Chapter 8: Ultimo
One day, at the hideout, the team was in the training area practicing their powers against each other. Kaine was currently sparring with Pyrrha, who shot a blast of electricity at Kaine, which he then redirected at her. She then put up a force-field to deflect it before encasing Kaine in a magnetic field.
Yang and Nora were currently locked in battle, both trying to overcome the other with their sheer strength; Nora then covered her body in an aura of electricity as she grabbed Yang, sending a shock throughout her body, but Yang's dense skin provided enough insulation to keep her from being electrocuted.
Blake was sinking into her shadow and sliding across the ground, as Jaune attempted to blast her with light; she then wrapped him in a dome of darkness just as he unleashed a huge flash of light to dispel it.
Weiss shot an ice beam at Ruby, who simply phased through it as Ren directed a cyclone of air at Weiss. They all were either working on their powers or physical abilities, a repeating routine.
After absorbing a magnetic blast and shooting a laser blast at Pyrrha, Kaine glances around the area with a thoughtful look on his face.
"You guys think we should make a sort of danger room?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Blake said. "I mean, our grounds seem pretty mediocre. The X-men have the Danger Room, the Teen Titans have their own training area, Batman has the Batcave, all the fictional superheroes have a sort of special hi-tech training room, and all we have are just some mannequins and stuff. Compared to them, it's pretty weak. I'm just thinking, maybe we should upgrade." Kaine said.
"True, we don't really seem to have any actual training equipment, and we can only be challenged so far going against each other." Weiss said. "I could procure some digital and holographic simulation technology from the SI to set up a proper training room, but it will take some time."
"We're in no rush; we'll just make do with what we have for now." Pyrrha said.
"Hey, guys! Come see this!" Yang called from the couch. Her teammates quickly gathered around and watched the news broadcast.
"We are currently with the C.E.O. of Schnee Industries, Jacques Schnee, in regard to the horrific accident that occurred a couple of days ago. Mr. Schnee, believed to have been himself injured in the incident, has just returned from hospitalization and is currently being interviewed. Here is live footage."
They show Jacques Schnee in his office looking at the camera. He is dressed in his usual white business suit, his hair combed back and sporting a professional air about him. "The incident which occurred here was an unfortunate and unexpected accident, one that I will take full responsibility for. I will do all in my power to undo the damage that has been caused, not just to my company, but to all who were injured in the event. I will make sure they and their families are properly compensated, as well as working to make all of Vale better for its people and for our children. Today is history, tomorrow is the future."
"Well, that isn't cliché." Kaine scoffed. "How much do you wanna bet his idea of making Vale "better" will be controlling it?"
"Kaine!" Weiss shouted. "What? You think he's actually going to be some altruistic hero? The guy's already been investigated for all sorts of illegal shit. Authorities just can't prove it. Plus, did you see the look in his eyes. They were cold, calculating, like he was already making some sort of plans for the whole world. I'm telling you, I'm getting some serious Lex Luthor vibes from that guy." Kaine said.
"We may be superheroes now, Kaine, but that doesn't mean that the world operates like some comic story. I'll admit my father isn't the most moral of people, but he's not some sort of megalomaniacal sociopath." Weiss said.
"I'd beg to differ." Blake said, ignoring Weiss' scowl.
"I don't really see what all the fuss is about. What's he gonna do, make robot police?" Yang scoffed.
Weiss then got an idea and gathered up her things. "Where you going, Weiss?" Ruby asked. "I need to head home. There's something I need to do. I'll see you all tomorrow." Weiss said before leaving.
"Well, that was sudden." Yang said.
Weiss entered through the door to her home; shutting it behind her, she quickly made her way upstairs to her room. She took out some blank blueprints and immediately began drawing designs. While she was doing so, a knock was heard from the other side of her door.
"Weiss? May I come in?" Her father, Jacques' voice asked. She so badly wanted to say no, to tell him to go screw off, but instead she said, "Come in, Father." Jacques opened the door and walked in. "Are you busy?" He asked. "Not really, just working on a personal project." Weiss answered. Jacques looked over her shoulder at her sketches. "Planning to build an android?" He asked with intrigue. Weiss nodded. "I noticed the company scientists working on prototypes for synthetic humans, but they didn't seem to go through with it. So, I decided to see if I could improve on the designs." She said. "That's very smart, Weiss. I can't wait to see what you come up with." Jacques said.
Weiss nodded and went back to drawing her sketches. There was silence in the room as Weiss continued to scribble. Jacques looked at her a bit apprehensively before gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Weiss," he started, "I know I've hardly ever said this, if at all, but I'm proud of you. Since you were a little girl, you've exceeded any and all expectations I've had for you. You've learned so much and grown into a strong, smart young woman, and I know you're going to do great things."
"Thank you, father." Weiss said, as her eyes began to water. He had never praised her before; all the years she spent growing up, all the things she learned, never once during any of it had he ever acknowledged her, and now… Something was different, she didn't know what, and right now she didn't care. All that mattered were the words of appraisal that were being spoken to her.
Jacques nodded with a tender smile on his face. "Well, I'll leave you to it." He said before exiting the room. Weiss sat solemnly for a couple of minutes, the tears she held back now falling from her eyes. To think after all these years, she had finally gained her father's approval. After so long she spent trying to please him, she had all but given up, and yet she had still been holding onto some hope that her father would acknowledge all that she had done. After wiping her eyes, she resumed drawing her designs.
The next day, Team Meta minus Weiss are at the base, dressed in their superhero costumes. "Where's Weiss? I figured she'd be here with us?" Yang said.
"I've tried calling her several times and she hasn't answered." Blake said while.
"You think something might have happened? She seemed in a rush to leave yesterday." Jaune said. "I'll try calling her again. If she doesn't answer, then we'll go to her house and see if she's there." Blake said.
Just then, Weiss enters the warehouse. "Hello, everyone." She greeted her teammates. "'Bout time you showed up, Ice Queen. For a minute there I thought we'd have to hunt you down." Yang said. "You took off pretty quick yesterday." Jaune said.
"Sorry, I had a little project I to work on. I think it will help us train our powers more effectively." Weiss said. "What is it?" Ruby asked as suddenly mechanical footsteps were heard. A silhouette appears in the doorway, and everyone looks in awe as an android walks in. Its design was similar to the CW's Amazo, only it was smaller, slender, and more human looking. It was like a "Detroit Become Human" version of Amazo.
"Everyone, meet Ultimo. He's an android I created." Weiss said. The rest of the team stood silent, completely in awe at the mechanical being in front of them. Kaine was the first to recover from his surprise. "How, when, and why did you build this?" He asked in wonder. "To answer in order, I built him using prototype android designs that the SI had scrapped, I built him last night, and I took what you said into consideration about us needing more to train with. Ultimo will help with that." Weiss explained. "What can he do, exactly?" Pyrrha asked, curious to the function of the robot.
The team could have sworn they saw a sparkle in Weiss' eyes at that moment. "I'm glad you asked, Pyrrha." She said. "While I was making Ultimo, I thought about Kaine saying how we could use in upgrade in our training. And while I do think I could build a proper training room, I decided to start small with creating better training dummies, only they're not really 'dummies'. So, I got to work in creating a droid that could assist us in training our combat prowess, but also in the use of our powers. I noticed that the designs on which I based Ultimo had a feature far different from normal androids. These droids would have been outfitted with a scanning matrix that would allow them to download and catalogue any information about a person and replicate their abilities and skills based off of the analyzed information. Essentially, they would be able to scan a person and copy their abilities for any purpose; they could copy combat techniques to train military soldiers; they could copy a negotiator's ability for persuasive speaking, they could copy a surgeon's skill with medical tools, you name it. I was amazed at the applications, so I integrated into my own creation, but with a little something extra."
"What do you mean, 'extra'?" Jaune asked. The toothy grin Weiss gave was unsettling. "I took the designs for the scanning matrix and made some modifications to suit our needs. Rather than simply copying normal abilities, Ultimo can scan an individual's genetic structure (in this case, metahumans) and store it as data in its memory banks. Then, using the nanotechnology incorporated into its being, it can replicate the DNA it has stored and copy the physiological powers and abilities of its target."
"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh…. what?" Ruby asked. "The android is capable of scanning metas and copying their powers." Kaine said. "So, you mean to say this thing can copy metahuman powers, including ours?" Blake asked.
"Not only that, but I programmed Ultimo with an AI capable of adapting to any threat. It has the computational speed of a supercomputer, being able to analyze a situation and calculate thousands of variables to determine the best outcome, and if it is damaged, it can use the information it to compensate and keep itself from being damaged the same way again."
Everybody was speechless as Weiss explained the function of her android, all of them feeling mixed emotions of awe and concern at its described abilities.
"You said you built this last night?" Ren asked. "Well, not really. I actually spent most of yesterday working on the designs, and I got to building the bionic infrastructure at around evening, then spent all the way to midnight building it before taking a pause so I could sleep. Then, when morning came, I finished working on the outer shell." Weiss corrected. "Still, that's some serious dedication." Kaine said. "Have you tested it yet?" Pyrrha asked. "That's why I brough it here. I figured we could test it out ourselves." Weiss said.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Weiss?" Jaune asked. "Why wouldn't it be?" Weiss asked, shooting a questioning glance at the blonde. "Do you want a list?" Kaine asked. "For one thing, it's a computerized organism; a machine, in other words." Blake said. "And machines are always prone to malfunction. And when that happens, they become unpredictable. It could become a serious danger." Ren said. "Yeah, it could end up going berserk and hurting someone." Jaune said. "Or, if everything you said is right, it could turn into a walking timebomb of superpowers that we wouldn't be able to stop." Kaine said. "Or, it's AI could become self-aware and rebel against its programming and decide to enslave humanity under machine rule!" Nora exclaimed. "Like the Terminator!" Ruby said. "Or that!" Kaine said. "You watch way too many sci-fi films," Weiss said. "AI can't become self-aware tyrannical tyrants. They can maybe glitch, but not go crazy."
"The scientists who created Skynet, Ultron, and other AIs said the same thing, and you know what happened? The AIs went crazy and killed them." Kaine said.
"You guys are being way too imaginative; Ultimo isn't going to turn into some murder machine. I designed him myself; if anything goes wrong, I installed a kill switch that will shut him down and wipe his data core. Everything is fine." Weiss assured. "Now come on, I spent 36 hours building this thing. Let's try it out."
The rest of the team looked at each other with uncertainty. They didn't know if they could trust having a robot that could copy their powers around. But they trusted Weiss, and if she said it's safe, then they had to believe that. "Ah, what the heck? Let's give it a try." Kaine said. "Yeah, I'm interested in seeing what it can do. Besides, if things go bad, we can always scrap this thing." Yang said. The others also relented, though hesitantly. "All right, team. To the yard!" Ruby shouted.
The team is gathered in the yard. Dynamo is in the middle with Ultimo doing some light stretches as he prepares to face-off against the robotic humanoid. "Are you ready?" Weiss asked. "When you are." Dynamo said. "Let's get this party started!" Volt shouted. "Alright, let's see what you can do Ultimo." Ice Queen said.
Ultimo's eyes began to light up as he began scanning Dynamo's physiology. "SCANNING." He said. Binary codes shown across his vision before forming into words.
METAHUMAN TARGET:
DYNAMO
POWER: ENERGY MANIPULATION
ANALYZING DNA STRUCTURE
REPLICATING
Dynamo fires an energy blast at Ultimo who, to his surprise, forms an energy field that deflects the blast before firing back at him. The blast hits Dynamo, though he is unharmed thanks to his ability to metabolize energy. Though, he was still a bit shocked at what happened. The others were equally surprised. "Did you see that?!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "It copied his power, and used it with the same amount of skill." Blake said. "And it can do that with all metas?" Jaune asked. "I wonder if it has any limits?" Ren wondered. "Let's see what else it does. Pyrrha said.
As he regained his bearings, Dynamo got into a slight crouch, waiting for Ultimo to make a move. Ultimo, noting Dynamo's hesitation, proceeds to attack; his eyes glow, the intensity growing before, suddenly, huge lasers blast out. Already primed, Dynamo lunges out of the way; he can feel the heat from the lasers as they whiz past him, notifying him of their intensity along with the scorch marks left in one of the train cars.
'Holy crap! He shot lasers out of his eyes, like Superman's heat vision, and they burned right through the train car! He used my power, does that mean I can do that?'
Not having time to think, Dynamo rose from his position and charged Ultimo, deciding to take a physical approach. Ultimo's eyes lit up as he began devising a counter just as Dynamo reached him; Dynamo threw a punch and hit the android straight on, but it didn't budge. He could feel a resistance, something that was solid but not the robot's metal body. Ultimo then retaliated and rammed his arms into the dynamic teen's abdomen, knocking him back; luckily, Dynamo had erected a field around himself just as he was struck, so he wasn't hurt. He had still felt the force though, almost as if the punch went through.
As he slid back, Dynamo noticed a sort of aura around Ultimo, a solid energy wrapped around its body. 'He shielded himself. That must be why that punch felt like it had so much force; he used the energy to enhance his strike. To think I'd feel it through my field though. Maybe cuz it's the same energy?'
Deciding to try a move he had been working on, Dynamo formed an orb of energy in his hand. He had gotten the idea while playing infamous and he had been practicing for a while but never had the chance until now. "Let's see you deal with a plasma bomb!" He said as he chucked the sphere of condensed energy at Ultimo. The android's eyes glowed as he raised his hand and stopped the ball in its tracks. He then waved his hand and the orb arced before returning to its sender.
Dynamo had no time to react as the bomb he had thrown slammed into him and detonated with the force of a concussion grenade. His absorbing ability kept the energy from hurting him, but the same couldn't be said for the force as he was thrown across the yard, only stopping when his back slammed into a train car. "AAAAAGH!" He cried before crumpling into a heap.
The others gasped as they heard the cry of pain from there friend, their faces frozen in shock at what was going on.
Dynamo shakily rose from the ground. He was clutching his chest and his breathing was haggard. Ultimo's eyes lit up as he scanned him.
ANALYSIS:
RIBS AND COLLARBONE FRACTURED
INTERNAL INJURIES
"Okay... that was unexpected. Ow..."
"Dynamo!" Nyx shouted as she and the others looked on. "I'm fine. Just need to catch my breath." Dynamo said. "FALSE. ANALYSIS SUGGESTS YOU HAVE SUSTAINED MULTIPLE FRACTURES TO YOUR RIBS AND COLLARBONE. YOU REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION." Ultimo said. "Appreciate your concern, but there's no need. I just need a recharge." Dynamo said as he lifted his hand toward a lamppost and began to drain the energy from it. Cracking sounds could be heard as Dynamo bones began to reset themselves and his body glowed as he internalized the absorbed energy.
The others were astounded at what they were seeing. "He's got a healing factor?! That's awesome!" Velocity shouted. "Interesting. Kaine's energy absorption seems to accelerate his body's natural healing rate." Ice Queen whispered to herself. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "That's better. Alright, I've got a fire in my belly! Time for round 2!"
Ultimo raised his hand and fired an energy blast. Dynamo absorbed the blast before grabbing a pipe and infusing it with energy; he then charged at Ultimo and began striking him repeatedly. Ultimo then grabbed the pipe and threw Dynamo to the ground. As he advanced, Dynamo charged his fists with energy and threw a punch at Ultimo's head which briefly staggered the android.
Ultimo stopped to analyze the information he was gaining and perform calculations.
TARGET SEEMS LIMITED TO SPECIFIC ENERGY SIGNATURE
SWITCH TO ALTERNATIVE SIGNATURE
Ultimo then began to channel his self-generated energy. Dynamo and the others were interested in what he was going to do. They watched as the energy around Ultimo shifted and changed into the form of electricity.
"What's he doing?" Nyx asked.
"It looks like he's altering his energy signature to take on the properties of electricity." Zephyr said.
"Did you know he could do that?" Photon asked Ice Queen.
"No, I didn't." She said with a look of surprise. They all watched as Ultimo raised his hands towards Kaine as his palms glowed with energy.
"I hope Kaine can handle that." Magness said.
Sparks of electricity began to emanate from Ultimo's hands before he released a huge blast of plasma straight towards Dynamo.
"Kaine!" Nyx shouted.
"Move out of the way!" Photon shouted.
Dynamo, however, did not. He was distracted by a strange sensation he was feeling; it was like a sort of buzzing in his head, a tingle. He shut his eyes as he focused on the feeling; as the laser drew closer to him, he could feel the tingle in his head grow stronger and in a certain direction. He didn't know what it was, but it felt… right was the only word he could use to describe it. It was like this instinct that he had. Lifting his hand up as the plasma beam was about to make contact, he swiped to the left and suddenly, the beam diverged from its path and struck the ground next to him.
Everyone stares shocked at what they've just seen.
"Did… did he just…?" Nyx struggled to ask.
"He disrupted the beam's path away from him." Zephyr answered.
"That's… awesome!" Velocity said
"Amazing. He actually manipulated the energy and changed its trajectory." Ice Queen muttered to herself. "I think that's enough for today. Ultimo power down." As soon as she said this, Ultimo went limp. The others went over to Dynamo's position.
"Kaine, are you alright?" Nyx asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm… fine." He said, getting over his own shock at the event.
"That was so cool! That beam was heading straight for you, like shuuuu! And you waved your hand all like whoosh! That was amazing!" Volt said.
"How did you do that?" Magness asked.
"I don't know. I just did." Dynamo answered.
"It must have been an instinctual reaction." Ice Queen said.
"Well, whatever it is, we can talk about it after I fill my stomach. I'm starving." Dynamo said.
As if on cue, all of their stomachs growled, eliciting a blush from some of the girls. "Heh, looks like I'm not the only one. Why don't we head into town and get some grub?" He said.
"I'm up for it." Titania said.
"Food sounds great right about now." Magness agreed.
"Feed me!" Volt said.
"I am rather famished." Ice Queen said.
"Great, then let's get some chow. Why don't we get some Chinese food?" Dynamo suggested. "I know a great place where you can get a box full of a ton of stuff."
"I want chow-mein!" "BBQ pork!" "I'd like a good rice bowl." The others all voiced out their desired meal choices as they left the yard.
In Vale...
The 9 friends decided to go to a Panda Express. They had already ordered their food and were now sitting at a table. They were all engaged in idle chatter, talking about various things. Kaine and Yang were currently teasing Blake about her Ninjas of Love book.
" I keep telling you, Ninjas of Love is well-written and romantic." Blake said. "If by "romantic", you mean completely inappropriate and lewd." Ice Queen retorted. "In other words, smut." Yang said. "It's not smut!" Blake argued. "Alright, then it's romantic smut." Kaine teased. The others snickered at the exchange.
"So, Kaine, how were you able to deflect Ultimo's plasma beam earlier?" Weiss asked.
"I was also wondering how you accomplished something like that." Ren said.
"Honestly? I'm not sure. It all happened so fast. I saw the laser heading towards me, and I was thinking of absorbing it, but then I got this feeling in the back of my head, like a sort of tingle. Time had slowed down, and I could feel the energy as it was coming towards me." Kaine said.
"You… felt it?" Jaune asked.
"It's a little hard to explain. Do you know how plasma is made?" Kaine asked. "
It's created through a process of ionization, where the atoms in a gas are heated or electrified to a high enough extent where the molecules become excited and rapidly collide with each other. This can cause them to either gain or lose electrons and the resulting particles created from this process have net positive or negative electrical charge. These particles are called ions." Weiss said as if reciting from a textbook.
The others, excluding Kaine, stared in bewilderment.
"What with the what now?" Yang asked confused.
"*SIGH* To put it more simply, plasma is gas that has been exposed to a high enough temperature or electrical charge that it's molecules change into a new type of charge particle called ions, which allow for its electrically conductive state." Weiss simplified.
"Right… well, when Ultimo fired that plasma beam at me, it was as if I could sense the ions making it up. I could feel them pulsating and vibrating, heating the air around them, and it felt like I could just reach out and touch them. The best way I can explain is that it was like there were puppet strings connecting my fingers to each and every ionic particle, like they were a part of me, and all I had to do was move my fingers and they moved with them." Kaine explained.
"Whoa, that sounds meta as hell." Yang said. "Amazing. You were able to psionically sense and manipulate the subatomic particles composing the energy. This could be an expansion of your powers." Weiss surmised.
"Maybe, but I guess only time will tell if I can do it again or it was just a one-time thing." Kane shrugged.
"We'll have to explore this in the future. Onto another subject, what did you guys think of Ultimo?" Weiss asked.
"To be honest, I'd say he's pretty awesome." Jaune said.
"Yeah. The way he had copied Kane's powers was amazing." Ruby agreed.
"And the proficiency with which he used them was remarkable as well." Pyrrha said.
"It makes me wonder how much Kaine could do if he pushes his abilities." Blake said.
"Yeah, to think of the different things he was able to do, especially when he changed his energy. I'll have to see if I can do that." Kaine said.
"I'm interested in seeing what else he can do." Ren said.
"Well then, how would you feel about bringing him on our next patrol?" Weiss asked.
"You sure? It hasn't even been a full day. We still don't know all of how he can deal with metahuman enemies, let alone human ones." Kaine asked.
"Which is why I suggested it. This could be a test to see how he reacts to human threats." Weiss said. They all looked at each other.
"That does make sense. I guess we could." Blake said. "I suppose it would be alright." Pyrrha said.
"As long as we can trust that it's safe." Jaune said.
"Alright then. Let's take Ultimo and see how he fares." Ruby said.
"Two orders of chow mein with BBQ pork, 3 orders of beef shishkabobs, and 3 rice bowls!" The worker at the counter called. "That's us!" Kaine called as he walked over to the counter.
After eating, it was already in the evening. After paying for the food and returning to the hideout to suit up, the team headed into town with Ultimo to patrol for crime. They decided to split into teams; Ice Queen with Zephyr, Velocity with Photon, Magness with Volt, Nyx with Titania, and Dynamo with Ultimo.
"Alright. Does everybody know what to do?" Ice Queen asked.
"Look for crimes, and if we find any stop them." Dynamo answered.
"And, if you find yourself in trouble, radio in and the rest of us will head to your position. Let's move out, team." They all went in various directions.
Dynamo and Ultimo were marching down the road in sleuth mode. Well, Dynamo was walking while Ultimo was using an energy field to hover. Dynamo felt a twinge of jealousy seeing the android use his powers better than him.
'It's so unfair. I know he has an advanced mind, being AI and all, but for him to be able to do things that I can't, it's… it's just unfair.' He was broken out of his thoughts as Ultimo suddenly stopped.
"CRIME IN PROGRESS." Ultimo said. "MUGGING. MUST TAKE ACTION."
Ultimo then charged to a neighborhood and entered an alleyway with Dynamo following suit. They see a group of thugs holding a woman at knife-point; the thugs turn to see Ultimo.
"CEASE AND DESIST YOUR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES AT ONCE. REFUSAL TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION." Ultimo said.
The thugs, of course, did not comply, instead choosing to attack. Two of them rushed at Ultimo, slashing at him with their knives to no effect.
"HOSTILE ACTION DETECTED. SUGGESTED COURSE OF ATION: INCAPACITATE."
Ultimo strikes one of the thugs, knocking him out before grabbing and throwing him into the other one. He then fired a laser at one of the thugs harassing the woman, knocking him down before the other one grabbed the woman and held her in front of him as a human shield. Ultimo analyzed the situation and performed calculations before firing a laser blast that whizzed past their heads before arcing and hitting the thug in the back, knocking him unconscious. The woman shakily looked at Ultimo.
"YOU ARE SAFE NOW, MISS. PLEASE VACATE THE AREA." She did not need to be told twice as she picked up her belongings before running out of the alleyway.
"HOSTILES DEFEATED. PREPARE FOR EXTERMINATION." Ultimo then charges up his blaster, preparing to kill the muggers. But Dynamo flies down and grabs his hand. "Ultimo, no! You can't kill them!"
"THEY ARE VIOLENT CRIMINALS WHO ATTEMPTED TO HARM AN INNOCENT. THEY DESERVE NO MERCY." Ultimo told him.
That's not up to us. Our job is to just apprehend them and turn them in." Dynamo explained.
"THAT IS ILLOGICAL. IMPRISONMENT IS ONLY A TEMPORARY SOLUTION. THE BEST WAY TO ELIMINATE CRIME IS TO ELIMINATE THOSE WHO COMMIT IT." Ultimo replied.
"We aren't executioners, Ultimo. We don't determine who lives or dies. We let the justice system handle them." Dynamo argued.
"THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS FLAWED. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, CRIMINALS ARE PARDONED OF CRIMES AND SET FREE. COUNTLESS INNOCENT LIVES ARE LOST TO SATIATE THE GREED OF CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS." Ultimo countered.
"I'm not letting you kill him. Either you stop, or I'll make you." Dynamo threatened.
"VERY WELL THEN." Ultimo said before blasting Dynamo with a laser.
"What the hell?! What are you doing?!" He shouted.
"YOU SPEAK OF JUSTICE, YET YOU AID CRIMINALS. THAT IN ITSELF IS A CRIME. SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION: TERMINATION." Ultimo Said.
"Oh great. I don't want to fight you Ultimo." Dynamo warned.
"AS HUMANS PUT IT: THIS WILL NOT BE A FIGHT, JUST A BEATDOWN." Ultimo said before firing another laser.
Dynamo absorbed the laser before retaliating with a blast of his own. Ultimo created a shield to deflect the energy before enveloping Dynamo in an energy field; he then threw Dynamo overhead, launching him into a bakery.
Dynamo gets back up to see that he's covered in icing. "Better call for backup." He said.
A few miles away, Nyx and Titania had just stopped a jewelry heist when their comms went off.
"Nyx, Titania, come in! This is Dynamo. Ultimo's gone crazy! He just tried to kill some crooks and now he's attacking me. I need you over here ASAP!" Dynamo said before the comm-link cut out.
"Dynamo? Dynamo, come in!" Nyx said frantically. She then turn to Titania. "We need to get his location."
"Let's go!" Titania said and they teleported.
Dynamo exited the bakery and sees Ultimo.
"PROPERTY DAMAGE." Ultimo observes. "YET ANOTHER CRIME YOU HAVE COMMITTED."
"This was your doing!" Dynamo yelled.
"FALSE ACCUSATIONS. ADDED TO YOUR RECORD." Ultimo said.
"Are you kidding me?" Dynamo asked in exasperation.
Nyx and Titania then teleport above Ultimo and Titania drops onto him, smashing him into the pavement. Nyx then restrains him with shadow chains while Titania licks the icing of Dynamo.
"Mmm. Chocolate." She said as she continues licking.
"Titania! Quit it!" Dynamo said.
Ultimo rises from the ground and turns his attention to Nyx and Titania.
"NYX AND TITANIA. YOU ARE GUILTY OF AIDING A CRIMINAL AND DAMAGING PUBLIC PROPERTY." He said.
"Yo what?!" Titania said.
Dynamo flies forward with energized fists. "The worst part is he keeps adding crimes. And all he has to do is copy our powers and he can counter us." He tells them.
"I'm gonna have a little talk with Weiss about this." Titania said as she charged at Ultimo.
SCANNING METAHUMAN TARGETS
NYX
POWER: EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL SHADOW MANIPULATION
TITANIA
POWER: SUPER STRENGTH AND DURABILITY RESULTING FROM POTENTIAL GRAVITATIONAL MANIPULATION
ANALYZING DNA STRUCTURES
REPLICATING
Ultimo then grabbed Titania and slammed her down. Nyx flies forward but gets backhanded into a car. Dynamo fires an energy blast only for Ultimo to summon a portal which the blast disappears into. He then opens another portal above Nyx's position, but she thankfully managed to teleport before the blast hit the car and detonated it.
Ultimo then punched Dynamo and sent him flying as Titania then uppercutted him.
Velvet was just finishing up as the last customer left. She normally didn't get the night shift, but the usual worker called in sick. Not that she minded; she liked working in the café. She was able to meet nice people, and the smell of the coffee was also pleasant. She was just about ready to close when an object suddenly crashed into the café.
"What the-?!" Velvet gasped. What just happened?! One minute she's about to close the café, and the next something smashes through and wrecks the place. As the dust cloud faded, she could see it was Dynamo.
"*cough* *cough* Uugh… that wasn't nice." Dynamo groaned. Velvet walked up to him and asked, Are you okay?" "Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'm… uh…" Dynamo stuttered as he inwardly panicked. All of the stores to crash into, he had to land in the one where the girl he was crushing on worked.
'Ok, don't panic Kaine. She doesn't know who you are. Just act natural.' Dynamo thought as he calmed himself. "I'm fine." He said with a deeper tone. "It looks like I ended up crashing into your shop. My apologies." "Oh, the store! I forgot about it! My boss is gonna kill me!" Velvet panicked.
"Don't worry. I'll just tell them I did it." Dynamo said.
Velvet sighed. "No, it's fine. I'll-" She paused. "Wait, really?" Velvet asked. "Yeah. I mean, I did crash through the place, so it wouldn't be a lie or anything. And it wouldn't be fair to let you take the heat. Dynamo said.
Velvet was surprised at the kindness the hero displayed. Why would he go out of his way for a stranger?
Nevertheless, she smiled gratefully. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." She said.
"Don't mention it miss. Now, I've gotta go help my teammates. So, I'll be seeing you. Dynamo said before blasting off.
Back at the fight, Nyx and Titania are thrown aside by Ultimo. He proceeds to fire a laser blast at Titania, but her immense durability keeps the blast from causing much damage aside from singing her costume. Seeing she is uninjured, Ultimo prepares to fire a last of electricity at her just as Dynamo reenters the scene and tackles him.
Meanwhile…
The rest of the team had regrouped on a nearby roof.
"Anything to report?" Ice Queen asked.
"Just a couple of drunks causing a disturbance." Photon said.
"Someone not picking up dog poop." Velocity said.
"Volt and I stopped a carjacking." Magness said.
"Nothing to report." Zephyr said.
"So, who hasn't reported in yet?" Ice Queen asked.
"Dynamo, Nyx, and Titania, and Ultimo." Zephyr said.
Ice Queen calls Dynamo's comm and they all hear the sounds of fighting. "Dynamo, can you hear me What's going on?" Ice Queen asked.
"Ultimo's gone crazy! He tried to kill some crooks we encountered, and he went after me when I stopped him. Now me, Nyx and Titania are trying to stop him. Get over here quick!" He shouted.
"It sounds like they need our help." Photon said.
"What did Dynamo mean when he said Ultimo went crazy?" Velocity asked.
"Apparently, Ultimo attempted to execute a group of criminals, believing that the best way to eliminate crime is to destroy those who commit them. When Dynamo stopped him from killing them, Ultimo saw him as a criminal." Zephyr explained.
"Alright, everyone. Let's head over and stop Ultimo." Ice Queen ordered.
"Right!" They all said as they took off.
The 6 head to the area where Ultimo is fighting Nyx, Titania, and Dynamo, and when they arrive, they see them struggling. Magness hits Ultimo with a magnetic blast and immobilizes him.
"Hey robo-butt! Get away from our friends!" Volt shouted. Ultimo turns his attention to them and scans them.
ZEPHYR
POWER: WIND MANIPULATION
VOLT
POWER: ELECTRICITY MANIPULATION
MAGNESS
POWER: MAGNETISM
VELOCITY
POWER: KINETICALLY ENHANCED BODY
ICE QUEEN
POWER: NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE MANIPULATION
ANALYZING DNA STRUCTURES
REPLICATING
"Ultimo, stop this!" Ice Queen shouted.
"I AM SIMPLY DOING WHAT YOU CREATED ME TO, CREATOR." Ultimo said.
"I created you to help us perform better as heroes and reduce crime!" Ice Queen told him.
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU CANNOT REDUCE CRIME WITHOUT TAKING NECESSARY MEASURES TO DISCOURAGE IT. YOUR DEFINITION OF BEING HEROES ADHERES TO IDEALS THAT ALLOW FOR CRIMINALS TO BE GIVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMIT OFFENSES."
"Ultimo, that isn't what we do. We don't have the right to play judge, jury, and executioner. Whether they live or not is for the law to decide." Ice Queen told him.
"Are you saying I should go against my programming?" Ultimo asked.
"If being psycho is part of it, then yes." Titania said.
"No, just be more lenient. Incapacitate criminals rather than kill." Ice Queen said.
Ultimo stood unmoving, as if contemplating her words. Everyone had hopeful looks on their faces, but those soon fell at what he said next.
"I'M AFRAID THAT IS ILLOGICAL. THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT CRIMINALS FROM COMMITTING CRIME IS TO USE FORCE. IF YOU INTEND TO STAND AGINST ME IN THAT OBJECTIVE, THEN YOU ARE AN UNNECESSARY OBSTACLE. FORGIVE ME, CREATOR." He said as he projected a heat blast at Ice Queen. She quickly erected an ice barrier which was melted by the heat.
Velocity then rushed Ultimo, who used his copied speed to dodge and appear behind her. He then swatted her away as Zephyr threw wind blades at him. Ultimo deflected the blades with an energy barrier Magness and Volt both attacked with lightning and a magnetic pulse, but Ultimo simply absorbed them.
Ice Queen fired a beam of ice that began to freeze Ultimo only for the android to use Velocity's powers to vibrate his body and shatter the ice coating his body. He then held out his arm and sent a cyclone towards her, sweeping her away and knocking her into a wall. He then proceeded to take down the others with different power combinations. Volt and Magness were entrapped within a condensed sphere of air which was then detonated with an electric blast, knocking them out in the explosion.
Velocity charged forward only for Ultimo to send an electrostatic charge through the ground and she found herself unable to move. He then hit her with an energy blast and knocked her unconscious. Zephyr was surrounded by a frosty vapor and frozen as it was electrically charged. Dynamo fired an energy blast only for Ultimo to create portals and redirect it at him. Nyx was taken down by a light blast and Titania was pinned to the ground by gravitational force.
"IT IS FUTILE TO RESIST. YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME." Ultimo said to the downed team.
"There has to be some way we can beat him." Titania said.
"There might be." Photon said.
"What you got, Photon?" Dynamo asked. "Have you noticed that when he uses our powers, he only uses one or two at a time?" Photon asked.
"Yeah, I noticed. When he attacked, he only would use one power. Even when he started combining them together, he would switch from one power to another. But why?" Dynamo pondered.
"He must not be able to use multiple abilities at once. It would likely be too much of a strain on his systems." Zephyr theorized.
"So, what does that mean exactly?" Velocity asked.
"This is just an idea, but if we get him to use multiple abilities, maybe we can overload him." Photon suggested.
"So, trick him into using two or more powers and hope for the best. Guess that's better than nothing." Titania said.
"Alright then, let's do it." Ice Queen said.
The team switched their tactics to attacking on multiple sides:
Dynamo fired a beam of energy at Ultimo who proceeded to absorb it before binding him in plasma coils. Photon then hit Ultimo with a laser, but Ultimo created a shroud of darkness and trapped him in it.
A trail of ice courtesy of Ice Queen froze Ultimo's legs and Volt used it to conduct her electricity and shock him; Ultimo then released an explosive blast and knocked the two girls back.
Titania and Velocity then charged in and began to hit him with a barrage of punches as he absorbed the kinetic energy from the blows and then released it in the form of a shockwave.
Zephyr created a whirlwind around Ultimo which began to lift him up, but Ultimo then increased his mass and anchored himself to the ground. He then created a counter whirlwind to dispel the original and hit Zephyr with a lightning bolt. Magness was next as she used her magnetic powers to lift every metal object in the area and then proceeded to wrap them around Ultimo. By the time she was done, he was encased in a giant metallic sphere.
Ultimo wasn't beaten, however, as he pressed his hands against the surface and began to vibrate. The sphere glowed hot as it began to heat up, eventually exploding in a blast of heat. Magness created a shield to defend against the heated shrapnel but was then taken out as Ultimo transformed his arm into a railgun and shot her with a high-velocity plastic marble. Nyx then came up and created tendrils of darkness which wrapped around Ultimo and restricted his movement. The tendrils then began to tighten and slowly crush his armor, but Ultimo then produced a high-frequency whistle.
"Aaaagh!" Nyx cried in pain. The shadows dispelled as she clutched her ears in an attempt to block out the sonic pulse assaulting her eardrums. Ultimo then hit her with a blast of light, knocking her down.
"AS I SAID BEFORE: YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE. I HAVE ALL OF YOUR POWERS AND THE KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO COUNTER THEM. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO-o-O-O-o-OOOOOOOOOOOZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" Ultimo's voice began to glitch. Clanks and whirring could be heard his body as his systems began to malfunction.
"It's working! He's starting to overheat." Dynamo observed. "Keep at him!" They all began tag teaming the android, hitting him with volleys of blasts, punches, and kicks. Ultimo deflected all of them and retaliated with his own attacks, movements becoming slower as his systems began to become more and more unstable. Dynamo, Photon, Volt, and Magness then hit him with a combined blast of their respective energies of which Ultimo took the brunt as he tried to absorb the beams, but it eventually became too much as they continued to assault him, and his internal circuits heated up.
"TTTTHISSSSSS KKKZZZHHH CCCCCCAAAAN'T KZZZZH BBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEeeeEe!" Ultimo's voicebox began sputter as his body twitched and jolted, his systems unable to cope with the strain from the repeated assaults.
"That's it. He's coming apart." Nyx said. "This is our chance to take him down while we can." Dynamo said. "Hold on! Maybe we don't have to destroy him. We could take him back to base, I could change his programming." Ice Queen suggested. "You crazy?! This thing just went psycho and tried to kill us all, and you want to try and fix it?" Titania asked incredulously.
Ice Queen looked conflicted as she glanced at Ultimo's glitching state. The rest of the team looked at her not knowing what to make of it. They didn't understand why she would want to try and save something that literally just tried to kill her. Dynamo, however, had a look of understanding on his face as he placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder.
Weiss… I understand how you're feeling right now. You built Ultimo with your own two hands: he's your creation, like a family member basically. And it's never easy losing family, especially when it's by your own hands. But you can always make another robot, a better one. Hell, I'll even help you. But we gotta shut him down; it's too great a risk." He said.
Ice Queen looked at Ultimo and sighed. "Alright." She relented.
"I'll do it, so you won't have to." Dynamo said. He then raised his hand toward Ultimo and charged it with energy.
"Goodbye, Ultimo." Ice Queen said sadly.
"Goodbye, mother." Ultimo's last words before he was blown apart.
After Ultimo is destroyed, Ice Queen looks somberly at his remains. Dynamo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and Velocity hugged her.
"You gonna be okay?" Dynamo asked. "Yeah." Ice Queen said. "Hey, you got us to help you get through this." Photon said. "Thank you, Photon. All of you." Ice Queen said wiping tears from her eyes. The team turns to leave when a news van drives in.
"That's our cue to vamoose." Dynamo said and ran. However, he ended up running into another van.
This is Lisa Lavender with Vale News live on the scene where an out of control robot was just defeated by a group of young heroes." She turns to Team Meta who are helping Dynamo to his feet. "Velocity, are these the 8 other heroes you were talking about?"
"Uh, yep. This is Magness, she can control magnetism." Said Velocity.
"Hello." Magness said.
"This is Volt. She can generate electricity." Velocity said gesturing to the electric ginger.
"I'm the thunder goddess!" Volt proclaimed.
"Ice Queen. She's really cold." Velocity gestured to the white-haired heroine.
"My power is more than just being cold!" Ice Queen shouted.
"This is Photon. I think his name is enough of a hint." Velocity said gesturing to him.
"Um… hey. I'm not too comfortable with cameras and stuff, so…" Photon said before going invisible.
"This is Dynamo. He's basically a living power conductor."
"Yeah, I can control energy. Photon, can you make me invisible too?" Dynamo asked. Photon then appears, touches Dynamo, and turns invisible again.
"This is my big sister, Titania. She's super strong."
"Enough to pulverize anyone who messes with my baby sister." Titania said.
"Nyx, who can control shadows."
"I'm… just gonna go." Nyx said before teleporting.
"And last but not least, Zephyr. He can control the air and wind."
"Hello." Zephyr simply said.
"I see. So, who are you together?" Lisa asked.
"We're Team Meta." Dynamo said. "Sorry to cut this short, but we've got somewhere else to be." They all then departed.
"You heard it here first, folks. Criminals beware because Team Meta is on the job." Lisa said.
"We're Team Meta." Dynamo said. "Sorry to cut this short, but we've got somewhere else to be." They all then departed.
"You heard it here first, folks. Criminals beware because Team Meta is on the job." Lisa said.
Schnee Industries…
Jacques Schnee sat in his office at the top floor watching the news report.
"You heard it here first, folks. Criminals beware because Team Meta is on the job." Lisa said.
"Team Meta, eh? Interesting. From what little I've seen, these children possess amazing powers. I will have to keep a close eye on them. They may be valuable allies or dangerous enemies." Schnee said as he poured a glass of wine.
And there we go. I am finally finished with this chapter. Sorry for the wait readers, but with everything going on in my life from school to my mom's illness, I've had little time to work on chapters. Worry not, for I shall continue to write chapters for you to read, and even if it takes me weeks or months, they will come out.
Anyway, let me know how you like the chapter. What is Jacques Schnee's plan? Find out next time! Make sure to leave a review as well as favorite and follow, and I will see you later. Oh! Before I go, I want to give a thanks to those who are following. Your interest in my story means a lot to me, and I promise that for as long as I am motivated, I will keep this story going.