Omniverse Earth-38

by choejhulkp9

The multiverse is a big, wide open space of possibilities. Think of them like snowflakes: they look similar but they're different enough. This earth is no different. A citizen of earth finds himself wielding the most powerful weapon in the universe. It stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid. Now he's got superpowers, he's no ordinary kid. He's...well, you get it.

13. Recruitment

Hey everyone, here is Chapter 13 of Omniverse Earth-38. In the strategic game of chess between the Thinker and the ISA against Sentry and the newly formed Justice League, the bad guys have taken the lead. The Thinker is a super genius and brilliant strategist, catching the heroes off guard but they get some reinforcements in the form of legacies. They need to figure out the plans for the ISA and stop them. Knowing their enemy is just as important. Enjoy!

Omniverse Earth-38: Recruitment

Late September 2008: Mystery Location

Situated in a large, fancy chair in front of a row of monitors was Clifford Devoe, AKA The Thinker. He was watching the various news coverage of the recent string of attacks throughout the country, orchestrated by him, of course. A smirk adorned his face as he watched the various intricate plans made by him come to fruition exactly as he planned they would. Sometimes the best way to ensure a plans success is to provide a big distraction so that your opponent can't see what's right in front of them. Sentry had been looking for the Injustice Society of America and so he met them. Icicle and his cohorts play their parts perfectly. The simultaneous attacks in National City, Gotham, Metropolis, Coast City, New York, and the Gulf were perfect. It was an attack that served two purposes. The first was fairly obvious but the second was known only to the mastermind.

On the surface, the attacks on the various cities were both meant as a means to test the heroes as well as keep them busy. Devoe, being the keen strategist and genius mastermind that he claimed himself to be, knew that the while the ISA were able to handle the old JSA with his help they would need much more to go up against the new heroes. The ISA were immediately put on the defensive in their first fight with Sentry and Devoe theorized that if he was there to really fight them and not just to get information then it would have ended poorly for his cohorts. With Sentry alongside Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkwoman and Wonder Woman then the odds for the ISA to succeed were slim to none. Devoe wasn't delusional and knew the ISA well enough to understand that despite their numbers and grand plans, they were small fish in a big pond, so to speak. In a regular fight against the growing team of heroes…they would be demolished. The only way their plan would succeed and not immediately be discovered/thwarted by the heroes would be if they kept playing to their strengths which in this case was Devoe being in charge.

Already, it proved to be working as the heroes had been kept in the dark regarding the other exploits Devoe and the ISA were able to pull during the attacks putting their plan into the next stage. Devoe turned his gaze towards the chessboard he had on the side. Red pieces against green pieces, the Thinker versus the Sentry, the ultimate battle of strategy. Despite growing smart enough to be declared one of if not the smartest person on the planet, there were still parts of Devoe's old personality that lingered mainly his hubris and ego and right now both were reveling in his little victory. And he knew more would come soon enough.

The clatter of heavy boots on the floor alerted him to the arrival of a guest but he knew who it was as the distinct sound of the military boots and the accompanying jingles and clicks of metal objects helped in that regard. "I must applaud you once again on your work, Mr. Wilson. Infiltration into governmental facilities is a risk one does not take lightly."

Slade Wilson walked into view with his helmet tucked under his left arm. "For others, maybe. But for me? Practically a vacation. Helps with a teleporter to cut the travel time and with your infiltration in their systems they had no idea I was even there…and no witnesses to say different. You sure Sentry won't know where we went?"

"By the time he figures out your activities during the attacks it'll be too late. I've upgraded our new teleporters with new cloaking technology that will hide us for the time being but I'm not one to leave things to chance so they will be upgraded soon enough." Devoe told him. "Now that our foreign affairs have been dealt with, it is time to look closer to home at our own time zone. The next phase of the plan is about to commence."

"Call it coincidence because that's why I'm here. Dragon King is here to see you." Slade Wilson informed him but noticed no look or sign that he was surprised by that information. Devoe pressed a few buttons on a keyboard and his monitors went to sleep before he stood up. He was dressed in a formfitting business suit like he was a CEO going to a business meeting.

"Very well then, Mr. Wilson. Let us see what Dr. Ito has to say with the new change in management." Devoe walked to the exit with composure and grace and Deathstroke followed, fastening his helmet back on and undoing the safety on his pistol while readying a grenade. If half the things he had heard about Dragon King were true than he was ready to put the lizard down if need be if Devoe was in danger. Devoe was his employer for the moment, so he needed to be protected.

The two walked into a large room with a circular conference table where the ISA would usually gather for meetings. Up on the wall was an old oil painting portrait of the members of the ISA minus the Thinker, Deathstroke, and Solomon Grundy since they were recent additions. When the two entered the room they saw several of Dragon King's hooded mindless servants standing around and Deathstroke moved his right hand to his pistol holstered on his thigh, just in case.

"Dr. Ito…a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Devoe greeted, seeing him staring at the old ISA portrait.

"In the beginning, I never could understand why Icicle brought them together. Such volatile and disparate individuals on their own that they would surely tear themselves apart if they came together. And Icicle's plan itself is as delusional as it is farfetched but still, I aided where I could purely out of scientific curiosity."

"And now?" Devoe asked and Dragon King turned around giving Deathstroke his first good look at the mad scientist. A dark green hood with a yellow dragon in the center was on his face but the two could see the man's yellowish reptilian eyes. A dark green cape with a high collar stretched down his back with a matching dragon symbol to the one on his mask. He had on green gloves, a yellow leather apron adorned with numerous surgical tools and had various bloodstains caked on the material. The man looked more mad scientist than a king.

"Now I see this plan of actually succeeding. In the hands of a man with an intellect such as yours, Project: New World will change everything…and I wish to be a part of it." Dragon King stated. Devoe gave him a smile and a courteous nod before gesturing him to take a seat at the conference table. One of Dragon King's men pulled out a chair for him to sit and Devoe sat down across from him.

"I'm must commend you on your success with your minions. I've heard they aren't the only ones who are the product of your business schedule." Devoe remarked.

"I've been working on my daughters, yes. As a means for her protection…and the protection of our asset, Brainwave's son." Dragon King informed him.

"Yes, who will be very important to our plans going forward. Brainwave's coma does not hinder the progress of our overall project. Project: New World is moving into its next phase. Mr. Wilson completed the tasks necessary to ensure our overall success is assured. It is now time to begin construction." Devoe told him. "Ultra-Humanite and the Rival are currently acquiring the necessary material required for the project and he will assist you with construction. Speed is important but discretion just as much."

"Understood." Dragon King bowed his head. "I understand a new group of heroes are an obstacle in this endeavor. Nothing new as I have plenty of experience with the JSA, but this new group is quite…formidable."

"That they are. Saying otherwise would be just be ignorant but rest assured measures are being taken to keep them chasing their tails while Project: New World continues on. As you said about your compatriots, they are volatile individuals, and they often prove to be the perfect distractions. We give the heroes breadcrumbs to chase away and keep them distracted while your work remains ongoing. All the relevant data and information for Project: New World will be sent to you as soon as possible. Should you require anything else, or some unexpected developments occur then let me know."

"Understood." Dragon King stood up and walked away but stopped after a few steps. "When our project is a success…might I have the bodies of the heroes? The Kryptonian has always fascinated me as does the Shapeshifter."

"That can be arranged." Devoe answered. Dragon King took that as the answer for now and left with his minions right behind him. Once they were gone, Deathstroke broke the silence.

"I've dealt with mob bosses, warlords, maniacs, and people wanted for war crimes and didn't feel anything. That man unnerves like none of them did."

"And for good reason. Dr. Ito's scientific curiosity is only surpassed by his apathy to human life. It's what makes him such a brilliant scientist, but he is smart to understand when it is necessary to follow the instructions of another." Devoe told him. "That being said, if he should have second thoughts or begin questioning our partnership than his usefulness will have ended. And despite the experiments and augmentations he has made to his body…he can still be killed."

"Good enough for me." Deathstroke smirked underneath his mask.

Elsewhere…

DEO Desert Facility

Will and Director Henshaw looked at the row of monitors in front of the main computer that had news coverage regarding the multiple attacks that had recently occurred. There were some deaths and a lot of destruction and while the various news agencies had no answer as to the cause of the attacks, some already knew the culprit.

"Devoe's not out of the loop as I thought he'd be. Soon after I bring in the others to help take on Devoe and ISA he launches these attacks. It can't be a coincidence." Will stated.

"I stopped believing in coincidences in this line of work a long time ago. With all the pressure you and the JSA have put on the ISA and most recently with Brainwave, Devoe and the ISA planned a counterattack." Director Henshaw saw things differently. "I don't think this coordinated attack was just because you and your allies were getting too close. Something else is at work here and we just can't see it."

Will was curious what he meant by that and where his train of thought was going. "What do you mean?"

"Devoe is smart and cunning enough to pull off an attack like this in multiple cities but what purpose does that serve if none of the other heroes were injured or killed. They are fine, right?"

"Yeah, I checked with them again this morning. They're fine and none of them mentioned an encounter with a psychotic villain." Will answered giving more for Director Henshaw to think about.

"Then these attacks had to be about something else than just attacking the cities the heroes protect especially since you said that once you had their attention they left as abruptly as they started."

"So, then if Devoe didn't want them to attack for retribution alone…" Will said as the ideas began to flow together and he seemed to get on the same mental train of thought as Director Henshaw. "…it had to be a distraction. All those attacks kept us busy so Devoe could have easily had one of the ISA do something else and we would have no idea. But what?"

"That is the question we need to answer. If we do that then we can figure out what Devoe and the ISA are working on and hopefully stop it before they're ready." Henshaw told him.

"Well, we know next to nothing about their grand plans other than it involves a bunch of supervillains, psychotic mad geniuses like Dragon King, and is apparently so secretive that they killed the old members of the JSA because they were getting too close to whatever was going on. It's also been in the works for a while but wasn't moving forward in the right way until Devoe joined them and he's got Deathstroke. So, a lot of supervillains and the most deadly mercenary working together for likely total world domination. How would they do that?" Will asked aloud not just for Director Henshaw but for the other agents nearby. "Any ideas? Anyone? Nothing?"

The DEO agents just gave him shrugs in response leaving Will defeated but Henshaw had some ideas. "The attack in National City was one of the only attacks where actual members of the ISA were seen and present…"

"Yeah. Icicle, Shade, the Wizard, Ultra-Humanite and then the Rival came by and pulled them out after ambushing us, but the other members had to be responsible for the other attacks. Metropolis isn't on a fault line so the earthquake had to be Geomancer and in New York people heard a violin playing when they couldn't control their bodies so that was the Fiddler." Will told him.

"Got it. Various attacks and were serious enough to need the heroes to stay back and help. But no sign of Deathstroke or Devoe himself. Could be that Deathstroke was needed elsewhere. Maybe that's it. Maybe the attacks were a distraction so Devoe could use it to do something else." Henshaw suggested.

"But for what? Deathstroke's a mercenary and the most infamous one there is. He's got a laundry list of talents and crimes under his belt so what would Devoe need him to do. It wasn't an assassination as I checked with everyone and they're ok." Will reminded them.

"Maybe not an assassination for us but wherever Deathstroke goes, bodies tend to follow." Director Henshaw turned to one of the analysts working at the computer. "Alvarez, I want you to run a search for any attacks, infiltrations, thefts, and any other odd incidents that occurred during the time of these attacks. I want a global search for this, private and government sector."

"And not just major things. Anything that was odd. Even the most inconsequential weird thing that happened during the timeframe of the attacks." Will added.

"Yes, sir but that search could take some time." Agent Alvarez replied.

"Work as fast as you can." Henshaw told him and he nodded, quickly getting to work. "If we can figure out what Devoe was doing during the attacks then it could give us more insight into his ultimate goal which we now know has to involve National City in some way shape or fashion."

"Not just that but Brainwave and his son enough that Dragon King would have his own daughter watching over him. Brainwave's still a vegetable and Henry's an idiot jock so what could Dragon King want with them?" Will wondered as Director Henshaw brought up the data the DEO had on him. It wasn't a lot but enough to make them worry, especially with him working with the ISA and Devoe. "As much as I hate to admit that Courtney was right, but do you think there could other ISA members in National City?"

"At this point with everything that's happened and what we know, it has to be considered at least a possibility, but this could be the thing we need to find out more information. If Brainwave's in the hospital and is still important to the ISA…"

"Then they'll want to keep an eye on him." Will finished Director Henshaw's sentence and got a thumbs up. "And if Cindy is the daughter of Dragon King then that gives us another possibility to exploit. She has no idea who we are so we can follow her and hopefully she gives us something we can use."

"All it takes is for one slip up and we have them." Henshaw said when they got an alert on their system of an incoming DEO VTOL Jet closing in. "Max is back with the others."

"Perfect. I'll get them to the safehouse in National City. I'll keep you appraised if anything comes up." Will told Director Henshaw.

"Likewise. And Will, be careful." Henshaw warned him.

"Always." Will promised as he walked through the DEO base to the jet hangar where DEO jets and attack helicopters were parked and tended to by the flight crew. Also in the hangar were armored vehicles and a runway exit for them to use that led out to the desert. Something the DEO has used plenty of times for when they deploy their vehicles and right now Will's dad's pickup truck and a four-door SUV were parked there. They would be used to transport the others back to National City as even with the modifications and upgrades to a DEO VTOL jet, it would draw too much attention if they parked it near the safehouse.

The hangar's roof doors opened, and a DEO VTOL jet hovered down until it touched down and parked. The hangar crew quickly got to work on securing the vehicle as the ramp opened and out walked Ted Grant, Jay Garrick with his wife Joan, and Kent Nelson alongside Will's dad Max all of whom had some bags or boxes. One thing he did note was Dr. Midnite's owl perched up on a box Ted was carrying.

"Hey there, fella." Will scratched the owl on the head before he looked at the others. "Welcome back."

"Glad to be home." Max walked out and hugged Will, both were glad that the other was ok. Max then gave his son a quick visual and physical check for any injuries. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Nothing I wasn't able to handle. What about you guys? Any problems?"

"No. We heard what happened. Sorry we weren't here to help." Jay told him.

"It's all right. They weren't here for a fight but for some kind of distraction play. Devoe must be up to something, but we can discuss that when we get back to the base. We have a lot to discuss." Will then gestured to the cars that were waiting for them. "I got the cars and Pat will meet us there. We have some new people joining us?"

"Yeah." Kent looked back inside the jet. "Come on out. We're here."

Four people got up from their seats and walked out, two males and two females and each of them were carrying bags of suitcases. They all seemed to be similar age to Will if maybe a few years older so ranging from 18-21, maybe 22 at the most. While he didn't know any of them he deduced that the guy on his far left was likely Rick Tyler, son of the original Hourman Rex Tyler. The reason he guessed that is because he was wearing the same golden hourglass Hourman handed to him when he was dying, and he remembered Hourman telling him to say he was sorry to Rick. Rick looked to be the same age as Will, with short brown hair and was wearing boots, jeans, a white t-shirt with a jacket overtop and the golden hourglass around his neck. He had a duffle bag with him. Next was another guy, likely older around 20/21 with curly brown hair wearing sneakers, slacks, a blue collared shirt underneath a jacket and compared to Rick who seemed solemn and serious, this man seemed to be more inquisitive and had a look of curiosity at his surroundings. He had a suitcase with him. Next to him was a girl, likely around the same age. Dark-skinned with brown braided hair done up in a bun, she was wearing boots with purple laces, white and black striped thigh-high socks, carpi shorts, with a green t-shirt underneath and blue plaid jacket with a fur collar and several different colored patches of leather sewn on. She had a funny monkey backpack and was carrying a duffle bag. Last but not least was the final girl, about the same age as Will and Rick, maybe a year or two older. With long dirty blonde colored hair, she was wearing boots, jeans and a black t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket and a black chocker around her neck which had a silver bird in the middle. She had a duffle bag as well. (1)

"Will, allow me to introduce to you everyone. Rick Tyler, Maxine Hunkel, Al Rothstein and Dinah Laurel Lance. Everyone, meet Will Detmer, the one we told you about. The one who tried to help your parents." Kent told them.

"Pleasure to meet you all. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances." Will shook each of their hands with Rick being the last. Will looked at the hourglass around Rick's neck, recognizing it as the same one Rex Tyler had. "You must be Rick. I'm glad the hourglass found its way to you. He spoke of you, even at the end."

"You were there?" Rick asked and Will nodded.

"I didn't know about the ISA or even the JSA then, but I was following my own investigation that made our paths cross. I tried to help him and the others when I arrived, but I got there too late. I'm sorry, I truly am."

"It's not your fault. From how Mr. Kent tells it…we have you to thank for letting us say goodbye and putting them to rest." Maxine said to him.

"It was the least I could do. They were heroes and deserved to be remembered by their loved ones. And I think he'd be glad you're taking up his mantle." Will said to Rick, pointing at his hourglass now before he looked at the others. "All of you. Taking up their legacies. They'd be proud. The question is…are you sure you're ready for this? Things haven't been easy and recent events have proven that the Thinker and the ISA are adapting their tactics with everything we thrown at them. This could risk some serious escalation so if you're having second thoughts or don't want to get involved then you don't have to. This is as much about keeping you four safe as it is if you want to help."

"We wouldn't be here carrying our own super suits if we didn't want to help." Al held up his duffle bag.

"These assholes killed our parents. No one is more determined than us to help." Rick stated with Maxine and Laurel giving nods of agreement.

"We know the risks and we're here anyway." Laurel added. Will looked back at Kent, Jay, and Ted and they gave him nods so the matter was settled.

"All right, then. Come on. I'll introduce you to the others." Will led them over to the cars and after putting everything away and some snug seating arrangements they headed back to National City.

DEO Safehouse, National City

The two DEO Vehicles pulled into the secret underground garage of the DEO Safehouse in National City that Will had commandeered for the whole ISA/Thinker investigation. It was where Ted, Kent, Jay and Joan were staying for their safety and now would be where Rick, Al, Maxine, and Laurel would be staying as well. There was plenty of room and it was off the grid with all the work the DEO and Will's alien-intelligence countermeasures have done to keep it a secret so the ISA couldn't find them. Not only was it their safehouse but their base of operations going forward. It had affectionately been given a new nickname courtesy of Courtney. The Tower.

The cars pulled in and parked allowing Will and the others to get out. Rick, Al, Maxine, and Laurel looked around at the place and it was larger than they anticipated though they were still confused as to where all of this was coming from.

"What is this place?" Maxine wondered.

"Your new safehouse and our base of operations. Don't worry, the only people who know this place exists are on our side and both digitally and physically, this place is completely safeguarded. We'll be fine from the ISA here if they try to look for us." Will told her. "It's got the garage, kitchen, beds, bathrooms, and plenty of tech to help us. You'll be safe here."

"How are you paying for all of this? Are you two secretly billionaires because if so, I'm hoping this counts as a paid internship." Al quipped.

"No, we're not billionaires. I work with a special group that Will also assists from time to time. They're aware of the situation regarding Devoe and the ISA and while they'll be assisting us with intel and resources if we need it, this is strictly your terrain." Max told them.

"And what special group would that be?" Laurel questioned.

"It's probably better that you don't know, legally speaking but we're the good guys. And it's not just who we have here right now. We've got some other help as well. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Hawkwoman will be helping us as well. They're friends of mine." Will informed them.

"Bullshit. No way do you know Superman." Rick said so Will took out his phone and showed him a photo of the heroes he mentioned looking around and speaking with Ted, Kent, and Jay at the old JSA headquarters in Civic City. This was back when he first told them what was going on. "No way…"

"Oh my god…" Maxine muttered in amazement as Al and Laurel were equally starstruck. Will then noticed he was getting looks from his dad, Kent, Ted, and Jay.

"It's encrypted so don't worry. No one's gonna get it." Will assured them. "Anyway, they're apart of this as well. They know what's going on."

"Apart of this Justice League group you guys formed. A stupid name, by the way." Rick pointed out as they grabbed all their bags from the cars.

"Duly noted." Will remarked, grabbing a large box from the trunk and leading them through the garage.

"I like the name." Maxine admitted when she saw something large standing in the corner of the garage covered by a massive tarp. "What's that?"

"That'll be explained later. Come on." Will led them out of the garage.

"So, why aren't we using the old JSA headquarters in Civic City? Why'd we have to lug all that stuff over here?" Al wondered.

"For one thing, operating out of Civic city would be too much of a headache, even with a jet to cut the travel time in half. Besides, it turns out that National City is becoming a promising lead into whatever the ISA and Devoe have planned." Will finished leading them to the main assembly area where Pat and Courtney were waiting. "Perfect timing."

"Of course, we're known for our punctuality." Courtney smirked when Will walked over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You?" He asked and she gave him a nod before looking at their guests. Four new arrivals, around the same age as her and Will maybe a few years older, but the fact they were here meant they were apart of this. "Courtney, Mr. Dugan, allow me to introduce Rick Tyler, Maxine Hunkel, Al Rothstein, and Dinah Laurel Lance. Everyone, meet Pat Dugan and Courtney Whitmore."

"Also known as Stargirl and meet my sidekick, STRIPE." Courtney corrected much to Pat's chagrin and the others' amusement.

"Partner, not sidekick. Glad you all got here safe. I just wish our meeting didn't have to be under these circumstances." Pat admitted. "But don't worry. You'll be safe here and now that we've regrouped we can continue our investigation into the ISA and figure out what their goal is and how to stop them."

"And it seems something happened while we were gone. So, what did we miss?" Jay wondered so Will, Pat, and Courtney began explaining what happened while Ted, Jay, and Kent were gone to attend the funerals of their fallen comrades. A spur of the moment genius thinking from Will reminded him that with Brainwave being in National city for so long, there might have been some kind of clue as to what he and the ISA were up to at his residence. After Henry left school to go to the hospital to check up on his dad who was still in a coma with no sign of any change, Will and Courtney snuck into his house and eventually found his villain stuff hidden in his study. They were only there for a couple of minutes and left prior to being spotted but they found correspondence between Brainwave and Dr. Shiro Ito AKA Dragon King with the latter having his daughter, Cindy Burman, watch over Brainwave's son Henry, and alert him of any changes. This was a big reveal for Ted, Jay, and Kent as it meant that Dragon King was no longer suspected of working with the ISA but confirmed and had a daughter who was classmates with Will and Courtney. They then told Pat which is when the ISA launched their attack. Icicle, The Shade, Ultra-Humanite and the Wizard attacked National City but left just as quickly when the tide turned thanks to the Rival. Turns out it wasn't the only attack as there were incidents in Gotham, Metropolis, Coast City, New York and an off shore oil rig explosion forced the other heroes into action. After comparing notes, they all agreed that it wasn't an attack, but a distraction and they fell for it.

"…and that's pretty much where we are at this point." Will and Courtney finished explaining and let Ted, Jay, and Kent take in that new wave of information.

"Dragon King has a daughter." Ted repeated. "How the hell did that happen? Dragon King is a monster but what does it say about the woman who had his child?"

"Either it wasn't consensual or worse. Have either of you ever met Cindy Burman's mother?" Kent wondered and got head shakes in response.

"I've only been in National city for about two years and only her Stepmother, second stepmother actually but she's more Desperate Housewife than Norma Bates." Will answered.

"We're not exactly close with her. And learning that she's the daughter of a mad supervillain actually makes a lot of sense, but we've never seen her dad. I think she may have mentioned her mom dying in an accident but I'm not sure." Courtney added.

"So, what? If this Cindy Burman is tied to Dragon King then this is our chance." Rick's impassioned tone did little to hide his zeal but not out of eagerness and more for revenge.

"Our chance to do what, Rick?" Ted asked him.

"Our chance to get them, make the ISA hurt like they've hurt us. We get Cindy Burman, and we use her to get to the rest of them." Rick suggested.

"Ok, that just seems like a bad idea waiting to happen." Al said.

"Because it is." Will stated. "We have no idea what could happen if we grab Cindy and aside from the ethical reasons behind torture, if we do that then Dragon King will declare open season on us. He could put all of National City at risk. Do you have any idea who Dragon King is?"

"Some asshat with a stupid name who deserves to be put in the ground for what he did." Rick declared.

"If only it were that easy, Rick but it's not. Believe me, other people have tried and failed." Kent informed him.

"Rick, read up on Dragon King and even if a quarter of the stuff he's suspected of doing is true then believe me, you wouldn't be so gung-ho on this. Yes, we now know that Dragon King is working with the ISA but whether or not he's actually here or is just using this place as a staging ground needs to be determined. Not only that but whatever is going on has to involve Brainwave and his son if the letter is to go by. Now, I know it doesn't seem like much, but we still have cards to play that can give us new leads and help us figure out what the ISA is planning. We can't rush it. We need to play the long game." Will told him.

"And who put you in charge? What makes you think you can call the shots?" Rick wondered.

"Will's in charge because we put him in charge." Ted told him but this was equally meant for the others as well. "Look, Rick you're angry and you have every right to be. All of you do. Believe me, that anger you've got burning inside is the same that Jay, Kent and I have. Your parents were like family and the fact that we weren't able to help will live with us forever, but they would have wanted us to continue what they're doing. Finish this and stop the ISA. And the only chance we have with that is with Will."

Both Jay and Kent agreed with him and stepped forward with Jay speaking first. "If it wasn't for Will, the three of us wouldn't be here. He got us to safety before the ISA could track us down, kept us hidden and safe so that we could find you four and took care of the arrangements so that the others could be given a proper burial. The kid has been on the front lines against the ISA's resurgence just as long as the others and it's because of him that I think we have a chance."

"And he's earned our trust and more then earned the responsibility of being a leader. He's the one who got us more allies and formed the succession to the Justice Society. With all of us and the League, we have a real shot at pulling this off but that doesn't mean we can get overconfident. One misstep and it could mean the end for us." Kent added before Ted decided to have the final say.

"He may be the same age as you four, but he's proven he's got the skill, training, and powers to do this." Kent said making the others interested in what powers he could be mentioned as they still didn't know exactly who he was. Will then double-tapped his belt buckle and his Sentry armor quickly formed around him.

"Sentry…" Rick muttered and just as quickly as the armor formed it went back into his belt.

"Ok, that is awesome. Some kind of advanced nano-technology." Maxine was in complete awe. What she just saw make her heart and her keen scientific mind spark with curiosity. If she could get even a small sample of that, it would do wonders for her major.

Pat closed the notebook he was reading and stepped forward, being one of the older, wise people in the room like the others. "Ted, Jay, and Kent are right. With the four of you here to help us we've got a chance, but we've still got some growing pains. We've got to lay low until we're trained and ready. I'm imaging this'll be the first real experiences you'll have working with your powers but don't worry. It's why we're here to help."

Al, Maxine, and Laurel conceded that, and eventually so did Rick. "I know this is frustrating for you four and I can't even begin to imagine what you must be feeling. I'm just asking you to be patient. This isn't a sprint but a marathon along with a game of 3-D chess with one of the smartest people on the planet. The odds are stacked against us, so we need to be careful. First things first is training and getting ready while we dig up more clues. Hopefully, by the time we figure out what the ISA and Devoe have planned, we'll be ready to stop them." Will declared.

Part of that success would be in the information in the notebook Pat had been reading. It belonged to Rex Tyler, the original Hourman. It was that along with the Hourglass necklace Rex left to his son Rick and supposedly it was very important. Important enough that it was kept in a safe deposit box with explicit instructions left behind that only Rick could access. Given that Hourman was the one who picked up chatter on the ISA in the beginning and was looking into their resurgence they suspected it could have information that would help them.

"Are you sure Rex wrote this?" Pat asked Rick.

"A lawyer and bank deposit box sure but it doesn't make any sense. In the book he was talking about growing up in Michigan and meeting my mom at Calvin College, but he grew up in Connecticut and met my mom when they were kids. A whole bunch of the stuff in the book wasn't right. It doesn't make any sense." Rick answered making Courtney peer over Pat's arm to see some chemical formulas and mathematical equations accompanied by diagrams.

"What about the scientific equations? Could be something there?" Courtney suggested and got a headshake from Maxine.

"No. Rick let me read it and I triple checked all the science and math in the book none of which makes any sense. Even putting it through a Rosicrucian cipher or through the Fibonacci sequence gave us nothing." Maxine said which only drew looks of confusion from Courtney, Will, and Pat.

"Oh, Maxine's is a genius. 167 IQ and is currently at MIT for her double major in computer engineering and advanced robotics." Jay explained and the others were impressed.

"Yeah, something I picked up and inherited from my mom other than my powers." Maxine said and saw the eager, curious look on Courtney, so she decided to show her powers. She held out her left hand and a small tornado of air began to form. "I'm partial to the name Cyclone."

"Wow, that's incredible and an awesome name." Courtney said with all the wide-eyed enthusiasm someone meeting superheroes would have. "Rick is Hourman, so he has the hourglass but what about you two?"

Everyone looked at Al and Laurel with the latter just shrugging and taking a step back to lean against chair, so the former was up next. "Uh, hi. Al, Al Rothstein, nephew to the original Atom. I go by Atom Smasher and while not exactly descriptive of what I can do as I can't do what my uncle could, but basically I control the atomic mass and spacing of my molecules so that I can manipulate my size so that my strength, durability, and density is proportional to the change."

That description only confused Courtney, Pat, and a little of Will so Jay decided to help by dumbing it down. "He can manipulate his mass and density. The bigger he grows the stronger he gets."

"Ah, got it. Square-cubed law science. Understood." Will said before he looked at Laurel. "And you're the daughter of Black Siren."

"Black Canary. Laurel is fine." She replied.

"Oh, I like it. And I like the choker." Courtney said and Laurel smiled. Courtney's enthusiasm was adorable. "So, what can you do?"

"Uh, we should not have her test that here unless you all want to go deaf." Ted said, stopping any kind of power showcase. "Laurel inherited her mother's power. She can emit ultrasonic sound waves from her mouth when she screams, more powerful than any kind of sonic weapon on the planet. And with my training as well as her mother's, Laurel is one of the best aspiring fighters I know. She could give you a run for your money, kid."

"Well, I'm not looking forward to that training session." Will remarked much to everyone's amusement. "Pat, can I see the book?"

"Sure." Pat handed him it over and when he did, Will took out his Proto-box and began scanning every page.

"What are you doing?" Rick wondered.

"Scanning and recording the data from the book. Jarvis, see if you can fill in the blanks. Could be there's a codex or something we're missing so try what you can." Will said.

"I shall do my best, sir." Jarvis replied making Rick, Al, Maxine, and Laurel freak out from a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Who the hell is that?" Rick asked.

"That's also a member of the league. Jarvis, introduce yourself." Will said so the computer screens in in the room turned on and began showing digital code all of which were colored green.

"Greetings everyone. I am Jarvis, a Natural Language User Interface program designed to assist and aid Mr. Detmer in all avenues of his life, most recently in regard to dealing with the Injustice Society of America as well as Clifford Devoe AKA the Thinker. I have been fully installed in the tower so whatever assistance I can provide all you need to do is ask."

Rick, Laurel, and Al were still reeling in confusion while Maxine was all wide-eyed in excitement just like Courtney was a few seconds ago. "You built your own AI?"

"Oh, gods no. I'm nowhere smart enough to do that. I just had some help. Jarvis isn't a full-blown AI but he's capable enough to be considered one and he's been instrumental in helping us against the ISA and Devoe. Now that he's scanned the contents of the notebook he might be able to figure out how to solve whatever's written once we have that, it could be our next lead on the ISA and don't worry, we're gonna follow up on the lead regarding Cindy and Dragon King but we'll need to be extra careful. Luckily, investigating isn't going to be that hard considering Courtney, Pat, and I can blend in. Cindy and Henry don't know who we really are so we can sneak around and get some information." Will said to everyone.

"All right. Then while you guys are doing that what are we supposed to do that had you bring us all the way to National City?" Laurel wondered.

"Part of that is to keep you four safe. The ISA were gunning after us after they took out the others and on the risk that they figured out who they really were then there was a chance they could come after you. This way you'll be safe until we take them down." Jay reminded them.

"The other reason is so that we can start training all of you." Ted said but referring to Will and Courtney as well, not just the four new arrivals.

"That's where we come in. Will asked me to set up something special for us now that you're here. We need to go over two crucial categories. One, what you guys can do, and two, what the bad guys can do." Pat told them.

"We know what we can do. I can hit things hard. Al can grow. Maxine can throw air. Laurel can scream really loud. Will's a shapeshifter with armor and if Courtney is Stargirl then she has a stick that can blow stuff up." Rick listed off, being rather blasé and blunt with the descriptions.

"But you still don't know how to work together as a team or with Jay, Ted, and Kent. Teamwork is what made the Justice Society of America so special, but it took time for them to become great. And still, with all that skill and talent, they weren't able to survive. Not to mention the other heroes have been doing this for a long time. Four of you have likely never really been out in the field and Courtney's been through a baptism by fire. Out in the field, you don't get a do over. So here, we'll train so that when the times comes you'll be ready." Pat then clapped his hands, and a large corkboard was pushed into the room by the Cosmic staff of all things. On the said corkboard was a lot of photos and information. A little old school but still works. "First step…is to know thy enemy."

It was there that the new arrivals plus Courtney understood that this wouldn't start with combat but with intelligence. In other words, school.

"I'll get us some chairs." Will said, walking away.

"And I'll make some snacks. Come on." Joan ushered Dr. Midnite's owl away to the kitchen.

Line Break xxxxx

The Tower, National City

Everyone was seated around a conference table except for Pat who began going over the information regarding the Injustice Society and their history for the four new arrivals and as a refresher course for Will and Courtney. It was just to put everyone on the same page regarding their enemy. Kind of like a lecture for a class except there were some nice snacks for everyone to eat courtesy of Joan Garrick. Even Dr. Midnite's owl was perched up on a post and had a water and food bowl for him. He was well-trained and behaved as he just diligently ate his food and drank his water while the briefing went underway.

"The Injustice Society of America, the antithesis to the Justice Society. We're not sure exactly when they were formed since they're as elusive and secretive as we are but likely formed because they knew that by working together they would have a better shot at accomplishing their ultimate goal." Pat spoke with a sandwich in one hand. Turkey and cheddar on rye with mustard.

"And what goal would that be?" Al asked, munching on his sandwich. Ham and American.

"Most likely some kind of takeover or world domination. Anything involving that most likely. From our various encounters, Icicle always did mention changing things for the better and how the world would be a better place. The rest of the ISA weren't real talkers." Ted told them, taking a sip of a beer after he finished his sandwich. Ham and cheddar.

"Icicle is their leader, the brains and head of the ISA as well as one of its more powerful members." Pat pointed to the picture they had of Icicle which was a still taken from the HUD of Will's armor. "As his name implies, his ability is cryokinesis. He can control and manipulate ice to such a degree that he can freeze you solid in seconds if given the chance. Do not underestimate him. He's as powerful as he is sadistic and driven."

"But being ice he also has his limits. Concentrated light or a strong enough heat source can overpower him." Will added, knowing from firsthand experience. While he wasn't going to underestimate him, so long as Will had Heatblast, Icicle wouldn't be too big of an issue. He finished his sandwich. Turkey and Ham with cheddar and extra mustard.

"Next up we have the deadly duo of Sportsmaster and Tigress. They're among the deadliest fighter and assassin the JSA has ever seen. Will should know considering he put them in jail before the ISA sprung them." Pat said and the others looked at him.

"As Pat said they're a deadly duo and they're in synch with another in combat which they use to overwhelm their opponent. Both are exceptional fighters with Sportsmaster, as his name suggests using sports-themed apparel as weapons but modified for combat like explosive hockey pucks or titanium baseballs that can punch holes through solid brick. He's cocky but has the skill to back it up. Tigress is as sadistic as she is deadly with a crossbow that will put you down if you're not careful. They won't fight fair so expect a dirty fight." Will explained "While not on the board at the moment, Brainwave is still important to the ISA's plans."

"Who we now know as Dr. Henry King, he's a powerful psychic with telepathy and telekinesis. As immoral, cold, and methodical as they come. He's in a coma for now but who knows how long that will last. If he gets inside your head then its over." Pat then pointed a photo of a man wearing a magician's hat and cape and was wielding what looked like a wand from Harry Potter. The still from the image was taken from Will's Hud during the National City attack/Distraction. "The Wizard. Don't mistake the magic store magician hat and cape or the wand he has as fakes because he's as dangerous as the rest of them. Kent, do you want to weigh in."

"Happily." Kent sipped his cup of tea and wiped his hands with a napkin and placed it down on his plate where his turkey and provolone sandwich was before he ate it. "While not a naturally gifted user of magic from what I was able to sense from our various encounters, the manner of magic the Wizard uses is no less dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Hang on a second. Magic? You're serious." Rick said in disbelief.

"Why do you think they called Kent Nelson Dr. Fate, Earth's Mightiest Sorcerer?" Jay pointed out but many in the room, mainly Rick, Al, Maxine, Laurel, and Courtney had trouble believing that.

"So, Dr. Fate does actual magic? That's ridiculous. No offense." Courtney said to Kent.

"None taken. Believe me it is not the first nor the last time I'll likely hear that, but you fought by my side during the alien invasion in National City. How do you think I was able to do what I could? How do you think your staff works if not for magic?" Kent postulated and Courtney was stuck for an answer but Maxine, ever the genius had an answer.

"Arthur C. Clark's third law of science. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic so Dr. Fate's helmet and Courtney's Stargirl staff as just types of technology that we can't understand yet." Maxine said.

"Look, Maxine as one scientist to another I can understand the reticence to believe in magic but believe me there is a much weirder world out there than what we see every day so when I tell you that magic is in fact real, it's real. And this is coming from someone who can break the sound barrier with ease and is a conduit for an extra-dimensional energy source." Jay said but only seemed to further confuse the others, so Will decided to speak up.

"Take it as you want but leave your minds open to the possibility. Believe it or not, this is not my first experience with magic and given how we have aliens, supervillains and we're all burgeoning heroes, is magic really where we should draw the line? Or anywhere for that matter?" He pointed it out and he made sense. "Pleas continue, Mr. Nelson."

"Thank you. While his type of magic is not as powerful as mine it doesn't make him any less dangerous. The source of his magic is a physical object. His wand. With it, he is capable of many feats such as energy projection, levitation, and elemental manipulation but able to do much more. In theory, the power of the wand is capable of exponentially more but its limited by the wielder." Kent explained.

"So, you're saying that the Wizard isn't as strong as he could be. Well, let's hope that never changes." Al said. "So, does this magic have any weaknesses?"

"A few. Magic is really the only thing that can defeat magic, but it isn't the only option. Getting the wand away from him would be an option and despite its power, the Wizard is still human and if our past battles are any indication he relies on surprise and the strength of numbers to win. Alone he would have a much harder time. And of course, Nth metal is magically resistant so Will can handle that." Kent said and Will gave him an appreciative nod. Nth metal armor for the win. He then looked at the photo of a man obscured by shadows but what could be seen was a cane, top hat and sunglasses. "He isn't the only magic user among the ISA. The Shade, while not the same as myself or the Wizard is magically enhanced. He is the vessel for the Shadowlands, an alternate dimension of pure darkness. Through them he is given control over shadows. While like the Wizard in that his power is tremendous it is only limited by his body and therefore he does have his limits including pure light."

"John 1:5; 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.'" Laurel recited and Courtney smiled.

"I can handle that." She said in confidence when she noticed the still imaged of a black clad blur with red lightning and pointed to it. "And that's the Rival. He's how Icicle and the others escaped National City."

"Yes. Jay, if you don't mind." Pat said and Jay nodded.

"The Rival but he was once known as Edward Clariss. He used to be a chemistry Professor in Keystone city. Shortly after I became the Flash, Clarriss became obsessed with me, claiming that he was the one who was responsible for what happened to me, that he invented the formula that was partly responsible for giving me my powers. Unfortunately, Clariss has an inferiority complex combined with textbook envy. In his mind I stole what was his. He experimented on himself and managed to give himself super speed and after that he became obsessed with trying to take me down." Jay recounted.

"Geez, get that guy some therapy." Al remarked. "Sorry, Mr. Garrick."

"It's all right, Al. Clariss is a disturbed individual but with his super speed and connection to the Negative Speed Force he caused a lot of pain and hurt a lot of people. Eventually, I managed to stop him by stripping him of his speed and put him in jail. I'm not sure how he got it back, but he does and he's just as fast if not faster than he was before." Jay finished but some were confused.

"Negative Speed Force?" Al whispered to Maxine.

"Just nod and smile." She whispered back.

"Most likely Devoe did that. If anyone is smart enough to help him get his powers back it's him. But if they were given back they can be taken again. We'll just need to figure that out, Jay." Will told him and got a nod in response.

"It's possible but he's not the only one from my past come back. Geomancer." Jay pointed at the picture of a man wearing a grey vest with goggles on his head. "Also known as Adam Fells, a Geophysicist who after an experiment gone wrong with an experimental earthquake detection device was given the ability of Geokinesis, allowing him to produce tremors upon contact with the ground. He's likely the one who caused the earthquake in Metropolis."

"I'm sensing a theme here with experiments gone wrong." Laurel remarked.

"Isn't that the universal truth and it's the same for Ultra-Humanite." Pat pointed to the picture of the giant Albino Gorilla with the enlarged cranium and apparel indicative of armor fitting a giant monkey. "That moniker is all we've really ever known of him. He was one of the first enemies the JSA ever encountered but back then he was a scientist with enough aliases to fill up a phonebook. To be honest, we're not even sure he remembers what his real name is. He concocted numerous schemes, mainly scientific in nature that the JSA fought against while we tracked him down, every time getting just close but not enough to capture him. Eventually as time went on and his body aged he resorted to some extremely non-ethical scientific experiments to keep himself alive, or at least his brain."

"You mean to tell me that there's a human brain inside that monkey?" Rick said in disbelief.

"It's an Albino Gorilla and they're not monkeys but great apes. Completely different animal." Maxine informed him. "But is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah but the gorilla form wasn't his first choice. He actually transplanted his brain in the body of actress Dolores Winters and completely assumed her identity. He even won her a few acting awards before the JSA managed to figure out what he was doing and by then he transplanted his brain into the gorilla form. It's got his genius brain mixed with the sheer power of a genetically engineered gorilla. Suffice to say he's dangerous and him combined with Dragon King even more so. Now, rounding out our list are the more eccentric members like the Gambler." Pat pointed to the photo they had of a guy who looked like Colonel Sanders cousin but wearing a purple top hat like he was straight out of Gone with the Wind.

"The giant monkey, a wizard, and guy of shadows wasn't eccentric?" Rick pointed out.

"Gorilla, not monkey." Maxine corrected.

"Whatever. So, what's the Gambler do? Throw playing cards at us?" Rick quipped.

"Don't let his rotund form and southern-fried charm fool you. He's one of the most cunning and nefarious criminal masterminds in the world. Skilled hacker and strategist wanted for dozens of crimes. He's another brain but isn't afraid to get his hands dirty." Pat then pointed to an old police mugshot of a man. "The Fiddler. Male. Caucasian. Irish. His violin is his weapon. With the soundwaves it produces he can mind control his victims and even use the soundwaves as weapons. He's responsible for the incident in New York. He's the last of the originals but the ISA have some new villains and for them I'll let Will take it from here."

"Thanks, Pat. I'll finish up." Will gave him a thankful nod and pat on the back before he stood at the board alone and pointed to the last three photos on the board. The first one he pointed to was of a giant decomposing zombie. "Solomon Grundy. According to legend he used to be a man named Cyrus Gold and died more than 200 years ago before he was reanimated into what he his now. No one knows by who, how or why but if his physical size wasn't an indicator then take it from personal experience that he's a bruiser. With him around he's their muscle and unlike other zombies he can't be killed. People have tried in the past and even decapitating him does nothing. He'll just revive and put it back on. He was a former prisoner at Blackgate Penitentiary but was broken out and given to the ISA by the two outliers. The Thinker and Deathstroke."

"My god, where do they come up with these stupid names?" Rick bemoaned.

"Says the guy who's gonna call himself Hourman." Laurel remarked.

"At least I'm not named after a bird." Rick countered.

"No, you're just named after how useful you can be, an hour." Laurel shot back but before Rick could get up, Ted pulled him back into his seat.

"All right, enough. Both of you. Continue, kid." Ted told him.

"Just because these two aren't original members of the ISA doesn't mean they're not as important. If anything, the opposite is true." Will pointed to the photos they had of Deathstroke and the Thinker. "It's because of the Thinker that the ISA has done what they have. An accident attached the thinking cap to Clifford Devoe's head and afterward he became a super genius, likely the smartest man on the planet. He was a criminal mastermind before Superman and Batman managed to catch him but then he masterminded his own escape a year ago. Held National City hostage for a bit last year before he left, and he hasn't been sighted since until we got confirmation he's working with the ISA. The guy is a Grade-A narcissist and egomaniac. If he's working with the ISA then he's got something to gain for it and he knows we're trying to stop him. And working for him is Deathstroke. Do not underestimate him. He is one of the deadliest assassins and mercenaries in the world. Slade Wilson is a killing machine and has managed to give Batman a run for his money. Do not underestimate him because he will kill you without a second thought."

"What's his role in this?" Laurel asked.

"He's Devoe's hired gun. He laid a trap for me as a test prior to their ISA's attack on the JSA. I survived but only because Deathstroke was there to test me, not kill. And we think he was recently used by Devoe for whatever he needed during his multi-city attack. We figure that out along with the other breadcrumbs they've scattered than we'll get closer and closer to stopping them." Will finished.

"Now that we know who we're dealing with and what you're up against we can begin training. And no time like the present." Ted told everyone so they all headed to the gym.

A few hours later…

[Grunts, groans, and sounds of impact]

"GAH!" Rick hit the ground hard on his front and groaned in pain.

"WHOA!" Al landed on his back and had the wind knocked out of him.

"AH!" Maxine and Courtney tumbled to the ground, stinging in the pain of defeat. "Oh, that hurt."

The four teenagers/young adults groaned in pain from getting their asses kicked and said ass-kicker was Laurel. She was standing in the middle of the gym wearing sneakers, yoga pants, and an athletic top underneath a baggy T-shirt with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She was a little sweaty but no worse for wear having just taken out the others again. The others were all sweaty with their athletic wear sticking to their bodies, showing off the gap in training between Laurel and the others. "Next?"

She quickly stepped to the side, dodging Will's flying knee from behind. He landed and turned, quickly blocking a roundhouse kick to the face before ducking a spinning backfist only for Laurel to finish the spin and punch him in the face. Will staggered a bit and blocked her next flurry of punches and jabs, aimed at his face and stomach, sticking to his MMA/Boxing style of hands close to the face and elbows to cover his sides and was doing well while countering with his own jabs, punches and kicks which she would then block and parry. Laurel pressed the offensive while Will played defensive, attacking whenever there was an opening. He raised his leg to block an oblique kick and then leaned back to avoid a spinning hooking kick before he spun low for a reverse low leg sweep only for her to jump back into a back handspring and then immediately push herself back onto her feet. Will moved from his reverse low leg sweep into a reverse spinning hook kick but she ducked and caught his leg, taking him to the ground with a fireman's carry throw and immediately got in the mount position and put him in an arm bar. Her position and hold was perfect, and Will got stuck. She held on like a vice and Will's position wasn't perfect so he couldn't break free and tapped out.

[Clapping]

"Nicely done, Laurel!" Ted smiled happy at his protégé, glad to see she had been keeping up with her training. Jay, Kent, and Pat were also clapping as well. The sparring was going good, and it showed that Laurel was the best fighter among the younger generation which wasn't a surprise given she had years more training. Will was second and put up a good fight but part of what made him such a good fighter was due to his armor. It compensated for years of training and while he would no doubt become better and better with time, this training was without his armor, so Laurel had this for sure.

Laurel helped Will back to his feet. He was wearing some athletic shorts and a form-fitting athletic stop like Al and Rick while Maxine and Courtney were wearing yoga or athletic pants and tops like Laurel. "Not bad." Laurel told him. "How long have you been fighting?"

"About a year." He answered, rotating his right shoulder to ease some stiffness from her armbar.

"Well, you've got the instincts of someone who's been at this a lot longer." She praised him.

"I'm guessing first-hand experience in the field helps to compensate for that. Ted really wasn't kidding when he said you were one of the best aspiring fighters he's seen. Gave the rest of us a run for our money, that's for sure."

"Well, not that hard since no one besides you really knows how to fight thought Courtney's karate training puts her above the rest." Laurel stated and Will agreed.

"Hopefully, you and Ted can fix that." He said before he walked over to Courtney to check on her.

Laurel helped Maxine to her feet who was feeling some pain and tenderness from the sparring, but she'd be fine. Both looked over at Will who was helping Courtney and making sure she was ok, which she was. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and they just talked with Courtney getting a little playful and running her hands along his arms and stomach, feeling his hardened muscles underneath her fingers. She gave his arms a few squeezes and the two shared a few more kisses. Both Laurel and Maxine realized they were staring and averted their gaze.

"The hot guys are always taken." Laurel muttered. A shame too cause Will was just the type of guy she liked. Good looking, brave, nice, and knows how to kick peoples asses just like her.

"Isn't that the truth." Maxine agreed. While she didn't have any actual interest in Will she did think he was a looker.

Towels and water bottles were handed out to everyone, and they all relaxed a bit. "Good first training session everyone. Now, I know that you think this is pointless but learning to fight without using your powers could end up saving your life when you need it. And this can easily be translated into working with your powers when the time comes. We'll call it a day so rest up and we'll pick up again tomorrow." Ted told everyone and they all could relax.

"One last thing though. Please follow me." Will led them from the training room down the hallway to one of the equipment rooms. Inside were cabinets and drawers of equipment they could use for everything to weapons and computer maintenance to building equipment they might need in the field. In the center of the room was a large worktable and resting on it was one piece of tech which looked like a high-tech 3D printer. It was Will's Galvan Fabricator he had built with the help of Grey Matter and Upgrade and what he used to make his Sentry armor. "Now that we're all working together and considering the scope of what we could be facing, some protective measures are warranted. With all the magic, guns, and swords we'll be facing, one wrong move could mean serious danger, so we'll need better protection. That's where this comes in."

Will patted the printer but everyone else just looked confused. "And how is a 3D printer supposed to help us?" Jay wondered.

"This isn't a 3-D printer. What you're looking at is a Galvan Fabricator, made curtesy of some alien tech. Don't bother asking where and how because I won't tell you, but this is the thing that made my armor for me, and it'll upgrade all of your suits. The fabricator is able to break down any material placed into it and infused the materials together with nanites into whatever it needs to be designed such as suits for each of you. It's how I was able to make my armor and form it into the buckle so this way I have it for quick deployments. It'll take some time, but we can use the rest of today to begin infusing all of your suits with the nanites along with some new carbon polymer here." Will put some new materials on the table. "This stuff is more durable and lightweight compared to the best body armors out there and with it combined with the nanites in the fabricator it'll offer you all the best protection possible."

"Really?" Maxine got close to the fabricator and looked at it in wonder. "It can really do all that."

"It did it for me." Will assured her. "Given our differing abilities and powers some things will need to be adjusted. Al's size changing will need some special modifications implemented while Maxine's aerokinesis will make her suit's aerodynamics need to be address. And I'll need to fortify the nanites for Laurel's ultra-sonic scream but it's not impossible. So, get your suits and we'll get started."

"You heard him." Kent said so everyone filed out of the room except for himself, Will, and Pat since they were three who didn't need suits. Kent's came from the helmet of Nabu, Will already had his armor and Pat had STRIPE. "This is impressive work. No doubt companies around the world would take years, maybe decades to develop this kind of technology."

"An alien advantage helps with that." Will said before he looked at Ted and Pat. "We know our enemy and we have a team so now we need our next move, and I think I got it."

"What's the plan?" Pat wondered.

"Part of the ISA's plan involves the distraction play Devoe did with his simultaneous attacks. It kept us occupied but since none of us were killed it couldn't have been a real attack and more a distraction. Keep us focused on saving lives from the destruction they caused while Devoe did whatever he needed to do, likely involving Deathstroke in some way shape or fashion." Will suggested.

"How are you so sure Deathstroke was involved?" Kent questioned.

"Because all of the attacks never carried Deathstroke's signature and didn't involve people getting gunned down or killed by a sword. Devoe is smart enough to know Deathstroke's talents would be wasted on those attacks, so he most likely had him doing something else. Either he needed people killed or something stolen and used the distraction to hide his true goal. It's already being looked into but if Devoe is anything it's thorough so finding it will take some time. So, we focus on the things we can investigate. As I mentioned before we now know Cindy is Dragon King's daughter and that Henry is important to their plan but so was Brainwave. If he was so important then they'll want to keep an eye on his condition in the hopes he recovers." Will said with Pat and Kent realizing the plan.

"And he's still at National City hospital in a coma. So, if they're going to keep an eye on him then that means they would need to visit." Kent deduced.

"Which means whoever visits him other than his son is likely a member of the ISA keeping an eye on him." Pat added.

"Or working with them at the very least. Considering the fact that a few of the ISA members can't be seen in public like Ultra-Humanite as well as Sportsmaster and Tigress since their identities were revealed when they were arrested, this could be our chance to ID more of the ISA. Devoe may be a genius but the people working for him aren't. If we get one of them to slip up then it could give us a chance." Will suggested.

"All right. Well, considering how Ted, Kent, and Jay can't leave nor can the other kids I'll go myself tomorrow to check things out. Maybe get a look at their visitor logs." Pat offered.

"That's a bad idea. The hospital won't just give them out and it'll look odd if you ask for them, especially regarding Brainwave." Kent countered and he had a point that Will agreed with.

"Kent's right. You weren't exactly close with Brainwave prior to his villain reveal. None of us were so if we show up and start asking around then it'll look weird, and it could get back to the ISA. We need someone inconspicuous and someone who won't set off too many alarm bells by the hospital workers. Someone, who if they went to that area, wouldn't look out of place." Will said so they got to thinking. Will wasn't the best option, and neither was Courtney. Neither of them were close with Henry nor had any relatives in the hospital so showing up and snooping around would be weird. And even if they were injured they wouldn't be put on the same floor as Brainwave who was in the neurology department unless one of them was put into a coma. "Wait, isn't Beth's mom a neurologist?"

"Yeah, actually, she worked with Brainwave. He was head of Neurology at National City Hospital." Pat recalled.

"You think you can get her to help us?" Kent asked but Will shook his head.

"No, she'd ask too many questions. To her, Brainwave is colleague in a coma, and I don't want to risk telling her and putting her in danger." Will said when he thought of something but realized how possibly dangerous it could be. He knew he wasn't alone because he saw the same look on Pat's face when he came to the same idea.

"What?" Kent wondered what got them so concerned.

"The Beth I mentioned is Beth Chapel, she's a friend of mine and Courtney's. She knows who we are, and that Henry's dad is Brainwave because Courtney told her, and she also is super close with her mom who she visits at the hospital all the time." Will seethed in frustration. "God, I hate even suggesting it."

"Me too. I don't want to put Beth in danger like that." Pat agreed and Kent didn't like putting someone non-powered or trained in danger, but this could be the chance they needed if they played it right.

"Maybe we can minimize the risk. Have one of us be there just in case, outside the hospital in the event something goes wrong but even still, we minimize Beth's part in it." Kent suggested. "You said she visits her mother all the time so her being there won't look weird. She can maybe get a glimpse of the visitor log and see if Brainwave has had any visitors. If her mother works there then her showing up won't look odd."

"Will, what do you think? Could you make some tech that could help?" Pat wondered and Will thought it through.

"Ok. I'm not gonna force her to do this but if she's willing to help than we can keep her safe. We'll be there to watch over her in secret. I can have Jarvis tap into the hospital's security feeds to also get camera footage and even give Beth a small camera bug to put in Brainwave's room so that she won't have to stay there for long. Plant the bug in his room and go about everything else like normal." Will said and they seemed to agree with the plan.

"That's good. Short, simple, and minimal risk to Beth. Let's do it." Pat said when Will's phone rang. He checked and saw it was an unknown number but what was unusual was that he saw a bat-symbol on the caller ID next to the words unknown.

Knowing who was likely calling him he decided to answer. "Hello?"

"It seems as though Devoe is getting wise to our presence and collaboration. His multiple attacks were meant as a means of misdirect, and we fell for it."

"Yeah, we figured. He had the ISA do his dirty work to keep us distracted, likely to accomplish something important and keep us chasing our tails. The DEO is looking into what he could have done during the time frames of attacks, but it'll take some time." Will said before mouthing Batman to Pat and Kent, letting them know who he was talking to. "Ted, Jay, and Kent returned with some of the JSA legacies and we're keeping them safe. We're also looking into another lead in National City. Brainwave wasn't the only one with a stake here in National City. Dragon King has his daughter looking after Brainwave's son. We're still not sure why though or what this has to do with their plan."

"If I had to guess they're most likely watching Brainwave's son in the chance that he develops abilities like his father." Batman suggested.

"Could that possible? Would Brainwave's psychic abilities be passed down?" Will wondered, making Pat and Kent interested in the thought.

"It has to be considered a likelihood and could be part of the ISA's plan if they need him looked after. With his father in a coma, there's a likelihood that the trauma could be a catalyst for any kind of psychic powers to develop so keep an eye on him. I'm looking into possible targets Devoe could have hit during the attack. With his new teleporters, Devoe could have hit anywhere in the world but I'm thinking he either needed access to someplace secure or needed to acquire something." Batman told him.

"Like money or weapons?" Will guessed.

"That's a possibility and in Devoe's MO but with him working with the ISA now then his plans would be grander."

"I'll keep you informed of what the DEO finds, and we may have a new lead that could give us some more info. I'll keep the others informed as well and make sure the watches communication lines are reinforced with heavier encryption. Devoe made it fairly obvious that he knows we're onto him so keeping in contact is going to be more important than ever." Will said.

"And the need for secrecy. I may have something that could help in that regard. Gotham Clocktower. Chinatown. One hour. Be there." The phone hung up after that.

"Goodbye to you, too." Will muttered before he put his phone away. "I'll be back later."

"What did Batman want?" Kent asked when Will handed Pat the instruction book on the fabricator.

"Guess I'll find out. Follow the instructions. I'll be back later." Will walked away to take a quick shower and meet up with Batman.

One hour later…

Gotham City

A flash of green light appeared over Gotham City's sky before Sentry appeared in his armor and was flying using his armored wings and jetpack. The flash of light was him transforming back from Ultraman to make the trip to Gotham City. He got caught up in the shower and needed to shave some time. Will flew through the city, making his way to the Gotham Clocktower in Chinatown where he had met the Batman back when he came to discuss the possibility of Bane's venom formula being used in the whole patch incident in National City.

He saw the clocktower, so he flew down and landed when one of the roof tiles opened up like his last trip. He jumped down and landed in Batman's secret base of operations but not the Batcave though he was hoping one day to see it with his own eyes. Batman was at the computer, working on the Devoe trail.

"What did you need to talk about that had me come to Gotham?" Will wondered, deactivating his voice changer since Batman knew who he was.

"How smart are your aliens?" Batman asked.

"One's smart enough to match Devoe in intellect and he helped in making this armor. Though I think he could be smarter. Haven't really got had more chances to test him against Devoe." He answered.

"Any of them capable of surviving in space? Moving heavy equipment?"

"Yes. What's going on?" Will asked and Batman brought up the images from the various attacks.

"Devoe's attacks have proven he's resourceful and moreover knows we're working together. In anticipation for him discovering where might gather in the future, I've prepared an alternative method of meeting." Batman brought up a schematic for a massive space station, something that would make the International Space Station look like a trailer home in comparison.

"Oh my god…" Will muttered in utter amazement. "You want to build a space station? You know that would cost millions of dollars and take months, if not years. I mean, where would we even start? First would be getting the equipment, supplies, and tools…"

"Already taken care of. All the components necessary to build the station are available and we'll not be starting from scratch. We'll be using a satellite as the base and build the station around it. The station would be a secure place for meeting and its advance monitoring components would act as an advance warning system to aid us in our endeavor." Batman said.

"If you don't discount the day trip it would take for a space shuttle to get there and back…" Will stopped himself when he got an idea. "But a teleporter wouldn't make that an issue at all. I got the specs from the one Deathstroke used when he ambushed me, and I could have one of my aliens build a similar one. But still, I mean building this thing is going to take some time."

Batman just brought up some math done on the building schedule. "By yourself, yes but with the assistance of Superman and Green Lantern, transportation of the equipment will not be an issue and assembly will be complete in less than 72 hours taking into consideration any possible adjustments and upgrades necessary."

Will was stunned for an answer. Batman did his math and Will wasn't going to argue. Still, he'd have Grey Matter check out the schematics and plans but it seemed like it could work. It was crazy but when was anything in his life not crazy.

"Ok…let's a build a space station." Will declared. This moment would be pivotal for the Justice League and soon they would have their Watchtower to assist them, and it couldn't be coming at a better time.

Unbeknownst to them, the ISA were making their next move. Things were ramping up.

End of Chapter 13

1). Rick Tyler, Maxine Hunkel, Al Rothstein, and Dinah Laurel Lance. Rick Tyler face claim is Cameron Gellman, same as Stargirl. Maxine Hunkel and Al Rothstein face claim are Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo respectively, same as their characters from Black Adam. Dinal Laurel Lance face claim is Katie Cassidy from Arrow but circa mid 2000s when she was playing Ruby on Supernatural. She's not an adult yet.

I hope you guys like the chapter. It a little short but sets up stuff to come and we've got new members for the burgeoning Justice League. Hourman, Atom Smasher, Cyclone, and Black Canary. There is still some growing pains, but things are looking to improve as they have their next lead to follow on the ISA and a future Watchtower to building.

Next Chapter, The ISA move to the next phase of their plan but so does the Justice League with the building of their Watchtower. Even Devoe didn't expect that. And they're building up their team with a chance meeting between Yolanda has with Laurel and Ted Grant giving her some good direction and a new lifelong friendship. Just in time because not only do the young heroes have their first fight with the JSA, but they also get involved in a fight with one of Will's old adversaries. Hex is back and he's got help in the form of his niece, Charmcaster. Luckily, Will's got his own magical backup in Dr. Fate.

Updates for August: The Crimson Speedster will be updated on 8/29/2024. I'm going on vacation on 8/30/24 so I'll get the chapter up the day before.

Again, thanks to everyone for all the suggestions, reviews, and words of encouragement. Special thanks to Masamune X23, my Beta reader. He gives me a lot of great ideas for this story as well as my other ones as well. Also, thanks to War Sage, JhotoLoraxius, Omni-Creator Kami of Anime and all the other people who PM me with ideas for my stories. Thank you, guys. They help a lot. Also, make sure to check my DeviantArt every now and then for new pics I'll put up. I've made cover photos for about all my stories, but I'll have more pics made so check them out.

Also, not sure if you checked my profile page but I do have a P-A-T-R-E-O-N page now. It's Choejhulkp9 writing endeavor. Don't feel pressured to sign up. Regardless, I still plan on doing what I'm doing. Writing for free and updating on and I'm slowly working on Wattpad. Sorry I'm really bad about that. But for those that would like to help with what they can or are feeling gracious, it would be greatly appreciated. I've got tiers for any small amount. And some exclusive stuff for the time being to start a new possible story. Again, don't feel pressured.

William Benjamin Detmer

Moniker: Sentry, Founding member of the Justice League.

Appearance: Robbie Amell for Teenage Will.

Birthday, September 8th, 1990. Age 18 Highschool Senior

Personality: Kind, caring, quick-witted and smart. Able to adapt to situations very easily. Prone to quips to distract or enrage his enemies. A pragmatist and realist. Cares deeply about his friends and family. When triggered, can be aggressive and unhinged to a point. Ready to face reality and do the hard thing to protect the innocent. A superhero/supervillain fanboy.

Skills: Training in various human hand-to-hand martial arts including boxing, MMA, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Escrima, Muay Thai and Marine Corp CQC. Training in Amazonian martial arts and sword fighting. Understanding in alien culture, technology, and biology. Quick thinking.

Casual outfit: Sneakers or boots, blue or black jeans, blue T-shirt with his father's dark blue air force jacket with Ten insignia. Hour-glass belt buckle holding Proto-Tech Armor.

Jarvis: Natural Language User Interface system and program designed by Grey Matter to assist Will and the DEO in all matters. Inspired and designed after the Jarvis program from Marvel.

Proto-box: Grey Matter and Upgrade designed tablet/phone capable of analyzing and scanning all environment with sub-sonic frequencies. And decrypting or hacking any computer system on the planet with holographic display.

Proto-Tech Armor and helmet: Colored black, blue, silver, and green. Form fitting and comprised of a highly adaptive nanites made up of Promethium and Nth Metal. Nth metal properties amplify Promethium metal's durability to provide a near invulnerable metal while providing a semi-symbiotic bond to the wearer including increasing healing regeneration, providing magic negation, and survivability in harsh conditions. The armor is self-repairing and capable of protecting the user from major explosive and physical damage. Controlled via mental command and housed in belt buckle, the armor responds to his thoughts/commands and able to shift and adjust its structure to the wearer's need including offensive and defensive measures. Built-in safety features designed to protect wearer from any physical or mental harm including attempted removal. DNA lock provides security against theft. Synaptic muscle control enhances user's natural talents by a factor of ten. Resembles full body armor suit with skull mask, protective chrome lenses, and hood for concealment. Belt contains ammo boxes for suit's projectiles. (Disguised voice sounds like Prometheus from Arrow during first 9 episodes)

Notable armaments:Round Promethium/Nth metal shield, grapple cable, jet boots, flight wings with jet pack, retractable four-blade boomerang throwing star, forearm launcher able to fire bullets, darts, and disks of varying lethality, knife, sword, remote drone, forearm fin spikes, synaptic blockers in helmet to prevent telepathy/mind control.

Omnitrix: Watch-like device that allows the wielder to alter their DNA at will and transform into different alien species. Able to scan and analyze new alien species, able to repair genetic damage and protect user from negative effects, with built-in defense systems. Built-in AI, GPS, map, communicator, and universal translator.

Unlocked aliens: Diamondhead, Four Arms, Ghostfreak, Grey Matter, Heatblast, Ripjaws, Stinkfly, Upgrade, Wildmutt, XLR8, Manhunter, Buzzshock, Cannonbolt, Ultraman, Ajak, Warhawk, Wildvine.

Will's Car: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS with supercharger. Dark Blue with black stipes and outfitted with a Khoros-5 indestructible engine block for increased horsepower and speed. Lightly coated Promethium metal frame for increased structural integrity. Bullet-proof glass and tires, titanium-alloy plating panels, enhanced insulation with new security and anti-theft system. Pyronite wax coating for resistance to extreme temperatures.

The Tower: DEO Safehouse in National City acting as the base of operations for the Justice League regarding the ISA operation. Electronically hidden with anti-monitoring countermeasures. Equipped with a secret garage, armory, medical lab and sleeping quarters. Outside appearance resembles old Art-Deco style building with a tall tower structure.

Face claims for extras:

Family:

Maxwell Tennyson Detmer: Stephen Lang

Maria Moira Detmer (Deceased): Susanna Thompson

Friends:

Courtney Whitmore: Brec Bassinger

Yolanda Montez: Yvette Monreal

Beth Chapel: Anjelika Washington

Victor Stone: Khary Payton

Eduardo Dorado Jr.: Christian Lee Navarro

Karen Beecher: Keke Palmer

Allies:

Pat Dugan: Luke Wilson

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Anson Mount

Robin/Tim Drake: Jay Lycurgo

Batgirl/Barbara Gordon: Leslie Grace

Commissioner Gordon: J.K. Simmons

Alfred: Michael Caine

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince: Bridget Regan

Hawkwoman/Shayera Hol: Stana Katic

Superman/Clark Kent: Tyler Hoechlin

Green Lantern/Hal Jordon: Chris Pine

Aquaman/Arthur Curry: Jason Momoa

The Flash/Jay Garrick: John Wesley Shipp

Wildcat/Ted Grant: Dave Bautista

Dr. Fate/Kent Nelson: Pierce Brosnan

Rick Tyler/Hourman: Cameron Gellman

Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone: Quintessa Swindell

Albert Al Julian Rothstein/Atom Smasher: Noah Centineo

Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary: Katie Cassidy

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, Supergirl or any above-mentioned properties. All rights belong to their respective owners.