Omni Force: JUSTICE

by NegaiFreak

Things have started to change ever since the World Government attacked Omnitrix City two years ago. Now with new villains and looming threats to deal with, the Omni Force faces a great challenge. And will Ben be able to do what's right with everything ahead of him? Even if it means going against the Justice League? PLEASE READ, REVIEW & ENJOY!

8. PARTNERSHIP

Oh, it's that time again… Trust me, this chapter's gonna have all the answers and all the exciting action you'll need like in the last one.

So last time we left off, Sunset's team got kicked around by the villains, but their teammates obtained the info they needed on the Legion of Doom's plan. Now the question becomes, did they survive the explosion?

Well, we're gonna find out!

OMNI FORCE: JUSTICE

JULY 13, 2020, 8:43 A.M. – APOKOLIPS

"Everything is almost in place," Steppenwolf stated from the grand hall of Apokolips, speaking with Darkseid as they looked outside to see their armies mobilizing on the grounds below.

"Almost?" the ruler of the hellish planet repeated in confusion, glancing over at his uncle. The two of them were the only ones in the hall.

"You must understand that it'll be difficult for us to enter Earth territory without being noticed right away…" Steppenwolf replied as he turned around and walked off, enticing his nephew to follow him with his hands together behind his back, "I told you that the Earth was going through… a transitional phase, did I not?" he inquired, coming to a stop, "Did thought ever occur to you how I know this information?" he asked of Darkseid, who narrowed his red eyes.

"Should I have a reason to doubt you, Uncle?" he questioned back. The Apokoliptian general chuckled. He reached down and pulled something off of his belt, being a small, box-shaped object that was gold in color with a glowing red center.

"Contact Luthor," he said to it. The glow of its center brightened and blinked for a few moments before a red hologram suddenly materialized over it. And the figure was none other than the Lexcorp CEO.

"Ah, Steppenwolf," he said, holding his hands together behind his back, "To what do I owe this sudden call?" he asked curiously, "Is Darkseid with you?" he wondered.

"He is," the Apokoliptian general responded, "And I'm calling about the status of your operation," he mentioned.

"Yes, of course…" Lex replied, "I must say, it hasn't been easy as of late…" he admitted as he appeared to glance off to the side for a moment, "We've had to speed our plans along due to… interferences," he confessed.

"The Justice League?" Darkseid guessed with narrowed eyes of contempt.

"Actually, the Omni Force," Lex responded, "The group led by Ben Tennyson," he mentioned in explanation. The ruler of Apokolips growled, balling his hands into shaking fists. Steppenwolf noticed.

"When is your operation scheduled to begin?" he asked the Lexcorp CEO.

"Tomorrow," he answered, "I don't like speeding up such a delicate process, but our enemies have forced-"

"Just… do it," Darkseid growled out, interrupting Lex as he and Steppenwolf both blinked in surprise.

"Understood," the former responded with a nod, "I look forward to hearing from you again soon," he mentioned as he bowed. His hologram faded from the Mother Box, which Steppenwolf picked up and put onto his belt. He let out a frustrated breath.

"You want to start things all by yourself, don't you?" he asked of his uncle, who whipped around to face.

"Why not?" he growled in question, "I spent eight years frozen in the unforgiving void of space because of the ones who call that wretched planet home…" he pointed out, "Why should I not desire their demise by my hands?" he asked on.

"Because you may need them," his uncle answered.

"NEED THEM?!" Darkseid loudly repeated out of rage. His booming voice echoed throughout the palace, even causing some Parademons outside to back away in fright. Steppenwolf hadn't flinched, even as his nephew towered over him with his taller, imposing form. He leaned forward to look him dead in the eye. "Why… would I ever need them?!" he snarled out quietly in question. His uncle remained steady, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"Without them… you have no equation to use," he responded. Darkseid leaned back with his fists still trembling. "It's rather simple, Uxas," the Apokoliptian general pointed out, "The formula is based on the suffering of any sentient race in this universe," he noted as he trotted slowly off to the side, "Loneliness, alienation, fear, and despair added together," he began to list off, "Self-worth divided by mockery, condemnation, and misunderstanding," he continued, "Guilt multiplied with shame, failure, and judgement," he kept going.

"What are you trying to prove, Uncle?" his nephew asked, seething with rage.

"A point which you sorely forgot at your defeat to the Kryptonians of Earth," he responded firmly, "Hope equals folly, love equals lies, life equals death…" he listed off, "and self… equals dark side," he finished, "That is the equation you seek, but can only spoken true by you," he told the ruler of Apokolips.

"So what prevents me from speaking it now?" he asked.

"The resilience of those on Earth," his uncle answered, "Obviously, the Kryptonians and Tennyson are problems for our endeavor," he pointed out, "but aside from them, humanity's forces will not be swayed so easily… so long as their heroes live," he noted, "You want Superman's head mounted on a pike, yes?" he inquired to his nephew, who breathed sharply and deeply through his eyes, "Then you may as well put all of Earth on one," he told him, "It's why we need them in such disarray to complete the equation," he mentioned, "Not in death," he added with a shake of his head. Darkseid let out a long breath from his lips.

"I could eviscerate you right here and now, Uncle…" he threatened as his red eyes glowed ominously.

"You could," Steppenwolf replied, "But that won't help you succeed in bringing every life in this galaxy to kneel at your feet," he mentioned, "You need me," he firmly stated. The tense moment between the New Gods continued before the glow in Darkseid's eyes faded away.

"Then we have no time to lose," he said, walking off back towards his throne, "Inform me when the time is nigh," he advised to his relative, "I look forward to my return to power and command," he mentioned.

"Of course, Lord Darkseid," the Apokoliptian general replied as he bowed his head before turning around and departing with a smirk across his lips. As the ruler of Apokolips stared out at the hellish landscape preparing for its upcoming battle, he couldn't help but start to grin with anticipation…

OPENING

Insert "Period" by Chemistry

Opens with the sun rising over Omnitrix City as Ben, Sunset, Law, Erza, Gaara and Ruby walking out onto the balcony of Omni Force Tower. Ben looks up into the sky, narrowing his eyes. From above in the Watchtower, Superman glares back with a hardened expression.

The Omni Force logo appears with a red streak shining underneath into, forming the word 'JUSTICE'.

We cut to the new Legion of Doom meeting in a base at the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, joining up with Gorilla Grodd. As they converse, Vandal glares angrily at Luthor for taking charge of what was supposed to be his revived Legion of Doom. Watching from afar is a figure lurking in the shadows. We don't see who he may be, but he lets off a familiar and ominous grin.

At the White House, Amanda Waller walks through the halls with Christopher Smith. It transitions to her walking down the halls of Belle Reve Penitentiary to gather together members for Task Force X. The rogue gallery of villains she selects are Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Killer Frost, and Star Sapphire. And leading them is Peacemaker.

We see Captain Rex with Rook and Kevin Levin joining the Omni Force squadron leaders as they head up the ramp into the Rust Bucket III. Before they depart, Sunset looks back worriedly at Ben, who forces a grin in reassurance. Inwardly, he's concerned for the safety of his comrades.

The scene changes to the Omni Force in battle with the Legion of Doom. Cheetah furiously slashes at Erza with her claws, Bane's fists rain down on Gaara, Law gets overwhelmed by the multitude of constructs formed by Sinestro, and Ruby is pinned down by Black Manta. Meanwhile, Sunset gets cornered by Lex, Grodd, and Vandal. Before she can do anything else though, the doors blast open to reveal the Suicide Squad. Harley winks at her, causing her to blush and sigh.

We cut over to Apokolips, where Darkseid oversees the training of the Female Furies under Blackfire. Meanwhile, Steppenwolf overlooks the production of the Parademons alongside Kalibak and Granny Goodness. They're also there to witness the revival of a certain monster from a metal pod… Steam hisses from it as it opens, revealing a pair of ominous red eyes…

Back on Earth, we see multiple Null Void portals open up all over the sky of Metropolis, with several Way Bads and other creatures falling out from them. Watching the news of this coming from his television, Ben immediately takes action, transforming into Kryptoknight and flying off into the distance. From the balcony, Rainbow watches worriedly with Raya in her arms.

The Justice League is in battle against the Way Bads as Kryptoknight arrives, knocking one of them down with Superman as they slam their fists into the mutated To'kustar's face. After the Way Bad topples over, Ben and Clark share a brief look of disdain with each other.

We cut to Lex Luthor in his war suit, flying away from Sunset and Cyborg as they're in pursuit of him. Meanwhile, Ruby duels with Cheetah, clashing Crescent Rose fiercely against her claws. Green Lantern and Star Sapphire combine their powers to fight back Sinestro, and Black Manta is being taken on by King Shark and Law.

All of these events start to pick away at Ben as he inwardly wonders if he's prepared to actually go against the Justice League in trying to stop the Legion of Doom. We cut to shots of Smoker being comforted by Erza as they're sitting on a bench together, with her patting his back, and a shot of Ahsoka and Kara Danvers together in Omni Force Tower.

We're with Ben looking over to the Omni Force squadron leaders atop Mount Rushmore, smiling as the sun sets in the background. As he ventures over to them though, members of the Justice League look on with concern, thinking this may not be the right choice for him. We end on both groups staring each other down with stone-faced expressions.

END OPENING

PARTNERSHIP

9:49 A.M. – OMNI FORCE TOWER

Ruby hadn't stopped crying all night. Guilt had been wracking for mind ever since what happened on the mission. Thankfully, Gaara and Ahsoka were there to comfort her in the trying times. But unfortunately, it left Ben in a difficult position. An angered one.

"ERRAAAAHHH!" he yelled as he threw aside everything on his desk out of frustration, with papers scattered about along with broken pieces of computer equipment. Just when he thought he could get over his troubling emotions, his best friend had apparently been killed along with Law and Erza. His stress and blood pressure continued to rise.

"You know, I don't think they're dead," Smoker chimed in, catching his attention as he glanced back at him. The former marine had his arms crossed while leaning against the wall, having witnessed the Omni Force leader's act of rage alongside Rook and Rex.

"And how do you know for sure that the Legion of Doom would kill them?" the Revonnahgander questioned on. Ben let out quick, frustrated breaths.

"You really think those bastards would leave them alive?" he asked them. Rex stepped forward.

"We traced down their MPGs, sir," he told the Biomnitrix bearer, "They're still online," he assured, "All in the same place, too," he mentioned.

"What if the Legion stole them?" Ben asked as a response.

"If they did, then the MPGs would be useless to them without their users," Rook pointed out in reply.

"And besides, I don't think Shimmer or Scarlet would go down from something like that," Smoker chimed in, "Or Trafalgar…" he muttered out with a cough.

"I should've been with you regardless…" Ben admitted in frustration after a moment, balling his fists tightly as his knuckles turned white.

"Ben, you must not blame yourself," Rook advised upon stepping forward, "Sunset wanted you to take things easy after your latest endeavors in the field," he pointed out, "I doubt she would want you to worry over her like this…" he added in concern. The Omni Force leader blinked.

"And you're not, partner?" he questioned back. The Revonnahgander was taken aback by the assumption as he blinked, appearing offended.

"Of course I—!"

"Okay, that's enough," Smoker said, stepping in front of Rook to immediately quell the tension that was building, "It's obvious we're all pissed about what happened," he noted, "But the thing is, we got the intel we needed, right?" he inquired to those in the room.

"…We did," Rook replied, having taken a moment to calm himself. He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out the flash drive Hiro had used. He plugged it into his tablet, which then projected a green hologram. Ben blinked in surprise as his eyes slightly widened. The hologram was a layout of Metropolis, with eight distinct red markings scattered about it.

"What are they planning?" the Biomnitrix bearer asked.

"In two days' time, the Legion of Doom is set to activate eight Null Void projectors all around Metropolis," Rook answered. Smoker and Rex gasped lightly in surprise.

"So it's going to be worse than what they did in Gotham…" the Plumber captain realized.

"But I doubt they're looking to just bring those monsters from that world back again…" the former marine pointed out with crossed arms.

"Unfortunately, you would be correct," Rook noted as a response, swiping his finger across his tablet to make another hologram appear. It was one of the beacon they were planning to use. And Ben recognized it.

"They're doing what the Incurseans did…" he realized as his expression became hardened.

"Yes," the Revonnahgander replied, "This device is a beacon that will take control of the creatures that emerge from the Null Void," he explained, "At least, in theory according to this… Gorilla Grodd…" he mentioned.

"So Grodd's involved now…" Ben muttered as he glanced off to the side in thought.

"If this is happening in Metropolis, then we could go and stop it right now!" Rex pointed out desperately.

"Not without alerting the Legion to our moves," Rook chimed in, "And besides, after the last incident, I do not think it is in our best interest to-" He stopped talking as he noticed Ben walking off. "Um… excuse me…" he said, jogging after the Omni Force leader upon exiting the room, "Ben, is something wrong?" he asked of his partner, who let out a quick breath of frustration.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted in response, "If I tell the League about this, they'll chew me out again for not telling them about finding the Legion," he pointed out, "And if I don't, I risk putting us all in danger," he added, putting his hands onto his hips and lowering his head slightly, "Either way, I lose," he said.

"Why is it just you who loses?" Rook questioned curiously, "We are all in this hypothetical mess together, are we not?" he asked on, tilting his head to his right in confusion.

"I just… don't want anyone else taking the fall for the team's sake," Ben answered with another heavy breath, "At the same time, I know we have to do something," he realized, balling his fists, "We're gonna find Sunset and the others," he firmly stated, "And then we're gonna kick those bastards' asses," he declared in addition. Rook grinned.

"Now that is the Ben I remember," he said. Just then, he noticed Ruby along with Gaara and Ahsoka walking over to them. The student huntress had an ashamed and saddened look in her eyes as she nervously held her left arm. Upon noticing the Omni Force leader, she grimaced.

"B-Ben…" she stuttered out as she approached, "I'm… I'm…" she tried to say, only to end up brought into a soft and comforting embrace by him to her surprise, as he had crouched down to her height.

"We'll get them back," he assured to her, "I promise," he vowed. The student huntress whimpered into his shoulder as the others watched on and smiled. They weren't going to be deterred by the supposed loss of their comrades. They were going to move forward… and stop the Legion of Doom.

X

11:26 A.M. – ATLANTIC OCEAN

"Mmm…" Sunset moaned out as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Everything in her vision was blurry, but she could make out something in front of her in the dimly lit space. Or rather, someone.

"Sunbuns!" Harley exclaimed with a huge smile on her face, "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're alive!" she said, sniffling a little as she wiped away a tear with her pointer finger. It took the Equestrian Magic user a few seconds register what was happening as her eyesight finally came back into focus.

"Harl—! OWW!" she yelled in pain as her head hit the low ceiling, causing her to immediately grab it as she gnashed her teeth together.

"Oh god, are you okay?!" Harley asked as she approached carefully, "Ah, I shoulda' warned ya…" she admitted in frustration.

"Err…" Sunset groaned, lying back down on the bed she was upon, "Where the hell am I?" she asked as she rubbed her head.

"Well… you're in a submarine, sugar," the former psychiatrist replied. A sharp and angered breath came out of the Equestrian Magic user's nose.

"Where, Harley?" she asked again, only a little more firmly and threatening. The Cupid of Crime blinked twice, unsure of why she would ask the same question… until it finally dawned on her.

"Oh, duh!" she exclaimed in realization, bonking herself on the head with her left fist, "We're somewhere in the North Atlantic… I think," she replied vaguely. Sunset rolled her eyes, lying back down on the bed. Only her jacket had been removed from her form. "I like your new look," Harley complimented, "It's very… sunsetty," she remarked with a smile. The Equestrian Magic user couldn't help but chuckle.

"Never thought I'd see you of all people again…" she admitted as she sighed.

"Well, it's a small world after all…" the former psychiatrist pointed out, putting her left hand onto Sunset's arm, rubbing it gently, "Ya know, I would've cuddled with you…" she confessed, "but it looks pretty cramped up there…" she noted, "so…" she continued, trailing off as she knew the Equestrian Magic user understood what she was trying to say.

"Heh, heh," she laughed with another breath released from her mouth, "So what happened?" she asked, "The last thing I remember was trying to get Traffie and Erza outta the base before it blew…" she recalled, rubbing at her pained head.

"Yeah… well…" Harley started to reply, "one of my friends insisted on gettin' you guys outta there," she told her. She blinked in surprise.

"A friend… of yours?" she inquired.

"Don't worry, it wasn't Mistah J…" the former psychiatrist promised with a shake of her head, "I told you that ship sailed out the port…" she remarked.

"Oh no…" Sunset uttered in realization, attempting to get out of the bed, only to hit her head against the ceiling once more, "OW!" she yelped in agony as she grabbed at it.

"Watch your head!" Harley advised immediately in concern with a worried look on her face.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" the Equestrian Magic user assured repeatedly, managing to maneuver herself down to the floor without hitting her head again, "Celestia dammit…" she cursed as she walked off. Harley blinked curiously in confusion before following her.

"You think this is a bloody joke?!" George's voice echoed angrily from within the control room as Sunset and Harley were walking up the steps, "These blokes are just as bad as the Justice League!" he pointed out. He was yelling at Carol, who seemed to be standing alone with everyone else surrounding her.

"If I hadn't saved them, we'd be in a much worse position trying to stop the Legion of Doom!" she claimed, gesturing towards herself, "Besides, we were just supposed to let them die?!" she questioned angrily.

"Oh, lemme' think…" Louise mockingly remarked, right before…

"YES!" she and George yelled out simultaneously.

"If things don't start getting peaceful soon, I'll make them peaceful…" Christopher vowed, pulling out one of his silver handguns from its holster.

"Hey," Sunset's voice chimed in, catching the villains' attentions as they saw her trot in with her fists balled, "Where are my friends?" she asked threateningly.

"Shit, she's up now…" George noted, drawing forth a pair of boomerangs from his sash. Christopher aimed his weapon at her, Floyd readied his wrist-mounted guns, and Louise stood up and took a ready stance.

"King Shark is a shark…" Nanaue growled as he stomped forward.

"Whoawhoawhoa!" Harley exclaimed, defensively getting in front of Sunset with outstretched arms, "We're all cool as cucumbers here, 'kay?!" she assured to her comrades.

"Psh," Louise scoffed, "And why should we be, Quinn?" she wondered, "Don't tell me this is the 'girlfriend' you were going out with…" she muttered as a guess. The former psychiatrist pursed her lips, blushing a little.

"…Well…" she started to say, only for Louise to widen her eyes in realization.

"Fuck, she is…" she concluded, lowering her arms with a frustrated groan.

"Are you kiddin' me?!" George yelled out, "What, you had to switch interests after that clown bloke screwed ya over?!" he inquired. Harley rolled her eyes.

"Oh, lemme' think…" she started to say mockingly, "Yeah!" she shouted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Now where are my friends?" Sunset asked, chiming in as she stepped forward.

"They're alright," Carol assured as an answer. The Equestrian Magic user blinked in surprise upon noticing her. "When we found you in the base, I brought you back here," she told her, "Obviously, not everyone was thrilled…" she pointed out, "but Harley vouched for your lives since she… knew you, I guess…" she mentioned with a small grin.

"Oh, I know…" the former psychiatrist remarked, slyly smirking at her ex as she leaned against her shoulder with her left elbow.

"Huh…" Sunset sighed out in embarrassment, "So where are they?" she asked. Moments later, a door was opened into another room for her. She lightly gasped upon seeing the bandaged forms of Law and Erza, lying on separate beds.

"Shimmer…?" the former quietly uttered out in surprise as he sat up, while the latter's eyes shook.

"Huh…" the Equestrian Magic user sighed out in relief, "Thank Celestia…" she said happily.

"Is Celestia like your god or something?" Harley asked curiously, catching her attention, "'Cause I've only ever heard you say it…" she pointed out. Ignoring her, Sunset turned to Carol.

"Thank you," she said in gratitude. The Pink Lantern let off a small grin.

"Great, you're all reunited…" Louise grumbled out sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, "Now let's toss 'em overboard," she insisted.

"You…!" Erza growled as she sat up, summoning forth a sword in a flash of golden light into her left hand. The villains readied themselves in response, save for Harley and Carol.

"Hey, let's not kill the mood…" the former of the two advised to her comrades, holding up her hands in a placating manner, "Sunbuns, tell 'em we're cool…" she whispered to her ex.

"You can stand down, Erza," Sunset told the requip user, who blinked in surprise, "Everything's okay," she promised.

"Looks can be deceiving…" Law remarked with narrowed eyes.

"So what do we do now?" George wondered, "Keep 'em locked up?" he inquired, crossing his arms.

"I doubt they'll wanna stick around…" Floyd noted in reply.

"I say we just freeze them all solid right here and now," Louise insisted as a cold mist wafted off of her right hand, "Especially since they're not in the best condition…" she mentioned with an ominous grin.

"You are not touchin' my Sunbuns!" Harley shouted, defensively getting in front of Sunset again.

"Sunbuns…?" Erza repeated in confusion, tilting her head to the side.

"The whole bloody lot of 'em could be tagged by their friends for all we know!" George yelled, "Hell, they might be here right now!" he suggested.

"No, they're not," Sunset responded, catching his attention along with those of the others, "Our trackers were taken after the Legion beat us," she told them, "So you don't have to worry about our friends showing up to try and find us," she assured.

"That doesn't excuse you being here," Christopher chimed, stepping forward, "You'll either leave peacefully, or we'll make this peaceful…" he threatened.

"Christ… what is it with you and peace?" Louise grumbled in question, pinching the bridge of her nose. Meanwhile, Floyd narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment.

"You know what?" he said, catching everyone's attention, "Sapphire's right," he admitted.

"I am?" Carol uttered in surprise.

"Right about what, Lawton?" Christopher asked curiously, turning towards the mercenary.

"Do we stand a ghost of a chance against the Legion of Doom? Realistically speaking?" he questioned rhetorically in response, "Facing facts, I'd say the shark and Sapphire are the biggest guns we have going for us," he pointed out, "But those guys got their own Lantern and muscle-headed freaks," he mentioned.

"King Shark is a shark…" Nanaue muttered in admittance, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head out of shame.

"So what, you wanna team up with these blokes?" George guessed, arching an eyebrow.

"Better to team up than to walk right to our deaths," Floyd retorted, "And it'll be worse than getting your head blown off…" he added as he glared at the Australian man, who actually gulped.

"Yeah, I'm not fucking around with these freaks…" Louise muttered as she started to walk off, only for Harley to jog out in front of her.

"You may not like it, Frosty…" she started to say, "but these guys might be the best chance we have at an out," she told her, "So come on…" she pleaded, giving the icy villainess puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh…" she groaned in response, "Fine, whatever…" she grumbled.

"Yay!" Harley exclaimed, happily skipping over to Sunset, "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!" she noted excitedly, planting a wet kiss to her ex's right cheek before she could reply.

"Uh… yeah…" she finally said, glancing back to see the astonished look on Erza's reddening face, while Law just blinked.

"…Woof," he uttered out afterwards.

"Huh…" Sunset sighed, palming her face with her left hand as Harley contently hugged her.

"You're not in charge of this mission, Lawton," Christopher pointed out to the mercenary, getting his attention, "When Waller hears about this-"

"If you're so driven to keep the peace, then this is the only way for us to do it," Floyd interjected again, "I've been at this longer than you, so I know when we're outgunned," he mentioned firmly. Christopher narrowed his eyes with contempt underneath his helmet. But he rescinded, holding his hands together behind his back.

"Then if this plan falls through…" he began to say, "your head's the first that's gone," he threatened ominously. The mercenary smirked.

"See?" he said, "Now you're getting the hang of it," he noted with a chuckle.

"So you guys are after the Legion of Doom, too?" Sunset inquired, receiving a nod from Harley in response, "Are you… trying to replace them?" she wondered curiously.

"Oh, no…" her ex-girlfriend assured in reply with a chuckle, "We're basically a… hitman squad that goes out and does missions for the government in exchange for time off our sentences," she explained. Sunset blinked twice.

"What?!" she exclaimed out of shock.

"We all ended up roped into this," Carol chimed in, getting her attention, "Honestly, I hoped to be done with this persona…" she admitted ashamedly.

"Well…" Sunset began, "at least you're using it for good this time… I think…" she pointed out with a nervous grin of reassurance.

"Um, excuse me?" Law said, catching their attentions, "What about the rest of the team?" he questioned.

"They have no idea that we're still alive…" Erza realized with a look of panic on her face. Sunset grimaced in realization. She was worried how Ben was reacting to all of this.

"Wait, wait, wait…" George repeated, holding out his hands like he was pushing something, "You're saying your friends… are gonna help us?" he inquired.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far just yet…" Sunset responded with a shrug, "Harley, is this the Suicide Squad you told me about?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, you got it!" the former psychiatrist exclaimed in reply, "Yeah, our mission's to kill off the Legion of Doom, but… well, ya know…" she noted with a sputter of frustration.

"If you're willing to help us, we'll call it even," Floyd chimed in, getting Sunset's attention.

"And I guess in return, you guys just wanna be left alone," she inferred, crossing her arms over her chest. Most of the villains gave off nervous glances. "All right…" the Equestrian Magic user sighed out, "you'll be off the hook with us," she assured, "Though I can't promise the same from the Justice League…" she mentioned with a shrug.

"Fine by us," Floyd replied, "So where to?" he asked.

"Somewhere secluded…" Sunset replied, "But at least a place where I can get my hands on a phone…" she added with a firm look of confidence in her eyes. She was ready to do whatever it took to stop the Legion of Doom. Even if it meant teaming up with a group of supervillains…

X

12:52 P.M. – THE WATCHTOWER

"Where are Hal and Victor?" Clark asked from the conference room, seeing that their chairs were empty.

"I think they're looking into the disappearance of Carol Ferris," Diana replied, getting his attention, "She went missing about a week ago," she mentioned with narrowed eyes.

"Hal's girlfriend?" Barry inquired as he blinked.

"That is somewhat alarming…" J'onn admitted as he tented his hands over the conference table.

"Knowing Hal, he's not going to rest until he knows that she's safe," Clark pointed out, "We're missing Bruce, too…" he noted, seeing that the Dark Knight's seat was empty as well.

"No idea where he might be…" Diana said. At that very moment though, the sliding doors opened. Everyone looked over to see Bruce enter the room alongside Arthur.

"Hello everyone," the Atlantean king greeted with a simple raise of his right hand.

"Arthur?" Clark uttered in confusion, "What are you doing-?"

"We have a new lead on the Legion," Bruce suddenly interjected, having guessed what the Kryptonian was going to ask in the end. His fellow Leaguers all shared perplexed glances with each other. What was this new lead?

Holed up in an interrogation room with his armor removed was Manta. He was a human male with dark brown skin and shaven black hair that included a beard. For clothes, he merely had on a black tank top with skintight sweatpants. Outside the room was Mera, who looked through the glass window at the underwater mercenary. She had wondered how he and his cronies were capable of smuggling so much of Atlantis' technology into the hands of the enemy. The answer was clear, considering who Manta had been working with. Just then, the doors behind her opened. She turned to see her husband enter alongside Bruce, Diana, and Clark.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," the Atlantean queen said in gratitude to the Justice League members.

"And thank you for bringing Black Manta into custody," Diana replied as she warmly embraced Mera.

"How'd you come up with this big catch?" Barry jokingly questioned as he and J'onn walked in.

"Our scouts found him just outside of Atlantis' borders," Arthur responded, "His armor was heavily damaged, like he'd been attacked by sharks…" he mentioned. The comment made Bruce curiously narrow his eyes.

"We'll take it from here," he assured to the Atlantean king with a nod.

"So how're we doing this?" the speedster of the group asked as he crossed his arms, "Mind reading or lasso reading?" he inquired on.

"Let's go with the lasso first," Clark decided, "I wouldn't want to risk destroying his mind in the process…" he pointed out as he glanced over at J'onn.

"Of course," he responded, not offended. The door to the enclosed space was opened as Manta merely glanced up to see Diana approach him, readying her lasso.

"You can hide the truth all you want," she started to say to him, "but the lasso will compel you to tell it," she stated firmly.

"Huh…" Manta sighed, "The Legion is planning to activate eight Null Void projectors on the fourteenth and take control of the beasts that dwell there," he suddenly told her, much to hers and everyone else's surprise.

"Uh… should it be that easy?" Barry inquired worriedly. Unsure of whether to take his words as truth or not, Diana tossed the lasso and had it wrap around him. It glowed brightly.

"The lasso compels you to tell the truth, if that was it," she said.

"The Legion is planning to activate eight Null Void projectors on the fourteenth and take control of the beasts that dwell there," Manta repeated in explanation, not changing a single word, "Furthermore, the operation was also intended to do away with the Justice League and leave the Earth defenseless, making the population frightened enough to rely on anyone for security," he mentioned thoroughly. Diana's eyes shook at the details, but she steeled herself, withdrawing the lasso from him.

"So they're looking to take control through fear…" Clark realized, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced down in thought.

"Seems a little off from Luthor's usual M.O…" Barry chimed in with a tilt of his head.

"If we are pitted against far more than what we witnessed in Gotham Harbor…" J'onn started to say.

"Then we're in a lot of trouble," Bruce finished for him, narrowing his eyes under his cowl. Meanwhile, Diana left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Why do you think he told the truth?" Arthur wondered curiously.

"Because he knows he's out of the Legion's inner circle for getting caught," the Amazon princess answered, "And because he thinks he wouldn't survive without being with them…" she added as she looked back into the room, seeing Manta lie down on the floor and shut his eyes as he was trying to fall asleep.

"Think we need to get in touch with Tennyson?" Barry asked curiously, catching the group's attention.

"That would seem like the best course of action," J'onn noted in agreement.

"But this is the Legion of Doom we're talking about," Clark pointed out, causing Diana to blink in surprise, "We need to take care this before Luthor and the others can activate those portals," he stated firmly as he started to walk off.

"So now we're leaving Ben in the lurch…" the Amazon princess inferred, causing him to stop, "is that right?" she guessed, narrowing her eyes onto the Kryptonian.

"Huh…" he sighed deeply, "I don't want us to have to rely on Ben and his team like last time," he told her.

"Does that make being hypocritical right?" she questioned in response, "If there's really a divide between us, it's only going to widen after this…" she noted with concern in her tone. There was a long silence between her and the others.

"If things get out of hand and Ben chooses to intervene, then that's his decision," Bruce finally said, "That's who he's always been," he pointed out.

"In short, we should find Luthor and stop this operation before it even begins," J'onn insisted.

"And that's exactly what we'll do," Clark firmly declared before he walked out. The others followed, with Diana being the last to leave. She had misgivings about keeping what they knew from Ben. Especially after how he was told not to keep knowledge from reaching the League. Nevertheless, she knew that it was her mission to fight alongside her comrades to stop the Legion of Doom…

X

1:41 P.M. – LEXCORP TOWER

"Huh… huh…" Cheetah breathed out raggedly from the enclosed space she was being kept in. Upon arriving to Lex's underground laboratory beneath his company's building, she had been erratic. The walls around her were ruined by her claw marks. A camera atop the ceiling was eyeing her carefully.

"My…" Joker uttered from another room, standing with Lex, Grodd, and Vandal as they watched the footage of the feline-like villainess, "Someone's gone quite catty…" he remarked, cackling like a maniac. The others ignored his joke.

"Grodd?" the Lexcorp CEO said, prompting the intelligent gorilla to speak.

"Because of the treatment, she's reverting to a more animalistic state of mind," he told the others, "In essence, she's become the very animal she sought to mimic," he mentioned, "A cheetah that craves for the hunt…" he said, letting off a grin.

"And Bane?" Vandal questioned. The group turned to one of the other screens in the room. Upon it was the muscular man, who was seated in his isolated room against the wall.

"His heart rate and blood pressure were very low after the venom wore off," Lex explained, "He's recovered… but taking more doses may worsen the effects a second time," he pointed out, narrowing his eyes with concern.

"Time isn't on our side now," Grodd noted, "We won't be able to recreate the formulas for those two in time for our operation," he mentioned.

"So let 'em have their fun!" Joker insisted, getting their attentions, "Who cares if they bite the bullet in the end?" he questioned with a shrug, chuckling afterwards.

"True…" the intelligent gorilla agreed as he grinned, "After all, they're only pieces useful in getting us to this position," he mentioned.

"I suppose I'm included in that case…" Vandal chimed in, causing Lex and Grodd to turn to him in surprise. Joker let off an intrigued grin.

"Well, your initial influence brought this group back together again!" Lex pointed out as he laughed, "But honestly…" he continued as his expression turned into a frown, "we should've done away with you long ago," he admitted, "Immortal as you may claim to be, you've done nothing else but be the founder of this Legion…" he pointed out, "And I've improved it," he confidently stated. Vandal gnashed his teeth together.

"Oh, the tension is palpable!" Joker exclaimed, "Though… honestly, I'd say Groddsy did a bigger chunk of the work over you, Lex old boy…" he added in admittance.

"What?" the Lexcorp CEO uttered out in surprise, while the intelligent gorilla chuckled.

"For a madman, you have an exceptional eye to know who is superior," he remarked to the Clown Prince of Crime.

"Don't forget that it was my influence that brought all these pieces in place, including yourself!" Lex shouted at Grodd as he walked up to him.

"And yet you still believe humanity can thrive in this forsaken era…" he retorted, shaking his head in disappointment, "Perhaps I should take on this leadership role as the clown suggests…" he remarked. Just then, the sliding doors to the security room opened. Walking in was Sinestro.

"Apologies if I'm interrupting anything…" he said upon approaching.

"What is it?" Lex asked, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Manta was captured by the Justice League," Sinestro answered to his surprise, "And I have a feeling he may have talked," he added in confession.

"Gah…" Lex groaned out of frustration, "We'll have to start the projectors tonight…" he insisted to the surprise of the others as they blinked.

"What?" Vandal uttered.

"I understand the timeline has changed, but this is too—!"

"If you have another idea, please do share it!" Lex yelled, interrupting Grodd's remarks. The two of them glared at each other angrily.

"Well, when in Rome I suppose…" Joker joked, laughing a little, "I say go for the big show, Lexie!" he exclaimed, "We got all the pieces of the puzzle together, don't we?" he sarcastically guessed, chuckling again.

"Exactly," the Lexcorp CEO replied, going over to the control panel and pressing a black button underneath a speaker, "You two," he echoed into it, causing his voice to project into Bane and Cheetah's rooms, catching their attentions, "we're starting this tonight," he told them, "Be prepared," he advised. As the communication ended, both villains stood up in their respective spaces.

"Finally…" the feline-like villainess uttered with a wicked grin on her face, while the muscular villain exhaled a deep breath from his nose. Both of them were prepared to take on whatever challenge was ahead for them. As was the rest of the Legion…

X

4:26 P.M. – OMNI FORCE TOWER

"We'll widen our search around the area, but there's been no sign of any survivors…" Rex explained as a hologram projecting over the conference table, where Ben was seated with Gaara and Ruby, while Rook, Kevin and Ahsoka were standing off to the side. The search around the Atlantic for their missing comrades had lasted for about over three hours… with no promising findings. All that the Plumbers seemed to find was the debris from the destroyed underwater base.

"Thanks for the update, Rex," the Omni Force leader said in gratitude. The Plumber captain saluted with a nod before his hologram faded from view.

"Huh…" Ruby sighed out sadly, "Maybe…" she started to say, balling her fists over her shaking knees, "Maybe they're really gone…" she suggested.

"Don't say that, Ruby," Gaara insisted, "They don't have their MPGs, so it'll be hard for them to get contact with us," he pointed out.

"Yeah… but…" Ruby tried to say, but was too upset to continue.

"I think we should try to look into finding them at Lexcorp," Rook insisted as he walked over to the table.

"I agree," Ahsoka replied while stepping forward.

"Huh," Ben exhaled, standing up from his seat, "Then it's settled," he concluded firmly, "We're going straight to 'em," he insisted.

"Um… shouldn't we have a plan first?" Ruby inquired.

"There doesn't need to be one, Shortstack," Kevin chimed in as a response, "If we got Ben, we're good," he assured confidently.

"We'll call in the Plumbers for backup, too," Ben mentioned, "And in case things get too dicey-" He stopped talking as he felt a buzz in his pants. And it wasn't from his MPG…

"Ben?" Rook uttered out of confusion, seeing his partner rummage through his pockets before pulling out his cell phone.

"Who's… calling you?" Kevin asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.

"Not sure…" the Biomnitrix bearer admitted in response as he didn't recognize the number. He tapped the answer icon on the screen before putting the phone up to his right ear. "Hello?" he greeted.

"Hi Ben," a familiar voice echoed into his ear, causing his eyes to jolt open in shock.

"Sunset?!" he exclaimed, causing everyone to gasp out of surprise.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

The task force's submarine was parked well away from the shallow, clear water of the desolate beach, still submerged. Both the Suicide Squad and the Omni Force squadron leaders had disembarked though, standing about the beach so that the Equestrian Magic user could make her call. The only problem was… that she didn't have a phone on her person. So Harley went out and 'borrowed' one for her to use.

"Yeah, it's me," she answered as the ocean breeze rushed through her hair, "Traffie and Erza are here, too," she mentioned, "We're all alive," she assured.

"Oh, thank god…" the Omni Force leader's voice sighed out of relief, "Where are you right now?" he asked.

"Uh… somewhere in Florida, I think?" Sunset replied unsurely, "Sorry…" she apologized, "We're still a bit banged up from what happened…" she admitted to her best friend.

"Well, so long as you're alright…" he pointed out in response with a chuckle, "How did you get out of there anyway?" he wondered curiously. The Equestrian Magic user inwardly grimaced as she glanced over at Harley, who gave her a big smile.

"Um… I'll have to explain in person…" she vaguely replied, "Trace this phone's location and meet up with us as soon as you can," she advised, "I'm sure you guys know what the Legion's planning by now," she mentioned to him.

"…Okay then," Ben responded, "We'll meet up with you soon," he promised, ending the call as there was the sound of a beep.

"All set, Sunbuns?" Harley asked as she saw her ex pull the phone away from her ear.

"Yeah," she answered, handing the phone off to the former psychiatrist, "Thanks, Harley," she said in gratitude.

"No problem," the Cupid of Crime replied… right before snapping the phone in half like a piece of plywood.

"Hey!" Sunset yelled.

"What?" Harley uttered in confusion, "That was just a burner phone, wasn't it?" she inquired.

"Ugh…" the Equestrian Magic user groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. Now she remembered why she regretted dating the pigtailed woman at all…

"I cannot believe those two were a thing…" Law admitted from afar.

"Nor can I…" Erza concurred.

"All right…" Floyd uttered, sauntering over alongside Christopher, "Tennyson's probably gonna get here in about a half hour or so," he pointed out, "You sure he's gonna wanna go along with this?" he asked of Sunset.

"The more the merrier if we're gonna stop these guys for good," she responded, "Besides," she continued, "I don't want anyone else getting killed over this," she told him.

"I'm still against this, Lawton," Christopher chimed in.

"Geez, who the fuck cares anymore?" the sharpshooter mercenary muttered in question, "We're doing this, whether you want us to or not…" he stated firmly. The soldier stepped closer to him.

"When Waller finds out about this…" he started to say, "your head's the first one that goes," he threatened. However, Floyd cracked a grin.

"All for peace, right?" he guessed.

"Hmph," Christopher scoffed, walking away.

"So… we just stand around for a half hour?" George guessed with a perplexed look on his face.

"Ooh!" Harley yelped in realization, "Who wants to play charades?!" she asked excitedly.

"Jesus fuck…" Louise cursed in frustration, while most everyone else seemed just as annoyed.

5:37

The Rust Bucket soared over the skyline as Kevin piloted it through the air. He, Ben and Rook were in the bridge together, looking at the radar with a green dot indicating the pinpointed location.

"We're closing in," the Revonnahgander noted. The Omni Force leader looked out the window to see if he could spot Sunset and the others. And sure enough, he saw a figure waving to them from the beach below.

"They're here!" he exclaimed with a relieved laugh.

"Then I'm putting her down," Kevin responded as the Rust Bucket went into a gradual descent, with its landing gear deploying upon approaching the ground. Once it landed softly, the boarding ramp came down. Ben was the first to exit, with Rook, Ahsoka, Gaara, Kevin and Ruby to follow. The latter of the group gasped sharply and quietly upon spotting Sunset with Law and Erza.

"Guys!" she exclaimed in delight, suddenly zipping over to them in a burst of rose petals.

"Ah!" the requip user gasped in surprise as the student huntress was right in front of her.

"I'm so glad you're okay…!" she whimpered out happily, embracing Erza tightly as her face squished against her ample chest. Blinking for a moment, the Fairy Tail wizard smiled softly. She hugged Ruby back.

"I'm alright," she assured.

"Alright might be pushing it…" Law grumbled as he approached, "We got our asses handed to us…" he muttered in admittance.

"Coming from the guy who said we'd have the last laugh, too…" Sunset remarked, causing him to scoff out of frustration as he turned his head away.

"Well, at least you're on your feet…" Ben noted as he hugged his best friend warmly. She smiled before being let go. "So," the Biomnitrix bearer began, "you were gonna tell me how you got out of there in person?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow. Sunset winced.

"Yeah…" she responded slowly, "Promise me you won't be mad?" she implored of him.

"…Why would I be mad?" he asked back.

"Yoohoo~!" a familiar voice sang. Sunset grimaced.

"Celestia dammit…" she cursed as she glanced back to see the members of Task Force X approaching, with Harley jogging in the front as she waved to her ex.

"Harley Quinn?!" Ben exclaimed out of shock.

"And Deadshot…!" Rook gasped, quickly reaching for his Proto-Tool and pulling it off of his shoulder. Kevin coated himself in metal, and Ahsoka drew both of her lightsabers as the white blades of light appeared upon the hilts. Meanwhile, the Omni Force leader enveloped himself in a flash of green light. Once it subsided, it revealed that he had transformed into a gorilla made out of building blocks. He had three main colors, which were red, blue and yellow, with black lines all over his body. He was mostly red and yellow with some spots of blue, wearing the Biomnitrix symbol on his chest.

"Um… hi?" Harley greeted out upon noticing the Segmentasapien. He suddenly stretched his right arm out to grasp her and instantly pull her in like a rubber band. "Whoa!" she yelped, being brought right up to Bloxx's face.

"You've got ten seconds to tell me what you're doing here, Quinn…" he threatened with a glare. She gave off an unimpressed look.

"Ya know Sunbuns, I was expectin' your hubby to be a little less of a dick…" she remarked, glancing over at Sunset, who blushed a bright red.

"No, he's not my—! UGH!" she groaned in response, putting her face into her hands. Bloxx blinked in confusion.

"Wait…" he uttered out, turning his head to the Equestrian Magic user, "Did… she save you?" he guessed in surprise.

"Technically, it was Saphhy who saved her and her pals, but yeah," Harley corrected, answering for her ex.

"Pretty much…" she said with a shrug.

"So… you're not the hubby she told me about?" the former psychiatrist inquired with a tilt of her head.

"Um… I believe that would be me…" Rook chimed in, putting his Proto-Tool back onto his shoulder as he approached, "Sunset, it sounds as if she knows you well…" he pointed out with concern in his tone.

"'Cause I do," Harley remarked as she grinned, "Sunbuns and I used to date," she told them. Both Bloxx and Rook widened their eyes in shock, with the former dropping the Cupid of Crime as she landed safely on her feet. They glanced over at Sunset with gaping mouths. Her blush grew as she covered her face with her hands.

"Can we talk about this later…?" she implored of them, "Please…?" she begged.

"Wow…" Ruby uttered out in disbelief from afar.

"My thoughts exactly…" Erza concurred with a sigh.

"All right, let's cut the bullshit and get to work," Floyd chimed in as he walked over, "We need a plan," he said.

"And why the hell should we work with you clowns?" Kevin asked, keeping his fists clenched.

"Because we need extra help," Sunset answered, standing in between her comrades and the group of villains, "These guys were put together as a hit squad to take out the Legion of Doom," she told Bloxx and the others.

"I… do not see how this group is even capable of doing so without dying…" Rook bluntly noted in response. Harley shrugged.

"We're called the Suicide Squad for a reason…" she pointed out to his surprise. In a flash of green light, Bloxx transformed back into Ben.

"Sunset, why would you even agree to something like this?" he asked the Equestrian Magic user, getting her attention.

"Because the Legion's much more dangerous than it was the last time, especially with the new people they got onboard," she explained in reply, "Besides…" she continued, "I kinda feel like I owe Harley and the others for saving our lives…" she admitted as she glanced away in embarrassment.

"Aw… that's sweet…" Harley cooed upon overhearing her ex.

"If you're being employed by the government, won't they need to know about our involvement?" Ahsoka wondered.

"The blokes probably already know and don't care," George responded as he crossed his arms over his chest, "So long as we take out those bloody Doomers without goin' against orders, we're good," he mentioned. The Togruta arched an eyebrow.

"Wait… what does that mean?" she wondered. Now Harley winced as she sucked in air through her teeth. And Sunset noticed.

"What is it, Harley?" she asked out of concern.

"Yeah… so… to make sure we don't go outta line and all…" she started to explain nervously, "the government put these explosive chips in the backs of our necks…" she told her.

"WHAT?!" the Equestrian Magic user exclaimed in shock.

"Yep," George chimed in, "One wrong move and… kaboom," he said, making his left hand open up from a fist for emphasis.

"And that will happen if we go through with this," Christopher threatened, joining the conversation as he stepped forward, "I am not risking the withdrawal of peace in order to stop this threat," he stated firmly.

"Doesn't stopping threats… mean making peace?" Harley inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Hence your damn name," Floyd bluntly remarked. Christopher growled in frustration as his right eye twitched underneath his helmet. Meanwhile, Ben took notice of Louise in the background with her arms crossed.

"So she's here too, huh?" he growled out in question.

"Ben, I'm not gonna ask you to let bygones be bygones with these guys…" Sunset told him in an effort to calm him down, "When this is over, we can figure what to do with them…" she promised.

"If they stick around long enough…" the Omni Force leader muttered out.

"So what's the plan?" Carol questioned, chiming into the conversation as she stepped forward. As surprised as Ben was to see her there, he knew that teaming up for now would be better in besting the Legion of Doom.

"First, we need to find a way to sneak ourselves into Lexcorp…" he told the newly formed group as they all gathered around him.

X

6:14 P.M. – THE WHITE HOUSE

"Of all the people to come and visit me, you're the last one I expected," Amanda admitted from her desk in her office, speaking to none other than Victor, "You know, your father and I used to work together prior to his passing," she mentioned to him, "He told me how passionate he was about bringing you back after that accident," she added. The half-human, half-robot let out a sigh.

"Look, I'll just cut to the chase," he decided, making a hologram project from the back of his right wrist. The projection was an image of Carol. "This woman went missing about a week ago, and I'm trying to find her," he explained. Amanda blinked with a perplexed look on her face.

"You came here just to tell me that?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow, "Why not just file a missing person's report and let the police handle it?" she asked on.

"I would…" Victor started to reply as he let the projection fade away, "but this woman's boyfriend happens to be a friend of mine," he pointed out, "So I'm gonna find her myself," he vowed. Amanda narrowed her eyes with a hint of frustration.

"So why come to me?" she wondered, tenting her hands upon her desk.

"Carol's boyfriend's been sending her texts a couple times a day to check in," Victor told her, "And I can trace the location anytime the phone pings, whether or not it's on silent," he mentioned, crossing his arms over his chest, "So…" he continued, "why do you have it, Madam Secretary?" he inquired curiously. Amanda took a deep breath through her nose.

"You're lucky that you're in the Justice League, Cyborg," she pointed out as she stood up, "Otherwise, I would've had security in here to escort you out," she claimed. Victor wasn't intimidated by the remark.

"Where is Carol?" he asked, balling his robotic hands into fists. Amanda pulled open one of her desk drawers, taking out a cellphone as she placed it onto the tabletop.

"I had Miss Ferris take on an assignment for me with some colleagues," she told the Justice League member, "But what that entails is top secret information," she firmly stated.

"Heh," Victor chuckled, "It's the Suicide Squad, right?" he guessed. She scoffed in frustration. "Batman might've been nice enough to let you off you hook the last time you pulled something like this," the half-man, half-robot continued, "but I'm not," he said in a firm tone, "So cut the bullshit and be straight with me," he insisted. Another deep breath left Amanda's nose. Minutes later, Hal was floating outside in his costume, looking down at the building below as the sun was starting to set. He noticed Victor step out from the entrance, leaving through the front gate as it closed behind him.

"Get everything?" the Green Lantern inquired as he floated down to meet his comrade.

"Yeah," he replied, holding the cellphone in his hand, "Waller's got her as a part of a new Suicide Squad," he mentioned, causing Hal to widen his eyes in shock and disbelief.

"And the only way she'd actually be useful is…" he started to realize.

"Being Star Sapphire again…" Victor finished, "Hal, I think I know where she might be going…" he added, "Waller mentioned that the squad's current target is the Legion," he told the Green Lantern.

"Which means the only place I can think we could check is… Lexcorp," he decided in response.

"Exactly," the half-man, half-robot agreed with a nod, "So let's move," he insisted. With his jetpack mounted onto his back, he flew off alongside Hal over the D.C. skyline, heading past the Washington Monument.

6:30 P.M. – METROPOLIS

Donning his war suit, which was repaired of all damages, Lex typed a few commands into the control panel. He had gotten quite antsy in the wake of having to change plans and speed up processes. It wasn't something he was accustomed to, nor delighted with. He especially hated the fact that he was being treated as if he wasn't the leader of this Legion of Doom.

"How much longer do we have until the projectors are ready for deployment?" he asked Sinestro, who was the only other person in the room with him.

"An hour at most," the Yellow Lantern answered, "Honestly, you Earthlings have such tedious procedures for these kinds of things," he pointed out, "It's quite embarrassing…" he mockingly remarked.

"Shut… up," Lex growled out to him, "I don't recall you being against my leadership…" he noted as he approached Sinestro in a threatening manner. The Yellow Lantern wasn't even intimidated, letting out a light laugh.

"I'd say your leadership has been quite useful to all of us," he confessed in response, "But in the end, we all have our own goals to achieve…" he mentioned, "The only purpose of the alliance is to further our own goals," he said. Lex took deep, angered breaths through his nose. His once stoic persona was threatening to leave him.

"Luthor," Grodd's voice suddenly echoed over the loudspeaker, "I do hope you have a contingency in place for any… interferences," he remarked.

"Huh…" the Lexcorp CEO groaned in frustration, pressing a few more keys on the keyboard, "Just remember who brought you to this point, Sinestro," he advised to the Yellow Lantern, "Without me, you wouldn't have the fear you crave…" he claimed before walking off. Within one of the isolated rooms, Bane was being administered a syringe to his neck from Grodd.

"Agh…" he groaned out as he could feel the fluid from the injection enter his body.

"This will help alleviate the aftereffects the next time you use the serum," the intelligent gorilla told him.

"Huh…" he exhaled, "I will break… anyone who crosses me," he declared firmly with his teeth clenched together.

"So…" a raspy voice chimed in, being that of Joker as he walked out from the corner of the room, "el Luchador's ready to get back in the ring for round two!" he announced, followed by a big laugh. Bane huffed, ignoring the Clown Prince of Crime.

"As of tonight, the Justice League will be no more," Grodd stated with confidence, "And falling with them will be the Omni Force," he added, holding his hands together behind his back as he trotted off a few steps to the side.

"So long as we get the jump on Benny boy," Joker pointed out, "I hear he's a real piece of work…" he mentioned with another chuckle.

"It's why we have you under our employ," the intelligent gorilla remarked back to him, "You are a master of psychological breakdown, aside from your… abhorrent style of comedy…" he noted.

"Aw, that's nice to hear…" Joker mockingly responded as his eyes fluttered a little, "Tell ya what, Groddsy," he started to suggest, "how 'bout you warm up the kid for me?" he insisted, "Then I can really put him through the wringer…" he noted, snickering with excitement.

"Hmm…" the intelligent gorilla hummed curiously in thought, scratching at his chin, "I do wish to test what Tennyson would do against someone like myself…" he admitted, "Though honestly, I doubt I would be able to win alone…" he added in confession, chuckling a little.

"Don't you worry, you big ape," Joker reassured, "I can take care of all the rest…" he vowed with a toothy smile.

X

7:02 P.M. – SIX MINUTES OUTSIDE OF METROPOLIS

"Sorry we couldn't do more for your pals…" Harley apologized to Sunset from the cargo bay of the Rust Bucket, sitting next to her on the bench. Prior to their departure from the beach, Ben decided to have Law and Erza sent back to Omni Force Tower to receive treatment for their injuries. Despite them being patched up well, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to contribute much tonight with their bodies still needing to heal.

"It's fine, Harley," the Equestrian Magic user assured to her ex, making her grin. She then glanced over to see Rook watching them from the bench on the other side with a nervous look in his eyes.

"So… he's your hubby?" the former psychiatrist guessed, pointing at the Revonnahgander.

"Yeah," Sunset answered with a nod. Harley shot a few glances at Rook… and then at her ex-girlfriend.

"Woof," she huffed out, leaning back in her seat, "Didn't know you were into that…" she remarked.

"Harley…" the Equestrian Magic user said in a reprimanding tone.

"All right…" the Cupid of Crime responded in understanding, holding up her hands in a placating manner, "I know now's not the time to make jokes…" she pointed out, putting her hands onto her knees and sputtering out a breath, "So…" she continued, "Mistah J's with those asshats?" she inquired to her ex, who exhaled a deep sigh.

"He said that they brought him specifically to deal with Ben," she noted to her.

"Wait, your boss guy?" she guessed with a tilt of her head, receiving a nod in reply, "…Why would Mistah J be a good match 'gainst someone like him?" she asked on.

"I dunno…" Sunset responded honestly, "Maybe it has to do with the fact that Ben's got a fear of clowns…" she suggested with a shrug.

"Nah, I doubt that," Harley bluntly retorted to her surprise, "Mistah J… he's more of a guy who wins by tearin' at your psyche," she told Sunset, "Breaks you down piece by piece," she kept going, "Makes you question your sense of self…" she continued, starting to breathe somewhat rapidly, "Maybe even makes ya jump into a vat of acid…" she mentioned with a chuckle. Sunset blinked in surprise, giving off a worried and shocked look to her ex-girlfriend. "Oh, that must've hit a little too close to home…" she realized, bonking herself on the head with her right fist, "Sorry 'bout that," she apologized with a smile.

"So… he's there to try and get to Ben psychologically," Sunset concluded, letting out a frustrated breath from her lips, "And it might actually work," she mentioned.

"Why's that, Sunbuns?" Harley curiously asked. The Equestrian Magic user exhaled another heavy breath.

"Let's just say he's going through a lot right now…" she replied somewhat vaguely. Back on the bridge, Floyd and Christopher were with Ben, Rook, and Kevin, with the hybrid Osmosian piloting the Rust Bucket. The mercenary sharpshooter was looking at the photograph of his daughter again with a sad look on his face. He hoped that after this mission, he would be able to see her at least one last time.

"Who is that?" Ben asked, getting his attention as he had taken notice of the photo in Floyd's hand.

"My daughter," he responded, stuffing the picture into one of his pockets, "You know, I would've gotten to see her again if I got out of that last job you and your pals stopped," he mentioned with a chuckle. The Biomnitrix bearer didn't seem amused. But something about that being mentioned made him think of his own daughter for a moment...

"Did you guys have a plan for the Legion?" he asked, changing the subject.

"We have armaments capable of doing away with many foes," Christopher responded assuredly, holding his hands together behind his back.

"Right…" Ben said, uncertain that he knew exactly what they were up against.

"You have a plan?" Floyd inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Kind of," the Omni Force leader replied with a grimace, "It's all gonna depend on us getting ourselves into Lexcorp unnoticed…" he added.

"So that means we need you to get in there, right?" Kevin guessed upon overhearing.

"Pretty much," Ben answered with a nod, "How's another story…" he admitted, putting his right hand onto his chin, "But I think I've got an idea…" he said, letting off a little grin. Back in the docking bay, Ruby nervously held her hands over her knees as Nanaue was sitting right next to her. Any villain being beside her would be enough to make her get jittery. It just so happened that the mutated shark was the scariest-looking one.

"Eep!" she yelped upon noticing him take hold of her red cloak in his three-fingered left hand. He rubbed his digits along the fabric, feeling how soft it was. He then looked over at the trembling Ruby.

"King Shark is a shark," he said to her. She blinked twice.

"Um… thanks, I think?" she unsurely responded. He gave off a toothy smile. Watching from afar was Gaara, who looked on with a grin. As scared as he knew Ruby was, she was finding it in herself to make conversation with their allies. Even if they were supervillains. Her purity was something the Kazekage admired.

"So we've got guns, we've got a jet, we've got a whole fuckin' team of blokes…" George listed off, "And no plan…" he muttered out.

"Isn't that the way it always goes for us, Boomer?" Harley inquired from afar. The Australian man inhaled an angered breath through his nose.

"Harl, if ya call me that one more time…" he started to threaten.

"Everyone calls you Boomer, Boomer," Louise interrupted, "Just shut the fuck up 'til we actually get there…" she requested bluntly.

"What a mouth…" Ahsoka quietly remarked afterwards, while Carol sighed. Just then, Sunset trotted over.

"Honestly, you're one of the last people I expected to be involved in a team like this…" she admitted to the Pink Lantern, getting her attention.

"I know…" she agreed, "It seems like I always end up back in the same situation every single time…" she complained, exhaling a shaky and saddened breath, "I don't know if my life will ever be normal again…" she confessed. Sunset couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her. She reached out and placed her right hand onto Carol's left shoulder. Her eyes flashed a bright white for a moment before she blinked, returning them to normal.

"You know…" she started to say, causing the Pink Lantern to look over at her, "I used to be the bad guy," she admitted to her surprise, "And not a day goes by where I don't regret what I did…" she mentioned.

"So… what changed you?" Carol asked. Sunset cracked a small grin.

"My friends," she answered simply, "The people who cared about the most helped me get through some really tough times," she pointed out, "And I'm sure the people who care about you will, too," she assured confidently. The Pink Lantern found herself smiling hopefully at her words. She prayed that they would ring true.

"All right, we're getting close," Ben's voice chimed in as he entered the docking bay through the sliding doors, "You guys oughta' get ready," he advised, "I doubt Luthor's gonna make this easy for any of us…" he admitted with a shake of his head.

"King Shark is a shark!" Nanaue exclaimed as he stood up from his seat. The Omni Force leader glanced over at him and blinked twice.

"…What he said," he finally remarked.

"So how are we getting in?" Sunset asked him, getting his attention.

"I'm gonna act as a distraction for you guys," he answered, "Hopefully, I draw enough attention to get you all into the building," he added unsurely.

"And then what?" George questioned on with an arched eyebrow.

"Then you guys find a way to disable those Null Void projectors before the Legion activates them," Ben explained as a response.

"…Ya lost me," Harley admitted sheepishly, scratching at her cheek.

"Huh…" Sunset sighed, "Just… blow up anything you see, Harley…" she advised to her.

"Oh, I can do that!" she exclaimed in reply, "Gosh, it's gonna be such a treat to work with ya, Sunbuns!" she remarked, winking at her ex. From afar, Ruby shuddered with disgust.

"Anyways, how are you planning on getting in at all?" Sunset asked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Big Chill? Ghostfreak?" she listed off as guesses.

"I had another one in mind…" Ben admitted in response with a smirk. In that moment, a green flash of light enveloped his body. His skin turned green as his body grew a little higher than normal. When the light faded, it revealed that he had become a bipedal alien with long limbs and fingers. He had a narrow abdomen, revealing the form of a wide pelvis. He also had a membrane under his upper arms, and thick protective skin on his lower arms. His face was squat, with exposed teeth and gums, and small green eyes. Over his chest were two sashes crossing over each other in the shape of an x, with the Biomnitrix symbol at the intersection point. He also wore a pair of black shorts with white cuffs.

"Bloody hell!" George yelped in shock as he and a few of the others in the docking bay shot to their feet in shock at the transformation.

"Is that… a Martian form?" Sunset guessed after a moment.

"Yeah," the transformed Ben responded telepathically, as his mouth didn't move, "Got him a few months ago, like Kryptoknight," he pointed out, "I call him Marshifter," he told his best friend, who chuckled with a shake of her head.

"As usual, you have no taste in names…" she remarked bluntly. He chuckled, ignoring the comment.

"So you're just gonna fly in there as that and draw 'em out?" Louise guessed with an arched eyebrow, "Seems a little too straightforward if you ask me…" she noted. The Martian narrowed his eyes onto her.

"I didn't ask for your damn opinion…" he disdainfully retorted.

"Tsk," Louise scoffed uncaringly.

"Ben, leave it be," Sunset advised.

"…Right," Marshifter said, "Anyways, once I draw away most of the attention, you guys head on and take care of the rest," he instructed, "And try to sneak in separately so it doesn't look like we're working together…" he insisted of both his teammates and the villains, "Aside from cred, I doubt you guys want your government buddies seeing you on channel five," he remarked to the task force members.

"King Shark is a shark," Nanaue concurred as he nodded.

"Ah, whatever…" George grumbled out, "Not like I wanna get my damn head blown off…" he muttered, folding his arms behind his head.

"Good," Marshifter replied, phasing through the floor and out of the Rust Bucket before flying along the skyline speedily, all while camouflaged.

7:08 P.M. – LEXCORP

"Make sure Mister Luthor is not disturbed within the next hour or so," Mercy instructed to two armed guards standing outside of the building.

"Yes ma'am," one of them responded with a firm nod. Floating overhead in his camouflaged form, Marshifter narrowed his eyes onto Mercy.

"Okay… I remember that chick…" he noted quietly to himself, "And I think that's all I'll need," he assured, floating towards and phasing through the entrance of the building. After finding an empty bathroom, he landed on the floor and looked into the mirror. Concentrating for a few moments, his body shapeshifted into a different form, becoming an exact replica of the Lexcorp CEO's assistant. "Not bad, Tennyson…" he complimented to himself, clearing his throat, "It's a good thing I'm used to playing the girl time and again…" he mentioned, now taking on a womanly voice to complete his disguise.

He then exited the bathroom, not drawing an eye as he walked through the lobby to the elevator. Unfortunately, he noticed that entering would require a keycard as he noticed the scanner beside it. He glanced down, staring through the floor thanks to his x-ray vision. Unfortunately, he could only see beneath a few floors. None seemed to show signs of the Legion's presence.

"Oh, screw it…" he muttered out, quietly vanishing from sight and phasing into the floor. He went down to the very next floor after those he had already seen, becoming tangible as he landed. He brushed himself off and dusted his clothes, maintaining the professional persona he was trying to mimic. Unfortunately, he tensed up as he noticed Sinestro walk out into the hallway from a door. And he noticed him.

"Madam, what are you doing down here?" he wondered curiously as he approached the disguised Marshifter. He quickly composed himself, keeping a stoic look.

"I need to speak with Mister Luthor," he replied, holding his hands behind his back, "It's urgent," he mentioned firmly.

"I'm afraid his hands are tied with another problem at the moment," the Yellow Lantern told her, "You should just call him," he recommended, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I already tried three times," the disguised Martian retorted, narrowing his eyes.

"Really?" Sinestro inquired as he grinned curiously, "Is the matter that urgent?" he wondered.

"It involves the Omni Force…" Marshifter retorted firmly, "So yes, I believe it is that urgent," he stated. The Yellow Lantern seemed suspicious for a moment, but then let off a grin.

"Then by all means, go ahead," he insisted, moving aside for the disguised Martian to walk past him. He chuckled. "You are a clever one, aren't you… Tennyson?" he inquired, causing Marshifter to widen his eyes in shock as he had been made. As Sinestro whipped around with his power ring glowing brightly, the disguised Martian turned and stretched his left hand out like it was made of elastic. He grasped the Yellow Lantern by his neck and slammed him against the ceiling.

"And here I thought I nailed that…" he admitted out of frustration, transforming himself back into his original alien form, "Where's Luthor?" he asked telepathically.

"I could honestly care less about him at this point," Sinestro confessed, "but… I would like to see him try to succeed tonight," he remarked. He then aimed his ring down and fired a beam from it onto the floor, blasting it apart in a fiery blaze.

"AH!" Marshifter yelped in pain, retracting his left hand as he quickly backed away from the flames. He looked out to see Sinestro floating behind them.

"If you're here this time, then so are your friends…" he realized, "I think I'll deal with them before finishing you myself," he declared before flying off. In a flash of green light, the Martian transformed back into Ben. He knew it wouldn't be easy for his teammates… but he had faith that they would succeed in the end.

X

7:15

"So… did Tennyson say he'd give us a signal?" Floyd inquired to Sunset as they were perched atop a building near the Lexcorp tower alongside Christopher and Harley.

"I think we'll know when we see something…" the Equestrian Magic user assured in reply.

"Aw…" Harley moaned, placing her hand onto her cheek in a bored manner, "And I was hopin' we could just barge on in like no problem…" she grumbled out.

"What, so our heads can get blown off?" Floyd sarcastically questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Boomerang, what is your status?" Christopher into the earpiece on his right ear as he tapped it with his fingers.

"We're bloody stuck smack in this alley is what we are!" the Australian man's voice responded through the communication line. He, Nanaue, Gaara and Kevin were lurking within an alleyway, peeking out at the guarded building. "I don't see how we can sneak in unnoticed…" he admitted with narrowed eyes, "Can't we just barge our way past these bloody blokes?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds easy enough…" Louise grumbled through the line. She was with Carol, Ahsoka, and Ruby, being in another alley a little further from the back of the building.

"But the streets are still populated," Rook chimed in, "If any of us were to make a move now, we would alert the authorities too soon…" he pointed out, being positioned beside the Rust Bucket in a forest just outside of the city.

"Which is why we need Ben to do his thing and draw the Legion to us," Sunset stated from the roof, letting the wind rush through her hair. Inside the laboratory underneath the Lexcorp building, the CEO was donning his war suit as he typed a few more commands into his keyboard. Suddenly though, an icon appeared upon the screen. He looked up at it, seeing the 'ALERT' signal blinking a bright red.

"No…" he growled out in realization. He quickly typed on the keyboard to make the security footage appear throughout the underground labyrinth of his building. And he noticed a black and blue blur streaking across some of the screens.

He paused one of them, rewinding the footage to get a better look at what was scurrying about the lab. Once he got an image of the unidentified object, he enhanced the picture… to see that it was XLR8. An angered growl left his mouth again.

"Congratulations, Tennyson…" he complimented as he exhaled a frustrated breath, "You've actually managed to vex me as much as Superman would…" he confessed, slamming his fist down on a red button. An alarm started blaring loudly, while a countdown began upon the screen from ten minutes. The sound echoed through the building as the other Legion of Doom members heard it.

"Finally…" Cheetah hissed with delight, racing out the door and heading down the long hallway speedily.

"Huh…" Bane exhaled, standing up from his room. In his hand was the vile of venom he had been given to use. He clutched it tightly. "Time to end this…" he said, walking out. Elsewhere in the labyrinth, XLR8 came to a stop upon hearing the alarm blare.

"Well, guess I got their attention…" he realized, looking down at the Biomnitrix symbol upon his chest, "Guys, come in," he communicated. Unfortunately, the only response he received was mere static. "Guess I'm too deep down…" he realized. All of a sudden, he heard something slam shut behind him. He whipped around with a gasp to see that a thick metal door had come down, blocking off his escape. Another one came down in front of him, now trapping him completely. The only notable exit seemed to be the one door in the sealed-off corridor. "Definitely a trap…" he muttered in realization. He sped over and kicked the door open, entering a dark room. In a flash of green light, he turned back into Ben.

"All right, Luthor…" he began as he walked further in, "I'm ready whenever you are…" he grumbled out. All of a sudden, the lights came on, illuminating the area as the Omni Force leader flinched from their brightness.

"I do apologize," a familiar voice that wasn't of Lex said, catching his attention as he could hear footsteps approaching, "Alexander will be tending to your allies at the moment," he told him, "So you'll be facing me instead," he stated. Ben looked out and blinked in surprise to see that it was Grodd who was there, grinning.

"Gorilla Grodd…" he uttered out, balling his fists. Back outside, the blaring alarm could be heard throughout the nearby city streets. Many of the guards were making their way to the entrance, informing nearby citizens to evacuate the area as a precaution. That left the back of the building completely unguarded.

"Guess that's our cue finally…" Ruby remarked, readying her Crescent Rose as it morphed into its rifle form. With a pink aura shrouding her form, Carol floated upwards.

"I'll scout ahead and make sure we're clear to get in," she told the group.

"Good idea," Ahsoka remarked with a grin. Meanwhile, Louise looked on with eyes narrowed in thought. Clearly, this situation would eventually get out of hand in one way or another. And there was little to no guarantee that she or anyone else on the task force would survive.

So why bother even helping? Waller would never know. And if things turned out all right, she'd go home free. She smirked as she raised her right hand towards a seemingly unaware Ruby. However, Ahsoka sensed a chill in the air and turned to notice.

"Ruby, watch out!" she screamed.

"Huh?" the student huntress uttered out, turning her head. Had she not heard the Togruta's warning and ducked in time, she would've been frozen in a slab of ice that was now upon the adjacent building. Carol looked back and noticed.

"What the hell?" she questioned in surprise.

"Tch," Louise scoffed upon noticing that she missed, "Damn—" Her remark was cut off as Ahsoka suddenly drew one of her lightsabers into her hand, having its white blade cleanly cut the ice villainess' right hand off. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked in agony as the extremity fell to the floor, leaving her with a burning wound, "Grrr…!" she growled out, grabbing at her arm.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but I'm not letting you kill my friends…" the Togruta stated to her.

"Ergh…" she growled, freezing her wound over in ice to seal it, "Fucking bitch…" she muttered before running off down the alley.

"Hey, wait!" Ruby shouted, about to pursue her… only for Ahsoka to put her left arm out in front of her to make her stop.

"Let's focus on dealing with the Legion first," she advised, "Then we can go after her," she promised.

"And I doubt she'll go too far…" Carol chimed in as she floated back down to them, getting their attentions, "Our boss'll notice her splitting off from us and blow her head off…" she pointed out. The thought of such a grim image made Ruby gulp. Ahsoka then perked up in surprise.

"Look out!" she yelled to Carol, who blinked. She turned around too late however, getting struck by a beam of yellow light that struck her square in the chest. She fell to the ground between Ahsoka and Ruby, gritting her teeth upon impact.

"You okay?!" the student huntress asked as she and the Togruta helped lift her up from the ground. They looked up to see Sinestro looming overhead.

"Well, well…" he repeated curiously, "I expected a few of Tennyson's soldiers to make their way to the other side…" he noted, "but I never could have anticipated another Lantern…" he admitted with an ominous grin.

"It's that guy from the base…" Ruby recalled, grimacing nervously. With a heavy breath, Carol stood back up.

"I can handle him," she affirmed to her colleagues, "You two get inside," she advised.

"But—!"

"It's fine," Carol assured, interrupting the student huntress, "I'm a Lantern like him," she mentioned, "Now go!" she insisted. Ruby didn't want to. It reminded her of how leaving her teammates back at the base yesterday almost resulted in their demise. She balled her trembling fists.

"Ruby…" Ahsoka uttered worriedly.

"I know," the student huntress said in understanding, looking over at Carol, "You better kick his butt," she told her. For once, the Pink Lantern actually cracked a grin.

"I will," she vowed, floating upwards as the two Omni Force members ran off. Sinestro paid no mind to them, keeping his focus on Carol as she glared out at him.

"You know, I've never personally faced a Star Sapphire before," he confessed, "I think this should prove to be a fascinating battle…" he mentioned as his ring glowed brightly. Carol just took a deep breath, thrusting her hands out to fire bright pink beams of light towards him, which he countered by conjuring his own.

"KING SHARK IS A SHAAAARRRRKKK!" Nanaue bellowed as he charged through a platoon of guards as they failed to fire on him in time. Their weapons were being knocked out of their hands by the boomerangs that struck, originating from none other than George as he ran towards the entrance after the mutated shark with Gaara and Kevin in tow.

"So much for 'sneaking' in!" the hybrid Osmosian remarked as they hurried along.

"Well, Ben got them to pull the alarm at least…" Sunset realized with a shrug from the rooftop, "Come on," she beckoned, ponying up in a flash of light as her amber skin, pony ears, ponytail and wings appeared upon her form.

"Dibs on goin' with you, Sunbuns!" Harley suddenly exclaimed as she dashed over and embraced her ex, who yelped in surprise.

"Huh…" she sighed deeply, "Fine…" she said, resigning herself to her fate, "What about you two?" she asked of Floyd and Christopher.

"We'll find our own way," the former assured, allowing her to fly off towards the entrance, "All right, let's move," he advised to the soldier with him.

"Wait," he said, causing the mercenary sharpshooter to stop, looking back to see him with a phone in his hand.

"What's up?" he asked him.

"Frost isn't on the radar," Christopher replied to his shock, "At least not near us anymore," he corrected.

"Shit…" Floyd cursed, "If Waller finds out-"

"I'll inform her that Frost had to fall back because of a stray Doom member," the soldier interjected as he pulled out his long-barreled gun from his right holster, "As much as I dislike you and the others, I want things to end as peacefully as possible," he admitted, "Without your brains splattered on the street," he added. Floyd smirked.

"Point taken," he remarked, letting his metal helmet deploy over his head. Glass shattered as Nanaue burst through the front doors, charging into the lobby.

"Ya know, we could've just used some schmuck's badge…" Kevin muttered as he and Gaara entered after George.

"Now where's the fun in that?" the Australian man wondered sarcastically as one of his boomerangs flew back to him. He caught it in his right hand before placing it amongst his others upon his sash.

"King Shark… is… a shark…" Nanaue uttered out in shock, catching their attentions. Before they could ask what was wrong, they got their answer. Ahead of them was a slew of bleeding guards, all groaning in agony.

"Whoa…" Kevin remarked simply at the seemingly senseless carnage. Several of the men were practically dead, with their throats slit as deep claw marks were embedded into them.

"Looks like somebody beat us to the punch…" George remarked, evidently shocked as they walked around the puddles of blood around them. Nanaue was doing his best to keep his shark instincts at bay and not chomp away at the corpses. But he could tell that there was one person responsible for the bloodshed from the scent...

"Guys!" Ruby's voice cried out as she ran in alongside Ahsoka. They blinked in surprise at the sight of all the dead guards around the room.

"Did… you do this?" the Togruta questioned out of disbelief, looking over at her teammates and their villainous companions.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past the shark…" George remarked while rubbing the back of his head, "But… it wasn't him," he noted, "Or me," he added firmly.

"Do bad guys always have to do stuff like this?" Ruby wondered, surveying the carnage with a look of disgust and dismay on her face.

"Only the ones that don't care about other people…" Kevin responded with a sigh. He didn't like seeing such a sight either. Gaara blinked in surprise upon noticing something.

"Over there!" he exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention towards the reception area as some of them gasped. Lying there littered with cuts all over her body was Mercy, who trembled from the pain.

"Hang on!" Ruby called out as she hurried over. And at that moment, Ahsoka blinked in realization.

"Ruby, wait!" she yelled, "It could be a trap!" she pointed out desperately. And surely enough, it was. As the student huntress approached the Lexcorp assistant, a figure leapt down speedily. It was Cheetah, who had a manic grin on her face as she was about to slash at her target below. But suddenly, a figure ran in and grabbed Ruby protectively, shielding her from the attack. It was Nanaue, who rolled off to the side with her as deep cuts were in his back.

"Shark!" George cried out.

"Heads up!" Kevin shouted, catching his attention as he saw the feline-like woman coming towards him. Her claws were tainted with blood as she lunged out at her prey. The Australian man barely managed to get a boomerang out of his sash before Cheetah slashed his arm.

"GAH…!" he yelped in pain, falling onto the floor on his rear end while dropping his metal boomerang. As Kevin quickly noticed that the feline-like woman was looking over at him hungrily, he grabbed the weapon and absorbed its metal to become coated in it. Cheetah rained down on him with a flurry of slashes, which only left light scratches on his form.

"So I take it you did all this?" he guessed, gesturing with a tilt of his head towards the numerous dead guards in the lobby.

"Guilty as charged…" she responded with a feral grin that made the hybrid Osmosian nervous. Before he could do anything though, he was suddenly met with a ferocious left hook from the large, muscular fist of Bane.

"KEVIN!" Gaara screamed, seeing the hybrid Osmosian go flying hard right into a wall, leaving behind a huge indentation littered with cracks upon impact.

"Ugh…" he groaned out, falling onto the floor unconscious.

"No way…" Ahsoka uttered in disbelief as her eyes shook. Ruby and Nanaue were just as stunned. They looked over to Bane, who breathed somewhat raggedly in his muscular state.

"You've been busy…" he noted over to Cheetah, who walked up beside him.

"I had an itch…" she remarked in response, "Honestly, it hasn't stopped since I bested that swordswoman…" she mentioned with an excited grin. Ruby lightly gasped upon overhearing that detail. And she balled her fists with anger.

"I don't know how long I'll have before the venom wears off again…" Bane admitted as he took a ready stance.

"Then I'll make this fast…" Cheetah promised, licking the blood off of her claws before she started turning around, "I think I'll start by making fish food out of that-" A gunshot interrupted her remark as she looked out to see Ruby lunging out towards her with her scythe drawn. Before the feline-like woman could do anything, the student-huntress caught her in between the blade and handle of her weapon.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared, swinging her around mightily before chucking her hard against a wall.

"GUH…!" she yelped out upon striking it back first, falling shakily onto her feet, "Rrrr…" she hissed angrily through clenched teeth at her new foe.

"I'm not letting you hurt anyone else!" Ruby declared fiercely, readying her Crescent Rose in her hands.

"Hmph," Bane scoffed, "A little girl shouldn't-" Now his remarks were interrupted as a wave of sand crashed over him, wrapping around his body up to his armpits. He looked out to see Gaara with a fearsome look in his eyes as his right hand was extended out.

"Don't you dare try to lecture my friends," he demanded passively, closing his extremity into a fist. The sand squeezed on Bane, who grimaced in pain for a moment before breaking free with a mighty swing of his arms. He stepped forward.

"We never did get to settle our duel the first time…" he realized, "I believe now won't include any interruptions," he added, letting off a smirk. Gaara steeled himself, unfazed by the imposing figure of his muscular foe.

"King shark… is a shark…" Nanaue uttered in amazement.

"Guys…" Ahsoka said, shocked at how the squadron leaders were willing to jump right into the fight.

"Ahsoka, go find Ben!" Ruby insisted, "We'll take care of things here!" she vowed firmly as she spun her scythe, carefully watching Cheetah stalk about her.

"You heard her," Gaara chimed in, getting the Togruta's attention, "We'll be fine," he assured with a nod. Taking a moment to let their words sink in, Ahsoka adhered to them as she hurried off towards the elevators. Drawing both of her lightsabers, she carved a circle in one of them before extended her left hand out to telekinetically move the metal out of the door. She then hopped in and used her lightsabers like ice axes, carefully descending down the elevator shaft. Something ominous was coming from what she had sensed. And Ben was looking to be right in the middle of it…

X

7:23 P.M.

"Well, it looks like your buddies took care of all this…" Sunset noted as she and Harley were just outside of the entrance, trotting about to knocked out or groaning guards.

"Boy, for a big company like this, that dickhead's security sure stinks…" the former psychiatrist bluntly remarked. A loud bang caught her attention as she and Sunset turned to hear the fighting going on in the lobby, seeing Ruby and Cheetah racing about as they clashed with each other.

"We better get in there," the Equestrian Magic user advised, jogging off towards the battle. Suddenly though, the walkway in front of her opened up. "Whoa!" she yelped, screeching herself to a halt as she teetered over the edge of the opening in the ground. She would've fallen in had it not been for Harley grabbing her left hand in the nick of time and pulling her back.

"Okay, did not expect the pitfall trap from him of all people…" she admitted, "That's actually pretty clever…" she added, sounding impressed. Suddenly, a figure shot out from the hole, soaring high up above them. Sunset growled upon seeing that it was none other than Lex, who hovered over them thanks to the propulsion expelling flames from the boots of his war suit.

"So you're already back from the grave?" he inquired to the Equestrian Magic user, who maintained a fearsome glare, "And it looks like you've brought friends…" he mentioned, noticing Harley beside her.

"Where's Mistah J, ya dickhead?!" the former psychiatrist asked demandingly.

"Oh, wanting to see the clown, hm?" the Lexcorp CEO guessed, "Unfortunately, he's busy at the moment…" he pointed out, "I'm sure you understand why," he added with a smirk. Sunset growled. Just then, a flurry of bullets flew towards Lex. He raised his left arm up to block them as they deflected off with sparks coming out upon impact. He glanced over to see Floyd and Christopher running over with their armaments on hand.

"Cowboy!" Harley cried out.

"Ah, Deadshot…" the bald man greeted, catching the helmeted mercenary's attention, "I see you've found new employment after your first failure," he remarked.

"Huh," Floyd chuckled, "Not exactly what I wanted after all that…" he admitted, readying his rifle again, "but it's whatever," he muttered out, prepared to fight. Back in the building, Ahsoka was running about the halls with her lightsabers still in hand as she hurried along. She turned a corner and came to an immediate stop. Standing before her was Vandal, who looked out at her disdainfully.

"Four years ago, Tennyson ruined everything for me…" he grumbled out, pulling off something from his belt, "Now, I won't let him… or anyone else stand in my path again…" he vowed.

"Talk is cheap," Ahsoka remarked, taking a ready stance, "And Ben won't be stopped by you," she assured confidently. Vandal let out a little laugh.

"Maybe not by my doing…" he admitted in response, "But someone else will surely make him fall…" he said, making a blade of green light appear from a sword-like hilt he had drawn. Initially shocked by the weapon, the Togruta shook her head to regain herself, charging out at him. All around Lexcorp, battles were raging about. And one more was about to begin…

X

"Kinda surprised that you'd stoop to working with humans," Ben admitted as he and Grodd walked about the room, carefully watching each other to see who'd make the first move.

"A means to an end, Tennyson," he replied, "As you know, I am much more advanced than most of you humans will ever be thanks in part to alien technology," he told him, "It's what granted me the ability to speak amongst other things," he mentioned with a grin.

"So what's this big endgame?" the Omni Force leader asked.

"I can't speak for my colleagues…" Grodd began, holding his hands together behind his back, "but I plan on expanding my empire once the cataclysm begins," he said.

"Taking over more land, huh?" Ben guessed, letting out a huff, "Guess seeing Vandal fail made you wanna try yourself…" he realized. Grodd chuckled.

"Like I said, my colleagues are a means to an end," he remarked, "It's much like how your villainous allies are only using you in the attempt to best us," he pointed out, "So…" he continued, bringing his hands forward and closing them into fists, "shall we begin?" he asked of the Biomnitrix bearer. For once in a while, he cracked a smirk.

"You know, I'd normally just settle this quick," he admitted, "but I think I'll have some fun for tonight," he stated, enveloping himself in a green flash of light. Blue fur covered his body as he crouched down into a more monkey-like stance. An extra pair of arms appeared underneath his original ones as they shrank, while a tail shot out from his behind. As the light dissipated, Grodd huffed with disdain.

Before him was a small, monkey-like alien with four arms, three pairs of green eyes, two legs, three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, blue fur over a dark blue center, and a tail with two white stripes near the tip. His hair was flipped up, and he wore two green sashes going across his chest. The fur on his head was spiky with white stripes. His nose had shifted to his forehead with a different shape than a normal monkey's. Upon his chest was the Biomnitrix, connected to the sashes.

"Am I supposed to be impressed by this?" Grodd wondered, sounding offended. The Arachnichimp chirped with a grin.

"Sorry, Grodd," he mock-apologized, "Guess I just wanna monkey around…" he joked.

"Hmph," Grodd huffed, "RRRROOOOOAAAAAHHHH!" he roared, pounding his chest before leaping out with his right arm reared back, about to hammer down on Spidermonkey. He flipped back to evade the attack as his foe slammed his extremity against the floor, firing off a sticky strand of webbing from his tail to trap him there by his fist. However, he quickly ripped it away with his left hand, letting out another roar as he lunged out at the Arachnichimp.

"So your plan's basically Vandal's," he started to realize, dodging a flurry of heavy punches from the intelligent gorilla, "but without using anyone else like monkeys," he chirped in understanding, evading one last punch by flipping back and latching onto the wall with his hands and feet like a spider.

"I must admit, your jocularity is clever," Grodd confessed, "But you lack wit," he pointed out, narrowing his eyes. All of a sudden, Spidermonkey felt the wall push against him, causing him to fall off in a yelp. The intelligent gorilla grinned widely as his foe fell towards him, allowing him to land a fierce uppercut to his stomach.

"GUAHHH…!" he gasped out, flying straight up and hitting the ceiling hard, "Ugh…" he groaned afterwards, keeping himself stuck to the ceiling. He looked to see that parts of room were moving around as parts of the floor and wall were shifting about and protruding.

"This is the testing facility Luthor designed for his technology and… his experiments," Grodd told the Arachnichimp, getting his attention, "It's configuration is random, so you won't be able to predict what's next…" he mentioned with an ominous grin. Before Spidermonkey could offer a retort, the part of the ceiling he was upon protruded downward. Grodd smirked. "But I can," he stated, closing his right hand into a fist. He reared it back, preparing to land a powerful blow on the incoming Arachnichimp. And as he threw it out to strike the column, it shattered into pieces after cracking up massively.

"You been taking steroids, Grodd?" Spidermonkey's voice asked amidst the sound the column's crumbling pieces piling up on the floor, catching the intelligent gorilla's attention as he saw him hanging overhead thanks to a web line shot out from his tail.

"I may have given myself Luthor's experimental strength enhancer prior to our encounter…" he answered vaguely, "I wouldn't want this confrontation to end too quickly now…" he mentioned as he grinned.

"Same here," the Arachnichimp agreed, "So I think it's time I got a little more serious…" he decided. He then twisted the Biomnitrix symbol with his upper right hand and smacked it. As he let go of the ceiling, a greenish light shrouded his growing body, which became more gorilla-like. The sashes around his chest disappeared as the Biomnitrix symbol moved to his belly, with green spikes protruding from it diagonally. The light faded as he landed down.

He had purple skin, black fur, and three pairs of green eyes. His tail was gone, but he had grown a third pair of arms, giving him eight appendages in total like a spider. He also had fangs on each side of his mouth, completing his transformation.

"ULTIMATE SPIDERMONKEY!" he bellowed, pounding at his chest with his upper four arms, "RRROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared out loudly.

"An evolutionary function…" Grodd noted, "My, you are full of surprises…" he remarked with a chuckle before lunging out the hyper-evolved Arachnichimp. Their fists collided, followed by Ultimate Spidermonkey grabbing his right arm with his lower two left hands, chucking him aside hard into a column that had just protruded upwards. "Ergh…" he growled angrily, banging his fists against the ground before charging at his foe again. They exchanged blows, with the hyper-evolved Arachnichimp landing more thanks to his extra arms.

"Give it up, Grodd…" he insisted after landing a trio of right hooks to the intelligent gorilla's face, chest, and stomach all at the same time, "There's a reason I call guys like these 'ultimate'," he pointed out as he gestured toward himself.

"Heh, heh…" his opponent chuckled, wiping his lips with his right hand, "Oh, I'm not the threat you should worry about most…" he noted, "Someone far worse than myself is bound to have you begging for your life…" he threatened. Ultimate Spidermonkey wasn't intimidated, letting out a huff. He took notice of how the protruding pieces of the walls, floor and ceiling were starting to converge on him and his foe. He wondered if it really was random…

"Okay, I'm done playing," he said, opening his mouth and splitting his lower jaw into two halves. Grodd gasped in surprise before he was sprayed by a spew of webbing from the hyper-evolved Arachnichimp's mouth, trapping him in it as he fell to the floor. Suddenly, the portion he was upon protruded upwards. He had no time to even attempt to free himself as he was slammed against the ceiling in a flurry of dust. Ultimate Spidermonkey winced at the sight. "Lucky shot…" he remarked. Thankfully, his foe fell down from the ceiling intact, groaning in agony before losing consciousness. In a flash of green light, his victorious opponent turned back into Ben.

"So… who's the lucky bastard that gets to try and take me on next?" he asked aloud, expecting a response from somewhere. A slow clap began echoing as a doorway opened up at the other end of the room, while the columns all retracted back into place. The Omni Force leader narrowed his eyes and balled his fists, prepared to deal with whatever opponent he'd have to face now.

"Congrats on finishing the appetizer…" the raspy, sinister voice complimented as a figure came out from the doorway, making Ben widen his eyes in shock to see that it was Joker, "Now…" he continued, "it's time for your main course…" he remarked, chuckling a little.

"Joker…" the Biomnitrix bearer uttered out. He didn't even realize that his legs were starting to shake. And this meeting would be the beginning of something dark for him…

ENDING

Insert "Mayonaka No Orchestra" by Aqua Timez

Opens with Ben looking through old pictures, coming across one taken from when he was with the Teen Titans. He smiles, fondly reflecting on those memories.

We see him sighing deeply after Robin and Cyborg have their falling out over letting Cinderblock get away as he stands with Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven. The scene shifts to him being suspicious of Blackfire when she first arrives on Earth, followed by mistakenly turning into Starfury for the first time as he had no idea how to use her, getting beaten by Mammoth.

We then cut to him as Arctiguana, seriously going after Robin as he's taken on the role of being Slade's apprentice. He then joins him in confronting Slade at his hideout, transforming into Starfury to help him in the effort to save their friends.

The scene changes back to the present day, where Nightwing stands atop the Titans Tower with Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven. They look out at the ocean with smiles on their faces. From the Watchtower, Cyborg looks down at the Earth and grins as well.

The Titans reflect on the memories of fighting Slade, Ternion, Brother Blood, Trigon, and the Brain. The last fight they fought together as a team was when Albedo invaded Jump City. Now we cut back to the present day, where Ben stands atop Mount Rushmore, staring down Cyborg with a stone-faced expression. He stares back the same way.

Both members of their respective teams join them, facing each other as the tension mounts between them…

We end on the image of the framed photograph of the Titans, where they all seem very happy…

END ENDING

And… another cliffhanger! I hate to say it, but I was spending way too much time on this chapter, so I had to cut it down a little. More of what I left out will be seen next time, so be sure to be on the lookout!

In the meantime, I wanted to say that I loved writing Harley Quinn in this chapter. With her own show, the Birds of Prey movie, and her various appearances in DC animated films, I really hope I nailed her character here. And TerrorKing10, thanks to the comment you made in an earlier chapter, I was so stoked to have her former relationship with Sunset be confirmed. That was a blast to write about!

So anyways, I'll be seeing you all next week when we finally wrap this monster up! Until next time, see ya later!