AN: Back to our regularly scheduled program. I took about a week off to play P5 Strikers, what great timing for an action heavy game like that to release when I was about to go into detail on how the PTs fight. Lucky huh? Anyway coming out of the game I have decided to take inspiration from such fights. No worries, I won't be giving out any spoilers for the story of the game, at least for now. When it/ if it comes to that I'll put P5 Strikers spoilers in the story summary.
Thanks to Tanuki for editing!
FEEDBACK:
Gamelover41592: I'm just getting started!
Vien Bloodline: Very well put friend
Faightan Gaims: oh yeah something fishy is sure to be happening in the future. Wouldn't want to give anything away though.
Kerrowe: I wonder if you will read this anytime soon since you clearly are pacing yourself with the reviews of chapters. But, yes Bat-mite is indeed playing it up. I understand how the Bruce bits would be someones least favorite parts, especially in the beginning chapters. But, we had to set him up the same as anyone else in the fic. I'm glad you enjoyed the Hatter's palace, especially with how I decided to handle the whole Alice issue. I was low key afraid to take such a leap from the status quo in terms of persona rules, but as time went on I realized that it was the best way to introduce such a change, and also properly end Hatter's palace.
Warning: ughghhghghgh
I don't own Batman/JLA, Persona, or Nekopara
Enjoy
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Power Annex
Before the alarms of the Watchtower went off, Firestorm was having an intense internal debate about how the Power Annex was threatening to become unstable. As a being that is made up of two merged people by psychic link of the Firestorm Matrix, internal debates were a common occurrence
"Doc, you're worrying too much! The power annex is fine, any chance of collapsing won't happen for several years. If that!" Ronald Raymond tried to comfort.
"That is not the issue Ronnie. A hypothetical overcharge could cause all of the tower's power to shut off. Only the Hydrogen generator would properly stop it, and that is the last ditch contingency to fall back on. We must find a way to properly fix these issues." Professor Stein chided the young boy.
"It'll be fine! That would require a charge of great power or an overheating of the fusion cell! And both won't happen if we have anything to say about it!" Raymond assured.
"Be advised, a Priority A lockdown is in full effect. All League members on board are to find any and all signs of break in and escort crew and visitors to the proper quarters." A computer voice called.
Firestorm's ablaze eyes widened at that. He quickly turned around to find the whole chamber devoid of life.
"The hell?" Firestorm was shocked, he didn't hear a thing! He was so wrapped up in his internal debate that…
"WE HAVE TO FIND THEM!" Raymond cried out.
"Yes, yes of course!" The professor agreed.
Firestorm did a full search for any crew he could find, before he could get too far though…
A fireball hit the wall barely missing his face.
"Hey! Over here!"
Firestorm turned around to find…
"Woah…" Raymond drooled over the girl his age dressed so...like that. The high schooler was entranced.
"FOCUS RAYMOND!" Stein chided.
Firestorm shook his head and focused.
"Who the hell are you? Where are the scientists and guards?!" Firestorm demanded.
"They're fine. But I can't let you leave this area!" Panther declared.
"Ma'am whoever you are, you just earned yourself a room in meta containment!" Firestorm remarked.
"Yeah right! Try and touch me!" Panther hissed, her entire body engulfed in flames and charged the hero.
Firestorm immediately dodged the girl. Stein advised getting intel before subduing her, Raymond being the mouthpiece of the fused hero tried to think of what to say.
Meanwhile, Panther unleashed a hell storm of fire around the immediate area. Firestorm flew gracefully around each and every attack.
"So...What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Firestorm tried.
"Really? Figures I'd be ordered to take down a creep. What are you, thirty?!" Panther roared as her fire burned even brighter.
"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Raymond bashed himself for that lame line. Stein was quick to chide him as well, urging him to get to the point.
"Orders? Who are you with? Actually, you never said your name, miss…" Firestorm tried to lead her on.
"You didn't even read our file did you?! Too busy locking up Wonder Woman and hitting on minors huh?!" Panther hissed.
Firestorm manipulated atoms into ice and was quick to put out the fires starting to take over the room. This was going very bad, why did he suck so bad at talking to girls?
"HEY! CAREFUL! The fusion cell can't take a fire like this!" Firestorm yelled.
"You just stood in here while a founder was arrested on bullshit charges!" Panther roared, listening to him but not letting up on her assault.
"Look ma'am, I don't know the hell you're talking about! Wonder Woman quit, that's on her! Don't know what about, but the League made their decision. Can't make a judgment call on something I know fuck all about! Now, talk!" Firestorm demanded, finally returning fire with a heavy ice blast.
It did nothing to stop Panther as she rushed to turn to smoke and used the blast as a means to disappear. Firestorm looked around after his blast subsided, the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Behind him, Panther appeared with a heavy slash of her whip that was set ablaze from her fury. Firestorm slammed down to the floor from the attack.
"Uggh!" Firestorm grunted, this talk was getting nowhere.
"Not knowing what's happening is even worse! Diana let herself be arrested to send a message! And you didn't even bat an eye?!" Panther spat.
Firestorm blasted her with a heavy nuclear attack that sent her across the room. He huffed as he regained flight.
"Forgive me ma'am, I was kinda busy with, ya know, keeping this place afloat! Something you clearly don't care about. I don't know what the hell you're going on about, but you sure aren't making a good first impression!" Firestorm hissed.
The two entered a headed battle, Panther being quite able to distract the fused hero with her new smoke powers.
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Galley
Green Lantern was shaken from his deep thoughts from the comms. The people on his mind were on board.
"These idiots aren't going to make it easy are they." John shook his head. He finally noticed the lack of people around him, the guards and crew all missing.
"Shit, that's embarrassing. Better make sure Shay never hears about this. She'll clock me in the head for being this unobservant." John cringed.
"Alright, shows over. Show yourself." John ordered.
Clattering was heard in the kitchen, John narrowed his eyes and walked towards the doors. He lit up his lantern ring in preparation.
"Whoever is in there, come out with your hands up." John ordered, his eyes glowing even more of a green hue.
A blast of ice blew the door open, Lantern immediately used his ring to throw it to the side. He heard the sound of a motorcycle revving and saw two teens on a bike charging towards him.
"Take him!" Queen ordered.
Fox immediately leapt off the bike and dashed to Lantern with his katana drawn. He strikes with the most force he could muster.
Green Lantern immediately blocked it by summoning a shield. He quickly slammed it against Fox's body, then sweeping Fox's legs out from under him.
Fox managed to roll away before crushed by a giant green anvil. Queen quickly turned Agnes a full one eighty and blasted a heavy nuclear attack.
Once again, Lantern blocked the attack. He summoned multiple guns and fired hundreds of energy blasts toward the two.
"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" Queen commanded.
Both of them flipped under tables and took cover behind them. Green Lantern quickly took both tables and threw them away.
"No more hiding kids. Surrender now and maybe I can manage to salvage all this crap you just pulled." Lantern growled.
"Surrender is off the table. You all should know why by now!" Queen roared.
"*Sigh* I know. I just figured I'd try. Come on then." Green Lantern took a battle stance.
Fox blasted a heavy blizzard of ice to attack. Once again, Lantern managed to shield himself and returned force by forming a massive fist a slamming it into Fox's face. Fox smashed against a wall and worked his way back up.
"Checkmate!" Queen yelled.
Green Lantern's movement slowed to a crawl. He never experienced a spell quite like this. But he could work around it.
Despite Queen's dodging he managed to grab her with his power and slammed her up and down on the ceiling and floor. While he did this, Fox tried to distract with his gun.
Green Lantern merely threw Queen at Fox to take them both out. They were still conscious, but hurt very badly.
"How is this possible? Seconds ago you were merely sitting around with your head in the clouds!" Fox yelled.
Green Lantern floated down to the floor. His green eyes and suit glowing brightly with his power.
"That's the thing kid. As a Lantern, you're more powerful for it." Green Lantern said.
Green Lantern created a massive wall of bricks and was about to slam it on them.
A yellow blur sped in before John could react. Green Lantern was punched what seemed to be a thousand times in a matter of seconds. Kid Flash showed himself to the Lantern.
"Been a while Wally. Still set on quitting the Titans?" John greeted.
"You're damn right! All those years I've run with my uncle. Then just like that, he agreed to have Batman beat the shit out of me. Fuck him!" Kid Flash hissed.
"It didn't go down like that. What happened was-"
"SAVE IT! You won't change my mind on this!" Kid Flash roared.
"Your uncle was worried about you, it wasn't the best call I know that but-"
"Shut the FUCK UP and free Wonder Woman. Then maybe we'll talk" Kid Flash demanded.
"You and I both know that can't happen." John growled.
With that, Kid Flash whistles and suddenly someone put Green Lantern in a choke hold. The man struggled as Uriel revealed himself.
"Hush child, do not fight it." Uriel tried to comfort.
Green Lantern's entire body emitted a pulse that blasted away his captor and Kid Flash.
"So the boys upstairs really did side with em' huh? Can't imagine how the Doctor took that." Green Lantern said as he summoned a sword to fight off Uriel's advances.
"While I can understand Nabu's reasonings about this group, my loyalty to my Messiah comes first. His judgement is law himself." Uriel explained.
"Yet it took until now for him to realize things are messed up. It wasn't the multiple wars over the last thousand years in his name?" John criticized.
"Watch your mouth boy, it wasn't my lord who went against law and ate the fruit of knowledge all those years ago. Your lot chose free will, yet don't want the consequences that come with it." Uriel retorted.
While the two were in heated debate and battle, Wally rushed to Fox and Queen. The two struggled to get up, but with one of Queen's healing spells, they were back on their feet.
A green blast was shot between the two of them. Green Lantern managed the warning shot as he and Uriel traded blows.
"Don't you dare think of moving kids. You all still have a lot to answer for." Green Lantern ordered.
Fox, Queen, and Kid Flashed rushed to Uriel to try and out man Lantern.
"We are quite done answering to you." Kid Flash gritted out.
The four all charged at the man. Lantern was quick to form a shield around himself to block any attack. The group lashed a brutal assault on the shield. Lantern tried to hold it up but the brutal strength of the group broke it. Queen landed a punch that sent Lantern back a few feet. Before he could right himself Kid Flash laid out a massive combo on the man. The hundreds of kicks and flips only stopped when John blew him away with a massive green pulse.
As Kid Flash tumbled away from the big blast, the rest of the group ganged up on John. Uriel and Fox tried to slash at his body, but John summoned a sword and shield and expertly blocked and countered the blows from the two. Uriel stood his ground but John landed a massive blow on Fox that sent him reeling back.
As John was distracted by that however, Queen rushed back and slammed Agnes down on him. The blow managed to hit him right in the chest that was previously injured.
"AHHH!" John screamed. He grunted as he was critically downed.
"LET'S FINISH THIS!" Queen roared.
Kid Flash and Fox quickly regained their footing to perform an all out attack on Green Lantern. The damage was great but definitely not enough to take him down.
Green Lantern grunted in pain before the group could continue the assault he created a train and ran them down with full force. The green object slammed the group back with the full speed of a locomotive.
Fox took the hit hard. The blast took almost all of his health. He quickly rolled away from the battle and Queen did as well to heal him and the others. Fox then performed a Hyakka Ryouran effectively doubling the powers of each of his allies respectively.
Uriel managed to land a mighty swipe at Lantern's ring wielding arm. The man cried out in pain as he quickly smashed a summoned car into the angel. The blow did nothing but distract Uriel as the others attacked. Kid Flash used his somehow even more enhanced speed to create a tornado of extreme wind to distract Lantern, all the while delivering hundreds of punches to the man. Wally finished the combo only for Fox to follow up with a mighty artistic blade. The blow caused John to have massive cuts all over his body.
Queen then slid in to deliver a multitude of heavy kicks and punches filled with her nuclear power. This was only stopped by Uriel delivering a final massive punch to John's face.
John was downed again, coughing up blood and clenching his arm. He took a knee as he heaved in pain.
"Stand down Lantern. I'll heal a bit of your wounds if you just stand down." Queen tried.
John spat some blood out in response. He glared at the group and simply stated.
"That's all you got?"
"Just stop man, you ain't winning this." Wally grunted, trying not to cringe at what he did to a close family friend.
"Can't do that Wally. You should know that." John answered.
"Such foolishness. I will just render you unconscious and end this bout." Uriel was met with a wrecking ball to the face in response.
Green Lantern clenched his ring wielding wrist tight as he other arm held it. John couldn't just let this group wreck this place. As the others were quick to try and finish him off, he upped the brutality of his attacks.
Kid Flash tried to finish him off, but John again created a massive pulse of power to push him back at an intense force.
John was losing, every part of his body hurt. He was intensely outmatched with reinforcements not arriving any time soon. His entire body screamed for him to give up and lie down in defeat.
But his will refused it, he couldn't fall…
He couldn't lose. He needed to focus up and take these guys down. His ring glowed brightly as he recited the battle mantra.
"In brightest day…" John constructed a metal gauntlet to punch down Fox as he charged back at the man. The boy was quick to recover and tried to team up with Queen to take him down at the same time.
"In blackest night" Green Lantern summoned multiple guns and blasted them. The two had no choice but to retreat, but Uriel and Kid Flash were quick to take their place with the two either dodging or deflecting the bullets.
"No evil shall escape my sight." John summoned jagged rocks upward to throw Kid flash upwards in the ceiling and slam him down with a huge anvil. Uriel tried to keep John on his toes with his blade, but the Lantern summoned a mighty sword and clashed with the angel. Sparks flew as they battled to gain traction.
"Let those who worship evil's might" John summoned an armored boot with a fine and sharp point in the knee to his right leg. He then used it to stab Uriel right in the gut..
As the angel was distracted from the pain John slashed at Uriel. The angel now bled a deep red across his torso. Uriel hissed in pain and immediately casted a severe almighty blast.
The blast sent Green Lantern crashing through multiple walls. The man righted himself and slammed his fist on the ground.
"TAKE HIM DOWN FAST!" Queen yelled as the four all rushed to take him down.
John quickly blasted down Kid Flash before he could land the first hit. He picked Wally up and threw him into the other two kids. Uriel blasted another almighty attack, but John was quick to dodge to the side and reel back his fist. His ring and eyes both glow dangerously bright.
"BEWARE MY POWER!"
John charged up an energy blast that could match Uriel's almighty power. The whole room glowed green as he slammed the mass of energy on the angel.
"GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!"
BOOM!
A green shockwave burst through the halls of the Watchtower galley. Tables and plates blew back at the force, those closer to the blast completely vaporized. The three kids were blasted back by the mighty force, needing intense healing spells to even stand.
They saw Green Lantern stand over the beaten body of Uriel. The blast hit him point blank, leaving the angel covered in blood, but the pained rise and fall of his chest showed he was alive.
"*pants* Now...how about that surrender?" Green Lantern asked as he delivered a mighty blow to Uriel's face to make sure the angel stayed down.
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Med Bay
Captain Atom stomped through the empty halls of the Med Bay. He narrowed his eyes at the silence of the area. As he passed by the locker he looked at earlier, he ripped the door off its hinges. It was empty, of course it was….
Atom growled as he found the ID of the doctor he was speaking to just thirty minutes ago. He slowly, and menacingly stepped through the Ba. He checked every inch of the place for any evidence of infiltration.
Room by room, he noted how thoroughly they managed to wipe everyone out. One hundred workers gone to god knows where. Which begs the question, why haven't they called for a ransom yet?
Captain Atom didn't read the file quite yet, his check up earlier today was what really was on his mind. He knew he would never be assigned to take the group out, so why waste time?
A slam was heard and three pacifiers on full power were fired at him. The pain was immense as Captain Atom was taken off guard by three women.
"Go down ya bastard!" White Rabbit yelled.
"Please don't resist." Violet begged.
Captain Atom took a knee as the pain got to him, he growled at the people who dared attack him.
"DON'T LET UP!" Terra cried.
The plasma of the bullets hurt just like the experiment he went through so long ago. The test that made him the nuke wanting to happen. He wouldn't let it defy him, he wouldn't let himself fall and fail the people of the world.
The bullets went on and on. The three women never letting up/
"Jesus! Joker, I swear to god this was the stupidest part of the plan! How are we meant to distract this dude?!" White hissed.
"Just try and keep him busy. I'll send someone up for support." Joker replied.
White cursed, the more they shot him the more Atom began to glow. His growling being deafened by the sound of him gaining power from the plasma weaponry. He slowly stood and stomped towards the women. They backed away in fear as the energy made the lights flicker and overcharge.
He rushed towards White and Terra grabbing them both in the throats, and kicking Violet over and stomping his foot on her head.
"Where are they?" He hissed.
"H-hey look man, this is all one big misunderstanding." White tried.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Captain Atom boomed.
Violet muffled and Captain Atom moved his foot so the girl could talk. His foot now on her chest primed to crush the answers out.
"Talk." Captain Atom demanded.
"I-In a warehouse sir. I-I promise they are quite unharmed." Violet promised.
"Violet! Shut the fuck up!" White hissed. Atom smashed White Rabbit's lights out in response, throwing her unconscious body away as he took a knee to get close to Violet's face.
"Coordinates." Atom bellowed.
"Uh-um...I really shouldn't. I promise to you they are safe and sound on Earth." Violet tried.
"Not good enough, tell me NOW!" Atom powered up a nuclear charge in his free hand in clear threat. He didn't want to hurt the kid, but it was clear intimidation was getting him somewhere.
Before he could get there though….
BOOM!
The floor beneath them exploded open. The blast laxing Atom's grip enough for Terra to get away and Violet to run to White to try and heal her. Before Atom could prevent this he was choked out by a monster.
"Mighty warrior of man. Entertain the mighty Etrigan~!" Etrigan purred wickedly as he raised Captain Atom off his feet with one hand.
Captain Atom obliged with a mighty nuclear attack, the blow merely turning the demon's head to the side. The being started chuckling amused.
"That actually tickled, hero." Etrigan let out a mighty pillar of hellfire from his mouth.
Atom slammed the beast through a wall and started walking towards the women again. That was met with a tackle from the demon who pummeled Atom mercilessly.
"DO NOT INSULT ME BY IGNORING ME HERO!" Etrigan roared as he slammed Captain through multiple walls, away from the three women.
Violet healed White and got her up, she was met with a slap to the face.
"Ah! W-why?" Violet cried.
"You fucking idiot! Why don't you hand us all to the League! You're a worse threat for capture than Terra!" White hissed.
"HEY!" Terra yelled back.
"Shut up! I know about your little deal with Slade. Seriously the fucking cat is a better spy than you!" White insulted.
"I'm not a spy OKAY?! At least not anymore." Terra moved her eyes to the side.
"Oh yeah~. I really believe ya T. Jesus, both of you need to take a class in basic acting!" White spat as she stormed off.
Violet sulked as White stormed off. She just didn't see the need in lying when she didn't have to. She absolutely detested lying. Especially with how much she lied to herself in recent years.
"It really does feel like a lifetime ago. How has five months felt like years?" She asked herself.
"Hey uh, don't let her get to you. She's just being a bitch." Terra was tired.
"It is just her way of expressing herself. I'm sure she has her reasons. But...who is this Slade she mentioned?" Violet asked innocently.
Terra paled a bit at that.
"Uh...just some guy I made a deal with. A deal frankly I don't want to go through with." Terra vaguely said.
"I understand. I went through something like that once." Violet said, remembering the late Dr. Maruki.
"I...I really doubt that." Terra said bluntly.
Violet shrugged it off and allowed Terra to follow behind her to catch up to White to calm her down. They might have distracted Captain Atom, but there are surely others who must be led astray from Hangar C.
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Field Deck
Beast Boy and Selina managed to make their way to the main terminal room. Selina narrowed her eyes at Cyborg who stood at attention typing away on it trying to provide intel on how much damage was being done on the tower.
Beast Boy sighed as he watched his friend stress out and try to fix the place. He had to at least try and talk to him before it all goes to shit.
"I'm going to talk to him." Beast Boy said simply.
"Are you nuts?! Don't give away our position!" Selina hissed.
"I...I have to try and convince him. I just have to." Beast Boy didn't listen.
Selina face palmed and tried to get into a new position before Beast Boy could compromise her. She figured she could work with this. As the boys worked through their feelings, she would keep her eyes on the prize.
As Beast Boy walked up to his best friend, he tried to figure out what exactly he would say. He wasn't the best when it came to rallying speeches of morality or what was true justice. That was Dick, Donna, and Tim's job. He sighed, he supposed he would have to wing it.
Cyborg typed furiously on the main terminal computer. All communications were down in multiple areas, no one was answering their comms other than the guys in repair, Hr, and the meta containment area.
"Cy." Beast Boy called.
Cyborg stopped suddenly at the familiar voice. He turned to see his best friend.
"You're...you're with them aren't you?" Cyborg asked simply.
"I mean...can ya blame me after all that went down in the past few hours? The League ain't doing right with Diana Cy. You have to at least admit that." Beast Boy tried.
Cyborg clenched his fists.
"I can admit that yeah. Can ya'll admit that all this is the stupidest shit you've ever done?! How am I supposed to ease the League into letting you back in with all this?!" Cyborg yelled.
"Let back in?! We were never a part of 'em'! And I don't want to be if this is how they treat the people who help them! I know you worked hard to get where you are Cy, but let's face facts, the League ain't letting us just walk away with a slap to the wrist!" Beast Boy huffed.
"No kidding. And y'all just made it a thousand times worse with all this. WHAT WERE YOU ALL THINKING?!" Cyborg fumed.
"I was thinking what they did wasn't right. I know you think the same." Beast Boy said.
"SO YA SIDE WITH THE NEW DEMONIC OVERLORDS! HOW THE FUCK IS THAT BETTER?!" Cyborg screamed.
"Hey, hey! Don't overgeneralize like that. We all discussed the pros and cons working with the Phantom Thieves would bring. I think it's well worth the risks of trying it out their way. I mean how many times has H.I.V.E alone fought just for them to be jailed, but freed to do it again!? You don't think it could be worth a shot?" Beast Boy asked.
"I don't fucking know! All I care about is that the League treated you guys like shit! I admit that much! But...dammit Gar, when are gonna fucking grow up and realize that you can't trust shady shit like this!" Cyborg chided.
"Hey man, at least I made up my mind! What are you doing standing here when you could help us finally bring the world to peace! My whole life I've seen good people get wrecked by the wicked. All my life was spent being taught to do what's right for people, despite the fact no one besides you guys and my parents ever treating me like a person! I ain't complaining, comes with the powers, comes with the gig. But now we have an option staring us in the face to finally put an end to all of this! Why can't you see that?!" Beast Boy challenged.
"I see it plain as day Gar. They're using you all. It's literally in the name, Beast Boy! 'The Trickster', 'Joker'?! Are ya fucking blind?! He wears his intentions on his sleeve and y'all still fell for his little pity party! Just like with Terra!" Cyborg growled.
"Oi! Don't talk about her like that! Why am I the only one who thinks she won't betray us?! You guys all borderline bully her for no reason!" Beast Boy defended.
"No reason!? HAH! You're really deluded if ya think that! The night we lost her in those caves, she should have died there, man! The only way out would be Slade saving her and you know what that means!" Cyborg grounded out.
"Shut up! It ain't true! She wouldn't do such a thing!" Beast Boy growled.
"Would ya stop trying to get in her pants and think with that thick skull of yours?! WHY WOULD SHE COME BACK TO THE GROUP WHO ABANDONED HER?! In her eyes that's what we did back then! You could see it in her eyes and actions. Other than maybe you she wouldn't even touch us with a ten foot pole. She showed all the signs of distrust and anger towards us. You just couldn't see it cause you were too busy using her as a rebound for Raven!" Cyborg spat.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Beast Boy screamed.
Both were silent for a few minutes, the stress of the past hours got to them and they both lashed out at each other.
"I'm tired of being called stupid by giving people basic fucking decency. Both her and Raven need someone who has the fucking balls to sit down and listen to their problems! I like both of them, Cy. I don't need to stick my dick in them to care! I thought you got that! It ain't about petty bullshit like that! You saw the recording, WE ALL DID! But you were too hung up over the possibility our group would break up to care about that. I know pain Cy, I know begging for help when I see it. The Phantom Thieves need saving. And you are too much of a coward to admit that!" Beast Boy spat.
"Oh, I'll save em' alright. Save them and the rest of the world while I'm at it. They ain't getting away with breaking us up like this, and the League ain't either. I'll make sure of that. I make sure justice is met." Cyborg growled.
"What are even talking about Cy? You aren't thinking clearly." Beast Boy asked.
"The only way to truly find justice is to fix both parties. Diana gave me such an opportunity when she made me a founder. I'll make sure all of this is fixed, my way. Cause I sure as hell don't trust Batman or the Phantom Thieves to do so." Cyborg declared.
"So...you aren't comin' with me, with us?" Beast Boy asked solemnly.
"Stand down Beast Boy. The only way to fix this mess is the League taking over. Batman is right at least in that regard." Cyborg ordered.
Beast Boy sighed.
"I can't do that. Not when I know the League won't do right by me, my friends, or you for that matter." Beast Boy glared.
"Then...put them up." Cyborg raised his fists.
"Cy...please. Listen to me." Beast Boy begged.
"I'll give you a fair shot. For what it's worth, our days as Titans were the best of my life." Cyborg said, melancholy.
"THEY DON'T HAVE TO END THOUGH! NOT IF YOU FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" Beast Boy roared.
"I'm...sorry. I just can't. I hate what Batman did, but...I can't just let the Phantom Thieves destroy everything I believe in. I can't let some newcomers I barely know just...take over the world." Cyborg tried to hold back what tears he could. He was basically about to arrest his friend, his best friend for the rest of his life.
He wouldn't let it come to that though. He'll find a way to make it all right, once the Phantom Thieves are incapacitated for good.
"Victor...Then, I guess I'm sorry to...cause I just can't see it that way." Beast Boy wiped his eyes, he now made an enemy of his best friend...no his older brother.
As the two reluctantly charged one another, all the memories as Titans flashed through their mind. The ups, downs, but most of all the bond they shared with each other.
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Armory
Werner shouted at her crew to get armored up and ready for the battle that was sure to come. The woman in all her years of service, has never experienced a lockdown of this magnitude. As men and women suited up for the war to come, she did as well. One hundred guards strong, the crew all prepared for protocol: Lock and load.
Even the standard crew members go stocked up on weaponry and armor. The armory fully opened but the way out slowly closing for protection, they needed to protect their main restocking point.
"I want all points of entry blocked off and protected! First we take the med bay back and slowly work our way up and down the tower! Find any civvies you can and bring them here! The security itself has been compromised! Do NOT trust guards outside of your own group! Analyze and interrogate should they not know the code word of the day! For those unaware it is Orleans! Did you all catch that?!" Werner practically roared her orders.
Phillpus and her sisters slowly made their way to prime positions to attack as the woman ordered her soldiers. This commander was wise, cautious, and very tactical with the tower she was tasked to protect. All of the contingencies Nightwing predicted Batman would implement has come forth to pass.
It was a shame, Philippus figured. She did not want to bring down this woman that earned the respect of the tower around her. But she will do what she must.. Phantom Stars all gave the all clear for the start of the assault. Just when Phillipus was about to give the word, Werner snapped her eyes at her.
"AND YOU! NAME, RANK NOW!" She demanded, shoving a incapacitator in Phillppus's face. The general kept a cool head.
Until….
"Dearest Commander, I do apologize for such betrayal." A guard said.
"What?!" Werner asked, shocked.
Philppus slammed her gun into the commander's face with enough force to knock her out instantly.
Suddenly, a rain of fire ripped across the entire HR department. The Phantom Stars taking out dozens of guards at once before a single shot was returned.
"COMMANDER DOWN! GIVE EM HELL!" A002 yelled.
"Who do we shoot?! They're faces are all covered, and they know the codeword!" C235 panicked, he didn't expect all this to go down! He was just here to get told off for not liking pizza!
"ANY AND ALL WOMEN TROOPS DROP YOUR GUNS NOW!" A002 yelled.
But it was no use, Phillipus and her sisters made short work of the mortals. Their brutal assault on the crew left the armory in shambles. They were no match for the Amazon's might.
Soon all that was left was a handful of guards, A002's forces were quickly taken out.
"DAMMIT YOU MAGGOTS, FIRE! FIRE AGGGGGGHH!" A002 was brutally slammed to the floor by Philippus, the force making a crater under the poor man.
The only one left was poor C235, who was trying to put on a brave face as he aimed his weapon at the women that surrounded him on all sides.
Phillippus simply put a stronghold on the man's wrist and it was released. He would do nicely as one of Joker's witnesses in the warehouse.
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Repair Bay
Hawkgirl and Steel stood at the ready for what was sure to be a war. Steel activated all the available robots he could get up and running. The drones would be of no help here…
BOOM! BOOOM!
"Ya ready Shay?" Steel asked.
"These kids better be ready for a mace to the face." Hawkgirl growled.
"Easy. Don't go killing kids by accident on me." Steel lightly chided.
Hawkgirl huffed at that, losing her ironclad grip on her weapon just a tad at the notion.
BOOOM!
The lockdown doors ripped apart, blasting away to show the powerhouses. Croc roared and Rapheal drew out his sword.
Steel was unimpressed.
"Fire." He commanded.
The whole room was cast alight by the sheer amount of blasts the bots were dealing out. Not to be outdone, Hawkgirl flew at superspeeds to charge what she calculated would be the biggest threat.
"AAAAAAAH!" Hawkgirl slammed her mace in the face of Killer Croc. Waylon was quick to throw the woman into the ground with his arm in return. She wasn't even phased as she grabbed his flipping arm and used it to slam him into a bot. She quickly followed with a fierce mace attack.
Rapheal was quick to rush to Walyon's aid as Wonder Girl and Skull focused their lightning strikes taking as many bots as possible down with overcharging their circuits.
"Cassandra I know it's pointless but think about this for a second!" Steel tried as he tried to fly to her and talk her down.
"There is nothing to think about John, Diana is my hero. The reason I joined the Titans in the first place. And you all threw her away LIKE TRASH!" Wonder Girl roared.
Steel sighed. He understood he really did, but this wasn't the way to go. Destroying the Watchtower, trying to free Diana...it would only go south. There was no way they would win this, even without most League members on board. Wait…
"You're not here to destroy the place are you...this whole thing...it's only for Diana isn't it?" Steel asked.
The lack of an answer was proof enough. They were playing them in the most inopportune time for response. This whole thing was all for show, Diana was the true target.
"Batman I-"
SLAM!
Steel was interrupted by Skull slamming his hammer against the metal hero. The force sent electricity crashing threw his body, and him flying head first into a bot. The result was a chain explosion that took out multiple bots.
"No ruinin' the surprise." Skull gritted out. He figured the force from that should take him out. He heard Steel wasn't even a real part of the Super family. Skull assumed this was a done deal.
Then in the fires of the explosions, Steel walked. His cape flowing as it started to catch fire, his metallic skin shining in the flames, the symbol of Superman still proudly displayed on his chest.
"*Chuckles* still a little hurt about what happened with Superboy, little man? You'll have no luck taking that hate out on me." Steel chuckled as he brushed some dust off his suit.
"Dammit! Handle the bots I'll take him on!" Skull ordered.
Wonder Girl was reluctant but obliged, leaving Skull to face a League member alone.
Skull pointed his hammer in challenge at the Leaguer, trying to goad the man.
"You got quite a hammer kid. But mine is better." Steel held out his hand and ordered simply.
"Come."
A large metal hammer suddenly flew from a long distance. The object gathering kinetic forces as Steel turned on his jet boots and charged towards Skull. The kid was standing his ground.
"Just as stupid as I thought." Steel smirked.
The swing was a brutal upward hit into Skull's jaw. The kinetic force stored into the hammer made the blow even worse. Skull flew upward through the ceiling of the massive room. The boy crashing through the dirt of the hydrophobic forest. The Phantom Thief slammed through multiple trees before landing.
"Full assault, bring in alive at all costs." Steel ordered the bots before lifting off to finish off the boy. As he flew into the large biome, he made sure to call Batman and alert him.
"Steel reporting in, the Repair Deck is under full attack. I've learned this is all a smokescreen to get to Wonder Woman. If you want them so bad Bats, do not leave Diana unattended.
Steel could have sworn Batman growled over the comm before offering a blunt thank you.
Steel landed over the recovering boy, he slammed the handle of his hammer into Skull's back.
"I'm just gonna skip past telling you to stop, sound fair?" Steel asked.
"UGHH! This ain't nothing!" Skull growled out as he spat out blood.
"You guys ain't gonna win this. I'll do my best to save whoever your captor is holding hostage, but it ain't looking good due to your shit planning." Steel grounded out.
"Oh yeah, and just letting ourselves be hunted down is just sooo much better. Give me a break!" Skull's entire body crackled and he punched Steel right into the chest in hopes of overcharging him.
The blow only made the hero step back a few feet.
"I'm trying my best to keep cool, kid. But y'all need to start facing reality. You fucked over those you cared about by entering a fight you have no hopes of winning. Time for the grown ups to pick up the pieces." Steel chided.
Skull roared as he charged up his powers. He swung at Steel with all his might.
Steel caught the hammer before it could even hit him. The shockwave of the blow made his cape and the trees around him blow violently. Steel kneed Skull in the gut and dropped him.
"I ain't even Kryptionain, and I'm laying you to waste. This is a pointless battle and you know it." Steel tried.
"I...DON'T CARE!" Skull spat. He tried to hit the man of steel with no effect, his electricity attacks and physical strength being no match for Steel.
Steel simply threw Skull through multiple trees. He didn't let up from his unending assault on the boy. Skull's endurance needed to be taken care of quickly. He charged up his hammer with the amount he calculated would take the boy out.
"You really earn your name. You know that?" Steel quipped as he slammed the hammer down with a mere fraction of his power. The hit left a massive crater that uprooted all of the trees in the surrounding area.
The kid was finally out, Steel tried not to worry about him and the blood flowing out from his temple. The metallic man sighed as he kneeled down to take the kid's pulse. Steel would hate himself if he allowed a kid to die by his hand.
"There's no winning for them in this. But I sure as hell don't see us coming out clean either." Steel rationalized.
With things how they are, the public will completely revolt. Demanding answers of how a bunch of kids managed to infiltrate the Watchtower so easily. Why Diana quit for them, and if they should join her on that front.
Steel knew this, knew both sides were pretty much in a war of ideals already. No matter how much shit the Phantom Thieves talk, they are not getting out this. The League were gods amongst men, he already knew this whole thing was a show. In their desperation the Phantom Thieves hit them the only way they had left. The only real weakness they could strike.
The League's reluctance to change.
While the Man of Steel thought all of this, Skull started to glow a bright yellow. His whole body seemed to shine in a bright aura of light. Before Steel could properly identify what this was…
BAM!
Skull threw a jab right in Steel's face. The force more than anything the kid demonstrated before. Steel flew back a couple of feet before righting himself with his jet boots.
He rubbed jaw in pain.
"How the hell?" Steel questioned.
In front of his very eyes, Steel watched as Skull stumbled to his feet. Electricity crackled all around him, making the destroyed forest around him catch fire. The blood and bruises all across Skull's body suddenly healed.
"I...won't lose. I CAN'T LOSE!" Skull roared. He grabbed his hammer and rushed towards Steel with a roar of fury.
Steel stood his ground. The very thing he called stupid earlier… As the electrically charged hammer hit Steel right in the emblem of hope.
BOOMM!
"ARGGGGGGGG!" Steel cried as he swords backwards in pain. He tumbled in the grass as he tried to right himself once more.
Skull didn't let it happen. He let off multiple superhuman strikes on the metal man. Steel was quick to retreat and reanalyze with an equally powerful uppercut to Skull's ribs. As the boy flew back a few feet, Steel noted the dents in his armor.
The very armor designed to take blows from Superman himself.
He quickly commanded the nanomachines in his system to right themselves and heal his armor.
"This kid...he's a Priority A threat all on his own! Just how powerful are the Phantom Thieves if this isn't the most powerful guy in the group. Just what is Joker hiding underneath that mask of his?" Steel wondered.
He had to bring this kid down now! He would most likely have to go even more brutal to take Skull in. He hoped the diplomats and Wayne could foot the bill of all the destruction that would happen on board.
"Whaddya know? You actually pack a punch." Steel growled at Skull.
"I'm just getting started." Skull growled back.
As Steel and Skull charged at each other with both hammers reeled back, the two iron wielding heroes clashing in a duel of ideals.
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Shayera slammed her mace into Croc's abdomen, making him roar in pain. She was currently in a cycle of trying to get the upper hand on the two behemoths. Each time she managed to make a critical blow and was about to follow up, Rapheal made her retreat with his brutal expertise in the sword.
"JUST GO DOWN, YOU CAN'T WIN THIS!" Hawkgirl yelled.
"I beg to differ, your weaponry may hurt me, but I will never fail my lord's will." Rapheal said calmly.
Rapheal used Croc's unpredictability to his advantage, his alley distracted his foe as Rapheal methodically chipped at Hawkgirl's endurance.
Eventually Hawkgirl had enough, she closed herself in her wings and quickly spread them outwards. The razor sharp, Nth metal coated wings hit both of her enemies point blank. Now both Croc were bleeding, and this angel finally shutted up.
She was quick to charge Rapheal, her mace managing to slam right into the angel's side. The blow caused the man to fly to the side and crash into the wall in a heap.
"THAT HURT BITCH!" Croc roared as he tried to subdue the woman.
Hawkgirl delivered a blunt punch to Croc's jaw to bring the giant down.
"Sweet dreams~" Hawkgirl said sadistically as she swung her mace right into Croc's face. The blow downed the man instantly.
With that she went straight for Wonder Girl as the teen was busy taking down all of the bot's with her lasso.
"CASSANDRA! YIELD BEFORE I HURT YOU!" Shayera demanded.
"Like hell! You mess with one Amazon, you mess with ALL OF US!" Wonder Girl roared.
"Fine then. I will not go easy for such treachery." Hawkgirl hissed.
"Like your one to talk! Wasn't it you who almost killed the entire league with the Thanagarian invasion?!" Wonder Girl challenged.
Hawkgirl clenched her fist at that.
"I am one to talk. As one who made the same mistake as you, do NOT follow your culture when they are so obviously in the wrong. Don't make the same mistake I did Cassandra, that road will only fill you with guilt." Hawkgirl said somberly.
SLAM!
Hawkgirl was smashed into the wall and hit it brutally. Raphael quickly stood over her.
"In your emotion you forgot the basics of war. Do not take your eye off our enemy." Rapheal chided.
"*cough* *cough* Cass...I know Wonder Woman is your hero, but you have to trust us on this. The Phantom Thieves are using you, using the entire Amazon race to fight for them. Don't just fall in line." Hawkgirl pleaded.
Wonder Girl clenched her fists, that's what she thought this was about?!
"If they are, I'll bring them in my damn self! My problem isn't with them, it's with all of YOU! Locking up a founder within the minute you disagree with her! HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THE PROBLEM WITH THAT!?" Wonder Girl yelled as tears streamed down her face.
"FOCUS ON YOUR ENEMY!" Raphael slashed a bot in two as the two women argued. He worked to hold off the massive forces of robots as the two women talked.
Hawkgirl stumbled to her feet. She shoved down the pain and stood on her two feet.
"I didn't like the decision either, but Wonder Woman is clearly persuaded by the gods she follows, as is Donna. You aren't a real Amazon Cass, and the gods they worship ignore you. Why are you helping them?! Can't you see your heroes have failed you in their leaving the very thing they helped build?!" Hawkgirl challenged.
"Shut up! I'm not an Amazon and I'm not a Leaguer. All I am is a Titan, and you treated us all like trash who can't think for themselves. I respect the Titans who stayed, but I sure as hell don't respect you for deciding one act is grounds for immediate arrest! Now shut up and fight me!" Wonder Girl growled.
Hawkgirl sighed and clenched her mace.
"Fine." Hawkgirl gritted out.
The two women began to clash in their anger. One for what they did to their heroes. The other for their inability to convince another to not stray down the wrong path.
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Monitor Womb
Noir crawled out of the ventilation system, eager to stretch out her limbs again. The great was underneath one of the long desks that circled the enormous monitor room. She put her hat in between her teeth and crawled in between the small openings the desk provided.
Joker's Flashbang contingency was for many purposes, but for Noir it offered a slightly easier stealth mission as all of the crew clamored around the rooms like chickens without heads.
Mister J'onzz tried to ease the tensions of the room, even going so far with doing light mind control to calm the nerves. But the sheer ramifications of this attack offered little in the ways of calm.
Noir snuck down a flight of stairs down to the surveillance wing. With many crew gathering around the Central Hub cameras, Noir snuck to the computers focused on meta containment.
She silently thanked Constantine and the Amazons upstairs for providing such an opening. Though, even with such clamor, many were still glued to their desks trying to help Batman access the damage of the cells.
Steel's warning made things much more difficult, as Batman ordered all crew to not take their eyes off the area Wonder Woman was being held.
She would have to bide her time for the others to make enough noise, so she could slip the virus in the proper computer.
It wouldn't be long, with Oracle having control over most of the cameras now. The hacker will alert the crew to just how many people are missing, and how much damage is being done to the tower.
"THEY'RE DOING DAMAGE TO THE HYDROPONIC FOREST! THIS PLACE IS GOING TO RUN OUT OF OXYGEN WITHIN A WEEK!"
"ALL SCANNERS STILL DOWN! WE ARE FULLY OPEN FOR ANY OUTSIDE ATTACK!"
"THE ARMORY IS LOST! IT'S ONLY US AND THE GUYS DOWNSTAIRS WE ARE SO FUCKED!"
Noir watched as the people yelled at each other in panic in her hiding spot.
"Any Leaguers available please report to Watchtower Base! Priority A lockdown!" Manhunter called.
"Where the fuck is everybody?! This is a major attack!" a crew member cried.
"Seems many are preoccupied with prior engagements or random attacks in their quadrant. Some even have their comms turned off." J'onn said calmly.
The alien kept his calm and quietly rationionilized the true danger of the situation. While reinforcement would be nice to quickly stop the assault, were they a necessity?
While the Phantom Thieves managed to take them by surprise, that advantage was quickly diminishing. The heroes on board were overwhelmingly made up of founders, the most experienced and powerful members of the League. Without Superman and Flash, J'onn figured the Thieves' defeat would only take longer and make for more damage on the Watchtower.
He would simply fix that issue himself.
Also, they still needed members on Earth to find where the captives were located. Not to mention, they are clearly being monitored over their every move. Did the Titan's merely offer insight on the layout on the tower? Or did they already give up all secrets on how the League operated?
J'onn got up and stood straight. There were also the vents…
The very thing that started the full blown assault…
"Keep trying to get in contact with any available heroes." The martian ordered. The crew member nodded as the hero left his post.
J'onn quickly read for any possible metal signs that would be out of place in his area. The vent was near this section of the Tower after all. Other than the slight readings given off by Joker and his followers on the lower and upper floors, there was nothing.
He narrowed his eyes, it was a rare occurrence for him not to be able to get even a slight reading on a living being. The being would have to be critically insane..or have a very powerful psychic resilience.
J'onn hummed in thought as he quickly turned transparent to invisible. He phased through the floors of the Monitor room. He would do a complete top down search of the room. This would give Noir very little time left to put in the virus.
Noir slowly made her way closer and closer to the right computer. She was careful to not accidentally brush the feet of workers sitting at their desks. She heard the news of Martian Manhunter taking leave and disappearing. That was not good…
She tried to go as fast as she could. But just in case she pulled out her comm again. She relayed the need of a bigger distraction to let her get close. Such a message was a series of beeps in morse code.
Noir waited anxiously for a few moments, the stress of the crew getting to her. She didn't expect an answer as that would give away her position, all she could do was wait for her teammates to help her.
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Martian Manhunter quickly flew through the multiple desks of the monitor womb. The design made it so all desks could be connected and was stood up by the walls and stands that allowed easy movement underneath. A big design flaw in retrospect, but then again one so small in its nature and specifics, he understood why such things would be overlooked.
Loud panic was heard on the floor he was on. Some sort of door appearing out of nowhere. He went to investigate. He made himself visible to confront the possible threat, scaring the crew around him with his sudden appearance.
"Leave this floor at once. I will deal with this." J'onn said.
He took in the appearance of the door. A jail door, it seemed, though it's bright blue glow gave an uneasy feeling. The Phantom Thief file did briefly mention something of this nature, and the being that summoned them.
Then out stepped the little girl that somehow gave Constantine a hard battle. The calmness on her face spoke volumes. The resistance of passive telepathy speaking of a resistance to his power as well.
A distraction….
"Greetings Manhunter. I assume you know what I am here to do." Lavenza said, politely
"I do." Manhunter answered equally as calm.
"Let us begin then." Lavenza flipped through her enormous book and landed on a certain name.
Once more a mighty gargoyle appeared, the persona overshadowing all humans in its height. Lucifer opened his eyes in a cold glare at the hero in front of him.
"You risk the death of many with this girl. Will you destroy a place filled with the innocent?" The martian challenged.
"Of course not, Manhunter, though my involvement with you does require that risk, I have faith in both of our parts to properly refrain from harming the humans on board." Lavenza promised.
"You speak as though you are not one yourself. Just what are you if I may ask?"
"I am merely an aide for my Trickster. One that holds over power in a realm between mind and matter." Lavenza answered vaguely.
"Well then, an aide you may be, you cannot stop me from finding whoever is hiding in these chambers. Nor can you properly defeat me or the others in the League. Surrender. Now if you will." Manhunter ordered evenly.
Lavenza looked at the alien in a polite unmoving stance.
"I'm afraid I can not do that. Let us see the strength you hold." Lavenza said.
With that, J'onn sent out a telepathic assault to quickly and cleanly take out the girl. The girl, while pained, still stood. With the first hit thrown, Lavenza was quick to retaliate with an intense bless attack. The blow sent the alien back a few feet but was unable to down him.
The martian was quick to follow up with a laser blast from his eyes. The blast was expertly dodged, the girl seemed to be extremely agile as well as powerful. But the blast was a mere distraction.
Martian Manhunter was quick to use his speedy flight to put the girl in a hold. He wanted to pacify her as quickly and cleanly as possible to minimize damage. Even with the martian's strength, Lavenza was quick to break the hold. She quickly pulled out her chainsaw and took a swing at J'onn.
The martian simply let the object phase through him. He quickly stretched out multiple limbs and used them to wrap around the girl like a snake. Though the devil behind her was unable to be grabbed, the figure seemingly a ghost in terms of touch.
"PERSONA!" Lavenza cried.
A heavy almighty attack teared through the floor. The blast ripped through the martian as he screamed in pain. He was blown back, letting the girl go. The martian crashed into the wall, leaving a heavy dent on it. His body quickly regenerated from any harm done to his form.
J'onn hissed in pain as his body morphed and molded as he hardened his durability. He couldn't let the Watchtower and it's people be harmed any more than it already has. He would have go about a different approach. It was clear this girl can't simply be cuffed. Hw would have to ease his self imposed restrictions a bit more to properly deal with her.
Lavenza unleashed a heavy curse spell in J'onn's direction. The martian quickly flew out of the way and towards her. He quickly landed a mighty punch across the torso of Lavenza. The girl didn't even move as she quickly used his shock to deliver a severe curse attack directly into J'onn.
J'onn's body collapsed inward, and stretched outwards and upwards from the blow. Before J'onn could properly recover Lavenza jumped up high above him and delivered a colossal physical attack, the blow sending him crashing down through the floor of their current level.
J'onn landed on top of one of the many long desks, his body completely destroying a large chuck of the things around him. People screamed as they were still running to lower levels. J'onn calmly raised upwards back to the upper floor and grabbed Lavenza, slamming her into a wall.
"This cannot continue! People are at risk! If you truly are against the killing of innocents, prove it with your actions!" J'onn roared.
"Apologizes, battle often has the effect of distracting me. Now...LET. GO!" Lavenza blew away J'onn with a severe wind attack. The martian quickly stopped midair and as Lavenza fell to the ground returned the attack with the winds of his super breath.
Lavenza slammed hard on the floor, J'onn then stretched his arm and grabbed her. He threw across the room, the girl tumbled across the floor. J'onn quickly followed and stomped her down to a stop. J'onn hit the girl with more force, clearly by how she was still fighting it he would have to up the force. He would have to ease the pulling of his punches.
Lavenza took all the punches in stride. All the while, she charged up and then delivered a one shot kill right into the martian's torso. The blow merely made him back up a few feet. Lavenza used this however, rolling away and performing a heat riser. She was merely here to distract, but it was clear she was going too easy.
"I must say it is most interesting seeing the strength of another species. However, we simply must draw this to a close." Lavenza said coldly. This whole time she was holding back as well, but with the unpredictable nature of J'onn's powers, it was clear she would have to strike at his weaknesses. Luckily Panther's fight with Miss Martian in the sewers provided ample insight for that.
Lavenza concentrated and set out a deadly inferno right at Martian Manhunter. The fire barely missed the alien but sent a clear message.
For a sheer second J'onn hesitated, his species weakness being clearly displayed within the girl's hands. But he quickly pushed down the intense fear, and proceeded to fly quickly towards her. His arms reformed to make jagged, razor sharp spikes as he rushed to take her down.
Both did not fully comprehend the true nature of each other's powers. But as they charged towards each other in heated battle, one thing was for certain.
The humans below were now in a full panic.
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On the lower floors, Noir watched as the crew panicked even more. The clamoring screams of terror were starting to become deafening. Head officers were starting to consider a mass evacuation, the go ahead from Batman was the final green light. Noir watched as the people cleared out. As soon as the room was barren she whispered into her comm.
"Commence Operation Roundup, mass evacuation has been ordered." Noir reported.
"Understood. Sending angels to check all escape pods to make sure there are no stragglers. Have you found the right computer yet?" Oracle asked.
Noir walked up to the computer with Wonder Woman's cold, disgusted stare on it. She inserted the virus and confirmed the upload.
"Operation Broadcast was a success. Good work Noir." Oracle chimed.
"Thank you, on route to Joker's current location. I would rather not get in between Lavenza and Mr. J'onzz." Noir shivered at the image of that.
"Understood. Nice to know Operation Butterfly had the proper response." Joker practically smirked through the comm.
Noir rushed to her team, leaving the Monitor Womb an empty husk. She could not turn any of this machinery off here. Only the main terminal in the Field Deck could do that. Selina would have to sneak past the two Titans battling to hack into their entire system.
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Meta Containment
The loud shouts and screams echoing through the halls shook Batman to his core. By his calculations, and Oracle's confirmation, over ninety percent of all crew and visitors on board were missing. The few left begging for evac that he reluctantly gave. The reputation of the Justice League was already irreversibly damaged by this. Why risk any death that may come from the fierce battles happening on board.
Werner is completely MIA as well, the whole upper sections of the tower completely silent in his comm. Besides the rare updates of Leaguers on board, and the few guards still standing here with him.
Over two thousand people, reduced to dozens.
Batman was quick to rally all the guards he could to Diana's cell. Steel's intel was useful, but not very surprising. Which is why he was so furious for not thinking of such a tactic.
"The Thieves sought to smoke us out of our den, let us stand our ground and fight!" The general hissed.
As multiple guards surrounded the hallway that lead to Wonder Woman's cell, he was quick to lock the cell down with every safeguard he could. The judging eyes of Diana stared back as they disappeared behind blast shield doors and multiple security checks.
Now it was a matter of waiting…
For Joker and his followers to come and try to take her. He calculated every possibility, all contingencies reworked to stall for time as Manhunter called for any available Leaguers on Earth.
The reinforcement would surely be able to take down these children with ease.
BOOM!
The guards all aimed ahead of them all looking for a single hair out of place to shoot down.
BOOM!
Batman narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. His men were starting to get tense, he could feel it.
"Hold." Batman commanded.
The men strengthened himself internally and grouped closer together for morale. The silence in that filled the halls were deafening.
Not a single sound was heard for a solid ten minutes. Batman narrowed his eyes. He felt nothing other than a gust of wind as the silence infuriated him. The only thing that caught his notice was the feeling of something above him.
A guard was slammed against the wall. His screams made for mass confusion among Batman's ranks. Two more were quickly taken out by an invisible source. This led to the guards let out an all out assault with their weaponry in all directions.
Batman was quick to try and subdue where he calculated the unknown threat would be. By following the bodies, he was quick to let out a massive powder bomb that peppered the entire area. A figure was quick to emerge from the bomb, but that didn't stop it from completely decimating his ranks.
Batman rushed to the figure and began an expert assault on it, trying to subdue it. The figure, being found, seemed to have expert fight skills as well. It managed to land a few key hits on the Dark Knight, as not all of it's limbs were exposed.
While this occurred, the guards tried to aid Batman in taking the bieng down. Only for another being to pop in a flash of black magic and take them out one by one. This caused the situation to escalate once more as ammo was being shot everywhere.
Batman tried to ascertain the issue, but was being held up by the still invisible being. Batman narrowed his eyes and pressed a button on his belt. The room was filled with a piercing scream that made all in the room shield their ears. Though the being he was fighting seemed unaffected, the other screamed in pain enough to reveal herself before taking out another guard. Dozens of incapacitators were trained on Raven.
"HANDS UP!" A guard shouted.
"Operation Hands On! DO IT!" Raven shouted.
A smoke bomb was thrown around the group, Batman was quick to turn on his detective vision to try and take on the enemies at hand. But they weren't here to take him on...only the guards.
Talia, Donna, and Crow were quick to sneak in and take out as many as possible in the confusion. Raven was quick to teleport the unconscious guards away from the fight and to the angels running cleanup. As the numbers dwindled Batman realized the fact at hand.
He was being surrounded.
"Requesting assistance to Meta Containment! My men are being overrun!" Batman called.
As he said this, Starfire and Noir both joined in with Nightwing to finish off the men.
"I'll be there as soon I- HEY WATCH IT!" Firestorm shouted as he dodged a wicked fire attack unleashed by Panther.
Cyborg was unresponsive. Busy fighting his friend.
"Can't. Trying to take down this...whatever this is." Booster Gold said as he tried to land a hit on the very agile Mona.
"Kid just won't stay down!" Steel yelled as he swung his mighty hammer at Skull.
"Busy." Hawkgirl growled as she traded blows with Wonder Girl.
"Let me call you back." Captain Atom said as he landed a massive blow on Etrigan. The demon refusing to be defeated by such weak power.
"Amazons are running low on numbers, but they are relentless! Unable to comply!" Green Arrow shouted as he, Black Canary, and Aquaman fought off the dwindling Amazons.
"Unable. Kids just won't back down." Green Lantern sighed as he fought off Queen, Fox, and Kid Flash. All the while, not allowing them to heal Uriel.
"The girl is mighty Batman, and all heroes on Earth are either busy, or AHHH!" Martian Manhunter screamed in pain as Lavenza finally managed to hit him with a fire spell.
As the situation mounted on Batman, the guards around him all fell. The situation weighed on him. As soon as the smoke faded all of Team Cage stood around him at the ready, all the guards missing. The invisible figure showed itself to be Zauriel. Nightwing moved to stand in front of him.
"It's over Bruce, just...just stop this." Nightwing begged.
"It's never over Dick. You just gave up." Batman growled.
"Gave up? GAVE UP?! If I gave up I wouldn't be here, yelling at you that this is all wrong!" Nightwing yelled.
"Release my sister, Batman! Maybe if YOU gave up, some of this can be rectified." Donna hissed at the man.
"This can never be righted. Not with this stunt you just pulled." Batman scolded.
"What was I supposed to do? Just let her be held captive forever?! All because YOU decided that the Phantom Thieves were not worth you actually being flexible for once?" Donna spat.
"I won't let you all just burn society to the ground! THINK about all of the risk! Raven, you sided with Joker, the very man who works with your father!" Batman yelled.
"I know...but I trust Donna more than I trust them. If she says Trigon can be held by them, I will help them." Raven stated.
"They all allowed Talia to be tortured! She is forced to work for them against her will!" Batman stated.
"Oh beloved, you think a little torture is all it takes for me? Nonono, what they've shown me is the truth. Both you and my father are incapable of true betterment of society. Fighting years on end for your pitiful causes. Yet look what a couple of mere children managed to do my dear. Yes, I'm right where I belong. With my new Master." Talia grinned wickedly.
"Your statement doesn't make it moral Talia. None of yours do, Joker has you all wrapped around his finger and for what? To please whoever captured him. You really believe the demon will just fall? Just because of Joker's false promises? You are all delusional. Joker's morality is questionable at best, but you all ignore that due to the promise the Phantom Thieves yield. You all fell for fool's gold." Batman argued.
A slow clap was heard in the hall. Joker was walking towards the group, making his grand entrance.
"How ironic of you to say that Bruce. Like you haven't fooled everyone on board this thing of the same false hope. Your war on crime is endless, yet you want everyone to spend the rest of their lives fighting it because you refuse to change for the better. It's sad really." Joker smirked.
"Enough of the talk, you won't get past me. You won't be able to get out of this. All of you. You'll be held to the fullest extent of the law. The League will stop you." Batman growled.
Joker smiled.
"Give me Wonder Woman." Joker ordered simply.
"Never." Batman retorted.
Joker summoned Ares, the mighty figure towering over the rest of the group.
Batman stood firm in his ground. He moved to reach a certain button on his belt. Martian Manhunter was currently preoccupied, time to fall back on other contingencies.
"You are not in control of this." Batman hissed.
"His going for the-" Nightwing tried to alert but Batman was quick to put his son in a stranglehold with one hand.
"Traitor…." The general inside Batman boomed.
"You've made your choice Dick. Now you have to suffer the consequences." Batman growled.
With that action, all those around the Dark Knight attacked him. Batman held his own against them all. He wouldn't fall. He wouldn't compromise his morals. He would not allow the others in the League on Earth simply stand by as the symbol they stood for was dragged through the mud.
Even as the group slowly but fiercely fought to get a hold of him old on him. He reached for the button.
Such was not allowed, eventually the more powerful of the group held him in an inescapable hold, as Batman struggled violently Joker walked up to him.
"It's over Batman! Just give up." Joker said.
Batman slowly came to a stop in movement. His head hung low, Joker had won. The Watchtower has fallen. Batman's head hung low.
Joker smirked at finally being able to win in what felt like eternity. But then...Batman started to slowly chuckle.
Even as Ares, Starfire, and Donna tightened their grip on the man, he started to laugh. The sound was as terrifying as it was unnerving.
Joker's smile fell slightly at that, he calculated every possibility within a short time span, what could Bruce possibly have left? What has he overlooked?
Batman met Joker's gaze and smirked.
"Dick told you about the button, but that's only the button he knows about" Batman revealed.
"What? No! Hold every limb! Every finger!" Donna roared.
But it was too late. A device slid out of Batman's gauntlet and he quickly pressed it with his thumb.
"Hope always prevails." Batman declared.
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The device was quick to send a signal to the closest Wayne Enterprise satellite. The order was simple, but overridden any protocol or priority for one task. It quickly repositioned itself and sent a signal to the Batcave. The Batcomputer quickly took control of all Wayne broadcast towers, though it only needed one to get the task done. A high pitch sound impossible to hear by any normal human was spread across the globe.
The pitch is distinct in it's message from all other possible pitches. It's message clear:
The Watchtower is under attack.
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May 30th, Evening
Metropolis, New York
Daily Planet HQ
Sunset
Clark and Lois exited Perry's office after an expert stalling session. Of course the thing he wanted covered most was the Phantom Thieves. During the meeting Lois gave him a side eye as Perry dressed them down for their lack of story on it. Clark promised he would personally go to Gotham to get the scoop.
"Don't say anything." Clark begged as Lois looked at him judgingly.
"Didn't say a word, Smallville." Lois huffed.
Clark pinched his brow as he got to his desk, he quickly got all of his papers in order and closed his briefcase.
Lois leaned on a load bearing pillar watching her husband. Her lips begged for a cigarette but she pushed it down.
"So ya gonna give him the file before or after you needlessly go to Gotham?" Lois asked.
"*Sigh* Before, hopefully it'll all blow over by then. I mean honestly, how many villains are out there right now? Surely that would get more heat than a group of kids." Clark sighed.
"Don't underestimate the want of something new Kent. Those kids offer enough of that in spades. You risk this whole thing turning into scandal within the League, it won't be a good look if it happens. Don't say I didn't tell you so." Lois chided.
"I know...I-" Clark stopped suddenly in his speech. He got up suddenly and looked upward.
(Superman Theme- John Williams)
"Clark?" Lois asked.
"I need to go. Can you finish packing things up for me?" Clark asked hurriedly as he started to walk off quickly. Lois was quick to follow.
"Of course. Something I should be worried about?" Lois asked.
"You may have told me so." Clark said.
With that Lois stopped in her tracks, suddenly she too had the urge to look up.
Clark stormed out the office and into an empty flight of stairs.
He took off his glasses and put them in his case. He undid his tie. In his hurried state he pulled open his button up shirt. The buttons popped off, gaining speed Clark torn apart his shirt.
Below it was the emblem of his family name.
The emblem of hope.
The emblem of Superman.
Superman flew up and out of the rooftop exit and towards the sky. The city he protected became miniscule within seconds. The wind blew through his cape until he took a deep breath and broke the sound barrier. He left the atmosphere, rushing towards the Watchtower.
He will protect his team.
He will stand for the morals his both his blood and adopted family has taught him.
Hope will prevail.
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AN: *blasts Superman theme through speakers*
Sorry again for the delay everyone. Hopefully the sheer size of this chapter pleases you. But if not I have a little more to give you to chew on. Enjoy~
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BONUS:
May 30th, Evening
Somewhere in Brazil
The secret Cadmus facility was torn open by a powerful being. The dark halls of the research facility were suddenly lightened by the outside.
The robots inside all immediately fired as scientists were quick to run for cover. The robots all being subdued by multiple arrows, the precision of the hits making them explode.
Power Girl and Huntress rushed in the halls of the facility, brutally destroying all bots in their way. Through Huntress's investigation, she found a lot of shady dealings going down in this area. It didn't take long for her to track down the sightings of this facility.
Cadmus was set up all over the globe, doing who knows what kind of evil. All the while,the owner Lex Luther escaped all possible accountability for the crimes against humanity.
Power Girl picked up a bot and slammed it into another, then used her heat vision to tear apart the rest in front of her. As the robots kept coming and coming, Huntress jumped off of Power Girl's back and shot an EMP device in the middle of the horde. The whole army of bots crumbled as they shut down.
"Luthor's been cheaping out." Power Girl huffed.
"He's gotta save up for that grand presidential campaign after all." Huntress scoffed.
"HA! Like that'll ever happen! Like for real, who in their right mind would vote for him?!" Power Girl asked as she bursted down the lockdown doors.
"He's got his supporters out there. Standard meta and vigilante dissenters and all that." Huntress said as she closed one eye and shot an arrow towards the main scientist's computer. The arrow inserted a usb that downloaded all files as fast it could. The two women both knew it wouldn't be much, Luthor often had as many contingencies against leaks as Batman.
"Bet you five bucks he's gonna use the Phantom Thieves as a talking point. Why these terrorists are irrefutable proof that the League is unable to uphold peace. Yadda yadda yadda." Power Girl mocked.
"Ugh. Don't remind me of them, I give him one little phone call when I hear the news about Selina, and you know what happens? Bruce says 'it's all fine Huntress, I have it all under control', like yeah right! I swear to god, my counterpart will never be born in this dimension." Huntress blew up multiple robots with her explosive arrows.
"Them's the breaks H. Not like the Thieves were ever a problem where we come from. Hearing it all play out is super weird. Then again, I don't pay that much attention to Gotham as you do." Power Girl added.
The research facility eventually ran out of bots. The two women tried to get something out of the scientists, but of course they were all shouting for a lawyer and saying they didn't break any laws. The multiple test tubes filled with people spoke otherwise.
The Brazillian police, however, came before the scientists could truly be pressed. And once the police get involved, Luthor immediately buys their cooperation.
"Well, that was something. Get anything good on the drive?" Power Girl asked.
"It's very redacted. But they really have it down to a science now. From what I'm reading, they can literally program entire personalities from scrap. I'm seeing minor signs of animal and human cross breeding." Huntress answered.
"The hell? Why? Just to see if they can?" Power Girl questioned.
"Probably testing to see if they can make metas out of it. Replaceable fighters to distract us as Luthor gets away. But then again there is a list of redacted buyers." Huntress shrugged.
"Well at least it's something. Let's go back to base and-" Power Girl stopped mid sentence.
Huntress looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
Power Girl quickly scooped up Huntress and blasted off into the sky.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! AT LEAST TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" Huntress shouted as the wind blew her hair around wildly.
"The Watchtower is under attack! We must have missed the call for help during the battle. It must be bad if Bat's is calling us like this." Power Girl said seriously.
"What?" Huntress was quick to try and find her turned off comm. A constant stream of beeping was all she got back. A Priority A attack, at least for now.
"Huntress to Monitor Womb, tell me what's going on!" Huntress shouted.
"HELENA! Thank God! Why is everyone so hard to get a hold of today?! I can't reach a single person up there! Last thing I got was an alert saying they ordered a mass evac! Everyone in the Monitor Womb was supposed to stay in contact with me as they made back down! I haven't heard a word in the last TWENTY MINUTES!" Oracle shrieked.
"We're on our way to the nearest teleporter! If no one else can do it, you'll have to beam us up. I can fly up there, but I don't think Helena can hold her breath that long." Power Girl tried to lighten the mood.
"Tell us what's going on!" Huntress demanded.
The two rushed through the skies as Barbara filled them in on the little she knew. And the little she knew did not paint a pretty picture.
But despite it all the news of Wonder Woman's imprisonment rang the loudest.
"Just what the hell is Bruce thinking?!" Huntress yelled.
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AN: I can't believe how long of an arc this is becoming guys. Lmao Power was just supposed to be one chapter, and now it's gonna be three. But whatever.
Next chapter will be out...in the future at some point. With the sheer length of words I'm spewing out the deadline I've put out there is getting harder and harder to maintain.
But it will come.
So stay tuned.~
