Chapter 20

Trouble in the Downtown

(Los Angeles)

7:30PM

After their time at Wayne Manor, Oliver and Dinah returned to LA, where they ate dinner at a nice restaurant. Both needed it after today's events. They ordered a bottle of fine wine, water, and two thick steaks. Things were quiet as they ate silently, but Oliver could tell that something was on Dinah's mind.

"So, do you want to talk about it or wait until later?" he asked before sipping his wine.

"(Sigh) You know me so well it's scary," she joked at first, then spoke.

"I was just thinking about what happened today. Meeting T'Challa and Shuri, talking about this world and theirs."

"Yeah, it's the opposite of where they're from," Oliver said. "I wonder how Peter will take it when he meets them."

"I'm sure he will get a kick out of it. It's not often one meets a king," Dinah said cheekily.

"Yeah, not to mention T'Challa, is also the same person who was with Peter at the airport," Oliver told her in a low voice.

"How do you know?"

"Diana told me; she described what he was wearing based on the person we saw in Peter's memories."

This news was interesting for Dinah, as she had been curious about the fight. Hopefully, T'Chala would fill in the details.

"So, did T'Challa or Shuri happen to tell what they remembered before waking up?" Oliver asked.

"Hmm, something about being in their home country. But nothing else. It will take them time to open up. Unlike what we did to Peter."

"What do you mean?" asked Oliver.

"I mean looking at his personal memories. And I know we needed to learn what he was talking about. But still, it was wrong. It wasn't heroic; it was something our enemies do," Dinah's said sadly.

"A part of me thinks this is why he hasn't said anything about us looking after him," she added before sipping water.

Oliver grabbed her hand and held it gently.

"Dinah. I know what we did was wrong. But Peter hasn't given us a reply yet because of it. He's adjusting to our world and getting to know the others," he said first, then continued. "Listen, when we get the chance, we will talk to him."

Thinking about this, Dinah knew that this would help ease her mind. So she agreed to this idea.

"Speaking of Peter. I heard from Artemis that he might have an interest in Zatanna."

Dinah's mood started to change after learning of Peter's potential crush. 'Zatanna's a nice girl, even though she's three years older than him,' she thought.

Once they were done, Oliver's phone rang. It was Artemis calling.

"Artemis, how's it... I'm sorry, could you repeat that...Are you sure!...? Okay, you and the others get ready...We will see you there." He ended the call, then asked the waiter to bring the check at once.

"What's going on?" Dinah asked.

"Something's happened at the concert; I'll give you the details on the way," Oliver told her as he called for the check.

(Staples Center)

Standing on the rooftop of the Oceanwide Plaza, Aqualad looked down below, where he saw groups of police officers had blocked off the arena from the public and media. Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Tigress, and Kid Flash were with him. They waited for their backup to come, which included Robin, Wonder Girl, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. The rest of the League was unavailable, as they had to deal with the robots all over the country. So the Team was on their own.

"So, any ideas on what happened to the others?" Beast Boy asked, as he didn't like it being quiet.

"Based on what we saw, it had to be a villain that can travel inside a reflection. And the only person who comes to mind is my grandpa's enemy, The Mirror Master," Kid Flash answered as he knew all about the enemies of the Flash.

"Makes sense, but isn't he supposed to be in Belle Reve?" Blue wondered.

"We thought the same thing about Scarecrow. But somehow, he got out of there as well," Tigress brought up as she recalled what Dick told her and others about what Batman found at Arkham.

After this, the group could only wait as they saw no signs of activity. While they waited, Aqualad asked Tigress if she was up for this. She said yes and that after this mission, she wanted to take a break from the Team.

Minutes later, their reinforcements arrived as Green Arrow asked Aqualad about the situation.

"Things are quiet at this time; there's been no-" Aqualad answered but was interrupted by a loud boom.

The group looked to see a group of robots approaching the area, which made the people run for their lives.

"Blue, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, you're with me. Canary, take Robin and Kid Flash and get those civilians to safety. Tigress, Beast Boy, Static. Head inside the center and look around!" Arrow shouted as he gave everyone their orders.

Once they were on the street. Arrow's group approached the robots, who were quite different from what they expected. These robots were a mixed group; several looked like humanoid types, and the others looked like animals, such as wolves, elephants, and gorillas.

"Okay, no one said anything about fighting the Zords from Power Rangers today," Wonder Girl joked upon seeing the machines.

"Save the humor for later; we've got work to do!" Arrow stated as he started firing arrows at the first of the robots.

These impacted the first ones, causing a small group of explosions.

But this wasn't enough to stop them continuing to move forward. Suddenly, the heroes saw slot panels on the robots' arms open, revealing mini guns firing their bullets at high speed.

Ducking to safety, Arrow motioned for the others to stay hidden, then called up the Watchtower requesting backup.

"I can send you only one member, all other Leaguers are busy dealing with the other robots," the voice of Martain Manhunter said into his earpiece.

"Are you...okay, I understand. Just tell them to get here quickly," Arrow replied, then called up Robin next.

"I need you to call Alfred and tell him to bring the guest at Wayne Manor to the Zetatube portal in Gotham. Then have Kid Flash head over there to meet our backup."

Usually, Robin would have asked why but given the situation, he agreed.

"Alright, Blue and I will get their attention. You two circle around them, then attack from behind," Arrow ordered, then charged forward with Blue.

(Mobile Command Center)

Black Mask watched on the monitors from his desk as the news covered the Justice League fighting the robots.

"It was good that Toy Man came to me after escaping prison. Pairing him up with Cosmo Krank, those two make quite a deadly combo," the crime boss said to himself.

"I should hope so. The funds needed to make those robots wasn't easy," a new voice said as the monitors changed to form the image of The Thinker.

"DeVoe! Why don't you call just like a normal person?" Mask questioned in an annoyed tone.

"Where's the fun in that. Putting that aside, our leader wants to know the status of getting the funds?" Thinker responded back.

"So far, Miss Shanna has refused to cooperate. But she will give in. For I know her weakness."

This got Thinker's attention as he listened.

"She cares for the lives of others. So letting those people die is something her conscience won't let happen."

"Makes sense logically. But if she refuses-"

Mask cut him off. "Then I go with Plan B."

"Let us hope it doesn't come to that. She's not as skilled in that area as you believe," Thinker warned Mask.

"I'm aware of that. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got work to do." The Thinker's communication ended. But as Mask looked at the screens, one caught his eye: it was a group of costumed heroes exploring the inside of the arena.

"So you want to play hero, huh? Well, I've got a little surprise for you three," Mask chuckled.

(Mirror World)

After wandering for what seemed like forever, Spidey and Barbara stopped to rest for a bit.

"So, any idea where the others are?" Peter asked.

Barbara said she was unable to locate them in this place.

'Keep going straight, Mr. Parker. You'll find the first of your friends in two of the mirrors!'

"Uh, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Barbara asked him.

"I heard a voice. And it addressed me by my name!"

'She can not hear me, Mr. Parker. Only you can. Now stop wasting time and get going!' The voice ordered, which made him flinch.

"You heard it again?"

"Yeah, and it's kinda bossy. But let's worry about that later; we've got work to do," Peter said, then led the way.

Going down the path for a few minutes, they stopped in front of a mirror. "The voice said we can get out through this one," Spidey explained.

Thinking carefully about this, Barbara was unsure at first, as she couldn't hear this mysterious voice that Peter had heard. But she decided to trust it and Peter.

"Alright, we go on three. One, two, three!." Barbara stated as the two stepped inside the mirrors at the same time.

After going through, both found themselves in what looked like a large warehouse filled with various crates and boxes. Walking quietly, the two looked around briefly, then stopped as they saw a group of masked goons guarding the loading docks. They could see several buses just behind the goons, and inside each one were the guests from the concert.

"I count about eight guarding the buses and four patrolling the outside area," Barbara whispered as they hid behind the crates.

"Making a total of twelve. So what's the plan?" Spidey asked.

"If I had my suit and gear, I could have smoke bombs and bolo ropes to tie up the goons. But I'll need to improvise. Do you have anything in your suit?" she responded.

"Hmm, let's see...oh, one of my webs has a taser setting. If I could find a junction box, the power would go out, and we could take out the thugs," Peter suggested.

"Good plan; there should be one outside. So let's see about finding an alternate way out."

Backtracking the way they came, the two looked around. They spotted a window that was open slightly.

"Hold on to me while I climb up," Spidey said to Barbara as he started to climb up the wall.

As they approached the window, both worried about one of the goons spotting them. But luckily, they were far enough not to be seen as they climbed out the window.

Crawling down to the street, they saw they were in a warehouse facility. Nearby were some large cranes, which Barbara recognized as the ones used at the docks.

"At least we know where we are!" Barbara said positively as she called up any members of the League.

"This is Batgirl. I'm at the LA harbor docks and need backup as there are hostages here."

"Black Canary here. The League is busy at this time, but I can send those with us as backup. Are the others with you?"

"Peter is with me. I don't know about the others; we got separated after Mirror Master took us."

"Understood. Sit tight til then. Canary out."

(Staples Center)

Upon making it inside, Tigress, Beast Boy, and Static had to face off against several goons on patrol throughout the building. When it came to them entering the arena, the three found no goons inside. This made them feel uneasy as they looked around.

"Gar, you getting anything?" Artemis asked as Beast Boy turned into a bloodhound, trying to pick up a scent.

Turning back to her, the green dog shook his head at first, then continued sniffing around until he got something and started barking repeatedly.

"Wow, easy, Gar. What is it?" Static asked as his friend turned human again.

"There's something here; it's part human and something else," the green boy said.

But he didn't know that something, or someone, was watching him and the others from the shadow.

"Oh, goodie, children. Something easy for me to break!"

To Be Continued.

(Author's Note)

Hello Everyone.

I'm going to be taking a break next month. I need one after writing for several months now. This story and my other ones will pick up again in August. Til then, I ask everyone to be patient. And see you soon.