And welcome back! After this chapter, I'll be heading back into working on "The Challenge of a Lifetime" for a bit before things start getting serious here! This arc has been a blast to write so far, but it's about to be even more so when things get started here.
By the way, I have a personal update to tell you all about. I'm getting a new job! I'll be working remotely for a new company, so things are starting to pick up in my life. But with that said, I am losing a lot of time in terms of writing going forward. Halfway through November is when the job starts, so most of you can expect that I'll at least have this story halfway done by then.
Don't worry though. Even if I'm not writing as frequently, I'll still be writing! Maybe at least 2000 words a day or something…
Anyways, it's time to get back into the action! Enjoy!
OMNI FORCE: JUSTICE
7:26 P.M. – THE WHITE HOUSE
"About fifteen minutes ago, we received the first of dozens of nine-one-one calls regarding an attack at Lexcorp Tower," a suited man addressed to a slew of reporters in the press briefing room, "While we haven't obtained full details on the parties involved, we have confirmation that multiple criminals previously arrested are amongst those in this attack," he explained as cameras were flashing from almost every direction. Amanda was amongst those in the room with a frustrated look on her face. She knew exactly what was going on.
"Guess that little task force couldn't do their job right…" Altonn whispered mockingly to her, getting her attention, "You should've left the Legion to the Navy, Madam Secretary," he remarked. She turned to face him.
"And what makes you think I have anything to do with this?" she asked him.
"Oh, please…" he muttered out, "There's only one reason you'd have Smith along with you," he pointed, "Just like Flag when-"
"You so much as finish that sentence, I'll have the CIA on your ass…" Amanda threatened, interrupting him. He chuckled.
"And you'll be persecuted for letting known criminals run amok amidst all this chaos…" he retorted, "Don't think you're the only one with leverage…" he added before walking off past her. As the press secretary continued to brief the media and answer a few questions as best as he could, the secretary of state walked out of the room and pulled out her phone, putting it up to her ear.
7:27 P.M. – LEXCORP
"Heads up!" Sunset yelled as she flew about and grabbed Harley by her left arm to yank her out of the way of some incoming mini-missiles shot towards them, blasting apart the walkway into splinters.
"Phew…!" the former psychiatrist exhaled in relief, "Thanks for the save, Sunnybuns!" she exclaimed in gratitude to her flying ex, who blushed.
"Please don't call me that…" she pleaded desperately. More mini-missiles rained down towards Floyd and Christopher, who took cover behind the concrete wall just outside the building area.
"Isn't that the damn suit he uses to fight Superman?" the former inquired before firing a few shots from his rifle at the armored Lex, who easily conjured an energy shield from the palm of his right hand to block the bullets. He grinned wickedly before firing off a huge beam of beam of green light towards the sharpshooting mercenary. "Aw, shit," he cursed in realization, quickly lunging off to the side with Christopher to avoid being struck by the beam as it incinerated a good chunk of the wall.
"Haha!" the Lexcorp CEO laughed, "Did you really think bullets would be enough to bring down the likes of Lex Luthor?!" he inquired loudly.
"Well, they work as a distraction," a familiar voice chimed in as an answer, causing him to perk up in surprise before he was suddenly ambushed by Sunset's glowing left fist colliding with his face.
"Yeah!" Harley exclaimed excitedly with a pump of her own fist. Her ex continued with a barrage of punches and kicks to her foe, teleporting in flashes of golden light to evade his attempts to swipe at her all the while.
"ERAHHH!" he roared, making his armored hands glow a bright green as he tried to backhand her in the face, only for her to instantly vanish in another flash of light. She reappeared right beside him and reared her right fist back as it glowed in a bright golden light. As he turned his head to see her there, she punched his face fiercely, sending him crashing down to the ground in a flurry of dust.
"Woohoo!" Harley cheered as she raised her arms into the air, "Way to go, Sugarboo!" she complimented happily.
"HARLEY!" Sunset yelled, causing her to jolt in surprise, "Quit giving me pet names and help me stop this guy!" she insisted before being blasted back by a ray of green light. The former psychiatrist looked over to see Lex emerge from the cloud of dust, growling angrily.
"Uh oh," she uttered in realization. All of a sudden, a flurry of bullets rained in, being shot from the firearms of Floyd and Christopher as they both charged towards the Lexcorp CEO.
"Hmph," he scoffed, "Amateurs…" he muttered out, swinging his right arm out to unleash a wave of greenish energy that struck them both, blowing them back as they tumbled along the empty street.
"Guys!" Harley cried out. Just then, she noticed Lex coming towards her.
"I assume Joker wouldn't mind me taking out the likes of you…" he remarked, raising his right hand up to her. However, he was surprised to see her ready a bazooka that had been strapped to her back.
"Eat this, dickhead," she quipped before firing the rocket with the pull of the trigger. It flew out and struck the Lexcorp CEO in a massive and fiery explosion. Harley smirked, blowing out the smoke emitting from the barrel of the bazooka. However, her smirk was short-lived as she blinked in surprise to see Lex walk out from the flames. Parts of his war suit were cracked, but it was still intact.
"Well, that was unpleasant…" he admitted as he rolled his head a little.
"Aw, fudge…" Harley muttered out in realization with widened eyes.
"Now where were we?" he wondered, prepared to fire on her again. She clenched her eyes shut, bracing herself from the incoming beam that she had no way to block nor avoid. However, Sunset suddenly landed down in front of her, sticking her hands out to project an amber barrier of energy to stop the green beam from striking her ex.
"Sunbuns…!" she gasped in surprise.
"Harley… run!" the Equestrian Magic user yelled to her, sounding strained as her feet were sliding back a little. Lex smirked.
"You shouldn't be too surprised…" he pointed out, "This suit's been built to deal with the likes of Superman himself!" he mentioned, now firing beams from the palms of both of his hands to strike the energy barrier.
"Grk…!" Sunset grunted as her feet were sliding back even further than before. It was becoming too strenuous to hold back her opponent's beams now.
"I admire your courage, but it's foolhardy!" he shouted, "You and your friends don't stand a ghost of a chance in trying to best me!" he added firmly. All of a sudden, a trio of red laser bolts rained down and struck him in a fierce blast, blowing him down to the ground.
"Huh!" Sunset gasped out, letting her energy barrier come down as she fell onto her knees, breathing in exhaustion.
"You okay?!" Harley asked as she jogged over and crouched down by her side, putting her hands onto her shoulders.
"I'll be fine…" Sunset reassured with a heavy breath, "But… what was that?" she wondered curiously. She looked up and gasped with widened eyes. Her ex-girlfriend had the same reaction.
"Well… I expected somebody…" she remarked bluntly.
"Ergh…" Lex growled as he stood back up and shook his head. He looked up to see who had attacked him. It wasn't the Man of Steel like he thought, but instead it was Victor, who was airborne thanks to the jetpack attached to his back.
"Looks like I got here at just the right time…" he quipped with a grin, while his foe scoffed.
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
JOKE'S ON YOU
Pink and yellow shockwaves were the results of Carol and Sinestro's beams colliding with each other as they dueled. They hurriedly flew about behind Lexcorp Tower, exchanging blasts one after another. The Yellow Lantern sneered excitedly.
"So your race of Lanterns has no use for such trivial tools like rings, hm?" he inquired, having his power ring unleash an array of tentacle-like yellow constructs that pursued his foe. She flew from them before whipping around and sticking her hands out, firing off a powerful blast of pink light that shattered them to pieces.
"The Star Sapphires are more powerful than you could imagine, Sinestro," Carol claimed as she floated above her foe, "You will not win today," she stated firmly. The alien smirked at the remarks.
"I doubt I'd find myself losing to a lowly human who was fortunate enough to come across such a power…" he muttered out, gnashing his teeth together before firing off another construct from his ring. This time, it was a battering ram that Carol couldn't block as it shattered through her conjured energy shield and struck her square in the stomach.
"GUH…!" she gasped out with saliva flying from her open mouth as she was sent hurdling uncontrollably into the air.
"Hmph," Sinestro huffed with another smirk, flying after her and preparing the construct of a large gauntlet over his right arm. He wound up above her, raising his arm up as he closed his gauntlet-covered hand into a fist. Before Carol could even do anything, the Yellow Lantern slammed his fist into her stomach, sending her crashing into the ground in an instant.
"Er… ergh…!" she growled out in pain as the dust had yet to settle. She lied on her back and coughed up some blood, breathing raggedly. However, a yellow glow caught her attention in just the nick of time as she narrowly managed to conjure an energy barrier from her hands to block off a giant yellow sledgehammer construct from slamming down on her.
"You know, I'm not usually a fan of such simple tools you earthlings use…" Sinestro admitted as he reared the sledgehammer back, "but it is exciting to imagine crushing you with them…" he mentioned, having the construct hammer down on the dome-shaped barrier over and over. Carol grimaced as she could see the cracks forming upon it with each successive blow. She was frustrated that her power wasn't enough to best the Yellow Lantern. At least not without help. And she knew who she needed.
"Hal…!" she gasped out pleadingly as tears threatened to fall from her shut and shaking eyes. The sledgehammer construct was raised up once more, prepared to slam down onto her one last time. But just as Sinestro was ready to swing it down, a green ray of light zoomed in and blasted apart the construct into pieces.
"What?!" he exclaimed in shock, while Carol widened her eyes as she brought down her energy barrier. She noticed a greenish glow coming from above, looking up and lightly gasping. Overhead was none other than Hal, who had a serious look on his face as he glared at the Yellow Lantern. "Jordan…" he growled out angrily, balling his hands into fists. The two of them reeled their respective right arms back before firing off rays of green and yellow light that collided fiercely with each other. Wind rang out from the collision, blowing by fiercely as Carol braced herself from its force.
"Hal!" she cried out. Both beams subsided before the Green Lantern flew out towards his alien foe, who constructed sets of sharp yellow claws upon his fists. He let out a roar before he and his opponent exchanged blows with each other. Sinestro managed to land a few slashes, while Hal struck back with punches to his enemy's face. The Yellow Lantern tried to stab him straight through his chest with the claws upon his right hand, but he reacted quickly, having his power ring conjure a giant fist that struck his foe's chin, sending him hurdling upwards. The Green Lantern then floated down towards the Star Sapphire.
"Are you alright?" he asked, offering his right hand to her. A few tears dripped from the corners of her eyes as she floated upwards and took his hand with her own. She then wrapped her arms around him a sudden embrace, catching him off guard as he blinked in surprise to hear her whimper into his chest.
"Thank you…" she managed to say amidst her fit of tears. Hal smiled softly as he hugged her.
"It's okay," he assured, pecking her forehead with his lips.
"JORDAN!" Sinestro's voice roared, catching their attentions as they broke away from each other to see the Yellow Lantern soaring down towards them, "You expect me to be finished that easily?!" he wondered angrily, firing off a powerful beam of yellow light down toward his foes. Hal and Carol quickly flew off to evade it, letting it strike the ground in a powerful blast.
"I expected you to be smart enough to know what you're getting into!" the Green Lantern yelled up to his opponent, "But I guess that doesn't register with a guy who's got an ego like yours…" he mocked. Blood vessels were threatening to pop out of Sinestro's head as he let out an angered growl. He fired multiple beams of yellow light from his power ring at his foes.
"Hal, taunting's not going to help us!" Carol remarked bluntly as she blocked the beams with a pink energy shield as she dashed out in front of her boyfriend.
"At least it'll make him sloppy…" he pointed out as his power ring glowed, "And that's just what we need…" he added with a smirk. A light then shot out from his ring, forming into the construct of a giant fly swatter. He swung it from the left, smacking Sinestro aside in a yelp as he crashed hard into a nearby building. The Star Sapphire didn't seem amused by the attack as she brought down her energy shield.
"Are you five?" she asked rhetorically. Hal chuckled.
"Hey, it worked," he noted with a shrug, "Besides, I beat you with a slingshot…" he mentioned… right before he was suddenly struck by a ray of yellow light.
"Hal!" his girlfriend cried out, seeing him go hurdling towards the ground. She grimaced as she looked back to see Sinestro fly out from the building, firing off lasers from his ring towards her. She flew off to evade them, enticing him to pursue her upwards. They exchanged beams that canceled each other out upon impact, though the Yellow Lantern's were pushing hard against his foe's.
"Give it up!" he demanded, "Your fear is exactly what will be your downfall…" he told her, "and my upbringing to rule!" he exclaimed in addition, rearing his fist back for another beam. Carol then took notice of her boyfriend flying towards the Yellow Lantern, who was completely unaware that he had recovered.
"In that case, let's see who really goes down tonight!" she challenged. Accepting it with a smirk, Sinestro yelled as he fired a massive beam of yellow light from his ring. The Star Sapphire stuck out her hands, conjuring a pink light that constructed itself into a giant mirror. The beam struck it hard, pushing it back slightly as Carol grimaced. But she steeled herself, maintaining her concentration on the construct as kept her hands at the ready. The beam then reflected off of the mirror.
"Ah!" Sinestro gasped before he was struck by it, yelling out as he tumbled downwards.
"Whatever works…" Carol remarked, keeping her hands readied as pink orbs of light appeared underneath her palms. Meanwhile, her boyfriend had his ring glow a bright green. The Yellow Lantern managed to regain his balance… but far too late.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hal and Carol yelled as they fired beams of green and pink light respectively onto their foe from below and above him. He attempted to conjure up an energy shield around himself, but he reacted too slowly as the beams struck him simultaneously in a fierce blast. Hal narrowed his eyes onto the resulting black smoke before seeing the Yellow Lantern fall out, landing back-first upon the ground.
"Augh…" he groaned, losing consciousness. As the smoke faded away, the Green Lantern looked up to see Carol float down to him.
"Thought you didn't wanna use silly tricks like that…" he noted, putting his hands onto his hips. She cracked a small grin.
"So long as they work…" she replied. She then drew closer, shutting her eyes and kissing him on the lips as her hands cupped his cheeks. He gave way to it, wrapping his arms around her waist and closing his own eyes as they continued to make out underneath the moonlight.
X
Sparks were flying everywhere as Cheetah's claws and Ruby's scythe kept clashing all throughout the blood-ridden lobby. At one point, they blew each other back. The feline-like woman breathed somewhat raggedly… but she was grinning wickedly.
"For such a little girl, you sure know how to use that thing…" she noted, stalking her opponent like an actual predator.
"You hurt Erza… and killed all these people…" Ruby pointed out angrily, clutching her Crescent Rose's handle tightly, "And for what?!" she asked loudly in rage.
"Hah…" Cheetah exhaled, "To ease an itch…" she replied, licking the blood off of the tips of her claws. She then dashed out to slash at her foe, but she quickly spun her scythe up to knock her right hand away. She tried to claw at the student huntress with her left, but she quickly pivoted around it thanks to firing off a shot from her weapon, spinning around and striking her with her left fist striking her face fiercely. She ended up crashing the reception desk, grimacing in agony. "Rrrrr…" she growled, lunging out at her foe again.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara yelled, balling his right hand into a fist. A mound of sand was over Bane's right arm, squeezing onto it tightly. However, he easily broke free of the mound by swinging his arm forward, followed by charging towards the Kazekage. He quickly conjured up a wall of sand… which his muscular foe easily broke through as he reared his fist back to strike him square in the face.
"Heh!" he laughed at how successful his attack was. But he blinked in surprise to see the pieces of sand falling off of his opponent's face. And then he smirked, readying his right hand. More sand shot out from his gourd, much to Bane's surprise.
"Sand Shower Barrage!" he exclaimed, firing off pieces of his sand like bullets as they successively struck his muscular foe, making him stumble back.
"Hah… hah…" he breathed heavily, coughing a little before letting off a grin, "So you don't break easy…" he realized, standing up firmly, "That's fine…" he assured as he balled his hands into fists, "At least now this will be a fight worth having…" he noted, taking on a ready stance. Gaara narrowed his eyes, understanding that his opponent would not be an easy one to subdue.
"Aw… bollocks…" George grumbled out as he sat up and clutched the cuts on his wrist, "Shark, you good?" he asked amidst the clashing raging about the lobby.
"King Shark is a shark…" Nanaue replied with a groan.
"Yeah, figured…" George muttered, watching the fights continue as he looked on at Ruby and Cheetah clashing with a fierceness in their eyes, while Gaara was doing what he could to contain Bane with his sand, failing to completely stop him as he broke free of each trap. The Australian man gulped at the sight. "We would've been mincemeat for sure…" he admitted. The student huntress found her feet planted against the wall, squatting down before she lunged out at her feline-like foe. She grinned wickedly, attempting to slash her mightily across the face.
But Ruby saw the attack coming, quickly bursting into a mass of rose petals that separated into three clusters that zipped by Cheetah. She was surprised, but quickly pivoted around, thinking that the student huntress was attempting to attack her from behind. However, Ruby had actually around to be right in front of her as she turned, reeling her scythe back. And her foe noticed too late.
"HAAAAHHH!" she roared, catching the feline-like woman in her weapon before pulling the trigger to fire off bullets aimlessly, propelling her momentum as she spun around rapidly. She then flung Cheetah off of Crescent Rose in an instant, sending her flying through a few glass walls they shattered to pieces, while she slammed hard against the wall at the very end of it.
"Ergh…" she growled in agony, feeling a couple of stinging cuts from the glass, "You little—!" Her remarks were halted as she saw that Ruby was suddenly lunging out at her, now just a foot away. She reeled her right arm back, closing her hand into a fist before landing a fierce right cross to the feline-like woman's face. "Guh…!" she gasped out before her head drooped a little, while her eyes slowly shut. She had fallen unconscious as the student huntress landed beside her.
"Huh… huh…" she breathed out tiredly in exhaustion, "Hah…" she finally exhaled, catching her breath, "That… was for Erza…" she remarked.
"King Shark is a shark…" Nanaue said, shocked that Ruby had emerged victorious, but was also glad for her. In the meantime, the battle between Gaara and Bane continued as the former fired out waves of sand to crash down onto his muscular foe. He was unfazed, easily walking through them without so much as being slowed. He glanced over to see the unconscious Cheetah lying against the wall, with Ruby beside her.
"I don't have time for this," he suddenly stated, taking a lunging stance and leaping out mightily towards the Kazekage.
"Ah!" he gasped, quickly somersaulting off to the side to evade his foe's large fist as it slammed against the floor, cracking it up massively as there was a rumble from its impact.
"Blimey!" George exclaimed, blinking rapidly out of shock. Gaara grimaced in frustration, but then noticed something. Between the cracks in the floor were pieces of what seemed like dirt, or a sand-like substance. Before the Kazekage could properly collect his thoughts, he narrowly avoided a right cross from his muscular foe by ducking. Realizing that he needed time to get a plan together, he jumped back and conjured more sand from his small gourd, encasing himself within a sphere of it.
"You won't be able to hide for long!" Bane declared as he charged forward and slammed his right fist against the sand sphere, making it crack up massively. Gaara shut his eyes inside, ignoring the bits of sand falling down from each successive punch his foe was landing onto it. He was concentrating intensely, focusing his energy on what was below the tiled floor. Whether it was actually sand or not didn't matter. What did was that his techniques were compatible with it. And he knew the perfect one to finally stop his foe.
"GIANT SAND BURIAL!" he suddenly bellowed from within the sand sphere, causing Bane to blink in surprise. He felt a sudden rumble in the floor before it burst open with a large wave of dirt crashing over him. It compressed and grinded down on the muscular man as it slammed him against the wall.
"GAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he yelled out in agony trying desperately to break free. It didn't matter if he could break his arms out like before. This was a continuous wave that bore down onto him. There was no stopping it. "Damn… you…!" he cursed out before losing consciousness. As Gaara let the sphere surrounding him come apart, he made the wave of sand stop. To his relief, Bane was out like a light, with his body shrinking back to its normal size.
"Ugh…" Kevin groaned as he awoke groggily, losing his metal coating as he started to sit up.
"Kevin!" the Kazekage cried out, jogging over to him.
"Hey…" he greeted, rubbing the back of his head in pain as he slowly got onto his feet, "Did we win?" he inquired.
"For now," Gaara answered, grabbing the hybrid Osmosian by his left arm and placing it over his shoulders to help keep him upright, "We need to get to Ben and shut down those projectors," he insisted.
"Right," Kevin agreed as he nodded, "We should probably sure those two and tied up tight, too," he mentioned as he glanced over at the unconscious Cheetah and Bane.
"You doing okay?" Ruby asked Nanaue as she ventured over to him.
"Heh," he laughed, giving off a toothy grin, "Not bad, kid," he complimented to her surprise before she happily giggled. Meanwhile, George widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Are you… shitting me?" he voiced out quietly.
"Sorry that we couldn't help you two," Gaara apologized, catching the villains' attentions.
"Ah, it's whatever…" the Australian man muttered out in response, "Besides, better to be on your side than theirs," he remarked with a smirk.
"King Shark is a shark," Nanaue concurred as he nodded, much to George's annoyance. A sudden bang caught their attentions as they looked back to see explosions bursting about the walkway leading into the building.
"Guess Sunset's already in her own fight…" Ruby realized, "Come on!" she beckoned to her teammates, "We need to go and find Ben!" she insisted, blasting off towards the elevators in a burst of rose petals. Both Gaara and Kevin were initially surprised, thinking that the student huntress would much rather stay behind to help her teammates in the battle outside. But they realized she had faith in her teammates and knew that they needed to get the job done.
X
"HAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Victor roared, transforming his hand into a cannon that fired off a blue beam of light at Lex, who quickly countered with a green blast of energy from the palms of his hands.
"Ergh…!" the Lexcorp CEO growled, sounding strained.
"Ugh…" Floyd groaned from below as he and Christopher got back onto their feet, witnessing the battle raging on above them, "So the League finally showed up?" he guessed as Sunset and Harley ventured over to them.
"Well… not exactly…" the latter replied with a shrug, "Just the robo-boy for now…" she remarked, looking up at the battle.
"Huh…" Sunset exhaled, balling her fists, "I doubt Luthor's gonna give him any chance to get in close…" she realized while narrowing her eyes in thought.
"So do you have a plan?" Floyd guessed, getting her attention as she placed her left hand onto her chin.
"I'm thinking of one…" she responded, growling in frustration as she tried to pinpoint an idea in her head.
"HUH!" Harley suddenly gasped, causing her ex-girlfriend to yelp in surprise.
"Harley, what the—?!"
"Quick, read my mind!" the former psychiatrist insisted, interjecting her.
"Wait, what?" she uttered in confusion, "Why do you want me to—?"
"Just do it!" Harley interrupted again, taking Sunset's hand and placing it onto her forehead, "It's easier to understand than me just tellin' ya!" she mentioned assuredly.
"Okay then…" the Equestrian Magic user replied nervously, grasping the jewel upon her necklace. Her eyes flashed a bright white for a few seconds before they went back to normal. "Huh," she uttered out as she blinked, "That… might work," she admitted with a grin, causing her ex to smile widely, "Deadshot, Peacemaker," she said, catching the attentions of the two gunmen, "Can you draw Luthor's fire?" she asked of them.
"Eh, we'll do what we can…" Floyd muttered in reply, "Ready to go, PM?" he questioned to the team leader.
"Ma'am, I apologize for how things look right now…" he suddenly apologized, catching the attentions of the others nearby as they perked up in confusion to see him on his phone, "I understand it's a bad look, but- No, we're handling this as best we can," he affirmed, sounding like he was being interrupted by whoever he was speaking to.
"Oh no…" Harley uttered in realization.
"What?" Sunset said, arching an eyebrow.
"That must be the boss lady…" she whispered in response, "Which means we might be turning into fireworks soon…" she mentioned, shuddering with fright. Her ex took on a serious look upon hearing the news.
"Then we've got no time to lose!" she realized, flying upwards in an instant.
"Guess that's our cue," Floyd noted, "Hey!" he called out to Christopher, catching his attention, "I'll chat with Waller and take the heat once this is over," he promised, much to his surprise. He listened to the secretary of state chew him out for a few more seconds before he finally hit the 'end' button on the screen, abruptly ending the call.
"You're a better man than most, Lawton," he admitted, drawing his pistols. Lex and Victor continued to be at a deadlock overhead, with the former evading or countering any of the half-man, half-robot's attacks thanks to the capabilities of his suit.
"I'm impressed!" he admitted to his foe, catching his attention as he perked up in surprise, "It's not every day someone other than Superman has the gall to challenge me," he pointed out.
"Pfft," Cyborg scoffed with a chuckle, "That's a bold-faced lie," he noted as he balled his robotic fists, "We both know you're challenged by your so-called friends all the time," he mentioned. A growl left Lex's lips as he gnashed his teeth together.
"If you're so eager to lose your life, I'll happily grant you a quick death…" he vowed. But suddenly, a flurry of bullets came towards him from below, enticing him to fly off to the side to evade them. He looked down and growled again to see Floyd and Christopher firing onto him. "Amateurs…" he muttered as the bullets were merely bouncing off of his armor.
"Do we have his attention yet?" the former Austrian soldier wondered from below. All of a sudden, Lex started flying down towards them.
"I'd say we do now!" Floyd realized, turning around and running with Christopher. Lex smirked as he held his right hand out at them.
"Like the cowards they really are…" he muttered out, about to fire on them… if not for Sunset suddenly appearing behind him and wrapping her arms over his eyes. "GAH!" he yelped, firing aimlessly as the green beam he shot struck the street a few feet behind the task force members, missing them entirely, "Get… off of me!" he demanded, flailing about to try and shake the Equestrian Magic user away from him. But she held on firmly, clenching her teeth together.
"You know…" she began, letting off a smirk, "your head sticks out like a sore thumb!" she pointed out, "And that's exactly your weakness!" she mentioned.
"What are you—?!" Sunset's hands covered his eyes before he could finish his question. "LET GO!" he roared angrily as an order. A golden glow emitted from the Equestrian Magic user's hands, which he noticed too late as he was suddenly caught by a blinding flash of light. "AAAAHHHH!" he screamed, "MY EYES!" he yelled out, swinging his left arm back to knock Sunset off of him as she tumbled backwards in midair, regaining her balance seconds later. After shaking her head, she looked up and grinned to see that Lex's hands were over his blinded eyes. She then glanced over to Victor, nodding to him. He chuckled, nodding back before rocketing over to the unaware Lexcorp CEO. He slammed his right fist into the chest plate of Lex's armor before morphing it into its sonic cannon form.
"Booyah," he remarked simply, firing a powerful blast directly into his foe's chest, shattering most of his armor off.
"AAAAHHHHGGGHHHH!" he screamed out before he fell helplessly towards the ground, crashing down onto the walkway in a burst of dust. As it slowly subsided, it revealed that he lied on his backside with most of war suit in pieces, as what remained was merely an exoskeletal armor that prevented him from any fatal injuries. "Ugh…" he groaned as his eyesight started to come back into focus. When it finally did, he saw Harley looming over him with her baseball bat at the ready.
"Batter up!" she quipped before swinging it down to strike him upside the head, effectively knocking him out.
"Way to deal the final blow, Harley," Sunset complimented as she floated down alongside Victor.
"Eh, wish I coulda' done more, but ya know…" she remarked back as she held her bat behind her neck with both hands.
"Hey, Cyborg-"
"I already know the details," the half-man, half-robot interjected before Sunset could speak further, "Though honestly, I didn't expect you guys to be teaming up with a bunch of supervillains…" he pointed out in admittance. The Equestrian Magic user let out a nervous chuckle.
"We… were kinda pressed for time…" she responded with a shrug.
"Are we in trouble?" Harley inquired as she nervously hid behind Sunset.
"Only one in trouble's gonna be your boss so long as things go right," Victor explained in reply, much to her relief, "Still means you're gonna back in prison though…" he pointed out.
"Aw… but I had so much planned…" the former psychiatrist complained.
"Worry about your plans for another time," Floyd chimed in as he and Christopher trotted over, "We need to get inside," he said.
"What for?" Victor inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Ben's in there right now trying to stop the Legion's plan," Sunset responded, getting his attention, "They're planning to activate eight Null Void projectors around Metropolis," she told him.
"Just like in Gotham…" Victor realized as he glanced off to the side for a moment.
"Yeah, except they also got a way to control all those schmucks that come out from those portals…" Harley mentioned to his surprise.
"Okay, so Ben's already getting to them, right?" Victor asked, receiving nods in reply from the two women before him, "Then let's get in there and help him shut 'em down," he insisted before hurrying off into the Lexcorp building. Floyd and Christopher followed after him, leaving Sunset and Harley behind.
"Better get going," the former of the two women advised, jogging off with the latter to follow.
"So…?" she started to inquire, causing Sunset to roll her eyes and chuckle.
"Yes, your plan worked," she pointed out.
"Damn right it did," the former psychiatrist proudly remarked with a huff. They hurried inside, hoping that they'd be able to find Ben in time…
X
7:28 P.M.
The Omni Force leader needed a second to steady his breath the moment he saw Joker walk in from the other side. His legs were shaking, if only a little. There was a certain tension that crawled up his skin. He couldn't tell if it was anxiety… or fear.
"You know, you seem a little surprised…" the Clown Prince of Crime noted curiously, "And here I thought Miss Bacon Hair and Harley would've told you all about me being here…" he pointed out with an ominous chuckle.
"Oh, they did…" Ben assured in response, "I just didn't wanna believe it…" he confessed, narrowing his eyes onto his foe.
"Well you better believe it now, Benny-boy!" he exclaimed in response, "The one and only Joker's here for a fantastic finale!" he declared, cackling excitedly. The Biomnitrix bearer balled his fists.
"Why join the Legion?" he asked, catching his foe's attention.
"Oh, that's a whole story…" he muttered as a reply, "But to make it short, Lexie's little offer included the benefit of getting the chance to come face-to-face with you!" he told the Omni Force leader, who narrowed his eyes again, "Honestly, I'm a big fan…" he admitted as he trotted forward a few feet, "You're the most honest man I've seen in a long time, especially since you throw away that secret identity bullshit…" he pointed out.
Sweat was trickling down Ben's face. Why was he nervous now? Compared to someone like Lex or Grodd, Joker was no real threat… At least… not physically.
"I've been seeing the headlines lately," he pointed out, causing the Biomnitrix bearer to perk up in surprise, "'The Omni Force versus the Justice League'," he recalled, "What a load of fake news…" he remarked with a shake of his head, "But then again… it might be true…" he mentioned.
"What?" Ben uttered out of surprise.
"I mean, let's be real here, Benny-boy…" Joker began, "you're probably the most powerful man in the whole damn universe!" he noted as he smiled maniacally, "Why wouldn't the Justice League want to keep their eyes on you?" he rhetorically questioned. The Omni Force leader glared back at him. "That said, I'm not the biggest fan of what they're putting you through," the Clown Prince of Crime pointed out, "You started this whole shin-dig when you were just a boy scout…" he mentioned, "No kid should have to go through the horrors of trying to be a hero…" he noted, chuckling again. Ben growled.
Back in the underground hallways, Ahsoka's lightsabers clashed against the green glowing blade of Vandal's, making sparks fly as they buzzed loudly with each collision. The Togruta growled as she leapt back, squatting down and jumping from wall to wall to try and catch her immortal foe by surprise. However, he was able to anticipate her attack as she swung forth her lightsabers, countering them with his blade and blowing her back.
"Huh… huh…" she breathed out, wiping the sweat off of her cheek with her right arm.
"Tired already?" Vandal guessed upon noticing.
"Hardly," she responded, keeping her stance ready as she spun her lightsabers around for a moment to get a better grip on their hilts, "Why even do this?" she asked him, "Just to conquer the world?" she questioned on.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the immortal man replied with a shake of his head, "My goals are meaningless in the face of my allies," he admitted, "In this day and age, it is impossible for me to take my rightful place," he added in confession, much to Ahsoka's surprise as she blinked out of confusion, "So that is why I'll see how their goals fare in the face of the enemy," he stated, aiming his energy blade out at his opponent.
She narrowed her eyes, dashing out towards them. They clashed again, this time even more fiercely than before as the sparks flew off from their blades with each collision. A fierceness was present in their eyes. Ahsoka wanted to break through and get to Ben, while Vandal didn't want anyone else to interfere.
But did it even matter anymore? The immortal man's dream of becoming a conqueror again was now just a fleeting memory. Four years ago, he had been bested by the same forces that were attempting to thwart the villainous plot tonight. A sigh left his lips as he reeled back his weapon and swung it down mightily towards his foe, who looked to be too slow to react in time. Suddenly though, a bullet streaked and knocked the blade out of his hands as he gasped. Its glowing blade disappeared as it fell to the floor and shattered into two pieces, with a green crystal rolling out from it. Before he could do anything else, Ahsoka stuck her hands out at him, causing him to go flying hard into the wall. Swinging her arms to opposite sides, the Togruta made the pipes upon the wall snap off and restrain his arms and legs. She closed her hands into fists, tightening the hold the pipes had on her foe until she felt he was completely immobile.
"Ahsoka!" Ruby's voice cried out, catching the former Padawan's attention as she looked back and grinned to see the student huntress run up to her with her Crescent Rose in hand, "Are you okay?" she asked out of concern.
"Yeah," Ahsoka assured in reply with a nod, "Thanks for the assist," she said out of gratitude as she grinned at Ruby.
"No prob," she responded, smiling back. Meanwhile, Gaara and Kevin ventured over with Floyd, Christopher, Sunset, Victor and Harley to follow.
"Where's Ben?" the Equestrian Magic user immediately asked in concern.
"Deeper down, I think," Ahsoka answered as she turned off her lightsabers and put their hilts onto her belt, "We can ask our friend here where he might be…" she suggested, glancing over at Vandal.
"Good idea," Gaara agreed. As they walked over, Kevin looked down and blinked in surprise to see the green crystal upon the floor. He crouched down to pick it up, staring at it curiously before stuffing it away into his pocket.
"Um… shouldn't we also ask about stoppin' those… Null Void projector-thingies?" Harley inquired to the group, catching their attentions.
"Yeah, you're right…" Sunset realized, crossing her arms in thought, "Let's split up here," she decided, "I'll go find Ben with Harley and Deadshot," she told the group.
"You sure you wanna do that?" Victor questioned out of concern.
"Ben should be fine on his own…" the Equestrian Magic user started to reply, "but I don't wanna take any real chances," she admitted, "So we'll just make sure he's okay," she told him.
"Besides, you're the computer geek of the League, right?" Harley guessed, "Figurin' out how to shut down those doohickeys should be a snap!" she pointed out, snapping her fingers for emphasis. Victor arched an eyebrow towards Sunset afterwards.
"Let's… just go…" she insisted as a blush streaked across her cheeks. Both teams went their separate ways afterwards, with the Equestrian Magic user leading Harley and Floyd hurriedly down the hallway. There was a foreboding sense in the air. Sunset had faith her best friend would be fine physically. But mentally would be another story…
X
7:29 P.M.
"If you're just here to talk bullshit to me, then I'll knock you out here and now…" Ben vowed, readying his right Biomnitrix gauntlet.
"Oh come on!" Joker complained as he swung his arms up, "I only wanted a chat with the man who supposedly saved the entire universe… after destroying it," he pointed out with a wicked smile. The Omni Force leader lightly gasped.
"H…How do you…?" he tried to ask, trembling a little.
"Know?" Joker inquired, finishing the question for him, "Oh, I know lots of things…" he claimed as he walked forward, "Like how you once considered ending all villainy throughout the galaxy," he recalled, causing Ben to widen his eyes in shock, "No more evil, no more crime…" he listed off, "Just a happy life for every soul in this forsaken world," he noted, "You could've been a god!" he exclaimed, chuckling a little.
"Shut up…" Ben breathed out, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, I'm sure you've wanted it to all be over sometimes…" the Clown Prince of Crime added, continuing his slow trek towards the Biomnitrix bearer, "I mean, you've been through hell, haven't you?" he guessed, "All the fights across worlds over worlds, all the bloodshed raining about, all the fear displayed!" he listed off dramatically with his arms outstretched, cackling maniacally, "It's just too much, isn't it?!" he inquired loudly. A moment of silence passed before Ben took a cautious step back. He then growled through clenched teeth.
"SHUT UP!" he roared, enveloping himself in a green flash of light, which turned into a plume of flames. He had transformed into a humanoid alien whose body was composed of a super-hot inner plasma covered by dark red rocks. His feet had a slight oval-like design with only two toes and one back toe. Fire crackled from his enflamed head, while the Biomnitrix symbol rested at his chest. He thrusted his right hand forward and unleashed a stream of spiraling flames towards his foe. But with a tilt of his head to his right, he evaded them as they struck the floor.
"Hm," he uttered out afterwards, looking back at the fire on the part of the floor that had been struck, "Touched a nerve already…" he realized, putting his hands onto his hips.
"You say one more word, and I'll burn you to a crisp…" Heatblast threatened as heat radiated from his shaking fists.
"Oh, that's so cute…" Joker retorted with a shake of his head, "You don't have it in you, Benny-boy," he pointed out, "You're like the Bat…" he muttered, "All talk and no real bite," he muttered with a shrug of disappointment. The Pyronite growled.
"You asked for it…" he said, sticking both of his hands out at the Clown Prince of Crime as flames built up upon them.
"Huh…" his foe sighed, losing his smile for a moment, "You really wanna know how I know everything?" he inquired, causing Heatblast to perk up as the flames on his hands dissipated, "News travels fast, Benny-boy," he pointed out, "I looked up your alien exploits ever since those frogs and giants dropped from the sky eight years back," he told him, "In fact, I might know more about you than you do yourself…" he mentioned with a chuckle.
"What's your point?" the Pyronite asked. A wicked smile slowly formed on Joker's face.
"You remember that old clown Zombozo, right?" he questioned back. Hearing that caused Heatblast to lightly gasp in surprise. For some reason, a certain feeling of dread creeped into his mind. A feeling… that was scaring him.
"What about him?" he asked in response.
"Before I took part in this little shin-dig, I had to take a refresher course on you, Benny-boy," Joker replied, "That old clown was a pal of mine…" he mentioned, "Told me many things about you…" he added ominously. Heatblast gulped. "He mentioned how you spooked him out with a ghost amongst lots of things!" his foe pointed out, cackling again, "You know, coulrophobia's not uncommon…" he noted, "But hearing that you have it made me wonder…" he continued, "what made you afraid to begin with?" he questioned curiously with a tilt of his head.
The Pyronite didn't respond, balling his shaking fists. Fear was starting to settle in his mind. Even as he tried to collect his thoughts, the mere image of Joker's laugh was imprinting itself into his head. A loud beep snapped him out of his stupor.
"Ah, so it's about that time, hm?" the Clown Prince of Crime inquired, putting his hands onto his hips, "Well, I guess I can stick around for a few more minutes…" he noted with a shrug, turning towards Heatblast, "Ever wonder what happened to old Zombozo?" he asked of him, making him blink in surprise, "You're thinking about that now, aren't you?" he guessed, arching an eyebrow, "Every single method of torture and cruelty I used before disposing of that useless lump of garbage…" he noted, laughing a little.
"You… murdering…!" Heatblast growled out. Joker stepped closer.
"You're not really afraid of clowns, Benny-boy…" he pointed out as his grin grew, "They just remind you of what you're really afraid of…" he noted, "Who you're really afraid of…" he corrected before stopping just a few feet in front of the Pyronite, "Me," he stated. Heatblast let out a light gasp as he stumbled back a few steps.
"St-Stay back!" he demanded with a stutter.
"HAHAHAHAHAAHAA!" Joker cackled, "Oh, it's true, isn't it?!" he guessed as he gestured towards the Pyronite, "When was it?!" he wondered, "The first time you saw me on a TV screen?!" he guessed, laughing maniacally.
"Stop it… STOP IT!" Heatblast yelled, unleashing a blast of fire that seemed to envelop the Clown Prince of Crime entirely, "Huh…" he exhaled afterwards in relief.
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Benny-boy…" Joker's voice echoed out, making the Pyronite gasp sharply as he whipped around to see the villain right behind him without so much as a burn on his body, "Wouldn't want you to get too riled up…" he mentioned as he smiled wickedly.
"How did you—?!"
"Do that?" the Clown Prince of Crime guessed, finishing the question as he was now right beside the Pyronite, "I can do lots of things, Benny-boy…" he pointed out as his eyes narrowed.
"And more than your flaming brain can comprehend right now…" another Joker added, standing at his left. Heatblast was starting to hyperventilate. Fear was overwhelming his mind.
"This… This isn't real…" he noted to his foe, "You're… not…" he tried to say, breathing shakily with fright.
"Who said it was?" Joker inquired, stepping forward, "It doesn't matter whether I'm really here or not, Benny-boy!" he exclaimed, "You're still scared of yours truly!" he bellowed. All of a sudden, the lights went out.
"Ah!" Heatblast gasped, stumbling back a few steps. He looked around for a sign of his foe, but found no discernable sign of him. Instead… he heard laughter. It built up gradually, but the Clown Prince of Crime's cackling was echoing throughout the dark room.
"Ain't it grand, Benny-boy?!" he inquired through what sounded like a loudspeaker, "All this faux-heroism led you right to me!" he pointed out, "And now you've earned yourself the grand prize!" he declared in addition. The laughter echoed even louder.
"Stop it… S-Stop it!" Heatblast pleaded as his knees shook. It was that smile. It was that laugh. All that haunted him about clowns had now come together into the worst one of all.
"Sorry to scare and run, but I've got quite the party to start…" Joker said as the Pyronite fell to his knees, "Enjoy the show in the meantime!" he insisted before the radio cut out.
"Huh… huh…" Heatblast exhaled raggedly. He was just relieved that the torment of hearing that awful laughter was over… or so he thought. The second he lifted his head up, he saw hundreds upon hundreds of the Clown Prince of Crime.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" they all laughed loudly. The fear had finally sunk in. And the heat coursing through Heatblast's body had risen to a critical point.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, unleashing a powerful burst of heat that burned throughout the entire room in a massive explosion. From another room, a screen displaying the blast went out.
"Whoa," Joker uttered in surprise before letting off a smirk, "Kid's not afraid to kill after all…" he realized, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his arms.
"I doubt he even realized that you led me to my escape," Grodd commented, standing behind him as he held onto his aching left arm.
"Don't be so grateful yet, Groddsy," the Clown Prince of Crime advised to his surprise, "I think I'm finally ready to get involved with this little plan of yours," he admitted while standing up, "If you're not fit for it, I'll be happy to oblige…" he remarked, "Consider it a payment in return for saving your life," he added with a chuckle.
"Hmph," Grodd scoffed. The room had been charred completely to an ashen black. In a flash of green light, Heatblast transformed back into Ben as he placed his hands against the floor, trembling as tears of fright built up in his eyes. He didn't even notice the door behind him burst open as it flew off from its hinges and crashed upon the floor.
"Ben!" Sunset cried out as she, Harley and Floyd entered the room, running over to him, "Are you okay?! What happened?!" she immediately asked, crouching down beside him. He didn't answer, still trembling.
"Oh no…" the former psychiatrist uttered in realization, "I think Mistah J got to him…" she concluded, causing Sunset to gasp in concern. She immediately placed her left hand onto the Omni Force leader's right cheek while grasping the pendant of her necklace, letting her eyes flash a bright white for a moment.
"Ben…" she uttered out afterwards as her eyes went back to normal. All of a sudden, a rumble caught her attention, along with those of the others in the room.
"That didn't sound good…" Floyd remarked, narrowing his eyes underneath his helmet. Elsewhere in the underground labyrinth, Victor and the others had felt the rumble as well.
"What… What was that?" Ruby asked nervously. Victor had a hologram project from his arm, acting as a scanner that was indicating a few red markers.
"Oh… shit!" he cursed.
"What is it?" Gaara asked, getting his attention.
"They've activated the Null Void projectors and the beacon…" the half-man, half-robot replied, much to their horror as they gasped with widened eyes.
"Then we gotta get moving, now!" Kevin insisted as he hurried on ahead.
"Hey, wait!" Victor yelled, chasing after the hybrid Osmosian with the others.
X
"So she planted a bomb in your neck?" Hal inquired to Carol as they floated near Lexcorp Tower.
"Yeah…" she replied, "And I'm worried that it could go off any second now with all this crap we've gone through…" she added worriedly.
"Not if I can help it," the Green Lantern argued, "Once Batman gets here, I'll make sure he disarms it," he promised, making her smile with gratitude, "Until then, let's-" A sudden ray of red light shooting up into the sky nearby interjected his suggestion as he and Carol looked over at it. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh no…" Carol uttered in realization.
"What? What is it?" her boyfriend asked.
"We're too late…" she responded, seeing more red lights streak up into the sky. Once they reached the clouds, they formed giant red portals that swirled slowly. Denizens of Metropolis below looked on in horror. An enormous figure fell out from one of the portals, landing upon an intersection and crushing a few cars in the process.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Hal muttered out with shaking eyes. It was a female, mutated To'kustar.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared loudly into the sky. More of her brethren fell out from the portals. Witnessing this from within the control room, Joker grinned with maniacal delight.
"And now's where the fun begins!" he declared as he placed the mind control device upon his head, letting it glow an ominous red…
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
This chapter actually ended quicker than I anticipated! That said, I figured ending it here to bring about the climax to this arc in the next chapter would be the best thing to do. And it's not going to be the same as the last one, considering we're now in the middle of Metropolis as opposed to the edge of Gotham.
And as much as I enjoyed writing Harley's character, I especially loved writing Joker. I can't tell you how fun it was to write his lines in this chapter, and I'm really excited what else I'll be doing with him next time.
But until then, it's back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime" for a chapter to get us into the next arc! Until then, I'll see you all later!