The calculated march of the emerald beast towards Aqualad's aquatic domain was a haunting witness to its new intelligence. The rumbling growl that came from it was not one of mindless rage, but the overture to a calculated act of conquest. In their weakened coffins, the young heroes prepared for the inevitable.
Zatanna, straining against the effort of her weakened shield, concentrated what remained of her energy, organizing a devastating attack spell as a final option. Michael, his thoughts shouting back against the crushing darkness and the impending danger, searched their environment, frantically looking for any environmental edge, any flaw in their entombment or in the green monster itself.
"It's going to crush us," Wally breathed, his voice constricted with fear.
Not if we can prevent it," Robin shot back, his own voice unexpectedly calm in the face of the obvious terror. He triggered a chain of tiny EMP devices on the outside of Aqualad's water bubble, praying a targeted blast of energy could temporarily desynchronize the emerald monster's turbulent aura.
As the emerald monster towered over Aqualad's domain, its clawed hands outstretched, Robin activated the EMPs. A wave of blue energy spread out from the sea, slamming into the beast's legs. The monster stumbled back with a howl of pain, its emerald eyes temporarily faltering, but the chaos was brief, its errant energy adapting rapidly and counteracting the technological attack.
"Useless," Robin complained, his optimism fading.
Michael had, however, seen something in the reaction of the beast – a flash of weakness, a brief perturbation in its otherwise smooth dominance of the ragged energies. It wasn't invulnerable to outside forces, just extremely resistant.
"Zatanna," Michael said, speaking over the taut quiet. "When I give the word, release everything you can at its center. Target breaking the flow of chaotic energy inside it."
Zatanna nodded tightly, concentrating her remaining magical energies, her hands crackling with raw arcane force.
Michael moved on to the structural stability of their prison. The secondary collapse that Umbra had induced had redistributed the rubble, introducing fresh areas of stress and possible instability. He concentrated his Libriomancy, not on reshaping the physical reality, but on sensing the hidden vulnerabilities in the deranged forces that now held them captive. He aimed to strengthen those vulnerabilities, to establish a localized area of weakness that Zatanna could attack.
Aqualad," Michael commanded, his tone low and intense. "Can you provide a concentrated, high-pressured stream of water at the area on its chest where the emerald light is strongest? A quick, concentrated blast."
Aqualad, comprehending the desperation of the plan, nodded, his hands absorbing Atlantean energy as he readied his water-bearers.
Wally, Robin," Michael went on, his eyes flicking between the two young heroes. "When the monster is briefly off-balance, take advantage of your speed and agility to make a distraction, draw its attention to yourselves."
"Got it," Wally answered, a whir of nervous energy around him.
"Understood," Robin confirmed, his stance tense but firm.
Michael breathed deeply, gathering his will. He stretched out with his senses, sensing the crushing burden of the rubble, the pulsating frenetic power of the emerald beast, and the thin strings of instability within it. He strengthened those strings, building a mental focus, a target for Zatanna's magic.
"Now!" Michael ordered.
Together, their desperate scheme was enacted. Aqualad deployed a concentrated stream of super-pressurized water, hitting the green monster squarely in the chest, at the center where the raging energy appeared to be most concentrated. The monster let out a scream of shock and agony, taken aback by the sudden attack.
At the same moment, Zatanna unleashed a stream of raw arcane energy, directing it with laser-like precision to the very same weak point. The magical force struck the monster, interrupting the flow of disordered power within it, and sending it writhing in agony.
Wally and Robin burst out of Aqualad's faltering water bubble, a blur of acrobatic motion and speed, whipping past the emerald beast, firing sonic disruptors and energy pellets, bringing its furious attention to themselves.
In the turmoil, Michael concentrated his Libriomancy again, this time on the structural faults within the rubble above them, stressing the already present stresses, pushing the direction of their confinement toward a possible, though risky, escape path. The earth above them creaked threateningly. The symphony of informed risk had commenced, and all they could hold onto was the specter of hope that their desperate gamble might open a road to liberation before their cage became their grave.