Titans of the Multiverse
Pilot
Earth-16, Happy Harbor, 2 years into the future
"Babe, should we be up here?" A blonde teenager asked her boyfriend.
"Nobody comes up on this mountain anymore," He said smugly. "We have this mountain to ourselves! We can see everything up here!"
"You're right!"
The couple made out and before they could take it further, she spotted something in the sky.
"Babe, look! A shooting star!"
They looked and watched with fascination as it sped across the sky.
But then…
"Babe…" She slowly said. "It's coming this way!"
"Crap! We gotta run!"
They took off running, but they didn't get far as it crashed into the spot they once were. Bits of the earth came flying everywhere, covering the couple. They fell onto the ground screaming until their mouths became filled with dirt.
After everything settled down a while later, they got up and spat out the dirt. Then they turned back to where the meteor struck.
Except it wasn't a meteor.
What stood in the crater is a creature. It had pale skin with throbbing veins, it's bone white hair is braided and bunned. A black diamond is placed upon its forehead. What it's wearing seems to be made out of shadows.
It glared up at the couple with its red eyes. Then it screamed out something that they couldn't understand and it lunged at them.
5 years later
Salem sat upon a throne overlooking her army. It is composed of various Grimm and possessed humans. The last humans that were once free from her power, now they are pawns for her to use. They stood a row of circular gates, one in front of each battalion of her army. They were cheering for their Queen.
A soldier ran up to her and bowed.
"Milady, we are ready."
"Good." Salem stood up and addressed her legions.
"Silence!"
They fell silent. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"My subjects, today is a great moment for us. Years ago, my home is destroyed because of two brothers. Then I came upon this earth to start anew. The inhabitants treated me the same way as they did back on my home: a monster. So I have conquered their world and made it my own. When I have learned of the multiverse I asked myself: Why should we stop here?"
"That's why today begins our new campaign: the conquest of the multiverse!"
Her subjects cheered at this.
"That is why we stand here today! With the power of the relics and the gates, we will tear through the multiverse and conquer all! Their resources will become ours and anyone who stands against us will fall against us! So join me now as we witness history in the making!"
She gestured towards a possessed scientist and he gave an order. An assistant typed some keys into a computer. Immediately, the gates activated and a red portal opened up. Everyone stood in awe at the spectacle.
"We have the means to travel between dimensions! Thanks to the humans who foolishly believe that they can use it to rebel against me, we can go wherever we wish!"
"Now go forward!" Salem thrust her hands forward at her legions. "March across the fields that lay beyond our universe! Conquer their greatest cities! Destroy anyone who opposes you!
The crowd roared with approval. They raised their weapons high as they cheered for the carnage that awaits them.
Salem's smile made her face looked like it needed a makeover.
"TO WAR!"
Zero Zone
In a white, empty space, two people watched the events unfold. One is a dark-skinned man wearing armor with a cape behind him. Next to him stood a young man wearing dark green body armor. A hood covered his masked face, which looked cyberpunk in appearance.
"Do you see now, Prophet?"
"Yes Monitor," Prophet spoke, his mask distorted his voice. "Salem becomes the evilest dictator in the multiverse. Not surprising to me. So what do you want me to do about it?"
"You should know what this means," The Monitor, protector of the multiverse, explained. "The fate of the multiverse is in the balance. Left uncheck, Salem can spread her evil throughout every world and corrupt them. To save the multiverse, and your universe, she must be destroyed."
Prophet glared at the image of Salem, Remnant burning in the background.
"I'll need a team first."
Earth-16, Happy Harbor
The Team had just got back from rescuing Brion Markov's, AKA Geo-Force, sister Tara Markov from a metahuman fight club. Though she insists that she goes by Terra now.
Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing, stood inside the house of Connor Kent and M'gann M'orzz. Otherwise known respectively as Superboy and Miss Martian. Dick had short black hair and his attire is the standard stealth suit that most of his team wore. On his back is his two Eskrima sticks.
Standing next to the window is Artemis Crock, AKA Tigress, formerly known as Artemis. Her blonde hair is tied into a ponytail. Like Dick, she wore the same stealth suit, but she has two quivers of orange/brown bolts for her crossbow.
"M'gann's gonna kill me," Connor Kent, AKA Superboy, moaned. He wore a stealth suit of combat pants and a longsleeved shirt. With his black hair and blue eyes, he looked like a younger version of Superman.
"I'm not sure what to do with Vic," Dick walked toward the window, looking out where Victor Stone, Forager, Brion, Terra, and Violet Harper stood in a circle. "But Geo-Force, Terra, Halo, and Forager… maybe. Just maybe, they might be ready for the team."
"I certainly hope so for your sake."
Dick and Artemis whipped around to see Prophet standing in the room with them. He nodded at their stunned expressions.
"Because from my sources, one of them is going to end up betraying you."
"Who are you?" Connor demanded. "How did you get in here?"
"The same way you are going to get where we will talk."
The stranger raised a hand and suddenly, a white portal opened up with a howl beneath Dick and Artemis. It swallowed them up and it closed without a trace.
"Dick! Artemis!" Connor shouted. He rushed at the stranger and pinned him against the window, shattering it. "What have you done to them!"
"A more appropriate question is where," He strained against the pressure. "Rest assured they are alright. I mean, why on earth would I kill the three of you when I need you."
"What do you-" Suddenly, from beneath him, another portal opened up. Connor fell into the portal and the stranger pulled himself from his grip. The portal closed, and the stranger brushed himself off before realizing that Dr. Helga Jace is still in the room.
"Okay," Prophet held up his hands as if to assure her. "I know how it looks, but I mean no harm. I just want to talk to them about a mission."
"A mission?" She asked.
"Yep. But first…" He trailed off as feet thundered up the stairs. The rest of the team came up the stairs after hearing the racket. They looked around the room before glaring at him.
"What happened?" Jefferson Pierce, AKA Black Lightning, demanded. He is a middle-aged man with a black bear and mustache. Like the three, he wore a stealth suit. "Who are you?"
"Mr. Pierce, let me assure you that they are alright," Prophet assured again. "I've just sent them to an appropriate meeting point. But there is one more person that I need."
"Victor Stone," He turned his attention towards a teenager who wore a white sleeveless hoodie and black pants. The left side of his face is cybernetic and his left arm is the same. Light pulsed from red circuitry.
"Me?" Victor pointed to himself.
"Yep," Prophet raised a hand. "Let's just say that your talent is wasted on a simple football team."
A portal opened beneath him, and he fell in screaming. Pierce tried to grab him, but the portal closed.
"Don't worry, depending on how things go, you might see them again," Prophet said as a portal opened up behind him.
As he jumped into the portal, he muttered, "Okay, I could've worded that a bit differently."
Earth-201, U.A. Academy
Izuku Midoriya walked back to his dorm in the middle of the night. He had stayed behind to make up work for Mr. Aizawa. The boy had wild green hair and freckles on his face. He wore a t-shirt, shorts, and red sneakers.
Izuku gave out a sigh.
"I have a lot to make up for in the morning," He groaned.
"Hey! Deku!"
Izuku looked up to see his classmate Katsuki Bakugou walking toward him. He had short ash blonde hair that spiked upwards away from his head. He wore a black tank top, shorts, and sneakers.
He looked pretty angry him.
"What the hell are you playing at?!" He got into Izuku's face, causing him to sweat.
"What do you mean?" He asked confused.
"I mean this text, you dunce!" He shoved his phone in his face, showing the text in question. "You told me to meet you here at this time of night! DO you even know what time it is?!"
"What?! I didn't send you a text! Also, can you keep it down, people are trying to -"
"Too late."
Both of them turned to see Shoto Todoroki walking out of the dorm. He wore a white shirt underneath a jacket with jeans. His hair is split between white and red, with his left side sporting an ugly burn over his turquoise eye.
"So you got the message too?" He asked, pulling out his phone to Katsuki.
"Yeah! I'm sure Deku can explain it!"
"I keep telling you that I didn't send it!"
"My apologies, that would be me."
The three of them turned to see Prophet walking toward them.
"That was the only way to get the three of you together," he explained. He gave an apologetic look to Izuku. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience."
"Who the hell are you?!" Katsuki demanded.
"How did you get past the defense systems," Shoto asked.
"I'm just a guy who believes that the multiverse needs heroes like you," He held up a hand. "As for how I got in. Let's just say I have a quirk that grants me dimensional travel."
"Multiverse? Dimensional travel?" Izuku began to ask. "What are you talking-"
A white portal opened beneath them.
"- about?"
The three of them fell into the portal screaming.
"Good grief, again with the screaming," Prophet palmed his face as the portal closed. "If any of these guys decide to join me, I'm going to ask that they stop it."
The lights in the dormitory began to turn on.
"Well, I better go before I'm charged with kidnapping."
Zero Zone
Dick groaned as he got up. Everywhere he looked, it's an endless white void. He could make out anyone in the area.
Turning around, he saw one of his teammates.
"Artemis!" He rushed to her side.
"Dick?" Artemis groaned and got up. She glanced around at the white void. "Any idea where we are?"
"No idea," Dick answered. Then the image of the stranger popped into his head. "But I bet he does…"
"Dick! Artemis!" They turned to see a black silhouette rushing toward them. As it drew near, it became focused and revealed to be their friend Connor Kent.
"Connor!" Dick helped Artemis up. "So you're here too?"
"Yep," Connor nodded. "That guy sent me here."
"Any idea why?"
"He said that he needs us for something."
"For what?" Artemis asked skeptically. "What would he need us for?"
"I'm with Artemis on that one," They all turned to see Victor Stone walking up to them. "Finally, I was getting worried that I wouldn't find anyone in this… whatever this place is."
"Victor!" Dick looked surprised at his sudden appearance. "So he brought you here as well? But why?"
Before they could continue, another portal opened up beneath them. The three of them disengaged as three more figures dropped into a pile. They could tell that they are old enough to be in high school, but it was their unnatural hair color that got their attention.
"Owww… I think my leg almost broke…"
"So get the hell off me Deku!"
"Will you two get off of me?"
They struggled to get up before realizing that they aren't the only ones in the area. Leaping up, they got into defensive positions. Katsuki let out a few explosions in an attempt to intimidate the four other people. Shoto lit his left side on fire, setting it ablaze. Izuku got into a basic combat stance, but unlike the others, he didn't activate his quirk.
"All right! Who the hell are you assholes!" Katsuki demanded. "Are you with that bastard who sent us here?!"
"Easy kid," Connor placated his hands as a sign of peace. "We're in the same boat as you are. We got sent here as well."
"Kacchan, I think we should listen to them," Izuku said calmly. "They might not be our enemy."
"I agree," Shoto extinguished his flame. "It would be folly to attack anyone without knowing the whole situation."
Katsuki grunted and lightened his hostility. Only for a bit.
"I quite agree."
Everyone turned to see the person who brought them all here. The trenchcoat confirmed it. Before any of them could rush at him, he held up his hands in mock peace.
"Now, before we do anything we might regret, let me say two things. First: I apologize for taking you here in this abrupt manner. Second: I have a good reason for bringing you all here."
"So why shouldn't we smash you here and now?" Connor gritted his teeth. "And where are we?"
"We are in the Zero Zone," He explained. "This is a place between universes. Almost nothing exists here, making it a popular place to either dump undesirables or meet up secretly. Like right now. Also, do you think it's a good idea to smash the only guy who can get you out of here?"
Everyone knew that what he is saying is true. It's very unlikely that they would be able to find someone else in this place to take them all home if they are willing. So that meant only one thing.
"All right," Dick gestured everyone to stand down. "Let's hear it. Why did you bring us all here?"
"Allow me to introduce myself first," His mask collapsed showing his short black hair and blue eyes. He was grinning. "You can call me Prophet, as for why I brought you here…"
His face became serious.
"It's because the multiverse is being threatened. I need your help to save it."
That took everyone by surprise.
"The multiverse?" Izuku exclaimed. "You mean that theory about … with all the parallel worlds and all the… it's actually real?!"
"I would believe it," Connor said. "I mean, after living in a world of metahumans and aliens, I wouldn't be surprised if even dimensional travel is real. Like, we're looking at a guy who can travel between dimensions."
"Wait! You have aliens?" Izuku asked. "Actual aliens? As in not from this planet Aliens?"
"Uh, yeah," Connor slowly said before Izuku rushed to him.
"Whatkindsoflifeformsarethere?Whataretheirabilites?Cantheyspeakandunderstandenglish?Also,areyou-"
"DEKU KNOCK IT OFF!" Katsuki shouted. "We're trying to listen here!"
"Yes," Artemis agreed as Izuku covered his mouth in shame. "You said that the multiverse is in danger. From what exactly?"
"From her," Prophet held up his arm and a device materialized into his hand. He tossed it in front of them and it materialized the image of Salem. "What you see before you is Salem. An evil sorceress that has lived for thousands of years on the planet Remnant. Which I might add, is currently in your universe."
He directed the last part at Dick and his team.
"Wait," Connor interrupted. "If she's on another planet, how is she going to be a problem for us."
Prophet glared at him. "Do you know what happened to Krypton? Supermans home planet?"
"It got destroyed…" Realization dawned on his face. "Remnant got destroyed didn't it?"
"Yes," Prophet growled. "Exactly two years from now, Salem will destroy her planet and she will find herself here. She'll conquer everyone on this earth and use their technology to invade the multiverse. Every hero will be corrupted, and every world will burn because of her."
Everyone flinched at the venom of his voice.
"But anyway, that is why we are here. If we are to prevent that future from coming to light, Salem must be defeated. I will only tell you more, but I need to be sure who is coming or not. So who's with me?"
"Look, as much as I want to help you," Dick said. "We have problems of our own. Do you think we can just put everything aside to help you right now?"
Prophet stretched out a hand, and it temporarily disappeared into a small vortex. When he retracted it, he held a thick file in it. He walked over to Dick and gave him the file.
"What's this?"
"That is a list of The Lights enforcers," Prophet said. "Which by the way, are behind the metahuman trafficking ring."
"The Light?!" Artemis exclaimed, she walked over and snatched the folder from Dick. "That's impossible!"
"Did you really think that it will be that easy?" Prophet asked, glaring at her. "The Light is like a swarm of roaches. You can scatter them, hell even smash them, but they will eventually get back together. I also have a file on the names of who is still on the council."
"How do you know all of this?" Connor asked.
Prophet gave him a grin. "From where I came from, everything about the people in this space is pop culture. I know all of your identities, your secrets, and even your most embarrassing moments."
"For example," He teleported behind Izuku and whispered something into his ear. Whatever it was made him flinch and pale. "H-how did you know that?!"
Then he teleported near Dick and whispered, "Bruce Wayne is Batman and your girlfriend, Barbara Gordon, is Oracle."
Dick jumped. "Let me guess, we are popular in your world."
"As I said, pop culture," He walked back to Dick. "If you want the rest, consider it payment for coming on this mission."
"As for you guys," He addressed the students of U.A. "I selected the three of you because my world considers you the top three heroes of your world."
"What!" Izuku shouted.
"Which rank am I?" Katsuki demanded. "I'm first aren't I!"
Shoto was the only one who remained silent.
"Yes," Prophet nodded. "And right now, you have a chance to save your universe from someone worse than All For One. If you ignore this, do you think you can live without the thought that you could've done something?"
He let silence fall in the space.
"But I am not here to force anything on you," Prophet snapped his fingers, and two vortexes appeared. "Take some time to think about it. I've sent you a location on your phones to meet me. I'm prepared to accept your final answer at the time mentioned."
He gestured towards the portals.
"But what if we decide now?" Izuku asked.
"Same here," Dick said. "What if I decide to come with you right now."
"You still need time to settle anything you'll regret," Prophet said. "For all you know, you could die on this mission. So don't leave with regrets."
"One more thing before you go," He spoke to Dick. "Tell Brion this: Beware of those closest to him."
"What do you mean?"
He gestured politely toward the vortexes. Dick took the message and exited through the left portal, Connor, and Artemis following after him. Izuku and his classmates exited through the opposite portal. Victor made to follow, but he was stopped by the Prophet.
"Wait for one second Victor," He closed the portals. "I wanted to give something to you."
"What is it?" He asked. Prophet reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a box. He held it out to Victor, who cradled it in his arms.
"I get that you want to live a normal life," Prophet said. "But sometimes, normal can be hard to define. You are not the only one who's suffered what you have been through. Many of them have trouble finding their way. This will hopefully help you find yours."
"What's in the box?" Victor wondered. His cybernetic eye scanned the box. "Books and DVD's? How this suppose to help me?"
"Nevermind that. How you live your life is up to you, but don't try to sell yourself short of living a simple life. Dare to see what you could become."
He opened another vortex.
"Think about it, Victor."
Victor looked at him for a moment, then walked into the portal.
Earth-16, Happy Harbor
Dick finished packing the suitcase of his essentials a few hours after the incident. The file that Prophet had given him laid open on his bed, its contents scattered showing different enforcers for The Light. He already sent it over to Barbara Gordon, AKA Oracle, his girlfriend.
"Dick, this is groundbreaking," Barbara said over his watch, which he placed on the desk. "How did you get this information?"
"The same guy who has information on The Light's inner circle," Dick said as he picked up his suitcase.
"How do you know you could trust him, Dick?" Barbara asked. "For all we know, he could be working for them."
"He didn't seem like the reason to lie," Dick picked up the watch and strapped it back to his wrist. "Besides, if what he says is true, he could be a reliant source of information. Think about it, Barbara, this guy even knew who you are and you didn't even meet him. He even knew who Bruce is."
"If that's the case, then Batman isn't going to be happy about someone knowing his secret identity."
"I can tell," Dick chuckled. "I'll probably be gone for a long time. Connor and Artemis will take over for me for the team. Please give them your assistance."
"I will," Barbara grew silent. Then she asked, "What about that other thing he said."
"From the way he spoke, he must be referring to someone in Brion's family," Dick said in a serious tone. "Also, from how he spoke before he sent me to the Zero Zone, he must be talking about Terra."
"You don't think that she's a traitor, do you?"
"I don't want to believe it, but then there was Arsenal," Dick spoke in a shudder. He remembered when Will Harper had been cloned from the real Roy Harper to be a spy for The Light. The guy placed the Justice League under mind control with pieces of Starro. He now spends his days with his wife Jade Crock.
"I'll do a background check on her," Barbara interrupted his thoughts. "In the meantime, how will you deal with her?"
"I've passed on the message to Brion and asked her to keep an eye on her," Dick sighed. "I don't want to imagine what would happen if it's true. I'll try to talk to Prophet about it. I gotta go, I'll call you as soon as I come back."
"Okay, and Dick," She sounded hesitant over the line. "Be careful."
"I will," He smiled and cut the line. He walked toward the door, and to his surprise, Connor and Artemis stood outside. Behind them stood cases of their luggage.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We're coming with you," Connor firmly stated.
"You can't," Dick protested. "I need you to take charge of the team while I am gone."
"We've put Pierce in charge," Artemis said. "He'll watch over the team while we are away."
"Before you object," Connor held up a hand. "You should know that if you're thinking about going alone, you are welcome to stop us. Besides, between you and M'gann, who do you think I fear the most?"
"Likewise," Artemis pulls out a blowdart. "Or, I could just knock you out and drag you to the rendezvous point. We'll say that you overslept and we have to drag you over there."
Dick knew that there was no stopping them at this point. He knew he couldn't match Connor in strength and Artemis is a good shot with that blowdart. Despite this, he let out a smile.
"Besides, I'm not about to let some evil sorceress have her way with our planet," Connor said in a serious tone. "I don't care if she is immortal, she's going down."
"Same here," Artemis said in the same tone. "Let's go kick her butt."
"Yep," Dick grinned. "This already feels like the old days."
Earth-201, U.A. Academy
Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto stood in front of the desk of their school principal. Behind them are metal cases that contain their hero gear. They woke up early to submit a form of leave to him. It's signed by all of their teachers, consenting their leave.
"To be honest, I'm quite surprised that all three of you have urgent business overseas," Principal Nezu addressed the students. Unlike the rest of the world, he is a mouse with superior intelligence than humans because of his quirk "High-Spec". Thanks to this, he is able to live in society as a regular being. "Could you explain the nature of your business? I'm curious about how all three of you have to leave coincidentally."
Katsuki and Shoto couldn't give an answer. It was Izuku that spoke up.
"We may be leaving at the same time. But I can assure you, our business is very dire for our families."
"How so? And I couldn't help but wonder why you have your costumes and gear with you."
Izuku gulped, knowing he couldn't tell him about the multiverse or Salem. Overnight, they talked about whether they should go. They agreed that while they prefer to stay in school, they couldn't let it slide.
They would never forgive themselves if anything happened to their families. Shoto is already on a reconciling period with his father and Katsuki already declared he would blow Salem to so many pieces she'll have to be stitched back together. Izuku couldn't bear to see his mother suffer from the evil sorceress.
So that is why Izuku looked determined when he spoke to the principal.
"Our families need our help, and we feel it is our duty as heroes to help them."
Earth-16, Happy Harbor
Cyborg laid on his back, his limbs sliced off. Around him, surrounded by a red aura, floated his teammates. Just like him, they were defeated by those evil look-alikes of him. Standing in front of him is the man responsible for this. Just like him, he is a cyborg, but his circuitry is red in contrast to his blue.
"You should have accepted my first offer Cyborg," Brother Blood said in a smug manner as he levitated Cyborg off the ground. "I could have made a man out of you."
Two robots pulled up behind him. Brother Blood called them his Cyclones, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Except that their circuitry is yellow and the armor is bronze. They are completely mechanized versions of him.
"I still could, you know."
Cyborg quietly growled, "You can take your offer and blow it out your -"
"Insolent child!" Blood angrily got into his face and reached out a hand to grasp a component through his chest wound.
"Where is it, Cyborg? I've combed through your blueprints, peeled back your armor, stripped off your machinery! But still, you defy me! Where in this vile contraption is the part that allows you to resist ?!"
Cyborg's eyes had been closed throughout the ordeal. Then, his eyes opened wide, as if he had just grasped a simple yet elusive truth. The red aura becomes blue as he grinned wickedly.
"It's not in the circuitry, is it?" He asked a stunned Blood. "It's not the machine that resists you…"
A flash sent the villain to the ground.
"...It's me! My spirit!"
The two robots behind Blood began to disintegrate, the pieces glowing blue and floating from their metal bodies. The pieces floated toward the still levitating Cyborg, they assembled to regenerate his smashed body.
"That's the part you can't break!" He shouted as his legs finished putting themselves back together.
Blood let out a terrified gasp as Cyborg towered over him.
"I don't need you to make me a man," He declared. "I already am one!"
In one swift motion, Blood got on his feet and began punching the big cyborg, but he only hit the air. He let out a vicious snarl as he sweeps a hand to send a wave of force across the roof. It merely curled around Cyborg and dissipates with no effect. Blood's next attack is a flying kick that he easily avoids, followed by a flurry of punches that don't even come close. Cyborg stops it by seizing Blood's fist; when the other one comes up, he grabs it as well and begins to bear down upon him. Blood's knees began to buckle until one knee hits the surface as he tries to break the hold.
Then, his hands began to crackle as it began to break apart from the strain. Finally, it shattered along with his arms.
"NOOO!" Blood screamed.
Cyborg silently regarded him, then comes up with a spin kick that sends the villain almost over the edge, knocking him out.
"Boo-yah."
The video paused. Then it rewound back to the part where Cyborg towered over Blood. It played, and he spoke the same words.
"I don't need you to make me a man. I already am one!"
Victor Stone hit the pause button again and stared at his counterpart. After he got back to the house, he opened up the box and got a shock. Everything on them is him but under the name Cyborg.
He already read through the comics. His counterparts had been through the same thing: they get into an accident that ruined their lives and their father fuses him with technology to save him. Later on, they become heroes fighting side by side with the Justice League and the Teen Titans.
He nearly binged watched the animated series. It was different, but his counterpart has been in the same struggle as he has. But instead of seeking a normal life, he accepted it, declaring that his cybernetics are part of who he is to an android trying to fully mechanize him.
Watching and reading all of that got him thinking. He once thought of his cybernetics as a curse, but after reading and watching the things Prophet gave him, he wondered the possibilities. The idea may not have appealed to him, but maybe he can make something out of this.
How you live your life is up to you, but don't try to sell yourself short of living a simple life. Dare to see what you could become.
Victor looked at the image of his animated counterpart, then he picked up a comic and leafed through it. He got to the part where his New 52 counterpart teams up with the Metal Men to face off against his evil version Grid. Grid had brought him into the Digital Universe and reduced him to his original form and proceeded to kill him. He was berating him about how he longs for his original body while he could use the power that it could provide him.
"Human. Tech. I don't choose sides Grid." He told the mechanical menace. "I'm the bridge between them. I'm a Cyborg."
Then he calls Grid a computer virus with delusions of grandeur and cuts him off from the outside world. Then he goes off to save the Justice League from the Crime Syndicate. Somewhere out in the multiverse, it actually happened.
If he could do it, why couldn't he?
Undisclosed Location
"How are things on the other side, Maero?" Prophet asked a pale-skinned woman through a portal he is using as a window. Her hair is black as night and she wore an emerald suit like him, complete with a long coat. Red eyes stared at him.
"We're preparing for the worst-case scenario," Maero replied. "We're putting every Sentinel on high alert. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"It's the only way to prevent this from happening," Prophet spoke with steel. "We only have one year before this happens. I'm not taking any chances."
"OK," Maero sighed. "Just be careful bro."
"OK, sis. See you when I get home." He cut the connection and placed two fingers and a thumb on his face.
Footsteps came from behind him. He turned around to see Dick, Connor, and Artemis standing with him int the clearing.
"Good to see you, so have you thought about it?"
"We have," Dick spoke up. "We'll do it."
"Why?" Prophet asked, surprising them. "We just met and you have no reason to trust me. Then you have your own issues here. So why?"
"Because we aren't going to let that happen," Connor declared stepping forward. "We may not have known each other, but I'm not going to let some old lady destroy our world."
"Likewise," Artemis stepped forward as well. "You went through a lot of trouble to get us together. So why ask us to back out now?"
"You also knew about our lives," Dick stepped forward. "If you knew that, then you must know what's going to happen on this earth. The way I see it, we're helping each other. You help us, we help you."
Prophet took this into consideration, then he pulled out another file from his pocket dimension and gave it to Dick.
"Good," Prophet smiled. "Consider this your advance payment. You might want to forward that to Oracle when we get on the ship."
"Ship?"
"Yep." Prophet clapped his hands and the air shimmered to reveal a huge space vessel. Turbine engines took up position along the front and back, two for each side. The stern-faced them as the bay doors lowered to provide a ramp.
"This is my ship the Oddysey," He proudly spoke as the loading dock lowered from the bottom. "I know it's a mouthful but it works. It used to be a supply craft, now it's a mobile base of operations. You guys are the second group to arrive."
"Second?" Dick looked and he saw the three U.A. students. The boy, Izuku, is currently fawning all over the ships bay. Katsuki is sitting on a crate with Shoto getting irritated by his rambling. The latter is reading a book that he brought along with him. They stopped what they were doing to look when the bay doors opened.
"Head on inside," He gestured toward the ship. "We'll lift off after I give you all the tour."
"Hold up!"
Everyone turned to see Victor running toward them with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Vic, what are you doing here?" Artemis asked.
"I want to come with you guys," Victor replied.
"Vic, this is dangerous…" Connor tried to dissuade.
"As dangerous as being fused with advanced technology?" Vic narrowed his eyes as he asked. "Or being hacked by a computer virus with a delusion of control?"
"It's not that…"
"Look, I gave it a lot of thought, but I figure I would give this a shot," He said surprising them. "I want in on the team."
"Are you sure?" Dick asked. "I mean, you could stay with the team here and-"
"Go back to living a normal life?" Vic asked, surprising them. He looked at his cybernetic hand. "My life took a turn the moment my body became like this. I was afraid that I lose myself, but then I realized something. No matter how much I lost, I will still be me. That will be the part of me that will never break. Besides, I know a lot about technology that will be helpful for this mission. The way I see it, you could benefit from having me on your team. So are we good?"
Nobody spoke for a moment. Then Dick steps forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Glad to have you on the team, Vic."
Vic smiled. "Don't call me that in the field. Call me Cyborg."
After the tour of the Oddysey, the group got onto the bridge. It is a spacious room with a terminal in the center. A hologram of Earth shone above it, showing landmass and oceans with ninety percent accuracy and changing. Newsfeeds streamed from computer monitors and information about the Oddysey's status.
"Welcome to the bridge everyone," Prophet turned to the rest of the group. "This is the central nervous system of the Vector. From here, we can conduct our briefings for the mission we are to embark. That reminds me, I should introduce you to our resident A.I."
At his cue, the globe switched to a bald green head. It turned to the astonished group and addressed them with its empty eyes.
"Greetings! I am Jane. I will be providing assistance from here on out. If you have any questions, let me know."
"An A.I.?" Cyborg asked skeptically. "Are you sure you aren't going to… you know…"
Jane chuckled causing Cyborg to jump in surprise. "I can assure you Victor Stone that I'm not going to run rampant. My existence may be digital but I have my own will."
"Jane is an A.I. with a conscience," Prophet explained. "Meaning she can do things that you don't expect her to do. Like, make a corny joke."
"You sound like Rachel, Prophet" Jane snarked. "Which reminds me, she's on her way here right now."
"Good, the others will be thrilled to meet her," Prophet smiled. "Could you prep the ship for lift off in the meantime?"
"Will do." She flickered out and the globe took over her position.
"Who's Rachel?" Izuku asked.
"She's..." Whatever Prophet wanted to say was interrupted as he jumped back from a black silhouette emerging from the floor.
The black aura diminished, revealing a pale skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair and violet eyes. She wore a blue dress with a black skirt, black jacket, fingerless gloves, and a red jewel pendant.
She gazed at the new arrivals with a stoic expression.
"Good grief, Rachel!" Prophet exclaimed. "I told you not to do that! Use the door!"
"I'm glad to see you," She dryly remarked then turned to the others. "I take it this is the rest of the team?"
"Yep," Prophet answered with a small pop at the end. "Everyone, meet Rachel Roth. But in the field, call her Raven. She's also from Earth-16, but I'll end it here. The rest will be up to her to share. Just one piece of advice: do not get too emotional, it's bad for everybody."
"What he said," Rachel agreed and to the rest of the team, "Hello."
Victor stepped forward. "Wait. You're THE Raven? As in…"
"Yes."
"The Daughter of…"
"Yes."
"The…"
"Yes." Raven put emphasis on the word and Victor got the message. He placated his hands and stepped back
"Sorry… It's just that, for what it's worth…"
"You also have father troubles?" Raven asked, surprising him temporarily.
"Uh, yeah. Lemme guess? Empathy?"
"Yep."
"Alright, you two know each other," Prophet broke up the conversation between the two. He pressed a button on the terminal and seats emerged from the floor, forming a circle around it. "Meantime, it's best we get strapped in for liftoff."
"Affirmative," Jane replaced the globe again. "The power core is stable and the hyperspace drive is operational. I would advise you to get seated, for this will get bumpy."
Nobody made an argument and they got down on their seats. A safety bar latched onto them, securing them. The globe zoomed in on a miniature version of the Odyssey.
"Lifting off," Jane announced.
With a rumble, they felt the ship lifting off the ground. It continued as it rose away from the earth below them. On the terminal, it was making its way out of the atmosphere. For a moment, they felt weightless as gravity lost its effect on them.
"Activating artificial gravity."
Then gravity restored as the artificial gravity generators kicked in. Their feet returned to the ground.
"We are entering Slip Space in 5…"
"Hey guys," Prophet got everyone's attention. "Just wanted to say…"
"4…"
"Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me."
"3…"
"Don't mention it," Dick said. "We all have something to lose if we don't stop Salem."
"2…"
"Just one thing before we go."
"1."
"NO SCREAMING!"
The Odyssey entered hyperspace, sending them on a course to planet Remnant. This is the beginning of their war against Salem.
Despite all of this, they still screamed.
"Oh, good grief."
Thanks for reading!