RESEARCH FACILITY:
Raymond Palmer was working in a research facility out of the eye of the world. He was inside of the same research facility that Caitlin's father created in the artic, which he also runs. He was working somewhere that he couldn't be disturbed and was working in silence.
Until he heard something go bump in the labs. That caused him to jump as he turned around to see where it came from. There should be nobody here. He was in a self-sustaining laboratory with only him around.
"Hello?" Ray called out, wondering if the monthly supplies were sent up.
Activating his radio transmissions, he just returned to work as he felt it wasn't important. But when he turned on the stations, he was shocked at what he heard.
"Comms are down everywhere!" Someone called in terror through the speakers. As he listened to the radio, he missed the robots that were in the room marching up to him. "These spaceships showed up, dropping robots on the base! They're killing everyone-!"
Ray became shocked as he tried to get word back to them. "Hello? Hello! Anyone there?!"
The robots then got ready to shoot him in the back, but then the blast of mist stops them. Ray also turned to see the robots, getting him to work and grabbing his gauntlets for his ATOM suit.
Looking at who blasted one of them, they saw Sub-Zero standing there with two ice daggers in his hands. "Miss me?"
Some of them were getting ready to strike when a blast of water came in and got Sub-Zero the chance to freeze them all at once. A few of them were left with the limited water in the area when a fist phased through it. Then a second hand came in and grabbed the robot's hand before ripping it in half revealing it to have been V.I.V.I.A.N.
Ollie then came in stabbing four of them with his mechanical arms before they registered him as a giant boom is heard, coming outside as Karen destroyed their entire ship. One of the robots aimed at Ollie with his back turn, but he didn't even register it as Cessily leaped into the robot, entangling with its wires and crushing it with her powers.
Then a flash of lightning entered the room as Dawn and Tina came to a stop in front of everyone. Sighing in relief, they saw that they managed to take down the robots before they could take Ray.
That was one step in the right direction.
"Hi?" Ray didn't to even know what to think.
"Hey, Ray." Dawn greeted him with a wave. "We need to get you out of here."
"What's going on?" Ray was getting really curious.
"An invasion," Ollie answered as he raised his mask. "He's come to conquer the earth."
"Who has?" Ray only got more lost the more they spoke.
"Brainiac," Karen stated as she flew in and landed near them. "He's coming, and he's going to destroy the planet. Unless we work together."
Ray then grew a smile, reaching into his pocket and taking out the ATOM suit. "Sounds like a job for the ATOM."
GORILLA CITY:
The group of heroes made their way through the deep jungle, looking for the location they were being led to. They were being taken to Gorilla City, where they were going to be given more information on how Brainiac is supposed to take over the world.
Ashley, Mia, April, Maggie, Armando, and Astra all were making their way to the city of Apes. Their suits (as informed by Lyla) were laced with some form of nanotech that stops them from being mind controlled. This meant that the gorillas wouldn't be able to mind control or alter them in any way. They were hoping to get closer to the city, but Armando said even though they can't reach their minds, they could still sense their presents if they came too close.
"So, what's the plan?" Ashley asks as they made their way through.
"We get in, and scope this place out, figure out exactly what is going on," April told them the plan she and Tina came up with. They easily found the city of gorillas and the team sneaked their way to the entrance, seeing a giant gathering. "And it looks like something big."
They then watched as a giant gorilla marched over to the stage at the beginning. None of them recognized this guy and were wondering who he was.
Clicking her mask, Ashley pulled up facial recognition and allowed Lyla to do a scan of him. A few years back, Peter and his company made contact with Gorilla City to assure peace and safety on both ends. They were given a list of the city's inhabitants, and it was always updated yearly.
"Lyla? Anything?" Ashley asks her.
"Seems that this isn't anyone you or your family is familiar with," Lyla said as she found a match. "Gorilla Gregg. A member of the resistance that wants to go against the peace of their world."
"Gorilla City!" Gorilla Gregg called out, shocking everyone that he was talking, not speaking telepathically. "In a few short hours, we will break the bones of oppression, forever! There is no more Justice League to stop us! Today, the world welcomes its new masters. The Society!"
"Society?" Mia asks as she has no idea what to think of that.
Then they watched as something shocking happened. Something started to spark on the stage, and they watched as the spark started to swirl. The swirling then started to become what appeared to be a portal when a man stepped out of it.
What they saw was a man coming in wearing some giant green suit that looked like robes. He had what looked to be a staff on his back as he strolled over and shut the portal down. He wore mystical-looking boots as he marched over and stood next to Gregg.
"When all is said and done, you shall have your world." The man promised them. "For my name is Karl Amadeus Mordo..."
"Karl?" Maggie asked with a snicker. "That's the name of our villain?"
"We got left with the runt, didn't we?" Armando feels they were left with the table scraps of enemies.
"No. Do not judge on appearances." Astra warned them, shaking at the thought as she looked over at the man. "Baron Karl Mordo is one of the few people who helped Brainiac conquer the world."
"Then what do we do?" Armando asks.
"Lyla, do a search on us for this guy," April asks of her friend and allowed her to do her thing.
"Karl Amadeus Mordo. Seems he has quite the reputation." Lyla commented and came up with everything the JL had on him. "Seems he's a master of the Mystic Arts. Became close friends with another master known as Doctor Steven Strange."
"I'm sorry..." Mia stopped her to clarify something. "His name is. Dr. Strange?"
"No." Ashley couldn't accept that. "It's a made-up name, right?"
"Nope." April was sorry to say. "I met him a while back. Well...Tina did."
They then got an alert and activated their comms to see that the other two teams were there. V.I.V.I.A.N. was the one who was responding in the name of Team I, and Terry answered for Team II from the Baxter Building.
"Hey." V.I.V.I.A.N. greeted them from her side. "We rescued Ray Palmer. We're inside Bio-Ship on our way back to home base to get the others."
"I've locked Brainiac out of the Baxter Building and its security, but it won't stop him from sending his reinforcements at us," Terry warns them.
"How's it going on your end?" Tina asked as she squeezed into the frame.
"Well, a Gorilla is trying to take over the world with the help of some sorcerer," Maggie tells them, only realizing now how stupid she sounds. "I should have stayed home."
"Why does Brainiac want some Gorilla on his side if he wants to destroy the world?" Mia wonders, not seeing the tactical advantage.
"He promised the Gorillas the Earth. If he helps them conquer it." Astra explains to them all that she knows, thanks to her future knowledge. "We need to stop their transport, that sorcerer."
"How do you suppose we do that?" Armando asks her. "We were never taught how to study or fight magic."
"You weren't," Lyla confirmed as she pulled up the Baron file again, pulling an attachment file, showing Steven Strange. "But he was."
"Dr. Strange?" Ashley asks, wondering if that could work. "Fine. We could try it. Where is he?"
"He's stationed at 177A Bleecker Street in New York," Lyla informed her, showing where he is on the map.
"Hey, that's just down the street from where we are," Roberta commented.
"We'll go talk to Strange, you guys stay out of sight before the Gorillas find you," Tommy says to them. "Keep an eye on that wizard."
"You sure, bro? He didn't really like you the first time you met." Tina reminded him.
"I've got it. He's had years to get over it." Tommy shrugged before he hung up.
"Whatever." Tina sighed and hung up herself.
NEW YORK:
The team members that were sent to help Reed were now sent to check out some Sorcerer Supreme. If they had any hope of changing the future, they needed to stop these gorillas so they could focus their entire approach on Brainiac.
And the only way that they were going to do that was if they stopped this Sorcerer guy from going through with the plan.
"Okay, so an army of gorillas is going to invade the world as a distraction for Brainiac unless we stop it by asking a wizard for help?" Daniel clarified with the team as they walked up the steps, all of them out of uniform.
"That about sums it up," Tommy confirmed.
Daniel however wasn't satisfied when he saw none of them saw it as odd. "Does nobody hear how crazy this all sounds?"
Tommy ignores him and goes to ring the doorbell, only for the doors to open on their own. The seven of them wonder what to do and just shrug as they enter the building and look around. The inside seemed much nice than the outside with a room to the left that had a fireplace. What appeared to be some sitting room to the right and a staircase that led upward to a giant window in the middle. As they entered the building, the doors closed themselves.
"So... what, do we call his name three times and he will show up?" Terry asks, unsure what to believe about this magic stuff.
Just as he asked, some sparks start appearing from thin air and are followed by a giant portal leading to what looked to be upstairs. An Asian-looking man stepped out of the portal carrying some briefcases.
"Well, if it isn't the children of the Justice League." He said as he sighed and dusted himself off. He then looked at them and gestured to himself. "Wong. Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum."
"Try saying that three times fast," Roberta dares M'gann.
"Why would you want to?" M'gann asks, confused by the statement. "The building will not appear."
"It's..." Roberta sighed, not explaining it right now. "Never mind."
"What can we do for you?" Wong asks them.
"We're looking for Dr. Steven Strange," Tommy explains, this being the first he met Wong.
"Hello again, Tommy." Steven Strange said as the doctor appeared at the top of the stairwell. He started floating down towards them and landed on the ground in front of them. "What can I do for you and the gang?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr.," Tommy said as Strange walked off and they followed him. "I know you have higher duties as Sorcerer Supreme and all of that."
"Please, Tommy, we've known each other for years. I think you're old enough to not need to be calling me sir." Strange said as he took a seat.
"Alright...Steven." Tommy decided to try it out.
Strange thought about it for a moment and shrugged it off. "That feels weird, but I'll allow it."
"But we came across something troubling." Tommy was ready to jump to the point. "Our friends and I are trying to prevent an alien computer from destroying the world."
"Following," Strange said sarcastically.
"And it seems that our friend, M'gann M'orzz, that's her," Tommy said as he pointed to M'gann, who offered a friendly wave. "She told us what we needed to stop to prevent a terrible future."
"Been there, done that." Strange shrugged and made some coffee appear in his hands. "Continue."
"And one of them was through stopping some Gorilla attack," Tommy explains. "And it seems that someone you know is there right now, getting his army ready to move out."
"Really? Who?" Strange asks, taking a sip.
"Baron Mordo," Anjelica answers for her friend.
Strange heard that name and immediately jumped to attention. "Where did you say he was?"
GORILLA CITY:
The team kept quiet as they followed Mordo and this new Gorilla leader Gregg through the city and made it to the throne room.
"What makes you sure your silent partner will be here to help us?" Gregg asks Mordo.
"I trust he will hold up his end, or I will make him." Mordo scoffed as he started to open a portal, getting ready to leave. "Trust me. Everything is going as it should be."
Then the team started to notice this, and Ashley (not exactly intently) gave the Sorcerer a case of bad luck and caused his fingers to sprain. The portal then shut down and caused him to groan in anger. Looking around the area, he immediately looked where he saw the team hiding on the roof.
"You!" Mordo cried in anger, summoning a spell to them toss it at them.
Before it could hit them, the entire team ran and jumped to get out of the way of the blasts. They all got back on their feet or helped others land safely due to their powerset.
Yet strangely enough it was Astra who had the problem as she slammed into the ground and ended up hurting herself. Getting a headache, she ended up hunched over and grabbing her head.
"Anyone have anything against Sorcery?" Mia asked her team members and pulled out an arrow, aiming it at Mordo. "Because the bow and arrow thing is all I've got."
Maggie ran over and checked on Astra while the others tried to fight off Mordo. He then sent Mystical energy blasts at them while Armando leaped ahead and opened a breach to send them back at him. Mia saw this as her time to shoot her arrows and tried to hit him with them.
Mordo saw this coming and managed to quickly shield himself with an Eldritch Magic Manipulation spell. "You think your powers can match the might of Sorcery?"
Armando shrugged, seeing that there wasn't much else they could accomplish. "Kinda."
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," Mordo said as he got ready for a fight.
But when he was ready to go in to fight the kids, several Tendrils of Ikthalon came in and interrupted the contact with the kids. They all looked to see where they came from and were met with Strange coming down from a portal, along with the rest of the kids.
"Mordo!" Strange called out his old friend in the jungle. "By the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto, you will stand down!"
"No! What is he doing here?!" Mordor asked in anger.
"Everyone, Strange. Strange, Everyone." Daniel quickly said as he stretched himself up to Strange's level. "And his name is completely accurate. Just listen to what he says."
Strange ignores the child and raises his hands for there to be a sudden gust of wind flowing in their direction. "I summon The Winds of Watoomb!"
The wind starts to blow all the weapons from the base and even the armor off of the gorillas themselves."
"See?" Daniel asked as he held onto anything he could.
The spell then stopped affecting the heroes as Tina swung over to Astra to see what was wrong. Mordo then sent several blasts of magic towards Strange, only for him to create Shield of the Seraphim to block the bolts.
"Why are you working with Brainiac?" Strange asks Mordo as he begins the spell for the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. "He is destined to destroy this world."
"Ha! You think you can deceive me, Strange?" Mordo asks as he uses the Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon to fight against Strange's spell. "Brainiac has promised once he takes what he wants, I may have what remains. With the help of the Gorilla City army, I will rule all."
Strange sees the attack coming and uses the Bolts of Bedevilment to destroy the Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon. The smoke gave the sorcerer enough cover to use The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak for a second time and bonded Mordo.
"You don't know the danger Brainiac possesses." Strange told the monster. "But you have given us a helping hand without even noticing it."
Tina was looking over Astra for any wounds or injuries and saw there wasn't anything that should be causing this. "I don't get it. There's nothing wrong."
"Yes. There is." Strange said as he made his way over and conjured a quick spell. Once he finished, he made a ball and placed it on her head. Astra calmed down and began to sleep. "She needs rest and medical attention."
"For what? She didn't do anything." Terry commented, not understanding what was going on.
"Time sickness." Strange commented.