Chapter 46: Know Your Limits
Superman stared down the towering robot as it moved closer and closer towards him. The second it tried swinging at him, Superman sped out of the way. The robot quickly flew after him as the two clashed mid air. Not sharing the mysticism of Aquaman's real trident, Superman was able to deflect its strikes relatively easily. A blast from its Cyborg-esque cannon managed to knock Superman back, allowing the robot to try and blast him with its newly acquired heat vision. Superman returned the blast in kind, causing the two blasts to collide with each other.
Seeing that the two were at a stalemate, the robot brought up one of its wrists to block the heat vision while using the Lantern ring to blast at Superman. Superman easily dodged the blast and flew right at the robot, plowing into it. He rammed the robot into the side of a building and began wailing on it, only for the robot to grab him and lob him into the building as well. It formed its trident and tried to impale Superman on it, but Superman quickly grabbed it by the prongs before it made contact. Thinking fast, Superman headbutted the robot and caused it to crash onto the roof below. Before Superman could fly down, Batman shot a grapnel towards the building and zipped up onto it.
"Stay back!" Batman called out. "I'll take it from here!"
"Be careful!" Superman cautioned as the robot got back up.
The robot turned towards Batman, giving him a thorough scan.
"It seems you don't have any powers," the robot spoke.
"No…" Batman replied, reaching into his belt. "But I have the next best thing."
Batman then whipped out a chunk of Kryptonite, which caused the robot to stagger back in fear. It tripped over some debris and fell to the ground as it tried to crawl away.
"It's a package deal. You get our strengths… but also our weaknesses."
Seeing its options limiting, the robot leapt off the side of the building and plunged into the sewer runoff below. Batman watched him go, then pocketed the Kryptonite.
"So," Superman spoke, landing next to him. "Should I be concerned that you just carry Kryptonite around in your pocket?"
"It's just a precaution," Batman replied, pulling out a grapnel and zipping off.
"Right."
…
Soon after, the League reconvened on a rooftop, discussing the situation.
"That thing was able to match us beat for beat," Flash reported. "Weeks of trying to get faster, and this thing outpaces me in a matter of seconds."
"It outpaced all of us," Aquaman corrected. "Do we have any idea what it even is?"
"A.M.A.Z.O." Batman answered. "That acronym was engraved into its chest."
"Any idea what it means?" Superman asked.
"Let me check," Cyborg replied, doing a quick search of the word. "Closest thing I got is the name of a freighter that went missing almost five years ago. It belonged to a man named Anthony Ivo."
"Ivo?" Flash questioned. "As in Ivo Laboratories? They've got a facility in Central City."
"Could this 'Ivo' be responsible for the robot?" Diana asked.
"Not likely, he perished when the freighter I mentioned went down somewhere in the north china sea," Cyborg replied.
Batman cocked an eyebrow at that.
"Still, it's the only lead we've got," GL admitted. "I say we pay a visit to Ivo Labs and see what's what."
"You go," Batman instructed. "In the meantime, we still need to figure out the J'onn problem."
"I'll head to the DEO and get Kari and M'gann," Superman volunteered. "They may be able to get through to him."
"Good," Batman agreed. "Meanwhile, I'm going to talk to someone who might have seen Ivo last."
The League looked at each other in confusion upon hearing that.
"Uh… what do you mean by that?" GL questioned.
"I mean… I'm going to see Oliver Queen."
…
In Star City, a young woman was strapped down to a table, a clear tube in her mouth and held there with a tunnel gag. She was staring in fear and horror as an older man set up a strange, off-white solution in a large container connected to the tube.
"I know you're scared," the man told her. "But you shouldn't be. What I'm about to do, one would find synonymous with… immortality. Had I left you alone, you would've aged into some… old, decrepit hag. But this… this will preserve your youth and beauty forever, and for all the world to enjoy."
He then started to pour the solution in the tube.
"After all… everyone loves a pretty doll."
Just then, an arrow shot in out of nowhere and severed the tube, just before the solution could enter the woman's throat. The man turned and saw the Green Arrow standing on a platform above him.
"Barton Mathis, you have failed this city!"
"That threat meant more coming from the other guy. At least he could follow through on his threats."
Mathis then pulled out a gun and opened fire on the emerald archer, forcing him to leap down to the ground. As he rolled across the floor, he pulled out a flechette and tossed it at Mathis, knocking the gun out of his hands. Mathis made a run for it as Green Arrow ran over to the woman and cut her free.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
She nodded, clinging to him in fear
"Go, contact the police. Tell them what's happened."
She nodded before running off, allowing Arrow to pursue Mathis. Mathis meanwhile continued running through the building, hoping to make an escape. As he ran though, a pair of bolas came out of nowhere and wrapped around his legs. These tripped him up as he fell to the ground, causing him to look up and see the shadowy figure of the Dark Knight descending towards him.
As Green Arrow finally managed to catch up, he was greeted by Mathis hanging upside down from the ceiling.
"I think you lost this," Batman remarked, stepping out of the shadows.
"I had that," Arrow insisted.
"I know. I just helped."
"So why are you here? Something tells me you didn't come all the way from Gotham just to help me with the Dollmaker."
"I need your help. There was a freighter that was lost about five years ago in the North China Sea."
"What about it?"
"It was called the AMAZO, and a robot by the same designation is trying to kill the League."
…
At the DEO, Kari was eating dinner with M'gann, both of them starting to get worried.
"Uncle J'onn should have been back by now," M'gann insisted.
"The League probably needed him or something," Kari suggested. "Don't worry about it."
"I can't help it. I grew up during the war between the greens and the whites. When someone didn't come home on time, they often never came back at all."
Kari rolled herself over to M'gann, taking her hand
"Hey, this isn't Mars, and J'onn is coming home. Cross my heart."
M'gann cracked a bit of a smile in response.
"Dr. Miller! M'gann!" Superman called out as he flew into the lab.
Both girls instantly jolted, Kari turning to Superman and giving him a look.
"Superman, what's going on?" Her face then fell when she realized he was alone. "Where's J'onn?"
"He's… something's wrong."
Both M'gann and Kari felt their hearts drop into their stomachs.
"Define 'wrong'," Kari demanded.
"He was doing a psychic sweep of Metropolis to find Luthor when-"
"What?!" M'gann snapped. "A psychic sweep?! Do you have any idea the damage that could do?! Even if his mind weren't already in a fragile state, a psychic sweep would open him up to every stray thought, impulse, or fantasy to cross a person's mind!"
"I'm sorry, I-" Superman tried to apologize before part of M'gann's rant finally registered. "What do you mean 'fragile state'?"
"J'onn probed Joker's mind last week," Kari explained. "I don't think I need to explain the amount of wrongness floating around in that monster's twisted excuse for a brain."
"And I had him open his mind to every selfish thought in the city," Superman dreaded. "No wonder J'onn took off like that."
"Especially if you had him do it in the middle of Metropolis," Kari added. "It's no Gotham or Bludhaven, but Metropolis isn't without its darkness and selfish people."
"We have to find him," M'gann insisted, turning to Kari and grabbing her from her chair, pulling her onto her back piggyback style. "You know this planet better than me, and we don't have time to deal with your mobility device."
"I get it. Supes, where did you last see J'onn?"
"He flew off towards the forest. Probably to get away from all the mental noise."
"Then that's where we'll go," M'gann decided.
She made sure she had a grip on Kari, then flew out through the wall, turning them both intangible as she did. Superman watched them go, M'gann's rant still echoing in his ears.
"J'onn, wherever you are… I hope you'll forgive me for all this."
…
Meanwhile, the A.M.A.Z.O. robot finally made its way out of the sewers, coming out at an area where he could see the sky. He pulled himself out, then began scanning the city in search of the League. As he continued scanning, he spotted Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash moving across the city. His eyes narrowed as he tracked their trajectory, optics widening when he realized where they were heading. Wasting no time, the bot took to the sky, hoping to beat the heroes before they got where they were going.
…
Elsewhere, J'onn was deep in the forest, finally far from the sounds of selfish and spiteful thoughts.
"The hatred shouldn't have surprised me, but the selfishness, the sheer volume, and the cheap attempts to disguise it." he then looked off and saw a lone wolf sitting next to him. "What do you know? A fresh rabbit every now and then, and you're happy. At least you're honest. What am I even fighting for? Who am I fighting for? I know I have Kari and M'gann, but-"
The wolf let out a howl, then took off deeper into the woods. J'onn turned and saw several flashlights moving towards him. J'onn quickly hid behind a large rock as several men and women entered the woods. They were all shouting, calling out for someone named "Jennifer". He watched curiously as the group spread out, all of them still calling for this Jennifer.
…
Back in Central City, the League made their way towards Ivo Labs. Flash sped up to the door and proceeded to open it. As he did though, the entire place immediately exploded, sending him flying backward. GL quickly caught him with a baseball mitt before he hit the ground.
"No!" Flash let out.
"Hold that thought!" Aquaman called out, kicking open a fire hydrant and manipulating the water to douse the flames.
GL quickly put Flash down so he could speed up to the building and create wind funnels with his arms, extinguishing the fire. Once the flames were out, the five Leaguers present made their way inside.
"Looks like someone didn't want us snooping around," Cyborg noted.
"Spread out and see if anything is salvageable," Wonder Woman instructed.
Everyone quickly did as they were told, finding that most if not all of the research had been torched in the explosion. Even worse, most of the computer monitors had been smashed and the computers themselves looked like someone had taken a crowbar to them.
"Think you can pull something off these things?" GL asked of Cyborg.
"I can try."
He plugged himself into the computer to see what he could find.
…
Back in Star City, Green Arrow led Batman to a sub level under Queen Consolidated. They rode an elevator down, GA removing his hood.
"You know you don't need that down here," Oliver pointed out, gesturing to Batman's cowl. Everyone down here knows who you are."
"Call me old fashioned that way."
Oliver just shrugged as the elevator opened up, revealing a much larger and much more high tech arrow cave. Felicity was seated at a large computer array as Diggle brought her some coffee. The latter glanced up when he heard the elevator open, looking surprised when he spotted the Dark Knight with his employer and friend.
"Oliver, what's Batman doing here?"
"Please tell me he's not here to fight," Felicity pleaded. "I just got everything cleaned and organized the way I like it."
"No, he's not," Oliver confirmed. "He just needed some info and I thought this could be a safe place to talk."
"Ok, just… don't break anything. Please."
"So, what do you know about Ivo and the AMAZO?" Batman questioned.
"The AMAZO was a freighter that showed up on the shores of Lian Yu about a year into my imprisonment there. Dr. Ivo was aboard, and he was performing illegal experimentation on multiple prisoners he kept onboard. He was looking for a special serum from WWII, one that the japanese had created called Mirakuru."
"Miracle," Batman translated. "What happened to it?"
"It was lost on a submarine just off the coast of Lian Yu."
"A lot of people seem to end up on Lian Yu," Felicity piped up. "Bad people. Really bad people."
"So I noticed," Batman replied. "So what happened to him?"
"He died," Oliver replied bluntly. "I know. I shot him myself."
"And the serum?"
"Burnt the entire supply."
"What I don't get is why someone interested in a super soldier serum would also be dabbling in robotics," Diggle spoke up
"Clearly there's something we're missing here," Batman guessed. "The others are looking into Ivo Labs in Central City to learn more. We could use your assistance."
"You'll have it," Oliver replied, donning his mask and hood. "On the off chance Ivo is back, you'll need to know what you're in for."
…
Back in the woods, J'onn moved closer towards some of the people searching the woods, picking up their thoughts in regards to the situation.
"I can't believe I'm out here in the dead of night searching for some kid I don't even know," one man thought to himself. "Still, if it were my kid, I know I'd want all the help I could get."
"It's freezing out here!" Another mentally cursed. "Man, I hope that kid's at least got some sort of coat. Poor kid…"
"She must be so scared," a woman dreaded in her mind. "I hope we find her soon."
It was more of the same for every member of the search party. While some lamented their own situation and misery, they knew that this Jennifer was suffering even more. Every single one of them wanted to bring her back safely J'onn narrowed his eyes, deciding to fly above the crowd and see what he could find. That's when a slight crying reached him. It was a very young voice, no older than 7 or 8. Her voice was laced with fear and cold.
"I'm sorry… I won't run away again… Please find me, mama..."
As J'onn looked around, he saw a little girl huddled behind a rock, holding a stuffed animal tightly as she cried. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she looked up and saw J'onn standing before her, now back in his Martian Manhunter form.
"Don't be afraid," J'onn told her, holding out a hand. "I only wish to help."
The girl looked surprised, then quickly recognized him as a hero. She reached out for him and he scooped her up, wrapping her in his cape to warm her up.
"Now, let's get you back to your parents."
…
"Alright everybody," the leader of the search party addressed. "Let's fan out and-"
He was suddenly cut off by the sight of J'onn landing in front of the group with the girl in his arms.
"I believe I've found who you're looking for," he declared.
"It's her!" the man yelled as everyone ran towards them.
J'onn placed the girl in the arms of one of the women searching, most likely her mom, as the others crowded around him.
"Thank you," the woman said in relief. "Thank you so much."
"In truth, it is I who should be thanking you," J'onn replied, phasing through the ground in departure.
…
Meanwhile, Batman and Green Arrow reconvined with the rest of the League just as Superman flew in.
"M'gann and Kari are on the hunt for J'onn," he reported. "How's it coming with Ivo and the A.M.A.Z.O?"
"We've found a few things out," Cyborg replied. "Apparently, A.M.A.Z.O. stands for Anti Meta-human Adaptive Zootomic Organism. It was specifically designed to scan metahuman abilities and return them in kind."
"Meta-humans didn't exist when the AMAZO came to Lian Yu," Green Arrow noted.
"That's the thing, though. These blueprints were updated last week, and this computer is Dr. Ivo's personal server."
"Meaning he's still alive," Batman realized. "Question is how?"
Green Arrow thought for a moment before realizing something.
"I think I might know," Arrow answered. "After the freighter went down I was… collected by members of a secret government organization called ARGUS. They must have grabbed Ivo as well."
"ARGUS… never heard of 'em," Flash remarked.
"Don't think you're supposed to. Still trying to figure out how Ivo went from medical science to robotics."
"Maybe he thought making robots was more lucrative than finding a cure for cancer," GL remarked.
Arrow perked up.
"Or Macgregor's Syndrome."
"Come again?" GL questioned.
"Ivo's wife was diagnosed with Macgregor's Syndrome when he came to the island. He hoped Mirakuru would be a possible cure, but she died before he could salvage it."
"That's it then," Flash deduced. "Losing someone he loved like that must have led him to believe that people couldn't be fixed."
"So this robot is an attempt to fix that?" GL questioned. "How?"
"Evolution," Arrow answered. "That's all he talked about when pursuing the Mirakuru, and this android is the personification of that."
"And as some of the strongest being in the known universe, we'd be what he considers the peak of evolution," Batman added.
"That's… encouraging, I guess," Cyborg remarked.
"Now we must find this Ivo," Wonder Woman decided. "Where would he reside aside from the lab?"
"Let me check for a last known address," Cyborg suggested, his eye going out of focus as he mechanical one zoomed in and out. "Got it. He owned a mansion on the outskirts of Star City"
"Yeah, that figures," Arrow remarked. "Alright, I'll call Diggle and have him survey the area until we get there."
"Hopefully, the A.M.A.Z.O is there with him."
…
On the outskirts of Metropolis, in a mansion that was blocked off by a large wrought iron fence with a chain on the gate, Dr. Anthony Ivo was sitting in front of a fireplace, prodding the burning logs with a poker. As he did so, A.M.A.Z.O. came flying in, landing behind the doctor.
"Ah, my creation. I am glad you warned me in time. Unfortunately, the Justice League has proven themselves to be far more resourceful than we initially gave them credit. We will have to up our timetable. Who have you copied so far?"
"Everyone except for the Martian."
"Impressive. Any complications?"
"The green rock… it… hurt me."
"Kryptonite. A weakness copied from Superman. An unexpected addition to my programming to be explored later. Suggestion, should they be foolish to try something like that, copying someone who is immune to its effects could neutralize said weakness.
"It is… possible."
"Exactly. Now, get out there and find the Martian. Once you have his powers, you will have everything you need to destroy the Justice League. Make sure none of them are left standing"
A.M.A.Z.O. nodded before heading back out.
…
At the entrance to the Metropolis forest, M'gann and Kari landed, looking over the area.
"This is where Superman last saw J'onn," Kari remarked. "You sure you can cover this entire area with me on your back?"
"Absolutely," M'gann assured her.
"I don't weigh anything to you, do I?"
"No. It's like carrying a couple of grapes."
She took off again. As she flew inwards, she branched out with her thoughts in a desperate attempt at reaching her uncle.
"Uncle J'onn? It's me, M'gann. Are you okay?"
Kari was doing the same, though mostly she was just mentally calling his name.
"J'onn! Where are you?!" She then sagged, leaning on M'gann's shoulders. "I hope he's okay. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't..."
"I am alright."
The two suddenly perked up, seeing J'onn emerge from the woods to meet them. M'gann rushed over to her Uncle, throwing her arms around him. Only Kari's grip on her neck kept her from going flying.
"Uncle J'onn! You're okay!"
"Thank God you're ok, J'onn," Kari let out. "What happened? You seem… different. A good different."
J'onn gently pulled Kari off M'gann's back, holding her bridal style.
"Let us just say, I have had a lot to think about."
"Well, we should probably get you back to the Justice League," M'gann insisted. "There's still a lot I want to say to Superman."
"Do not be too hard on him. He was unaware of my previous state of mind, and I am the one who agreed to his request."
M'gann sighed.
"Alright, Uncle… I'll play nice."
…
Inside his mansion, Ivo sat by the fireplace of his mansion, waiting. The fire had burned down to mere embers now, lighting the man up with an eerie glow. He looked down at his right hand, long since severed and replaced with a robotic substitute, opening and closing it as he reminisced about what had come before. As he closed it once more, he narrowed his eyes as he turned to see Green Arrow standing before him.
"Anthony Ivo, you have failed this city."
"I beg to differ, Oliver," Ivo retorted as he stood up. "That is you under that hood, right? Much fancier than the one you had back on Lian Yu, and a compound bow to boot. I guess that trust fund came in handy when you came back."
Arrow just narrowed his eyes in response.
"I know about the robot."
"A.M.A.Z.O. yes. Of course, I named it after the freighter where it all began. You remember, don't you Oliver?
"I remember shooting you in the chest. How'd you survive?"
"You're good with a bow, but not with a gun. You missed anything vital and left me in agony on that godforsaken beach. I was certain I was going to die, either from Gangrene from my severed hand, or lead poisoning from the bullet. However, that's when the people of ARGUS found me. They nursed me back to health, and all they wanted in return was my tech. So, I obliged, on the condition that my return from death would not leave Lian Yu."
"And your first act back from the dead was to create an evolving robot?"
"A.M.A.Z.O. was actually the pinnacle of everything I was working on back on Lian Yu. To bring humankind to its fullest potential. But the human body is so fragile and prone to injury and disease. With the android, we will be able to evolve beyond human limitations, beyond human weakness. To truly become… perfect."
"There's no such thing," Arrow insisted. "Humanity is naturally flawed. It's what makes us unique."
"Spare me the sermon, Oliver. I figured you of all people would be accepting of a means of becoming greater than themselves. Why else would you have a change of heart and hood?"
"Because I realized that if I wanted to save this city, I needed to be someone. Something else..."
Ivo rolled his eyes.
"And I'm officially bored."
Ivo pulled a gun and opened fire on Arrow. He quickly rolled out of the way before drawing an arrow and shooting it out of Ivo's hands. Just as Green Arrow drew another arrow to fire, A.M.A.Z.O. came crashing through the ceiling and landing in front of him as he fired, causing the arrow to bounce off of it. The bot then scanned Arrow, the same grey goo from before emerging from the palm of his hand to form a bow.
"Oh crap," Arrow let out as A.M.A.Z.O. formed an arrow in his other hand and fired it.
Green Arrow leapt out of the way before rolling on the ground and activating a communication device Batman gave him.
"Guys, the robot's here. I'm gonna try and keep him busy until you get here."
"Be careful," Batman cautioned. "You're no match for him."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Bats," Arrow remarked before leaping out of the way of the robot's heat vision.
…
In the city, a Boom Tube opened up on a rooftop, depositing the Justice League just outside the mansion. Once they landed, they could here the sounds of a fight going on inside.
"Sounds like A.M.A.Z.O's giving Arrow a run for his money," Cyborg noted. "We better go help him."
"Last time we fought that thing, it wiped the floor with us," Flash reminded. "How do you suppose we're gonna stop it?"
"I'm not sure," Superman admitted. "But we're not gonna find out from out here."
"You'd better hold back," Batman suggested. "I'm gonna try using the Kryptonite again."
"Why do I get the feeling the same trick won't work twice," Aquaman muttered.
"We have to try at least," Wonder Woman insisted.
The League instantly charged inside, with Superman holding back to try and get in contact with Kari about J'onn.
"Kari, you there?"
"Superman! Hey, sorry if there's interference. J'onn, M'gann and I are headed your way. You're still in Metropolis right?"
"Star City, actually. It's a long story, but tell J'onn to meet us there."
"Got it. We're on our way."
She hung up and Superman breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least that's one problem solved."
…
Inside the mansion, Green Arrow continuously fired explosive arrows at A.M.A.Z.O. in hopes of at least one of them doing some damage. Sadly it was not the case, as A.M.A.Z.O. just brushed off the blasts without even flinching to stepping back. Instead, he formed an arm cannon and opened fire on Arrow, knocking him back. Before A.M.A.Z.O. could take another step though, Green Lantern punched down the front door with a massive fist, allowing him and the rest of the League to move in. GL quickly formed a fist that he used to punch the robot, knocking him away from Arrow.
The robot quickly stabilized itself midair before speeding forward and ramming right into Lanter, knocking him down to the ground. Wonder Woman quickly moved behind it and shot out her lasso towards him, wrapping it around the robot so she could pull him to the ground. Once the robot was down, Wonder Woman drew her sword and charged at it, prompting the robot to form Aquaman's trident to block the oncoming attack. The two clashed weapons repeatedly for a bit before A.M.A.Z.O. formed his Lantern ring and blasted at her, shooting her back. Batman quickly leapt up and caught her midair before placing her on the ground and moving towards the robot.
"Big mistake," he snarled, pulling the Kryptonite from his belt and holding it before the bot.
A.M.A.Z.O. saw the Kryptonite and backed away in shock and fear. It cowered before the Dark Knight, who just got closer.
"Seems this is one bug that Ivo couldn't work out," Bats remarked coldly.
"Actually," A.M.A.Z.O corrected, his eyes glowing as he scanned Batman, "he did."
A.M.A.Z.O. then snatched the Kryptonite from Batman, crushing it in his hands before grabbing Batman by the throat. Just before A.M.A.Z.O. could do anything, Wonder Woman came flying up and smacked the robot across the face, knocking him back and causing him to let go of Batman. Wonder Woman quickly caught Batman before he fell and carefully lowered him to the ground.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"I'm fine, but A.M.A.Z.O.'s found a way to circumnavigate Superman's Kryptonite weakness by copying me."
"Told you it wouldn't work," Aquaman shouted as he swung his trident at the robot.
"Then we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way!" Cyborg declared, running at A.M.A.Z.O.
Cyborg opened fire on the robot on the robot, prompting him to form a shield with his ring before pushing it forward. The shield collided with Cyborg as it sent him crashing into a wall. A.M.A.Z.O. then sped up and punched him in the stomach repeatedly, causing him to try and grab the fists and hold him back. Cyborg grunted in pain as A.M.A.Z.O. applied greater and greater force.
"Warning, pressure exceeding allowed parameters. Disengage immediately."
Cyborg's pain became greater as sparks began emanating from his arm. Seeing this, Flash immediately ran towards him to try and help. Detecting him approaching with his super hearing, A.M.A.Z.O. grabbed Cyborg and tossed him towards Flash, causing the two to collide as they went flying out a window. The two tumbled across the lawn as Superman came to help them.
"Cyborg! Flash! Are you two alright?"
"Fine… just pissed!" Cyborg fumed. "We give this thing all we've got and it doesn't even make a dent!"
"Cyborg's right," Flash lamented. "No matter what we do to this thing, the robot throws it right back at us. We can't beat it…"
"Do not despair just yet," a familiar voice reassured.
The three turned and saw J'onn flying towards them, M'gann and Kari with him. Superman flew towards the Martian, looking relieved.
"J'onn, you're back. Are you alright?"
"It does not matter right now. We have a greater problem at hand." He handed Kari over to M'gann. "Tell me what we are up against."
"A sophisticated android that's managed to copy all of the abilities of the Justice League," Superman explained. "It's proven to be unstoppable."
"If it gets J'onn's powers, it truly will be," Kari pointed out.
"Maybe…" Cyborg pondered. "Or maybe it'll give us the leg up we need."
"What are you saying?" Flash asked.
"Let it copy J'onn's powers. It'll absorb his weakness to fire, and we can use that. The bot will be physically weakened, and I'll be able to come in and take it down."
"And what if it evolves to become immune to it?" Flash countered.
"It won't," Cyborg reassured. "Not as long as we hit it fast enough so it can't adapt."
Flash smirked at the idea.
…
Back inside, A.M.A.Z.O. was hammering down on the other heroes. Aquaman continued clashing tridents with the robot, keeping a rapid pace that was almost blinding. As the two locked weapons, A.M.A.Z.O. used its heat vision to blast Aquaman, causing him to kneel over in pain before A.M.A.Z.O. knocked him away. Green Lantern formed a hand around the robot, trying to crush it. A.M.A.Z.O. proceeded to counter it with the combined strengths of Superman and Wonder Woman, causing tremendous strain on the construct.
"C'mon…. C'mon..."
Finally, the robot shattered the construct, knocking GL back as A.M.A.Z.O darted upwards and punched him across the face, knocking him to the ground. A.M.A.Z.O. formed his trident and tried stabbing GL with it, but Wonder Woman quickly got in the way and blocked it with her blade. She shoved him off and proceeded to clash weapons with him repeatedly.
"Go down you metal monstrosity"
After blocking one of her strikes, A.M.A.Z.O. simply rammed into Wonder Woman, knocking her through several walls before launching her forwards into the air. A.M.A.Z.O. quickly used his Lantern ring to grab Wonder Woman and slam her into the ground. He brought her down at least three times before an explosive batarang hit the side of his head.
"Let her go!" Batman demanded.
A.M.A.Z.O. just tossed Wonder Woman aside before moving towards him. Before Batman could blink, the bot launched at him with all of Superman's strength. He embedded the Dark Knight into a wall, then leveled Cyborg's laser at his chest. Before it went off, an arrow embedded itself into the arm, exploding after a second. A.M.A.Z.O. turned towards Green Arrow as he notched another arrow and shot it at him, prompting him to catch it and let it go off in his hand.
"I have taken down the Lantern, the Amazon, the Atlantean, and the Dark Knight. What chance does a mere archer have?"
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Arrow remarked, firing another arrow.
The arrow hit the robot with another explosion, doing seemingly nothing as A.M.A.Z.O. walked towards him. He fired a few more, but with similar results. Finally, the bot grabbed the bow out of Arrow's hand and tossed it aside. It then grabbed him by the throat, lifting him in the air.
"Release him immediately," J'onn demanded, phasing into existence between Arrow and A.M.A.Z.O.
J'onn knocked A.M.A.Z.O. away, allowing him to release Arrow as the robot into a wall.
"Get out of here!" Arrow told him. "He'll copy your powers too!"
"That's the idea."
A.M.A.Z.O. looked up and instantly scanned J'onn, acquiring all of his powers. The second he did, J'onn let out a shout.
"Now!"
At that moment, Superman fired his heat vision to ignite a circle of fire around A.M.A.Z.O. the bot recoiling in shock as he fell to his knees. J'onn felt a similar affliction, but was quickly whisked out of the flames by Flash, who deposited him with Kari and M'gann, outside and a good way away from the fire. Once he was out of the way, Flash ran inside, smacking A.M.A.Z.O. repeatedly to disorient him and keep him from adapting to the fire.
"Keep the fire going," J'onn instructed telepathically. "As long as the robot has my powers, he is vulnerable to it."
Getting the message, Arrow fired several explosive arrows around the robot, causing the hallway to ignite with fire. A.M.A.Z.O. continued to recoil in fear as Superman and Flash continued to pound on him, not letting up for even a second. Joining in, Cyborg blasted at A.M.A.Z.O. with his cannon, knocking him back. Trying to fight back, A.M.A.Z.O. tried punching at Cyborg, prompting him to catch the fist. Cyborg tried punching in kind, but A.M.A.Z.O. caught that one in return. The two tussled for control, Cyborg grunting in response as the limiters in his systems kicked in.
"Warning, pressure exceeding allowed parameters. Disengage immediately."
"Not a chance…" Cyborg snarled.
"If you continue this course of action, you will only succeed in damaging vital systems. Disengage immediately."
"No… way! I'm taking… this walking toaster… down!"
"You cannot do this. Limitors are in place to protect this unit from physical harm. Continue to disregard them, and this unit will be forced to shut down."
"Don't… you dare!"
"Why do you not see reason? You cannot win."
"Yes… I… can!"
Something in the back of his mind clicked and he felt a surge of power rush through his arms. With a yell, he ripped A.M.A.Z.O's arms clean off of his body. He then reeled his arm back, forming his arm cannon and uppercutting it at A.M.A.Z.O.'s jaw, firing the cannon so it would knock the head clean off. The robot toppled over defeated as Cyborg stood over it, victorious.
"Booyah."
…
After A.M.A.Z.O. was taken down and Ivo was taken into custody, J'onn sat on a hill near the mansion, looking out towards the city as Superman walked up to him. He had both girls asleep near him, their heads resting on his lap as he gently rested his arms on them.
"Smart thinking back there," Superman commended.
"Thank you," he replied " I am glad it worked."
"Everyone is. Listen… I am sorry about what you went through. I was so focused on finding Luthor, I put you at risk."
"I can understand your trepidation. Luthor has been your enemy and greatest rival for awhile now, and knowing he is out there unchecked has you on edge."
"It's still no excuse. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. The experience was actually very enlightening."
"How so?"
"I had the chance to see a side of humanity I had not truly come to appreciate before. It's capacity for compassion and empathy. The willingness to put others first, and the desire to bring joy to those around them.
Superman smiled upon hearing this.
"I know what you mean. You see so much ugliness in the world… the capacity for good can almost come as a surprise."
"A welcome one to be sure."
M'gann shifted slightly from where she was resting and J'onn gently ran a hand over her head. The young Martian smiled and snuggled closer, eliciting the first genuine smile from J'onn in awhile.
…
Meanwhile, Diggle met up with the escort that was delivering Ivo back to ARGUS. There, he passed by the soldiers until he spotted a woman with short brown hair and a commander's uniform.
"Agent Michaels," Diggle spoke up. "A word, please."
The woman turned, noticing Diggle and pausing.
"Hello Mr. Diggle. It's been some time. What can I do for you?"
"Just wanting to follow up on the Ivo situation. Wondering how he's going to be handled."
"That's classified information, but I can assure you that Dr. Ivo will be reprimanded for his breach of conduct"
"And what exactly was his… conduct supposed to be? Just out of curiosity, you understand."
"Classified information. You understand."
Dig sighed, crossing his arms.
"Still as stubborn as ever, aren't you Lyla?"
"As I recall, it was one of the reasons you fell in love with me."
"It was, and it still is. Listen Lyla, that man tried to destroy the Justice League, and who knows how many others with his robot. Just… be careful with him, alright?"
"We always are Johnnie. Don't worry. You know how well I can handle myself."
"Yeah, I do."
The two smiled at one another, their expressions growing serious as Ivo was marched past, a smug smirk on his face. Diggle watched him go, his eyes never leaving the doctor until he disappeared inside ARGUS.
…
Back in his room, Victor was playing his game again with Changeling65, grinning the entire time.
VictoryStone: Booyah! In your face!
Changeling65: Dude, are you cheating? You are so cheating!
VictoryStone: nah, it's all skill. Maybe I could teach you sometime.
Changeling65: Maybe. But be warned, I'm a real beast when I wanna be!
There was a knock on the door and Victor turned, seeing Barry standing in the entrance.
"Oh, hey man," Vic greeted. "Everything cool?"
"Yeah, I came to check on you, see how you were doing."
"Doing great actually. Better even."
"How so?"
"Well, apparently when I went up against A.M.A.Z.O that last time, I managed to subconsciously delete the limiters on my systems."
"Hey, that's great. Guess you'll be back to pushing those limits after all."
"Yeah. Next time the Reverse Flash comes around, we'll be ready."
"We will be. And it's not because we're stronger or faster. It's because we have something he doesn't. Each other. Only working together were we able to take down Ivo and A.M.A.Z.O. and it'll be working together that we'll take down the Reverse Flash, and Luthor the next time either of them decides to cause trouble."
"Well, I for one, am looking forward to it."
"So am I man," Barry agreed as the two grasped hands. "So am I."