man began with a quick glance at Krieg, kneeling at the altar in deep prayer, "When you said you were looking for a friend of yours, I imagined it to be another xeno. Never would I have guessed that your 'friend' was a Death Korps Grenadier," shaking his head in exasperation, he turned his full attention back to Aqualad, "You sure are one strange bunch,"

Aqualad said nothing, merely shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly.

"In any case, it seems like we managed to chase off those Grenadiers for the moment, but they'll undoubtedly be back. And in greater numbers," the commander announced gravelly before glancing back at Krieg, "I would advise that you keep that fanatic under control. I don't want a bloodbath here," at his words, Aqualad furrowed his brows, clearly taking issue with the accusation at his comrade.

"It is not him I worry about," he countered with a pointed look at a trio of rebels fingering their lasguns while glaring hatefully at his team. They quickly dispersed once they realized they had been spotted. The commander just grunted something noncommittal under his breath. He was about to walk away when a vox operator came running like the devil was on his heels.

"Boss! We got incoming!" he shouted in panic, drawing the attention of everyone within earshot, including Krieg at the altar. The vox operator came to a stop in front of the commander, trying to croak something out but lacking the oxygen to do so.

"Slow down there and take a calm breath," the commander ordered sternly, the operator taking his words to heart as he struggled to get his breathing back under control, oblivious to the crowd gathering around them.

"Now, what did you say now?" the commander questioned once he was sure the operator had calmed down enough.

"Our scout says he's spotted the enemy moving in, I have him on the phone right now," he announced as he held out a headset for the commander, one that was quickly snatched away from his hands.

"What's the status out there?" the commander asked harshly into the headset.

"I was having a fucking quiet day out here, but then my radar lit up with contacts. I'm trying to count them all here," someone on the other end reported with a gruff voice, right before he broke down into a mass of swearwords too numerous to count.

"Vegeta, what does the radar say about their numbers?" the commander questioned, dreading the answer.

"It's over NINE THOUSAND!" the now identified Vegeta shouted in anger. Murmurs of alarm broke out in the gathered crowd while Krieg rejoined his team.

"Follow me," he quietly whispered while the rebel commander began barking out orders. Five confused looks landed on him and none of them moved. Biting back an annoyed growl, Krieg grabbed the arm of the closest team member, Aqualad, and forcefully dragged him away from the crowd. The others were forced to tag along lest they be left behind.

"What's going on?" Kid Flash asked in confusion as Krieg continued to lead the team away, heading towards a hole in the wall big enough to squeeze through.

"Standard Death Korps tactic consists of a massive artillery barrage, followed by waves of tanks and infantry to grind the enemy's defenses to dust. We need to move somewhere else, preferably underground where they can't reach us as easily, and then wait for the frontline to move right by us," he answered, never even slowing down or even turning to face them as he explained. At least he had let Aqualad go by that point.

"But what about all these people here?" M'gann asked with a sweeping gesture at the rebels frantically rushing back and forth across the cathedral. Krieg just shrugged his shoulders.

"They were all dead the moment the Death Korps targeted this city. Not one of them will be spared," he answered nonchalantly as he began climbing out through the hole, stopping about halfway when he felt the looks he was receiving. As it turned out, they were all in varying stages of horror and disgust, something that confused Krieg.

"Why are you all so concerned about their fate anyway? As you said, they are not real living beings," he pointed in, throwing in an accusing tone at the end that dared them to say anything different. With the exception of Aqualad and Superboy, it made the rest of the team squirm a bit.

"We know they aren't real. That doesn't make it any easier to just accept their deaths," Aqualad answered. Krieg said nothing else, just finished climbing out of the hole. 'Heroes and their morals,' he thought to himself in exasperation. Sometimes he truly wondered how these kinds of useless idiots could have possibly managed to safeguard humanity for so long. One by one, the rest of the team climbed out, until they were all gathered outside.

"Okay, now what?" Kid Flash asked while bouncing on his heels. Krieg was about to answer when he heard an all too familiar rumble in the distant.

"DOWN!" he shouted before he dived into a nearby crater, seconds before the artillery shells began raining down. A cacophony of noise deafened the whole city when over two hundred artillery pieces let it loose upon the half dead city. Down in his improvised foxhole, Krieg was joined by the rest of the team, Aqualad and Superboy jumping on top of the others in an attempt to shield them.

M'gann was screaming, and Kid Flash was shouting something. Neither of them were heard over the endless explosions hammering the ground like the fists of gods. Fire, stone and dirt rained down over the team as everything around them were pulverized in endless barrages. For how long they stayed there, huddled together like frightened rabbits, none of them could say for certain. It certainly felt like ages before the artillery fire at last came to an end. But even though it was over, they still stayed unmoving for a few more minutes, fearful that it would start up again anytime soon.

Finally, Aqualad found the will to stand back up and climb out of the crater, soon joined by the rest of the team. What they beheld when they crawled out of their makeshift foxhole was a scene straight out of World War 2 footages. The once majestic cathedral was now nothing more than smoking rubble, the surrounding landscape was utterly demolished and the team could just barely distinguish a few body parts scattered among the rubble. It made them nauseous, for none of them had ever seen carnage of this level before. The only one unaffected was Krieg, who felt more irritation towards his team. 'First they tell me that none of this is truly real, and then they get torn up seeing figments of my imagination die. How truly pathetic," he thought to himself in disdain.

"Listen, we cannot delay here any longer. The bombardment has stopped, that means that the ground forces are not far behind. If they catch us in the open like this, we're finished," he stated while inspecting his lasgun, making sure it had not been broken.

"He's right, we can't stay here," Aqualad agreed, swiftly leading the team away from their former hideout. Scenes of death and destruction accompanied them the whole way, as rebels feebly crawled out of whatever cover they had miraculously survived in. some just walked around aimlessly, with no sense of direction. Others desperately dug through piles of rubbles, screaming their loved ones names the whole way.

Only a few had the sense to make themselves ready for the inevitable attack. No one even spared the ragtag group of xenos, mutants, abhumans and humans a second glance, too busy worrying about their own lives. But as the team rushed past another group of dazed rebels in the midst of setting up a barricade in a crossroad, Superboy signaled them to stop.

"Something's coming," he announced gravelly, the team was only left to wonder what he meant for a few minutes before they heard it themselves; hundreds of boots running. Then they came, Death Korps Guardsmen in their hundreds, charging with fixed bayonets down the street.

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" someone shouted, right before las rounds started flying back and forth. Three rebels went down with smoking holes in their chests and heads before the rest dove into cover and returned fire.

"KILL THEM ALL!" one of the rebels shouted, right before a heavy bolter opened fire and turned the front ranks of Guardsmen into mincemeat. Las- and autogun fire joined in an all too familiar song of death to Krieg, as more dead Guardsmen piled up on the open street. Still, heedless of their own casualties, they charged on, a handful stopping occasionally to return fire. Most shots went far overhead or hit the barricade, but one lucky shot burnt the face off the heavy bolter gunner.

Another rebel swiftly took his place, sweaty and trembling hands desperately trying to get a grip on the trigger before he finally managed to resume firing. And during the whole spectacle, the team stood frozen in horrified wonder, none of them having ever partaken in a real war like this. Once again, Krieg felt quite a bit of irritation seeping out.

"We do not have time for this! We need to go now, or…" whatever else he had planned to say was drowned out by the unmistakable rumble of a tank. Said tank burst right through an already demolished house to the left of the barricade. Krieg instantly recognized the design just as it swung its turret to aim at the barricade.

"LEMAN RUSS DEMOLISHER, GET DOWN!" he shouted, right before a mighty boom echoed from the Demolisher's gun, and the barricade, along with the rebels manning it, vanished in a ball of flame. The shockwave knocked the team off their feet, as debris began raining down in the wake of the explosion. At first, all that Krieg could hear was an annoying ringing in his ears as he stumbled back up on his feet. A thick cloud of dust lay over the crossroad, making it impossible to see but a few feet ahead. Suddenly, while Krieg tried to regain his bearing, a hazy outline became visible in the dust, coming right at him. It turned out to be a Death Korps Guardsman, and his sudden appearance caught Krieg completely off guard.

He barely avoided a bayonet to the gut, before instincts took hold and he counterattacked with a blow to the soldier's throat, crushing his Adam's apple. As he fell gurgling to the ground, Krieg snatched up his lasgun and planted a shot straight into a second soldier coming at him. But a third closed the distance before he could shoot him, and Krieg was forced to parry a vicious thrust at his chest. He effortlessly knocked his assailant's gun aside and skewered him on his bayonet.

Three more soldiers came at him, forcing him to relinquish his lasgun to face them. He sidestepped the first thrust, lashing out with a kick that knocked him off his feet before ducking under the second attacker's thrust. He came back up with an uppercut that knocked him back, giving Krieg enough time to deal with the third attacker. He kicked aside his gun and slammed a fist into his face. As he stumbled back from the blow, Krieg closed the distance, grabbed his head in a tight hold and with a sharp tug, broke his neck.

By then, his other two attackers had recovered and were coming at him again. The first one tried another thrust at him, but Krieg managed to catch the gun and used it to block the attack from the second one. Then he struck out with a sweeping kick that left them both flat on their backs. Krieg gave them no chance to recover as he drew his chainsword and plasma pistol, placing one shot into one while decapitating the second.

A sudden las round struck him in the leg from behind, making him stumble a bit as it burned through his uniform and flesh. Biting back the pain, he spun around and placed a plasma shot straight into the shooter's head, incinerating it. Yet more came at him with their bayonets. He cleaved the first one in half, severed the arms of the second, sidestepped a third before he planted a plasma shot in his belly, parried a bayonet thrust, decapitated the attacker, dodged under anther thrust before cutting both of his attacker's legs in half at the knees.

But as Krieg continued to hack away at his attackers, felling them one by one, a miniscule sense of guilt entered his mind. Every blow he dealt, every life he took, was against loyal servants of the Emperor. As he stared at the expressionless masks of his victims, he could not bury the feeling that he should be standing with them, not against them. 'They are not real, they are not real, they are not real, they are not real,' he mentally repeated in his mind like a mantra as his chainsword reaped a bloody tally among his foes.

A brief lull in fighting occurred after he cut down yet another Guardsman with an overhead strike, cleaving man and gun in two down the middle. Stumbling back from his kill, he surveyed his surroundings to find his team locked in fierce melees similar to his own. Though he noted that none of them dealt out any killing blows against their opponents. Krieg was unsure whether he should feel grateful or disgusted at their weakness. But more Guardsmen kept on pouring into the chaos, and they were close to getting overrun.

That was as far as Krieg was able to observe, because then he had yet even more enemies to contend with. He batted aside a bayonet thrust aimed at his stomach and fired his plasma pistol into the enemy's chest at point blank range before decapitating a second Guardsman with a swing of his chainsword.

Another tried sneaking up behind Krieg, but he whirled around and buried the chainsword into his guts before he had time to react. A spectacular shower of blood and gore followed as Krieg revved the sword up and ripped it out. Three more came at him, and Krieg dealt with two of them with well-placed plasma shots to their heads. The third one however was knocked out by a water whip before he could even reach Krieg. He was soon joined by Aqualad, wielding twin water swords and adorned with dozens of cuts and bruises. There was even a las wound on his shoulder.

"We can't stay here anymore, or we'll be overrun!" Aqualad shouted to be heard over the noise of battle, blocking a bayonet thrust with a water sword.

"I know that, abhuman! But we have no escape routes!" Krieg shouted back while crushing the windpipe of another Guardsman with the pommel of his chainsword.

"Not for long!" Aqualad answered while disarming a Guardsman of his lasgun before knocking him unconscious. "Listen, Superboy's about to make an opening for us, and we need to be fast or they'll just fill it up again!"

"Affirmative!" Krieg shouted just as he gutted yet another Guardsman, spraying his Grenadier uniform with blood. A second attacker had his chest cavity disintegrated by a plasma shot. Only a few seconds later did Superboy strike. With a mighty roar did he leap into the air and crashed straight into the Leman Russ Demolisher blocking the road. Grabbing hold of its barrel, he ripped the turret off with a mighty heave before he leaped down to the ground and used the turret as a bat to slam the rest of the tank aside.

"The way's clear! Move it!" Aqualad shouted, kicking a soldier between his legs before finishing him off with a blow to the head. At his words, the whole team moved as one. Robin popped smoke grenades to cover their retreat while Miss Martian used her telekinesis to hurl aside any Guardsmen that still stood in their path.

Wild las fire speared out of the smoke, as the Guardsmen tried to halt the team's retreat, but Aqualad formed a water shield to deflect incoming shots while Krieg stood behind him and fired away with his plasma pistol, all the while they both steadily backed off. Robin added a few extra tricks of his own as he threw multiple beeping discs into the smoke, a quick chain of booms followed seconds later.

"That will keep them busy for a short while, I suggest we use that chance to hightail it outta here," he stated grimly, breathing heavily while clutching his side. Like Aqualad, he too had his body adorned with minor wounds.

"Wait, where's Kid Flash?" Miss Martian suddenly asked in alarm as she worriedly looked among the team. Dread came over most of its members as they too realized the speedster was missing. Their fears however were thankfully soothed when Kid Flash came stumbling out of the smoke, coughing from inhaling the substance.

"Next time, Rob, give me a heads-up," he grumbled as he glared at his friend, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Suddenly, without warning, a Death Korps Guardsman came running out of the smoke and tackled Kid Flash to the ground.

"KF!" Robin shouted in horror as he and the team rushed to aid him. The Guardsman meanwhile had drawn and knife and drove it right at Kid Flash's heart. He barely caught it in time and desperately struggled to push it away. But the Guardsman put his full body weight behind it, slowly forcing the knife ever closer towards its goal. Fear gripped Kid Flash as he stared up at the uncaring mask of his attacker. Never before had he faced death by such a simple and anticlimactic way. Now, when faced with death mere inches away from him, Kid Flash could easily admit that he had never been more afraid his entire life.

And then, it ended with the sound of a chainsaw revving. Seconds later, his attacker's head was viciously decapitated in a spray of blood, splattering both the ground and Kid Flash's face. Blinking the crimson liquid out of his eyes, he found an even more bloodied Krieg standing above him, chainsword gripped in one hand while pieces of meat still clung to its sharp teeth.

"Get up, you lazy mutant. We do not have time to lie around," he growled out in anger as he holstered his plasma pistol and grabbed hold of Kid Flash's shoulder to roughly haul him back up on his feet.

"Now get moving, before more of them come," Krieg stated as he gave Kid Flash a hard shove in the back, making him stumble forward with Krieg close behind him. Barely had they taken a few steps before a lucky las shot struck Krieg in the back, burning through his Carapace armor and leaving a deep wound that barely missed his spine. A shout of pain came out of his mouth before he stumbled to his knees from the pain. Kid Flash was instantly at his side with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you alright, man?" he asked worriedly, mentally bashing himself for asking such a stupid question.

"I am fine, mutant, now get moving already!" Krieg snarled out as he shoved Kid Flash aside, biting back the burning pain in his back. He tried to stand back up on his own, but it proved quite a fierce struggle. 'Must have hit quite a weak spot,' he thought irritably to himself. But to his even greater irritation, the speedster was back at his side just as fast as he had been shoved aside.

"No way. You've saved my life twice now, it's high time I started paying you back," he stated with conviction as he slid one arm under Krieg's own while throwing Krieg's own arm over his shoulders.

"Forget about me, you idiot, just get the rest of the team out of here!" Krieg protested angrily, but was thoroughly ignored by Kid Flash, who hauled his friend back up on his feet and hurriedly led him away. He was quickly joined by Superboy as he helped to carry the disgruntled Grenadier to safety with the rest of the team. Figuring that fighting them at that point would only slow them down even further, Krieg grudgingly let himself be carried away like an invalid.

It was only after nearly half an hour of running that the wounded and battered team came to a stop in an alley. Packed full of debris from the destroyed buildings lining it, the alley provided ample protection from prying eyes. While Superboy appeared to hardly be winded by the road, Kid Flash was drawing in ragged breaths and was more than happy to carefully deposit his charge on the ground. Krieg instantly had Robin and Aqualad at his sides, kneeling next to him where he was seated with his back against the wall.

"How are you feeling?" Aqualad asked while Robin dug out his first-aid kit.

"The wound has gone numb, and I am having trouble standing up by myself," Krieg answered honestly. Aqualad just nodded his head in acceptance as Robin brought up a syringe.

"Treating the wound is just a waste of time considering the circumstances, but I can give you some painkiller," he admitted. Krieg wordlessly rolled up a sleeve and allowed Robin to insert the needle.

"Strange that I can actually feel pain, and that you are all so concerned about death, when you have assured me that none of this is real," Krieg remarked, sounding almost suspicious against his teammates.

"Like I said earlier, your mind thinks this is all real, and so it makes you feel as though it truly is real. As to why we're careful not to die? This imagined world is created to kill your mind but leave your body intact. And since we've essentially trapped ourselves in here, there's a big chance that the same could happen to us if we die," Robin admitted. Krieg just shrugged his shoulders, not finding anything else to say.

"Kid Flash, are you okay?" Miss Martian suddenly asked worriedly, making all present turn their attention to the Martian and the speedster. Said speedster was looking nauseous as he leaned against the wall, blood smeared on his face and hands. With the adrenaline of the fight and chase wearing off, his mind was finally catching up with what it had experienced. Foremost was the picture of his attacker getting decapitated, replaying over and over in his mind. Added to his sudden awareness of the blood on his face, and he felt close to losing it.

Finally, he could hold it in no more and so hurled up. And nor was it restricted to one time, as he stayed bent over and puking up more and more of his stomach's content. Even when he had emptied it fully did it not abate. Silently, Aqualad walked up to stand next to him, running circles on his back with the palm of his hand to soothe him. Keeping a calm expression and suppressing the uncomfortable memories, Aqualad succeeded in keeping his cool. He was however one of the few who kept it under control.

Miss Martian collapsed to the ground in fatigue as she struggled to banish the images she had seen from her mind. Foremost of those included the upper body of a rebel soldier that had not been fully obliterated by the Leman Russ Demolisher. Those dead and empty eyes seemed to almost haunt her, silently asking her why she could not save him.

Even Robin was shaken up, but he was dealing with it much better and held his pain inside. Whether he liked it or not, Gotham had already given him a taste of death and despair. He was prepared. Superboy did not truly know what he was supposed to be feeling. He knew none of this was real, they all did, but he could not deny that he felt a bit disturbed by the death and brutality. Still, he could not really find it in himself to really feel as torn up as his friends seemed to be.

But out of all of them, Krieg was the one who remained the most unaffected. Sure, he had felt a stab of guilt when he slaughtered his supposed comrades-in-arms, and even now felt the tiniest of doubts about the truth his teammates had told him. But apart from that, he felt nothing; death was commonplace to him, and seeing a dozen more had hardly left an imprint on him. Just another day in the service of the Emperor.

Though as he watched his teammates wallow in their own thoughts or grief, he felt disgust swell up in his chest. 'Incompetent weaklings. And to think that the safety of humanity lies with them and their mentors,' he thought to himself in distain. Suddenly, an all too familiar rumble reached the team's ears, drawing ever closer with each passing moment.

"Tanks!" Krieg hissed quietly. No further explanation was needed as the whole team dove into cover. Or rather, five of them willingly did so, Superboy had to be forcibly dragged into hiding. His protests of "They're just tanks, they pose no threat to me," were dutifully ignored naturally. A few minutes of tense silence passed between the team as the anxiously waited for the enemy. Soon, the first Leman Russ rolled past, flanked on both sides by squads of Death Korps Guardsmen.

More tanks soon rolled by, with even more Guardsmen walking alongside them. A platoon's worth of men and armor went by the team's little hiding spot before it was deemed safe enough to come out again.

"Still say I could have taken them," Superboy grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Maybe, but then you would have drawn the attention of the rest of them. And I hardly doubt a faulty clone of Superman can stand up to an entire army," Krieg countered condescendingly as he crawled out from behind some rubble, struggling to stand upright on his own. 'That shot must have been far worse than I first imagined,' he thought to himself grimly. Superboy looked ready to attack Krieg at that point, so Aqualad stepped in between them.

"Enough, both of you. We can't afford to waste time fighting each other here," he ordered them both before he turned his full attention to Krieg. "And could you please avoid antagonizing your own teammates. We came after all to save you," he reminded him. Krieg just shrugged his shoulders uncaringly.

"You should have just left me to die instead of risking all of your lives," he told him monotonously. Aqualad's expression softened at his words.

"We never leave a friend behind, no matter what," he answered. Krieg felt like scoffing at that claim. They were not friends, never were and never would be. Idly he wondered where exactly the abhuman could have gotten that idiotic notion that they were friends.

"In any case, we need a way to escape this apparent 'illusion'. So I expect that you came in here with…" the rest of Krieg's sentence was drown out by a loud boom in the distance, one that lightly shook the very ground. Then another came, and another, and another. With slow and precise intervals did the strange boom return, each time growing louder and shaking loose dust and debris from the ruins. To say that the whole team was on edge would be a phenomenal understatement.

"What's that sound?" Kid Flash asked warily, eyes nervously darting all over the place like a cornered animal.

"Maybe it's another artillery barrage?" Miss Martian asked fearfully, unconsciously gripping onto Superboy's arm like a lifeline. Superboy meanwhile unconsciously brought the Martian closer to himself.

"No, too regular to be artillery bombardment," Krieg answered doubtfully, suspicion brewing in his mind. What manner of weapon could make that manner of noise? Nothing that the Death Korps possessed, that he was certain of.

(Play here Shingeki no Kyojin OST 1 Attack on Titan (Armored Titan Music/Theme), it really fits the situation)

"It… almost sounds like footsteps," Robin remarked. A foreboding feeling settled in Krieg's stomach as he realized the truth behind Robin's words. It did indeed sound like footsteps. And there was only one thing in existence that could make such a noise. His worries were confirmed when a blaring horn shook the entire city to its core. Then, out of the smoke, it strode forward like a god of steel to bring judgment on the unworthy.

"What is that!?" Aqualad questioned in alarm as he beheld the titanic war machine leisurely walking into the city. Both its arms bore the largest guns that anyone on the team had ever seen, dwarfing the myriad of other weapons adorning the upper body of this monstrous walker. Krieg meanwhile was beholding this physical manifestation of the Emperor's might with a grim sense of disappointment.

"An Imperial Titan. Warlord Class," he finally answered. He had always dreamt of marching to war in the shadow of one of these colossal weapons of war. Now he had been granted his wish, only he was standing against the might of the Imperium instead of with it. Oh the irony.

"You actually build war machines that big?" Robin asked in terrified awe. Never before had anything of such scale been built or even seen on Earth. It terrified him what manner of society would deem such a destructive engine of war as necessary.

"That is merely the second largest class of Titan at the Imperium's disposal," Krieg revealed absentmindedly, receiving wide-eyed looks of disbelief from his team. Before any other words could be exchanged, a loud whining noise reverberated across the city, originating from the Titan.

"What's it doing?" Superboy asked suspiciously, as the Titan had come to a stop. Krieg instantly knew what it was doing, considering how it's left arm, a volcano cannon, was visibly powering up.

"It's firing," he replied, right before his prediction came through. With a thunderous noise that put even the most powerful of thunderstorms to shame, the volcano cannon fired. Seconds later, the whole city was shaken by an earthshattering explosion, throwing the team to the ground and bringing several badly damaged buildings crumbling down. When the team finally managed to crawl back up on their feet, amidst pained groans, they found a huge mushroom cloud rising from deeper within the city, most likely the point of impact.

"My god…" Robin murmured in horror. He just knew that there was no way anything could have survived a blast of that magnitude, and it truly terrified him. If such diabolical weapons were ever introduced on Earth, the results would be catastrophic. Discreetly, he shot Krieg a worried and contemplative look. 'Krieg, just where the hell did you come from?' he asked himself mentally.

"We can't stay here any longer, we need to move," Aqualad suddenly announced, snapping the team out of their shock. All too happy to oblige, they hurriedly made their way out of the alley. Krieg tried to do it by himself, but he just stumbled and nearly fell over while trying to stand unaided. Without saying a word, Aqualad was instantly at his side, serving as a crutch for Krieg despite his quiet protests that he was fine. So with that, they fled in search of a safe haven.

(End music here)

It was many hours later that the team finally reached an area deemed safe enough to rest. They had let the Death Korps frontline pass them by before finding shelter in a hab block located at the outskirts of the city. That it was still standing was a miracle in itself, but one the team gratefully accepted. Worn out by the constant running, they collapsed to the hard floor like boneless creatures. All of them but Krieg.

Having recovered enough to move on his own without aid, he remained standing and half trudged, half limped towards the nearest window. Pain flared up in his back with every step taken, but he ignored it like he had always done. Stationed at the third floor as they were, it gave Krieg a surprisingly good view of the surrounding landscape. Most likely because most of the other buildings were all but demolished, offering a wide and unhindered view.

None of that registered with Krieg as he leaned against the wall next to the window, his mind was far off in distant worlds. Even now, he could hear the sounds of fighting coming from deeper within the city as he rebels stubbornly held out. The Warlord Titan of course was still clearly visible, even as it stood kilometers away from where the team was. As his eyes gazed off towards the battle raging on, he could not contain the feelings of emptiness.

He should be at that battle, fighting side by side with his comrades, purging the world of traitors and heretics, washing away the sins of his ancestors with the blood of their enemies. But alas, that appeared to not be his destiny. Instead he was running around with xenos like a frightened rabbit, hiding from the very men and women he had fought with not so long ago.

Once again, he found himself asking that very important question: Why? Why had he betrayed his countrymen? Why did he believe the words of a heretic over that of his own commander? Why was he defying the will of the Emperor by letting them live? Why, why, why, why, why? Was he truly doing the will of the Emperor here? Was he truly doing what was for the best?

The tale that this all was supposed to be a mere illusion conjured to trick Krieg was what made him side with the team over his brothers and sisters. But now, he asked himself, had it truly been the right way? Had he maybe placed his trust in the wrong person? They were xenos after all. Xenos, mutants, abhumans and heretics. Everything the Emperor stood against. Everything that had brought nothing but ruination to the Imperium. Could he really believe their words?

Without even realizing it himself, his hand had landed upon his holstered plasma pistol, and was fingering around with the trigger. Then, he felt a hand land upon his shoulder, snapping him out of his deep thoughts and making him spin around in alarm. He found Miss Martian standing behind him, concern radiating off of her. Obviously it was concern for him. It made Krieg sick to his stomach.

"Krieg, is something the matter?" she asked worriedly. A few tense moments of silence passed between them. Unseen by her, Krieg's grip on his pistol tightened, as if he was making ready to draw it.

"No. No, everything is fine," he finally answered without a grain of emotion behind his words, the tight grip on his plasma pistol vanishing. He then wordlessly strode past the Martian, rejoining the rest of the team gathered in a semi-circle on the floor.

"Now, as I intended to inquire earlier before we were forced to retreat; I assume you have a way for us to break this apparent illusion and return to the real world," he spoke, turning his full attention to Aqualad.

"Yes, there is a way. We need to locate the person controlling this illusion, or at least the mental projection of him, inside this world. Then we need to force him out of your mind, thereby breaking his hold on you," he revealed. Krieg took the words in, nodding his head slowly in thought as he analyzed the information.

"Then how do we locate him? I highly doubt we can manually search for him with the war raging around us," he eventually pointed out. It was at that point that Miss Martian rejoined them as well.

"That's where I come in. there's too much psychic energy flying around for me to pinpoint him on my own. But if I use your mind as a starting point, I will be able to trace his energy back to the source," she revealed a bit nervously. The moment she had finished speaking, Krieg's whole body had gone rigid at her suggestion.

"You want to use your psychic powers on me!?" he questioned in disbelief, receiving a timid nod of affirmation. His response was decidedly swift.

"No, I will not allow this xeno into my head again," he declared with finality in his voice. Aqualad let out a resigned sigh at his proclamation. Honestly, he should have seen that one coming.

"Look Krieg, this is the only way we can swiftly find the culprit and put a stop to this madness," he tried to reason, forgetting for a moment just who he was trying to reason with here.

"I would rather spend the rest of eternity in this world rather than let a xeno into my mind," Krieg stated coldly, ignoring the hurt expression that came over Miss Martian. However, Aqualad and his friends had been through hell to aid Krieg now, and he was thoroughly sick of his attitude.

"Krieg, you will let Miss Martian into your head, that's an order," he said firmly with an air of authority. Krieg had to admit, he was taken aback by the sudden change in atmosphere. He had honestly believed that the abhuman lacked any manner of backbone for true leadership. 'Out of all the moments to be proven wrong,' he thought to himself dejectedly.

"Yes, sir," he answered monotonously. When given a direct order like that, there was no point fighting anymore. He slowly turned to face the Martian, steeling himself for what was to come.

"Try to relax," Miss Martian advised him gently, a wasted effort. There was no way he would ever be able to relax with a xeno in his head. But he kept his opinions to himself as the xeno placed her hands on his mask covered head, eyes closed while she concentrated. A few tense minutes of silence followed, but for Krieg it felt like hours.

He could feel her, feel her filthy mind crawling around inside his like a worm. It sent chills of revulsion down his spine, but he stoically endured it all in silence. Finally, the xeno seemed to have found that which she was searching for as she backed off, both mentally and physically. It was a great relief to finally have her out of his head.

"I know where our target is," she announced, bringing hope to the team. Finally, they could put a stop to this and return to the real world.

"Then lead the way," Aqualad ordered, Miss Martian all too happy to oblige as she led the team out of their hiding spot. However, Krieg lingered behind for just a few moments, giving the members of the team's backs a dark look of distrust. But eventually, he shook it off and followed after them.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Krieg questioned doubtfully from here he was crouched next to Miss Martian behind a Gorgon troop transport.

"Yes, I'm sure beyond any doubt," she answered, talking quietly as the team was in the heart of the Death Korps military camp. Fortunately, most of them were still out fighting in the city, leaving few foes to deal with.

"No, this has to be a mistake. The enemy could not possibly be here," Krieg tried to reason, as ahead of them loomed the command tent.

"I have faith in Miss Martian's abilities, you should too," Aqualad stated as he came up next to them. Krieg said nothing more on the matter, and so Aqualad signaled the team to move forward. As fast as they could, they darted out of cover and sprinted across the open ground until they reached the command tent. Slipping inside, they each had their weapons out and at the ready. It proved to be in vain.

"Empty?" Robin questioned in surprise as they beheld a completely deserted tent. None was present, not even low-level technicians to operate the radios.

"I thought you said he was here," Kid Flash said in confusion, directing his statement at Miss Martian.

"I-I don't understand," she stammered out in equal amounts of confusion. Krieg meanwhile had deemed that no visible threat was nearby and so had lowered his weapons and strode into the center of the tent. Cold eyes systematically analyzed every inch of the tent from behind his gasmask, but found nothing worthwhile.

"Obviously your psychic powers have failed you and led us astray," he sneered at her with his back turned to her. While Miss Martian visibly sagged at the criticism directed at her, Robin stepped forward to defend her.

"Hey, don't start blaming her. She was only trying to…" the rest of his sentence vanished as an explosion of blinding light drowned out everything else. Like a second sun, it shone with such powerful intensity that it nearly robbed the eyesight of everyone present. With cries of pain and alarm, the team desperately shielded their eyes while trying to confront this new adversary. Then, the light receded enough that the team could see their surroundings again. It drew in on itself, taking the shape of a humanoid figure cloaked in blinding light, shining so brightly that it was impossible to look at it directly.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" Aqualad shouted with authority as he drew his twin water swords. But the entity of light was not even paying Aqualad any heed, his full attention was on Krieg as he stood mere feet away with his plasma pistol aimed at the entity's chest.

"My child, why have you forsaken me so easily?" it questioned with an ethereal-like voice. Instantly, Krieg froze up in shock. Even though he could still not see who it was, he was just struck with the knowledge that he knew who it was that was standing in front of him.

"Emperor?" he asked softly in disbelief. This was not possible, he of all beings should not be here. Why would he even be here?

"Yes, it is me, child of Krieg," the Emperor spoke. Those words made all the fighting spirit evaporate from within Krieg, and he collapsed to his knees, gun and sword slipping from slack fingers to clatter noisily to the ground.

"But… but how is it possible? How can you be here?" he found himself asking.

"Do you doubt the power of my divinity? Nothing is beyond me," the Emperor proclaimed. "Which is why I have come to make you answer for your sins," in all his life, Krieg had never experienced fear. Closest would have been unease, but never once fear. Until now. Kneeling at the Emperor's feet, hearing those words spoken by his divine master brought fear to his soul. Not fear for his life, but fear of having failed his lord and savior.

"It saddens me to see such a loyal servant not only flaunt my decrees by fighting alongside xenos and heretics, but also commit treason by striking down his own comrade-in-arms. For all of these sins, and many more, there can be no excuse," the Emperor judged, slowly crushing Krieg's spirit with each word spoken. Here were all of his doubts laid bare on the Emperor's altar, and found unworthy in the eyes of his God.

"Don't listen to him, Krieg. He's lying to you," Aqualad spoke urgently. It brought a brief spark of hope, until it was crushed beneath iron hard faith. The Emperor's power was beyond mortal comprehension, to doubt his power was the first step on the path of heresy.

"There can be no doubt in the will of the Emperor," Krieg spoke monotonously, having relinquished his mind and will at the sight of the Emperor. Apparently, his team could not fathom the absurdness of questioning the Emperor, as Superboy stepped forward.

"Stop groveling at his feet like that. He's just an imposter, trying to trick you with..." whatever else he had planned to say were to remain unsaid as a beam of light struck him down.

"Superboy!" Miss Martian cried out in fear as she rushed to the Kryptonian's side.

"Please do not interfere. A father is talking to his unruly son here," the Emperor admonished before he turned his attention back to Krieg. "Because of your innumerable offences against my rule and my legacy, you have branded yourself as a heretic and a traitor to humanity. Before judgment is passed, what do you have to say for yourself," if Krieg was honest with himself, not much that could defend his actions. The Emperor had deemed him a heretic, and that marked the end of it for Krieg. But, since this would undoubtedly be his last moments, he felt that he had a few last words to say.

"I will not try to defend my actions. They have been deemed an affront to you, and so nothing I say will change it. But all I have ever done, all I ever will do, have always been in service to humanity. Never have my faith wavered, never have I sought to topple your might. My every action, from the day I took my oath to serve humanity, has been for the betterment of humanity,"

The Emperor was silent after Krieg's proclamation, and it made him wonder what could be going through his mind at that moment.

"While your words may hold truth to them, your actions cannot be undone. But you can redeem your soul," the Emperor finally announced. It brought hope to Krieg. Hope that he could still do that which was truly in service to the Emperor.

"Name it, my lord, and it shall be done," he spoke with conviction. He would walk straight into the maws of the Warp if the Emperor so commanded.

"Purge yourself of the taint which you willingly let into your life. Kill your teammates, then kill yourself. Only then will you have proven your devotion to me," the Emperor declared. It sent dread into the souls of the team, but it brought iron hard resolve to Krieg.

"It will be as you command, Emperor," he spoke before he picked his weapons up again and turned to face his former team, who were eying him warily.

"Don't do this Krieg, he's just lying to you. Have you already forgotten what we told you about this world?" Robin questioned while crouching into a fighting stance.

"The Emperor's word is law. His power is divine. There can be no lies or second-guessing of his words," Krieg countered coldly, raising his plasma pistol to aim straight at Robin's head. They were all ready for battle at that gesture, though the team had no wish to harm their friend.

"Please don't, Krieg. You're stronger than this. You can't allow yourself to fall for the same trick twice," Robin tried to reason, but Krieg was deaf to his words. The Emperor's words were final. Nothing else mattered except fulfilling his wishes.

"In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement. Ave Imperator," Krieg intoned lifelessly as he made ready to pull the trigger. That was when Miss Martian struck.

"NO!" she screamed in an unexpected burst of rage as she let loose a powerful psychic blast, but not at Krieg. Caught completely by surprise, the Emperor was unable to bring up a strong enough defense in time, and so was hit by the full power of Miss Martian's attack. With a roar of pain, his halo of light was shattered like glass and his true form was sent crashing into the ground. Krieg was in disbelief.

"My lord!" he cried out in shock, right before he turned towards the Martian with a murderous look in his hidden eyes. "Why you little…"

"Look at him!" Miss Martian interrupted him with a harsh tone none present had ever heard her use. "Look at him, and tell us that this is truly your beloved Emperor!" the fury behind her words was unlike anything Krieg had ever witnessed from the weak-willed xeno. And he actually found himself obeying her commands. But when he finally looked upon the true form of the entity lying on the floor, it was not the Emperor.

"Inquisitor Adrian Forge?" Krieg questioned in confusion, for it was indeed the elderly Ordo Hereticus agent. Said man had just managed to get back on his feet, brushing off some dirt from his sleeves.

"Well, it seems I underestimated your psychic strength, xeno scum. Too bad you won't survive through this," he commented offhandedly while straightening out his Inquisitorial greatcoat.

"Krieg, this man is the one behind this all. He's the one who's created this fantasy world," Miss Martian explained, never taking her eyes off their enemy. Krieg meanwhile was in stunned disbelief. How was it possible?

"Well, I suppose the jig's up. Pity, really. I was just starting to enjoy the performance," Adrian commented, sounding completely unconcerned by the act that he had five set of very angry eyes on him, and one bewildered pair.

"You impersonated the Emperor, all to trick me into killing myself?" Krieg asked quietly, still having trouble in believing that the greatest power in the universe could be so easily mimicked.

"Well of course. After those pesky teammates of yours came barging in and made you aware of the deception, I had to take drastic steps if I wanted to attain your body," he answered nonchalantly, chuckling mirthlessly at the confused looks he received. "Why else do you think I would go through all the trouble of creating a trap that would only kill your mind, but leave your body intact? I needed a physical from out in the mortal world," his explanation only raised even more questions.

"Why would you need something like that?" Aqualad asked suspiciously, receiving a diabolical grin from Adrian.

"To bring the full might of Chaos down upon the Earth," he answered. It instantly clicked in Krieg's mind.

"You're a Chaos cultist, a follower of the Ruinous Powers," he accused, receiving a mirthless laugh from his enemy.

"Guilty as charged," he confirmed, before suddenly grasping his chin in thought. "Though I might add that this is not solely to further the reach of Chaos. I also get the bonus of revenge against you," that only confused Krieg, since he was positive they had never met before, something he was quick to voice out loud.

"Oh yes, we have, soldier boy. Remember Helsink, and that final battle inside the palace?" Adrian inquired, gaining a certain furious edge to his tone at the end. The last piece of the puzzle finally fell into place.

"The Chaos sorcerer…" Krieg mumbled to himself, though both his team and Adrian heard him.

"Yes! You and the other slaves of the pathetic corpse Emperor barged into my throne room just as I was nearing completion of my great work. Then you had to go and ruin it all for me!" Adrian hissed out in anger, the memories bringing up his long buried hatred of the Death Korps Guardsman. "Because of your interference, my physical body was destroyed by the power of the Warp, torn asunder beyond recovery. I died, and all because of you!" he shouted that last part before he took a deep breath and seemed to recollect himself, regaining his earlier air of dignity.

"But that did not prove to be the end of me. Chaos rewards those who are faithful, and so granted me this second chance at life. They latched my soul into your body, just before you were sent back into the physical realm again. I have since lain dormant, waiting for the chance to finally take my revenge,"

While his monologue certainly helped fill in the blank spots in this whole mess, Krieg could only think of one thing once his speech came to an end; 'This guy certainly love the sound of his own voice,'

Krieg was certain that a fight would break out any moment now. In fact, he relished the chance now. This heretical bastard had toyed with him for too long, and he would feel the Emperor's justice served to him at the end of a chainsword. But to his great surprise, Aqualad suddenly stepped forward, placing himself between Adrian and Krieg.

"Well your plans will never be fulfilled now. You'll not be bringing any more evil to Earth, nor are you getting Krieg's body," he stated with finality. It caught Krieg completely by surprise. Was the abhuman seriously defending him now, when he mere moments ago had been close to killing them all? One by one, the rest of the team joined Aqualad, former a protective wall in front of Krieg. It truly baffled Krieg, along with Adrian.

"Are you really willing to protect scum like him?" Adrian inquired curiously as he gazed at the mismatched team standing before him. 'Two xenos, an abhuman, a mutant, a heretic and a Krieg Guardsman, working together as one team. Must admit, never saw that one coming,' he thought to himself with some level of amusement.

"You bet your ass we will! He's our friend, and we don't ditch each other!" Kid Flash proclaimed loudly. 'Again, since when did we become friends?' Krieg thought privately to himself. These heroes sure were a strange bunch. Suddenly, Adrian started clapping his hands in a mocking gesture.

"Bravo, bravo. Such great bravado you've shown. Yet ultimately, it's in vain," Adrian announced condescendingly, right before the tent seemed to dissolve, leaving the team standing out in the open. And they quickly found themselves surrounded on all sides by thousands of Krieg Guardsmen, all of them standing in ordered lines and ready for battle.

"Well, this just took a turn for the worse," Robin commented as he drew his eskrima sticks.

"This is the end of you all! Your death will mark the end of Earth as we know it! For Chaos!" Adrian shouted maniacally before he raised his hand in the air. "First rank, kneel!" obeying his command instantly, the first rank of Guardsmen went down on one knee. Tension mounted in the team as they formed a circle, awaiting the inevitable.

"Take aim!" as one, more than a hundred lasguns were raised and aimed at the team. But Adrian delayed in giving the final order, savoring his apparent victory and giving his foes a victorious grin. It was then that Krieg loudly snorted.

"How typical," he grumbled just loud enough for Adrian to hear him, wiping off the smirk from his face.

"What did you say?" he questioned. Krieg took the chance to break ranks and step forward, ignoring the protests of his team.

"I am saying how typical this is. In the end, only cowards follow Chaos, and you are proving it to be true here. Instead of facing me down by yourself, you let your minions do it for you as you are too scared to face me in battle," behind his mask, his mouth gave the faintest twitches. "In fact, that was why you created this world, am I right? You dared not defeat me with your own power, so you sought another way, one that would keep far away from any real harm," here, Krieg raised his chainsword and pointed it right at Adrian, "you truly are the textbook definition of a coward,"

By that point, Adrian was fuming in anger. Each word spoken by Krieg had served to further fan his flames of anger that had slowly began to burn in his soul.

"SHUT UP!" he roared in anger, signaling the Guardsmen to stand down. "I will not be insulted by a lowly grunt like you!" with a wave of his hand, dark and multicolored energies gathered in his palm. They came together to form a single shape, solidifying it into a black sword. With a weapon in hand, he mimicked Krieg's earlier gesture. Krieg understood the meaning behind it.

"Stay out of this," he told his team as he walked towards his adversary.

"What!? Are you crazy!?" Kid Flash asked, voicing the thought they all had. It caused Krieg to stop and turn around to face them.

"I thank you for the trouble you have gone through to aid me, but this is a fight I must finish alone," he responded before he turned back to face his enemy. Emotions rarely came easy to him, but this time, he easily felt his rage growing in him. This heretic had committed the grievous of blasphemies, and he would pay dearly for it. At first, they did nothing, merely analyzing each other. Then, Adrian made the first move.

"Death to the false Emperor!" he shouted as a war cry before he charged at Krieg, who silently mirrored his action while revving up his chainsword. They came together in a shower of sparks as sword met sword. A flurry of violent blows were exchanged, each being deflected or dodged. Adrian tried to slice Krieg's head off, but he bent back in a limbo moved and came up under Adrian's defenses. A sword strike that would have gutted Adrian was dodged before a counterstrike nearly knocked Krieg off his feet.

Adrian pushed the advantage, coming at Krieg with a wild barrage of slashes aimed at Krieg's sword. He blocked each of them, sending sparks flying, but he was forced back step by step. Then Adrian moved to strike from the left and Krieg tried to match him. But he merely switched sides and attacked Krieg from the right instead. Krieg tried to turn to face the attack, but the movement caused a quick spike of pain to flare up in his back, causing him to freeze up for a few seconds.

That was all the time Adrian needed to land a blow on Krieg. He desperately tried to move his body out of the way, but still received a deep wound on his side. 'Damn that lasgun wound,' Krieg thought to himself in annoyance. He staggered back from the blow, and Adrian struck again with a triumphant grin. Coming with an overhead strike, he nearly forced Krieg to his knees before Krieg struck back with a knee into Adrian's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

A decapitation strike from Krieg was dodged before Adrian leaped back to avoid getting cut in two down the middle. Krieg took the initiative and struck again, attacking with powerful blows that Adrian effortlessly blocked. Eventually, he knocked Krieg's blade aside and aimed to skewer him through the chest. Krieg had expected the attack and so sidestepped it before coming with an underhanded sword strike that nearly took Adrian's arm off.

He received a deep wound that forced him to switch sword arm, glaring at Krieg the whole time. Then they clashed with blades again. Their fight picked up in intensity, their blades moving like a blur as they struck each other again and again. Pain burned like a flame in Krieg's back, but he ignored it and focused all his energy on his opponent as he ducked under a swing and aimed a strike at Adrian's legs.

He leaped back right before Krieg could sever them, and Krieg sprung up again and attacked with a flurry of strikes. Adrian managed to parry them all, but as they locked blades again, Krieg pushed both their blades aside and stepped closer to ram an elbow into Adrian's face, breaking his nose. It caused him to stumble back in disorientation, and Krieg did not hesitate as he attacked again, aiming to remove the heretic's head from his shoulders.

"ENOUGH!" Adrian suddenly roared in anger, right before he let loose a blast of Warp energy straight at Krieg. He only had enough time to widen his eyes in shock before he vanished in an explosion of chaotic energy.

"KRIEG!" Miss Martian screamed in terror as she watched their comrade vanish. The rest of the team mirrored her anguish, anguish they turned to rage as they made ready to attack Adrian, who for his part was laughing maniacally.

"Yes! Yes! I finally killed that insolent little brat!" he shouted in pure joy. That joy proved short lived as a burning figure leaped out of the Warp flames, coming right at Adrian with an overhead strike. Caught completely off guard, Adrian was too slow in his reaction, and so his sword arm was cleaved off his body. Adrian screamed in pain as he clutched the stump that used to be his arm, breaking his concentration and making the flames go away.

It revealed a burned and barely standing Krieg. His uniform was in tatters, with blood gushing out of multiple deep wounds. He helmet and gasmask were gone, exposing his face. It was not a pretty sight. The right half of his head had been scorched black by the flames, and his right eyes was no more. Yet despite these crippling wound, Krieg remained standing, his single eye glaring at Adrian as he strode up to his hated adversary.

"I will only say this once, because that is all that you shall ever hear in this life," Krieg spoke as he clutched Adrian's throat. "Get out of my head," then, he drove his chainsword straight into his belly, cutting him wide open and spilling his innards out on the floor. Adrian screams of pain turned to gurgling noises as his lungs left his body. To finish it all off, Krieg delivered the final death stroke that severed Adrian's head. His body swiftly disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing behind.

With his task done, Krieg's strength left him and he nearly toppled over. His chainsword slipped from his numb fingers as he slowly turned to face his team. None of them had moved, they were frozen up from the brutal spectacle they had just beheld. He was about to say something to them, but he never got the chance before everything dissolved into a white light.

The next thing Krieg became aware of was slowly waking up in a bed of some sorts. He struggled to open his eyes, but they felt so heavy after days of not being used. But he refused to give up, and so finally forced them open all the way, where he was greeted with the familiar sight of the roof of the Cave's infirmary. That view however was replaced by the relieved face of Black Canary.

"He's awake, thank God," she announced. Absentmindedly, he could hear the groans and moans of his teammates as they no doubt woke up themselves.

"Is this real?" Krieg found himself asking. He could not help but feel a twinge of suspicion. It had all felt so real, who was to say this was not an illusion too? Black Canary smiled at him as she rested a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, this is the real deal, Krieg. It's over, you're safe now," she assured him. While loath to believe the words of a mutant, he allowed himself to do it this time. He was too tired anyway. With some effort, he began to push himself up into a sitting position, despite the protests of Black Canary.

"Take it easy! You've been through a lot, you should be resting and…" he ignored her words and waved her worries away.

"From what I have heard, I have been resting long enough," he answered dryly as he finally managed to sit up. Phantom pains from his imagined wounds still plagued him, but he ignored them in favour of running his hands over his face. Yep, the Glasgow smile was still there.

"Krieg!" the unmistakable voice of Robin shouted enthusiastically as he happily bounced over to Krieg's side, followed closely by the rest of the team. Black Canary took the chance to discreetly move away and join the team's mentors, standing in the background.

"You gave us quite the scare there, but it's good to have you back now," Robin announced happily, the rest of the team nodding in agreement. Krieg barely heard their words, his mind being somewhere else entirely. Eventually, they noticed his distant mind, and their happy mood was dampened.

"Krieg, is something the matter?" Aqualad asked in concern, at first, Krieg was silent, not uttering so much as a sound.

"I… I need time alone," he finally spoke with a quiet and subdued voice, right before he climbed out of bed. Completely disregarding the wounds he sustained from the Joker, he half walked, half limped out of the infirmary. The team made ready to follow him, to help him in whatever way they could, but Batman stopped them with an outstretched arm.

He did not utter a single word, just shook his head. He did not overly like the boy, and most certainly did not like his overly brutal methods, but he could understand what he was going through right now. Out of all those present, he had been the only one who saw the look in his eyes when he walked out, and it was a look he was all too familiar with.

After all, it was the same look he saw in a mirror every time he woke up after he had dreamt of his parents still being alive.

Night had fallen upon Happy Harbor. Not a soul was out during this dark time, everyone being at home, safely tucked into bed. All, except one, a lone drunkard who was stumbling along the road with a bottle of liquor in hand. With no discernable destination in mind, he aimlessly stumbled back and forth, until he collapsed into an alley.

"Fuck," he groaned out as he took another swig from his bottle. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him, and when he turned to the source, he found a cat seated on a trashcan, looking at him with curious eyes.

"What the hell are you looking at?" he slurred out while waving his hands clumsily in the air. The cat ignored his gestures, and seemed quite content to remain where it was. But then, it suddenly stood back up, the hairs on its back standing on end. The cat gave a warning hiss, baring its fangs in a threatening gesture.

"Oh, you wanna fight, ya little skank?" the drunkard growled as he clumsily staggered back to his feet. He was about to attack the cat in his drunken stupor, but the feline creature suddenly bolted in fright, leaving the drunkard to chuckle to himself.

"That's right, run away," he mocked as he, with unsteady feet, turned around to stumble out of the alley. He never got that far before something leaped at him. A mass of dark energy surged out of the shadows and slammed into the drunkard like a sledgehammer. He went down without a fight, and suddenly went into violent convulsions. He trashed around on the ground like a fish dragged out of water, froth gathering in his mouth. He tried to cry out in anguish, but his body would not obey him.

Without warning, his body stopped moving, and went limp like a corpse. He remained there on the ground for several minutes, unmoving. Then, he began to steadily climb back up. His body moved with jerky movements, like a puppet on strings. His eyes remained closed as he finally got back up on his feet, and only then did he open them again. But they were not the eyes of a mortal man anymore, for within those twin orbs now burned the unholy fires of the Warp.

With a diabolical smile, the man, or monster, strolled away from the alley without a sign of the earlier drunk movements, whistling a happy tune to himself.

Can you guess who made a cameo in his chapter?