Alrighty! Waffles is back with yet another chapter!
Expect another one soon too, as I've been on a recent writing kick as of late. Got lots of inspiration, and I'm super excited to get to work.
One thing that I have to mention with this particular chapter is that there is a great deal of original content here. I deviate quite a bit from what happens in the original episode this is based off of, but that's just to help tie together different plot points I have. Rest assured though, I left the turbed line intact. I mean how could I not? It's a great line!
However, before we can continue any further, I got some reviews to answer!:
VladImpaler: I'm glad you like the change. It makes it much easier to see on my end as well
Thunderstrike16: They some of the most fun characters to write! Also, an interesting guess...
CRUDEN: Terry would have been cool, but the timeline isn't quite there yet
xbox432: Why yes, I am a D&D fan. I really enjoy the game, so expect a few more easter eggs like that one to show up in the future
Lucian Naruto: Agreed, Superman is now Super-Jerk. But rest assured, someone will come in to help Conner
Dion ComicWiz: Agreed, Superman is being a douchebag. But don't worry, he'll have that pointed out to him soon enough. There is certainly potential for some of those underrated teams to show up. The New Guardians won't, that's for sure (Gregorio in my head-canon just joined the JL, not the Guardians), but rest assured, a certain cocaine themed villain will be showing up! Wildstorm characters sound like fun, but I honestly don't know enough about them unfortunately. It'll have to be relegated to cameo appearances for now if they do appear. Since Rebirth is so new, and I'm still reading through a lot of it right now, I'm not sure I'll be adapting any specific events into this series. Except for maybe Milk Wars, that could be hilarious. There is exactly a one year time gap between the end of Sandman Unlimited (Not the epilogue, but where they descend the stairs) and the beginning of Alchemic Justice. Some of the time that passed between the two will be explored, but not in this story. It will be explored more in a side-story I'm working on. As for this character you have in mind, I'm certainly interested to know who it is. I may be able to incorporate them if I find a suitable way to do so
7-Eleventh: Cole will not be appearing. As far as the current canon in this story is concerned, she is a mid-twenties barista in Manhattan (Which is legit what she's doing right now in the comics). J'onn and Salamandra definitely married long after she was born.
Thanks again for all the reviews! They're always so humbling and uplifting to read.
And now, for the disclaimer:
The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Keemia Marko and all related characters are property of Marvel and Disney. Young Justice, the Justice League, and all related characters are property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases!
And now, let's get right into the story!
Star City – July 17th, 23:16 PDT
While not being as severe or dangerous as Gotham or Blüdhaven, Star City still had its own fair share of gang activity. Much like the other two cities, it had a booming harbour and was the source of a great deal of arms shipments being smuggled in for the various criminal cartels around the city. The most common of these shipments were weapons, and another large shipment of these illegal arms had just come in.
Several gang members had opened up a large shipping container and were now transporting crates from it into an armoured truck. The operation was being overseen by a large African-American man. He had white cornrows tied back into a ponytail, with a thick white goatee that was trimmed close to his face. The man himself was immense, easily seven feet tall, and built like a brick wall. He wore an expensive suit, coupled with a white scarf loosely draped over his shoulders.
Brick smiled in satisfaction as his underlings transported the illegal weapons before an arrow was suddenly shot next to two of his men who were in the middle of carrying one of the crates. It exploded almost immediately, knocking his men out and sending the crate flying. It landed just a few feet away, the lid cracking off and spilling several of the weapons across the ground.
Brick snarled angrily at the ambush, before grabbing one of the pistols that had fallen out of the crate and aiming it at the large steel beams of the crane above him, looking for the source of the arrows. He found it quickly, seeing Speedy looking out from the shadows of the beams.
"You again?!" Brick yelled. "I'm startin' to get insulted Green Arrow's not messin' up my operations personally!" the large man growled angrily as the pistol charged before firing several bolts of energy at the young archer.
Speedy nimbly dodged the first shot, his acrobatics allowing him to easily jump and flip across and between the beams before he landed on a walkway. Brick however, continued his barrage of shots, each one slowly coming closer to hitting the archer. Roy loaded an arrow, backflipping over another shot, as he fired his arrow at the gang leader.
The arrow embedded itself in the muzzle of the gun, causing the weapon to explode as it fired its next shot. Brick grunted in surprise at the sudden explosion, before taking note of himself. The explosion hadn't harmed him, thanks to his increased durability, but his clothes were now in tatters.
"Do you know what I pay for a suit in my size?!" Brick growled in frustration before turning back to his gang. Each of them was now holding one of the smuggled weapons dropped from the crate. "Scorch the earth boys" he ordered.
They nodded in understanding before preparing to attack. However, two were immediately taken out by a sudden yellow blur as Kid Flash sped past them. A batarang disarmed the next two as Robin cackled gleefully before he took cover. Aqualad followed up by using his water bearers to knocking the two into a truck with a massive tendril of water, rendering them unconscious.
The last tried to run before finding himself stopped by Keemia's outstretched hand. "Going somewhere?" She asked with a smirk. "Ecaf teem dnuorg!"
The gang member barely had any time to think before a sudden force sent him face first into the ground, the impact knocking him out.
Brick took notice of the newcomers before grasping the earth with both hands and pulling out a large boulder. He lifted it above his head before throwing it at Speedy. Much like the pistol's shots, the archer easily dodged the rock before firing an explosive arrow, which impacted Brick's shoulder before detonating harmlessly.
The criminal simply threw two more boulders at the young archer in response. Speedy dodged them both before Kaldur and Keemia took over. Kaldur used his water bearers to cut one in half, while Keemia spun her staff in front of her, making a massive circle of magic.
"Nrut otni sevod!"
The rock turned into a swarm of the white birds, which flew off away from the brawl. "Doves? A little cliché don't you think?" Kaldur asked.
"Hey, I wanted to try something new. It worked, didn't it?" Keemia retorted as Speedy fired a smoke arrow at the criminal, causing Brick to suddenly cough and sputter in the midst of the cloud.
Kaldur saw the archer approaching them before nodding. "The cave is perfect. It has everything the team will need"
"For covert missions, you know spy stuff" Robin added, landing behind them.
"All the team really needs now is an archer" Keemia said, now floating on her staff as Barry ran up to meet them.
"And wait 'til you see Superboy and Miss Martian. But I saw her first" Barry said with a grin as Keemia rolled her eyes.
Their brief meeting was soon interrupted however as Brick threw another massive boulder at the five of them. Robin, Kid Flash, Djinn, and Speedy all ducked out of the way, while Aqualad destroyed it with two massive maces.
Speedy followed up quickly with three explosive arrows. Each one struck Brick in the chest before exploding sequentially. The villain stumbled back with each one, before falling forward to the ground to catch his balance. He stood back up soon after however, a smirk etched on his face. "Heh, tell Arrow he shouldn't send boys to do a man's job"
"I'm a girl, that's rude!" Keemia snarked, floating back into view as Roy readied another arrow.
Brick regarded the archer with amusement, before opening his arms wide, welcoming the shot. "Go ahead" he smirked before Speedy fired the arrow.
It struck the villain before suddenly expanding into with a massive burst of foam. The villain looked on in surprise before the foam quickly enveloped him and hardened into a thick and heavy shell, trapping him. Barry looked at the now trapped villain with a grin.
"High-density polyurethane foam. Nice" the speedster complimented.
Speedy didn't seem to hear him though, as he simply turned to leave while the others gathered around. "So Speedy, you in?" Robin asked, from where he was leaning against another container, his arms folded and a confident smirk on his face.
The archer stopped moving for a moment, turning to look at Robin. "Pass. I'm done letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a babysitter, or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids. Your junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place" he said with a scowl before continuing to walk away, quickly disappearing into the shadows. "I don't want any part of it"
The others watched him leave, dejected at his response before Keemia frowned and folded her arms angrily. "What a dick"
Mount Justice – July 18th, 11:16 EDT
After spending the rest of the night in Star City, the four friends had decided to return home for a brief rest before meeting back up at the cave. Keemia and Kaldur had already been there, conversing with Miss Martian and Superboy when the teleporter suddenly whirred to life, and a computerized voice announced the arrival of their teammates
"Recognized: Robin B-01, Kid Flash B-03" it recited before Tim and Barry teleported into the cave. Much like their teammates, they were in their civilian wear. Conner had now added a brown leather jacket to his outfit, while Miss Martian was in a red skirt and cardigan, with a white blouse underneath, and long white stockings.
The two new arrivals ran over to where their teammates were currently standing, looking at something on the monitors. Barry in particular wore a wide grin as he made his way over. "Did you ask him? What did he say?"
"Nice to see you too Barry" Keemia said, rolling her eyes before Kaldur elbowed her gently in admonishment.
"He's arriving now" the Atlantean said with a smile as Barry's grin got even wider.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" he asked before running off with the others in tow to the front entrance of the cave. At the base of the mountain itself, a large trapdoor opened as the six walked outside into the warm sun and cool ocean breeze that waited for them outside.
"Perfect weather for flying I suppose?" Keemia asked with a smirk as Kaldur nodded, seeing Red Tornado coming to a landing in front of them. "The only wind is the robot in front of us"
"Red Tornado!" Barry greeted, waving eagerly.
"Greetings" the android said in his usual mechanized voice. "Is there a reason you intercept me outside the cave?"
"We hoped you had a mission for us" Kaldur said, the others nodding in agreement.
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility" the android answered, the answer appearing obvious to his own computerized logic.
"But it's been over a week, and nothing-" Tim started before being cut off.
"You'll be tested soon enough" Tornado said, cutting off Tim as he raised his hand in a placating gesture. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company"
"This team is not a social club" Kaldur pointed out, his smile now gone as Keemia nodded and folded her arms.
"Besides, we've been spending the last few hours together at this point. And we'll be spending more time together in the future!"
"True, but I am told social interaction is an important team building exercise" Red Tornado answered. "Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarising yourself with the cave" he said before walking off and into the base.
Barry scowled before looking at Tim with narrowed eyes. "Keep busy?"
"Does he think we're falling for this?" Tim asked rhetorically before Miss Martian suddenly brightened.
"Oh, I'll find out!" she said before turning to the android.
"That's not what he meant…" Keemia muttered before Miss Martian tried to focus her telepathy on Red Tornado's retreating form.
"Recognized: Red Tornado-16" the computerized voice recited as it scanned the Leaguer before allowing him into the base. At the ineffectiveness of her telepathy, Miss Martian sighed dejectedly.
"I'm sorry, I forgot he was a machine. Inorganic. I cannot read his mind" she admitted.
"Nice try though" Barry said before giving her a flirty smile "So uh, you know what I'm thinking right now?"
"We all know what you're thinking now" Robin scoffed before elbowing Barry in the ribs.
"And if you go thinking it again, I'll give you a brief refresher on our discussion about feet in mouths" Keemia added, giving a pointed glare to Barry.
Kaldur however, seemed a little more pensive. "And now we tour the clubhouse…" he said with a sigh.
Miss Martian took note of her team mate's dejected voice before nodding. "Well, Superboy and I live here. We can play tour guides" she offered. Tim and Barry cast curious glances at Superboy who simply shook his head once in response.
"Don't look at me" he said, his eyes wide in surprise
"We won't" Barry shrugged, before once again looking at Miss Martian. "A private tour sounds much more fun"
"She never said private!" Tim cut in, clearly frustrated at his team mate's attempts to flirt with the oblivious martian. Barry was about to say something, but before he could, he suddenly stumbled forward into the ground.
"Did you seriously just kick me?!" the speedster asked, looking at Keemia who was the clear offender in question.
"I told you I would. Be thankful the only danger with that one was coughing up my toenails" she threatened. "Your only other option would be swallowing your teeth"
Kaldur quickly got between the two of them to prevent any escalation. "Team building. We'll all go" he said before shooting Keemia a warning glance and helping Barry up. Keemia just rolled her eyes, but for a second she thought she saw Superboy flashing her a brief smirk.
Barry brushed the grass off of his shirt before he was suddenly elbowed again by Tim as the boy wonder walked past him. Miss Martian didn't appear to notice as she jovially started her tour.
"So this would be our front door…."
"And this would be the back!" she said as she lead the five out the other side of a mountain, onto a ledge that overlooked the ocean. "The cave is actually the entire mountain"
Barry nodded as the group walked back inside, into the vehicle garage, where currently there were no vehicles. "The cave was hollowed out and reinforced by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League"
"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked curiously.
"The cave's secret location was compromised…" Kaldur said.
"So they traded it in for a tourist trap?" Superboy scoffed. "Yeah, that makes sense"
"I feel safer already" Keemia laughed.
"If villains know of the cave, we must be on constant alert" Miss Martian said worriedly before Tim grabbed her hand to ease her.
"The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here" he explained to the clearly confused martian.
"Uh, he means, we're hiding in plain sight" Barry clarified.
"Ah, that's much clearer" the martian girl nodded.
Barry was about to say something again before Superboy suddenly sniffed the air. "I smell smoke" the clone frowned before Miss Martian's eyes widened in horror.
"My cookies!" she gasped before taking off and flying quickly through the cave until she reached the kitchen. Once there, she used her telekinesis to open the oven and carefully take out the tray of cookies. Each one was now clearly burnt to a crisp, and they resembled hockey pucks far more than any actual dessert.
The others arrived to see the burned cookies, as Tim looked at the tray quizzically. "I was trying out Granny Jones' recipe from episode 17 of…. Uh… never mind" she said sheepishly.
"I bet they would have tasted great" Tim reassured her. "He doesn't seem to mind" he smirked as they turned to see Barry halfway through his second cookie, with another one in his hand ready to go.
"Oh, so his mouth does two things" Keemia noted with a smirk before Kaldur elbowed her gently.
"I have a serious metabolism" Barry said with a small chuckle before he swallowed the bite of cookie in his mouth to make room for more.
"I'll make more?" Miss Martian offered as Kaldur gave her a smile.
"It was sweet of you to make any" he said as the martian nodded to him graciously.
"Thanks Aqualad"
"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm" he said before pausing. "Actually, my friends call me Kaldur"
"And only I may call him Kal. You can call me Keemia though" Keemia said with a smile.
"I'm Barry" the eponymous speedster greeted, the flirtatious tone back in his voice. "See? I already trust you with my secret ID, unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden boy wonder from telling anyone his real name"
"Mine's no secret" Miss Martian said with a broad smile. "It's M'Gann M'Orzz, but you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name, and I'm on Earth now"
Superboy looked away with a small frown, his arms folded across his chest. He had yet to find a name for himself, and the introductions left him feeling a little more than uncomfortable. He silently got up off the counter he was leaning on before starting to walk out when Megan noticed him.
'Don't worry Superboy' she said telepathically, as the clone turned quickly to look at her. 'We'll find you an Earth name too'
"Get out of my head!" he yelled suddenly as the others turned to look at Megan in surprise.
'What's wrong? I don't understand?' she asked in confusion as she opened the telepathy to the others in the room. 'Everyone on Mars communicated telepathically'
While everyone felt invaded by the sudden telepathy, Keemia grasped her head in unseen pain before stumbling forward. Kaldur was quick to catch her before she hurt herself. Apparently, the way the G-Gnomes attacked her in Project Kr was more harmful than they realized.
"M'Gann stop!" he ordered as the girl gasped and immediately ended the link. "Things are different on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy"
"Besides, CADMUS' creepy little psychic G-Gnomes left a bad taste in his brain" Barry said, gesturing a thumb over his shoulder to Superboy.
"I think you're forgetting about the severity of the psychic attack they made on Keemia" Kaldur pointed out as Barry suddenly looked apologetically to Keemia, who was still grasping her forehead as if she had a strong migraine.
"I… I didn't mean to-" Megan started before Superboy cut her off.
"Just stay out!" he snarled before storming off to sit on one of the couches in the adjacent sitting room.
Keemia groaned softly before slowly standing up straight again. She looked at Megan warily before sighing. "It's alright. After the telepathic attack I sustained, any telepathy hurts like hell to me. I'll need to get used to it all over again" she sighed before casting a worried look to Superboy.
Despite Keemia's attempt to reassure her, M'Gann still felt dejected at Superboy's response. If she'd known before that it was inappropriate, she would have never attempted it without asking. As she found herself lost in her thoughts, she suddenly remembered something, slapping her forehead with her open palm gently. "Hello, Megan!" she said before turning to the others. "I know what we can do!" she said eagerly before flying out of the kitchen and leading the others away towards the hangar.
Tim shrugged before he, Kaldur, and Barry followed after her. Keemia started after but hung back a bit to look at where Superboy was currently brooding. She frowned a little before leaning against the wall next to the door. "Y'know, as fun as it is to brood alone on the couch like some angst-ridden teenager, it might be more fun to brood with the rest of the angst-ridden teenagers" she suggested as Superboy turned to look at her, his frown at least having shrunk slightly.
"Besides, she didn't mean it. She's new to Earth and to us. If she knew about what happened I'm sure she'd have acted differently" she offered, Superboy seeming to scowl a bit. "Besides, I've seen the way she looks at you. Having you angry at her will just make her feel worse" she finished before walking off down the hall.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his anger having made way instead for confusion. Keemia was too far away to hear him though, so instead of continuing to stew alone in silence, he stood up before following behind her. What she said had given something to think about at least.
After Superboy opted to join the rest of them, they took a short elevator trip down to the hangar, where the door opened to reveal a large oval shaped object. It was a crimson red with black stripes along the side, and what appeared to be a windshield on the front end. "This is my Martian Bioship" M'Gann said with a grin before walking over to it.
Tim looked at it with fascination, cupping his chin thoughtfully while Keemia simply smirked. "Got your own ride? Pretty slick"
"Cute" Barry nodded. "Not aerodynamic, but cute"
"It's at rest silly" M'Gann giggled. "I'll wake it" she said before extending her hand to it and giving a brief telepathic command. Within seconds the large oval object responded by changing shape. Massive wings extended out from the side as the cockpit elongated, the entire ship's area increasing ten-fold. Once it was finished shifting, it levitated in the air, before turning around opposite them, revealing a gangplank that led inside.
M'Gann took a few steps towards the transformed ship before turning to look at her teammates. "Well? Are you coming?"
The others looked at it apprehensively at first before they all joined her inside the craft, as chairs suddenly appeared in front of them from the floor and a control panel lining the front of the craft. "Strap in for launch" M'Gann smiled as Tim and Barry eagerly claimed their seats.
Tim sat in his chair, his eyes widened as straps melted out of his seat to buckle him in. "Whoa" he said in surprise, slightly unnerved.
"Cool" Barry grinned in response to his own, while Keemia seemed to shiver in her own seat.
"Ugh, I think I saw a video like this once" she muttered. "It didn't end well for the girl involved"
Once everyone was seated, M'Gann sat in what was clearly the pilot's seat. "Red Tornado, please open the bay doors" she asked, placing her hands over two glowing white spheres that acted as flight controls before the ship took to the air and flew out of the mountain.
It flew low over the ocean before suddenly shooting into the sky, gaining altitude quickly. Within seconds, it had steadied its course and was now flying inland over the surround hills.
"Incredible!" Tim grinned, looking out the window.
Barry sighed, a love-struck look on his face as he gazed at M'Gann. "She sure is" he smiled, before M'Gann turned to look at him curiously, having heard what she said. "I-I mean the ship, which like all ships, is a she"
"Smooth Barry" Keemia snickered as Tim smirked.
"Fast with his feet, not so much with his mouth"
"Dude!" Barry said in embarrassment as Keemia laughed at his expense.
Kaldur watched his teammates in the back before leaning closer to Superboy, a concerned look on his face. "I may not have psychic powers, but I can guess what you're thinking. You overreacted and you don't know how to apologize. Just say sorry" he advised.
Superboy looked at him carefully, before stealing a quick glance back at M'Gann. "Keemia said something like that too" he sighed.
"I figured as much. She may be more crass and sarcastic in comparison to the rest of us, but she means well. And she does care for her friends" Kaldur nodded. "Even if she gets more frustrated at Barry than she really should"
"Doesn't he deserve it though?" Superboy asked.
Kaldur seemed to pause for a moment, blinking once before he answered. "Sometimes…"
M'Gann watched their conversation in the front from her own seat, a small frown tugging at her lips. Keemia took note of this, and nudged Tim, directing his attention to their Martian friend.
"He'll come around" Tim assured her.
"He doesn't seem to like me much" M'Gann whispered back.
"To be fair, he doesn't really like anybody" Keemia shrugged. "Or at the very least, he tries to act like he doesn't"
"Uh, you guys remember he has super-hearing, right?" Barry mused as the three of them suddenly looked a little more awkward at being overheard by the Kryptonian clone.
Tim was quick to break the awkward silence. "Hey, how about showing us a little martian shape-shifting?" he asked.
M'Gann nodded, putting the ship into autopilot before standing up and shape-shifting before their eyes into Robin. Albeit, a very female Robin. She then did a little twirl before turning into a similarly female version of Barry, in his Kid Flash garb.
"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Barry asked, his gaze once again love-struck.
"Yes" Keemia scowled before M'Gann turned into Djinn. "Oh damn, is that what I look like in costume? I love it!" she grinned before M'Gann shifted back to normal.
"Impressive" Tim grinned, applauding his teammate. "But you're not exactly gonna fool anyone with those, for the most part"
"Mimicking boys is a lot harder" she admitted.
"And your clothes?" Kaldur asked curiously.
"They're organic, like the ship" she smiled. "They respond to my mental commands"
"As long as they're the only ones" Superboy muttered. Keemia rolled her eyes before cuffing him over the head. He turned around, a glare fixed on her, but quickly backed down once Keemia gave him her own patented glare, one she normally reserved only for Barry.
"Can you do that ghosting through walls thing that Manhunter does?" Barry asked eagerly.
"Density shifting?" she asked, frowning a little. "No… it's a very advanced technique"
Tim nodded before leaning forward with a grin. "Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall. Heh, when Barry tries it? Bloody nose"
"Dude!" Barry yelped again.
M'Gann smiled slightly at that before looking back at Tim. "Here's something I can do" she offered before the entire ship seemed to shimmer. Then, it slowly disappeared, completely hidden from the outside. "Camouflage mode!"
"Oh now that's cool! And perfect for our stealth team" Keemia grinned.
M'Gann seemed to beam under her praise, with the others agreeing. Even Superboy nodded before something suddenly caught his eye. He looked out the window of the ship, noticing a car on the highway below driving erratically. It was twisting and turning all over the road, with little care for the boundaries,
"What's up with them?" he asked, as M'Gann tilted the ship so everyone could look at the car.
"Those look a little too controlled to be a drunk driver" Keemia frowned.
"They almost look like evasive maneuvers, like they're trying to escape something" Kaldur frowned.
"Escape what though?" Barry asked, before a tornado could suddenly be seen pursuing the car. Unlike most tornadoes, which followed an indistinguishable path, guided by the wind, this cyclone followed after the car, against the prevailing air currents. What's more is that it appeared to be firing smaller cyclones of wind.
"Well, when you ask a silly question" Keemia said dryly as Tim stood up.
"We have to help them! M'Gann, take us down!" he ordered, as the Martian girl quickly nodded, bringing the ship in for a descent.
"Watch the tornado, it doesn't appear natural" Kaldur advised as Keemia rolled her eyes.
"What was your first clue?" she asked before getting out of her seat. "Evig em ym ffats!" she cast as her staff was once again conjured into her hand.
Tim did as Kaldur asked, pulling out some binoculars before frowning. "There's someone in the cyclone, controlling it!"
"Do you have an ID?" Barry asked as he prepared his goggles. "The only villain I know of who can do this is Weather Wizard and he's still in Belle Revve"
"It's too bulky for Weather Wizard. Looks like he's wearing an exo-suit" Tim frowned, continuing the analysis.
"Well, in any case, we have an unknown entity threatening the well-being of the general public. Superboy, how do you feel about the hands-on approach?" Keemia asked as Superboy gave a smirk.
"Just point me in the right direction" he said, cracking his knuckles.
"Oh I can do better than that. M'Gann, open the hatch!" she asked as M'Gann nodded, before opening the hatch as the ship came to rest on the ground. Keemia and Superboy rushed out, before Keemia nodded to him. "Get ready to fly Supey: Hcnual yobrepus otni eht yretsym nam!"
Superboy gave a loud battle cry as he was launched through the air by Keemia's magic, reaching break-neck speeds as he approached the figure with his fist cocked back and ready to strike. The force of the magic allowed him to bypass the force of the wind as he flew inside before striking the figure inside as hard as he could, both falling down in a heap towards the ground.
"Bullseye!" Keemia laughed as her other teammates met her on the ground. "Looks like the wind's dying down too" she pointed out. She was correct, as Superboy's distraction was ample enough that it prevented the figure from keeping the tornado alive. However, the mystery figure was quick to stand up as he used another strong wind to toss Superboy back at the teens.
"Ekam a wollip ot hctac yobrepus!" Keemia cast quickly as a large cushion prevented Superboy from impacting the ground too painfully.
"Oh, thanks" the clone grinned before standing up again, as the mystery figure took to the air before approaching the young heroes.
"I must admit, while I expected to be confronted by opposition, I was not expecting to be assaulted by… children. However, the thought of killing mere children is rather disturbing…" the figure taunted, with his voice very clearly mechanized. He was large, easily nine feet tall, and his large body was made of metal. He had massive forearms, each equipped with large blue hoses that funnelled and focused artificially generated winds, which the figure now used to fly. These tubes ran to two large pressurized tanks of air on the figure's back. He was red and black in colour, with a ragged brown scarf wrapped around his neck, partially obscuring its face.
"Sorry you're so disturbed. Maybe you'll be a bit more turbed after we kick your can!" Tim yelled
"Besides, we didn't expect Red Tornado's younger brother to be hassling the general public. Guess we were both wrong" Barry snarked back, his goggles firmly fastened on his face.
"I assure you, I am far superior to that… archaic android imposter" the hulking figure sneered. "However, if you know where he is currently located, I would not be opposed to meeting him"
"Like that's gonna happen" Tim said before throwing two of his explosive discs at the robot. They were easily deflected by a minor wind, but Superboy and Kaldur were quick to follow, both poised to strike. The robot summoned a small tornado to send them back down to earth, with Kaldur colliding with M'Gann on his way back to earth.
"Niartser mih!" Keemia chanted, spinning her staff as large tendrils of dirt erupted from the earth before pulling the robot to ground level. "You got a name there tough guy? Or should we just call you this week's unlucky loser?"
The robot seemed unfazed as he suddenly summoned a massive tornado to free himself from his earth prison. "I do not wish for you insignificant annoyances to pester me any longer. However, you may call me Mister Twister" he boasted, before raising his right fist. A massive gale of wind erupted from his hand, drawing in the surrounding clouds as a massive thunderstorm suddenly brewed above him.
"Well, that's new" Barry muttered before rushing forwards as Kaldur, Superboy, and M'Gann were all swift to follow him. Mister Twister was ready however, as he suddenly fired numerous bolts of lightning from the cloud. Several of them struck the ground in front of him, forcing Barry to a screeching halt as his momentum caused him to skid across the open highway in front of him. The rest of the bolts struck Superboy and Kaldur, sending them crashing back down.
Keemia tried to shield herself from another one of the bolts, however, the force behind it sent her flying into M'Gann as they both crashed in front of Tim.
"Farewell children. I hope you have learned a lesson or two about challenging your superiors" Twister taunted before starting to fly away. "As for me, I have a van to pursue"
"Crap, that hurt" Keemia grimaced as she stood, helping M'Gann up. "Hey M'Gann, see if you can read his mind, let us know why exactly he's after that van"
"I thought I wasn't supposed to read minds?" the Martian girl asked timidly.
"It's okay when it's the bad guys!" Tim urged before she nodded quickly and focused her telepathy on Mister Twister's retreating form. She put all of the power that she could behind it, but quickly shook her head with a frown.
"I can't read his mind, it's like there's nothing there" she frowned.
"Oh, so it's Barry in the suit" Keemia smirked before receiving an elbow to the ribs courtesy of Kaldur.
"Guess that means we'll just have to beat the info out of him" Tim mused before drawing his utility belt and fastening it around his body like a makeshift bandolier.
"Seriously, you brought your utility belt?" Barry asked, his eyebrow raised almost disapprovingly.
"Never leave home without it. First thing Batman taught me"
"Yeah, right after 'never go to the bathroom without it'" Barry snarked before the team quickly took off in pursuit of the android menace.
"We need a plan here if we're gonna take this guy down!" Keemia urged.
Kaldur nodded before watching Twister continue to pursue the van, which had since managed to gain a fair bit of distance. "Tim, M'Gann. Take the Bioship and follow that van! See if you can find out whose inside and why Twister would want them. The rest of us will try and stall him"
Tim and M'Gann nodded before running back to the Bioship, while the others continued their charge after the escaping android.
"Looks like he's headed right into Happy Harbor!" Barry said, before Kaldur gave a grim nod.
"Then let's give him a proper welcome"
Tim and M'Gann quickly got back in the Bioship before taking off after the van quickly. Luckily, with their distraction for Mister Twister, the van was able to get well into Happy Harbor as the ship followed in camouflage mode.
"Any reading on the van's trajectory?" M'Gann asked as Tim watched the monitors.
He frowned a little as he studied the van's travelled paths. "Well without the need for any evasive action against Twisty, it looks like the van's headed for… Mount Justice?!"
"Mount Justice?" M'Gann repeated in surprise. "But what would they want there?"
"That's what we gotta find out" Tim grimaced. "Time to stop that van"
M'Gann nodded, bringing the ship out ahead before lifting the cloak and suddenly landing on the rod several meters ahead. The van skidded back and forth before screeching to a stop on its brakes. With the van stopped temporarily, Tim and M'Gann left the ship before running over.
"Hey, it's alright! We're friends! We just want to help you" Tim said, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.
"Well now that I know it's you, I should hope you would" an all too familiar voice called as the door to the van opened, revealing a large African-American woman. "Tim Drake, alias Robin. M'Gann M'Orzz, alias Miss Martian"
"Waller" Tim said in shock before scowling. "I should have known it would be someone like you"
"Wait, who is she? And why does she know our names?" M'Gann asked worriedly.
"Allow me to explain" Waller offered. "My name is Amanda Waller, former head of CADMUS. Currently I am head of ARGUS, as well as being a secondary liaison between the Justice League and the United States' government. Your secrets must be known by me to ensure that. And I have some sensitive information that must be delivered to the Batman. Immediately"
"Information about the CADMUS resurgence?" Tim asked.
"Indeed. As such, I am apparently a person of interest for this Mister Twister… as well as whoever it is that is leading them" Waller nodded. "But that's not all. I am also taking someone else with me… a person of interest for the Batman as it were" she revealed before the back door of the van opened, and a younger figure stepped out. M'Gann was confused by the new arrival, but Tim's eyes widened from behind his glasses as he recognized her.
"Well, I'm officially whelmed"
With his quarry long since gone, Twister was now left rather frustrated by his current failure. Unfortunately for the town of Happy Harbor, that meant he would be taking out his frustrations on the small populous as he sent numerous tornadoes through the streets near the seaside, ravaging the buildings and completely destroying several blocks.
He used yet another cyclone to pick up several boats from the harbour before throwing them around into buildings as the citizens all fled before him. "I may have temporarily failed my primary objective, but I can still complete my next one. Certainly this will get the required attention!" the android declared.
"You got ours, full and undivided!" Barry called, rushing towards him at top speed before leaping and delivering a solid kick to the robot's torso. Twister stumbled back slightly as Barry landed on the ground in a crouch.
"Immaterial and insufficient! You are a distraction I can no longer tolerate!" Twister said dismissively, raising his hands for another attack.
He would be stopped in his tracks as Superboy gave an enraged cry, diving down from the sky to strike the android. Twister only just avoided his attack, flying backwards as Superboy got into another ready stance. Twister fired two cyclones before launching them at the heroes, sending both Superboy and Barry flying back several meters.
"My turn now: Htrae tsif!" Keemia said before a massive fist made of Earth rose from the ground, following her actions as she used it to pummel the android over and over again. Mister Twister recovered quickly before firing a massive burst of lightning through the hand, forcing her to go on the defensive to block it.
"Come now! There must be a real hero around here somewhere!" Twister sighed, using another wind to knock her back into Barry, who was just standing from the previous attack as they both fell to the ground again.
Superboy tried another attack, before Twister lifted another boat, slamming it into the clone. Kaldur attempted to use his temporary distraction to attack again, but Twister was faster, throwing the Atlantean into the nearby town hall as another smaller twister chased after Barry.
"Noisolpxe!" Keemia called, twirling her staff as a small explosion detonated a Twister near the android, disorienting him long enough for Superboy to strike him with a wicked punch. Twister flicked his wrist however, and sent the clone flying through the sky with another column of wind, before retrieving yet another boat from the ocean and throwing it after the clone.
Kaldur crawled out of the wreckage of the town hall before Superboy landed in a crumpled heap next to him. The boat followed soon after, destroying the rest of the building and bringing it down to the ground. Kaldur was lucky enough to avoid the collapse before grabbing the motor from the newly destroyed boat and throwing it at Mister Twister.
Barry took cover behind another discarded boat before Keemia regrouped with him. "So, this could be going a lot better, couldn't it?" he asked sheepishly.
"You're telling me. At this point, I'm more worried about the trouble we'll be in for this property damage" she said with a grimace before the two friends shuddered at the thought. "We need a plan!"
Their request was soon answered as M'Gann's voice could be heard entering their minds telepathically. 'Listen to me! All of you!' she urged.
They all flinched at the sudden intrusion, but only in surprise. Keemia, in particular, seemed to recover more easily than the last time. Superboy, looked rather frustrated however. "What did we tell you?" he asked, enraged.
'I know! But I'm too far away to walk to you face to face, and this is important!' she urged before Robin continued, using their group telepathic link.
'We know who's in the van, and we can't allow them to be captured by Twister! They have League sensitive information with them!' the boy wonder explained.
'Okay, so we know why Twister wants them. But do you have a plan?' Keemia asked, recovering from the telepathy, and now focused on the mission again.
'Yes, but you're gonna have to listen to M'Gann' Tim continued, the Martian nodding to him gratefully.
Kaldur looked to the others, before they all nodded in agreement. 'Alright, what do you have for us?'
"Get back! Everyone clear the area!" an officer ordered, moving the last of the evacuees before he too fled an oncoming tornado. Mister Twister was swiftly losing patience, preparing to attack the four teens again, before Tim suddenly rejoined them.
"So what did I miss?" he asked as Barry shrugged.
"Eh, the usual"
"About three million dollars in insurance premiums" Keemia said bluntly before the air suddenly rushed overhead, as Red Tornado came in for a landing behind them.
"Hit the showers children. I was hoping you could handle this, clearly you cannot" the Leaguer chastised them.
"But we've got a plan now!" Tim complained.
"The subject is not up for debate" the android countered. The teens looked at him dejectedly before they reluctantly retreated. Twister seemed pleased by this as he nodded to Red Tornado almost appreciatively.
"I was beginning to believe you'd never show up!" Twister mocked.
"I'm here now!" Tornado declared before whipping up a cyclone and throwing it at Twister, who easily countered it with his own. Tornado easily dispelled Twister's own attempts to attack him with little effort. "We are evenly matched Twister!"
Red Tornado then formed one massive tornado before thrusting it forward, intent on tossing away the other android.
"No Tornado, we are not" Twister admonished, before punching the ground with incredible force. A large column of wind erupted from the ground, almost like a geyser, easily reflecting Tornado's attack. He then went on the offensive, firing numerous bolts of lightning at the hero. Tornado tried to dodge but one of the bolts struck a nearby boat, resulting in an explosion that knocked the android prone on the ground.
Twister was quick to capitalize on this as he rushed forward, standing over the fallen hero menacingly. "Remain still android" he urged, before raising his right hands. Several cables soon extended from the fingers before they went down and attached themselves to the fallen hero. "The reprogramming won't take long"
Red Tornado suddenly grasped the wires before his face shifted and contorted, revealing a smirking M'Gann. "Longer than you might think!"
"No…" Twister said in surprise before M'Gann pulled the cables out and threw Twister away with her telekinesis, causing him to fly into a tornado that Barry had made by spinning rapidly. The android was thrown back where Superboy caught him by the arm, delivering several vicious blows that easily went through his metal torso.
Superboy delivered a massive uppercut, sending the sparking android sliding into the ocean, where Kaldur was waiting. He struck the android with a discarded anchor before flooding him with several thousand volts of electricity, which sent him flying out of the water again and into the air, the force of the explosion severing his right arm.
He was only just landing on the ground before M'Gann lifted him again with her telekinesis, severing the other arm before dropping him on the round brutally. He slowly rose on his damaged legs before Keemia raised her hand with a smirk. "Ekam mih elibommi!" she cast, leaving the android unable to move.
With no other options, and surrounded by the regrouped heroes, the chest compartment of the android opened, before dropping a severely beaten and fatigued man on the ground. He was thin, very thin, with greying hair as he weakly pulled himself up to look at the kids fearfully.
"Foul… I call foul!" he stammered before M'Gann stepped forward, pulling a large chunk of rock from the ground with her telekinesis.
Kaldur saw what she was doing and looked at her in horror. "M'Gann no!"
But he was too late as she dropped the large rock on the man, crushing him entirely. The others looked on in surprise as Keemia's face turned a little green. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick" she murmured before Tim glared at M'Gann.
"Don't know how things are done on Mars, but on Earth we don't execute our captives!" he admonished her angrily, while she simply held a triumphant smirk.
"You said you trust me" she said before lifting the rock again, leaving a thoroughly crushed…. Robot?
"That's why I couldn't read his mind" she said as the Keemia sighed in relief.
"That makes me feel better" she admitted while Barry crouched next to the sparking remains to retrieve one of the destroyed android's eyeballs.
"Cool, souvenir" he grinned before pocketing it.
Kaldur nodded, placing a hand on M'Gann's shoulder. "We should have had more faith in you"
M'Gann smiled at him gratefully before Barry chimed in. "Yeah, you rocked this mission! Get it? Rocked? Heh" he joked before Keemia elbowed his ribs at the bad joke.
"Ignore him. We're all just turbed you're on the team" Tim grinned.
"Heh, thanks. Me too" M'Gann nodded
Unbeknownst to all of the heroes, the remaining eye on the android was still active, and it watched the six carefully, sending a signal elsewhere.
"Now Brom, aren't you relieved I didn't let you wear the armour?" a voice asked jovially as he and his assistant watched the camera feed that the now destroyed android had sent them. His assistant looked exactly like the duplicate robot inside the armour, nodding quickly before he turned to look at the other man.
"Extremely professor, but you're not upset?" Brom asked nervously. Professor T.O. Morrow simply chuckled, shaking his head.
"I'm convinced our tracking program was operational. And that the real Tornado was somewhere in the vicinity. Not only that, but our targets in the van were discovered and recovered almost immediately, which will be sure to please our allies in spite of our failure to capture them" he assured him. "Besides, you know science advances in fits and starts. Even failure can be instructive, and I'd say we learned quite a lot today"
Back inside Mount Justice, the team was quick to call Batman to report what had happened today. The detective arrived with Shocker in tow, and met with both the team and Red Tornado, finding the remains of the android on the table. Shocker immediately set to work, using his own skills with technology to study the pieces.
"It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy Tornado" Kaldur said as Shocker seemed to shake his head in disagreement.
"Not quite. A lot of the components here were made for reprogramming" he mused. "I'd need to call the Atom and have him double-check, but I think this android here wanted to capture our friend Tornado"
"That is… a most alarming thing to note" he said with a frown, looking at the thoroughly destroyed remains. "One wonders who would wish to do such a thing, and why"
"You kids did the right thing, stopping that rogue android" Batman nodded. "Despite the destruction today, there were few injuries and no fatalities to report. Wayne Enterprises will be covering the repair costs themselves" he assured them.
"That's good to hear. But there is something else you should know" Keemia said.
"And what would that be?" Batman asked curiously.
"Twister had another target. We initially found him pursuing a van. A van that was on its way to Mount Justice" Tim said as Batman's eyes narrowed.
"And do we know why this van was driving to Mount Justice?"
"Because I needed to speak to you" Amanda Waller said, entering the room. Batman immediately fixed her with his patented bat-glare, but as always she was unmoved by it.
"Waller. You have some explaining to do" Batman said seriously.
"And I'll do it" she nodded before handing Batman a file. "This holds all of the information I could scrape up about the newly remade CADMUS. I assure you I had no part in it. Eiling is still in prison for attacking your teammates almost a year ago, Hamilton is still in retirement, and Tala was KIA before Darkseid's invasion according to our intel. This means that someone else had to have started it"
Batman frowned as he looked through the files. "And this is all you have?"
"The information on this new group is scarce. Whoever started this one, is good at covering their tracks. And reusing old data" she grimaced. "However, there should at least be something there for you to look over" she shrugged.
Batman gave her another nod as Shocker left through the teleporter to return to the Watchtower, while Red Tornado simply left for elsewhere within the mountain. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I heard of this team you're putting together, and saw them in action today. They're a little… rough around the edges, but I think they'll do good work" she said, folding her arms as she looked to them all. "And I believe I have someone who would fit right in on this team"
Any and all neutrality left his face as he glared harshly at her. "You don't mean-"
"Oh, but I do" she nodded before looking behind her. "You can come in now" Waller called before another figure entered the room, the same girl who Tim and M'Gann saw exit the van earlier. She was sixteen years old, and appeared to be on the thinner side. Her hair was black and hung down to her shoulders, framing her face gently, with a small barrette keeping it out of her eyes. A small barrette shaped like the clubs suit from a deck of cards.
She wore a black and white costume, two-toned, and divided vertically down her body. It was sleeveless, and left her legs bare, aside from the boots she wore that reached her mid thighs. On her wrists and extended half-way up her forearms were what appeared to be bracelets, matching the colours of her uniform. Her right half was black, and the left half white. A small black insignia of the clubs suit was over her heart.
She looked at Batman sheepishly, nodding nervously as she blushed under his gaze. "H-hello Mr. Batman"
"Ace…" he whispered before turning to Waller with barely concealed anger. "Explain yourself. NOW!"
"After the incident all those years ago, you had thought she passed away. The aneurysm having killed her. It was to my own surprise that it miraculously only left her comatose" Waller revealed. "I took her body away and left her in stasis. I couldn't allow her to die"
"Didn't want to waste an asset?" the dark knight asked accusingly.
"I didn't want a child to pass away because of my own arrogant actions!" she admonished him before continuing. "Unfortunately, none of the technology I had on hand was sufficient enough to save her. But I didn't want to just give up hope. However, it was then I realized that nothing in our world could save her…"
"But something from Flint's might be able to" Batman surmised as Keemia's eyes winded in shock.
"You went to my homeworld?" she asked in surprise as her teammates looked at her in shock.
"Indeed. However, when I arrived, it wasn't a technology that I had found" she said. "After speaking to a Doctor Reed Richards, I was instead directed to a young man by the name of Joshua Foley, or as the X-Men would know him as, Elixir"
"Elixir healed you?" Keemia asked Ace, who nodded shyly.
"He did a remarkable job. Not only was she healed from the ill-effects of the aneurysm, but she was now in perfect health entirely" Waller said with a smile. "With Ace now healed, I opted to take her in myself. I don't really have a family to speak of, so it was just her and I for the last few years. I spent that time helping her to train her powers, and she has grown in her control exponentially. However, she was denied a proper childhood. So, I brought her to you, hoping that your team could help her to achieve this"
Batman seemed to think about this for a moment, before looking at Ace's expression again. The girl seemed hopeful that he would agree. After almost a minute, he nodded. "Alright, but she won't be on the team just yet. I want to see her training for myself before she enters the field"
"Agreed" Amanda nodded before her gaze softened. "Thank you for this Bruce. It means a lot to her"
Batman was silent before nodding again. "It's no trouble. I think she'll fit in well"
Amanda turned to Ace before gesturing to the others. "Go ahead, introduce yourself" Amanda offered as Ace stepped forward to the team shyly.
Barry blinked a few times before looking to Keemia. "You're from another dimension?!"
"Not the time Barry" she hissed before looking at Ace. "Hi, I'm Keemia Marko, but my hero alias is Djinn" she greeted.
"Nice to meet you Keemia. My name is Ashley Walch, but I guess you know me as Ace" she said shyly, shaking her hand.
'She's kinda cute' Keemia thought to herself before Ace blushed and looked away suddenly.
"Something wrong?" Kaldur asked.
"N-no. My powers include telepathy. I sometimes accidentally hear what people are thinking" she admitted as Keemia took her own turn to blush darkly.
"What other powers do you have?" M'Gann asked excitedly.
"Telekinesis, and illusion casting. I can also warp reality a little" she shrugged. "But it takes a lot of energy"
"Well, allow me to be the first to say, welcome to the team" Kaldur said amicably.
"Thank you" Ace nodded gratefully.
"Well Ashley, why don't we make the rest of our introduction during a little tour of the cave?" Keemia offered.
"I'd like that" Ace said shyly before Keemia lead her and Kaldur through the halls of the base.
"Speedy was so wrong" Barry grinned as he and Tim followed behind.
"This team thing?" Tim grinned.
"Might just work out" Kaldur finished.
Superboy went to follow after them at first, before turning back to look at M'Gann. He seemed pensive at first, trying to come up with what to say, but nothing seeming quite right. Finally, he cleared his throat before looking at M'Gann, giving her a small nod. "Sorry" he said, almost in a whisper, before walking off.
M'Gann looked at him in surprise for a moment before her gaze softened, and a smile slowly broke out across her lips.
And boom! Another chapter done!
First of all, a big congratulations to CRUDEN, rmarcano321, xbox432, MajorBrony95, Dion ComicWiz, and 7-Eleventh for guessing correctly that Ace has joined the team! Well, technically she hasn't joined yet. But she will. And just in time for monkeys!
I will admit, that Ace's farewell episode and death in the original Justice League Unlimited was incredibly tragic and is probably one of the best episodes of the entire series. But as soon as I started my planning for this sequel, I had an idea for her spring up and I just couldn't let it go. I have to see it through, so now you know how she survived. And on top of that, Waller has access to the Marvel Universe (Oddly enough, this won't be leading to anything in the future).
While you may have guessed this character correctly, there are still two more who are going to join the team. Yes, this version of the team will have ten members! One is a canon character, the other is an OC of my own design; a child of two of the characters from the previous story, Sandman Unlimited.
I will put forward a challenge now to guess them correctly. Guess the canon character, then guess who the OC will be the child of. I'm curious to see if any one gets it right.
And Amanda Waller now has a more closely tied relationship to the League. That should be fun to explore in the future.
Mister Twister being after her is also a good way to tie up lose ends regarding CADMUS being made without her knowledge. Someone wants to keep the Wall quiet. But nothing on Earth can scare the wall. NOTHING!
But for now, the team is a solid six group. Ready for anything!
But will they be ready for, the Drop-Zone?
As always be sure to read and review! I love them all, and I can't wait to see your guesses!
Ciao for now!
~WafflesTheApprentice