Hello once again, my faithful and awesome readers! This is SuperHeroTimeFan coming back to you with another new chapter of my best story yet, Path of the Padawan! I'd just like to thank all those who have helped me to get this far. Thank you Christian Jedi, JacklyinKarst, Logan GC, Flaming Dragon, RozenMaiden7, KrautYank, Chris Adair, Ocnarf and many of the numerous Guest reviewers for helping me to get this far in my awesome story! Now, as usual, I'll answer everyone's questions first before I start my new chapter. KrautYank, thank you for clearing up the 'Yo Joe' thing, I was getting confused. Ocnarf, Ahsoka will end up saving a little child, but not yet. Also, ORDER is not being controlled by the Sith Lords, and Sylas is not being trained by a Sith Lord either, and to add onto that, Batman and Cad Bane will have a rematch soon, but not just yet. Now, since I have already answered everyone's questions, I guess I'll start my new chapter! Please feel free to review, rate and as always, please enjoy!
Chapter 17: Walk this Way
Star City March 1st 0821 hours
It was raining hard in Star City as Sportsmaster and Lex Luthor were overseeing one of their operations. The League of Shadows had set up a giant drill. As many members of the League of Shadows were at work, Sportsmaster looked down to the operations in awe and wonder. "With this weapon, we'll be able to find the entrance to any hidden base of operations within a two-hundred thirty eight mile radius. No one will be safe." Sportsmaster stated. The billionaire smirked and nodded in agreement. "Even with this new ORDER around, not even they will be able to hide from us." Lex Luthor added on. The two operatives of the Light snickered silently to each other.
From a swamp nearby, Aqualad led Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, Zatanna and Rocket against the operation. Robin scoffed at what was going on. "So the Light laid their weapon as what, an overgrown gardening tool?" the Boy Wonder joked. Artemis looked to the Boy Wonder and scowled. "They're looking for tunnels going under the globe and into all secret or public bases, like the White House or Area 51." The archer explained. Kid Flash looked to Aqualad and scoffed. "There are no tunnels leading anywhere to the bases, Kaldur. I wish we did, but the military has set up defenses on every headquarters the government has got." Wally stated. Kaldur sighed and continued to watch. "Without M'gann, Superboy, Ahsoka or Rebel to help us, we're at a slight disadvantage." The Atlantean stated. Zatanna looked to Rocket with worriment in her eyes. "If they dig deep enough, you know what they could break into." Rocket stated. Zatanna nodded. "I know. They could break into the Cave, or possibly even STAR Labs or something." Zatanna replied. Robin then looked back to their leader and nodded. "We're all ready, so what's our signal?" he asked. As if karma occurred, the sound of Kid Flash's chomping caught their attention, including the Shadows'. Kaldur unsheathed his swords and looked to the enemies. "I think that's our signal!" Aqualad responded.
At that moment, the Team found themselves being attacked from all around by Shadow Assassins. Robin twirled into the air and roundhouse kicked Vordigan. Artemis shot an arrow at Bane while Kid Flash clashed with Shimmer. As the Team was fighting, Artemis started to laugh. Robin looked to her and raised an eyebrow as he clashed Vordigan with Bola Sticks. "What's gotten into you?" he asked. Artemis sighed and pushed away Bane. "It just feels good to finally be fighting the Shadows instead of ORDER. The Terror Titans are off of our backs for now." She stated. Robin chuckled and continued to fight. Zatanna cast a spell at Felix Faust while Rocket and Aqualad ran up to fight against Black Manta and Mercy Graves. Kaldur leapt over a Manta Trooper and kicked at Black Manta while Raquel jumped over one of the Shadow Assassins and punched away Mercy.
Up above on another building nearby, Striker watched the whole fiasco and chuckled. "It's time to start the party." He quipped. With that, he snapped his finger and an ORDER operative soldier walked up with a box and opened it up. Inside of it was a golden, curved horn. Striker looked down and chuckled. "This is the perfect opportunity to test out the Trance Sounder." Striker stated sinisterly. "Soon, the Light and the Justice League will know never to mess with ORDER affairs." He stated. The operative chuckled as Victor got the horn ready.
Meanwhile, as Aqualad and Rocket were still battling Black Manta and Mercy, Mammoth arrived. She jumped up onto the platform and threw Aqualad and Rocket over the side of the massive drill into the swamp below. As that was happening, Faust was levitating Zatanna into the air as she was thrown along as well. The three fell into the swamp and started to sink.
Right then, Striker sounded the new ORDER device. The Trance Sounder played a tune so loud that the Soundwave spread and hit everyone in battle. Artemis clashed her broken bow with Vordigan and started to push him forwards into the ravine. Before she could, the sound of the Trance Sounder hit her and her eyes started to widen. Robin had just kicked away Shimmer and before the two could hit each other; the sounds hit them as well. Kid Flash and Bane had also stopped due to Striker playing the Trance Sounder. Every member, with the League or the Light, all stopped fighting and became wide-eyed. Aqualad, Rocket and Zatanna soon got up after the tune was played and started to gasp for air. Zatanna looked around and gasped. "What's going on?" she asked. Everyone, both friend and foe, started to look to the three remaining heroes with blank expressions on their faces.
Up above on the rooftop, Striker smiled and looked to the horn with satisfaction. "Our test run went quite perfectly." He stated. The operative nodded as Striker put the Trance Sounder away. Unbeknownst to them, there was a short figure watching them as the horn was placed away. As the two walked away, the hooded figure walked up silently and snuck the horn away.
"This is excellent." Jaybo stated as he unmasked himself and gazed at the horn. He looked around for signs of anyone else and then ran way after closing the box, leaving it the way it was. On the ground below, Serra and Saw waited for him. Jaybo jumped down and nodded. "I've got the weapon." He stated. Serra smiled and the three ran to their speeders and drove out of the area, unnoticed by anyone at all.
Mount Justice 1006 hours
Recognized Miss Martian B-0-5, Superboy B-0-4 Ahsoka Tano B-1-1 Rebel B-1-2 the female computer voice announced as the four teens entered the Cave. Ahsoka, Lux, M'gann and Connor had just gotten back from a half-day at school and were very excited. Ahsoka has a guitar on her back while M'gann and Connor were talking about what to do for the dance. Lux, on the other hand, was thinking about the dance. "I wonder what it will be like to 'let loose' as the rest of the student body says." The Senator said to himself. Ahsoka started to strum away on her new guitar, intrigued by the way it sounded. "This is interesting indeed." Ahsoka said. M'gann and Connor walked over to the Togrutan with smiles on their faces. "So, are you planning on coming to the dance tonight?" the Martian asked. Ahsoka smiled and chuckled. "You bet. The music instructor gave me this guitar after toying around with it and he says that I might be quite the entertainment." Ahsoka replied. Lux walked over and cleared his throat. "Ahsoka, would you like to go with me?" Lux asked. Ahsoka's eyes widened immediately as she dropped her instrument and ran over to give Lux a hug. M'gann and Connor watched in amusement as Ahsoka started to laugh. "Heck, I'll go with you if it's the last thing I do before I die." She stated happily.
Connor and M'gann looked to them happily as Miss Martian chuckled. "I bet this is the best time you've ever had in your whole Jedi life, huh?" she asked. Ahsoka looked to her as she shifted back into her original skin and nodded no. "In the Jedi Order, there was never a time for fun." Ahsoka explained. M'gann suddenly gasped at this and nodded. "I'm so sorry." She stated. Ahsoka walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not a problem. I miss being part of the Jedi Order myself, but it's great to be with you and the rest of the Team." Ahsoka replied back reassuringly. Connor chuckled and patted her on the back. "Being a Jedi would sure sound great to me." The Kryptonian boy stated. Once again, Ahsoka chuckled with joy. "My chances of returning to the Jedi are very slim, but I promise that if I do get back in, I'll find a place for all of the Team." Ahsoka said. M'gann laughed and threw her arms around Ahsoka. "You're more than a friend, Ahsoka." M'gann exclaimed. Ahsoka smiled and hugged Miss Martian back. "You're more to me than I could have ever asked for." Ahsoka replied back. The two giggled as they shared a good moment with each other.
Just then, Aqualad, Zatanna and Rocket entered the room, panting. Black Canary and Captain Marvel, placing towels over their wet bodies, accompanied them. The four Team members in the room gasped as they saw them, all three of them dripping with water. Ahsoka and M'gann ran up to them and started to wipe the dirt off of them. "What happened? Where's the rest of the Team?" Ahsoka asked very anxiously. Zatanna coughed and shivered as she sat down with a towel around her body. "Right now, the ORDER's enthralled Robin, Artemis and Wally, as well as the League of Shadows, to help build a giant drill that will expose tunnels leading to every known base in the world." The mage explained. M'gann gasped and looked to Aqualad. "Wait a minute! Why are the others and the Light helping ORDER?" the young Martian female asked. Kaldur placed his hands on his head and looked to the rest of the Team. "I-I don't know! T-t-they just stopped fighting! All the Shadows stopped too!" Aqualad explained. Rocket sneezed as she looked up to continue. "They all just stood there, staring, until that Striker guy gave them a command." Raquel exclaimed.
Captain Marvel paced around the room, thinking about all of this. "Guys, this is just the Wisdom of Solomon speaking here, but legend tells about a similar effect. They call the minions 'Transmarchers'." Billy explained. Black Canary looked up to him and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to them? How do we snap them out of it?" Ahsoka asked with much anxiety. Billy looked down and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe Doctor Fate would know the answer, but someone needs to take care of that drill." The captain replied back. Ahsoka and the rest of the Team nodded. "Let's go." Aqualad ordered.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Happy Harbor, Serra walked with Saw and Jaybo as they all looked at the mysterious horn. "If the ORDER was able to put a whole army under their command with this, then we'd better make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands." Serra stated. The two males on her team nodded as Jaybo grabbed it to place a detonator on. "Step back." Jaybo ordered. The three took a couple of steps back before Jaybo pressed a button on his gauntlet. All of a sudden, the Trance Sounder exploded. As the smoke cleared, the three gasped to see that it was still intact! Serra sighed as she activated a lightsaber blade and slashed at it. Still, nothing happened. Serra groaned as she soon picked it up. "Let's just throw it in with the rest of the junk and hope that we can get back to our true goal: finding Ahsoka and Lux." Serra ordered. Saw and Jaybo nodded as Saw threw it into a nearby dumpster. The three then walked off to their speeders and went to continue finding Ahsoka.
Star City 1127 hours
Aqualad led the Team to where ORDER was using the Light's drill. Ahsoka looked at the scene with uneasiness as their friends were being used to bodyguard the area while Sportsmaster foresaw the operations as usual. Miss Martian then looked down to the Transmarchers nervously and gulped. "They're all in a danger zone." M'gann stated. Connor chuckled and opened up the hatch. "Then we send them a subtle warning." He quipped, winking to his girlfriend. M'gann smiled as Connor jumped out of the hatch. He landed on the ground with a thud, but some people heard this. Striker looked over to Robin and craned his neck. "Check it out." He ordered. The mind-controlled Robin nodded as he leapt to where Connor had landed.
Superboy looked at the drill and slammed his fists against the ground, causing an earthquake to occur. The drill started to sink into the ground as many of the zombified workers fell. Aqualad then jumped out and unsheathed his Water-Bearers. "Everybody into the pool!" he yelled. With that, several fountains started to spout from the lake around them and caught the falling workers. The rest of the Team jumped down as Striker's eye caught them.
"So the Team has finally arrived." He said to himself. Victor scoffed and pointed to the Team. "No matter, Transmarchers, resist them!" Striker commanded. Rocket and Zatanna worked to pick everyone up as the brainwashed members of the Team charged in. Zatanna landed some Shadow Assassins down as Robin soon came face to face with her. The mage sighed and held her hands up in surrender. "I don't want to hurt you, Robin." Zatanna reasoned, but Robin replied to this by unsheathing a Bo staff. Zatanna scoffed and threw off her blazer and boots. "If that's how you want it." She stated. She then unsheathed her wand as the two charged at each other aggressively.
Miss Martian floated over to her boyfriend until Kid Flash started to circle around her. Miss Martian gasped as she levitated Wally into the air. "I'm either going to have fun getting back at you for flirting with me, or I'm going to regret doing this a lot." M'gann stated. The speedster growled as Miss Martian placed him back on the ground. As Wally got into a battle stance, so did Miss Martian. The two grunted as they charged in at each other.
Meanwhile, Robin and Zatanna were clashing with each other. As the two locked weapons onto one another, Zatanna pushed him away and shot a spell at him. Before Robin could even get up, Zatanna trampled and kissed him right on the lips while holding him tight. Robin struggled to let go, but Zatanna just held the mind-controlled Boy Wonder even tighter and began kneeling in closer. Robin struggled to get loose as Zatanna still kept her grasp on the Boy Wonder. I don't care about air; I just need enough time to figure out a way to get him and the others out of the trance! Zatanna thought to herself. Robin unsheathed a fiber cord and started to strangle Zatanna, but she used her wand to wrap it around both of them as she continued to kiss. Soon, Zatanna started to pant for an amount of air as her eyes began to close, but she still pressed on.
Finally, Robin knocked his head against hers, letting them both loose. Zatanna gasped for air as Robin unsheathed a pocketknife and broke loose. Zatanna gasped as Robin sent her to the ground. Zatanna was now the one who was struggling to get loose. She gasped when she saw where they were. Robin had savagely held them both under the spike of the large drill! Striker looked at this and snarled sinisterly. "Release the spike!" he commanded. "Help me!" Zatanna yelled out.
At that moment, Ahsoka Force-Pushed the spike out of the way as Rebel helped the young mage to escape. Robin chased after them, but Rebel was able to push her aside as he soon shot a stun blast towards the Boy Wonder. As Lux smiled, an arrow was suddenly shot at his cloak, sending him into a wall. Rebel and Ahsoka both gasped to see a mind-controlled Artemis aiming her bow at the Senator. Lux struggled to get loose as the archer drew closer. As she got close enough, Ahsoka tackled her and sent her to the ground. As Ahsoka started to get up, so did Artemis. She smirked as she revealed that she had snatched Ahsoka's shoto. The Togrutan scoffed and stood up as they both got to a safe distance away from each other on the dam they were on.
"I don't want to have to fight you, Artemis." Ahsoka stated. Artemis remained silent, as she just looked straight at the Ex-Jedi. "So be it, then." Ahsoka sighed. She activated her blue lightsaber as Artemis activated the shoto. Ahsoka got into a fighting stance as Artemis looked to the Ex-Jedi with a smirk on her face. Ahsoka watched as she started to lower her blade. Artemis made a gesture for the Togrutan to come forwards, as if she were taunting her. Ahsoka growled and charged right at Artemis. The archer watched as Ahsoka charged in aggressively. You can't do this, Artemis! Remember who you are! A voice said in the archer's head. The mind-controlled Artemis looked around before gasping as she held up the stolen lightsaber in defense. Ahsoka knocked it aside and prepared to attack again.
Ahsoka continued to knock her blade aside with every attempt at defense until the Togrutan brought her blade onto her. Artemis blocked the blade before Ahsoka sent a quick punch. Artemis grunted as she was knocked back. Ahsoka looked to Artemis with regret before she charged in at her again to bring her blade down upon her. Artemis looked up and her mind started to talk to her again. You can fight this, Artemis! Don't give up! The voice stated. Artemis just grunted as she kicked away Ahsoka. Ahsoka looked to Artemis and scoffed. "Come back to us, Artemis. It doesn't have to end this way." Ahsoka stated. Artemis remained silent as she tightened her grip on the lightsaber hilt. With that, she charged once again at Ahsoka. Ahsoka gasped as she blocked the blade with her own high into the air. Artemis circled around her as she pushed the Ex-Jedi back.
Finally, Ahsoka slashed Artemis away and unsheathed her secondary lightsaber. "I'm sorry about this, Artemis." She said. Artemis watched deadpan as Ahsoka was soon equipped with her arm-mounted crossbow. After sheathing her sword into the scabbard, Ahsoka pulled it out again to reveal an aqua-colored lightsaber sparkling in her hands. Artemis gulped a bit as she started to back away. Ahsoka then violently slashed towards her archer friend before pushing her back a couple of feet away.
Meanwhile, M'gann continued to battle Wally. The speedster was tough, but Miss Martian's strength was better than his. As Wally charged into her to drive his fist into her chest, Miss Martian levitated him into the air before throwing him towards Robin. The speedster landed with a grunt as he hit Robin. "It's time to go!" Miss Martian called through her psychic link. Aqualad looked to her and nodded. Ahsoka broke off with Artemis and regained her shoto as she began to regroup with what was left of the Team. "Girl, don't fail me now!" M'gann begged as she called upon the Bioship. Soon, the Martian Bioship floated over them as the seven Team members jumped on. "It will take us time to get them back on our side." Zatanna stated as she put a towel over her body. Rocket nodded as the lost members of the Team looked up to them savagely.
Meanwhile, Striker was inside of the warehouse, bowing before a hologram of his master, Sylas. "Do not tell me you have failed." Sylas demanded. Striker cursed under his breath as he remained in his kneeling position. "A temporary setback, my master, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with a few thousand more Transmarchers." Striker stated. With that, Sylas' hologram fizzed away as the ORDER soldier brought up the box with the Trance Sounder in it. As he opened it up, Striker gasped with shock. "The Trance Sounder, it's gone!" he exclaimed. He then grabbed his gun and shot the very soldier who brought him the box. "The thief will rue his miscalculation!" Striker yelled loud enough for the Transmarchers to hear.
Meanwhile, on the Bioship, Ahsoka and a drying Zatanna were listening in on Captain Marvel with a report. "Okay, so Doctor Fate told me how to reverse the effect of this Trance Sounder. A certain tune has to be played in order for it to work, so listen carefully." Captain Marvel ordered. "We're ready, Captain." Lux stated. Marvel then played the tune for the cure of the effect of the Trance Sounder. It was first three 'A' notes followed by a low 'B' note, which repeated twice, and then 'F G C# C#', back to the first eight notes. Ahsoka nodded and looked to the Team. "I have an idea, but you'll need to buy me some time." Ahsoka stated. Aqualad turned around and raised an eyebrow. "What is your plan?" he asked. Ahsoka smiled. "I'm gonna bring the ruckus." She quipped.
Happy Harbor 1529 hours
Karen Beecher walked out of the backdoor of her apartment as she brought a trash bag with her. She stopped by the dumpster and sighed. "I'm gonna be so grounded if I can't explain where I was this afternoon!" she stated to herself. She started to ponder the many excuses she could use to get to go to the dance. "Oh! Study group! Nah, I've already used that one three times!" Karen cursed to herself. Sighing, she dumped the garbage into the dumpster. All of a sudden, there was a loud 'clang' sound. Karen gasped in confusion and raised an eyebrow. She reached into the dumpster and pulled out what appeared to be a golden horn. Karen looked at it with confusion. "Weird, it looks so brand new." Karen said to herself. Suddenly, she gasped with wonder as an idea came into her head. "I was at my 'whatever-this-thing-is' lesson, because I'm joining the school band!" Karen exclaimed happily, holding the horn up into the air. Karen then sighed as she caressed the horn carefully. "That's good!" she said to herself. Curiously, the Bumblebee then blew into the horn to hear what it sounded like. The sound of the instrument was strange. Karen looked at it one last time before walking back into her house. Unbeknownst to her, the horn was actually the Trance Sounder!
Inside of Karen's apartment, the sound of the Trance Sounder spread into the kitchen, where Karen's father was working. Mr. Beecher immediately stopped what he was doing and stood still. At that moment, Karen walked into the kitchen and cleared her throat. "Um, Dad, I'm sorry I was late today, but I really wanna go to the dance tonight, plus I also need to meet my friends tonight, so–" Karen started out quickly, but Mr. Beecher cut her off. "As you wish." He stated monotonously. Karen gasped at what he said. Her father would usually never allow her to skip anything for fun! "Really, you mean it?! Get out of here!" she yelled. "As you wish." Mr. Beecher repeated once again. Karen's father then left the water running as he walked out the door and into the lobby to get to the restaurant nearby, in which Karen followed.
At the restaurant, Snapper Carr walked in and looked to Mr. Beecher. "Good evening, Jonathan. Table for one, please." The teacher asked. Karen ran over and cleared her throat once again. "Uh, hi, Mr. Carr." She said nervously. She then turned to her father and pulled on his shirt. "Dad, wake up!" she whispered. She coughed before gesturing her hand to the left side of the room. "How about you take the table by the window?" Karen asked her homeroom teacher. At that moment, John walked over and once again stated, "As you wish." Karen and Snapper looked in shock and confusion as Mr. Beecher lifted up one of the tables and placed it next to the window. Snapper looked to Karen with confusion as the cheerleader just rubbed the back of her neck. "He's been under a lot of stress lately." She explained, though in an unsure tone. "Well, I've gotta go now." Karen said, twiddling her fingers at the teacher. Snapper waved back before Karen ran back to him. "Oh, and I'd like to donate this to the school band." She added on. Finally, she left. "Bye, Dad, don't wait up for me!" she yelled. At that moment, Jonathan fell face-flat onto the ground and snored, causing the teacher to gasp.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka returned to the Cave as the rest of the Team started to set up places in the city to look out for the Transmarchers. Connor and M'gann went back to school with Lux as Ahsoka just practiced the song in front of a captured Transmarcher. Ahsoka gulped and then strummed on her guitar. She then played the same tune Billy played for her. She started out softly at first, but then went faster and louder. At that moment, the Transmarcher snapped out of his trance. "Where am I?" he asked himself. Ahsoka smiled and went into another room to practice while Black Canary helped the man get to a safe place.
Happy Harbor High School 1600 hours
At the football field in the Happy Harbor High School, Marvin White played the new 'horn' in front of the whole school marching band. Immediately, the marching band's eyes went wide as Marvin laughed with excitement. "Yow! This new thing's great! I just wish we could practice marching too!" Marvin stated out loud. At that moment, the Transmarchers Marvin accidently made started to march forwards. Marvin looked to them in confusion as he kept the horn in his hands. "Hey, wait up!" he yelled. As if on command, the tuba player in front of Marvin stopped, causing Marvin to crash into him painfully.
Meanwhile, at the front of the school, Connor, M'gann, Lux, Wendy, Karen and Mal all met together. "I've got some big news, everyone!" Karen yelled. Everyone looked to her with great interest. "I kinda/almost/nearly got a date to the dance!" she exclaimed. M'gann spread her arms out with joy as she smiled to the cheerleader. "That's great! Who's the kinda/almost/nearly lucky guy? Is it Mal?" the Martian asked. Mal stepped up and nodded as he placed his arms around Karen. "We're so lucky together." He stated. Wendy looked to Lux and smiled. "Did Ashley already ask you out?" she asked. Lux smiled and nodded. "It was actually the other way around." He explained. Wendy scoffed and sighed. "I'm the only one without a date." She muttered to herself.
All of a sudden, a marching band member walked past Wendy and bumped her aside, much to the cheerleader's surprise. Connor looked to them and chuckled. "Hey, look at that, the marching band's grouped ditching school." He quipped. The rest of the group looked back to see the rest of the marching band walk out of the school and into the streets. All of a sudden, Lux's eyes widened. "Wait a minute; I've seen that look before." He stated. M'gann looked in closer and then gasped. Connor and Lux gasped as well as they knew what was happening. M'gann set up a psychic link with Connor, Lux, Mal and Karen as she pointed at the mindless marchers. "They're Transmarchers, and it's spread to Happy Harbor!" she stated worryingly. The marching band was soon out of the school and into the streets. One car stopped immediately as the driver sounded the horn impatiently. Marvin ran up behind the marching band quickly as he rejoined them on what he was thinking was just a practice.
Lux sighed and looked to M'gann and Connor, who nodded. Mal and Karen nodded as well as they all started to run out of the school. Wendy looked to them confusingly. "Where are you going?" she yelled out. "We need to stop the marchers before they get themselves hurt!" Lux yelled back. "Stay there!" M'gann and Karen added on. Wendy nodded as she twiddled her fingers to them in a 'farewell and good luck' gesture. Something is always going on with them. I wonder what it is. Wendy thought to herself. As she was thinking, she didn't notice three people watching them from a distance away.
Aqualad, Zatanna and Rocket all gathered by the park to regroup. "I've found nothing yet." Rocket stated, in which Zatanna nodded in agreement. Aqualad sighed and looked to the side. "We need some sort of way to find out where the Trance Sounder is." He reminded the two girls. Just then, M'gann flew in with Connor, Lux, Mal and Karen in tow. "Happy Harbor is now filled with Transmarchers." Karen stated. Aqualad gasped and sighed. "We now know what our primary objective is: we need to find that horn and destroy it, so that everyone can get back to normal." Aqualad stated. Zatanna sighed and looked down to her feet sadly. "Even if it means the lives of Robin, Artemis and Wally." The mage stated. As the Team was thinking to themselves, Karen thought about what happened earlier and gasped. "Uh, did you say 'horn'?" she asked. The rest of the Team looked to her as she squirmed and placed her arm around her back to grab her other one. "Is it about this big and kind of gold-and-shiny-like?" she asked nervously. Aqualad gasped and smiled. "Yes! Where is it?" he asked. Karen started to think as she sweated with nervousness. "Uh, from the trash to my apartment to the restaurant to…" Karen started out before gasping and squealing. "Oh no, the school band!" she squealed in a high-pitched voice. Aqualad grew a stern face as he turned away. "We have to destroy it! Go to the school, and I'll keep an eye out for ORDER, wherever they may be." The Atlantean commanded.
At that moment, Ahsoka ran in. "Am I late?" she asked snippily. Lux smiled and chuckled. "How is your plan coming along?" the Senator asked. Ahsoka smiled and pulled out her guitar. "I can play the tune, but I'll need some cover." She stated. Aqualad nodded and looked to Lux and Connor. "Make sure that she succeeds." Aqualad ordered. The two males nodded as Karen and Mal stepped up. "We'll help as best as we can." Mal proclaimed. Aqualad smiled and nodded. "Let's go, Team." He ordered. The rest of the Team nodded as they went their separate ways.
Meanwhile, the people of Happy Harbor were having a relaxing time. Couples walked along the streets, girls cradled in their boyfriends' arms. As a man was getting a hotdog from a salesman, the marching band marched in. The manager and the customer looked to each other and chuckled at their playing, but soon became wide-eyed as the Trance Sounder hit them. The manager came out of his stand as many civilians and bystanders stopped what they were doing and started to follow the out-of-tune band. Drivers got out of their vehicles and walkers started to change course to follow them.
A while later on, Aqualad, Zatanna, Miss Martian and Rocket ran or flew into the empty city. "Oh no, the whole town's gone Transmarcher!" Zatanna stated. Aqualad sighed as he turned his attention to Miss Martian. "M'gann, sound can be thought through the mind. Can you try to track the marching band?" he asked. M'gann nodded and held her fingers up to her head to concentrate. Soon, the sound of the Trance Sounder, as well as the marching band, came into her mind. "I hear the horn, and about six, really out-of-tune clarinets!" she stated. Raquel looked to her with her arms crossed and chuckled. "Thank you, Radio M'gann!" she quipped. "Let's go!" Aqualad ordered.
As they ran across town, though, Cad Bane and Xever were watching over them. "I hope that this is all worth more than money can give." Cad Bane retorted to Xever. Xever scoffed and took out a cellphone. "Striker, it seems that the school is having a concert, and the DJ is holding the Trance Sounder." Xever quipped. Striker chuckled on the other side of the line. "That's good to know. I'll intercept the band and maybe break it up." Striker remarked back.
As the band continued to march back to the school, Striker looked at them from an alley nearby and cracked his neck. He chuckled as he walked up behind Marvin, still playing on the horn. "Hand me the Trance Sounder now!" he demanded. Marvin looked up confusingly as he lifted up the horn. "Sorry, Sir, this is school property unless you've got a signed notice." Marvin stated. Striker gritted his teeth as he snapped his fingers. Soon, Artemis, Robin and Kid Flash surrounded the boy. Marvin gulped as Zatanna then jumped down from the top of a nearby building. "I won't hesitate this time, guys. You're all going down." She stated. As Marvin looked in confusion, Striker telekinetically grabbed the horn and blew it at both of them. Zatanna shrieked, but it died down as she was now under Victor's control. The two marched into the school with Striker leading them.
At that moment, the rest of the Team arrived and gasped. "Striker's got Zatanna!" Rocket exclaimed. Striker got up onto the top of the school and spread out his arms, grinning at the last of the Team. "Transmarchers, murder the Team!" he viciously commanded. The Team gasped as the crowd started to near them. "We can't fight them! What do we do?" M'gann panted. "DESTROY THE TEAM!" the Transmarchers chanted. Zatanna then flew up into the air and looked to them evilly. "BURY THE TEAM!" she exclaimed. With that, she casted a spell that summoned a strong wind. The three Team members were knocked back into a wall as Artemis and Robin pinned them there. As much as M'gann tried to get off, Zatanna kept making the spell stronger. Rocket made a shield to protect them, but Zatanna cast another spell to break it. "It's been an honor!" Aqualad yelled. The Team nodded as the crowd started to close in on them. Striker laughed into the night, clearly knowing that victory would be his.
Just then, the sound of an electric guitar echoed throughout the area. Aqualad looked up to a building to see Ahsoka! "This is Ahsoka Tano, everybody! I'm coming to you live from Happy Harbor Haven, the place where I can bring the house down!" Ahsoka yelled. On the ground below, Connor and Lux set the speakers to maximum volume. Mal and Karen hooked up every device and looked to Ahsoka. "Hit it!" Karen yelled. Ahsoka nodded and threw the neck of the guitar in her left hand. She started to play away the tune as every speaker intact started to vibrate. Soon, the whole city started to hear the music. Striker looked into the air and growled. Just then, the Trance Sounder started to break apart! As the Team was being strangled and harassed by their friends, the music soon hit them and they snapped out. "What's going on?" Artemis asked. Robin looked around. "How did we get here?" he asked. As the Boy Wonder felt his lips, Kid Flash looked all around him as well. "This is strange, but AWESOME!" he yelled, rocking along to the music. Everyone else soon started to get back to normal as Striker cursed to himself. "Savor this victory while you're able to, heroes. The party's just begun." He stated. With that, he jumped off of the roof.
The crowd went wild as Ahsoka continued to play. The Team looked up to her happily as Mal, Karen, Lux and Connor joined up with them. M'gann looked to her body, which was now ripped and messed up. "Well, it's my first date." She stated. The Team looked to her as she placed her hands on her hips. "How do I look?" she asked. The Team just laughed as they all prepared to head to the dance together.
Happy Harbor High School 1916 hours
As the party started, the real band came in to play. Many of the students and some members of the Team all danced along to the beat. Ahsoka and Lux were showing off their moves while Connor and M'gann breakdanced away. Robin and Zatanna tangoed as Kaldur and Raquel performed their own dances. Artemis was dancing freely, but soon stopped to look at what Wally was doing. "Don't you know how to dance, Baywatch?" she asked. Wally chuckled. "What do you call this?" he asked, beginning to shake his hips and point a finger into the air. Artemis scoffed and laughed as she walked away from him. Wendy found herself dancing with Marvin, as the two were swirling around. "Yeah! Shake it, don't break it, mama!" Marvin yelled. Wendy looked to him and smirked. "Marvin, buh-bye!" she quipped, 'accidently' tossing him into the food table. Karen was drinking some punch until Marvin crashed, knocking the punch bowl onto his head in the process. All she could do was laugh as the band kept playing.
Meanwhile, Zatanna leaned in and kissed Robin, in which the Grayson kissed back. M'gann chuckled as she kissed Connor, who shared the mutual feeling. The two couples laughed as the males went to get drinks. M'gann and Zatanna walked up to each other and chuckled. "Thanks for inviting us, M'gann." Zatanna said. Megan smiled and hugged her. "It's the least I could do." She replied back. The two laughed as they walked into the hallways.
As they were walking and talking, they felt something strange. "Something's wrong." M'gann stated. From behind a pillar, Alakshmi came out. "You've interfered with our plans for the last time, girlies." The Persian stated. The two girls stood silent as Alakshmi walked up behind them. "Hey!" she yelled. The two turned around to attack, only to be slashed by Syrena. The girls groaned as they were sent back and onto the ground. Alakshmi started to near them. "You've been a nuisance, girls!" Alakshmi exclaimed, kicking the two away. "Do you think we're gonna let a thing like that slide? No one messes with the ORDER, nobody!" Alakshmi yelled, punching them away. The two panted as Alakshmi chuckled. "Oh, did that hurt? I haven't even started!" she exclaimed. Unbeknownst to her, Serra ran by and saw this.
Meanwhile, in the auditorium, Cad Bane and Xever aimed their weapons down at the Team. "This is way better than payment!" Bane exclaimed. Xever chuckled as they prepared to kill the Team. Unbeknownst to them, Jaybo and Saw stood ready to attack them.
At the same time, M'gann and Zatanna were knocked down the stairs. Syrena chuckled with sadism as she followed. "No wonder the Justice League's losing. They have all the weaklings on their side!" she stated. The two looked up to Alakshmi weakly as she started to unsheathe her sword. "I can't wait to see the look on your friends' faces… when I present to them your heads on sticks." Alakshmi sinisterly and sadistically stated. The two looked up worryingly as Syrena lifter her sword into the air.
All of a sudden, Alakshmi was kicked aside. She was sent tumbling to the ground as Serra looked to her with a deactivated lightsaber hilt in her hand. Syrena looked up and panted. "What?!" she asked. Serra walked forwards and put her hand on her hip. "This is the end of the road for you, imposter!" Serra proclaimed. "Lay down your swords!" she demanded. Syrena looked up and growled. "You… chose the wrong girl to mess with!" she snapped. With that, Syrena charged in at Serra, in which the Jedi did the same.
While that was happening, Jaybo and Saw both shot at Cad Bane and Xever. The student body looked up and gasped to see them being shot out the windows. Artemis spit out her drink and panted. Just then, Kaldur heard M'gann's voice in his head. "Guys, Syrena attacked us! We need help!" M'gann stated. "No, wait! Someone just saved us!" Zatanna added on. Robin and Connor's eyes widened as they looked to each other. "Let's go!" Aqualad said. The Team nodded in agreement as they all headed into the halls. Before Ahsoka and Lux could follow, they looked up to see who shot the two ORDER operatives. "Was that Saw?" Ahsoka asked. Lux nodded. "Who was that other guy?" Lux asked. Ahsoka shrugged as they started to go after the Team.
Back in the hallway, Serra and Syrena clashed their blades high. Syrena then broke off and tried to sweep the Jedi below, but Serra dodged this and stepped over. Alakshmi then tried to slash at her head, but Serra threw the blade aside. Zatanna and M'gann watched it all go on with much shock and awe as they wondered who the stranger was. The Good Samaritan then twirled as Syrena slashed at her several times. Serra blocked them all as Alakshmi just growled. She performed a roundhouse swing, but Serra just used her hilt to push her back. Syrena was caught off balance before she turned back to stab at her. Serra jumped over the assassin and slashed her hilt at her back. Syrena fell to the ground in pain as Serra looked at her scornfully.
"What an amateur. You're a disgrace to the name of the Jedi." She stated. Syrena got up to growl at her. "Who are you calling an amateur?!" she demanded angrily. With that, Syrena unsheathed her other sword and cocked them, causing the blades to glow golden. Zatanna and M'gann continued to watch as Serra unsheathed her other lightsaber. As Serra activated her lightsabers, Syrena attacked her. Alakshmi struck with twin high attacks, but Serra was able to throw them both off. She twirled as Alakshmi tried to cut her legs off, and clashed with her as they engaged in a blade lock. She threw off the ORDER operative and slashed at her swords, sending her to a locker. Serra followed after her as they continued fighting. She clashed both her blades with Syrena's right sword, and then jumped off the wall to clash her lightsabers against her left sword. Alakshmi was thrown off balance, but soon regained and then attempted to bring her blade down. Serra scoffed and went aside before jumping on top of a locker door. Serra blocked all of her attacks before kicking Alakshmi away, making her trip over a water fountain. It started to squirt water at the operative as Serra chuckled.
"Have you had enough?" she asked. Alakshmi panted and looked to the three nervously. "I'm not through with you, either of you!" she yelled. She then ran away as Serra followed her. "You'd better watch your backs!" Alakshmi yelled before vanishing. Zatanna and Miss Martian began to regain themselves as Serra followed the Persian. "Hey, come back!" Serra demanded, but Syrena was already out of sight. She chuckled as she turned back to the two girls. "It looks like your partner deserted you." She quipped. Zatanna and M'gann gasped as they looked up. "What? No, we're not with her." M'gann stated, but Serra had doubts. "Yeah right!" she retorted, sending her blade at them. Zatanna took out her wand and blasted at the blade. As Serra attempted to slash at M'gann and stab at Zatanna, the two clashed with their powers. "If you're fighting against Syrena, then there's no need to fight! We don't need to be enemies!" M'gann exclaimed. Serra broke off and kicked Zatanna into M'gann. She then brought her blades onto them, but the two dodged. The only thing Serra cut off was their hair. The two were now shorthaired as they backed away onto the ground. "I'm only on one side: the Jedi! Everyone else is my enemy!" Serra exclaimed. M'gann narrowed her eyes at Serra and panted. "Who told you about the Jedi?" she asked. Serra pointed her lightsabers down to them and scoffed. "Who told you? That's the question!" she quipped.
Before Serra could attack them, she sensed someone about to attack. With a reverse on her right lightsaber hilt, she slashed into thin air. Kid Flash then fell to the ground with a groan. Robin then threw two birdarangs at her, but Serra sent them into the air before using the Force to push him into the wall and sending the birdarangs at his cape. Connor tried to attack, but Serra just kicked him into M'gann. Artemis tried to shoot arrows at her from behind. Serra just stopped the arrows and sent them back to Artemis as she attempted to attack her with her bow, but Serra kicked Artemis and cut off her ponytail. Rocket and Aqualad then attacked from both sides. Serra clashed blades with Kaldur while Raquel held her shield against the blade. "You don't understand! We're fighting for the Jedi!" Aqualad reasoned. "We're fighting ORDER!" Rocket added on. Serra snarled at both of them as she held her ground. "Liars! You're working for the ORDER, and you kidnapped Ahsoka!" she snapped. Aqualad's eyes widened as he continued to hold the blades. "No, no that's not true! We found her! You've got it all wrong!" he argued. Serra grunted and threw them both off. "Enough of this! I'm done talking!" Serra exclaimed. She then stepped forwards and the two fell to their feet.
Now, all the Team was together, beaten on the ground. She then jumped forwards and slashed down at them. Before she could touch them, Ahsoka clashed blades with her as she looked down to the Team. "Back off!" Ahsoka demanded. Saw and Jaybo regrouped with Serra as she stood in confusion. "If you want to kill them, then you have to go through me first!" Ahsoka exclaimed. Serra stuttered and threw her fist at Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, are you crazy?!" she asked. Ahsoka's eyes widened as she heard this. "What?" she asked. "Are you conspiring with your kidnappers?!" Serra asked again. Ahsoka lifted an eyebrow as she though over what Serra just said. "Conspiring with my kidnappers?" she asked herself. She then tuned around and saw Serra deactivate her lightsabers. She gasped at the sight of Serra. "Serra." She stated happily. Serra placed her hands on her hips as Jaybo and Saw just watched with suspense. "What the hell is going on, Ahsoka?! Why are you protecting your kidnappers?!" Serra demanded. Ahsoka smiled and deactivated her lightsabers as well. The Team watched in surprise as Ahsoka did nothing. She didn't attack the mysterious Jedi, she didn't attempt to kill her, nothing. Ahsoka only smiled at Serra, in which Serra eventually returned the favor. "Serra, it's really you." Ahsoka exclaimed. The two female Jedi smiled at each other as the Team just watched with mild confusion. Ahsoka continued to look to her as she repeated the name. "Serra."
Author's Note: Hey there, everyone. I hope that you all liked this new chapter. It took me the whole weekend to get done. Please tell me what you think of it. A new chapter will be out later this week. Please feel free to review and rate, I'm always keen to hear from you guys. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have an excellent week, everyone!