DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters or logos.
NOTICE: If you want to see an intro/opening sequence that I made for this story, go to Youtube and type "Justice League/Teen Titans Opening" in the search bar. (The thumbnail is a green energy blast)
"Your spreading us pretty thin, don't you think?" Cyborg commented, looking up from his post in the control room. "We sent members to multiple locations around the world, and there's barely anyone left on board the Watchtower."
J'onn J'onzz nodded. "We have the minimum number of heroes present for Watchtower duty. You needn't worry about any problems."
The metallic hero stood up, approaching the Martian. "If there's an emergency, we only have a handful of heroes on duty, and about half of us have non-combatant jobs."
"I understand your concerns, but you needn't worry about it… It is not your place to question my commands." The Martian stated. "We have a job to do, and people all around the world are in danger as we speak. You an I both know that armies of robots have appeared around the world and our members are currently evacuating civilians to safety."
Cyborg nodded in agreement. "I understand that much, but I've been a little bit concerned about what's going on. Raven told me yesterday that she keeps sensing danger, and she's more in tune with the world than the rest of us."
"We know, but the situation demands immediate action." the Martian replied, looking resolute in his decision.
With a sigh of defeat, the half robot hero sunk into his chair to continue his work.
Mr. Terrific sat by the main screen, as he received and processed the multiple reports coming in from the battlefield. "J'onn, Batman's on the line… He has some new developments that he thinks you should know about."
The Martian nodded, turning his back to Cyborg as he approached the main computer. "Batman, this is J'onn, I'm requesting a report."
"I have something interesting here that you might want to hear about." Batman's voice replied through the speaker on the control panel. "I'll give you a visual." In a matter of seconds, the Caped Crusader appeared on the monitor, and from the looks of his surroundings he was standing in the middle of what had previously been a battlefield.
Cyborg stared at the screen, a panicked expression on his face. Behind Batman, Justice League personnel could be seen carrying injured heroes to safety on stretchers. Wherever those robots had come from, they were tough.
"As you can see we've been having some trouble." Batman stated, his tone of voice displaying small signs of worry. "We're in over our heads out here. These annoying robots have the ability to regenerate and repair themselves without any outside intervention."
The Martian looked down at the floor for a few seconds, a hint of concern present. "Have you been able to discover any way to destroy them?"
Batman nodded. "Many of them have already been destroyed, but to do it we have to destroy the robot's core program."
"What can you tell me so far?"
"Steel and Atom helped me analyze the remains of one of the destroyed robots. We were able to conclude that whoever or whatever created these things applied some type of nano-tech to increase the capabilities of the machines."
"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" the Martian asked.
Batman shook his head. "The technology is no where near the level of what we saw during our battle against the Dark Heart, nor is it something that Brainiac would use. We've been able to conclude that this nano-tech was manufactured on Earth, and from closer inspection, we think that it applied by human hands to the lower levels of robotics."
"What will you do on the field."
Batman glanced around the battlefield for a few moments, his eyes settling on the unconscious forms of his fellow heroes. The medics were tending to them, but he couldn't help but feel concerned about their condition. "We could use a little backup…" he replied, turning back towards the screen.
The Martian shook his head, a slight look of resentment on his face. "We are currently spread to the limit. Do you think that you handle the situation by yourself?"
"We'll be fine for now." Batman replied. "But if the enemy number continue to multiply, then we're going to run into some complications."
"Understood… Watchtower out."
Switching off the monitor, J'onn J'onzz collapsed into his chair, in thought. "Perhaps the situation is much more dire than we originally anticipated."
"What do we do?" Mr. Terrific asked, turning to the Martian for answers.
The alien nodded, looking slightly conflicted. "I am not entirely sure about what we can do right now, but for the time being, we will wait to see how this situation turns out. Something tells me that this whole ordeal may be part of a much larger scheme." After a few moments of silence, the Martian turned towards the robotic hero. "Cyborg, check the generator room."
Cyborg nodded his head in agreement as he left the room. He was off on lunch break in a few minutes anyway, and he had to inspect the engine room before he could have some time to relax. Thinking about the situation, maybe he was being paranoid about the low amount of personnel on board today, but the situation outside of the Watchtower wasn't going well, and everyone knew it. They were all needed in the field, something that rarely happened in a single day. Lost in his thoughts, the robotic hero spent his entire journey analyzing the situation in every way that he possibly could. A sudden smack against the door told him that that he had made it to his desired destination.
Pushing aside the door, he entered the engine room cautiously. He could have sworn that he had heard something going on inside, and was growing suspicious. Peaking around the corner, the metallic hero found the source of the noise. A woman stood by one of the system generators with her back turned towards him. While she was wearing the uniform of a typical Watchtower staff member, he had never seen her before. Having acted as one of the space station's mechanics, Cyborg had met nearly everyone who worked on the Watchtower, both heroes and personnel. Perhaps this woman was simply a newcomer, but the fact that this stranger had entered a secure location by herself was suspicious enough to put him on alert.
Luckily for him, the woman was busy with whatever she was doing and had not been aware of his presence. She appeared to be working on the system, but Cyborg was an expert with technology, and even from this distance, he could tell that she was up to no good.
Readying himself for a conflict, the robotic hero decided to see what she was up to. He was never great when it came time to stealth work. Such things were usually left to Dick Grayson or Raven when they had been Teen Titans. Stepping out from his hiding place, he decided to confront her directly. "Good evening miss, can I help you with that?" he asked, a mocking courtesy present in his tone.
The woman gave him a confident smile, as she took a few steps away from the computer terminal. Keeping her eyes on him, she began to rummage through her pocket as if she was searching for something. "Sure… hold this." She replied, tossing a metal device in his direction.
Cyborg reached out instinctively to catch the item, but it was only a matter of seconds before he realized this grave mistake. The metallic hero panicked, attempting to discard the item, but he had reacted a moment too late. The device exploded, sending him backwards into a nearby wall as the explosion showered him with shards of metal. Seizing her chance to escape, the crafty woman made a mad dash for the door.
Shaking off the minor explosion, Cyborg bolted forward with impressive speed for a man his size. Pushing his weight against the ground, he sprang forward, landing directly in front of the doorway. The woman bounced off of his metal chest, groaning for a few seconds in pain as she got to her feet. Scowling in annoyance, the robotic hero reached forward to restrain the intruder, but the female villain was much faster than he had expected. Kicking him upside the head, she flipped backwards, moving out of his reach.
"Freeze!" the metallic hero shouted, reconfiguring his arm into an energy cannon.
The woman wore a confident expression as she returned his glare. "You wouldn't dare use that thing on me. At least not in here." She replied with a cocky smirk. Taking a few steps to the left, she positioned herself right in front of the main power core. "If you miss, you could kill us all, or send this entire space station out of orbit."
Cyborg scowled at the crafty villain as he racked his mind, trying to figure out what to do next. Unable to find a decent solution to the problem, he decided to talk to her and give himself more time to think. "Who are you and who sent you?" he asked, holding out his weapon.
"Introductions… fine. They call me Plastique." She replied, flashing him an evil grin.
"Well Plastique, if you come along quietly, we'll go easy one you." He replied, attempting to make a deal with the female villain.
Plastique let out a hollow laugh, looking amused by her captor. "You honestly think I'm just going to come along quietly. Besides… I've done my part." She replied, gesturing towards the nearby window.
The metallic hero turned towards the window, his mouth falling open as he caught sight of what she had been talking about seconds ago. A few ships had appeared in the distance, having seemingly materialized out of nowhere. The ships were flying in formation towards the Watchtower and they were coming in at a reasonable speed.
Using his distraction to her own advantage, Plastique tossed another explosive into the air, detonating it with a button on her belt. The tiny projectile burst open, releasing a dark smoke, which spread throughout the entire room. The billowing smog engulfed Cyborg's entire body, making it difficult for him to see anything. Using his robotic sensors, he reached forward into the wall of smoke, seizing the female villain by the arms and pinning her the ground.
Looking up, Cyborg could see a strange green light cleansing the room of the smog, as it cut through the smokescreen like a powerful wind. John Stewart floated the room, a green aura surrounding his body. When visibility had been restored, the Green Lantern flicked his wrist in an effortless manner, drawing the field of energy back into his power ring.
"What happened in here?" he ordered, giving the metallic hero a pronounced look of suspicion. "Did you cause an accident?"
Cyborg shook his head, giving the older hero an agitated look. "This woman came in here and messed around with the system."
"Plastique…" Green Lantern replied, glaring down at the captured villain. "But how… never mind." He replied, pointing his ring at the struggling bomber. A wave of energy burst from the end of his ring, wrapping itself around her body like a sheet, binding her in its grasp. The cloak of energy lifted her into the air pinning her against the wall. With another flick of his wrist, a second beam of energy formed into a scarf, pulling itself over her mouth to prevent her from speaking.
"We don't have time to deal with her. We've got company." Cyborg snapped impatiently, pointing his thumb towards the nearby window.
Green Lantern glanced towards the glass, catching sight of the invading ships. All of which were getting closer by the second. "What the devil is going on?" he shouted, his eyes widening in surprise.
The metallic hero nodded his head as he typed away furiously at the computers. "I'm seeing what kind of damage she did to the system. From the looks of it, she must have snuck aboard disguised as Watchtower personnel to shut down the defense systems."
"I see, whoever she's working for must've sent her to weaken our defenses so that they could attack the Watchtower. Can you bring them back online?" John Stewart asked, looking uncertain.
"Maybe… it'll take some time. Atom and Steel are a bit more familiar with the Watchtower's systems than I am, but it really doesn't matter. Those ships are within spitting distance, so we really don't have the time."
MEANWHILE"J'onn we have an emergency." Mr. Terrific shouted, staring at his monitor.
The Martian stood up, looking towards the main monitor. His red eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of the enemy ships heading straight for the Watchtower's landing bay. "Cyborg, activate the defense grid." He ordered, shouting into his communicator.
"I can't right now… we've been sabotaged." The half-robot hero's voice answered through the earpiece. "I'm down here with GL. He helped me capture a villain named Plastique who sabotaged our defense grid. I'll do what I can, but it's too late to reactivate them in time."
Green Lantern nodded, as he activated his own communicator. "J'onn, I'll take Plastique and head up to the main control room. If she's involved I've got a strange feeling that we're in for an all out siege on the Watchtower. I'm sure that you've already seen the ships on the monitor."
"Indeed…" the alien replied, glancing at the monitor for a few seconds.
"Relay the message to everyone, we need to set up a defense."
"Agreed, J'onn out." The Martian answered, walking towards the control panel.
"Shouldn't we call back some of the heroes on the field?" Mr. Terrific asked.
The Martian shook his head. "They are needed on the field at the moment, and for some reason we've received reports from the personnel that the teleportation beam is being jammed in the areas where most of the heroes are stationed."
"Which means that this whole thing could have been…"
"A trap." The Martian stated bluntly.
"What are we going to do?" Mr. Terrific asked from his station.
"Assemble what forces we have until reinforcements can arrive." The alien replied, looking uncertain of what else they could do. "EMERGENCY! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" he shouted holding down the button as he shouted into the speaker. "All available heroes report to the main control room. The space station is under attack by enemy ships and we need to set up a defense in the main areas. Green Lantern will meet you in the main hanger to issue commands."
The Martian's words were met with immediate action.
Mr. Terrific nodded. "I'll scrounge up some reserve leaguers, but until we can get some help, our current forces should be enough.
"We do not know the size of their forces… but either way I don't think this is going to be that easy." The Martian replied. "Take command of the control room and continue to monitor the outgoing missions… I will take to the offensive." He said, phasing through the floor like a ghost.
MEANWHILERaven flew through the Watchtower's hallways with as much speed as she could muster. While their had never been such an emergency aboard the Watchtower as long as she had been a member of the League, she was determined to help out in any way she could.
Many of her other friends had been with her at the time, and they remained together as they headed for the main room. Starfire flew by her side, carrying Robin, while Bumblebee took care of Speedy.
The Green Changeling had transformed into a cheetah to keep up with the others as they continued their journey through the space station. While they were not sure what to expect, they had already made the resolve to face the challenges like the true heroes that they were. Turning around the corner, they bolted into the main chamber.
Joining the group of heroes, Raven realized that there really was not that many of them here tonight due to the android attacks on earth.
The only heroes present besides herself were Green Lantern, Nightwing, Starfire, Captain Atom, Beast Boy, Stargirl, STRIPE, Bumblebee, Green Arrow, Speedy, Zatanna, Shining Knight, Vigilante, and Aqualad.
"Hey dudes, where's Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked, looking around the room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the former Titan.
"Never mind." Raven hissed in his ear as they stood at attention.
Green Lantern stood at the head of the group, sizing up their abilities and skills as his eyes scanned the group. "All right… We're going to have to do this right if we are to succeed. In a matter of minutes, our forces are going to have to defend the Watchtower from an unknown enemy. Our defense system is offline, and the transporter cannot bring our heroes back from their missions due to technical issues. I can't give you any more details on the situation, but we are going to separate into different groups in order to combat the enemy."
The heroes nodded in agreement. Nightwing wasn't in the mood to be taking orders from anybody right now, but stood with an anxious expression on his face.
John Stewart returned their nod, as he determined the teams. "Raven, Beast Boy, Captain Atom, and Aqualad are staying with me in the front lines. Green Arrow, Speedy, Stargirl, STRIPE, and Bumblebee are going to be stationed in the different areas of the Watchtower. Zatanna, Nightwing, Vigilante, Shining Knight, and Starfire are going to be the backup for the main forces. If the enemy can get past us, they will be met and dealt with by the two other lines of defense. Mister Terrific is already stationed in the control room, and J'onn is keeping an eye on the entire battle. Good luck."
The heroes scattered in different directions as he finished speaking, taking up their posts as they mentally prepared themselves for battle.
"Will we be okay?" Starfire asked, sparing a glance at Nightwing as they ran back towards the main hallway.
The former boy wonder shrugged. "Not really sure about that myself. I'm not even a full time member yet here I am, helping the cause. The point is that I'm fighting aside my friends, and if I don't make it out of this, then I wasn't meant to go any further." He replied, giving her a genuine smile as he finished.
The Tamaranean Princess wiped a single tear from her face, looking slightly worried. "I do not know what awaits us, but we will be victorious." She replied, confidence filling her bright green eyes.
Nightwing nodded solemnly, but remained silent for a few moments before responding to her statement. "Yeah, there's no way we'll lose this fight." He said, giving her an uneasy smile. While he had always admired her confidence, he wasn't sure how this was going to work.
The moment ended as John Stewart's commanding voice penetrated their thoughts. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he shouted, projecting a large barrier around the main hanger.
Two javelin-class sized spacecrafts crashed through the iron doors of the Watchtower, landing in the main docking bay. While the ships were relatively damaged by the sudden impact, the people inside were completely unharmed. The doors of the space cruisers opened with a resounding crash, a ramp sliding into place from underneath the bottom hatch. Slade Wilson stepped out from the larger ship, a powerful presence about him.
Nightwing glared at the masked villain, his hatred building to terrible levels. The man standing before them was perhaps one of his worst enemies of all time. Deathstroke was an extremely skilled fighter, something that he had found out during their past conflicts. While he had always managed to defeat the masked villain in the past, he could never manage to best him in a one on one battle. Whenever they fought, had either had circumstance on his side, or his friends helping him. Even after all these years, Nightwing still had a sickening suspicion that he was still not as skilled a fighter as his old nemesis. He doubted that even Batman could defeat Slade in hand-to-hand combat by himself.
Tired of the tension, the former sidekick tossed several birdarangs at his old nemesis with amazing accuracy. The other heroes stared on in silence as Deathstroke effortlessly caught the weapon between his fingers, using it to parry the other projectiles.
Slade bore down upon the heroes, a sadistic smile hidden by his mask. "Take no prisoners." He commanded in a loud clear voice. As he spoke, an army of villains emerged from the ships.
NOTE TO READERS: Sorry for the cliffhanger, and thanks for your continued support. I'd appreciate some review because some people have added my story in their favorites, but refuse to review. Please give me some support.
PS: This chapter was so long at first that I had to split it in two. Even so, I'm not done writing the battle aboard the Watchtower, so give me some support and reviews, and I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.