Chapter 66: Doom Patrol
It was a quiet night outside of a Kord Industries R&D facility. Watching from a rooftop across the street, Batman was watching a loading bay entrance through his binoculars, keeping an eye on things.
"The southside entrance is clear," Batman reported. "What's the status of everyone else?"
"East side is clear," Wonder Woman replied, hovering above the building.
"Same on the west side," Superman responded, X-Raying the building. "And no one's made it in either."
"Northside is clear," GL replied, Cyborg leaning against an AC unit as he scanned the area.
Cyborg let out a yawn of boredom. "We've been at this for four hours. I say we call it. Nothing's gonna happen."
"These tech robberies have been getting more and more daring over the past month," Superman challenged. "And according to Batman's intel, Kord Industries possesses new research in quantum manipulation."
"And you don't need a computer built into your brain to know that's bad news in the wrong hands," GL added.
"I get that," Cyborg insisted. "I'm just saying that we could wait until these guys actually make a move before wasting our time like this."
"We cannot afford to wait for danger to arise," Wonder Woman countered. "Every second we delay puts countless innocents at risk. We must remain vigilant."
Cyborg sighed in resentment. "What? No lecture from you, Batman?"
"I think they've said all that's needed," Batman replied. "Also, we have company."
Everyone was immediately on edge, looking around and seeing a group of men dressed in what appeared to be Nazi-inspired uniforms with metal masks covering their faces approach the loading bay, led by a green robot with a sword for one hand and a machine gun for the other, as well as a woman dressed in a red suit with black gloves and boots.
"Arsenal," the woman spoke in a Russian accent, turning to the robot. "Make an opening."
Arsenal nodded, raising his gun arm and firing a small missile at the door, blowing it open. He and the woman went inside, the soldiers following after.
"Take what we need," she ordered."Eliminate any who stand in your way."
Just then, a green ball flew through the air and nailed the Arsenal robot, knocking him into the building. The woman turned to see Green Lantern lowering himself down, the rest of the League following close behind.
"I think it's after business hours," Superman remarked.
"You're certainly not who I was hoping for," the woman replied. "But regardless, you should prove a challenge."
"I got this one," Cyborg replied, aiming his cannon at her.
He fired at the woman, but she actually stretched out her body so she could dodge the blast. Cyborg went wide-eyed at the sight, allowing the woman to stretch her arm out and socking him in the flesh side of his face, knocking him back. Wonder Woman flew forward, plowing into the woman as the soldiers opened fire on the group. Superman flew forward, swatting away several soldiers as he made his way to Arsenal, lifting him up.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Why are you doing this?"
"For a vision of a world ruled by the Brotherhood," the robot replied, firing lasers from his eyes that knocked Superman back.
Wonder Woman slammed the woman into a wall, holding her up in the air. "What business do you have here?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" the woman replied, stretching her leg out and wrapping it around Wonder Woman's legs, tripping her and knocking off her feet.
As Diana landed, the woman retracted her leg, ready to bring it down on her. Wonder Woman quickly rolled out of the way, grabbing her tiara and throwing it at her. The tiara hit her in the head, knocking her head back much farther than humanly possible. Diana quickly got back to her feet and reclaimed the tiara, seeing the woman's head snap back into place. Wonder Woman just narrowed her eyes as she flew back into battle.
Batman meanwhile fought his way through the hordes of soldiers, dealing out punches and batarangs until he came face to face with the Arsenal. The robot swung its blade hand at the Dark Knight, causing him to duck under it before throwing an explosive batarang. The projectile did little as the mad machine still lumbered toward him. Batman simply leaped onto its shoulder before springing off, firing a taser at it. The electricity surged through the robot before it formed its blade hand into a hammer, slamming the ground and knocking him back. Batman landed on his hands before springing to his feet, watching the Arsenal come closer to him.
Cyborg held his head in pain, looking up to see Batman facing down the rogue robot.
"Hang on, Batman, I-" Cyborg let out, about to fire his cannon.
Just then, a bird flew past him, catching Cyborg's eye since the bird in question was completely green.
"What the heck?"
The bird flew right at the Arsenal, who took notice and fired a few shots at him. The bird dodged them all, suddenly transforming into a green tiger. The tiger then tackled Arsenal, clawing at its metal hide repeatedly. Finally, Arsenal kicked the tiger off, causing it to bounce across the floor before transforming into what appeared to be a boy in a purple uniform and mask, though it was clear from the exposed skin that he was completely green.
"Aw yeah!" the kid cheered, throwing his hands in the air. "Did you see that?! I was-!"
"Beast Boy!" a male voice shouted. "Focus!"
Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Batman turned back to the entrance, seeing four new figures had entered the fight, all wearing variations of the uniform Beast Boy was wearing. One was male with a mask that had antennae on top, another was a woman with her face totally exposed, a third was a man whose head and hands were wrapped in bandages and was wearing darkened glasses and a coat, and the last one was a large orange robot with an open jaw.
"Right!" Beast Boy replied, straightening up. "Sorry, sir!"
"Doom Patrol, attack!" the man in the mask ordered, prompting the others to spring into action.
The woman ran toward Wonder Woman and her combatant, actually growing in size as she approached. Seeing this, Wonder Woman flew backward as the female villain looked up at the heroic one, watching her swing her massive foot out and kick her back. Wonder Woman took to the air as she flew up to the giant woman's face.
"Thought you could use the assist," the woman spoke. "Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. You're a refreshing change of pace to the other giants I'm accustomed to."
Back in the battle, the man in bandages ran toward a group of soldiers, coming to a stop in front of them. Just then, what looked like a silhouette made of pure black energy shot out of his chest as his body collapsed. The energy being barreled through the soldiers, taking them out in rapid succession before they even had a chance to raise their guns. A small group of soldiers managed to break away and trained their guns on the man's unmoving body. Before any of them could get a shot off, a green slab suddenly shot out and slammed them into a wall. As the slab dissipated, the soldiers dropped to the ground. GL then flew over to the man as the energy being flew back into him.
"Neat trick," GL commented, offering him a hand up.
"Negative ion energy," he replied in a dry tone while ignoring the hand and standing up. "Hence the name 'Negative' Man."
"Noted," GL replied, taken aback by his standoffish attitude before flying off.
Meanwhile, the robot of the new group just plowed through the soldiers, punching at every foe that came close. They tried shooting at him, but the bullets just bounced off of him, not doing any damage. He simply back-handed them aside without breaking a sweat.
"Alright!" he let out. "Who else wants some?!"
Just then, a laser blast hit him in the chest knocking him back. He looked up, seeing the Arsenal robot lumbering toward him with smoke emanating from its eyes.
"What's the matter, Robot Man?" Arsenal boasted. "Finally had enough?"
"You kiddin'?" Robot Man replied, getting to his feet. "I'm just getting started!"
Robot Man then charged at Arsenal, wailing on him a few times. Arsenal swung his blade at Robot Man, scraping his chest plate a bit before firing his gun at him, knocking him into a nearby work table and shattering it. Before Arsenal could move toward him, Superman flew into Arsenal, ramming into him and sending him careening across the room.
"I didn't need your help!" Robot Man insisted, getting back up. "I had him!"
"Thought you could use a hand," Superman replied.
"Well, you figured wrong!"
He took off back toward Arsenal, continued fighting as Superman turned back to the soldiers, flying in to take them out. At the same time, Batman dodged around the gunfire and threw a batarang that knocked the guns out of the soldier's hands. He leaped toward one and tackled him to the ground before kicking the legs out of another one. He then uppercut a third one before a fist hit him in the face, causing him to roll backward. He looked up, seeing the woman in red walking up to him.
"You should have stayed away, Batman," she retorted.
Batman remained silent as he quickly shucked a batarang toward her. She easily dodged it before shooting out a fist at him. Batman acted quickly, dodging the fist and grabbing her arm, throwing her against a wall. He quickly sprung off of it, heading right for Batman, but was knocked away by some flying debris. She landed on the ground, seeing the man in the antenna mask holding his hands to his head as if he were trying to focus. Suddenly, more pieces of debris lifted into the air and sailed toward the woman, forcing her to contort her body to avoid getting hit.
"Your aim continues to deteriorate, Mento," she boasted.
"You sure about that?" Mento replied with a smirk.
Suddenly, one of the objects that were thrown spun back around and nailed the woman from behind knocking her to the ground. Meanwhile, Beast Boy turned into a donkey and began kicking every soldier that came close to him. Next to him, Cyborg was blasting away with his sonic cannon at others.
"Handy trick you got there," Cyborg commented.
"Thanks," Beast Boy replied, his voice coming from a speaker on his collar. "Sweet arm cannon."
"Thanks. One of the perks of being part-robot."
As he blasted one soldier, he quickly punched another, sending him flying into a group of them
"Alright, another squad down. Booyah!"
That last word made Beast Boy freeze up, reverting back to human form.
"Wait a minute… Victorystone?!"
Cyborg went wide-eyed as well. "Changling65?!"
The two stared at each other before grinning.
"No way!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I've been playing Call of Conquest with the Cyborg?! This is the coolest day of my life."
"Guess you never know who you meet on the internet."
As the two talked, an outstretched fist hit both of them, knocking them back as the villainous woman retracted her fist.
"Arsenal, troops, we're falling out!" she ordered.
"Understood, Madame Rouge," Arsenal replied, disengaging from Robot Man.
The two quickly started to escape, Arsenal blasting a hole in the ceiling so Madame Rouge could stretch up to it. She wrapped a leg around Arsenal as they retreated upward, leaving the ceiling to collapse toward the heroes. Superman quickly flew up the ceiling, stabilizing it as Green Lantern grabbed pieces of debris to prop them into place. Once they were secure, Superman let go of the ceiling and welded the debris into place, keeping it stable. Once that was done, the two teams of heroes reconvened as the giant woman shrunk down to normal size. The League looked on, curious about their sudden new allies.
"We appreciate the assist," Mento spoke. "But we'll take it from here."
"With all due respect, those people seemed serious," Superman stepped in. "What were they after here?"
"Not sure, but we'll find out before long. Thanks again. Doom Patrol-"
"Mento, wait," the size-changing woman protested. "Maybe we can use their help."
"Elastigirl, you know the Brotherhood has always been our responsibility," Mento challenged.
"I know that, but these guys have been able to accomplish a lot. They may be able to help us get a lead on what the Brotherhood is planning. It couldn't hurt just to get some outside aid."
Mento looked back at the League, pondering for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Let's head back to base and compare notes."
…
A few minutes later, the group arrived at a large mansion on the outskirts of the city. The Leaguers were in awe of the splendor of the place,
"Welcome to Doom Manor," Mento introduced. "Headquarters of the Doom Patrol."
"We've never heard of this 'Doom Patrol' before," Wonder Woman commented.
"Unlike your Justice League, we don't like to advertise. We work out of the public eye in order to maintain a certain level of… anonymity."
"Translation, people would see us as freaks if they got a good look at us," Robot Man commented.
"That's… an oversimplification," Mento commented. "If not an accurate one."
"Mento, not all of us are super geniuses like you," Negative Man remarked dryly.
"Perhaps," Elastigirl spoke up. "But we still make the most out of our gifts in order to keep the world safe."
"You always knew how to put a bow on a bad situation," Robot Man commented.
"Dynamic little group, aren't they?" GL whispered to Batman.
"I will admit, even I find them depressing."
"So," Superman spoke up, moving forward. "What can you tell us about the people that attacked the lab?"
"They're members of a sinister group known as the Brotherhood of Evil," Mento explained.
"Brotherhood of Evil?" Cyborg let out. "Not much for subtlety, are they?"
"They don't see the need. They know what they are, and they know what they want. Global domination."
"Any idea why they attacked the lab?" Batman inquired.
"We know they're trying to build something, but we don't know what yet. All I do know is since they failed to get what they were after last time, they're going to try again."
"Then we need to be ready for when they strike again," Superman declared.
"They won't try the same place twice, though," Elastigirl added. "We should find out what was in that lab and where else it could be."
"Do you have a computer?" Batman asked.
"This way," Elastigirl gestured, leading Batman with Mento following behind.
…
Elsewhere, Madame Rouge and the Arsenal made their way to an abandoned power station. Once inside, they were greeted by a greater platoon of soldiers than had accompanied them before. Amongst them was a heavily aged man in a military uniform.
"Welcome back, Madame Rouge," the man greeted. "I see you've returned empty-handed."
"Not by choice, Immortus," Madame Rouge replied, placing her hands on her hips. "The Justice League had arrived… as well as the Doom Patrol."
"As we knew they would," a robotic voice commented
Rouge, Arsenal, and Immortus looked up to the catwalk above them, seeing two figures draped in shadows. One of the figures moved into the light, revealing itself to be a metal cylinder with a skull on the front and a human brain on the top encased in glass.
"No doubt the students of Niles Caulder are working to undo the machinations of the Brotherhood," the brain mused. "Their consistency will be their undoing."
"Shall we strike at the lab again?" Arsenal asked.
"No. We will select a new target to get what we need. One that will lead Mento and his allies to their ultimate destruction. Monsieur Mallah."
The second figure stepped forward, turning out to be a gorilla with a beret, and a gatling gun strapped to its back.
"I have a task for you," the brain instructed.
…
Back at Doom Manor, Batman and Mento got to work trying to pinpoint where the Brotherhood of Evil would strike next. As they worked, the League decided to converse with some of the members of the Patrol. One of the first being Diana, who felt compelled to talk with Elastigirl after she left Batman and Mento to work.
"Excuse me," the Amazon called out, pulling Elastigirl to the side. "This is going to sound strange, but by chance are you related to Rita Farr?"
Elastigirl was surprised at the mention of the name.
"You've… heard of Rita Farr?"
"I heard she perished due to some kind of incident with her last picture. I looked into it, but there appeared to be no sign of her body. I was always a fan of her films back then. It was rare to see pictures that empowered women in those days. I regret that I never got to meet her in person."
"Well to be honest… " Elastigirl replied, taking a sigh. "you just did."
Diana was surprised by the revelation. "You mean, you-"
"Are Rita Farr. the one and only."
"That would explain why no body was found. What happened to you that day?"
Rita sighed, sitting down on a chair. "I was exposed to a mixture of amazonian swamp gas mixed with toxic chemicals. The resulting mixture caused me to… well, for lack of a better term, melt. Took me almost 50 years to full master my powers. The only positive is that my new physique prevents me from aging."
"Which is why you've remained as you are," Diana surmised.
"On the rare occasions I did acting, I could pass myself off as Rita's daughter or granddaughter. Though I don't do it as much these days."
"Because of your commitment to your team?"
"And the spotlight… tends to bring out my less than attractive traits. Excessive stress or negative emotion tends to make me…" she grimaced. "You get the idea."
"I can understand. Nevertheless, it seems you have turned what was once a curse into a gift. You should be proud of that."
"I am glad of that. Plus," She looked off as Beast Boy talked with Cyborg. "It allowed us to bring in Garfield."
Wonder Woman looked back, seeing the two boys talk. "The boy?"
"I met his mother on the set of a sitcom we both starred in. I became like an aunt to him, and when he developed his powers, I did what I could to help him. Then…" Rita sighed. "Then his mother died, and he was left orphaned. I did what I could and brought him to Doom Manor."
"I'm so sorry," she replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That must have been hard for both of you."
"It was… but he's truly come to accept us as his new family. And frankly, he brings much-needed life to this place."
"From what I saw, your leader does not see it that way."
"Mento's always been… strict. It makes him a good leader, but a hard person to relate to." Rita turned away. "I'll be honest, I don't think Mento knows how to handle Garfield. He's used to grown adults, people who have experience in battle. And Garfield… he still has that childish spark in his eyes, something I've tried to help him keep."
"As you should. Vigor like his is always… refreshing."
As the two heroines continued to talk, GL was off to the side, looking at a picture of the Doom Patrol, with a bearded man in a wheelchair in the center.
"That's Niles Caldur," Negative Man commented, getting GL's attention as he walked up. "That's what you were wondering about, right? Who's the guy in the chair?"
"Uh… yeah," GL answered. "Was he important?"
"Found us. Founded the Doom Patrol. Screwed us all over countless times."
"Sounds like a piece of work."
"Like you're one to talk, Hal."
GL was caught off guard. "What are you-"
"Come on, that mask may work on most people, but I recognize the cocky attitude anywhere."
"Do… do we know each other?" GL asked, trying to recall if he had met this person before.
"Larry Trainor. Your former wingman? The one who ended up crashing and burning, quite literally?"
That got a reaction from the Emerald hero. "Larry? My god, what happened to you? They said you were dead."
"Guess it was easier to write me off that way than explain what really happened. You remember the mission I was on when it happened?"
"Yeah, flying some experimental high-altitude aircraft."
"Well, when I was up there, I was exposed to some kind of… it's hard to describe. Some strange energy. It screwed with my systems and caused me to crash."
"How'd you survive? The energy you passed through?"
"Yeah. it… fused with me somehow."
"Creating that negative ion being you can summon."
"Summon is… a generous term. It's like a separate entity that's using my body as its own personal meat puppet. Took years to come to an understanding, and the only reason I haven't gotten rid of it is… well… without it, I'm dead."
"That the reason for the bandages? Or are you just trying to deprive the world of your rugged good looks?"
"There's the snark I thought I could live without," Negative Man remarked. "And did. And for the record, these bandages help keep my own radiation contained. Without them, you'd be dead."
"I think I'd last a while," GL replied, holding up his ring.
"Oh yeah, your new gig. How about that, huh? I end up a disfigured mess with an energy ghost popping in and out, while you get a cushy gig at Ferris Air and a fancy space toy."
"Hey, the Green Lantern ring is a serious responsibility. Life's given me some perks, sure, but I still fulfill my duty instead of feeling sorry for myself."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Hal."
Larry turned and walked off as Hal groaned. "I think I can tell why they call you Negative Man!"
"Bite me!"
As Negative Man walked out of the room, Cyborg couldn't help but watch from a far.
"That looked intense," he commented.
"Eh, don't mind him," Robot Man commented as he approached. "He's always been a bit prickly."
"How can you stand it?"
"Most of the time I just turn down my hearing."
Cyborg couldn't help but chuckle at that before catching himself. "Uh, I hope that didn't come across as insensitive."
"Hey, I'd rather have you laughing at me than anyone else." He knocked on his chest. "I've got pretty thick skin these days."
Cyborg chuckled before looking him over. "How'd that happen anyway?"
"Car crash. Got blackout drunk, car went down. My wife died, and technically so did I. Niles Caulder salvaged my brain and plopped it in this thing about…" He counted on his fingers. "40-odd years ago. Hated it so much in the beginning. Still have my off days. Then again, I'm sure you get it."
"Yeah," Cyborg replied, leaning against a couch. "Hated what I became when it happened. Shut myself off from the world… from everyone.
"I have a giant scale model of Cloverton Ohio in the attic of Doom Manor that I threw myself into for the first 30 years. How long did you last?"
"A few months. Didn't wallow that long since an alien robot wanted to blow up Earth, so… there's that."
"Don't even get me started on the weird shit that got us out of Doom Manor." Robot Man shook his head. "You Leaguers got it lucky dealing with normal stuff."
"You call mind-controlling metas, Atlanteans, and the Greek god of war normal?"
"Talk to me when you have to deal with the Cult of the Unwritten Book, a goat with a door in its stomach, and a, I kid you not, genderqueer, teleporting, sentient street that thrives off of parties. And don't even get me started on Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man."
Cyborg was rendered speechless. "You know what, forget I asked."
"Yeah. Shit gets weird around here."
While that was going on, Beast Boy was speechless, looking up at Superman as he walked past.
"Uh," Superman let out, noticing the stare. "Something I can help you with?"
"You're Superman…" the green kid gushed, "like, the Superman."
"Just Superman is fine. You're Beast Boy, right?"
Beast Boy nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh! I can turn into animals! Well, kinda. I've only had my powers for a couple of months. I'm still learning how they work."
"You seemed to handle yourself just fine out there."
"Not according to Mento. I take too long in between transformations and the animals I can turn into aren't always helpful. He wants me to train like 24/7. I mean, I get that training's important and everything, but I'm 15!"
"He does sound pretty strict. But I'm sure he only wants you to be at your best out there."
"Dude, I'm pretty sure that the guy would have pulled me from school and had me doing training from dawn til dusk if Rita didn't argue with him. He's a frikken hardcase."
"Alright, that's… excessive. But sometimes people push us the hardest because they want what they think is best for us."
"You really think that?" Beast Boy wondered.
"I really do," Superman reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
While all of that was going on, Mento and Batman continued to work in tracking down the Brotherhood of Evil.
"This is a list of contents in the lab," Mento relayed. "Knowing the Brotherhood, they'd be after something volatile and dangerous."
"So we comb through the list, and find out what other labs have that content," Batman reasoned. "Shouldn't be too hard to sift through."
Mento continued working as Batman scanned him, trying to get a read on him.
"You were a little strict on the kid back there," Batman noted.
"I have to be. He needs to understand what kind of world he's entering with this job."
"Perhaps…"
Mento felt something off about Batman, looking up at him. "Are you implying something?"
"... I'm not implying anything."
Mento ignored him, turning back to the screen and catching something as a result.
"Hang on…" Mento let out. "That's it. That's what they're after."
"Looks like a perpetual energy battery," Batman recognized. "That kind of power could fuel a city."
"Or something more dangerous," Mento dreaded. "Checking to see if there's anywhere else… bingo."
…
"You sure this is the place?" Cyborg asked as they all stood outside a building.
"Positive," Mento confirmed. "There's only one other place that battery could be. And it's here, in a S.T.A.R. Labs warehouse.
The warehouse in question was empty and abandoned. Rust and dust lined the door and outside of the building
"So, who wants to open the door?" GL asked.
"I got it," Robot Man volunteered.
He walked up to the door and punched it down, causing it to crash down hard. The two teams made their way inside, looking for any sign of the Brotherhood. Superman scanned around with his X-Ray vision while Mento used his mental powers.
"No sign of them, yet," Superman reported before turning to Mento. "How about you?"
"Detecting a few mental signals, but nothing specific. Could be henchmen, could be something more."
"Whatever it is, I will be so ready," Beast Boy let out, all excited. "I'm thinking tiger first. Then a bit of cobra. And then-"
"Beast Boy," Mento called out. "Stay focused. We can't afford to be distracted."
"Right… sorry."
"Ever thought of going bigger?" Cyborg suggested.
That caused Beast Boy to perk up. "What do you mean?"
"Well you can turn into any animal you can think of. So maybe extinct animals or even aliens."
"That… would be awesome! I so gotta try that!"
"Focus up!" Mento called out. "I think I'm getting something…" his eyes flashed open. "Oh no!"
Just then, the lights flashed on, revealing several of the soldiers the two teams had encountered before, forcing them to take fighting stances.
"Ah, the Doom Patrol and the Justice League."
The two teams looked up to see the entire Brotherhood of Evil on a catwalk, with the brain leading them.
"How nice to have you all in one place.
"Dude!"Beast Boy let out. "It's the Brain!"
"Uh, yeah man," Cyborg replied. "We can tell it's a brain."
"No, not a brain. The Brain. The leader of the Brotherhood of Evil!"
"Whoa…"
"Whatever you're planning, Brain, it won't work," Mento declared, stepping forward.
"Bold words old friend," Brain taunted. "But I am inclined to disagree. Monsieur Mallah, put these deluded fools out of their misery."
Mallah leaped down from the catwalk, landing in front of the group, and pulled out a Gatling gun. He opened fire on the group, prompting Wonder Woman to step forward and deflect the bullets with her bracelets. The other soldiers quickly opened fire as Madame Rouge and the Arsenal robot leaped down to join the fray. Cyborg saw the Arsenal falling toward him and used his sonic cannon to blast him back, knocking him into a shelf and making it topple over. Elastigirl quickly grew in size and swatted several soldiers away.
Madame Rouge leaped down to the ground and kicked Mento across the face, knocking him back. He quickly recovered, using his powers to pick up pieces of equipment scattered across the ground and chucking them at her. She quickly stretched her body to evade as much of the equipment as she could, even grabbing one piece as it passed by and launched it back at him. Before it could make contact though, a batarang flew out and knocked it out of the air, causing Mento to turn and see Batman dispatching one of the soldiers. He then turned back to Rouge, getting a mental fix on the ground she was standing on, actually lifting it off the ground and slamming it into the ceiling, flattening her.
Robot Man continued battling his way through the forces of the Brotherhood. He made his way toward Mallah, grabbing his gun and crushing it in his hands. Enraged, Mallah batted him away, causing him to collide hard with a support pillar. Robot Man quickly got up and charged at Mallah, the two bashing at each other repeatedly. After a bit, Mallah pulled out a small explosive device and attached it to Robot Man's chest. It went off, sending him crashing through the wall and across the street. He collided with the side of a building before crashing down to the ground in front of two kids. He slowly picked himself up, being greeted by the scared faces of the kids.
"Hey," he greeted, causing them to scream.
He then looked up, seeing that some debris was about to drop on them.
"Come on kids," he insisted, only for the kids to shy away from him, holding one another and screaming some more.
Just before the debris came crashing down, a blue blur shot out and grabbed the kids, pulling them out of the way before it hit. Robot Man looked up, seeing Superman holding them close.
"You two alright?" Superman asked.
The two kids nodded before looking back at Robot Man.
"Look out, Superman!" one of them cried out. "It's a scary robot!"
Robot Man just sighed before heading back inside. "Figures."
"Uh, let me worry about Mr. Robot Man," Superman reassured, putting the kids down. "You two just get to safety."
The two kids nodded, heading off as Superman flew back to the battle.
…
Back inside, Green Lantern flew above the battlefield, forming a massive bulldozer that plowed through several soldiers in rapid succession. After reaching one end of the room, he dissipated the bulldozer and then formed twin cannons, blasting away at numerous soldiers. He was soon joined by Negative Man's ion spirit as it plowed through the soldiers, beating them back without a moment's hesitation.
"So, spirit… thing," GL spoke. "Any suggestions on how to stop these things?"
The spirit pointed ahead, to where General Immortus was watching the battle play out.
"I get it," GL realized. "Capture the man in charge."
The spirit gave GL a thumbs-up before flying back into the battle.
"You're a lot more agreeable than your pal, by the way!" GL called as he flew off as well.
While still pressed against the ceiling, Madame Rouge saw Green Lantern flying toward General Immortus. Reacting fast, she stretched out her hand and grabbed his leg. She yanked hard, pulling him toward the ground and causing him to hit hard as she pulled herself out from under the piece of floor and dropped down to the ground. She darted toward him, prompting GL to blast at her. She dodged the blast before stretching out a fist at him. He quickly formed a shield to block the attack before flinging it toward her. She flattened her body to avoid the attack, before springing up and striking him across the face, knocking him back a bit.
Meanwhile, Cyborg and Arsenal duked it out, with Arsenal swinging its blade hand at Cyborg repeatedly, dodging every strike that was dealt his way. He quickly grabbed the blade and pulled Arsenal in close, socking the robot across the face plate and sending it crashing into some boxes. The Arsenal slowly picked itself up, narrowing its optics at Cyborg. He tried aiming his gun arm at Cyborg, but Beast Boy in green monkey form suddenly landed on its faceplate, disorienting the robot for a moment before leaping off. At that moment, Cyborg ran up, grabbing his blade arm as he swung it, actually tearing it off as Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla, smacking Arsenal aside.
"Nice work, BB," Cyborg commended.
Beast Boy reverted to normal, smiling and giving a thumbs up in response. "Thanks, dude. For this one… think I'm gonna try really big!"
He turned back to Arsenal, transforming into a rhino and charging right at him, Cyborg letting out a whistle in response.
"That is one kick butt little dude," Cyborg commented.
Meanwhile, Mento sent out several mental blasts that knocked back countless waves of the Brotherhood's soldiers. Once he had an opening, he looked up at the catwalk where the Brain was. He did a scan of his mind, suddenly going wide-eyed at the plot he uncovered.
"No…" Mento let out.
"Do you like it, Mento?" The Brain taunted. "I have been working on it for years. As an ultimate victory over the Doom Patrol."
"It won't work, you psychopath!" Mento declared as the two teams regrouped.
"What's going on?" Superman asked.
"I know what the Brotherhood is planning! We have to-"
Just then, several energy pillars rose up from the ground and shot at the group, encasing them all in an energy field. Beast Boy, who was the only one away from the group as he was still fighting Arsenal, looked over and saw the trapped heroes.
"Guys!" he cried out. "Hang on!"
Before he could move, Mallah landed behind him and grabbed hold of him, crushing him in his hand.
"Let the kid go, Brain!" Mento demanded.
"You will soon have more pressing concerns, Mento," The Brain threatened. "This entire facility is set to be destroyed in less than sixty seconds. I look forward to our next confrontation, should you survive. Monsieur Mallah, if you please."
Mallah tossed Beast Boy aside, heading over to a compartment on a nearby wall and tearing it open, revealing the battery they were after. He grabbed it and went to meet with the others as Beast Boy picked himself up.
"Beast Boy!" Mento cried out. "Stop the Brotherhood!"
"I… I can't!" Beast Boy replied, looking up at the villains. "What about you guys?!"
"We're not important! What matters is completing the mission! No matter the cost!"
Beast Boy looked back and forth between the Brotherhood and the heroes, wondering what he should do.
"Think big…" he said to himself, trying to focus. "Think big… think big!"
Just then, his eyes flashed open, becoming reptilian in nature. He then transformed into a massive T-Rex, much to the amazement of the others.
"Whoa," Negative Man let out.
Beast Boy stomped through the room, making his way toward the heroes and swinging his tail toward the energy pillars, destroying them. Once they were down, the heroes were free, Mento tried performing a mental blast on the Brain, but a door sealed behind him as he and the Brotherhood made their escape.
"Come on!" Mento called out.
"No time," Batman shot down, stopping him. "This place is gonna go up any second. Lantern, we need an exit!"
"On it!" GL replied.
He formed a massive bubble that encompassed everyone, flying them out as the warehouse began to explode. Just as they got clear, the entire building went up in a ball of fire. The group landed on a building across the street, with Cyborg heading over to Beast Boy.
"Dude, that was epic," He commended.
"Thanks, man," Beast Boy replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Just took your idea and rolled with it."
"Well, it really saved our butts out there," Robot Man commented.
"Nice work," GL added.
"Beast Boy smiled widely, overwhelmed by the adulation he was getting. He then turned and saw Mento looking out at the fiery remains of the building, lamenting that the Brotherhood had gotten away.
"Mento!" Beast Boy spoke. "Did you see what I did back there? I got big!"
"The only thing I saw was you disobeying a direct order," Mento replied before turning to face him. "I told you to stop the Brain! Not save us!"
The others were taken aback by Mento's harsh words.
"Steve, please," Elastigirl pleaded.
"He saved our lives," Wonder Woman added. "Does that not count for anything?"
"In the long run… no," Mento replied, much to their surprise.
Even Beast Boy was shocked by this.
"But… but you could've died if I left you!" Beast Boy spoke up. "What was I supposed to do?! Just let that happen?"
"If it meant stopping the Brain-"
"Enough!" Batman cut off, stepping in. "He saved us. That should be enough for you. If it isn't," he got right in Mento's face, "get over it."
"You don't understand. You don't know what the Brain wanted that battery for."
"What then?" Superman asked, stepping toward them.
Mento paused before turning to him. "A Quantum Generator."
Batman was genuinely surprised by that, and Cyborg's systems quickly filled him in on the technical side.
"I'm guessing that's a bad thing," GL surmised.
"Long story short, this thing is a Black Hole Generator," Cyborg informed.
"Meaning that the Brotherhood will have the means to open a gravitational singularity anywhere on the planet," Batman added. "Destroying anything they choose."
"Meaning that the most powerful weapon on the planet is now in the hands of a madman," Mento concluded, turning back to Beast Boy. "because you couldn't follow orders."
Beast Boy looked away in shame, Elastigirl placing a hand on his shoulder.
"So… now what?" Negative Man asked.
"Now, we find them and stop them…" Mento declared. "No matter the cost."