DISCLAIMER: I do not own Injustice, the characters involved, or the storyline. All ownership belongs to NetherRealm Studios, WB Games, and DC Comics.
Author's notes:My last chapter was actually a lot shorter than I thought it would be. I wanted to make it longer, but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to continue it right then. In this chapter I introduce Edgeworth, the OC for this story(and possibly series, depending on how much I enjoy writing this). Please leave a review telling me if you enjoyed, and(if possible), tell me how I can improve. Without further ado, enjoy chapter 2.
Chapter 2:The New Guy on the Block
There he lay, with Cyborg's plasma cannon aimed at his face. Cyborg's right leg crushing Jason's ribs, causing him to groan in pain. "Any last words, punk?" Cyborg asked Jason as his cannon charged up.
"Go to hell," Jason growled before stabbing his knife into Cyborg's cannon, causing it to backfire and send him flying ten feet, landing on his back, hard. Jason pushed himself to his feet. Cyborg struggled to get up, as the gun's explosion caused his hand to malfunction and get locked in that form. Cyborg turns his left arm into a sonic cannon and immediately fired a concentrated blast at Jason, sending him sliding along the ground, and he barely kept his footing. As Cyborg kept firing, a knife flew through the air and embedded itself into his sonic cannon, disabling it.
"Who now?" Cyborg asked as he knocked the knife loose and reverted his left arm back to normal.
"I'm surprised your men didn't inform you Cyborg," the attacker replied. Jason and Cyborg looked in his direction and saw a man wearing a large cloak capable of covering his entire body. He wore a belt of knives across his torso, and another belt around his waist. He also wore a heavily armored helmet and suit. Everyone currently engaged in battle immediately stopped to look at him, with the Regime soldiers ready to fire at Cyborg's command.
"Who is that?" Aquaman asked out loud.
"So long as he's friendly, I don't think it matters right now," Deathstroke replied, before decapitating one of the Regime soldiers. The unidentified combatant lunged at Cyborg, tackling him to the ground, then launching himself up in almost one fluid motion.
"Whoa," Jason says as he arms himself with his pistols. He opened fire, killing five soldiers in less that a second. Cyborg pushed himself to his feet and kicked the cloaked man, but he countered by grabbing his foot and using it to flip Cyborg into the air, then dropkicks him twenty feet away. As Cyborg stood up, Batman exited the cavern, carrying Nightwing over his shoulder.
"We need to get him back, now!" Batman shouts to Cyborg. Cyborg growls in frustration as he opens a Boom Tube portal and the Regime begins to retreat.
"This isn't over rookies," Cyborg says as he retreats into the portal, which closes behind him.
"Well," the cloaked man said, "that was surreal." Aquaman, Red Hood, and Deathstroke look at him in curiosity. Red Hood pointed one of his pistols at him, demanding to know his name. In less than a second, the man was behind Jason, twisting his arm behind him, making him drop his gun.
"You can call me Edgeworth," the man said as he released Red Hood. Red Hood picks up his gun, and promptly holsters it.
"My name is-" Jason starts.
"Jason Todd," Edgeworth interrupts him, then turns to the others, "Arthur Curry and Slade Wilson." he says, looking at each of them as he says their name. They all look in surprise at Edgeworth, and Aquaman is the first to respond verbally.
"How do you know our names?" He asked Edgeworth.
"It's easy," Edgeworth answered, "when you have access to the old Justice League database. And for Jason, it was a matter of matching his voice print. Now, anymore questions, or can we leave before the Regime sends in more forces."
"The only safer place is Atlantis with its magical barrier," Aquaman replies.
"And you're just going to let us in?" Edgeworth asked, with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"I see no other option," Aquaman responded, "With Superman after us, we are better as a united force than individual fighters." Edgeworth stares at Aquaman for a moment before silently nodding his head.
"Lead the way," Edgeworth said, gesturing in front of them. Aquaman proceeded to leed them, with Slade and Jason following close behind him. Edgeworth waited for a moment, then followed behind them.
Brainiac's Skull Ship is still orbiting the Earth. Nightwing, Batman, and Cyborg were in the newly constructed infirmary getting patched up, or repaired in Cyborg's case. Batman only had minor injuries, and only had to get bullets removed from his legs and a few cuts patched. Cyborg had to completely recalibrate his systems in order to get his plasma cannon back into complete functionality. Nightwing looked like he would need more medical attention. He had several broken ribs and his jaw was shattered. He also didn't look like he'd be conscious again for 24 hours at least. The surviving Regime soldiers reported the results of the failed mission to Wonder Woman and Superman.
"So, Deathstroke and Aquaman, you say," Superman said quietly, deep in thought.
"And the Red Hood," one soldier said.
"We would have had them, but there was last minute interference by some man in a black cloak, helmet, and a heavily armored suit," another soldier said shortly after.
"The same description of the man who's been taking out our outposts in Central City," Wonder Woman noted to Superman.
"It seems he's getting bolder, whoever he is," Superman said, "Get Flash, Arrow, and Canary out there. I want them found and brought in as soon as possible." The soldiers saluted before leaving. Shortly after the soldiers left, Batman entered the room.
"Kal, if I may," he said to Superman.
"What is it Bruce?" Superman asked him.
"Thanks to a microphone I placed on the entrance point to the cave," Batman started, "I was able to identify our mystery assailant."
"Who is he?" Wonder Woman asked, intrigued.
"He calls himself Edgeworth," Batman responded. Superman looked at Batman in curiosity. "There's more," Batman continued, "it seems Jason is alive. He's this 'Red Hood' we've been hearing about." Superman and Wonder Woman stared at Batman in shock.
"Are you sure it was him?" Superman asked carefully, knowing it was a touchy subject for Batman.
"Yes, I even double checked with the same voice print check that this 'Edgeworth' made," Batman confirmed, "When Damian wakes up, I'm going to ask him if there's anything he found out about his resurrection. I suspect a Lazarus Pit was involved."
"Alright then," Superman began, "Bruce, I'm sending you to get a sample of the Lazarus Pit's water for study. I'll send you with Black Adam in case you encounter any resistance. Whether it be from the rebels, or the League of Assassins." Batman nodded before leaving to get Black Adam.
Meanwhile, Aquaman, Slade, Red Hood and Edgeworth have entered Atlantis' throne room. Aquaman went to the console in the center of the room and ordered all Atlantean soldiers to be on high alert, should any Regime soldiers be foolish enough to pursue them.
"I'm tired of running," Red Hood said, frustrated.
"Think of it as a tactical retreat," Edgeworth said calmly, "We know that Superman will send more soldiers, and we need time to prepare."
"He's right," Aquaman said to Red Hood, "without proper preparation, we won't stand a chance with our current group size."
"Fine," Red Hood said, before setting his helmet on the table by him. He then turned to Edgeworth. "So, you gonna take off your mask?"
"No," Edgeworth said, before looking at the map on the console. Everyone stared as Edgeworth pulled up a map of Atlantis' surrounding area. "Looks like there's an old Insurgency base near hear. Knowing Superman, he'll most likely try to stop us from getting any resources." Edgeworth said, prepping his tech.
"So?" Deathstroke asked, "Who put you in charge?"
"No one," Edgeworth said, staring at Deathstroke, "I was just pointing out facts. Like Aquaman said, we need the proper tools. So, which one of you is coming with me?"
"I'll go," Jason said without a second thought, "beats sitting around waiting for the Regime to strike." He put on his helmet and stood by Edgeworth. Edgeworth nodded before looking at Aquaman.
"Any chance I get service down here," Edgeworth asked him.
"Excuse me?" Aquaman responded, confused at what he meant.
"Just lead us to the port," Edgeworth said, face palming. After about five minutes, they reached the port.
"Why are we here?" Jason asked.
"For this," Edgeworth said as he pressed a button on his left gauntlet. Immediately, a submarine began to work it's way to the boarding area if the port.
"You really came prepared, didn't you?" Aquaman asked as Edgeworth led Jason to the sub.
"Get in," he said as it opened. Jason climbed into the back of the sub and strapped himself in. Edgeworth sat in the front, strapping himself in, and starting the engine, causing the top to close.
"How far away is the base?" Jason asked.
"About a hundred miles north of Atlantis," Edgeworth replied as the sub left Atlantis' loading docks and started heading north.
"Is something wrong Edgeworth?" Jason inquired. Edgeworth was silent for a minute before replying.
"Nope," was Edgeworth's reply. Jason crossed his arms in front of himself and watched the radar on the back of Edgeworth's seat. They were both silent for the next hour as they approached the base. They entered through the docks of the base. "Fair warning, we most likely tripped a silent alarm set by Bruce before he left the base, so be on guard," Edgeworth told Jason, who nodded and pulled out his pistols. As they continued through the base, a boom tube portal opened and Flash, Green Arrow, and Black Canary stepped out of the portal.
"We'll give you one chance to come quietly," Flash stated, "For your sake, you should take it."
"And if we refuse?" Edgeworth asked sarcastically.
"Then we'll be forced to take lethal action," Flash replied, vibrating his molecules in an attempt to intimidate them.
"I choose option three," Edgeworth started, pulling out a small, spherical object, "none of the above," he finished and threw the object at Flash, who caught it with ease. Flash looked at it in confusion, before looking at Edgeworth.
"Was that supposed to scare me?" Flash asked, still looking at the object. The object then exploded, emitting an electromagnetic wave that knocked Flash across the room.
"Power disrupter," Edgeworth explained, "all meta-human abilities in the area are neutralized for the next hour or so."
"Nice," Jason commented before firing a few warning shots at Arrow and Canary. They ducked out of the way and got into a fighting stance. Flash started to stand up, and attempted to access his superhuman speed, but to no avail.
"Remember, aim to wound, not kill," Edgeworth told Jason, who nodded in response. Edgeworth then turned his attention to Flash. "And here I thought you were supposed to be fast. News flash, you have to think fast to be fast," he said to him before Flash rushed him. Flash went for a left hook, but it was easily blocked by Edgeworth, who countered with three jabs in the gut followed by an uppercut, which caused Flash to stumble back a few feet. Meanwhile, Jason was constantly avoiding blows from Arrow and strikes from Black Canary. After avoiding one of Canary's strikes, he jumped over her and shot Green Arrow's bow string. The bullet then embedded itself in his side, causing him to clutch his side and scream out in pain.
"Ollie!" Canary shouted, before landing a powerful kick into Jason's gut. Jason grunted in pain before shooting Canary in the foot, causing her to fall to the ground. As this happened, Flash was attempting to land a strike on Edgeworth,who either dodged or blocked most of them, and any strikes that did land, Edgeworth ensured that Flash wouldn't be unable to capitalize. After Edgeworth had had enough, he threw Flash onto the ground and stomped on his jaw, knocking him unconscious and almost breaking it. He then turned to help Jason with Green Arrow. Ollie swung his bow at Jason, who dodged it, but before he could swing it again, one of Edgeworth's throwing knives landed in his arm, causing him to drop the bow before getting knocked out by the taser on the butt of Jason's gun.
"Let's go, we're running out of time," Edgeworth told Jason before running to the storage room. As Edgeworth kicked the door open, he found that it was almost completely empty. In fact, the only item worth taking was a Phantom Zone Projector. Edgeworth grabbed it before turning to Jason and telling him to get back into the sub. As they entered the sub, Edgeworth called Aquaman. "All we found was a Phantom Zone Projector, though it's slightly damaged," he told Aquaman.
"Understood, I'll ready the lab," Aquaman said before closing the connection. During the ride back to Atlantis, both Jason and Edgeworth were completely silent. As they approached Aquaman's kingdom, their vessel was hit by an energy blast just as it entered the docks. Edgeworth and Jason crawled out of the burning vessel. Following close behind them was a vessel bearing the symbol of the One-Earth government.
"Damn it," Edgeworth said as he put the Phantom Zone Projector in the back of his belt. Twenty soldiers poured out of the vessel, surrounding Edgeworth and Jason. Out from the vessel came Firestorm.
"Flash said we might find you here Edgeworth," Firestorm stated before launching a blast of nuclear energy at Edgeworth, who rolled out of the way.
"Firestorm," Edgeworth said, before throwing a knife into one of the soldier's right arm, causing him to drop his gun. Firestorm tried again to fire at Edgeworth, but his hand was shot down by Jason.
"You're going to regret that," Firestorm seethed at Jason. He charged toward Jason, who jumped over him and fired a volley of shots until he was forced to stop and reload. Firestorm managed to get a blast off on Jason, sending him flying into a computer console.
On the other side of the room, Edgeworth was surrounded by five soldiers, each of which had some form of knife out. Two of them charged at Edgeworth, who ducked below the slashes before elbowing one of them in the throat, and throwing him into the other. The other three took a couple of steps back before another one tried to stab him. Edgeworth narrowly avoided it, and grabbed his arm, and then broke it at the elbow. The soldier crumbled to the ground,clutching his arm before falling unconscious due to the pain. Then, one of the soldiers managed to tackle Edgeworth, taking him to the floor. He then stabbed his left shoulder with his knife, causing Edgeworth to grunt in pain. Before the soldier could stab a second time, Edgeworth pushed him off and kicked the soldier's face, sending him into the wall, head first. The final soldier rushed Edgeworth, who responded by throwing a knife at his head, ensuring that the blunt end hit him, stunning him. Edgeworth then grabbed his throat, lifted him into the air, and slammed him into the floor, knocking him out.
Afterward, Edgeworth turned around to see Firestorm getting flung into the vessel he entered from. As Firestorm stood up, Edgeworth fired a rope dart into his arm. It then sent an electric shock through his body, causing him to fall unconscious. After the fight ended, Aquaman and Deathstroke ran into the room to find all the invaders were already KO'd.
"It's about time you showed up," Edgeworth said to them.
"Sorry, but they managed to get near the throne room as well," Aquaman explained.
"Let's get them locked up," Edgeworth said, gesturing to the Regime members.
"What about his powers?" Red Hood asked, pointing at Firestorm. Edgeworth walked up to Firestorm and activated the same device he used on Flash, causing Firestorm to diffuse back into Jason and Professor Stein. "Lock them up in separate cells, in order to stop them from fusing." They all nodded before beginning to transport them to the cells. Edgeworth headed to the laboratory in order to find a way to activate the Phantom Zone Projector. As he tinkered with the device, the screen that it was connected to started to show a part of the Phantom Zone. As Edgeworth looked at the monitor, he saw four people trapped inside, three males and one female. One of the males wore a yellow suit with the same symbol that Flash has on his suit. The second had two R's on his chest, and the third had the same symbol Superman used to wear. The female wore a uniform with a top similar to Wonder Woman's, only black and wore leans. Just then, Red Hood, Deathstroke and Aquaman walked in.
"Are they who I think they are?" Aquaman asked Edgeworth.
"The Titans," Edgeworth said, "And from the look of things, they've been trapped in there for the last seven years," Edgeworth finished as they all looked at the monitor, trying to figure out their next move.
Author's Notes:Finally done with Chapter 2. A lot has happened this time around, including the discovery that the Titans have been trapped in the Phantom Zone for the better part of this war against Superman. How will the rebels respond to this, and how will Superman act now that he knows they got away with something from that base. Next chapter will focus on Batman and Black Adam as they go to get a sample from the Lazarus Pits in Gotham. Please leave any comments or criticism you have in the reviews section, as I would like to know what you think, and thank you to those who have already, I'm glad you have enjoyed the story thus far. Welp, I think I've taken enough of your time. See ya.
