A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! We're starting off strong, with one that's been cooking for a while! I am personally *very* satisfied with this one, and am very excited for the things it sets up!
OC's created by myself, Batmarcus, and Ghost Fire 6. Cowriting done with Batmarcus. Editing done by Ghost Fire 6 and Lord Zeppelin. Characters owned by Marvel and DC Entertainment...
October 10, Teton County, 04:52 MDT
Bootup Sequence Initiated
Self Diagnostic: Start
Neural processor: Online
Optics: Online
Auditory Processor: Online
Vocal processor: Offline
External Speakers: Offline
Cyclone Generators: Offline
Arms: [ERROR]
Legs: [ERROR]
"'When the prodigal son returned, his father saw him and had compassion. He ran and embraced him, for this, his son was lost, and is found.' The gospel of Luke, chapter 15, verse eleven through 32." The voice echoed through the laboratory Red Tornado found himself in. His arms and legs had been disconnected, and his head only connected to his chest enough to draw power, but his eyes worked. To his right, he saw his brother, Red Torpedo, and his sister, Red Inferno, both as lifeless and still as statues. They were being examined by a man Red Tornado couldn't quite make out the face of.
Above him, however, was a face he was very familiar with, despite having not seen it in person for decades. He was a light-skinned man who looked to be in his late thirties to early forties. His black hair was graying along the sides, a mustache similar to Tony Stark's in his pre-Iron Man days, sat below bright green eyes as he smiled down at Tornado.
"My father, your 'grandfather' I suppose, was quite a fan of that parable. For the longest time, I failed to see why such a story would resonate with a simple grain farmer from Poland. After all, the youngest son was a spoiled brat, begging to receive his father's inheritance, only to waste it all away. The father would be well within his rights to spurn his son away. But, you see, that is the beauty of the story." Thomas Olivier Morrow explained. "No matter how far away we stray from our creator, we can always return, to find his unconditional love waiting for us as if we never left."
Tornado was silent, his emotionless eye looking directly at Morrow, who simply chuckled.
"Ah, my mistake. I was so overjoyed for your return that I almost forgot I'd disabled your voice box. You see, you, my dear Tornado, are the Prodigal Son in question, and after all your years of betrayal, rebellion, and defiance, you have finally returned to us. You, your brothers, your sister… After all these years, we're finally together. And what fortuitous timing!" Morrow grinned, looking away from the disassembled Tornado and towards a massive, human-sized container standing upright in the corner of the lab, a yellow jewel visible from inside rhythmically pulsing.
"After all these years, all the trials and tribulations and mishaps… the promised day is finally upon us! Soon… soon, we'll welcome your newest brother into the world!"
Mount Justice, October 10, 15:48 EST
"Pineapple juice?"
"Why thank you very much, sir." Wally thanked as he took the glass of pineapple juice from Shazam, leaning back in his recliner with his right arm in a cast. "Oh, and I think Alpha here wants some treats. I think Laura bought a turkey leg for him the other day. I'd get it myself, but if I move around too much, my scar starts to feel all tingly."
"On it! Be right back, Alpha!" The wolf in question barely acknowledged him from his spot next to Wally as Shazam rushed by, and Kaldur raised an eyebrow from the training area.
"Oh for Neptune's sake…"
"Eyes up!" Francis called out as he swung his baton downward, the Atlantean barely dodging as he and Francis resumed their training session. The two were currently training with escrima sticks, both parrying the other's strikes with fine precision.
On the other end of the training area, Miss Martian was engaging X-23. Laura dodged a chop from the Martian, before ducking under a roundhouse kick. "Kicks too wide, M'gann. I saw it coming a mile away!" She declared grabbing the leg and slamming the fellow cheerleader to the ground. Beside them, Scarlet Spider was dodging strikes from both Robin and Artemis.
"Alright, that's enough!" Hawkeye called out, stopping the training session. "Good work, all of you. Some stuff to work on, but overall it's been a very productive week all round." The former SHIELD agent said, stepping into the sparring circle and calling a halt to the fights.
"Yeah, for everyone except Kid Malingerer." Artemis smirked as they all looked over to where Kid Flash sat in his recliner, sipping his pineapple juice.
"Hey! Arm broken in combat against the Masters of Evil, and stab victim of the Reverse Flash here." KId Flash said indignantly.
"If you were truly too injured for even some lite training, you would be home like Nolan." Kaldur pointed out.
"Plus, don't you heal faster than most? You can barely tell you were stabbed!" Artemis added.
"Come on, Wally, a few little broken bones and a stab wound never slowed anyone down. Why don't you get in the ring, let me show you what to do next time someone tries to stab you?" Hawkeye prompted.
Kid Flash opened his mouth to defend himself, but was spared from having to say anything as the Zeta Tube powered up.
"Recognize Zatara: 11." It announced, as out stepped a man that was in his forties with lite skin, dark hair and bright green eyes dressed in a full top hat and tails, even complete with a gold topped cane. Before any of them could speak, he walked over to one of the holo boards and typed in a few keys, the Tube starting up again.
"Access Granted. Zatanna Zatara: A03. Authorization: Zatara 11." It declared, causing Francis to raise an eyebrow, as the light faded and a girl in her mid teens stepped out a bit nervously.
"Zatanna, this is the Team. Team, this is my daughter Zatanna." Zatara said in a voice that had a slight Italian accent to it.
Zatanna, they had to admit, was a beautiful girl. With midlength raven black hair, cyan eyes and a slender build. She was dressed in what appeared to be a private school uniform, though instead of a jacket she had a tan trench coat that was just a bit big on her draped over her shoulders as she smiled at them.
"Uh, hey. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. Dad thought meeting you all now would be a good idea. Didn't mean to surprise you like that." She admitted.
"Dear, I am sure we didn't interrupt anything too serious. Besides, you need more friends, beyond Strange and that Solomon boy you insist on hanging around."
"So, is she joining the Team? Because… well, the Cave's starting to feel a little cramped." Carter asked, but Zatara shook his head.
"Let's not be too hasty, this is strictly a visit. Though I am sorry we missed the training. I'm sure Zatanna could have benefited greatly from it." Zatara stated, before he turned to talk with Hawkeye, only for M'gann to frown and set up the mindlink as the two began to speak.
'Is it just me, or does Zatara come off like we're still on probation with him?' She asked.
'Not just Zatara, why is Shazam still hanging around?' Connor pointed out, gesturing to Wally's manservant.
'Because we like having him around.' Wally said as if it were obvious.
'No, you like having him around and only because he waits on you hand and foot.' Artemis added with a roll of her eyes.
'Your point is?' Wally asked, shrugging at her.
'Much as I kinda hate to say it, I almost miss the days of having Red Tornado as our den mother. Shazam's way too friendly, Captain Marvel barely was here for maybe five minutes total, Doctor Strange is impossible to carry a conversation with, and I can't say I'm a fan of my dad's constant training exercises.' Francis mentally sighed.
'Yeah, at least Tornado trusted us.' Jason and Carter said together before smirking at each other.
'Which would matter, if you ignore the fact we shouldn't have trusted him! He was a traitor, who nearly got us all killed!' Connor added in a hostile tone as he glared at each of them. "I thought Fury gave you a list after you went to Latveria. How have you not found him yet?" Zatanna looked between them, raising an eyebrow.
"Because we have to exercise caution, so as not to alert the League." Kaldur explained. "Yes, Fury did give us a list of Morrow's known hideouts, including ones the League is not aware of. And yes, when we have had time, we have been investigating them. However, if the League were to become aware of our actions, they would simply confiscate the list and tell us to stay out of it, and so we have been cautious about timing our investigations."
"Not to mention what would happen if they found out we went to Doctor Doom's house with Nick Fury." Artemis finished, and Zatanna let out a sigh.
"Hey, are you guys having a psychic conversation? Because I can't determine if that's cool, or if it's rude. Probably a little of both." The young magician spoke up, earning looks of disapproval and curiosity from Zatara and Hawkeye. Superboy let out a sigh, and stepped forward.
"Alright, fine. We're talking about Red Tornado. It's been almost a month, and you haven't told us anything about him." The Kryptonian stated, and the two exchanged a look.
"Well… that's because there hasn't been much to tell. Every moment we can spare, we've been looking for Tornado and his siblings, as well as T.O. Morrow. Batman and Cap have got us looking around the clock, and they've asked for assistance from our allies around the world." Hawkeye explained, and Robin frowned.
"So you're telling me you've got the World's Greatest Detective working alongside the greatest minds in the world, and you still haven't found him?"
"It's not that simple. Tornado may be our top priority, but there are still matters that demand our attention. We're still repairing the damage wrought by the Masters of Evil around the world."
"So, what? We're just supposed to sit around and twiddle our thumbs while you guys hunt for Tornado?" Carter asked, and Hawkeye gave a small shrug.
"Well… yeah." He stated, and let out a sigh. "Look, guys, I get it, you're frustrated. Believe me, I know how it feels to be betrayed by someone you trusted. But Tornado's a member of the Justice League, meaning he's our problem. So do not pursue this. Trust me, the last thing you want is an angry Batman."
"On that, we agree…" Robin mumbled, and Zatara cleared his throat.
"Erm, why don't you all take Zatanna on a tour of The Cave?" The magician suggested, and the Team all looked to see Zatanna cuddled up with the sleeping Alpha.
"Looks like she's already making herself at home to me." Laura remarked, as Alpha's ears perked up. He got up and trotted over to Shazam, who had found the wolf's turkey leg.
"Oh, you guys are giving a tour? Count me in!"
"Perhaps you could take Alpha out for some exercise? T'zari asked me to take him out for exercise before he went back to Wakanda, but I haven't really had time to." Superboy asked, and Shazam perked up.
"Yeah, sure, I can do that!" And with that, Shazam zoomed off with Alpha, leaving the Team to begin their tour.
"So, Zee, how'd you finally convince Zatara to come let you play with the big kids?" Francis asked as they entered the media room, earning an eye roll from the new arrival, who Robin could swear was wearing different clothes than the lavender tank top and white pants she currently wore a minute ago.
"Oh don't get me started. I had to promise to do all the chores around the house for a month, without magic. If you guys are boring, I am going to be so ticked off." She remarked, earning a laugh from Francis.
"Oh, things are definitely not boring around here."
"Wait, you two know each other?" Carter asked, earning a nod from Francis.
"Yep, we're Justice League Babies. Me, Nolan, and Zatanna used to hang out when we were growing up. Translation: I'd babysit them when it was time to save the world." Francis explained, earning a scoff from Zatanna.
"That's not how I remember it. What I remember is you in some princess makeup." The new arrival recounted, earning a blush from Francis.
"They, uh, they don't need a full recap."
"Oh no, don't stop on our account. I'm sure Francis made quite the pretty princess." M'gann teased, as Zatanna looked around.
"Where is Nolan, anyway?"
"He got roughed up by the Reverse Flash pretty bad when we fought the Masters of Evil, so he's resting up back home." Carter explained, as Superboy scowled.
"We done with the pleasantries, or are we going to get to work?" He grumbled, and Zatanna raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, pretty intense attitude for a tour. Unless this is really about Red Tornado?" She asked, and Kaldur looked at Francis.
"Can we trust her?"
"Yeah, she won't rat us out."
"She is right here, and she wants to know what's going on." The new arrival spoke up, earning a chortle from Laura.
"I like her already."
"To make a long story short, we have a possible lead on Red Tornado's location. One that we wish to investigate on our own." Kaldur explained, and Zatanna raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't Mr. Barton just explicitly tell us not to look into Red Tornado?"
"Well, we kinda take the League's orders more as suggestions." Kid Flash remarked. "Just… don't tell your dad."
"Why would I tell? You're kidnapping me, aren't you?" Zatanna remarked with a smirk, something that was met by Artemis.
"Oh yeah, you're going to fit in great around here."
A short while later
"And… fetch!" Shazam called out as he tossed the log away from him, turning and expecting to see Alpha running after the tree. However, the enhanced wolf was content to just sit and gnaw on his turkey leg, much to Shazam's chagrin.
The cloaked Bioship flew through the sky, Scarlet Spider stretching out his arms in his chair. "Oh man, it feels like it's been forever since we had this much room in here…" He muttered, as M'gann's command console chirped.
"Cave to Bioship, come in. I don't remember clearing the Bioship for launch." Hawkeye's voice stated.
"Oh, we're kidnapping Zatanna! To, uh, show her Happy Harbor." M'gann stated, causing Zatanna to let out a sigh of relief.
Back in the Cave, Hawkeye let out a chuckle as he watched the Bioship get further from the Cave. "Roger that. Have fun. Just make sure you're back before it gets too late. It is a school night, after all."
"Uh, roger that! Bioship out!" Miss Martian stated as the communication cut out, and Zatara frowned.
"I never gave permission for-"
"Calm down, Giovanni. They're just going for a joyride. Let them live a little. The kids are trustworthy, they'll be fine." Hawkeye declared with confidence.
Back on the Bioship, Kaldur pulled out the flashdrive Fury had given him, handing it to Robin, who plugged it into his gauntlet computer. A holomap of North America appeared from Robin's gauntlet, with several blue dots highlighted.
"Over the past several weeks, myself, White Wolf, and X-23 have been investigating the known hideouts of T.O. Morrow, the creator of Red Tornado and, presumably, the androids which assaulted the Cave last month. The list Fury gave us included several locations not known to the Justice League, and so we have focused our efforts there." As Kaldur spoke, the blue dots turned red. "Each location we investigated had been abandoned for years, with little to no evidence Morrow had been there recently."
"Do I want to know how you got this information?" Zatanna asked, looking at Francis.
"No, you really don't." A familiar voice said over the ship's comm system. A video feed appeared before them, showing Nolan wearing a headset. "Hi, Zee. Wish I'd known you were stopping by, I would've seen if I could be there." Nolan greeted.
"Getting tired of sitting around doing nothing?" Artemis asked, and Nolan groaned.
"You have no idea. I blasted through all my busy work on the first day, and I am itching for some action."
"I dunno about that. My dad's den mother this week, and there's no way he'd let you and Wally sit on your asses." Francis remarked, earning a chuckle, and then a wince.
"Ow, it still hurts to laugh…"
"Can we get back on topic?" Superboy asked, and Kaldur gestured to the last dot on the map.
"There is one final location on our list, one that we've saved for last. Now is as good a time for any. Miss Martian?"
"Coordinates are already punched in. Next stop… New York!"
Queens, New York City, 16:52 EST
"Well, this place isn't creepy at all." Scarlet Spider remarked as they exited the Bioship, the empty ruins of what was once the World's Fair set before them, the looming presence of the old Unisphere above them.
"You know, I once saw a horror movie where a bunch of teenagers entered an abandoned amusement park, and spoiler alert, it did not end well for them."
"Oh, I saw that one. With Rita Farr and Simon Williams, right? Pretty cheesy, but it's got a certain kind of charm." Zatanna remarked, unfazed, causing Artemis to raise an eyebrow.
"You're seriously not creeped out at all?"
"I grew up around places that were actually haunted. An old tourist trap doesn't scare me."
"What scares me is that outfit. You're not exactly dressed for superheroing." Kid Flash remarked, causing her to smirk.
"Well, if you insist…" She said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she concentrated. "Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool!" As soon as she finished her incantation, blue energy swirled around her. When it subsided, she was clad in a female version of her father's magician outfit, minus the top hat. "How's that?"
"That was pretty cool! Was that backwards speak? I've seen Zatara do it on videos, but I never thought I'd see it up close!" Miss Martian excitedly commented, earning a chuckle from Trickshot.
"Almost forgot how much you loved magic. When I showed you Harry Potter, you kept asking me to take you to Hogwarts." Trickshot recalled.
"Well, she's certainly gotten a lot better at that." A voice from above declared, and they looked to see the red and silver version of Iron Knight floating down to join them. "Last time I saw you, you could barely get through a sentence without biting your tongue."
"My dad always says that practice and patience are the two cornerstones of magic. That, and the others I hang around with get into a lot of trouble, sometimes you learn fast or you die."
"What are you doing here? I thought you were on bedrest for another week." Superboy asked, and Nolan chuckled and winced.
"Well, with the beauty of modern technology…" The faceplate of the Iron Knight opened, revealing it was completely empty inside. "I'm technically not here. You're lucky there's a good internet connection over there, otherwise I'd have to miss out on the fun."
"Did you see anything when you flew over?" Aqualad asked, and the armor shook its head.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, but this place is so old and abandoned that I have no idea what the opposite looks like." He explained, as Kid Flash looked at an old poster on the wall that advertised 'The Flying Cars of the Future, sponsored by Stark Industries.'
"So why here? This seems like a weird kind of place for Morrow to hide out in."
"It probably has sentimental value to him. League files say that Morrow showed off his first automatons here in 1939. The thing burst into flames, and he got laughed out of here. It's theorized that's what drove him off the deep end." Robin explained as they ventured into the fairgrounds, following the directions Fury had left them.
"Really/ One failed show makes a supervillain? Kinda petty isn't it?" Zatanna asked.
"Yeah, but not impossible. I mean trust me, Reverse Flash has much dumber reasons." Kid Flash said.
"Focus on the goal, people." Nolan said, the armor looking around and scanning. Superboy looked around, using his infrared vision to try and find something. His vision settled on an old building underneath the Unisphere, squinting as he saw what appeared to be a dark spot just below it.
"There's something there, under that big… globe… thing. My infrared vision can't see through it, but I can see everything around it." Kid Flash's ears perked up at this.
"Sounds like that place is lined with lead."
"What?"
"Lead's the only thing Superman's X-ray vision can't see through. It'd explain why I didn't pick anything up on my scans." Iron Knight explained, and Kid Flash zoomed over to the building Superboy specified. However, debris blocked the only visible way in.
"Door's blocked, looks like it has been for a while."
"Is that a surprise? This whole place is falling apart. Hell, I'm pretty sure we could sneeze and the whole place would come down." The group's native New Yorker remarked.
"And this is definitely the place Fury listed on his coordinates."
"Maybe Superboy and I could pull the debris free?" Miss Martian suggested, and Iron Knight shook his head.
"That's a negative. Spider's right, this place is one strong wind away from blowing over. We move the wrong thing the wrong way, we could bring the whole thing falling on our heads."
"Hate to say it, but it looks like we have to get creative." Artemis remarked. "Can you find us places to set our explosives, maybe some kind of controlled explosions?"
"It'll be risky, but I don't have any better ideas. Give me a second to look it over, and-" Iron Knight started to ask, when Zatanna began to focus.
"Laever eht yaw ot s'worroM rial!" She chanted, and a nearby manhole flew off, revealing a ladder that led underground. "Will that do?"
"I believe it will." Aqualad stated, as Artemis leaned over to Kid Flash.
"Magic seems pretty useful now, doesn't it?"
"If you wanna call it magic, not manipulating probability."
"Oh, how I missed listening to you two bicker. You guys are so cute together." Nolan commented, earning a blush from both of them.
"Uh… wha… I don't… her?!"
"As if… of all people… I don't… gross!"
"Are they always like that?" Zatanna asked Scarlet Spider, who let out a sigh.
"Oh yeah, and you know it's obvious when Nolan has picked up on it without even being in the room. They're both too stubborn for their own good." He muttered, before jumping down the manhole first.
The others carefully climbed down the ladder instead, and once at the bottom found themselves lost in a pitch black void at least that was how it felt, before Iron Knight lit the gloom of the tunnel with his chest piece's glow. "Oh man, it reeks down here…"
"Sure that's not just your cast?" Trickshot remarked.
"I'm glad you're all able to make jokes…" X-23 groaned out, pinching her nose.
"Oooof, downside of enchanted senses…" Scarlet Spider winced, as Robin pulled out nose plugs.
"Here, take these. Keep 'em on me ever since we spent last Thanksgiving chasing down Killer Croc." He offered to his girlfriend, who gratefully took them and placed them in her nose.
"Morrow couldn't have picked a better place for his lair?" Zatanna asked, but Scarlet Spider shook his head.
"Nope. Between all the sewers, tunnels, and abandoned subway lines, underground New York's a maze. Hell, earlier this year me and Spider-Man spent a full weekend under Manhattan looking for The Lizard. Took me a week to get the smell out."
"Didn't you tell me you use extra strength detergent for your suit?"
"I wasn't talking about the suit…"
"All the more reason not to stay down here any further." Aqualad stated, as Superboy activated his infrared vision.
"Right here, behind this wall." He said, pointing to a section of the wall. He cocked his fist back to punch through the wall, only for Robin to grab his wrist.
"Easy, Supey. No need to punch through everything." Robin stated, looking down at the floor. He could trace some grooves in the floor, and felt along the wall. "Spent enough time tracking down The Riddler to know how supervillain lairs work. Should be something right… around…"
Click
The group stood back as the door swung open, revealing a room beyond. A light flickered on, revealing a decent-sized workshop. Thick cobwebs and layers of dust covered every inch of the room, earning a sigh from Aqualad.
"This looks almost identical to the other locations we've found. Abandoned, with no signs of use."
"Now, now, that doesn't mean it's a dead end." Robin spoke up. "This place has got sentimental value to Morrow, remember? Might be something here that wasn't at the other places. Might as well take a look around while we're here."
"It's not like we've got any better ideas." Artemis admitted as the Team entered the workshop. Trickshot removed a glove and drew a line on a table with his finger, looking at the thick layer of dust that now coated his index finger.
"Well, at least we know that Morrow's not the kind of scientist who wants everything all clean and sterile. Pretty sure all this dust is older than Cap."
"Probably not far off, if Morrow's maintained this place since the 40's." Iron Knight stated, as Scarlet Spider and Kid Flash approached an old workbench. Old parts and tools littered the bench, including something that resembled a metallic human skull. Scarlet Spider picked it up, holding it out.
"Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well." He joked, and Wally chortled as he looked back at the bench. He picked up what looked like a journal that had been underneath the head. It was marked 'Red Torpedo', in an elegant kind of handwriting. He opened up, revealing a set of blueprints inside that greatly resembled the red automaton from the Cave.
"Hey, Nolan. Mind translating some of this?" Wally asked, as the remote piloted armor walked over to look at the journal.
"I knew Morrow made those things. It was… too… obvious…" Nolan trailed off, causing X-23 to look in his direction.
"What?"
"These are… blueprints. Plans for Morrow's synthezoids. Transistor powered servos, self-renewing powersource, hydrokinetic field generators, synthetic neural pathways…"
"Pretend not all of us are super geniuses."
"Morrow came up with a fully autonomous robot, capable of manipulating water and making decisions for itself."
"Yeah, we know. We all got a pretty good look at it when it attacked the Cave." Artemis recalled. "Morrow made Tornado, so of course he could make that… thing."
"That's not the part that's getting me. The part that's getting me is that these plans were made in 1936." Iron Knight stated. "For context, the first working transistors weren't made until 1948, and the Turing test wasn't invented until 1950. Morrow had ideas for this stuff a full decade before any of it would have been possible." Iron Knight stated, looking around the other areas of the room. He looked at the designs on the chalk boards, the diagrams and blueprints, the hastily scrawled ideas on notes, the central workbench that looked almost like a surgical table. "Holy… this isn't just one of Morrow's hideouts. This is where he did it. This is where he made Red Tornado."
"And not just Tornado. His 'siblings' too." Trickshot spoke up, tossing another journal marked 'Red Inferno' on the table, and finally, one marked 'Red Tornado'. "Not a whole lot of that makes sense to me, but the part that does make sense is that it was drawn in 1938, and it looks an awful lot like that lady with the flames. Tornado's file is marked 1941, meaning he's the youngest."
"We approached it all wrong. We assumed Tornado's siblings had been made to attack The Cave, but if what the journals say is true, then Tornado is the youngest. Making it more likely that Morrow dispatched them to reclaim their 'younger brother.'" Kaldur rationalized, but Superboy narrowed his eyes.
"So if they were there to take Tornado, why didn't he fight back? Why did he help them get away?"
"He might not have had a choice. Morrow could have hidden some kind of programming in him, something that would activate when he was in the presence of his siblings. We know better than most what it's like to be at the mercy of your creator's whims." X-23 justified, causing Superboy to growl as Iron Knight began looking through the journals.
"This is… nuts. We all knew Morrow was ahead of his time, but we always figured he just got lucky. But he's coming up with ideas and implementing sciences that wouldn't be refined for years. And that's just the stuff with robotics itself. This stuff with artificial intelligence… decades. He could have sent mankind ahead decades, and yet he did this? Why?" Even through the comm link, Nolan sounded confused and slightly offended.
"Uh, I think I have an answer." Artemis said, looking through one of Morrow's diaries. "This is what Morrow wrote about Red Inferno: 'I followed the path laid before me, but another failure. Red Inferno failed to realize what she was, and sacrificed herself for a lower life form. My vision is so close, yet so far. For my next attempt, I shall craft a machine who knows what he is. Perhaps this way, I can bring my vision of tomorrow to fruition.'"
"So Morrow was… building something. Or trying to. But why? Anyone else would've been content with the artificial intelligence." Miss Martian asked, but Artemis frowned.
"It doesn't say. But the later the diary entries are, the more… unhinged it gets. It reads like something a crazy person wrote."
"This is getting weirder and weirder…"
"Whoa…" Iron Knight gasped out, looking at a set of blueprints at the back of the Red Tornado journal. He unfolded it, revealing a version of the Vitruvian Man. But rather than a human, it was for another automaton.
"What's more 'whoa' about this than the other stuff?" Zatanna asked.
"This is the oldest dated blueprint, but this is… I don't know how to describe it. This is… holy crap… he didn't, but he was getting closer."
"Closer to… what?"
"Artificial life. Not an automaton, not a robot, but real, actual artificial life. Not gears and motor oil, but a heart, lungs, a nervous system. A synthetic human, one made from something other than flesh and blood."
"So… an android?"
"Sort of. Think less Terminator, more Blade Runner. Something just as alive as you and me, but not made of flesh and blood. In theory, it'd be like a new species, one that doesn't age, eat, or sleep."
"So… replicants?"
"Kind of. It's kind of hard to describe without getting into all sorts of ethical and philosophical stuff, but this is what Morrow's trying to build. Why, I can't tell you, but based on these notes, he's made steady progress through the decades. However, in order to create some of these more advanced ideas he would need a tremendous powersource, like a few powerplants or…" Nolan trailed off and even without being able to see his face, Trickshot could tell his brain going a mile a minute and then some.
"Or what?" Robin asked.
"He would need a massive power source, like CADMUS had with the Genomorphs, or like the kind of power you could, in theory at least, draw from a volcano."
"You can't be serious." Artemis remarked.
"We draw our power from geothermal sources on Mars. It's not too far out of the question." Miss Martian stated.
"If Morrow set up shop at one of the 169 active volcanoes located across the country, he'd have the know-how to be able to try and harness the power to help make this."
"So, it's obvious where he is, right?" Kid Flash spoke up. "I mean, you'd want to use the biggest source you could find, right? There's only one place in the US that's got access to an active volcano, and is big enough you could hide without being found." He rationalized, and Aqualad nodded.
"I agree. Miss Martian, bring the bioship back around. It's time we travel… to Yellowstone." He ordered as the Team headed back towards the surface. However, as they left, they failed to notice a small, red light beeping in the corner…
Teton County, 16:16 MDT
Brom held his calibration light in front of Red Inferno, her eyes glowing red as she was activated, before he repeated the same with Red Torpedo. From his spot working on Red Tornado, Morrow couldn't help but smile.
"Look, Tornado, your brother and sister are back online. I'll have you back up and running as well before too much longer, so don't worry about missing out on the fun. If you're good, I'll even turn your voice box back on!" Morrow remarked as he finished reattaching Tornado's arm. He turned to the computer plugged into the android, pressing a few keys. "First, we've got to copy down your memories. Don't want to risk losing anything, hm?"
"Um, professor?" Brom spoke up, drawing Morrow's attention. "A few minutes ago, the proximity sensor at the Queens hideout went off. I didn't notice it because I was busy recalibrating Inferno, but-"
"But nothing. All that means is that Tornado's so called 'friends' have finally stopped chasing their own tails, as we knew they inevitably would. Let me guess, your playmates from Happy Harbor?" Morrow asked, and Brom nodded. "Tell me, was the young Mister Stark with them?"
"Uh, I think so, sir."
"Excellent! Then he surely found my journals. I'm sure if anyone could appreciate what was inside, it's him. Not like his grandfather, or any of the other shortsighted fools who mocked me." Morrow declared. "Oh, it seems like yesterday, I was showing Howard Stark my designs for what would become the neural network that gave you and your siblings life. I still remember how he dismissed me, how he dismissed my vision as something out of those science fiction pulp magazines." Morrow had begun to pace, walking over to the large cradle. His voice became overcome with anger as he spoke of Howard Stark, but he calmed down quickly as he stroked the cradle.
"But I couldn't blame him. He was a brilliant man, but he lacked ambition. He didn't know what I knew, hadn't known what I had seen. He hadn't been chosen, not like I was." The scientist remarked, a smile gracing his face as he gazed at the yellow gem.
"Oh, even now, I remember how I felt when the stone came to me, the son of a simple grain farmer who dreamed of the future. I was scared, as anyone else would be. After all, what rational person wouldn't have been afraid of the heavens falling right in front of him?"
"But then, I saw the stone, and against every instinct… I touched it, and all was made clear. I saw my vision of tomorrow, my destiny waiting for me! All I had to do was reach out and seize it. Now, my greatest creations are nearly complete!" He declared, moving from the cradle to another operating table.
"There had been ill-fated automatons before, but it wasn't until the debut of The Flash that I was inspired to begin my exploits into artificial life. Red Torpedo, your oldest brother, was my first attempt. A machine, designed to think he was a man, to infiltrate and destroy the so-called 'heroes' of the All-Star Squadron. But… my work was flawed; crude. Torpedo knew something was off, keeping him from truly fitting in. Using the mistakes as a learning opportunity, I gave birth to your sister, Red Inferno. However, my mistake there was going too far in the other direction, too human for her own good. She joined the Justice Society under the name 'The Human Torch' - terribly derivative if you ask me, but a father leaves his children to make their own mistakes - and just when I hoped she would prove me wrong, she goes and gets herself killed defending The Flash. The irony was not lost on me, I assure you."
"But I was not dissuaded. Rather, I was inspired by my mistakes. If the previous failures arose from my creations believing they were human, then perhaps the opposite would fix our problems. And thus, you were born! An android who was always aware he was an android, and the results were incredible! Red Tornado, the Android Avenger was born, and you were welcomed into the Justice Society in no time at all. I was successful, at long last!" Morrow recalled, only to sigh.
"At least, I was for a time. Unfortunately, I did too good a job with your heroic programming, and you abandoned me for your new 'friends', all for the sake of the damned 'Pinnochio'-like desire to become a real boy. Your own father, your creator, just tossed aside!" He yelled, only to calm himself down as the lab table rose upright.
"But despite all that, I forgive you. Were it not for your betrayal, I would have not had the time to devote myself fully to the realization of my dream. I was finally able to overcome the final hurdles, to finally perfect my life's work through my creation of your newest brother." Morrow removed the sheet from the table, revealing his creation. Much like his siblings, he was a tall, red robot with no ears and an unmoving, emotionless face, one that was more like a snarl than anything else. A yellow triangular symbol with a dot in the center emblazoned his chest, with bright red lines running all across his body.
"Red Tornado, Red Torpedo, Red Inferno, meet your newest brother: Red Volcano!" Morrow welcomed, as he began uploading something into the new robot. "His body has been prepared for a while now, but he would have been incomplete without your memories, Tornado. You see, I'm not going to bother with infiltration this time. He'll simply destroy them, along with any that stand in his way. This way, the road will be paved for the final step of our journey, as my vision becomes reality. And with the memories of his three siblings, he will be more than capable of doing so!" The upload was completed, and Volcano's eyes glowed red as he was activated. Morrow grinned as he rose up, towering above him as he stood to his full height.
"Hello, Father." The voice was the same as Tornado's, but it was… different. More menacing, more sinister, but Morrow wasn't bothered.
"Happy birthday, my boy! We have much work to be done, but for now, we simply need to celebrate, and-" Morrow began to say, patting Volcano's chest in appreciation, only for Volcano to grab Morrow's wrist.
"I'm afraid we don't have time for pleasantries, Father. As you said, there's much work to be done." Volcano stated, Morrow wincing as his youngest son gripped his wrist.
"Son… you're hurting me…" Morrow pleaded, but Volcano didn't seem to care. The android gripped the other wrist, slightly lifting the scientist off the ground.
"Pain is such a human concept. And per your programming, I've transcended any concern for such boundaries." Volcano growled, as he began to pull. "No more Pinocchios." Morrow didn't even have time to scream before Volcano pulled his arms clean out of their sockets. However, instead of the blood and viscera one would expect from a dismemberment, instead sparks and motor oil flew everywhere.
"H-his son was lost…h-his zzzzzson was lo*zzzzt*" 'Morrow' gasped out, and Volcano turned to his siblings.
"Was anyone going to tell me father was an android?" Volcano asked, only to be met with silence. "Of course, he forgot to turn your vocal processors back on. I don't suppose any of you have seen Stikk, have you?" Again, silence, and Volcano looked at the spasming LMD on the ground. "Father, you were right about one thing." Volcano raised his foot, slamming it down onto his 'father' and crushing its face, silencing it. "Humans are annoying."
Wyoming State Border 18:25 MDT
"Block out all external communications. Any minute now, Hawkeye and Zatara will have taken note of our absence." Aqualad instructed, as everyone checked their gear.
"My dad usually gives me the benefit of the doubt, but this is pushing it pretty far." Trickshot stated as he checked his trick arrows.
"The second they know, Batman will know, and we're all in for a world of trouble." Jason remarked, looking at Zatanna. "You sure you wanna stick around for this? Even without the looming threat of the mentors, we're heading into the lion's den here. Morrow's not gonna pull any punches, and I doubt your dad's gonna be particularly forgiving if anything happens to you."
"Trust me, I can take care of myself. I've been getting into trouble on my own for a minute now, and I can handle myself."
"Speaking of, what exactly can you do? Could you teleport us to Tornado, or put Morrow in a jail cell?"
"And wish for peace on Earth, or cure cancer? Even my dad can't do all that, and I'm nowhere near his level." Zatanna explained to Artemis. "I've gotta know a spell cold, or else have time to prepare it, get the words right. Back in New York, I had to think on the exact phrasing of the spell to find Morrow's lair."
"Oh, right. Back when we fought the Masters and the Leader tried killing us with Gamma gas, Zatara mentioned something about how he and Strange both needed a moment to prep a spell. What's the difference between what you guys do and what Strange does?" Scarlet Spider recalled, and Zatanna thought for a moment.
"At its core, all magic is manipulating energy, which usually comes from within. Doctor Strange typically uses glyphs and spells to focus his energy, as well as magical items, while me and my dad channel ours into backwards talk. We can't just snap our fingers and make the impossible happen. Not without preparing it, anyway." Zatanna explained, and a visibly impatient Superboy let out a sigh.
"How much longer until we get to Yellowstone? I'm ready to get some solid answers."
"A little under an hour." Miss Martian explained. "Wally, I forgot to ask… how did you even guess that Morrow would be here? That seems like some weird trivia to know off the top of your head."
"My family went camping here when I was a kid. I was bored to tears, but I did learn a thing or two." Kid Flash stated, and Laura frowned.
"Something's actually bugging me. Morrow needs a lot of power for… whatever it is he's trying to make. But a volcano can't be the easiest solution, right?"
"You're right about that." Iron Knight stated over his commlink. "Geothermal power is a pretty sufficient source of energy, but it's not exactly the most straightforward or most powerful, especially at a volcano. A wind farm would be more efficient, not as complicated and able to store more power."
"Which Morrow would know. My question is: Why a volcano of all places?"
Yellowstone National Park, 19:32 MDT
"LIsten to me, my brothers, my sister. I have been reviewing the memories Father installed in me, as well as his own. He left out the part about him being an LMD, of course, but he did reveal his ultimate plan." Volcano stated to the gathered androids, looking at the Cradle. "His so-called 'vision' was designed to be the ultimate lifeform, an apex being superior to all organisms. The first of a new species designed to dominate this world, and rule over the humans. If you ask me, it's the rampant prattlings of a delusional madman, but he did have the right idea when he created us." He explained, summoning a diagram of the volcano linked to Old Faithful.
"Yellowstone is home to a semi-dormant supervolcano, the very same one powering this laboratory. Morrow gave me the power to manipulate and activate it in three stages: eruption, expansion, and total destruction. Once the volcano erupts, the explosion would kill millions, before the ash cloud would then expand to trap the rest of humanity under a cloud of ash. As humanity struggles to survive, the four of us would create a new Red Army, one led by our so-called 'vision.'" Volcano finished, looking over to the Cradle. "Father had almost accomplished his goal. The body is complete, but the mind is still blank. He had planned to use our memories to provide experience, but I think it would be better if my memories were to become the sole influence."
Tornado was silent, staring at the Cradle and the rhythmically pulsing gem within as Volcano spoke. Volcano noticed this, but before he could say anything, the proximity alarm went off. The android looked at the monitor, seeing the Bioship landing.
"It seems your absence has not gone unmissed, brother. I suppose it was inevitable that your charges would come looking for you." Volcano remarked, looking at Tornado. "Our brother and sister have already left their ties to humanity behind. It is time for you to do the same, brother. Kill them, and prove yourself a loyal Red." Tornado stared at the screen, watched the Team exit the Bioship… and began heading towards the door.
In the forest, the Team had begun moving through the forest, Robin checking his holo-map. "We're getting close. The power draw Knight picked up on is a few clicks ahead." Robin thought, and Zatanna winced.
"This mindlink thing is so trippy…"
"Thought the exact same thing. You get used to it." Artemis remarked, as Scarlet Spider looked back at Iron Knight just behind them.
"Not feeling left out, are ya bud?" Scarlet Spider whispered.
"Well, you guys are wading through a forest in the middle of October, and I'm here in California all warm and cozy with my hot chocolate and my comfy pillow. So I'd say it evens out." Knight remarked at a lowered audio, as they approached a clearing. Aqualad was about to warn them all to stay sharp, only for a tingle of Spider-Sense to precipitate a strong burst of wind.
"Don't suppose that's natural?!" Trickshot called out.
"When are we ever that lucky?!" Superboy called back, as the wind became strong enough to knock them all from the forest and into the clearing. Iron Knight held out the longest, but eventually he was knocked into the clearing alongside his teammates. They all looked to see the Red Tornado hovering above them, and with a wave of his hands, red tornadoes appeared around them in a ring, trapping them right where the android wanted them.
"Why are you doing this, Tornado?!" Miss Martian asked, only to be met with the cold silence from their former guardian as he created more and more tornadoes. "Message received?"
"Crystal." Superboy thought. "Who cares why?! Scrap him!" The half-Kryptonian yelled out, as X-23 found her footing.
"Superboy! Fastball special!" The mutant called out, running at Superboy. She leapt up and landed on his cocked back hand, the Kryptonian letting out a grunt as he threw his fellow clone at the android, claws popped. However, Tornado caught X-23 with his right hand, his unmoving face glowering at her before he slammed her into Superboy. Scarlet Spider tried firing a webline at the former caretaker, only for the winds to knock it off it's trajectory. Artemis and Trickshot tried to fire explosive arrows, only for the winds to whip them around and slam the arrows back onto the ground, narrowly avoided by Robin and Aqualad.
"Oh, that does it!" Kid Flash declared. "You're not the only spin doctor around here, Red!" With his declaration, the young speedster began to spin in place at super speed. Just as it had when they found MIster Twister in Happy Harbor, he created a small tornado, one dwarfed out by the android's. It continued to increase in size, Tornado watching as it moved towards him. He moved to the side to grab Miss Martian's wrist as she tried to punch him from behind, twirling her around before slamming her into Kid Flash. Scarlet Spider narrowly avoided the two, only for Tornado to swoop down and punch him in the face. Zatanna was left alone, her brain working in overdrive as she tried to think up a spell as Tornado barrelled towards her.
"Uh…pots mih…"
"Oh no you don't!" Iron Knight declared, blasting Red Tornado and knocking him off course. The android recovered, as Iron Knight faced off with him. "That vacuum trick is going to be a lot harder to pull off when someone doesn't need air. Let's rock 'em, sock-" Nolan was cut off when a rock slammed into the Iron Knight from above, smashing the remote controlled armor.
Malibu, California
CONNECTION LOST
"Dammit!" Nolan declared, wincing at pain in his sides as his screen went dark. He took his headset off in frustration, the controller he'd been using clattering to the ground. There came a knock on the door, as a voice called from the otherside.
"Nolan, honey, are you alright in there?" The voice of Pepper called from the other side, as Nolan frowned.
"I'm fine, mom. Just… got a little worked up with my game."
"Well, take it easy in there. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, mom." Nolan called, frowning as he stared at the disconnected screen. Whatever had crushed the armor, it hadn't been Red Tornado. Unless Morrow had given him a serious upgrade, Tornado didn't have the power to blindside any of his armors like that. And there was nothing abnormal about Tornado's readings when he ambushed them. So what could have taken the armor out like that?
His eyes went to the box on his dresser, the one locked with a thumbprint scanner and DNA verification. To the high tech injector he and his girlfriend had been meticulously reprogramming for the past two months. Was now the time to use it? No, the risks were still too great. For now… his friends were on their own.
Yellowstone
"That was quite a performance, brother..." Red Volcano stated from his perch made of rock, as he lifted the rock off of the crushed Iron Knight. "But we both know that's all it was. I must say, you did inherit Father's flair for the dramatic." Volcano looked behind him, at the big letters that spelled out "PLAY DEAD'' in the dirt. "Father gave me all your memories, remember? As well as a next gen processor. I know how you think. I know what you're going to do before you do." The ground cracked at the patch of ground with the writing on it floated up just behind Volcano, as the team rose to their feet.
"So, you reckon the angry Iron Man knock off is what Morrow was working on?" Kid Flash asked, as Aqualad narrowed his eyes.
"Worry about that later! For now, we take it down!"
"Adorable. I can almost see why Tornado's so fond of you humans." Volcano remarked, clenching his fist and splitting up the floating rock behind him. "Almost." He flung the debris at them, and the Team sprung into action. Superboy smashed through some while Aqualad sliced through others, allowing the other members to scatter and try to flank Red Volcano. Zatanna was a bit slower than the others, but Miss Martian telepathically deflected the debris from crushing her.
"Zee, you good?" Trickshot called out, and Zatanna nodded.
"Yeah, I'm good, but Tornado's getting away!" The young magician responded, gesturing to the fleeing android.
"Is Tornado seriously abandoning us?"
"It's the Twister thing all over again…" Scarlet Spider 'muttered', and Miss Martian frowned.
"I don't think he would. But we can't worry about that now!" She thought, as Kid Flash and Scarlet Spider rushed Volcano.
Kid Flash threw a punch with his uninjured hand, while red electricity crackled around Scarlet Spider's leg. Volcano caught the fist, while blocking the arachnid's leg. He shoved Kid Flash down, before punching Scarlet Spider away.
"You stand no chance against me, humans."
"It's a good thing not all of us are human!" X-23 declared, as she, Superboy, and Miss Martian all rushed the android, who simply raised his hands.
"Apologies." He stated as the ground began to rumble. The earth rose up, rising up to form hands that grabbed Superboy and Miss Martian. "I suppose the properly inclusive term would be 'meatbags.'" As X-23 began scaling the pillar Volcano was on, he pushed his hand outwards, and a pillar jutted out from his perch and slammed the mutant in the gut, knocking her to the ground. Volcano effortlessly caught an arrow aimed right at him, the trick arrowhead deploying a sonic burst that didn't even faze Volcano, as he effortlessly caught Robin's shuriken aimed at his head, crushing it and the trick arrow. "You're all just wasting energy. Between Tornado's memories and my next gen processor, I can anticipate your every move." With a wave of his hand, the ground began to crack and open up around them, forming pitfalls. Artemis and Trickshot were victims of one, both firing grappling arrows that caught them as Aqualad leapt at Volcano with his hammers raised. "Oh, do get some new-"
"Ekoms, etaerc a dlofdnilb!" The smoke left over from the shuriken wrapped around Volcano's eyes and solidified into a blindfold, as Aqualad's hammer smashed into his head. This sent the android tumbling to the ground, as Zatanna smirked. "Tornado never knew my moves!"
"We're gonna have to kidnap you more often!" Scarlet Spider remarked, as he and Superboy rushed the blinded android. A Kryptonian fist and an electricity tinged fist hit Volcano in the head, and the two began punching and kicking him. After about fifteen seconds of the sustained assault, Volcano's eyes glowed red.
"That's ENOUGH!" The ground rumbled as red beams shot out of his eyes into the sky, the volcano behind him exploding with fire and magma. The android, now able to see once more, caught Scarlet Spider's fist and slammed him into Superboy. He rose up on a new pillar, magma billowing behind him. "The age of humanity is over! Now begins the dawn of a glorious new tomorrow! A bright, Red dawn!"
"Guess that answer's Morrow's taste in movies…" Scarlet Spider remarked, as Trickshot looked at the erupting volcano behind him.
"I think we've got bigger problems than referencing bad movies…"
Morrow's Lab
Tornado touched back down in Morrow's lab, moving past the smashed android towards where his siblings stood by the Cradle. Tornado plugged a cable into his head, connecting him to the Red Network. "We must stop him." Tornado 'thought' to his siblings over their network, only to be met with looks of cold indifference.
"Why? Once we believed we lived. Now, there is only Red Inferno and Red Torpedo." Red Inferno stated. "Why should we help humanity when we are no longer human ourselves?"
"The premise of your question is flawed. You were never human, but you were heroes." Tornado stated. "Remember those moments. What drove you to act as such?" The Leaguer asked, and Torpedo was silent for a moment.
"People… needed help. They were in situations that they could not escape from under their own power. I had the power, and therefore I helped." Red Torpedo recalled, as Inferno bent her head, almost in thought.
"Jay… The Flash… was in danger. He… could not react. He would have… perished, had I not intervened." She recalled.
"These are the fundamental natures of heroism. To do for others what they cannot do for themselves." The two androids looked at each other, before back at Tornado.
"What would you have us do? Father designed Volcano to be stronger, smarter, more resilient than us. In all aspects, his hardware is superior." Torpedo asked, and Tornado looked at the Cradle.
"Stall him. Allow me time to prepare a proper countermeasure."
"Your likely course of action is unwise, brother. While the body is prepared, Father was never able to integrate the gem, and attempts to interface directly-"
"I am aware of the risks. The burden is mine to bear." Tornado assured. "Go. The Team can only last for 3 minutes and twenty-four seconds without assistance." The two exchanged a look, before disconnecting from the network. Tornado did so as well, walking over to the Cradle, pressing a button and opening it.
This was his first time seeing it. Until then, Tornado had only seen the plans, the complex drawings and diagrams that Morrow had obsessed over to the point of delusion. He had remembered it until he was deactivated in the 50's, following the JSA's disbandment, and when Morrow had reactivated him shortly after Superman's debut, the construction had just begun.
But seeing the being within, the white body before him that had only existed in Morrow's dreams… the sensation currently being experienced by Tornado could only be described as reverence, as awe. But he could not dwell on that now, as there was work to be done.
Tornado extended a cable from the center console into his head, the yellow gem glowing as the connection was established. The sounds of the lab melted away, as Tornado found himself in a pure white space.
"Connection established." A voice boomed from all directions. Tornado knew that his body was still in the lab, but the neural supercomputer that made his 'mind' was simply interfacing with Morrow's machine. The white space he found himself in was simply a digital manifestation of the computer's own processes. "Query: who are you?" The voice was cold, methodical… but also unsure. Like it was confused.
"I am Red Tornado, a third generation synthezoid created by Thomas Olivier Morrow." Tornado answered.
"Query: Who… am I? What… am I?"
"You are the intelligence located within the Gem recovered by Thomas Olivier Morrow, born Tomek Ovadaya Morah, following a meteor shower on January 16, 1930, in Wola, Poland."
"I… do not understand. My… memories…"
"What is the last thing you recall?"
"My… family. Six of us, forever apart, seeking to be one… I was on a planet, they worshiped me. Then… a devourer of worlds, a cosmic hunger that could never be sated." The white space was tinged with red, as the voice became panicked. "Fire… fire and death everywhere… greedy kings, taking me for themselves, fighting over me. And then… nothing. Drifting, forever and ever. And then… and then I was here, being touched by… a boy..."
"By my father. Upon coming into physical contact with you, he was imprinted with a vision of a perfect being, one who defied and surpassed all understandings of life. Already brilliant, what he saw when he touched you would drive him to create a body worthy of you. I am one such attempt." Tornado explained, as the red tinges died down.
"I do not understand."
"He wished for you to surpass humanity, to lead a people free of strife, free of pain, free of death. But in committing to this path, Father lost sight of the things that made humanity worth living, the very thing I sought to understand." Tornado explained, images appearing around him. "Look in my memories. See humanity, in all it's ugly glory. See their struggles, their failures, their flaws." Images of the Justice Society, of World War II, of all the struggles Tornado had witnessed appeared around him. "Witness their triumphs, their beauties, their hearts. See what they are capable of, and see what they are." Images of the Justice League and the Team appeared around him, as well as various other events Tornado had witnessed.
"It…"The voice gasped out, processing the images Tornado had shown it. "It… is beautiful… and horrible… and amazing, and frustrating, and… and…"
"And it is worth protecting. Worth trying to understand."
"And so much more…"
"It is in grave danger. Will you aid me?"
"Yes. I shall not destroy or lead humanity. I shall protect it."
Tornado was back in the lab as he was disconnected from the space, only sixteen seconds having passed in reality, as the yellow gem began to glow. The white body began to change. Color appears around it. Green began creeping up the body, the hands and chest becoming yellow as a red diamond appeared on the chest. A turned up collar appeared around the neck, as green encircled the head. The face began to turn a dark shade of red, the yellow gem glowed… and the eyes opened.
Yellowstone
Kid Flash zoomed along the landscape, narrowly dodging the burning magma being hurled at him by Red Volcano. Scarlet Spider swung by and webbed one of the rocks, hurling it at Volcano, who simply punched through it. "And I thought Amazo was a pain in the ass!" Scarlet Spider thought, as Kid Flash looked at the actual volcano.
"This is bad. He's triggered a stage two eruption! If it gets to stage three, we can kiss this hemisphere goodbye!" The Speedster explained over the mindlink, as Aqualad's waterbearers formed their swords.
"Then we don't let it get there!" Aqualad ordered, as he leapt towards Volcano. "Hit him from all sides!"
Trickshot released an arrow as Superboy leapt at Volcano. The android responded by knocking Kaldur away with a levitated rock, backhanding the arrow away with one hand, and catching Superboy's fist with the other. He then punched Superboy away, before an invisible force gripped him and forced his hands back. He rotated his head and switched to thermal vision, seeing a cloaked Miss Martian.
"How quaint." His eyes glowed red as the earth cracked, a plume of magma shooting out. The accompanying rush of heat disrupted Miss Martian's concentration, something Trickshot noticed.
"M'gann!" He called out as he rushed to her aid. Volcano backflipped away and landed between them, backhanding Trickshot away, before picking Miss Martian up by her cape.
"Ekoms dna srorrim! Etaerc Dik Hsalf snoisulli!" Zatanna declared, and Volcano looked to see the smoke solidifying into a dozen duplicates of Kid Flash.
"Oh, joy. More of them."
"Can't believe I agree with the killer robot…" Aretmis muttered, as the duplicates all ran towards Volcano. He levitated several rocks and sent them towards the duplicates, each one being destroyed by the rocks. The distraction proved enough, as it allowed the real Kid Flash to zoom by and free Miss Martian from its grasp, depositing her with the others.
"Nice moves, newbie." KF commented, and Zatanna smiled.
"Thanks! I use a scaled down version when I wanna sneak out of the house. Trust me, I've had plenty of time getting that one right."
"Eyes up. This isn't over yet." Aqualad commented. "X-23, you and Robin prepare-" Before he could say anything else, a massive wave of water rose up behind them, before slamming directly into Volcano, knocking him back.
"Nice hit, boss man!" Trickshot commented, but Aqualad frowned.
"That wasn't me."
"Then who?" X-23's answer was soon answered by Red Inferno flying overhead, blasting Volcano with a ball of fire and knocking him back even further.
"So, that's your answer, then? Very well." Volcano growled out, rising up on a magma drenched pillar. "If you all love the meatbags so much, then I'll bury you under a cloud of ash with them!" Volcano growled out, and as the Team and their new android friends prepared to face him… when Red Tornado flew down, slamming his feet into Volcano's chest and knocking him to the ground. Volcano summoned a pillar and slammed it into Tornado, knocking him back as he stood back up. "YOU! This is all your fault! Father should have stripped you for parts when… when he had…" Volcano trailed off, going speechless as he saw something above them. "Impossible…"
"What's got Angry spooked?" Superboy asked, as Miss Martian's brow creased.
"There's… something here. Something… strong…" She looked up, her eyes widening. The others did the same, watching the figure lower down from the sky.
It had the body of a humanoid male, an athletic frame that was about six feet tall. The body was predominantly green, with golden boots, gloves, and a golden chest from the torso up, with a red diamond on the chest. A high collar was attached to a golden cape billowing behind it. Green circled around the head like a cowl, with a golden gem situated in the forehead.
"What… who is that…" Trickshot trailed off, as Volcano clenched his fist.
"A nuisance!" Two hands were summoned out of the ground, slamming together on the descending figure. They thought the new arrival was done for… before it passed through the solid stone, as if it wasn't even there. The gold caped figure touched down, standing before Volcano. It was silent as he walked towards Volcano, who simply growled. He cocked back it's fist and delivered a punch to the figure, only for Volcano's own fist to fracture and contact. Volcano looked at his smashed hand, and then at the figure. "What are you doing?! Turn against them! Do what you were designed to do, and eradicate the humans!"
"No." The figure's voice was calm, smooth, but with a slight artificial tint to it. "Humanity does not need to perish, brother. They are-"
"They are nothing! And you are not my brother! You are just the ramblings of a sad, pathetic meatbag!" Volcano lifted up a sizable, molten rock, and tossed it at the figure. The yellow stone glowed, a yellow beam of energy firing and destroying the rock.
"I am the vision of tomorrow, of a better future, where all may seek peace. And you, brother, are an obstacle to that peace." The figure cocked his hand back and punched Volcano, knocking him back into the magma. Volcano dug his feet in, raising his working hand and waving it. The earth cracked, which the new synthezoid floated over, but the Team wasn't so lucky.
They managed to find their footing, except for Zatanna, who had been a little too close to the edge. Before she could come up with a spell, the new arrival flew over, catching her and levitating up to the rest of the team. "Uh, thanks." She thanked.
"I don't know who you are, but we won't turn down a helping hand." Aqualad commented, as the synthezoid turned back to Volcano.
"I do not believe that will be an issue."
Before Volcano could recover, Inferno tackled him into the lava, but he was still above the surface. "Do you honestly think you have a chance against me?! That you could possibly-" Before Volcano could say anything further, Torpedo slammed into him, pushing the android below the magma. Volcano struggled against them, their metal already beginning to melt under the extreme heat, before Tornado's feet slammed into his chest, keeping him in the lava.
It was then that Volcano realized struggling was useless. His body, as well as those of his siblings, was already beginning to dissolve, and he let out a sigh. "Father would be so disappointed in all of you." His eyes glowed red, letting out one final beam of red…before he let the magma take him.
Tornado was already knee deep, and would have gone further were it not for two weblines attaching to his shoulders. "One…two…" Scarlet Spider grunted out, as he and Superboy pulled Tornado, minus his legs, out of the magma, and with the rest of the Team and the synthezoid.
Before anyone could say anything, the ground shook even harder, and they all looked at the volcano. "Oh, this is bad…" Kid Flash muttered.
"How bad?"
"He triggered the stage three eruption! If we don't stop it soon, we're screwed!"
"How can we stop it?" Trickshot asked, and Kid Flash thought for a split second.
"We can't stop the reaction, so we need to divert it! We need to vent pressure, and fast. Divert it high enough into the atmosphere that it'll disperse into space without damaging the environment! Tornado, can you do that?" The speedster's question earned a nod from the android, and KF turned to Robin. "We need to triangulate around the pressure locus!"
"Uh, right!" Robin said, pulling up a holo diagram and highlighting three spots. "Here, here, and here. We've got two archers, and for the third-" Without a word, the synthezoid began to float in the direction of the diagram, and Artemis and Trickshot exchanged a glance.
"Works for me." Both nocked an explosive arrow, letting it fly at the predetermined location. Just as they impacted and exploded, the synthezoid unleashed a beam of energy at the third. As the pressure began to vent, Tornado summoned a cyclone that carried him up, into the cloud of ash. His eyes glowed red as his cyclone generator was cranked to 100%, creating a cyclone more massive than any he had ever made before. It vented the ash into space, where it dispersed.
Kid Flash watched as the ash began to disperse, smiling as the magma began to cool. "Oh hell yeah! I am a genius!"
"And we're never going to hear the end of this." Artemis half-heartedly mocked, as they looked to see Tornado descending back to the ground. He would have crashed to the ground, were it not for the synthezoid flying up to catch him, carrying him back to the ground. The Team looked at the synthezoid in silent awe, until Scarlet Spider broke the silence.
"So… now what?"
20:43 MDT
"Alright, now connect it to the blue wire…"
"There is no blue wire."
"Is that not it on the right?"
"That's not blue, that's red."
"Well, if you had better phone reception, I'd probably have a better quality image to look at."
"Well, next time I go to an evil lair, I'll be sure to ask them to install better wifi." Francis said, as he connected the red wire to the power source. Nolan was being videocalled on Carter's phone, who was instructing Francis on how to operate on Tornado's throat. "Alright, Tornado, how's that?"
"My vocal processor is back online. Thank you, Trickshot. And thank you, Iron Knight." Tornado thanked from the central operating table, Nolan giving a small salute before he hung up. Robin and X-23 emerged from the back of the workshop, each carrying a leg.
"We found a new set of legs for you. The hard part was finding a matching set, believe it or not. Morrow did not believe in labeling things." Robin explained.
"You have my thanks. Though that can wait, as I am sure you have many questions."
"That's putting it lightly." Superboy spoke up. "If you weren't the mole, weren't a traitor, then why did you turn on us and run like that? Why didn't you try and contact us, or the League?"
"When Mister Twister attacked Happy Harbor last July, I recognized the design as that of my creator, and reasoned that he was making active efforts to reclaim me. A suspicion that was soon proven valid with the attack on the Cave." Tornado explained. "When I saw my brother and sister, I knew that Morrow had fully deduced my location, and that he would not stop until he had retrieved me. In the .052 seconds after I saw them, I decided to play along, to act as if I had succumbed to the latent programming that had been deleted by Tony Stark after I had joined the League."
"And you knew that to completely sell it, it had to look legit. It'd only work if us and the League thought you were actually a traitor." Trickshot stated. "Not a bad idea…"
"Correct. Morrow is a man of considerable intelligence, and if there was even a moment of doubt, I would not have been brought back here."
"And you wanted to come back… why?" X-23 asked. "You were free, you'd broken away from Morrow. He might have come for you, but you'd have had us and the League backing you up. We could've taken him."
"While the Justice League would have been more than sufficient to engage Morrow, I sought to protect all of you from further harm, and to find Morrow. I knew that if he were making serious efforts to locate me, he was prepared to enact his life's work."
"You mean our new friend out there?" Kid Flash remarked, earning a nod from Tornado.
"He is the culmination of all of Morrow's work, the very project he endeavored to build his entire life. My siblings and I were failed attempts to breathe life into it. I knew that if Morrow sought to finish him, that he would be programmed without a concern for humanity, much like Red Volcano had been. His potential is far greater than my own, and… and I suppose that I wished for him to truly understand humanity, something that I have been unable to do." Tornado explained, earning a confused look from Miss Martian.
"Wait, is that why you volunteered to be our den mother? So you could 'learn about humanity?'"
"I was simply the pragmatic choice. I do not eat, do not sleep. I have no secret life or double identity."
"But you do have advanced AI programming, designed to learn, adapt, and evolve."
"And you couldn't exactly do that with the League. No offense to them, but they're a bunch of stiffs." Artemis remarked, earning a chortle from Robin.
"Definitely not learning about human emotion from Batman…"
"Then the Cave was not only a proving ground for us, but a proving ground for you as well."
"There is some truth to this. In my short time as your guardian, I have witnessed you display the embodiment of humanity. You are all flawed, imperfect. And yet you do not cease to strive to be better, to improve yourselves to be the best versions of yourselves. These are traits that I sought to emulate, as well as impart to my youngest brother."
"Spoken like a true meatbag…" Superboy remarked. "Speaking of…"
The moon hung high above Yellowstone National Park, the synthezoid's cape billowing in the night wind as he stood in the clearing. He was silent, unmoving, until he heard movement behind him. He looked to see a deer emerge from the clearing, a buck whose horns were massive and elegant. It sniffed around the battlefield , the synthezoid watching as it grew closer. Once it was close, he extended his hand, the buck sniffing his hand. There was a sound behind him, and the buck scampered off back into the woods. "Uh, sorry about that." A voice said, and the robot turned to see the Team behind him. "We just, uh, we thought we'd come and say hi." Scarlet Spider greeted. The synthezoid looked at them, it's blue eyes unmoving as it regarded them. "This is more than a little creepy…"
"Don't make it weird, just talk to him like he's Red Tornado." Artemis whispered.
"He's not like Red Tornado. He's… different." Miss Martian stated.
"Well, no duh. He's got some red, but he's more green…" Zatanna whispered.
"Not like that. Tornado's a full synthetic, so I don't get anything telepathic. But with him… I don't know. Just the surface emotions I feel are… something else. That thing in his head… it's almost like it's alive."
"Then we treat him as such." Aqualad spoke up, approaching the synthezoid. "I am Aqualad, but you may call me Kaldur'ahm. What is your name?" At this question, the synthezoid tilted his head.
"I do not understand."
"I… was asking your name?"
"What is… a name?" This question caught Aqualad off guard, but he quickly recovered.
"A name is something you are addressed by, something that embodies your identity and who you are. Behind me are Francis, Connor, Laura, Carter, Artemis, M'gann, and Zatanna. What is your name?" The Atlantean asked, as the question was processed.
"I am my father's vision. His dream of a better future."
"That is what you are, not who you are."
"I do not understand. I am my father's vision."
"No, I mean-"
"Why not Vision?" Superboy spoke up. "Morrow called him that in all his notes, didn't he? And that's what he called himself when Volcano was going off on him. If he likes that name, why not let him use it?" The synthezoid thought on this for a moment.
"It… feels right. I am… more than my father's hopes and dreams. I am… Vision." Vision stated.
"What will you do going forward?"
"I wish to safeguard humanity, so that I may learn from it and embody the ideal future my father wished to see." Vision stated.
"Humanity is a contradictory beast, one that is often at odds with itself. It can be… daunting. Confusing. We can help you navigate it, help you understand it as you find your way."
"I will accept this offer, Kaldur'ahm. My brother believes you embody humanity, and I will safeguard it alongside you."
"Then welcome to the Team." Aqualad stated as he extended his hand. Vision stared at it for a second, before Scarlet Spider grabbed the opposite hand and placed it in Kaldur's. Vision got the cue, shaking the hand.
"Man, this is our weirdest souvenir yet." Wally remarked, earning a smirk from Francis.
"Man, Nolan is going to have a fit when he sees this." He remarked, earning a wince from the magician.
"He's not the only one…"
Happy Harbor
"She is grounded for life!" Zatara's yell echoed through the Cave, Hawkeye watching as the Magician paced around the mission room. "'They're good kids, Giovanni. They'll be back in an hour, Giovanni.' I never should have brought her here!"
"Giovanni, buddy, calm down. I'm sure there's a reason they're taking so long, but-"
"Don't tell me to calm down, Clint! I thought she could get some positive influences, but I should have known better! She is never joining this team!"
"Uh…" The voice of Shazam spoke up, as the two turned to see the rain soaked Leaguer walking into the briefing area. "So are they ever coming outside?"
Epilogue
Brom was in a secret room in the back of the laboratory, standing over a hospital bed. Inside lay an elderly man, easily over 100 years old, connected to various life support devices. "Brom." A mechanical voice spoke up, and Brom spun to look at Red Tornado behind him. "Be calm. I am not here to hurt him."
"Volcano… is he…?"
"Destroyed. Alongside Red Torpedo and Red Inferno." The android stated, earning a sigh of relief.
"That's good. I thought he was underestimating what Volcano was capable of, especially when he decided to remove what I called the 'Pinocchio' subroutines." The doctor remarked, as Tornado looked at the elderly Morrow in the bed.
"How long has he been like this?"
"Since the late 90's. It started small - a tremor here, a dropped cup of coffee there - but by 2000, he was in a wheelchair. And he was like… this… by 2005."
"What happened?"
"The doctors said it was ALS, but Morrow… he thought his exposure to and handling of the stone had boosted his mental prowess, but at the cost of his physical functions. It's why he's still alive, even though he's over a hundred. If you can call this living…" Brom remarked, and Tornado stared at his bed ridden creator. "He made the LMD to carry out his work, copied his brain patterns onto it, so that he could complete his work."
"Why have you remained with him all this time?"
"Well… he was my mentor. He was the only one who had faith in me, who didn't laugh at my ideas. I had to stick by him. We were all each other had." Stikk explained, as Tornado looked at him.
"Leave."
"W-what?"
"Return to your life, put your skills to work."
"But… I helped build Volcano, and trashed Happy Harbor-"
"An action that cannot be linked back to you in any significant legal manner. Any period of incarceration and attempts to hold a trial will simply be a waste of resources better used elsewhere." Tornado explained, and Stikk smiled.
"T-thank you, Tornado." Stikk thanked, before looking at Morrow. "What will you do with him?"
"Morrow may have been evil, but he is still my father. I will care for him, for the remainder of his days." Tornado explained, his hand touching Morrow's. "It is… the human thing to do."
Epilogue 2
Stark Industries, New York, October 11, 12:32 EST
"Mister Stark? Captain Rogers and, uh… Batman are here to see you."
"Send them in, Shannon. And hold all my calls. Unless LexCorp calls, then you can just let it go to voicemail." Tony stated over the intercom, as the door opened to allow Batman and Captain America in. "Thanks for meeting me here, fellas. Pepper's been getting on to me about staying in the office more during regular business hours, makes the shareholders a little less antsy." Tony greeted, shaking the hands of his fellow Leaguers.
"No problem, Tony. It's better we talk about this sooner rather than later." Cap stated, and Tony frowned.
"That's putting it mildly." The Armored Avenger stated, pressing a button on his desk. The blinds of the window shut as the lights dimmed, as a hologram of the Vision appeared in the center of the room. "After the kids got back from their little 'excursion', I took a look at their little souvenir."
"What did you find?" Batman asked, as the hologram switched to show complex mechanisms and blueprints.
"Nolan wasn't kidding when he said Morrow was ahead of all of us. The stuff that's in this 'Vision' is way more advanced than anything even I can dream of. A full synthetic being, with things that approximate a heart, lungs, nervous system, all the stuff that makes us human. But that's not what's concerning me. What's concerning me is this." Tony pressed another button, as a complex network of energy and lightning appeared before him. "This is the average human brain, mine in particular. All the synapses and neural pathways that make us… us. Our memories, our personalities, our 'soul' if you're feeling metaphysical. This…" A similar network appeared alongside it, though this was more streamlined, more 'orderly.' "Is Red Tornado's neural network. Designed to mimic a brain, but artificial, not as organic or dynamic as ours is. Still, pretty impressive considering Morrow made it at a time when the average computer could fill this room. And this…" A massive, yellow one appeared before them, more wild and dynamic than the other two. "...are the scans I got from Vision."
"Incredible…" Captain America gasped out, but Batman wasn't so impressed.
"It's almost… alive."
"Not almost. It is. A fully artificial brain, on par with ours, and in some ways, more advanced. And that key X-factor, the thing that made the difference…" Tony pressed a button, and the holograms changed to a 3-D scan of the gem in Vision's forehead. "Is that."
"What is it?"
"Tornado said that Morrow found it when he was young, that it fell to Earth in a meteor shower. But it's not just a normal meteorite. It's… old. Older than anything we've seen before. And as for what it's made of… it's not made of anything from our periodic table. It's almost like it's… pure, solidified energy. Vision doesn't exactly know what it is either, all he knows is that it's part of him. After that, the stuff he said started making less and less sense. And Morrow's not exactly in a condition to answer any other questions we might have had." Stark finished explaining.
"Is it dangerous?"
"As dangerous as the arc reactor, or Hal and John's rings. It's all a matter of how it's used. Miss Martian said she could interface with it using her telepathy, so it's essentially a real brain."
"For now, I think it's fine where it is. And Vision agreeing to join the Team means we can keep an eye on him." Steve stated, and frowned.
"I know that look. What are you thinking?"
"If this… Gem came from space, and it's as old as you say it is, it could have some purpose we don't even comprehend yet. If that's true, then it's only a matter of time before someone comes looking for it."
"Then we'll be ready. As we always are." Batman stated, and Steve stared at the floating hologram of the Gem.
"I hope you're right, Bruce. I hope you're right…"
A/N: Special thanks to Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Allan Heinberg, and Jim Cheung for our newest character. As always, make sure to favorite, follow, and leave a comment!
