Palmer Tech – I Don't Know Why I Keep Naming Chapters After Locations

"I thought you boys might like this," Ivy said, placing a plant down on the table in front of Scarecrow and Mad Hatter. They appeared to be working on creating a gas of some sort, no doubt with a nefarious purpose.

Scarecrow and Mad Hatter looked at the plant in front of them.

"What little joy is this?" Mad Hatter asked, looking over the plant's purple thorns and slimy, red leaves.

"I cross-bred one of my plants with some from the planet Daxam," Ivy explained. "It produces a condensation that leaves the victim's mind open to suggestion."

"How open?" Scarecrow asked.

Ivy shrugged, "I got a man to drive his car off of a bridge."

Mad Hatter laughed. "I think this will do quite nicely, don't you think?"

Scarecrow smiled. "I do."

O

Darkness fell over Star City and Palmer Tech stood as a beacon of light in the center of the city.

Black Canary and Spartan turned around one of the corners of the building and looked up.

"I see nothing," Black Canary said to Spartan

He nodded. "Overwatch, you got anything?"

"Nope," she answered, typing something quickly and then looking over to Vibe.

"I don't have anything either," Vibe said, looking at his set of computer screens.

Julian sat down next to Vibe. "Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog, do you guys spot anything?"

"Everything's clear here," Wild Dog informed as he and Mr. Terrific walked down their section of the building.

"Alright," the Green Arrow said, looking at Palmer Tech from the top of a nearby building. "The perimeter is clear."

The Flash nodded from beside him. "We're going in."

"Wait!"

The Green Arrow and the Flash turned. They were greeted by the swoosh of feathered wings. Hawkman and Hawkgirl landed in front of them.

"Hey, guys!" the Flash said.

"You can't go in there," Hawkgirl said.

"What? Why?" the Flash asked.

"At least you're not going in there alone," Hawkman said.

"What is it?" the Green Arrow asked, sensing something was wrong.

"Something bad is going to happen," Hawkgirl said.

The Flash and the Green Arrow exchanged a look.

"I had this dream that you guys tried to stop a robbery here, but a lot of you died," Hawkgirl continued.

"We're here to make sure that doesn't happen," Carter finished.

The Green Arrow nodded. "Alright then."

O

Constantine waited impatiently outside of Palmer Tech. He sighed.

"You really don't work well with others, do you?" Thea asked, dressed as Speedy.

He gave her a half-hearted smile, "Not really. I don't like being told what to do."

"I get that."

Constantine looked back at Palmer Tech, "What's taking so long? I thought the perimeter was clear."

"I don't know, but we have to wait until the Green Arrow tells us that it's clear inside the building before we – Constantine!"

Speedy raced after Constantine as he walked into the building.

"We were supposed to wait for the signal!" she rebuked.

"You said it yourself, luv. I don't work well with others." Constantine looked around, "Now, let's see if our robber is using the same magic that was used at the ruined temple." Constantine raised his hands and began to chant.

Speedy warily looked around and then activated her coms while Constantine worked, "Constantine and I are inside. Everything looks clear in the lobby." She noticed the security guard post was empty, "But the security guards are missing."

"Speedy!" the Green Arrow said with an edge to his voice. "I told you to wait for my signal!"

The Flash looked at the Green Arrow, "I'll go make sure the building is clear."

"We'll meet you inside," Hawkgirl said.

The Flash sped down the building and into Palmer Tech. He quickly passed Speedy and Constantine and ran up the stairs. He checked each room on this floor and then ran up to the next level. He was halfway through the next floor when he turned one of the door handles, but the door wouldn't open. The Flash looked at the window to see inside, but it was covered by some blinds. He easily passed through the door by vibrating at just the right frequency.

The Flash barely noticed the chair blocking the door as purple-red gas suddenly filled his lunges. He coughed roughly and clumsily knocked over the chair that had been blocking the door. He tightly grabbed the door handle, his coughing becoming more intense, and then he fell back into the hallway. The gas surrounded him at an alarming speed, and his vision blurred. He stood up, and he suddenly heard screaming coming from downstairs. His friends were in trouble.

O

The Flash whooshed by Constantine going up the stairs, nearly making him jump. He finished his incantation when the Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl entered the building.

"I thought I made myself clear when I said to enter on my signal," the Green Arrow said.

"You made yourself perfectly clear," Constantine said. "I just chose to ignore you."

The Green Arrow glared at Constantine.

"Did your spell reveal anything?" Speedy asked, attempting to calm the situation.

"Yes," Constantine said. "The same magic used at the temple was used here. Unfortunately, that was about three hours ago."

"So, there's nothing here?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Not from what I can tell," Constantine said.

The Flash raced down the stairs and punched Hawkman in the jaw, sending him flying.

The others turned to him in surprise. The Flash sped to Hawkgirl and used his momentum to push her across the room.

"Barry!" the Green Arrow yelled.

The Flash turned to him and raced towards him.

The Green Arrow reached for an arrow, but he was too slow. The Flash knocked him down and kicked him in the stomach.

Constantine and Speedy exchanged a look and then turned to the Flash. Speedy grabbed an arrow and strung it in her bow and aimed at the Flash. Constantine began to chant and raised a hand against the Flash.

Hawkman opened his eyes just in time to see all this. Speedy launched her arrow, but the Flash easily sped out of the arrow's path and raced back towards her.

Hawkman stood up and saw a purple-red gas coming down the stairs. He immediately searched for Hawkgirl. She was lying near the stairs. She was about to be enveloped by the gas. Hawkman flew over to Hawkgirl just as the gas poured over them both. Hawkman attempted to bat it away with his wings, but it was too dense, and it was coming down the stairs too fast for him to stop it.

O

"Hey, guys," Wild Dog said through his coms. "How's it going in there?"

No reply.

Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific exchanged a look.

"Spartan, Black Canary," Mr. Terrific said through his coms. "Have you heard anything from the guys inside the building."

"No," Spartan said. "And I don't like it."

"We'll go in the east entrance," Black Canary said. "You guys go in the west entrance."

"Okay, got it," Wild Dog said.

Black Canary and Spartan carefully approached the east entrance. They reached the door and nodded at each other. Spartan wrenched open the door. A purple-red gas floated passed them.

Black Canary coughed and covered her mouth. "What is that?"

Spartan looked to her to answer, but he was suddenly hit by an arrow that glanced harmlessly off of his armor.

Black Canary and Spartan exchanged another look and then dove into the gas-filled building.

O

Wild Dog nodded to Mr. Terrific and cautiously turned around the corner.

He opened the door and was about to step in when Mr. Terrific stopped him.

"Wait," he said. Mr. Terrific's T-spheres whizzed passed them and into the door.

"Look," Wild Dog said.

Mr. Terrific saw a purple-red gas coming from the building. The T-spheres came flying out the building, their usual calming blue T's were now flashing red.

"That doesn't look good," Wild Dog noted.

"It's not!" Mr. Terrific said, quickly closing the door. "We need to get away from that gas."

"What is it?" Wild Dog asked as they ran away from the building and the malicious gas.

"I don't know. It's some sort of synthesized gas."

"What does it do?" Wild Dog said, slowing down as they came out of reach from the gas.

Mr. Terrific stopped and inspected the T-spheres. "It causes hallucinations that lead to violence."

"Oh," Wild Dog said. "That is bad."

Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog suddenly exchanged horrified expressions.

"The others!" they both exclaimed.

O

"Curtis," Iris said. "Slow down."

"Sorry," Mr. Terrific sighed. "I'm just panicking a little."

"A little?" Wild Dog said.

"The others are trapped in Palmer Tech. I think they've been affected by a gas that causes hallucinations and violence," Mr. Terrific explained.

"Can you send the information you collected on your T-spheres to us?" Lyla asked. "We can start working on a cure."

"Good idea," Mr. Terrific said. "I'm sending it to you now."

"Got it!" Overwatch said.

"As long as they all stay inside the building," Julian said. "They shouldn't be a threat."

"He's right," Lyla agreed.

There was a loud boom.

Mr. Terrific and Wild Dog flinched as part of the wall of Palmer Tech exploded. The Flash went flying through the newly made hole, and Constantine stepped out of the building, chanting something, and pointing a hand at the Flash.

"Uh, guys," Mr. Terrific said. "You know how you said it was good that they were in the building?"

"Yeah?" Vibe said.

"Well," Wild Dog said. "They're not in the building anymore."

The Flash stood up and raced towards Constantine, knocking him across the street. Hawkman came flying out of the building, holding Speedy, and attempting to hit her, but she was easily deflecting his blows. Hawkgirl flew out after Hawkman, but a piercing scream knocked her from the sky, and Black Canary stepped out from Palmer Tech, raising her bo staff at the fallen Hawkgirl. Black Canary was slammed to the ground as Spartan tackled her, the Green Arrow right behind him, loaded bow in hand. The purple-red gas began to flow from the building and into the streets.

"We need to stop that gas now!" Wild Dog exclaimed.

Mr. Terrific grabbed both of his T-spheres and activated a switch. They each transformed into what appeared to be a small mask.

"Here," Mr. Terrific said, handing one to Wild Dog. "Put this on." Mr. Terrific placed one of the T-spheres on his face.

"Are these gas masks?" Wild Dog asked in disbelief.

Mr. Terrific nodded.

Wild Dog briefly lifted his hockey mask, put the T-sphere on, and put his mask over his face.

"We are going to stop the gas," Mr. Terrific said through the coms.

"Alright," Julian said. "But be careful."

Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific cautiously approached the giant hole in the Palmer Tech building.

"Look out!" Mr. Terrific said, pulling Wild Dog out of the way of one of Speedy's arrows.

Speedy ran towards them, and they both braced for attack. A loud scream filled the air, knocking Wild Dog, Mr. Terrific, and Speedy to the ground. Black Canary ran towards the fallen heroes. She jumped in the air and launched herself towards Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific. A giant stream of water blasted Black Canary out of the air. Speedy wasted no time and stood while aiming her bow in the direction of the new attacker in one motion. However, before she could fire, she was hit with stream of water and was launched a few feet away.

Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific spun around. Aquaman strode towards them holding his trident. "Director Lyla informed me of the situation. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think we're okay," Wild Dog said.

Mr. Terrific pointed behind them, "Look out!"

The Flash raced towards the trio, but was suddenly tripped by a golden, luminous cord. The Flash turned to his attacker and charged, but the lasso caught him tightly again. He attempted to vibrated out, but he appeared to be getting burned whenever he tried. Wonder Woman held onto the Lasso of Truth tightly and walked to the Flash. She easily punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. She flicked her wrist and the Lasso came unbound to the Flash.

"We need to hurry if we're going to stop the gas," Wonder Woman said, approaching the group.

"Maybe you guys should do it," Mr. Terrific suggested.

"No," Wonder Woman said. "Aquaman and I need to contain the others. You need to do it."

"I'll do it," a new voice said. They turned to see a woman with a white mask with a red dot in the center covering half of her face. She was holding a katana blade. "I'll do it," she repeated.

Wonder Woman nodded. "Mr. Terrific," she addressed. "You will accompany her. The rest of us will contain the situation as much as we can."

"Oh, okay," Mr. Terrific said, slightly surprised.

Wild Dog took off his T-sphere gas mask and handed it to Katana.

She put it on and nodded to Mr. Terrific and walked towards Palmer Tech. Mr. Terrific followed. Katana put a hand on her sword and cautiously entered the building, surveying their surroundings.

"The gas seems to be coming from – " Mr. Terrific began.

Katana quickly moved towards the back stairwell away from the main flow of the gas and began to go up.

"Upstairs," Mr. Terrific finished. "And we're moving!" he said, racing after Katana.

They continued to walk up the stairs, following the gas.

"That's a cool sword," Mr. Terrific noted. "Out of all the swords I've seen that's got to be one of the coolest."

Katana paused next to a door leading to a hallway. The gas was coming from behind it in a strong but steady flow.

"You're the warrior Katana, right? Is your name Katana because your sword is a katana blade?" Mr. Terrific asked.

Katana glanced at him and then turned her attention back to the door.

"Okay, you're not the talkative type," Mr. Terrific said. "I'll shut up now."

Katana placed her hand on the doorknob.

"You know what you're doing, right?" Mr. Terrific asked.

Katana looked back at him in exasperation.

"Right, sorry. I'll be quiet."

Katana opened the door and the gas billowed down the stairs. She unsheathed her blade and moved into the hallway, Mr. Terrific following closely behind. The gas was pouring out of one of the rooms a few feet down the hallway. Katana reached the room and paused, looking into the darkened room with caution. She nodded to Mr. Terrific and they headed inside. They approached a device that resembled a round vacuum cleaner. The hose pointed at the door and dispensing the gas. Mr. Terrific moved towards the device. Katana grabbed his arm.

"Technology is sort of my specialty," Mr. Terrific said. "I can probably deactivate it."

Katana let him go.

Mr. Terrific knelt down next to the device. He turned a few knobs and flicked a lever. He looked down at the hose and a moment later the gas stopped.

Mr. Terrific sighed in relief, "I'm so glad that worked."

Katana gave him an alarmed glare.

"We stopped the gas," Mr. Terrific reported into his coms.

O

"Wild Dog," Lyla said through the coms. "Do you think you can make your way over to A.R.G.U.S. to pick up the cure?"

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. He looked to Wonder Woman and Aquaman. "You guys good?"

Wonder Woman nodded. "We should be able to hold them off until you can get the cure."

"Alright," Wild Dog said. "I'll see you in a bit."

Wonder Woman and Aquaman turned to the city. The Flash was still unconscious on the ground, but the Green Arrow was violently fighting Hawkman on a rooftop and Constantine and Speedy were engaged in an intense battle down the street while Black Canary, Spartan, and Hawkgirl were having a free-for-all by the nearby Wal-Mart. The gas had considerably thinned out and hadn't made a noticeable difference on the population yet.

"I'll handle the north side. You got the south?" Aquaman asked.

Wonder Woman nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Aquaman faced the north and raised his trident over his head and slammed it onto the ground. A magical shockwave hit Constantine and Speedy, knocking them to the ground. The shockwave then travelled up the nearby building, throwing the Green Arrow and Hawkman off balance. Constantine and Speedy stood up only to be blasted against the nearest building by a wall of water, which knocked them unconscious. The Green Arrow and Hawkman faced Aquaman. The Green Arrow shot a grappling hook just over Aquaman's head and slid down the cable while Hawkman soared off the building and launched himself at Aquaman.

Aquaman rolled out of the way of the Green Arrow and easily blocked Hawkman's attack. He threw Hawkman off of him straight into the ground. The Green Arrow wasted no time and began rapidly firing arrows at Aquaman. Aquaman used his trident to deflect the oncoming arrows.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman jumped right into the middle of Spartan, Black Canary, and Hawkgirl, the power of her landing sending them flying. She grabbed Hawkgirl with her Lasso of Truth, securely tying her down and pinning her wings against her body. Spartan and Black Canary stood up and faced her. She pushed the tied-up Hawkgirl into a line of shopping carts and faced her attackers. Spartan shot at Wonder Woman, but she easily deflected the bullets. Black Canary cried, but Wonder Woman blocked the sonic screaming with her shield while she advanced forward. She hit Spartan with her shield, and he went flying across the parking lot, and landed in the bushes of a neighboring median. Black Canary charged and slammed her bo staff at Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman caught the staff before it hit her, and with a slight flick of the wrist, she sent Black Canary flying into the same median that Spartan now inhabited.

"We stopped the gas," Mr. Terrific informed them over the coms.

"Perfect timing," Vibe said. "We developed a cure."

"How are you guys holding up?" Overwatch asked.

"Aquaman and I have successfully apprehended the others," Wonder Woman informed.

"…wait, really?" Overwatch asked, exchanging an impressed look with Vibe.

"Yes," Aquaman said.

"I'll send Wild Dog and Julian over along with some agents to dispense the cure to the others as well as any civilians who need it," Lyla said.

"Alright," Wonder Woman said.

"Sounds good," Aquaman said.

A/N:I know there hasn't been a lot of Star Wars stuff lately, but hang tight! It's coming!

Also, the new Wonder Woman movie is fantastic! You should all watch it.

And thank you for hanging in for this randomly long chapter.