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.

11. Silver Age Heroes: A League is Born

Hello everyone, here is Chapter 11 of Omniverse Earth-38. Will's two worlds collide as Courtney gets involved with the ISA and the JSA after the accidental discovery of the Cosmic Staff. It's time for her origin story. And right after, Will doesn't get a reprieve as Vilgax has come to earth with an army in search of the Omnitrix and its wielder. And he won't rest until he finds it. It'll be Will's toughest fight to date against an archnemesis who will be intrinsically linked to him forever. To beat back an alien invasion, it's time to call in some favors and bring a team together. Move over Justice Society. Time for the League. Enjoy!

Omniverse Earth-38: Silver Age Heroes: A League is born

September 2008: National City, California

A lot of had happened to Will's life in the span of two years involving the Omnitrix, aliens, a secret government organization charged with protecting the earth from bad aliens, his dad working for said organization and then him joining too, and last but not least his sort of hero career as Sentry. He's fought alongside the other superheroes of earth. Hell, he visited an ancient island of warrior women from Greek Mythology and then fought side by side with them, Superman, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl to battle the army of the Greek God Ares. And his dad is dating an Amazon. Will was sure that the amount of things that could actually surprise him in this world was truly little at this point. That was until he saw his girlfriend wielding a glowing metal staff and flying around like she had super powers.

And here they were, in a small park on Adam's Street in National City with the glowing power staff of Starman of the JSA, now in the hands of Courtney.

"Will, isn't this cool?" Courtney said in disbelief.

"Where the hell did you find that thing?" He asked her.

"In the basement. I went down to get something in some old boxes, and I found this in a crate in Pat's stuff. You won't believe it. Pat was a sidekick." Courtney said in equal amounts of excitement and disbelief.

"Really?" Will muttered, realizing just how complicated things were going to get.

"Really. I found boxes with all these old photos and documents. Pat was the sidekick to some hero named Starman and then all of a sudden one of the crates began to shake and glow and this was inside. Next thing I know it is leading me outside. This thing is incredible." Courtney recounted.

"But what exactly is it?" Will asked when all of a sudden, the staff turned, and its head was facing him. The lights on it glowed and moved from end to end like it was alive and trying to say something.

"It's never done that before. You think this thing is alive?" Courtney wondered as the staff kept pointing at Will. "It sure likes you though."

"I'm not sure if glowing and pointing at me means it likes me. What the hell does it want?" Will wondered when he saw the top of the staff glow brightly to the point where he had to back away and shield his eyes. "Courtney, can you get it to stop?"

"How? This thing didn't come with a manual. Stop it!" Courtney shouted but the staff moved and aimed at Will before a ball of light appeared at the top. Sensing something bad about to happen and acting on instinct, he quickly dove to the ground as the staff fired a beam of powerful and bright light energy that easily could blow up a car. Which it did. Will's car to be precise. He and Courtney covered their heads as the Camaro exploded and soon was aflame. Courtney looked on in pure shock while Will had a look of pure horror.

"MY CAR?! Are you kidding me?! This is the third time this has happened!" Will blurted out in anger as he looked at Courtney and the staff.

"What did you do? Why did you do that?!" Courtney shouted at the staff which glowed and began to jostle around. Courtney held on tight as it then took off, flying into the air with her hanging on for dear life. "AHH! STOP!"

"Courtney!" Will quickly forgot all about his burning wrecked car and activated his armor, flying after her and the staff. Will's armor in flight mode was fast, easily able to hit speeds of Mach 2 if it needed but the staff was booking it like its life depended on it. "COURTNEY HANG ON!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!" She shouted back, holding on to the staff for dear life with the wind whipping her in the face, causing her hair to fly around. "PLEASE, STOP! GO DOWN! PLEASE GO DOWN TO THE GROUND!"

Her pleading/shouting did the trick as the staff began to fly down to the ground. Courtney and the staff flew through branches of trees and neared the ground when Will swooped in and grabbed her, cushioning her fall to the ground as he covered her body and folded his wings around them, so they rolled safely to a stop. Once they stopped the wings unfolded, revealing Will holding Courtney close to his body before his armor retracted.

"Are you ok?" He asked, checking her over and she nodded.

"I'm ok." She told him, and minus a bruise or two she was fine. She saw the staff on the ground, glowing so she picked it up. "What the hell was that?"

Before she and Will could interrogate the staff, they heard some noise nearby. They weren't able to tell what it was, so they went towards the source, past all the trees and shrubbery, which is when they saw a large parking lot filled with cars in full view of a giant screen with a movie projected on it. The Goonies, to be precise.

"We're at the Drive-in." Will said as Courtney looked at him. "I kind of had plans to take us here one night."

"A little old school but nice." She told him when they heard some loud chattering and saw it was coming from one of the cars. It was Henry and two of his friends, being their stereotypical assholes and annoying everyone trying to watch the movie. They threw their drinks and snacks at nearby cars, were being beyond loud and when one of the other cars with one of the classmates told him to shut up, they rushed over to car and heckled him. Despite the beating Will gave him, Henry was still an asshole and Courtney felt a lesson needed to be learned so she pulled up the hoodie of her sweater and tightened it before putting on a bandana, so it covered the lower half of her face. "Stay here."

"Courtney, what are you doing?" He asked her but she just ignored him and snuck over to his car with the staff. "Courtney!"

She snuck past the line of cars until she arrived at Henry's and then used the staff to deflate the tires. She managed to deflate two of the tires when one of Henry's friends noticed her. "Hey! Somebody's messing with your car!"

Courtney stood up, realizing she had been caught and was about to make a break for it when the staff flew forward and smacked the guy in the chest. The guy hit the ground, struggling to catch his breath as the staff seemed to warble like it was laughing. Henry and his other friend rushed over to check on the car and their friend. "Come on! RAH!"

They charged but the staff slammed on the ground and flashed like a lighthouse, blinding the two. Henry's friend was stupid enough to slam into it and fell back. "I'm gonna kill you!" Henry charged but the staff flipped Courtney through the air and hit him in the back. It stopped a few feet from the ground and put Courtney back on her feet before zipping over to hit Henry in the face and then zipped back hitting his friend in the jaw and knocking him onto his back.

"You're dead, kid." Henry's other friend said only for the staff to aim at Henry's car and blow it up with a light beam. Henry's car blew up in a fireball, knocking Courtney and the others back and attracting a lot of attention.

"Oh, crap. This is bad…" Will muttered.

"Oh my god. What did you do?" Courtney said but staff just hovered and seemed to be happy. "No, bad stick! Bad!"

Courtney grabbed it and ran. "Hurry!" Will ushered her over to the trees as Henry saw her and a man in the dark run through the woods before he looked over at the burning wreck that was his car.

"Oh, my dad is gonna kill me."

Wil and Courtney ran through the woods to get as far away as possible. "What the hell happened?" He asked her.

"I don't know! This thing has a mind of its own." Courtney answered as the staff seemed to indicate it did what she wanted. "No! I only want to let the air out of their tires, not blow up a car and cause a scene!"

"We need to get out of here. Hang on." Will activated his armor, picked up Courtney bridle style and flew them back to her house where he hoped that Pat hadn't come yet to see what happened and they could talk about it in the morning.

A few minutes later…

Will landed them on the roof of Courtney's house and they slowly, but carefully entered her room through the window. "I never thought that our first time sneaking you back home would be like this." Will told her.

"Shhh." Courtney shushed him as they climbed in through her window before they made their way to the basement. She turned on the light, which is when she saw Pat sulking in the corner. "GAHH!"

"GEEZ!" Will jumped as well, feeling his heart beating a mile a minute.

"What are you doing? What is he doing here?" Pat questioned. The first one was about Courtney but the second was about Will.

"Nothing! Nothing happened oh but you, you don't get to ask the questions here, Pat. If that's even, you're real name."

"It's Patrick."

"You mean, Stripsey." Courtney corrected him.

"Ok, give me that." Pat reached for the staff, but she kept it away. "That is incredibly dangerous."

"I know. It blew up a car."

"You blew up car?!"

"I didn't, it did." Courtney said only for the staff's head to glow and warble like it was speaking. "Uh, like I said I was only going to let the air out of their tires."

"Ok, look, are you ok and was anyone hurt?" Pat asked them.

"We're fine and no one was hurt. The car lost a little resale value though." She admitted and Pat sighed.

"Not the only one. That thing blew up my car too. Piece of crap." Will muttered only for the staff to whack him in the back. "Hey!"

"Stop! He's my boyfriend." Courtney pulled the staff away from him, but it seemed like it wanted to keep hitting him like it enjoyed it. "What is this thing, anyway?"

"It's called the Cosmic Staff. It's extremely temperamental and dangerous." Pat told her so she slowly handed it to him. Once it was out of her hands, the light went away, and it powered down. "And it should be back in its crate and not endangering people's lives. The staff's not supposed to work for anyone but…"

Pat stopped a bit as all the memories and feelings began to resurface. Courtney saw this so she walked over to see he was feeling something. "Pat?"

"Give him a moment, Courtney." Will told her. "Mr. Dugan, I know it's not ideal, but we need to tell her. All of it."

"Tell me what?" Courtney asked.

"She knows?" Pat asked him, referring to his secret identity.

"Yeah, she knows." Will replied.

"Know what? Wait, did you know about that thing? Are you a part of the JSA?" She asked him.

"Yes, I did know about that thing but only for the past 48 hours. I didn't know about Pat until then and that's when everything started to unfold and why I was out of contact for so long." He told her, moving her to one of the old trunks so they could sit down and talk. Pat walked over and put the Cosmic Staff away in the crate that Courtney found it and he could have a minute to recompose himself. Will then explained how this all started, with him working as Sentry and taking his role as a hero more seriously with him still suspended from school. He took on some Russians at a shipping yard which is when he dealt with Deathstroke, sent by Devoe, and then tracked Deathstroke's teleporter to Hub City which is when he stumbled onto Pat and Starman.

"Wait, how does you dealing with Deathstroke end up with you finding out Pat is a sidekick to Starman. And who are the JSA?" Courtney asked.

"That's kind of complicated." Will admitted when Pat walked over, having gotten his composure back and was good enough to start filling in the blanks.

"The Justice Society of America was a group of heroes that was founded years ago. It's first iteration was created during World War 2 to fight the Axis powers but kept going on. Some members retired some were killed but we all sort of went our separate ways more than 20 years ago. Officially, we disbanded." Pat told her.

"World War 2? How old are you?" Courtney wondered.

"Not that old." Pat pointed out. "Starman didn't join the JSA until the 70s, both when we were old enough."

"Old enough to know that Stripsey wasn't exactly the best name." Courtney quipped.

"Well, see, Stripsey made more sense when Starman went by the Star-Spangled kid." Pat showed her an old JSA photo of Starman. "His real name was Sylvester Pemberton. I met him when he was fifteen. I was twenty. I was his family's driver, and their mechanic. He put on a mask to stop some criminals that were threatening his parents and I helped him. Anyways, later on, as we got older the original Starman Ted Knight retired and the Cosmic Staff chose Sylvester, and he became the new Starman. He joined the JSA, and he brought me along."

"So, you were his assistant? Like the Robin to his Batman?" Courtney wondered.

"I was his sidekick. They made me a really important part of the JSA." Pat said only for Courtney to hold up the picture. "I took that picture."

"Ok, that explains the trunk with all the weird photos but why do you have it? Shouldn't it be with Starman…" Courtney paused when she saw the look on Pat's face.

"He's gone, Courtney." Will told her. "He died two days ago."

"Oh, Pat. I'm sorry, I didn't know." Courtney said as she held his hand and comforted him. "What happened?"

"A trap." Pat answered. "The JSA disbanded about 20 years ago in the late eighties. We were getting too old, and the changing times played a factor, so we went on our own but kept in touch. New heroes started to appear like Superman, so we weren't really needed but then something happened. A member of the Justice Society called Hourman, began to hear whispers and movements from some old foes we thought were long gone or dead."

"When did this all start?" Courtney wondered.

"About a year ago." Pat answered.

"Which is when you began to act all weird." Courtney put the pieces together.

"You noticed that?"

"I'm not oblivious. I knew something was up, I just thought it was maybe the usual stuff. You know, cheating." Courtney admitted.

"Whoa, I would never cheat on your mother." Pat swore.

"I know but at the time…it's what it looked like. Taking calls at weird hours and you've been uncharacteristically busy." Courtney listed off. "But instead, it was whatever this was. So, what was it?"

"Hourman had been hearing whispers and movements from some old enemies of the JSA. The Injustice Society of America." Pat answered.

"The Injustice Society? Really?" Courtney asked.

"Kind of fits. JSA. ISA." Will pointed out. "Sorry, Mr. Dugan. Continue."

"Anyway, most of the ISA were either dead or in jail but Hourman believed some were still out there and had recently become active, this time collaborating with new villains that had emerged since the JSA had retired." Pat said.

"Wouldn't Superman or Batman have taken care of them?" Courtney asked.

"Not if they didn't know." Will told her. "Superman will stop Metallo and Intergang when they make a big fuss but if it's happening in secret by an enemy he doesn't know exist than he can't stop it."

"Will's got a point. From what I was told, they were keeping quiet for a reason to fly under the radar, but they didn't account on Hourman. His real name was Rex Tyler. One of the smartest men you'll ever meet. He picked up their trail and began looking into it." Pat pointed to Hourman in the picture of the JSA. "I'm not sure exactly what he figured out, but it was definitely something and soon enough the JSA was brought out of retirement. The plan was to try and stop the new ISA before they could enact whatever plan they had but that's when things went bad. The ISA knew we were onto them and set up a trap in Hub City which the JSA walked right into. No one who went there made it out. I carried Starman out of the building and was with him when he died."

Courtney could tell that this brought up painful and very fresh memories and feelings for her stepdad. This had happened only two days ago, so the feelings were hitting hard, and he barely had any time to grieve. She held his hand and leaned into his shoulder, comforting him as best she could. It was a nice moment between stepdad and stepdaughter.

"That's when Will arrived. I would be dead too if he hadn't shown up." Pat told her.

"That brings us to where our two stories connect. Turns out Deathstroke and the Thinker are working with the new ISA. They busted out Sportsmaster, Tigress, and Solomon Grundy to add onto the ISA's repertoire of old supervillains and with the Thinker's genius they made their escape before I could stop them or get more answers. After that, it's just been playing catch up and keeping the rest of the JSA out of danger." Will added.

"I thought they were all dead?" Courtney wondered.

"The ones who went with Hourman and Starman are, but three members were retired. Will and I managed to get to them and get them to safety." Pat answered.

"And after that is when you called. So, a lot happened in the past 48 hours." Will admitted.

"So, why is the staff here?" Courtney asked Pat.

"After Sylvester died, he told me to protect it. I hid it here until I could find someplace else. Didn't expect you to find it or for it to work for you. As far as I know, the Cosmic Staff only ever worked for Sylvester and before him, it's creator Ted Knight. I don't know why it works for you." Pat told her as he put the photos away in a crate. Courtney looked into it and saw a red, white, and blue suit she recognized as the one Starman wore. Pat must have held onto it after he died.

"Well, whatever that thing is, keeping it locked up in a crate for the time being seems like a good idea." Will stated.

"Does my mom know any of this?" Courtney asked Pat.

"Uh, no, I didn't tell her. And it isn't right not to be honest, but people have died because they got too close to the JSA. You and Will know the truth and you're at risk even now." Pat told her. "This isn't just about keeping my secret, this is about keeping your mother and you, safe. Mike too."

"He's right, Courtney. My secret is one thing, but this is too big. People have already died, and the ISA are still out there. We need to be careful." Will added.

"Right. Look. I don't like that you've kept this from me or her…but you make her happy. Happier than I've ever seen here, and I don't want to take that away. I can't. So, I'll keep your secret…Stripsey." Courtney quipped.

"Yeah. Yeah, when you say it like that, I see what you mean about the name." Pat admitted.

"It's bad." Courtney told him and he nodded.

"Now, I don't know about you two, but it's been a long 48 hours and I need to get my car before the police come and investigate how it was blown up." Will said and Courtney kind of shrunk in place, still feeling bad about what happened. "Mr. Dugan, do you mind if I use your truck?"

"No problem. I'll help you." Pat told him.

"Thanks." Will walked over to Courtney and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll text you in the morning."

She nodded and watched them leave before heading upstairs to get some rest after her whole ordeal, unaware that the Cosmic Staff was glowing in its crate.

Elsewhere in National City…

Henry King Jr. called his dad from the drive-in about what happened. They were sitting in his father's study, and he explained what happened. Him and his friends being attacked, and the car exploding after getting blasted some a staff. "Tell me again, son, what happened?"

"Travis and Brian and I were at the drive-in and we were minding our own business, dad." Henry told him while lying out of his teeth about some details.

"The part about the staff, junior."

"Someone…they had this glowing thing. It shot…I don't know. Fire or lasers or something. I know I should have asked to take the care, dad—"

"What did they look like? Who were they?" His father asked him.

"It was too hard to see." Henry answered and his father leaned back into his chair.

"Go to your room. We'll talk more about this in the morning."

"Yes, sir." Henry got up and left. Once he was gone, Henry Sr. locked the door and removed his glasses using his telekinesis to open a drawer in his desk and remove a key. It moved over to a bookshelf and inserted into a lock, opening the bookcase to reveal a private room. There were multiple shelves stacked with VHS tapes and a picture of a woman was hung up next to a dark green trench coat. Henry King Sr. was the supervillain Brainwave. Someone just attacked his son, and they would die screaming.

He moved the picture of the woman, revealing a hidden compartment behind it which held a special burner phone. He dialed a number and waited a few seconds for it to connect.

"Henry, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon and at this late hour. What is it?"

"We have a problem, Jordan. The JSA followed us to National City." Brainwave told him and there was a momentary pause.

"Are you certain?"

"Someone attacked my son tonight…with a glowing staff."

"I killed Starman. The area I pierced him would have bled out in a minute, there was no way he could have survived."

"I know he's dead. I felt his brain dying as his sidekick ran away. Meaning, there's a new Starman out there working with Sentry. He found us and he came after my son."

"I doubt that very much. We'll sort his out, Henry, together. Devoe is away on business working with Dragon King and Ultra-Humanite. Do nothing until I return, and we can consolidate a response. Understood?"

"I understand, Jordan." Henry Sr. hung up, but he had already put on his suit. He was a supervillain, and an egomaniacal one at that as well. He wasn't going to wait around for Icicle and the others…he was going hunting.

Line Break xxxxx

An hour later…

At the old DEO outpost in National City, Kent Nelson was sitting in the kitchen drinking some tea he had just brewed. This place was his temporary abode along with Ted Grant and Jay and Joan Garrick. It wasn't long ago that they were all rescued and taken here for safety from the new ISA by Stripsey and National City's vigilante Sentry. Something big was brewing that boggled the mind and if Pat was right that the Thinker was collaborating with them then they were more dangerous than ever before. Icicle and Dragon King were ruthless while Ultra-Humanite was genius but the Thinker even more so. They were up to something very bad.

"Can't sleep?" He heard and saw Ted and Jay walk into the kitchen, both wearing sleepwear which was just comfortable shorts and T-shirts.

"No. Just like years ago I'm afraid." Kent answered as Ted and Jay poured their own cups of tea, but the former pulled out a small flask of whiskey. He offered it so Kent and Jay took a few glugs in their tea. "I keep thinking back about when Rex reached out to us. We should have gone with them."

"Hey, Kent don't start playing the what if game now. You know the toll that can take on anyone, better than any of us." Ted told him.

"Ted's right, Kent. And from what Pat and the kid told us, if we did show up than the ISA would have been ready. We would be dead too." Jay added. "With the Thinker collaborating with them now then they're more dangerous than ever before. And also have other new blood including Deathstroke and Solomon Grundy too."

"Mercenary for hire and walking zombie aside, we'll get justice for Rex, Sylvester, Alan, and the others. For them…and for their kids." Ted swore and the other two agreed before he held up his cup. "Long live the JSA. Their fight is over."

"And now they rest." Kent and Jay said before they raised their cups and drank their spiked tea in remembrance and honor of their fallen comrades and friends. That's when they heard one of the garage doors open so they went to see who came. They walked into the garage to see the kid signaling a truck as it backed up a burnt car wreck into the garage.

"STOP!" Will shouted and the truck stopped allowing him to remove the chains and hooks. Pat then got out of the car and helped Will remove the hook when he saw the others.

"Sorry guys. Didn't mean to wake you guys." Pat told them.

"It's all right, Pat. We weren't sleeping." Jay told him.

"What's going on?" Ted wondered.

"Complications." Will answered as he looked over the burned wreck that was once his car. He managed to pop open the hood and saw his engine still in one piece and in perfect condition minus the oil and soot. Thank god for alien technology. "Pat's stepdaughter and my girlfriend found Starman's staff. It took her for a joyride, beat up three idiot teenagers and blew up two cars one of which was mine."

"What?" Kent, Ted, and Jay were thrown back by this.

"What he said." Pat pointed at Will who was checking over the damage. "I don't know how but for some reason Starman's staff works for my stepdaughter."

They gave the three veteran members of the JSA the story about what happened and why. "I still can't believe it. Starman's staff never worked for anyone other than Ted Knight and then Sylvester. No one else so why?" Jay wondered.

"Ted Knight was always quiet about why and what made the staff so special. It chooses its wielder and for some reason it chose Courtney." Kent suggested.

"Anyway, we can get it to un-choose her?" Will wondered, removing a busted-up car panel he would have to replace.

Kent just gave him a shrug in response. "Magical artifacts like the Cosmic Staff have a will of their own. It must see something in Courtney that it saw in Sylvester."

"Which would be great in any other circumstance…" Will said when he noticed the look Pat gave him. "I meant the staff seeing something in her that is heroic in quality like Starman, but the timing could honestly be better."

"Anyone recognize her?" Jay asked and Will shook his head no.

"No. It was dark, and she had a hood and bandana to cover her face. And most people nowadays aren't aware of the JSA, so I don't think they'd make the connection to Starman."

"Well, if the staff stays locked up and she doesn't go out again then I think we'll be ok." Jay said. "Hard to believe that the staff chose her. Looks like another one joins the legacy."

"Oh, come on, Jay. You know that legacy crap was a stupid idea. Rex was an idiot for suggesting that and even Alan agreed with me. You really want to put those kids through what we went through?" Ted pointed out.

"No, of course not but after what happened some of them may be looking out for revenge so we should guide them. It's what Rex and the others would want." Jay told him.

"I don't know. I agree with Ted. Involving them in this is way too dangerous. They're still just kids." Kent was uneased at the idea.

"I agree with Kent. They didn't choose this life." Pat reminded Jay.

"None of us chose this life, Pat. Call it fate or destiny but they're a part of it whether we like it or not. What we can do is make sure that they're ready. When we all started, I'm sure we could have used some people who knew what they were doing to help us through all the rough patches." Jay said before looking over at Will. "And now they have someone who could lead them?"

"What? The kid? You think they'd listen to him?" Ted thought Jay was finally starting to lose it.

"He's the reason the three of us are alive and why they can bury their families. I think they would." Jay pointed out.

"Excuse me." Will waved his hand to get the attention of the old people in the room. "What are you guys talking about? What legacies?"

"Some members of the JSA have kids and some of them have been training them to accept the mantles their parents had. Be the next generation of heroes to join you, Superman, Batman, and the others." Jay said when Will remembered what Rex told him.

"Does Hourman have one?" Will asked and they looked at him. "Before he passed away…Hourman told me to tell Rick that he was sorry."

"Yeah, Rex has a son, Rick. But he's not the only one who had a kid. The Atom has a nephew Al Rothstein who has inherited a version of his uncle's powers, Red Tornado's daughter has inherited her aerokinetic abilities and Ted has been personally training and watching over the daughter of a friend of ours, Dinah Laurel Lance. She's the daughter of Black Siren." Jay explained.

"I've been looking after Laurel and training her to keep her safe, like Dinah told us too and we promised. Having her take up her mother's mantle is the exact opposite of keeping her safe." Ted pointed out.

"She inherited Dinah's power so like it or not, Ted, she's a part of this. And what happens if Icicle and the Thinker go after her or the other kids thinking that they could have been a part of the JSA? Any obstacle to him would be predicted." Jay warned him.

"That's assuming he knows all your identities and by extension theirs which he could." Will said when he began to remember what happened in the last 48 hours. "But Jay does have a point. He sent the ISA after Ted and Kent and not when they were Wildcat and Dr. Fate. I'll call my director and see what we can do. Keep an eye on them and make sure they're safe. If something comes up, then we act but if the Thinker had moved against them than all the programs and algorithms I have running up to track the ISA down would have gone off."

"You sure about that? Not to discredit what you've done for us so far but are you also some kind of super genius, kid? Smart enough to go against the Thinker?" Ted wondered.

"Not exactly but I've got a friend who is, and they planned ahead. The Thinker has made teleporters which is how I tracked him to the trap he set for the ISA, and he used them to try and get the three of you. Now if he tries that again or any other kind of method of transportation not normal to earth than I'll know." Will assured him. "And Jay's point does have some merit, if only to make sure that they're ok and that the ISA don't go after them. But whatever we decide to do, we can't do anymore tonight."

"Will's right. At the very least we should get some rest. Come at this with fresh eyes and minds tomorrow and begin coming up with a plan against the ISA." Kent said, and everyone agreed. Kent, Ted, and Jay left for their rooms while Will gave his burnt wreck of a car one last pained look before Pat gave him a ride home.

They hoped they could finally get some rest after the crazy two days they had only not just yet. When Pat returned home, he saw the staff and Courtney were gone so he went to his repair shop to get something. Will, just wanting to make sure that Courtney was ok used the Proto-box to check her location and saw she was moving across the city at 60 miles per hour but not on any roads so clearly, she was out with the Cosmic Staff. He activated his armor and went out to make sure she was ok.

Courtney had been flying around National City on the Cosmic Staff. For whatever reason it had bonded to her, and she was getting used to it. The Staff had a kind of sentience and it messed with her a bit, but she got the hang of it, flipping around and using her years of gymnastics training to great effect. She jumped, spun, and flipped around with the staff giving her a boost to make her do superhuman feats and to finish it off it took her on a flight around National City. Thank god it was night and the staff kept her on the rooftops of buildings or up in the sky so all anyone saw was a glowing light in the sky they would mistake for an aircraft or shooting star.

"This is amazing!" Courtney shouted in glee as she was sitting on the staff side saddle like it was a horse or a flying broomstick. She loved the feeling of flying. The wind flowing through her hair and the adrenaline and thrill it filled her with. It was intoxicating. She now understood what Will must have felt as flying like this was amazing. Her smile turned to confusion as she saw something coming towards her. She couldn't make it out at first but as it got closer, she saw it was a whole bunch of tires. Before she could even ask why the tires flew past her with one knocking her off the staff. "NO!"

She fell to the ground and would have gone splat had the Cosmic Staff not swooped it and caught it. It managed to slow her down so when she landed on a large pile of old tires it was just a tumble and not life-threatening. Courtney got to her feet and saw she was at the National City Tire warehouse which explained all the tires but not why they flew at her when she was suddenly thrown across the yard into a fence. She hit the ground and was dragged through the dirt by something. Panicked, Courtney clawed the dirt and tried to stop before she skidded on the ground. She grabbed the staff and looked around for whatever was doing this but saw nothing, so she did the sensible thing and ran into the building for safety. "HELP!"

She rushed in and looked around, but the warehouse was closed, and everyone had gone home. "HELLO?!"

She looked around in vain for someone to help and was beginning to feel like a character in a horror movie at the moment where they run into the killer and get killed. A sudden intense ringing filled her ears accompanied by a tingling sensation. "Who are you?" She heard in her head.

She turned and saw a man in a green trench coat. Before she could do anything else she was suddenly hoisted up into the air and felt a powerful oppressive force wrap around her neck like someone was choking her. "Where did you get that staff? Why did you go after my son?"

Brainwave glanced down and Courtney was dropped to the ground and slid towards him when a speeding blur came out of nowhere and punched him across the face. Brainwave fell down and Courtney slid to a stop where she saw the blur figure stop in front of her. It was one of Will's aliens, XLR8, and he helped Courtney up to her feet before his visor came up.

"I thought you were going to bed." XLR8 said when he saw Brainwave get up. "Go, get out of here!"

"Wait, who is that?!" Courtney shouted.

"Go!" XLR8 shouted and Courtney ran as Brainwave got up and looked at XRL8.

"I was right. You are working with them." Brainwave telepathically said aloud as he tried to read XLR8's mind but couldn't. His mind was too erratic for him to read properly. "You're mind…it's a blur…"

"Sorry, but I've picked up a few things about telepathic defense. And unfortunately for you my brain is moving too fast for you to keep up with…like this!" XLR8 rushed Brainwave and punched him in the chest, sending him back but then sped into his path and kicked him into some shelving. "You can try and read my mind all you want but you can only think so fast! Where's Devoe?! Tell me where he is, and the rest of the ISA and I'll go easy on you!"

The answer to that was numerous truck tires flung through the air at him but XLR8 dodged with ease like Neo in the Matrix. The tires flew at him one after another and any normal person would have a hard time dodging but XLR8 was fast which made it child's play. While he dodged the last tire, Brainwave managed to climb out of the shelf wreckage and used his telekinesis to send XLR8 flying across the warehouse. Before he hit the wall, he tapped the Omnitrix and turned into Wildvine. With a stretch of his limbs into the ceiling rafters he swung around freely. Brainwave sent more tires at him and Wildvine flipped through the air, slicing through the tires with his claws before throwing several explosive pods at the villain. Brainwave created a telekinetic shield around him as the pods exploded, protecting him but the explosion ignited some nearby oil barrels and grease containers which started a fire that engulfed stacks of tires. The fire and tire smoke provided the perfect cover as Brainwave had to keep his shield up in order to not get burned or overwhelmed by the smoke allowing Wildvine to slip away. A part of him would have liked to stay behind and kick Brainwave's ass all over the warehouse but making sure Courtney was ok was more important so he left to fight another day. He exited the warehouse and saw a giant robot flying away with Courtney hanging on for a ride. Wildvine tapped the Omnitrix and transformed back into Will who activated his armor and flew after them.

When he left, Brainwave walked out of the warehouse trying to find the National City Vigilante and that Starwoman, but they were gone. He had no idea who Sentry was, but he now had a lead on the Starman protégé as she dropped a National City Highschool student ID card when he attacked her. It was caught in the fire, so the picture was a splotch but now he knew where to look for her.

Will flew alongside the armored robot and Courtney was perched up on its back, holding onto some rails while its rocket boots provided the lift and propulsion. "Courtney, are you ok?!"

"I'm ok! Who was that?!" She asked.

"No one good." He replied as his HUD scanned the robot, and he was impressed by its extremely advanced nature, definitely showcasing the work of an amazing engineer and driving said robot was none other than Pat. With a quick mental thought he opened up a communications link from his suit to the robot armor and Pat's face appeared in his HUD. "Mr. Dugan, where did you get the robot?"

"I'll explain later. First let's get Courtney someplace safe. Follow me." Pat told him and Will nodded, following him towards Pat's repair shop and garage. Pat piloted the robot down behind his shop and landed with a loud thud, thankfully with the robot landing in one piece. He then piloted the robot over to the back garage door which he opened and parked it inside with Will walking in after him. The chest of the robot opened up, revealing Pat in the driver's seat as it powered down and Courtney jumped off, visibly shaken from what happened.

Will deactivated his armor and ran over to her, engulfing her in a hug before taking a look at her. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

Before she could answer, the Cosmic Staff seemed to jerk her forward like it wanted to get back out there. "What are you doing? Stop! I…I just need a minute, ok? I'm upset too, just give me a minute, please?" Courtney put the staff down near a table and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Let me look at you." Will held her shaking hands and then cupped her face so she was looking right at him. "Look at me, ok. Just focus on me. Breathe…in through the nose, out through your mouth."

"Ok…ok…" Courtney did as he said and slowed her breathing. It seemed to work as he sat her down in a chair and helped her calm down. He's had experience with the adrenaline rush/nervous breakdown kind of situation when he first started. Now he was used to it.

"He's not gonna hurt you. I promise." Will swore to her before looking at the cut on her face. "Hang on…"

He went to the sink and wetted a towel which he used to wipe away the blood on her face. "Thanks…" She smiled and took the towel to clean her face up a bit from the dirt and sweat. Having finally calmed down from her little adrenaline rush she looked over at the giant robot Pat was piloting. "What is that?"

"It's a prototype. I started working on bits and pieces of it after the JSA broke up but didn't really get it going until about a year ago when Sylvester reached out." Pat answered as Will walked over to see inside the thing. Will had the Proto-box on him so he used it to scan it from head to toe.

"How did you build this thing?" Will asked him.

"Out of old car parts." Pat answered. "What did your attacker look like?"

"It was Brainwave." Will used the Proto-box to show Pat a screenshot his HUD had taken two days ago during the fight he had with the ISA before they vanished.

"Who is he?" Courtney asked.

"One of the Justice Society's enemies, a member of the Injustice Society of America. A powerful telepath and telekinetic. Not someone to take lightly. No idea why he went after you though." Pat pointed out.

"He asked about the Staff. Where I got it." Courtney remembered as Will looked at the photo of Brainwave again and could have sworn, he looked familiar. "And he mentioned something about his son."

"His son?" Pat was confused.

"He asked why I attacked his son." Courtney recounted and it hit for Will.

"No way…" Will muttered.

"What?" Courtney and Pat asked.

"Jarvis, run facial recognition for Brainwave against all the parents of students at National City High. Senior Class." Will said to the Proto-box.

"One moment." Jarvis ran the request against all parents of students.

"Will, what are you doing?" Courtney asked him when his Proto-box beeped.

"Match found with an 89.9% probability." Jarvis replied so Will showed Courtney and Pat the result. The capture of Will's HUD wasn't great as he was in motion during the time, but it was enough for Jarvis to work with, and he matched it to Dr. Henry King Sr. Head Neurosurgeon at National City Hospital.

"Look familiar?"

"No way. Henry's dad is Brainwave?" Courtney said in disbelief.

"I knew he looked familiar when I fought him in the warehouse, and it explains why he attacked you tonight because of the accident with Henry. With the staff, he must think you worked with Starman." Will deduced.

"Which means you have a target on your back. Did he see your face? Would he recognize you?" Pat asked Courtney.

"I don't think so. The warehouse was dark, and Will got there before he could get me close enough to him. And I've never met Henry's dad before." Courtney answered. "Ok, so Brainwave's in this city, he's been here for years. So, let's go find him…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Courtney, stop." Will went up to her before she could continue. "Now, you're being careless. You weren't supposed to be out there tonight and because you were Brainwave nearly killed you. If I hadn't decided to check up on you tonight who knows what could have happened. And what if he did recognize you or got a good enough look at your face?"

"It was dark." Courtney said.

"Will's right. And if he finds out who you are and comes to the house when your mom and Mike are there? I don't even want to think about it. You know, you might laugh at those red-and-white stripes I wore, but people looked at those instead of my face. The JSA had costumes for a reason. Even Will keeps his identity a secret. We do it to protect our families and loved ones." Pat cautioned her.

"Costume, check. Probably gonna need a mask, too. An upgrade."

"No, no costume. Courtney this isn't a joke." Will told her.

"No, I get it. I get it. Protect the family. Superhero rule number one." Courtney recited like from a rulebook.

"No, rule number one is you stay out of this. I'll handle Brainwave by myself." Will stated.

"Not without me. This has to be the reason the staff lit up. Because it knows the bad guys are here in National City. This is my chance, Will, to do something amazing. Be a hero, just like you." Courtney said only for Will to get in front of her so she could see how serious he was.

"Forget it. Courtney, you almost got yourself killed tonight and now you want to go back out there for more. Are you crazy?" Will asked her.

"Excuse me? Isn't that what you do every night in secret for the past year since I've known you, lying to me by the way." Courtney pointed out.

"I'm not arguing with you on this, Courtney. This is a completely different situation."

"No, it's not. When I use the staff, when I'm flying, I've never felt freer and like myself than ever before. It's a part of me now so this is the next step."

"Courtney that staff nearly got you killed tonight. You don't how to use it."

"I'll learn like you did and I'm not useless. I have years of gymnastics and a blackbelt in karate. I can handle myself and together we can do this." Courtney told him.

"No, forget it. I'm not putting you in any danger." He said and stopped her before she would say something else. "Courtney, when I saw you in that warehouse my heart nearly froze. Ok, my dad is one thing, but I don't even want to think about what would have happened to you if I didn't get there in time."

"But you did."

"Because I was paranoid and unfortunately that's been a part of my personality ever since this stupid watch has latched itself onto my wrist." Will showed her the Omnitrix. "Now, I still appreciate that I can use it to help people but a part of me also thinks about what my life would have been like if I didn't find it. If I didn't have to worry about supervillains, evil aliens, and constantly looking over my shoulder or worrying about the people close to me. As exhausting as my double life is, I'm content because it kept you and the others safe from this part, the dangerous one. Now, I may not be able to go back in time and change all that, but I can make sure that now you stay safe."

"Will…" Courtney wasn't sure what to say. She had never seen this vulnerable side of him before. He was usually always so stoic and confident but now she could see just how much his superhero life had affected him. The guilt and worry he must deal with is beyond words. She pulled him into a hug, and he relaxed into her body, rubbing her hands on his back. "I'm sorry…I didn't know."

"Well, now you do. Please…let me handle this." Will told her and she just nodded. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and let out an exhausting sigh. "I'm sorry for all that…I guess I've been holding all that in for so long. I didn't mean to let it out at you."

"No, it's fine, Will. Believe me, I understand. I guess all this time I've just thought that this hero part of your life was so easy but now I understand what you've been through. Don't worry about me." She hugged him but mentally telling herself that he didn't have to worry about her because she was now going to help alleviate the pressure he had.

"Thanks. You want a lift home?" He offered.

"No. Pat will take me back. Give me a ride to school tomorrow?" She suggested.

"I'll be there bright and early." He gave her another kiss on the head before heading out and going home. If only he knew that Courtney was as stubborn as he was, and she wasn't going to let him shoulder all the responsibility.

Line Break xxxxx

A blaring alarm sound woke up Will in the morning after an extremely eventful evening. Courtney finding the Cosmic Staff and it took her on as its new user, said staff blowing up his car, explaining her everything about the JSA and ISA and then Brainwave trying to kill her along with the revelation that Brainwave was the father of one of the classmates. And after a heart pouring speech to his girlfriend, he went home and passed out the second he hit the bed. A part of him would have liked to keep sleeping but he did promise to drop Courtney off at school, so he forced himself out of bed and went to take a quick shower.

After a shower, teeth brushing, and a fresh change of clothes later he walked into the kitchen where he poured himself a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast and brewed a pot of coffee. He munched on some raisin brand, (Don't judge him as he kind of liked it) when he heard the door to his dad's room open and out walked his dad and Diana, both wearing some casual sleepwear. His dad was wearing shorts and a tank top while Diana wore one of Max's shirt that was large enough to act like a makeshift sleeping down as it reached down to her thighs. Seeing Will at the kitchen counter, Max straightened up and Diana slipped behind him as she was wearing not much else other than his shirt.

"Will? Uh…didn't expect to see you awake so early." Max muttered as he cleared his throat.

"Sorry. I'm almost done." Will gulped down his bowl of cereal and moved it over to the sink. Diana slunk back to Max's room to put her clothes on while he walked over to the kitchen, a little moment of awkwardness as he wasn't sure what to do next. "In an effort to avoid the need to use one of my aliens to erase my short-term memory, how about we just continue like normal?"

"Fair enough." Max agreed as he saw Will pour all the coffee he brewed into a thermos. "So, what got you up so early? During your suspension you usually sleep in a little more."

"Oh, lord things have gotten complicated, dad. Beyond…beyond complicated." Will told him.

"What? Did something happen when you set up the JSA members in the DEO safehouse? Things seemed fine." Max pointed out as he got some stuff out of the refrigerator to make breakfast.

"Oh, no. That's fine. It's what happened after…" Will explained to his dad what happened last night. He set up Ted Grant, Kent Nelson, Jay and Joan Garrick at the DEO safehouse completely protected against the ISA from coming after them and they'd work together on tracking down the ISA and stopping them. That was fine but then Courtney texted him about the Cosmic Staff which blew up his car, blew up a car at the drive-in, Pat found out forcing him and Will to explain what was going on. After Pat helped Will drop his car off at the DEO safehouse to fix it later, Courtney ended up going back out with the staff which is when she was attacked by Brainwave. Will was there to stop him, and Courtney escaped with Pat who had a giant robot suit made out of old car parts and they escaped Brainwave who is Henry King Jr. father. After that lengthy explanation, Max just stood there and soaked it all in.

"Holy crap…"

"I know. Hard to believe that was all in one night." Will muttered.

"Holy crap." Max repeated. "I knew there was something I didn't like about him. I mean, besides his ego and demeanor. He had this look he did that made him feel like Hannibal Lecter."

"I know, right. Like he's gonna eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. Ugh…" Will shivered in disgust and Max did the same. A weird moment of synergy between father and son. "Although with that revelation, it made me wonder if there are any other members of the ISA in National City."

"Yeah, that would be a problem. Any luck using facial recognition?" Max wondered and Will shook his head.

"No. Sportsmaster and Tigress are out as they are notorious villains, and their identities are known after their arrests. No links to National City. Grundy's a zombie, Deathstroke's a mercenary, and Ultra-Humanite's an albino gorilla. I tried for the Wizard, Icicle, the Shade, and Geomancer but got nothing. It's possible that Brainwave's the only member of the ISA with a real-world cover but…"

"But what?" Max wondered. "You think that after they killed the JSA that they just went on their separate ways?"

"I don't know, and I don't think so. Devoe wouldn't go through all the trouble of rebuilding and working with the ISA just to disband them." Will pointed out as he added in some sugar and cream to the coffee in his thermos.

"It sounds to me that the Thinker may have other machinations in play." They heard and Diana walked in wearing regular clothes. A shirt and jeans. "If the Thinker is as smart as you say he is then perhaps he is busy with the components of whatever plan he and this ISA are working on. Do you know what it is?"

"No, and neither did the JSA but clearly, they were closing in on something important otherwise the ISA wouldn't have lured them into a trap to wipe them out. From how Pat said, it started out with one member of the JSA hearing whispers about some members of the ISA who weren't dead. That all began about a year ago." Will recounted.

"Right around the time you first showed up as Sentry and took on Devoe when he tried to rob National City. You think there's a connection?" Max wondered.

"In that they were working together back then? Unlikely. That they found each other after and formed an alliance of convenience? Maybe. But with Dragon King and the Ultra-Humanite working with Devoe, I just want to know what the hell they're planning before it's too late. Devoe on his own is bad enough but if the reports on Dragon King are true about who he used to be and what he's done than I don't want to even imagine it's anything good. And Ultra-Humanite's a super genius in the body of a gorilla. He can't have good plans either." Will said and Max agreed.

"You should keep Director Henshaw informed of your progress. The DEO may be a secret government organization but if the ISA's plan is really as bad as we think it could be than he'll have us help." Max told him.

"I know. I sent him a message last night before I went to bed, and I read his response after I woke up. Once we have more to go on than he can move the DEO to act but for now we're playing catch up and I hate it." Will remarked.

"Doesn't help that you're outnumbered." Max added.

"Actually, that's where I'm not as worried. Sure, Devoe's got the ISA but I'm not alone. Other than Pat and the three surviving members of the JSA, I've made a few friends in my short time as a DEO trainee/vigilante/superhero. Case in point one of them is in the room right now." Will said as he and Max looked over at Diana.

"Oh…" Max realized that Will was right and the other heroes he had met would definitely be able to help against the Thinker and the ISA. "Oh yeah. They won't know what hit them."

"Yup." Will agreed.

"Just say the word and my sword will relish in battle once again." Diana assured him.

"Don't worry about that. A fight will definitely be coming." Will promised when he saw the time. "All right, I'm gonna head out and drop Courtney off at school. Let me know if something comes up.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Max pointed out as Will shrugged and left with his thermos of coffee. There was a moment of silence as Max and Diana stood there when Will peaked his head back in through the front door.

"Dad, can I borrow your truck?"

At the Dugan/Whitmore Household…

Pat Dugan was cooking breakfast for his family. His son Mike was sitting at the kitchen table, playing games on his Nintendo DS, the family bulldog Max munching on his food in his dog bowl with Courtney and Barbara not down yet. Pat was up early, even before making breakfast as he hadn't gotten much sleep last night and ended up heading to his garage to work on his robot. It still needed a lot of work done as the flying fist resulted in a bruise/cuts to the face and the butt of the robot erupted into flames after a malfunction with the jets in the legs.

"Good morning!" Barbara said as she walked into the dining room wearing a nice business suit.

"What's up, Barbara? Nice suit." Mike told her.

"Thank you." She smiled and grabbed her coffee cup.

"Dad's making breakfast. It should be ready any minute because I'm starving." Mike said.

"Yeah, coming right up, little buddy. Just be patient." Pat told him as Courtney walked into the room with her backpack.

"Hey." Barbara greeted her but noticed something was up as Courtney didn't look at her and kept her head down.

"Hi."

"Hey." Barbara walked over and turned Courtney around which is where she saw the cuts on her cheek and forehead. "Oh…oh my god, what happened?"

"Oh…I fell down the basement stairs." Courtney told her.

"What?"

"Get them while they're hot. Who's hungry?" Pat walked in with a plate of pancakes which is when Barbara saw cuts/bruises on his face.

"What happened to you?" Barbara asked him.

"Oh, I uh…well, I—I tripped down those basement stairs." Pat answered.

"You both fell down the basement stairs?" Barbara asked in disbelief and even Mike thought that was weird.

"Yeah, there's a bad step." Courtney told her.

"Yeah, it's a couple of bad steps down there. I was able to fix it and what I did was…well, it's kind of an interesting story. I re-planned it and then I got up under the—"

"Pancakes, wow!" Courtney's quick intervention stopped Pat from digging himself into an even deeper hole with his crappy explanation. "Wow, look at these, mom."

"Yeah, they look great." Barbara agreed and they sat down to eat.

"Would you like blueberry or chocolate chip?" Pat asked.

"One of each." Barbara replied.

"You got it. One of each." Pat repeated it as he put them on her plate and then on Mike's.

"You sure you're both ok?" Barbara asked.

"Fine." They both replied. "Great."

"Why are you guys acting so weird?" Mike asked.

"What are you talking about? I'm serving breakfast here." Pat said, and that momentary lapse in concentration caused Mike to lose the level he was on.

"Dammit."

"Mike, Language." Pat warned him.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Uh, dang it, darn it."

"How about a golly gee, is that too strong?" Mike joked.

"That's perfect." Pat agreed.

"Uh, I forgot something in my room. I'll be right back." Courtney grabbed her backpack and left the dining room while Pat, Mike, and Barbara ate. She slipped away and headed down to the basement where she opened up a crate. She pulled out Starman's old suit and ran her finger on the white star on the chest before putting it into her backpack. She walked back upstairs and heard a knock at the door so she opened it and saw Will. "Hey, perfect timing. Bye mom! I'm going to school!"

"You haven't eaten anything. Take something to go." Barbara told her.

"No, I'm ok! Love you, bye!" Courtney grabbed his hand and walked out.

"Bye Mrs. Dugan, bye Mr. Dugan, bye Mike, bye Max." Will said as he was pulled away. Max the bulldog barked back like he was saying bye as well. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Just ready to get on with the day." She said as got into Will's dad's truck since his car was a wreck. Will got into the driver's seat and grabbed her hand.

"Hey…you're gonna be fine, I promise. And same with your family. Brainwave won't come after you. I promise."

"I know…" She reached over and gave him a quick kiss. "Let's go."

He nodded and drove them away, dropping her off at National City High. Courtney walked into homeroom where Beth and Ed saw her and were immediately concerned because of the scratches and bruises on her face. "Oh my god, Courtney. What happened to you?" Beth asked her.

"Later. I'll explain at lunch when Vic and Karen are with us. You guys are not gonna believe what happened." She whispered to them and got on with her school day.

Will's suspension would be done soon but until then he could devote his time to making sure National City was safe. The first key to that would be to go after Brainwave and get some answers but he wasn't just going to charge him. The first step was to come up with a plan and not rush him at his place of work in the middle of the day despite how much he wanted to. For one thing, Brainwave's been a model citizen so going after him in a crowded hospital would put civilians in danger and with his powers, he could hold the entire hospital hostage. They needed to drag him out into a trap and thankfully Will had some new friends who knew enough about him to help with that.

At the DEO safehouse in National City, which really needed a codename as calling it the safehouse was just getting annoying, Will was in the garage with Ted Grant, Kent Nelson, and Jay Garrick who looked on in amazement as Pat Dugan piloted the robot suit into the garage from an underground tunnel system that led from a large alcove in the National city river watershed system 400 yards away to right under the safehouse. It was big enough for a truck and was a DEO emergency exit route if the safehouse was ever compromised. All DEO bases had them and it was perfect for getting the robot in while remaining unseen.

"This is incredible." Ted walked over to get a closer look. "You built this thing, Stripsey?"

"Yeah, out of old car parts." Pat replied. "Wasn't easy but finally got it up and running."

"Sylvester would be proud to see this, Pat. The others would as well." Kent told him.

"Thanks, Kent. I'm just sorry it came too late. I wanted it ready before, but I only just got it running. I hadn't used it before last night." Pat said.

"Well, if our lives are any indication than you may get the chance. At the very least, you're not a sidekick anymore, Pat." Jay assured him.

"That's for sure." Will agreed as he scanned the robot once more with his Proto-box. "No offense, Mr. Dugan but I think working at that repair shop and garage is a waste of your talent. With work like this you should be head of NASA. If you were in charge, we'd already have a colony on the moon by now."

"I'd just settle for making sure this things works properly. Are you sure it's ok to leave this here?" Pat questioned.

"Yeah, for sure. And it's better than at your garage where someone could accidentally stumble onto it. The emergency exit to the National City River watershed system makes sure that you won't be seen so this can get in and out with ease. Plus, with it being here you have some better tools to get this thing running smoothly." Will told him. "The safehouse has a fully equipped garage so we can make sure this thing is working so that when we go after Brainwave, he won't know what hit him."

"I still can't believe he's been in National City this whole time. He's not here because of us, right?" Ted asked for clarification.

"No. Brainwave's civilian identity was long established here in National City, and I checked for the other members of the ISA. Got nothing. Guess it's just a huge coincidence." Will remarked.

"I've stopped believe in coincidences a long time ago." Kent Nelson stated.

"I agree with Kent. Coincidences have a way of biting us in the ass so if Brainwave's here in National City than at the very least we have to assume the ISA have something in store for National City." Ted Grant theorized.

"Considering that this is the city where I forced Devoe to retreat and where he sent Deathstroke after me, I agree. But until we know more than we're just throwing random theories at a dart board until one sticks. We need answers so we're gonna use Brainwave to get them." Will stated.

"Sounds like you've got a plan." Pat said.

"I do or at least the beginnings of forming a solid one, I think." Will replied.

"Not starting with a lot of confidence but go ahead." Kent told him.

"Brainwave only went after Courtney last night, thinking that her going after his son was the JSA going after them through their kids." Will said.

"We would never do that." Jay stated.

"I know but he's a supervillain and they're not exactly mentally stable." Will pointed it out and everyone agreed. "But he went out on his own meaning he wants personal revenge. We need to get him first before the rest of the ISA can regroup with him. The Thinker, Dragon King and Ultra-Humanite are probably busy working on whatever evil plan they have so we strike Brainwave first before he has the chance to regroup with the others. I've already got part one of that working."

Will moved over to the computer set up in the corner and took a seat. The DEO safehouse's computer system may have been a little outdated compared to what was present at headquarters, especially after Grey Matter customized it but it was still highly advanced secret government agency computers. He was tapped into the DEO satellites and plugged in the Proto-box to upload Jarvis. "Jarvis, you up and running?"

"I have indeed been uploaded, sir. Importing preferences and calibrating for the new environment. Might I suggest an update and upgrade to the computer system here to improve efficiency?"

"Duly noted. Bring up the drone footage, please?" Will asked and the monitors showed aerial footage of a hospital before it went into a backscatter/x-ray vision type mode showing people going about. It then highlighted one person in particular which the footage identified as Henry King Sr. AKA Brainwave. "I've had a drone in stealth mode watching over Brainwave since this morning."

"Nicely thought out, kid." Ted patted him on the shoulder. "Anything?"

"Keeping up appearances. Left home for the hospital and that's all." Will typed in a few commands to bring up the digital feed/connection to the hospital system including security cameras, internet, and phones. He also tapped into Brainwave's personal phone records as well. "Nothing abnormal came up via phone or mail. If he's in contact with the ISA, then it's in a method he's keeping hidden."

"Makes sense. You sure your drone won't be seen?" Jay asked.

"It won't. It's actually perched up on a building two blocks away. The camera quality is just better." Will remarked and as a scientist, Jay gave him an appreciative and commending nod.

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Pat wondered.

"Well, since we've got him under surveillance, I say we take a page out of the ISA and set a trap for him." Will suggested.

"Well, I'm for it. I've been dying for some payback." Ted punched his fists together. Wildcat was eager to break some bones again."

"Are we sure that's such a good idea?" Pat suggested.

"What do you mean?" Ted asked.

"I mean, we got you, Jay, and Kent to safety before the ISA could get to you. We left no trace behind on where you could go so, they have no idea how to track you down but the second you three start going back out there than the odds of them finding you get raised drastically." Pat warned.

"He has a point. It's not an issue for me as I'm based here in National City, and I've taken plenty of steps to secure my identity from being discovered. But if Wildcat, The Flash or Dr. Fate start to appear in National City, even if it's just whispers, than the ISA will move in force. We still have the element of surprise, so I think we need to hold onto it for as long as possible." Will added.

"Forget it. We couldn't help Rex and the others but we sure as hell can help now and going after the ISA for what they did." Ted declared.

"And you will. The second we're ready to go up against the ISA you three will be there, I promise but at the moment we need to keep the ISA in the dark about what we're doing. That gives us the better chance of stopping them, especially with the Thinker helping them." Will said and Ted just scoffed in disbelief. "Look, I get it, ok. You want justice for your friends but it's just the three of you now and with Devoe working with the ISA it's not gonna get any easier. Devoe is beyond a super genius so he knows that all of us are threats to his plans but if he had any idea on where we were the ISA would have stormed this place. My tech has kept us safe for now but the second any of you three make yourselves known the ISA will tear this city apart to find you. We're better off keeping them focused on someone else while we bid our time and find out how to go up against them."

"Ted, he has a point." Jay said and Ted looked at him in disbelief. "Look, I don't like it either but he's right. The second we pop back up the ISA will come in full force and even with the five us now as we are, we may not have much of a chance if Devoe really is a super genius."

"Jay is right. Now is not the time to act rashly." Kent Nelson said before looking at Will. "This young man is the reason we've made it this far. Nabu has shown me that he is of great value and importance so we should follow his lead."

Ted groaned in annoyance as when Kent went all philosophical it was hard to argue, especially if he invoked Nabu. "Fine. If your spirit of Nabu says so, then fine. We'll do what the kid says." Ted answered with reluctance as Will looked over at Pat.

"What's the spirit of Nabu?" He whispered.

"Kent will explain later, better than I can." Pat told him when he and the others saw Ted perk up and adopt a smirk.

"But if the kid is gonna do this and lead than at the very least, we can make sure he's ready." Ted cracked his knuckles and neck. "Let's see how he does in a fight."

"Oh crap…" Will muttered as he looked at the others. "This is gonna hurt, isn't it?"

Pat, Jay, and Kent gave him some sympathetic nods. Suffice to say that all the bruises he had gotten while training with the DEO would pale in comparison to Wildcat.

Back at National City High…

Courtney led Yolanda, Beth, Vic, Karen, and Ed through the hallways of the school during lunch and the group ducked in to the Home Economics room which was empty. Vic made sure that no one was watching them before he closed and locked the door as Courtney pulled out the Starman suit.

"Ok, this is beyond crazy and not at all what I thought would happen this year." Vic stated.

"I know, this is so unfair. First, we find out Will's a superhero with a cool alien watch and now Courtney's the inheritor to some old power staff that blows stuff up. How sick is that?" Ed said in disbelief.

"Except the part where she was attacked by a supervillain. Courtney, are you sure about this? We all know how dangerous this has been for Will." Beth told her.

"Which is exactly why I should help. He's done so much and it's my fault Brainwave showed up. He'll need all the help he can get and…it feels like this is what I should do. When the staff first started to work for me…I don't know how to explain it. It was like a part of me I had kept buried down was free. Maybe this is what my life is supposed to be, helping people like Will? Maybe finding the staff was my destiny?" Courtney suggested.

"I don't know. It still sounds too dangerous." Yolanda warned her.

"Exactly which is why I won't be doing this as Courtney Whitmore. A superhero needs a disguise…" Courtney held up the suit and grabbed a pair of scissors. She attempted to cut the sleeve, but it was a lot harder than it seemed. The suit was made up of some durable material and after a few more cut attempts the scissors broke apart. "…but this could be harder than I thought."

Karen walked over and ran her fingers over the material. She thought for a brief moment before taking it over to a table and placed it into a paper cutter. With the incredibly sharp blade and the leverage of the handle, she managed to make a cut in the suit after enough force on the blade. "Ok. What else do you want to do?"

Karen helped Courtney cut up the suit to what she wanted and then they used a sewing machine to finish it. It started off fine as Karen sewed it for Courtney for all thirty seconds before the gears in the machine began to grind and groan as the material of the suit overworked it. It got so bad that Vic rushed over and shut the machine off when it started smoking. "Uh…is it supposed to do that?" Ed wondered.

Karen and Courtney moved to another machine to continue working, adding blue, white, and red fabric to certain parts but the sewing machines were clearly overworked. When they were finished, Courtney put her new suit into her backpack, and they walked to the door but looked back at the mess. Four sewing machines were smoking and would need to be replaced.

"Should we leave a note?" Ed asked and Vic smacked him upside the head before they left, leaving the Home Economics teacher with an unfortunate scene when she returned from lunch.

Line Break xxxxx

Pat was working on the fixes to the robot suit that Will suggested. The Proto-box scanned the suit from top to bottom and highlighted various fixes that needed to be made for the suit to work at 100% efficiency. Some frayed wires, gears and rotors that needed to be tightened, adjusted or outright replaced, and some maintenance needed on the pilot controls. The Proto-box also came up with plans and schematics for upgrades that could be applied to the armor like laser cannons, missile launchers, and shielding but for now getting it up and running smoothly was the priority.

Pat was up on a tall step stool, adjusting the wiring on the back of the left arm of the armor, following the instructions of the Proto-box. "Where do you keep the acetylene torch?"

"Second cabinet. Left door." Will answered.

"Thanks." Pat got down from the robot and walked over to the cabinet. He pulled the acetylene torch over to his robot and looked over at Will. "How're you doing?"

"Just fine." Will groaned in pain as he adjusted his position in a chair. He had just taken a cold ice bath and after getting changed he sat himself in a chair with some icepacks on his body helping him with some soreness and bruising. Suffice to say that Will's sparing match with Ted Grant was without a doubt one of the toughest fights he's ever had. Even eclipsing his recent one with Deathstroke but then again, the assassin was likely not using all of his skills, talent, and coming at him with the full intent to kill. During their spar, Ted wasn't going at 100% with him even admitting that at most he was using about 25%. Normally, anyone would see that as kind of a dig and an insult but against Ted Wildcat Grant, 25% of his skill and talent was more than enough to give Will the toughest fight he's ever had.

Will was becoming a skilled fighter in his own right. A year of training under the DEO has given him training in boxing, mixed martial arts, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Escrima, Muay Thai, and in military close-quarters-combat. Training and sparring with the DEO agents has given him better experience than any kind of classes could. Former military soldiers with real world experience imparted their wisdom of what they've learned. It made Will an all-around better fighter combined with the experience he got working with the DEO on their missions, his own superhero escapades and fighting alongside other heroes. He fought side by side with Batman against Amanda Waller's Task Force X and then again with the addition of Robin during a fight between the crews of Black Mask and Scarface the Puppet. His fighting only got better after Diana arrived and became a regular part of his life. Training with her greatly improved his swordsmanship and hand to hand combat. The Amazons were a warrior people, and the painful lessons Diana gave him were well earned, making Will a great fighter. But he had enough humility and self-awareness to understand that he wouldn't be as effective as he has been without his armor. With it he hit harder, moved faster, and could stand side by side with heavyweights like Superman and Batman and not look like an idiot or an amateur even though he was one. His armor is what allowed him to handle himself against Deathstroke as if it was just him without his armor then he'd have had to rely solely on the Omnitrix which could have timed out.

He was good but he had room to grow which lead to his current predicament. Ted Grant may be old but there is no doubt he's just as spry, skilled, and dangerous as ever.

"I will say you lasted a lot longer than most would against him." Pat pointed out when Jay Garrick and Kent Nelson walked in.

"Pat's right. Wildcat's was the best fighter we had in the JSA. No one could hold a candle to him in a fight." Jay said.

"Even against the villains with powers, Ted managed to hold his own and even come out on top for the win." Kent added.

"Still could have gone easier on me, though." Will stated when they heard the door open and in walked Ted Grant after a shower.

"That was me going easy on you. You're a good kid and I'll admit that you've got solid training and good instincts, but you've still got a lot to learn. Our first session was to see what level you're at and now that I know I can teach you better." Ted told him.

"Great. Good to know more pain like this is in my future." Will groaned. "Have you taught others before?"

"He has. Ted helped train a lot of the other members of the JSA. His training helped make them better fighters." Pat answered.

"Powers are good but if the chips are down then relying on your fists can save your life." Ted said in warning, but Will already understood that. "Even with that fancy armor of yours it can't be depended on to save you a hundred percent of the time. Something Batman understands."

"You know Batman?" Will asked.

"I trained him." Ted stated and Will went wide-eyed.

"In the beginning, yes. This was about 20 years ago. I was one of his trainers and taught him as much as I could before he ventured off to learn more. And it's my training that's helped make him so effective in Gotham." Ted explained.

"When did you join the JSA?" Will wondered.

"Back in the 50s." Ted answered.

"How? No offense but you don't look like someone who would be in his 60s by now." Will said.

"That is the result of an encounter Kent and I had with Wotan the sorcerer." Ted answered as he and the others took a seat. "This was back in the 70s. Kent can probably explain it better than I can."

"Well, Wotan the sorcerer was a user of Dark Magic and collector of rare magical items. I understand that the idea of magic may be a little odd…" Kent said but saw Will wasn't fazed.

"Oh, it's ok. I've actually had my first encounter with magic. Crazy nutjob called Hex. Used a magical staff and was after a luck charm. Go on." Will urged him.

"Well, Wotan the sorcerer was attempting a ritual to absorb the power of the sun, essentially making himself invincible. He had empowered acolytes to keep the JSA busy, but Ted and I managed to make our way into Wotan's base to stop him." Kent recounted.

"In that instance, Dr. Fate was the driving force to stop Wotan. Anyway, I helped as I could during the fight, even getting a few solid hits myself during the scuffle when Wotan blasted me into a wall. Powerful enough to kill me but luck was on my side that day in the form of the Amulet of Novem Vitas." Ted added.

"Nine lives?" Will asked for clarification and they looked at him. "I know a little Latin."

"Not bad, kid. Turns out the amulet was one of Wotan's prize possessions he stole from his mentor. Supposedly, the amulet was enchanted by an ancient goddess of life. If someone died while holding the amulet, they'd would be gifted with life once again." Kent explained.

"My hand happened to be on the amulet when I died and before I knew it, I was back. Dr. Fate finished off Wotan by sealing him away and then we figured out what was going on with me. Other than bringing me back, the amulet slowed my aging." Ted added.

"That would explain it. Guess the Wildcat got lucky." Will remarked as Pat finished up some work.

"All right, hate to leave you guys but I've got to go. Courtney's got her back-to-school fundraiser assembly and I promised to be there. Let me know if something comes up." Pat told them and they bid him farewell.

"So, what else happened? I want to know everything." Will said, acting like his giddy superhero obsessed younger-self. He was sitting with three golden-age heroes, and he wanted to know more. Plus, it helped him take his mind off of the soreness and bruising his body was suffering from.

Will ended up learning a lot from the three veteran heroes: Wildcat, the Flash, and Dr. Fate. Ted Grant, without the magical blessing that slowed his aging was basically powerless with all he could rely on was his own strength, skill, and sheer force of will. With him having trained Batman, he could see the similarities between the two. Their sheer force of will, determination and skill allowed them to stand toe to toe against opponents that others wouldn't dare face. And Wildcat was likely one of the world's greatest hand to hand fighters in the world. Will had gotten firsthand experience with that.

Then there was Jay Garrick AKA the Flash AKA the Crimson Comet of Keystone City. Jay had been a hero around the same time as Ted Grant, both of them actually joining the JSA at the same time. Before he became the Flash, he was a scientist in Keystone city with his own private practice. He was doing an experiment to purify heavy water without any residual radiation when his lab was struck by lightning during a very intense storm. He ended up in a coma for 9 months but then awoke with super speed. He built himself a suit and modified the World War 1 helmet left behind by his grandfather and began using his powers to help his city as the Flash. He joined the JSA where he was able to do more and work with other heroes who helped him defeat his arch-enemy, an evil speedster named the Rival. He was the black clad red lightning speedster Will stopped when he and Pat went to Keystone city to save Jay. Granted after that things in Jay's story began to make less sense. According to Jay, the source of his super speed and the orange lightning which actually started out yellow when he first got his powers was because of some kind of extra-dimensional energy source called the Speed Force. And the Rival drew his power from the Negative Speed Force, it's polar opposite. Honestly, he thought he had heard it all but compared to aliens, that sounded ridiculous but not as ridiculous as what he heard next.

Kent Nelson AKA Dr. Fate was the JSA's most powerful member. Seeming like an ordinary archaeologist, a sort of Indiana Jones, it was on an archaeology trip that he found the ancient helmet of Fate. The golden helmet that Kent brought with him to National City. It was the Golden Helmet of Nabu, an ancient magical entity who was the first ever Fate and a Lord of Order. The lords of Order were apparently magical entities who sought to keep balance in the universe and empowered avatars to do that. The Helmet of Nabu held his spirit and when Kent Nelson put it on, he became Dr. Fate, Earth's Mightiest Sorcerer. Nabu trained Kent in magic and as Dr. Fate he worked with the JSA to protect the world from magical threats. So, when Kent said that the Spirit of Nabu showed him that Will was important and of great value it was a big compliment if a magical Lord of Order deemed him to be so important. Will wasn't going to let that faith go to waste and would ensure that the three were safe and they would stop the JSA.

But Will was ashamed to admit that Kent's explanation of magic and how he started his training got the better of him which led to their current circumstance.

Will and Kent sat in front of one another at a table. What were the two of them doing? In all honesty, Kent seemed to be doing amateur magic you'd see at conventions. He had three cups on the table and hidden underneath one of them was a special coin. Will's job was to find it after Kent swapped the cups around. In actuality, it was a test to see if Will had any magical potential.

Kent watched as Will closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. According to Kent, the coin would be drawn to the magical energy in him and vice versa but he needed to be calm, collected, and at inner peace. Apparently, this was an age-old test to detect magical affinity. If someone found the coin than they had enough magical affinity to learn how to use magic. If they didn't then they couldn't learn magic. Will was kind of hoping for the former.

After a final deep breath, he reached for the cup on the left and picked it up. He opened his eyes and to his great disappointment there was no coin. "Dang."

"Sorry." Kent moved the cup on the left and picked up the coin. He flicked it up into the air and it vanished in a shower of lights like a mini-firework.

"Eh, it's ok. Magic would be cool, but I've already got super advanced armor and a super powerful alien watch that lets me turn into aliens. I'd be overpowered with magic too." Will admitted.

"You seem to be taking all this well." Jay remarked. To be fair they did just dump a lot on him now and in the fast few days, but Will seemed to be handling it fine.

"Usually when people hear about magic, they don't handle it as well as you do." Ted added.

"I'm not equating my encounter with Hex to what Dr. Fate can do and, in all honesty, there are still things I don't really understand. The Speed Force, Negative Speed Force, Lords of Order? But after everything I've seen I doubt there is anything that can surprise me anymore." Will admitted.

"Ten bucks says you're wrong." Jay told him.

"Eh, we'll see."

Later that night…

Will had returned to the DEO secret base, still needed a name for it, and worked on the robot, taking over the repairs while Pat was still away. He had just returned from a trip to Al's Dive bar where he met up with Ignacious Baumman who took him to Pakmar in the secret alien market. He put in an order for some additional alien parts for his car which would take some time to find. Afterward he returned to the base and got to work on the robot. He was nowhere the gifted mechanic/engineer that Pat was, but the Proto-box helped with that, and it was really just maintenance. He'd let Pat decide on any kind of upgrades or weapons he'd want on the robot, so he just focused on fixing up any wiring or mechanical issues it had. Jay, Ted, and Kent were hanging out in some other part of the base while he worked.

The door to the garage opened and Pat's truck drove in. Will saw him in the driver's seat and based on his expression something happened.

"What's wrong?" Will asked him.

"Brainwave. He was at the fundraiser. He found Courtney and he knows it was her with the staff." Pat told him and Will jumped down from the ladder he was on next to the robot.

"What did he do?"

"Nothing but gave her a warning. Come face her at the school or he'd go after Barbara and Mike." Pat told him.

"We're not gonna let that happen." Will swore. "I can handle this on my own, Pat. You don't need to do this."

"No, I do. I'm not gonna let you take him on alone. Brainwave is dangerous and having someone watch your back is important. One thing the JSA taught me was to never run into a fight without backup." Pat told him.

"All right, then. Suit up." Will said and Pat nodded before reaching into his pocket and retrieving a garage clicker, only this one was different. When he clicked the button, the eyes on the robot lit up and it revved up like a car before the chest plates opened to reveal the cockpit. Pat climbed in and sat at the controls. Once the chest plates closed the robot began moving towards the far wall of the garage. Will double-tapped his belt, activating his armor and climbed up onto the robot's back like Courtney did and pressed a button on the Proto-box. The walls opened up revealing a pathway and Pat piloted the robot through which led to a secret underground tunnel system. The DEO designed it as an emergency exit route if the safehouse was ever compromised but it was also used for transporting large vehicles into said safehouse without any public scrutiny or witnesses. Big enough for Pat's robot to enter and now exit. Pat flicked a few switches and pressed a button making the rocket engines on the feet power up. Pat smiled as things in the robot seemed to be running smoothly. Before when he first tried to turn on the rocket engines they sputtered, and he had to restart the system but now they're purring like a kitten.

The robot took a few steps forward before it began to fly through the tunnel. Will held on as the robot flew out of the National City river watershed gate and up into the sky. Will was familiar with flying so much so that it had become commonplace, but it was nice not having to fly himself and instead be carried by someone. A quick scan from his HUD showed that the robot was working perfectly so all their fixes did their job. One of the monitors in the robot's cockpit was a map and Pat followed it to National City high where Brainwave was waiting for Courtney, only they would get there to stop him. Simple as that which is when things started to get twisted.

As they were flying over the city, Will and Pat noticed a red light and a lot of smoke in the distance. "What is that?" Pat asked.

"Jarvis, what's going on?" Will asked him and he brought up CCTV camera footage of a raging fire engulfing a 10-story building and it was a high-end fancy one filled with condos and such for the rich. The kind of buildings with state-of-the-art fire suppression systems but clearly, they weren't working.

"A fire is engulfing a building. Eye-witness statements seem to indicate a gas main break on the 4th floor was the cause. Police and firefighters are on the scene, but the fire is quickly spreading. If it is not quelled soon, it will reach a magnitude of a four, even five alarm fire." Jarvis informed him.

"Go. Those people need your help. I'll deal with Brainwave." Pat told him.

"I'll catch up soon and be right behind you." Will promised, jumping off the robot and activating his flight wings.

Jarvis was right as the building fire had completely engulfed the fourth floor of the building. Thankfully, most of the floor had managed to evacuate down and leave the building but those that couldn't head down unfortunately headed up where they were trapped with the other residents of the building. The fire was more like an inferno already taking out the elevators and turning the stairwells into ovens, so they were trapped. The police ushered the residents who managed to escape to safety while the fire department were hooked up to fire hydrants and desperately working on putting out the fire. Powerful sprays of water poured in through the windows from the outside while other firefighters readied their gear and oxygen masks to go up and try to fight the fire. They still had time before things got too bad but other firefighters were already preparing for the inevitable. They contacted every available firehouse possible for more support and began inflating air cushions and nets while ladders made their way up to the higher floors.

"We need more men down here!" A Fire Department chief radioed as their most recent reinforcements arrived to help and quickly got to work setting up. The police extended the perimeter, so the civilians were kept out of the way while the fire department worked. Suddenly they heard the cry of a jet engine, so everyone looked up to see Sentry flying above before he swooped down and dove into a window on the inferno of the fourth floor. All anyone saw was a faint flash of green light and suddenly the fire seemed to recede back into the building before it was snuffed out. All that remained was smoke.

Inside said building and in the middle of the fourth floor was Heatblast who had absorbed all the fire preventing the four-alarm fire from turning into a five and killing a lot of people. He had a moment to himself to breathe a sigh of relief but not for much longer as he heard explosions. At first, he thought they were coming from other floors, but the sounds were coming from outside. He glimpsed out a window and saw three distance explosions so without any time to spare he touched the Omnitrix and sped out of the fire free building as XLR8. He closed in on the first explosion which ended up just being a car bomb and thankfully no one was killed. He raced around the car and snuffed the fire before heading to the second explosion which seemed to have been a bomb that exploded in a sewer, so he used his speed to snuff out the fire and check the area for anyone injured but thankfully only minor ones yet again. He then moved to the third explosion location which was located at an empty construction site for a building being built. The explosion seemed to be another car bomb, only it wasn't a car but more of a truck. Said truck had been parked near a major support for the building under construction causing some structural integrity problems. That combined with the shaking and groaning of metal told him what was gonna happen so with a touch of the Omnitrix he turned into Ultraman and began flying around the construction site at super speed. He caught falling I-beams and placed them back on the ground before they could collapse or hurt anyone. The only thing nearby civilians saw was a fast-moving blur around the construction site as it seemed to fall apart, and all the building supplies were neatly stacked on the ground. It was only built up to its fifth floor with just the support structures built so thankfully it was over after about thirty seconds.

Ultraman placed the last I-beam back on the ground stacked neatly on the top of the pile before touching down. The Omnitrix flashed red, and he transformed back. "What the hell just happened?" He said to himself, realizing that those last three explosions were suspiciously timed. Right after he stopped that fire and it kept him distracted which was likely the whole idea. "Brainwave!"

Activating his flight wings, he took off to National City High as fast as he could. The engine on his jetpack and his jet boots flared up as he flew fast enough to break the sound barrier. He flew over the school and saw Pat's robot fighting against Brainwave who used his powers to catch and toss aside the cars that Pat threw at him. Pat then fired his rocket fist, but Brainwave caught it, turned it around and sent it back, which staggered the robot allowing him to trap it between a school bus and a car. The impact caused some damage and the maintenance they were working on wasn't 100% finished so there were still some issues. That on top of the awkward position of the robot's arms made it so Pat couldn't get out easily. He struggled to get free as Brainwave crept closer before turning to his left and creating a shield to protect him from Sentry's explosive darts. Sentry flew over him and fired more but they were blocked by the force field when he was suddenly frozen in air. Brainwave had him in his telekinetic grasp and slammed him into the ground of the parking lot. His body made a large dent in the gravel as Brainwave ripped off a piece of a car and wrapped it around Sentry to keep him from moving or reaching the Omnitrix.

Sentry struggled to get free as Jarvis began concocting a way for him to escape. While his arms were forced to his sides so he couldn't escape, Jarvis powered up the drone on his back and used its laser to begin cutting him out. He noticed Brainwave looked at him creepily and even did the cliché head tilt which is when his HUD notified him of a foreign signal it managed to scramble. "Nice try, creeper but you're not reading this mind." Sentry quipped.

"How?" Brainwave questioned.

"You're not the first telepath I've met." Sentry answered. Training with Director Henshaw/J'onn in learning more about his Martian form also got Will interested in telepathic defense. While he couldn't really train his telepathy for risk of more White Martians, he could at least learn ways to protect his mind and J'onn had some techniques he would share but that would take some time. Luckily, he came up with an alternative which they developed after they captured a telepathic alien from Fort Rozz. Synaptic blockers would keep his mind safe and prevent any kind of telepathy/mind control attempt. "Give up now and I'll go easy on you. Where's Devoe?!"

"You're not in a position to make demands, Sentry. Devoe told us all about you and your special watch and after everything you did to protect the city you don't have any power to help you now." Brainwave squeezed the metal around Sentry, pressing against his armor. The tight spacing made his armor adjust so it could take the force which slowed down the drone's progress of freeing him. "Where is the staff?"

"Up your ass after I shove it there!" The drone finished cutting Sentry out of his prison but before he could attack Brainwave was blasted by a yellow energy beam until he slammed into a car. He was a bit dazed but had enough semblance to see who attacked him. Descending from the sky on the Cosmic Staff was a young blond girl. She was wearing red, white, and blue platform boots with matching socks. She had blue colored shorts with thick white stripes on each thighs and a red leader belt with various compartments. On her upper half she had a textured, durable blue halter-top with long sleeves and a collar that reached up to the middle of her neck. Three white stars sewn into both sleeves of the shirt and on the front was a large white star. To finish it off was a blue mask which covered her forehead and cheekbones. (1)

"I'm Stargirl. Glad to see you've met my partner…" She pointed at Sentry. "…and my sidekick." She then pointed at Pat's robot.

Brainwave got up and sent two concrete parking lot dividers at her, but she jumped in the air and dove forward in an aerial twist, expertly dodging them before she used the Cosmic staff to push off the ground and kick him with a flying side kick.

"Holy crap." Sentry muttered as Stargirl jumped up onto a car and fired an energy beam from the Cosmic staff. Brainwave got out of the way, and she ended up destroying the National City High School sign. Brainwave used his powers to send her flying but she used the staff to slow herself down and do a rolling flip back to her feet. Brainwave ripped up all the signs from the parking lot and pulled apart a car before throwing them at Stargirl which is when Sentry swooped down in in a spin. He extended his wings, and knocked aside all the projectiles Brainwave sent their way before Stargirl blasted him but he summoned a telekinetic shield. It reflected the blast back at them and Sentry raised his shield and wings to block it, but the force knocked him back. He knocked into Stargirl and slammed into car which Brainwave quickly wrapped around his body before sending a car bumper at Stargirl and trapping her to the ground. Her staff was knocked out of her hand, and she struggled to reach for it as Brainwave walked over.

"You had me worried at first. A new Starman? That would be big trouble. A real game changer. Imagine my relief in no Starman…" Brainwave crept up to her. "Just a silly little Stargirl. You'll die for attacking my son. But first…you'll feel such pain."

"Stargirl!" Sentry burst from the rubble and rolled forward before throwing his shield only not to hit Brainwave. He hit the staff and knocked it into her hand. She raised it up, hitting Brainwave in the face before the staff began unleashing tremendous amount of energy into his body through his face.

Brainwave began to levitate off the ground as a telekinetic forcefield began to expand around them causing various items to float in the air. The overload energy soon reached its peak and Brainwave collapsed to the ground. Will rushed over and helped Courtney back to her feet. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm ok." She promised Will. He then helped move the bus so Pat could get the robot up. "Pat, are you ok?"

"I'm good." He replied and they looked down at Brainwave.

"What do we do with him?" Courtney asked.

"I'll handle it." Will said, walking over to Brainwave. His HUD scanned his vitals and after the influx of energy from the staff Brainwave was put into a coma. Courtney and Pat left the school and Will dropped of Brainwave at the hospital before joining them at the DEO safehouse. Courtney held onto the back of the robot as Pat piloted them in through the secret entrance.

"Whoa…" Courtney muttered as Pat parked the robot and climbed out of the cockpit. She climbed down and saw three older men and a woman step into view. "Uh, Pat?"

"It's ok, Courtney. They're friends." Pat assured her. "Courtney, this is Ted Grant, Dr. Kent Nelson, Jay Garrick and his wife Joan. Everyone, this is my stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Courtney. Pat's talked about you a lot along with your mom and Mike." Kent shook her hand.

"Hi…" Courtney wasn't sure exactly what was going on. "Uh, Pat…who are they?"

"Wildcat, Dr. Fate, and the Flash." Ted introduced them via their superhero alter-egos.

"Not a superhero but someone very aware of their craziness." Joan walked over and gave Courtney her sweater to warm her up. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Courtney smiled as Joan saw some bruises, she had so she went to get a med-kit and patched her up.

"Where's the kid?" Ted wondered.

"Dropping off Brainwave at the hospital." Pat replied when they heard the roar of an engine from the tunnel. A few seconds later, Sentry arrived with the tunnel closing behind him. Two taps of the belt buckle and his armor retracted. "Brainwave?"

"At the hospital." He answered.

"What if he dies?" Courtney suggested so Will walked over, sat down with her and held her hands.

"That is not your fault. His mind absorbed the energy from the staff and short-circuited like a computer. And to be fair, he is a deranged psychopath who would have killed you so I'm not exactly crying tears for him." Will said to her. "You know what you did was dangerous, right?"

"I know but I wasn't about to let you, or Pat get hurt for what I did." Courtney told him. "This is my fault and it's only right that I fix it."

"Courtney, this is dangerous." Will reminded her.

"I know and I know how much you've been doing already but that's why I want to help. If things are really as dangerous as you say they are than you're gonna need all the help you can get." Courtney looked over at the staff which she placed on a table. "I know I still have a lot to learn but the staff chose me and unless it can un-choose me, I'm a part of this whether you like it or not."

"She's got a point, kid. The Cosmic Staff wouldn't have chosen her if it didn't see her as worthy. Maybe this is what she is meant to do. Looks like there's gonna be someone to take over the Starman legacy after all." Ted stated.

"Stargirl." Courtney corrected him and they chuckled. "Uh, Will I know that Pat introduced them but who are they exactly?"

"The only surviving members of the Justice Society of America. Pat and I got to them before the ISA could." Will explained.

"Oh. Hi." Courtney gave them a shy wave and they smiled at her.

"If it's any consolation, it was pretty brave what you did. No many would go up against Brainwave." Jay told her. "With him in the hospital, it won't be long before the rest of the ISA come to National City. If that happens, what's the plan?"

Everyone in the room looked at Will with him being the de facto leader. He saved Pat, Jay, Kent, and Ted from the ISA, was currently keeping them hidden in a DEO safehouse and was coming up with the plan to go up against Devoe and the ISA. He took a moment to think over what to do next which wasn't a lot but a wait and see approach.

"We took down Brainwave together. We'll find the rest of the ISA and make sure they get justice too. Together. Courtney has a point. I can't do it by myself but together we have a chance of pulling this off." Will said and they all nodded.

"Will are you sure about this?" Pat asked him to make sure he understood what he was doing.

"Honestly, Pat no but I doubt anyone in our line of work knows what they're doing." He replied and the three veteran heroes gave nods of agreement. "Besides, she's your stepdaughter. You know as well as I that when Courtney sets her mind to do something that it's nearly impossible to get her to stop."

"He's right, Pat." Courtney agreed, and Pat had to concede that. "Stargirl and Stripsey. Eh, still sounds lame. What about…S.T.R.I.P.E.? Ooh. Like an Acronym yeah, uh like Subatomic…Tactical…Robot, uh…Internet…Pat Enhancer. Nailed it. Yes. Yes, that's—that's cool."

"S.T.R.I.P.E. definitely sounds better." Ted said and the others agreed.

"All right. So, who's up next?" Courtney asked.

"No one. Brainwave is down and he was the only ISA member in National City otherwise there would have been more tonight. With him in the hospital it won't be long before the rest of the ISA learn what happened, so we adopt a wait and see approach. Let them come to us." Will said and everyone agreed. "Courtney, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

"Sure." Courtney got up and followed Will through the secret base. He led them up to the top of the old clock tower the base had. "What is this place?"

"Secret base the DEO doesn't use anymore. My director allowed me to use it to keep Jay and the others safe." He answered as he looked at her costume. "Where did you get that?"

"I made it out of Starman's suit. Wasn't easy. This stuff is durable, and I definitely destroyed a few sewing machines at school. Karen, Beth, and Yolanda were able to help." She said and Will went wide-eyed.

"You told them?" He gasped in disbelief.

"I know, I know how dangerous this is but it's no different to you telling them the truth about you so don't even think about telling me that it was stupid." Courtney warned him.

"I was gonna say that this is gonna get beyond complicated." He corrected her and she deflated a bit. "But you're right. I'm in no position to chastise you for doing what I've done. It's just…this is not how I imagined our senior year going."

"I know, me too." She agreed and the two leaned on a railing, looking out at the city.

"You're serious about this? Stargirl?" He asked her.

"I am."

Will let out a loud sigh followed by a deep breath. "Ok."

"Ok?" She repeated.

"Ok. I can't talk you out of this, so we will do this together. Together, Courtney. At the very least, that way I can keep you safe." Will relented.

"I'm not some damsel in distress, Will, I can take care of myself." Courtney told him.

"Not enough if we're gonna be dealing with all of the ISA. Brainwave was by himself and he got cocky, but the other members of the ISA have a diverse power set and have been doing this for years. If you're serious about being Stargirl then you'll need some training. And with Pat, Jay, Kent, and Ted helping us…well we're better off than we were before." Will admitted. "Promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks."

"I won't. Promise."

"I'm serious, Courtney. No unnecessary risks. I've trained for this and if you're really set on being Stargirl then I can't stop you, but I don't want to imagine what would happen if you got hurt. No unnecessary risks." He said to her.

"I promise. Stargirl's honor." She swore and gave him a hug. Will reached his arms around her back and held her close. With a quick kiss on her head, he prayed that she and the others would be ok. Now that he had someone, he cared about in the line of fire even more was at stake, and he would do everything he could to protect her. "Now that we've hammered that detail out and given it some time to simmer, I have an important question for you?"

"What?" Will was confused.

"What do you think of my costume?" She wondered. The tone in her voice was playful and she did a little pose with her hand on her hip. Will chuckled as he gave her costume another look over from head to toe. Karen, Yolanda, and Beth did an amazing job with her suit as it looked amazing and despite it belonging to a former member of the JSA it fit her body like a glove. Blue was definitely her color and it fit her style with the halter top and shorts.

"Well, blue has always been your color, but I do have a complaint." He walked over and cupped her cheek. "The mask hides your face."

Courtney blushed a bit as it was a bit cheesy but sweet, so she reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck. "True but adds a little aura of mystique to the ensemble. Anything else?"

"Well, as someone who is a fan of how amazing you look in your gymnastics leotard and a swimsuit, I'm also a big fan of your shorts." Will quipped and Courtney smacked him in the head.

"Pervert. You're lucky you're cute." Courtney told him.

"Definitely lucky." Will then got a small grin as he rubbed his thumb over her lips teasingly. "Though I'm glad your mask doesn't cover your lips."

Courtney returned his look with a small smile. "Me too."

The two of them then leaned in and shared a heartfelt kiss. This one noticeably more as for Courtney this was her first kiss with her boyfriend as Stargirl. A kiss now shared between two heroes, one who has just begun her path of fighting villainy. She enjoyed their little intimate moment as they held each other close with his hands on her waist.

Their lives may have gotten complicated…beyond, beyond complicated but the only way to get through it would be together. And luckily for them they wouldn't have to go through it alone, being the youngest. Soon enough Courtney would meet other legacy heroes like her and some of them would happen to be her friends.

Myster location…

Devoe sat in a chair in front of a chessboard, the same chessboard he was messing with when he and the ISA gathered to kill most of the JSA. Red pieces against green pieces. Red were his and green belonged to Sentry. Devoe was playing an imaginary make-believe chess game between the two symbolizing the battle his ISA is having against Sentry's new group of heroes. Brainwave was gone but Devoe didn't look bothered whatsoever. He moved a green bishop piece over which captured one of his red pawns. He put said red pawn to the side and thought of his next move.

"Bishop takes pawn. My move…"

Devoe was planning something, and Sentry was not gonna like it.

Line Break xxxxx

In a desolated National City, smoke and fire could be seen everywhere. Buildings were in ruins as beams of red energy destroyed those that were not. The beams of energy were coming from large orange and black robots that were marching through the city. Anyone who remained in National City was either fleeing in terror or making a last ditched effort to fight their invaders off. A red skinned blur crashed down onto a robot, tearing its head off before throwing it at another. A flash of green light later and two beams of red heat sliced through more incoming robots before a speeding blur smashed through the rest. More robots appeared and at the head of the army was Vilgax, the alien warlord who sent the drone to find the Omnitrix.

"I'm coming for you!"

"AHHH!" Will shot up in his bed, covered in sweat as he looked around but calmed down once he saw he was in his bedroom. "Son of a bitch…"

He turned and placed his feet on the ground as he massaged his temples. The nightmare wasn't as bad as the one he had when Ghostfreak tried to get free. This was just a normal kind of nightmare, but it still caught him off guard. With everything going on the thought of the evil alien warlord obsessed with the Omnitrix kind of slipped his mind but this brought it right back to the forefront. He just hoped it was a regular nightmare and not some kind of grim warning of what was to come. Some kind of Murphy's law situation.

Looking over at his alarm clock and seeing it was 5:30 in the morning, he knew he wasn't going back to bed anytime soon, so he decided to get in a very brief workout as a way to take his mind off what happened. Just some push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups and after he took a shower. Today he was heading back to school with his suspension up. And with Courtney now taking on the mantel of Stargirl and the rest of their friend knowing, oh boy, things were going to get interesting.

Will walked out of his room wearing his usual attire complete with his dad's old air force jacket. He made sure the sleeve covered the Omnitrix as he walked into the kitchen where he saw his dad making breakfast.

"Morning." Max plated a nice omelet onto a plate and placed it on the kitchen counter next to a small, wrapped envelope. "Happy Birthday, Will."

"It's the 8th already?" Will asked.

"Yeah, did you forget your own birthday?" Max asked him.

"Honestly…after everything that's happened the last few days, I guess I did." He sat down in a chair and looked at the plate of foot and his present before glancing over at the Omnitrix. "God, has it really been only a year?"

"I know, feels like longer. Still with everything that's happened I'm proud of you, Will. You've been through things that only the most senior agents at the DEO could handle but you've done it. Granted, in your own way, but you've pushed through every obstacle in your way and come out on top. You've saved the world a few times and I couldn't be more proud." Max told him. "I know for sure that you'd make an amazing DEO agent, maybe even director one day. That is if you still want it."

"I think so. Working with the DEO, Director Henshaw and everyone…it feels right. With how vast I now know the universe really is and how many dangerous aliens there are my eyes have been opened and I don't think I could go back to a regular life even if I could." Will admitted. "And I'm ok with that. Sure, things can get stressful, but I like what I've been doing."

"I'm glad and I know the others feel good and enjoy having you at the DEO. But again, not until after you graduate college." Max told him and Will nodded. "So, you excited to go back to school?"

"No, not particularly."

"Oh. I figured you were. Why else would you be up so early? I heard you working out in your room." Max said.

"Oh, that? No, I had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep. I dreamt about Vilgax."

"The alien warlord who sent that robot drone after you?" Max questioned and got a nod in response.

"After everything that's happened, he slipped my mind but for some reason I had a nightmare about him. Him and his army of robots invaded National City for the Omnitrix." Will recounted.

"You want to talk about it?" Max wondered.

"No, I'm ok. It wasn't like when Ghostfreak gave me nightmares. It was just jarring and I'm wondering if my subconscious is trying to tell me something, like warning me to be on the lookout for Vilgax. Maybe some kind of Murphy's law situation."

"That's not exactly right. Murphy's law is that anything that can go wrong will go wrong not predicting future bad situations." Max corrected him.

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong like the odds of an evil alien warlord obsessed with an alien watch that I have latched to my wrist coming to earth to get me after I had a nightmare about him. Sounds about right." Will stated and Max had to concede that. "I don't know Murphy but whoever he was, he sucks."

"Yeah, Murphy's law does suck." Max agreed as the two sipped some coffee. "Anyway, worry about that later. Open your present."

Will opened the envelope to see what was inside and the second he did he went wide-eyed. "No way. Tickets to see the Rams next month."

"Yup against the Packers and we are going." Max smiled.

"Ha! Yes!" Will hugged his dad and was beyond excited. "Oh, that is gonna be a good day."

"Yes, it will. Now eat up and I'll drop you off at school. When do you think your car will be fixed up?" Max wondered.

"Well, if I have the parts I need, I can use XLR8 and get it back up and running in a few days at the very least. What I'm worried about is what my car insurance is gonna be like. The car's been wrecked three times now. If it gets any worse, I'm gonna have to get my car insurance from some place in the Cayman Islands." Will remarked when he and his dad heard a very loud alarm ringing like they would get when emergency service/amber alerts were triggered on phones. They checked their phones and got nothing, which is when they realized what the alarms were. Max pulled out his DEO phone and Will took out the Proto-box and both of them were receiving red alerts from the DEO. Their deep space sensors picked up something closing in on their galaxy and its projected course put it on an intercept path with earth.

"Murphy's Law." Max muttered.

"Murphy's a douche." Will stated as he scarfed down his breakfast and they both rushed out of the house to the DEO. Suffice to say that Will would not be going to school today.

Deep space…

A large alien spaceship came out of hyperspace FTL travel near Pluto. It's sub-light engines powered up and took it on course to Earth. At its current speed it would reach the planet in about an hour. The ship was red and brown, with an open space in the middle for a giant energy core which had red electricity traveling between two separated parts of the ship. The middle of the ship was built around the energy core. Inside said ship at the command center were a group of armor-clad minions busily monitoring the ships functions, but a few were compiling data on Planet earth and their target. They intercepted various earth communication frequencies which they used to bring up various news feeds, videos, and photos on a human wearing a black, blue, silver, and green colored armored suit. His picture seemed to be framed in the middle while around him were images of alien species that had been captured via video or photo and some were taken from one of the drones sent to planet a while ago. On screen was a Tetramand, a Petrosapien, an Arburian Pelarota, a Lepidopterran, and a Pyronite. There were two things that each alien on screen had in common. The first was that none of them were the native species of the planet. The second was the most crucial as each alien had an hourglass symbol on their body which matched up with the symbol on the armored human and the watch on his wrist.

"The Omnitrix…wasted on childish heroics." A deep voice said. Said voice belong to Vilgax.

"We have deduced the location of the Omnitrix wielder to a city residing on Earth. It would appear he is using the Omnitrix to protect the local inhabitants." A minion informed him.

"I have you now. Launch an advanced force to this city and continue our course to earth. We will draw out the Omnitrix and the thief." Vilgax ordered.

"At once, my liege."

Four smaller vessels exited the front of the ship and headed straight to earth faster than the mother ship. They were going hunting and the best way to hunt would be to draw out their prey.

Back on Earth…

DEO Headquarters

Will and Max arrived at the DEO HQ to see all the agents mobilizing like a quick reactionary force. This invasion alert was clearly the biggest alert the DEO has ever gotten. Field agents armed up with everything they could carry mostly using the plasma rifles that they had built due thanks to Grey Matter's schematics. They were loading up DEO trucks with heavy weapons including plasma cannons and mini-missile launchers while DEO VTOL and helicopter crews outfitted the weapons on the vehicles. Scientists and engineers rushed around getting all the necessary gear they could need while prepping any and all containment cells they had to spare along with ensuring that their current cells were secured so no detainees could escape.

"Adams, get our heavy weapons from the armory and ready them for deployment! O'Neill, keep in contact with the military. The second any of them mobilize I want to know!" Henshaw ordered and the two agents went about their duties.

"Director." Max saluted him as he and Will walked over.

"Max, Will. Glad you two are all right." Henshaw said to them.

"You too, Director. How bad is it?" Will asked.

"Bad. Approximately, one hour ago an alien ship was nearing our galaxy at FTL speeds we've never seen before. It dropped out of lightspeed at the edge of our galaxy and is closing in fast." Henshaw led them over to the cortex where their deep space sensors picked up a large alien ship coming towards earth. "The scans we've run haven't found a similarity between it and any in our current database so we're dealing with something new, but it has similar designs and energy readings to the drones that arrived three weeks ago.

Will checked the Proto-box to take a look for himself and Henshaw was right. The giant ship heading to earth had the same energy wavelength as the drones, meaning it ran on a similar dark matter electricity. "Vilgax…" Will said making Henshaw and Max look at him. "He's here for the Omnitrix."

"That seems to be the case which means our priority is to keep you safe." Henshaw said when the monitors beeped out an alert and showed four new energy signatures.

"Director, we've got four more signatures. They exited the main ship and are moving faster towards earth." An analyst informed him.

"How fast?" Henshaw questioned.

"They'll make landfall on Earth in seven minutes. Current course trajectory prediction has them heading straight for National City." The Analyst replied.

"Will, don't even think about it." Henshaw told him before he could even say anything.

"Director, I have to go. It'll take you at least ten minutes to clear the desert to get to the city. I can be there in seconds. I know, he's after me but I can't let him destroy National City while I hide." Will told him.

"What if this is his plan? Draw you out so he can grab the Omnitrix." Henshaw said.

"I can't just stay here and do nothing. I have to go. I'm 18, I'm a legal adult now, I can make my decisions and I know the consequences." Will walked away but Henshaw and Max were right with him.

"Turning 18 and legal adult or not I am still your father and I'm not about to let you run out there and get yourself killed or captured by Vilgax who wants the Omnitrix." Max told him.

"Max is right. And what exactly is your plan anyway? Are you gonna go out there and fight whatever is coming your way? That's just gonna paint a giant target on your back." Henshaw told him.

"Exactly which means I can draw them away from National City and bring them to you." Will put the Proto-box in his dad's hands before activating the Omnitrix.

"Will, don't—" Max didn't get a chance to finish after a bright flash of green light and a speeding blur left the DEO in the blink of an eye. "Dammit! What the hell is going through his mind right now?"

"I don't know. I'd hate to say it but maybe his vigilante activities have gone to his head." Henshaw remarked when he saw the Proto-box blinking. He took the device and pressed a button to see an area outside of National City highlighted. It was about halfway the distance between the city and the base, and he highlighted it as an ambush point. "Or maybe he does have a plan."

Max took the Proto-box to see for himself. "Draw the targets away from civilians and cut our egress time in half. Kid does take after me."

Henshaw smirked and let out a sharp whistle. "Mount up! We're out of here in 60 seconds! Full tactical!"

All the DEO Agents rushed to their vehicles with their weapons. XLR8 raced from the DEO base all the way back to National City making it there in about three minutes. Stopping in a large park, he turned back to human and activated his armor quickly as nearby civilians took out their phones to snap photos of National City's vigilante. That's until they heard loud rumbling and four drop-pod like alien ships were falling from the sky towards the city.

"Get out of here! Get to safety!" He shouted and all the civilians left the area as fast as possible. "Jarvis, did you do it?

"Yes, sir. I sent the message to the communicator watches."

"Good."

The drop-pods slowed down for reentry and crashed down into the park. The pods opened and out came dozens of alien drones similar in design to the mini-drones he faced before. They were about 3 feet in diameter with large bulbous bodies like insects and several engines to provide lift and acceleration. On the underside of the drone were three pincer-like arms. The two in the front seemed to be for physical movement like grabbing something while the third pincer was set up in the back like a stinger and was a laser beam projector. Once all 72 drones were deployed, the drop-pods began to shake before they morphed into larger tripod robots like the one, he faced before. 12 meters in height, with two arms that had three sharp claws on each hand.

"I'm gonna give you all one warning. Go back to your ship and leave my galaxy." Sentry warned him as he readied his shield.

The only response he got was all the drones opening fire. He activated his jet boots and jumped high into the air while their beams collided at the spot where he was and cancelled each other out. The large robots fired energy beams from their hands, but Sentry nimbly dodged them mid-air before landing on one of the drones. He punched through the metal covering and his HUD quickly identified some important wires which he grabbed. The drone began to rock around, knocking into other drones before Sentry began to steer it like a horse. The drone crashed into other drones as Sentry extended his sword and began slicing through the drones like he was a medieval knight and the drone his horse. The other drones and tripod robots opened fire at him. He had a brief Star Wars moment, using his sword to deflect a laser beam before steering his drone and crashing it into another. They exploded in a fiery mess as Sentry sliced through two more drones before activating his flight wings and taking off.

"You want me you're gonna have to catch me!" He shouted, firing a few explosive disks from his gauntlet which took out a few more drones before the drone horde chased after him. The tripod robots jumped into the air and began spinning their legs like helicopter blades and joined the chase.

Sentry got fancy in his flying with the drones right on his tail. He flew low to the ground as a barrage of laser beams crept up behind him, tearing up the road in the process while the citizens of National City ran away in terror. An abandoned car came up as an obstacle in Sentry's flight path, but he simply vaulted off it and flipped up into the air before reactivating his wings and taking off. The drones kept on him, ignoring the civilians and while any missed laser beam caused damage to roads, cars, and buildings the people were left alone which was the entire point. The drones and robots had programmed orders to find the Omnitrix wielder and subdue him so that was what they were doing.

After some spins, barrel rolls, and loops, Sentry gained some altitude and led the drones and robots out of National City to the nearby desert. One of the robots monitored Sentry's flight pattern as he dodged laser beams. Anticipating his movements, it adjusted its aim and fired a concentrated laser beam. Sentry dodged laser blasts from the drones when a singular powerful blast from one of the tripod robots hit him in the back. He spun out of control and careened towards the desert ground and would have gone splat. Well, not splat as his armor would have protected him during the fall but it would have still hurt. During his fall he activated the Omnitrix and in a flash of green light he transformed into Heatblast. Igniting his hands and feet, he took off flying to the ground before turning around and throwing a fireball which blew up three drones grouped together but soon more exploded as DEO VTOLs and Helicopters flew into the area and opened fire. The plasma chain guns on the front spat out plasma bolts and missiles shot out of their pods taking out some more drones before the rest executed evasive maneuvers.

Heatblast landed on the desert ground and the tripod robots dropped down with him. They marched towards the Pyronite, firing their laser blasts at him when one was hit in the back by a powerful plasma bolt. One arm and parts of its chest armor was destroyed as it turned around to see who its attacker was when a few more plasma blasts destroyed it. DEO trucks and Humvees sped over at blazing speed as the robot tripods opened fire flanked by the remaining drones that the DEO aerial vehicles couldn't hit. Heatblast held his hands forward and fired a barrage of fireballs which took out some more drones before leaping into the air. He concentrated fire into his right fist and punched through the head of one of the robots. The robot walked around aimlessly without a head for a few seconds before it exploded in a fiery mess while the other DEO agents riddled the other robot with holes from their plasma rifles. One charged shot from a larger plasma cannon on a DEO truck took it down for good and Heatblast jumped up into the air and spun around, making a fiery inferno tornado that wiped out the remaining drones.

Heatblast landed on the ground and touched the Omnitrix turning back into Sentry. The DEO secured the area as the VTOLs and helicopters touched down. Sentry walked over to a wrecked drone and saw that parts of it hadn't yet shutdown so he had Jarvis connect to it to learn as much as he could. Granted, it was only about 10 seconds of data Jarvis could look through and copy before the drone shut off for good.

"Secure all the pieces of the drones and robots and ensure that they're no longer functioning. I don't want any surprises while we secure them until dismantling and destroying." Henshaw ordered as he walked over to Sentry. "You could have told us your plan before you left, Will."

"Time was a factor. Question is whether it worked, and if we drew the boss away from National City." Sentry hoped when he and Director Henshaw they heard a distance rumble. They turned and saw the large mothership enter earth's atmosphere and hover in the sky over their location. "Well, we got his attention."

"Stand fast and get ready!" Henshaw shouted and all the agents did, making a large perimeter with their fingers set on the triggers of their weapons. The DEO VTOLs and Helicopters hovered into the air as Sentry stepped forward from the DEO secure line. Max was in the pilot seat of a DEO helicopter and saw Will step forward out of cover like he was going to face Vilgax one on one.

"Will, what are you doing?" Max asked him.

"Drawing him out. Tell the other pilots to keep a loose perimeter. I'm gonna have some friends showing up soon." Will radioed him before looking up at the ship. And decided to take a page out of Agent J from the final fight in Men in Black and get Vilgax's attention. "Ok, Vilgax! I'm right here! Come out and face me!"

The bottom of the ship opened, and out came a large round vessel that looked like a bowling ball but was the size of a dump truck. It had large spiked on the outside which allowed it to dig up the desert sand and roll forward before slowing to a stop. Sentry readied himself as the giant spiked dump truck size ball transport split apart at the middle. Smoke bellowed out revealing a pod inside and door opened revealing Vilgax.

He was a large humanoid creature with a face resembling an octopus. Easily over 15 feet tall and built like a strongman. He has tentacles dangling in front of his face like a beard and his skin is a pale green with yellowish spots on his face and red eyes to complete the look. There were no visible ears or nose on his face. He was wearing red and blue armor, but his left shoulder had yellow plating. A belt with a ray gun holstered to his side, boots with dark blue stocking with metallic squares on his legs completed his look. He had some kind of ruby wrist guard on his right hand and his left arm was encased with yellow colored armor, a shoulder pauldron and armored glove with a yellow jewel on his left forearm. A sword sheathed on his back completed the look of the alien conqueror he claimed to be.

"Is that him?" Henshaw asked.

"Yeah…that's him." Will replied as he focused his HUD on Vilgax. "Jarvis, scan him from top to bottom. What are we dealing with?"

The HUD ran all the scans it could on Vilgax and some things he could identify, analyze and bring up relevant information on but still 50% of what Vilgax was or had on him was a mystery. "Sir, my scanners have detected various powerful energy signatures from the weapons on his person and I do believe I'm sensing an enhanced physiology giving him enhanced strength, reflexes, speed, and durability. To what extent I can't say but there is still much I can't quantify. I would advise caution."

"Duly noted. Any update on the others?" He wondered.

"Subject GL is currently transporting three of your compatriots and should be arriving shortly. I do not have an estimated location on Subject SM and no response from Subject BM." Jarvis replied.

"Well, they owe me so let's hope they get here soon." Will said as Vilgax stepped forward.

"At last, we meet. The being that has caused me so much trouble." Vilgax sneered at him.

"Well, I am to please. I know it's rhetorical but what are you doing here?"

"I am Vilgax, champion of Vilgaxia, conqueror of ten worlds, destroyer of five, feared pariah throughout numerous galaxies and I have come for what is rightfully mine." Vilgax looked at the Omnitrix on Sentry's wrist.

"Sorry but unless your name is Azmuth then I'm not handing this over." Sentry swore as Director Henshaw walked out and stood side by side with him.

"I am Hank Henshaw, Director of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations. You have engaged in unprovoked hostile action and are trespassing on this planet. Withdraw your forces and your ship immediately or you will be subjected to lethal action." Henshaw warned him.

"Ha! Your warnings mean nothing. Your planet is insignificant. A mud stop in the universe. I have dealt with, conquered and laid waste to creatures which your pitiful minds could not even begin to comprehend. This is my final warning for your human arrogance is trying my patience. Hand over my Omnitrix and I shall not lay waste to your pitiful planet." Vilgax warned them while Sentry and Director Henshaw spared each other a quick glance. Sentry quickly shifted his helmet's communication line to Henshaw's ear comm piece as private so they could speak without anyone eavesdropping.

"J'onn, I know you don't use your powers but any chance you can read his mind to see if he's telling the truth?" Sentry said to him and saw Henshaw's eyes glowing red.

"Already ahead of you and he's not. The second he gets the Omnitrix he'll begin an attack on earth before continuing his conquest of the universe. He can't get the Omnitrix." Henshaw said to him telepathically."

"Glad to know my instincts are right. I've got an idea to give us an opening shot. Follow my lead." Sentry said before looking at Vilgax. "You promise to leave Earth alone if I give you the Omnitrix?"

"Yes."

"Ok. I'll do it." Sentry said and Vilgax smirked. He walked over and held out his left arm, showing him the Omnitrix. "Take it. It's yours."

Vilgax gazed at the Omnitrix like a thief would the Hope Diamond or a Federal Reserve vault filled with gold bars. "At long last…after so long the Omnitrix is finally within my grasp."

Vilgax reached out, grabbed the Omnitrix and gave it a pull causing the defense mechanism to activate. A spart of green electricity later released a shockwave that sent Vilgax flying back. "Sorry, Vilgax but the Omnitrix is staying with me." Sentry stated.

"Open fire!" Henshaw ordered and all the DEO unleashed everything they had on him. Plasma rifles, larger plasma cannons, plasma chain guns, and missile and rocket launchers were all unleashed at Vilgax. The continuous barrage of offensive fire kicked up a huge plume of smoke and desert sand. After 30 seconds of sustained fire, Henshaw gave the order to stop, and everyone waited with bated breath to see the result. With what they just unleashed, even an alien battleship would have serious damage but to their shock they saw Vilgax still standing, covered by a yellow energy shield.

"All right, that's not good." Sentry muttered

"You've tried my patience and ignored my efforts of peace. For that, your world will suffer." Vilgax sneered as he deactivated his shield. Sentry noticed something come up on his HUD and smirked before looking over at Henshaw.

"Keep everyone back and get ready with the containment options. I'll handle him." He told him. "Last chance, Vilgax. Surrender and leave earth before I make you."

"Because of your insolence, your planet will burn, and you shall know the taste of your own intestines once I pry the Omnitrix from your cold, pale, lifeless—[Bang]

Vilgax was cut off as something slammed into him from the side and he was sent flying into the desert. "Never monologue." Sentry activated his flight wings and took off.

A loud sonic boom was heard before something crashed into the desert sand which happened to be Vilgax. He pulled himself out of his impact crater and looked up to see a man with a cape hovering in the air. Superman had arrived and Sentry hovered down next to him. "Sorry I'm late. Earthquake in South America." Superman told him.

"You got here right on time." Sentry told him before looking down at Vilgax. "Last warning, Vilgax. Stand down or we make you."

"You think your intimidation tactics frighten me. You are sorely mistaken." Vilgax unsheathed his sword which caught on fire and with a slash he sent a wave of inferno-like fire at the two. Superman and Sentry dodged as the latter fired explosive disks that while they exploded did nothing but annoy him.

Sentry dodged a blast of fire when Superman flew forward and punched Vilgax in the face, only this time it didn't send him flying. Vilgax was prepared and only staggered back a few steps before headbutting Superman in the face and then kicking him in the chest. The force actually staggered the Man of Steel before a fire slash with the sword sent him skidding backward. "Ok, strong enough to fight a Kryptonian. Check."

Superman recovered and got back to his feet, quickly firing a burst of heat vision but Vilgax defended himself with the same energy shield as before. "Your heat beams are no match for the Shield of Seagle." Vilgax then leapt into the air and blasted Superman with a beam from the ruby on his right hand. It was powerful enough to stagger the Kryptonian, allowing Vilgax to hit him with an overhead punch that knocked him into the ground. "And the Ruby Ray of Rouleau is capable of destroying dwarf stars. It can handle you, Kryptonian."

Vilgax raised his boot to stomp on his face only to get blindsided from the side by Cannonbolt. After getting pushed back several yards, Vilgax slowed Cannonbolt's spin down to a crawl with pure brute strength before lifting him up over his head and slamming him on top of Superman which hurt both of them. Cannonbolt uncurled as Vilgax then grabbed him by the leg, spun him around like a tornado before throwing him into the air. A flash of green light and he turned into Heatblast, quickly igniting his feet and flying straight back to the ground. Vilgax readied himself as Heatblast slammed both hands into the sand, creating a giant torrent of fire that washed over him like a tidal wave.

"Superman, I need sand!" Heatblast shouted. Superman realized what he was doing so he super sped to the other side of Vilgax and released a torrent of super breath which kicked up a tornado of sand. Vilgax was unbothered by the inferno and the sand but the two mixed and soon he was encased in a 100ft thick glass prison. Superman then turned his super breath into freeze breath, adding on a thick layer of ice and after a quick-change Diamondhead slammed his fist into the ground adding on a diamond casing as well. In the end it turned into a 300ft wide makeshift tomb.

A flash of green light and Sentry reappeared as Superman hovered down next to him. "You think that did it?" He asked when they heard a rumble and two beams of energy burst from the tomb and hit them both.

They tumbled in the sand as Vilgax emerged from the tomb a little scuffed but would be fine. He blasted Superman with his Ruby Ray of Rouleau, incapacitating the Kryptonian as Sentry activated the Omnitrix and turned into XLR8. He vanished at super speed and began wailing at Vilgax all over his body with incredibly speed before speeding away to get some distance. Once he did, he did a quick 180 and went straight at Vilgax, breaking Mach 2 and landed a supersonic punch which made an equally powerful shockwave that shattered the remnants of the tomb. When the sand/dust cloud settled, Vilgax was still standing thanks to his shield while XLR8 was wobbly from the impact.

"Oh! I'm gonna feel that tomorrow."

"For you, there is no tomorrow." Vilgax picked up XLR8 who quickly tapped the Omnitrix and a flash of green light later Four Arms punched him in the face. Four Arms was his heaviest hitter and he slugged him in the face and then the gut. He put Vilgax in a clinch and kneed him twice while also using his smaller arms to punch him. Vilgax dodged a punch to the head and elbowed Four Arms in the side before grabbing him by the face with his yellow gauntlet which unleashed a surge of electricity.

"AH!"

Four Arms screamed in pain before Vilgax kneed him in the stomach and put him into the ground with a dual overhead hammer fist slam. Four Arms pushed himself up, but Vilgax didn't relent and kept slamming him over and over and over again. He managed to force Four Arms into the ground deep enough to make a small grave. He reached in to grab him when he was bombarded with a barrage of plasma blasts from the DEO reinforcements. They were closing in on him and the aerial vehicles fired a barrage of missiles but when they got close, they split open to encase Vilgax with a combination of Stinkfly goo, fast acting polyurethane liquid cement, and an incredibly strong adhesive to trap him like quicksand. It worked momentarily as Vilgax couldn't free himself so the continued barrage of plasma shots he was hit with began to hurt but his yellow gauntlet became electrified which instantly hardened the goo into cement. His eyes then glowed red, and he shot out twin beams of red energy out of them which quickly zigzagged into a U-turn and broke through the hardened goo, freeing him. He turned his gaze onto the DEO vehicles and destroyed their vehicles with his eyebeams which turned mid-air to hit vehicle after vehicle. VTOLs and helicopters that weren't completely destroyed crashed down next to trucks and jeeps that were knocked out of commission.

"No…" Four Arms pushed himself out of the ground only for Vilgax to grab him by the head and shock him once more. That did the trick as he passed out and a flash of red turned him back into Sentry.

"Valient effort but otherwise futile." Vilgax picked up Sentry as his spiked ball transport came over and opened up. He tossed his body into the transport before it headed back to the ship.

Director Henshaw pulled himself out of the wreckage and was tending to the wounded agents in his jeep as others who weren't badly hurt helped those that were. Some were dead but others needed immediate medical attention. The most grave were those in the VTOLs or helicopters like Max who miraculously survived his crash landing. He struggled to get the seatbelt off which is when the top of the helicopter was ripped open by Diana in her Wonder Woman garb.

"Max, thank Hera you're all right." She broke the seatbelt and helped him out. She sat him down to check him over allowing Max to see that she hadn't arrived alone. Hawkwoman used her mace to break open jammed parts of vehicles to help the DEO agents out of while Green Lantern used his ring to do the same. Surprisingly, Aquaman was there as well wearing dark grey and gold armor and to complete his outfit he had a five-pronged trident/spear. Aquaman lifted up some wreckage to free some trapped DEO agents. That wasn't the end of it as a jet engine roar signaled a new arrival and they saw the black colored jet hover down over them with some unique design aspects that definitely fit into a certain motif.

"Where's Will?" Max asked.

"I don't know. I just got here with the others. Max, what happened?" She asked and he filled her in.

Superman groaned in pain, opening his eyes and spitting out the sand in his mouth. He lifted his head up and saw a black gloved hand held out to him curtsey of Batman, so he took it, and the Dark Knight helped the Man of Steel back to his feet. "What are you doing here?" Superman asked him.

"The same thing as you." Batman answered.

"Same thing as all of us." Green Lantern said as he walked over to them. "Didn't figure you would be out and about during the daytime, Bats. Not worried about bursting into flames?"

"Not the time, Lantern. We've got a problem." Superman told him.

"What problem?" Hawkwoman asked when she was joined by Aquaman.

"And how exactly am I involved in this?" Aquaman added.

"The one thing we all have in common. Our encounters with Sentry." Batman said as they looked at him. "He called us here for assistance and judging from what happened and that…" He pointed up so everyone could see the giant alien ship hovering high in the sky. "…that is the problem."

"Then where is he?" Aquaman asked.

"He was taken." They heard as Wonder Woman walked over with Max. "By Vilgax. He came for the Omnitrix."

"Oh, geez. That's not good. Just one ship?" Hawkwoman asked and Max nodded.

"Ok, I've been patient up till now, but could someone please explain what the hell is going on here and why this desert looks like a warzone?" Aquaman said so Max began explaining what happened with everything they knew. Basically, an alien conqueror came to earth for the watch on Sentry's wrist that let him transform into aliens. They didn't know exactly what for, but he wasn't the original owner of the watch and Hawkwoman knew enough of his reputation and the stories of the Omnitrix that he likely wanted it to conqueror the universe. Vilgax sent drones and robots into National City to draw Sentry out of hiding so Sentry drew them out into the desert to make sure no civilians got hurt. He drew them into a DEO trap and once all the robots and drones were taken care of, Vilgax showed himself and then Sentry and Superman fought him together, but it wasn't enough even with Sentry transforming into various aliens. Vilgax was a beast. Super strength, enhanced speed and reflexes with durability to take some of Superman's punches and weapons that they've never seen before. A personalized shield, a powerful sword, laser beams that he could shoot from his eyes and a ruby ray that could stagger and incapacitate Superman with a charged enough beam.

"Geez, sounds like you two were put through the ringer." Green Lantern said. "How do we stop him?"

"We're not sure." They heard as Director Henshaw walked over. "Vilgax is easily the strongest alien we've ever seen. Even the enhanced weaponry we had in the DEO was no match for him and we used our best containment methods on him to no avail. In all honesty, in a situation like this we'd rely on Sentry for help, but Vilgax has him."

"Well, we need to get him back. He has helped all of us so it's only right that we help him." Wonder Woman said.

"I think that's why he sent out the call of everyone here." Superman said. Every one of the heroes there had some interaction with Sentry and fought by his side. He's helped them so now they were here to return the favor. Even Aquaman was ready to help. He was the most recent addition to Sentry's growing group of superheroes allies, and it was with Sentry's help that they stopped the alien robots in the Bermuda Triangle. Plus, with an alien conqueror arriving on earth that didn't mean good things for the earth, and he was always happy to help out in a fight and this one seemed to be a good one.

"If this Vilgax guy has Sentry and the Omnitrix then why hasn't he left the planet yet? Why stick around?" Aquaman pointed out.

"Because he likely plans to add Earth to his list of conquest. Our first order of business has to be to get Sentry back." Batman stated.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." They heard someone say and their voice had a distinct British accent but no one around them was British which is when Max realized he still had the Proto-box on his belt.

"Jarvis?"

"Hello, Master Max. Apologies for my being out of communication but I've been rather busy, and I believe I can be of assistance in recovering Master Will." Jarvis told him and everyone perked up.

"What is that?" Aquaman asked.

"Greeting, Aquaman. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jarvis, an interactive Natural Language User Interface system designed to assist the DEO and Sentry in all manners that would require assistance. I was the one who put out the call to the communication watches handed out by Sentry and I'm currently monitoring the situation via various satellite feeds." Jarvis introduced himself. "And if my name and voice sound familiar, is it because I was designed after the Jarvis AI program from a Marvel film."

"Oh, I thought he sounded familiar." Green Lantern quipped.

"Let's focus on the task at hand. How can you help us?" Batman asked.

"As I am a program, I am connected to both the Proto-box Master Max is holding and to Sentry's armor. He is unconscious but his vitals are steady and I'm currently encroaching into the system of Vilgax's ship though the progress is slow to ensure that my presence is not detected and to allow me to compensate and adapt to an advance alien computer system." Jarvis then projected a 3D hologram of Vilgax's ship before highlighting a section with a blinking green dot. "I have mapped out the enemy ship and pinpointed Sentry's location. Given the ship's layout, I would recommend an entry at this location."

Jarvis then highlighted a spot on the other side of the ship. "Why there?" Hawkwoman asked.

"This spot is an auxiliary maintenance hatch large enough for you to enter the ship one at a time and it is in a part of the ship that is the least monitored. I can isolate that section of the ship and put the security systems on a pre-recorded loop to allow you entry. Once inside, I can navigate you through the ship to find Sentry." Jarvis answered.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go to it. The sooner we get there the sooner we rescue Sentry and prevent Vilgax from attacking earth." Aquaman said.

"I can get us up there." Green Lantern offered.

"Then our option of stealth is done. They'll see us coming that way." Batman said when Max and Henshaw got an idea.

"Max can take you. Head back to the base and activate the prototype. It should be ready enough to get you up there without being seen." Henshaw suggested before looking at Max. "I'll handle this things and do what we can from down here. You go get Sentry."

"Thank you, Director. We need to head east." Max said. Green Lantern created a giant bubble and used it to take everyone. Max directed them into the desert past the DEO base about 600 yards away before they stopped. He used the Proto-box and connected to the DEO database before inputting a code and the ground began to shake before it split open revealing that they had arrived at a secret hangar. After using the stairs to head down, Max turned on the lights to reveal projects in various stages of completion. Weapons and various types of vehicles like jeeps, trucks, and armored transports to things like submersibles and even jet craft.

"What is this place?" Wonder Woman asked.

"DEO's research and development hangar. All of our projects being worked on start here and all of these ones were designs given to us by Sentry. Well, one of his aliens actually and one of them is gonna get us to Vilgax's ship undetected." Max walked over to a bench and picked up a case from a weapons table before he pressed another button on the Proto-box making a light shine down on one particular vessel. It looked like a black colored Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird but appeared to be a modified modern variant as it looked more up to date with better engines and a slightly larger frame.

"Whoa…That is not a Blackbird." Green Lantern muttered in amazement. As someone who knew a thing or two about airplanes and jets, what he saw was impressive.

"No but inspired by it. It's official designation is the DEO Project J-190 aircraft, but we call it the Javelin. Next, next generation aircraft. Four primary and two secondary experimental energy reactor engines give the Javelin a top speed of Mach 6. A special Carbon alloy outer shell provides excellent heat absorption and aerodynamic qualities while maintaining maximum hull strength of up to several million per square inch much like space shuttles meaning the Javelin can even go into space. And more importantly, it's onboard power source and unique composition of the carbon alloy in the shell allows it to appear invisible to sensors and camouflage it to its surroundings." Max pressed a few more buttons on the Proto-box and the ramp opened up on the Javelin. Max got into the pilot's seat and flicked on all the relevant switches and buttons, powering up the engines which ignited and with how powerful they were the jet shook a bit. Rather than bellows of fire like from gasoline fuel rocket engines, these new energy core engines didn't blow out any fire or smoke. All they did was glow a bright white like a reactor would. Batman joined Max and took the co-pilot's chair, assisting him in pre-flight check while also getting a better look at the advance aircraft.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Hawkwoman took their seats and buckled themselves in. "Is this thing safe?" Hawkwoman asked.

"Safe-ish." Max admitted.

"But you have flown this thing before, right?" Aquaman questioned.

"No, this is a prototype. At most, we've just powered up the engines and tested the stealth system." Max admitted.

"Oh, crap…" Green Lantern muttered, and everyone began to get nervous, even Wonder Woman.

"Max…"

"We'll be ok." Max assured her as he and Batman continued going over the jet's systems. "You look like you know what you're doing."

"This isn't my first time behind a jet or a space shuttle." Batman answered.

"Right…." Max muttered as a beep on the dashboard informed him the engines were at 100%. "Power is at 100%."

"Stealth system is powered up. Camouflage system ready." Batman reported.

"All right, activating hover jets." Max pressed a few buttons making six small repulsor jets uncover from underneath the aircraft. They powered up and activated, pushing the jet up into the air. The aircraft shook and trembled as everyone held onto their seats while Max kept her as steady as possible.

"Max!" Wonder Woman shouted.

"Just getting a feel for her." Max hovered the Javelin out of the hidden bunker and up into the air. Once they were about 150 feet in the air they were far enough to get going. "Activate stealth system."

Batman pressed a few buttons and watched the monitor as the outside of the jet shimmered before it vanished or more accurately the outer shell adjusted the photons to mirror its surroundings and essentially turn invisible to visible detection. "Stealth system online and at 100%."

"All right. Well, no going back now. Deactivate hover jets on my mark and prepare for 35% thrust acceleration. I'll handle controls." Max told him.

"Roger that." Batman replied, ready on the controls.

"Three…two…one…mark!" Max said. Batman deactivated the hover jets and Max pushed up on the acceleration lever. The engines on the Javelin glowed bright like the sun before exerting tremendous force that propelled the jet through the air. Max, Batman, and the others jerked back into their seats from the force.

"Holy shit!" Aquaman cursed as Max piloted them to Vilgax's ship.

Henshaw helped his agents into the trucks that their reinforcements arrived in along with medical help. The most grievously wounded would return to headquarters for medical attention while the rest would stay out in the field in case something happened. He heard a distant thunder crack and saw the faint shimmer of a stealth jet flying through the air. "Be careful, Max…"

Line Break xxxxx

Onboard Vilgax's ship, the alien conqueror walked onto the bridge while his drones took Sentry to the lab. "Congratulations, your excellency. You have acquired the Omnitrix. Shall I begin setting course back to Novas-6 so you can resume your conquest?" A minion asked him.

"No. The humans defiance demands retribution. Begin analysis of the Omnitrix and prepare for its removal from the human. Send the remaining army down to the surface and begin the destruction of the planet. I shall sit on a throne of human bones for his defiance." Vilgax said in demented glee.

"Yes, Lord Vilgax." The minion replied before putting in the commands.

The Javelin was closing in on Vilgax's ship with the stealth system still functioning including their visual camouflage. "Stealth system is still at 100% and no energy drains or movements from the ship. They haven't spotted us yet." Batman reported.

"All right well let's not try our luck. I'm moving us in close." Max slowed the speed of the jet down and piloted the Javelin to the location Jarvis had marked which came up on one of the monitors on the dashboard in the jet. He was in the zone, focused on what he had to do when he saw the underside of the ship open up and dozens of drones poured out. By the skin of his teeth, he managed to alter course and narrowly missed running into one of the drones.

"What the hell was that?" Aquaman blurted out. "I thought you said that they couldn't see us?"

"They haven't." Batman said as everyone looked out the window and saw the drones heading down to the planet.

"Where are they going?" Hawkwoman wondered.

"They're heading to National City. Vilgax's is exacting revenge for not giving him the Omnitrix." Max said, checking the radar and all the drones were heading in the direction of National City. Seeing the literal army heading down there, many in the ship felt compelled to stop them.

"The best thing we can do now is to stop Vilgax. He's the brains behind this. We'll have a better shot at ending by continuing on." Batman told them.

"I would agree with Batman. I've continued my exploration of Vilgax's ship and have located what appears to be the command bridge. This is where the command for the drones was input. Inputting a similar command will make the drone army return to the ship. I'm currently looking through the system to find said command." Jarvis informed them and that settled their resolve.

"All right, I'm moving us into position." Max piloted the Javelin over to the maintenance hatch Jarvis found and activated the hover jets to keep the aircraft in synch with the movement of the ship. "Extend port side docking hatch."

"Extending." Batman pressed a few controls and the port side door extended out much like the jet bridges used to attach to aircraft and get passengers onto a plane from the terminal only this one extended out from the aircraft and not the other way around. It kept extending until it came into contact with the side of the ship and locked into place. "Hatch is locked and pressurized. Lantern, get it open but be subtle. We don't need the ship knowing we're here."

"On it." Green Lantern got out of his seat and went to the hatch before using his ring to cut open the hatch with a small, thin energy beam.

"Jarvis, is Will's location still the same?" Max questioned.

"Yes, and I've managed to infiltrate enough of the ship's system to make your presence unknown but the longer you are on the ship the greater risk of discovery there is. I would suggest you move with haste to retrieve Will." Jarvis informed him.

"Duly noted." Max opened up the large weapons case he brought with him and removed the weapon.

"Max, maybe you should…" Superman stopped when he saw the gigantic weapon he had.

"I'm going to get my son so either help me or get out of my way." Max marched forward past the heroes, carrying the giant weapon with him and the Proto-box.

"Follow his lead." Aquaman remarked as Green Lantern finished cutting opening the maintenance hatch. Once they entered the ship Jarvis began directing them to where they needed to go.

National City…

Vilgax's drone army began unleashing hell on National City causing the civilians to run for cover. The police did what they could, but they weren't much help as their guns did little to nothing against Vilgax's drone army. A group of drones pinned down some civilians on the street when a speeding red blur and orange lightning zipped by, and they were gone. A black clad figure jumped down from the roof of a nearby building and landed on top of one of the drones causing it to stagger in the air. Said figure grabbed ahold a panel on the drone and ripped it off before pulling out some wires causing it to go haywire and crash into another. The figure jumped from the drone and landed in a roll on the ground below. Said figure had on black boots and a black suit with a matching cat-like black cowl on his head with white colored boxing gauze wrapped around his forearms and fists. The Wildcat was here to help. (3)

A third drone took aim at Wildcat who quickly dove to the side to dodge the laser beam and picked up a manhole cover. He hurled it at the drone causing it to stagger but it quickly reacquired its target when the speeding blur from before came back and threw a lightning bolt. Said lightning bolt hit the drone and caused it to explode. The blur was Keystone City's superhero, the Flash. Donning his signature red boots, blue pants, silver kettle helmet with gold wings and a red-colored long-sleeve top with his gold lightning bolt symbol on his chest. (4)

More drones appeared down the street and made their way to the two heroes when a golden shimmer appeared in the sky before revealing Dr. Fate. The mystical Lord of Order looked majestic in his gold and blue uniform. Gold boots, gloves, and cape attached to his shoulder pauldrons that wrapped around his chest in the middle to form his crest, an ankh, the Egyptian Symbol of Life. All of that was on top of a blue suit and to complete it was the golden helmet of Nabu on his head. Dr. Fate held his arms outward as two glowing ankh symbols appeared before unleashing golden tendrils of energy that whipped through the drones like they were made of tissue paper. A few laser beams skimmed past him, so he turned and saw more coming. He cupped his hands together and unleashed a beam of magical energy that obliterated them before hovering down to Flash and Wildcat. (5)

"I seem to remember the kid telling us we were here to avoid being seen by the ISA and gaining their attention." Wildcat pointed out.

"Robot alien invasion takes precedent and supersedes that. Jarvis said the kid is handling whoever is behind this. We just need to keep the people safe." The Flash replied before taking a few deep breaths.

"Are you all right?" Dr. Fate asked him.

"Yeah, just not as young as I used to be." Flash took a deep breath to catch his breath. "All right, let's keep moving."

"Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E are a few blocks way. We should regroup with them." Dr. Fate summoned a golden ankh which teleported them away.

Vilgax's drones were engaged in a fight with S.T.R.I.P.E. The giant robot punched, smashed, and ripped apart the drones as he kept their attention so the civilians in the area could get to safety. While the robot was more than enough to take on the drones their laser beams were deadly, and he was lucky that all their hits so far had not hit anywhere serious. He grabbed one and smashed it into the ground before picking up a car and throwing it into a group. Another group came at him from behind, so he pressed a button activating the rocket fist. The right hand of the robot flew forward as the rocket on it propelled it through the drones. S.T.R.I.P.E was great, but he needed some more long-range firepower. He was blasted from behind and fell to his knees when the drones were blasted by a beam of golden energy. Stargirl flew down and blasted the drones with the Cosmic Staff before flipping through the air to avoid getting hit. The Cosmic Staff guided Stargirl through the air and she smashed through a drone with it before blasting the rest.

She touched down and ran over to the S.T.R.I.P.E. "S.T.R.I.P.E, are you ok?"

"I'm all right." Pat managed to get S.T.R.I.P.E back onto his feet as he walked over and reattached his right fist. Flash, Wildcat, and Dr. Fate rushed over and joined them as more drones appeared.

"Get ready, here they come!" Dr. Fate hovered into the air and summoned a giant ankh behind him as the five heroes did what they could against the army of drones.

On Vilgax's ship…

Will stirred to consciousness and tried to move but couldn't. His arms and legs were trapped and the second his vision cleared he saw why. He was suspended in the air in some kind of machine that had his two legs and his right arm trapped in some energy fields that prevented him from moving them. His left arm was encased in some kind of metal device, and he had no way to access the Omnitrix. Four alien drones moved around the room keeping watch over him as he saw Vilgax standing over at a monitor. And to make matters worse his armor had retracted so it was just him.

"A child. I should have suspected as much. The Omnitrix being used as a play toy." Vilgax spat out in disgust as he looked over the scans his machine had taken.

"To help people. I'm guessing if you had it, you'd be using it to oppress and conqueror planets that don't belong to you." Will cursed at him when Vilgax walked over and got in his face.

"You hold the key to a power struggle so ancient, so vast it is beyond your feeble comprehension. Picture an entire army each in command of an Omnitrix and all at my command. Nothing could stand in my way. The Highbreed, the Guardians of the Universe, the Reach Empire, Apokolips, New Genesis, none of them could stand against me. I will be invincible. I will rule the universe and the only thing standing between me and my destiny is you." Vilgax said as a large rack of sharp implements rose up from the ground, each one more terrifying then the next. "But this is only the beginning of the misery you have brought on yourself."

Vilgax pressed a button and hologram of live footage began playing for Will. It showed Vilgax's drone army attacking National City. Civilians ran in terror as the drones laid waste to what was in front of them but then he saw that there was some resistance as Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E, The Flash, Wildcat, and Dr. Fate were taking the fight to the drone army. That made Will smirk, but Vilgax looked unfazed. "The humans feeble attempts to stop the inevitable is valiant but otherwise worthless." Vilgax looked over at a minion. "Prepare for takeoff. Once we're in orbit, I will finally have the pleasure of destroying this miserable planet."

Will struggled to get free as Vilgax picked up what looked like a giant alien chainsaw scalpel. "I can promise you…this will hurt." Vilgax smirked as Will continued to struggle. Vilgax placed the blade near Will's left arm when they heard something.

[Train whistle]

A green steam engine train crashed through the door and ran into Vilgax, smashing him into a wall. The train construct faded as Hawkwoman flew forward and smashed two drones and Aquaman leapt into the air and destroyed the other two with his trident. Vilgax got up out of the hole he was smashed into to see more humans. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Max. Max then stepped forward with a giant alien rocket launcher mounted on his shoulder.

"DAD!"

"Get away from my son, Vilgax!" Max shouted before pressing the trigger. The front of the rocket launcher glowed green and unleashed a giant ball of energy that flew through the air at lightning speed. Vilgax activated his shield of Seagle just in time but was knocked through the wall and four adjacent ones.

The rocket launcher began smoking and sparking with electricity, so Max dropped it. "Damn, what kind of gun is that?" Green Lantern asked.

"Something I designed from my favorite videogame. BFG 9000 AKA the Big Fucking Gun." Will smirked as Wonder Woman used her sword to cut him free of the machine. "Thanks. You guys arrived just in time."

"Well, we owed you one for once, kid." Green Lantern remarked, getting a glimpse of Sentry out of his suit. "Geez, you are a kid."

"I'm 18 and as much as I love to have this playful banter, we've still got a situation to deal with. I'm not sure how long the BFG will keep Vilgax on his ass." Will told them.

"We've got a plan. When you were taken Jarvis began infiltrating Vilgax's ship. It's how we found you. Vilgax sent his army to National City but he's working on finding the code to order them back." Max told him so Will activated his armor.

"Jarvis, you there buddy?"

"I'm here, Master Will and might I say it's good to see you are in one piece."

"Likewise. How's the progress going?"

"I'm managed to find the command code that will force Vilgax's army to retreat to the ship. And from the command center I can activate the ship's hyperdrive and program a destination far from this galaxy standing the ship there, but it will require the Proto-box to be plugged into a terminal in the ship's command bridge. That location is hardwired only, and I cannot access it remotely." Jarvis informed them when they heard a loud, angry roar.

"Max and I will handle that. Buy us some time." Batman told them.

"Got it." Sentry replied before activating his shield and giving it to Batman. "In case you need it."

Batman nodded before he and Max ran to the bridge. Vilgax stepped out of the smoking hole he was blasted through a little bruised, injured, and angry. Despite his shield of Seagle, the BFG had enough force to knock him through the walls of his ship when he shouldn't have been moved from his spot. He stepped out of the hole and saw Sentry standing there flanked by Superman, Hawkwoman, and Aquaman to his left and Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to his right. "I can promise you, Vilgax…" Sentry activated the Omnitrix and transformed into his Czarnian form, Ajak. "…this is gonna hurt."

Vilgax unsheathed his sword and fired his Ruby Ray of Rouleau only for Green Lantern to create a shield. It held for a few seconds before it began to crack but that was more than enough time for the others to spring into action. Ajak raced forward at incredible speed and sucker punched Vilgax in the face before grabbing his sword arm and pulled it to the side. That allowed Hawkwoman to fly forward and bash him in the face with her mace. He recoiled before he swung Ajak into her, knocking her away and then slammed him into the ground only for Superman to fly forward and uppercut him into the ceiling. He fell to the ground as Wonder Woman jumped forward to drop kick him, but he crossed his arms to block her feet and push her away. He landed on the ground and was slashed across the chest by Aquaman's trident before using his sword to block and parry his thrusts and jabs. He parried the trident into the floor before kicking him away only for Green Lantern to punch him with a giant green boxing glove construct. Vilgax landed on his feet when Hawkwoman came from the side and bashed him in the face and the chest with her mace before he grabbed her weapon, headbutted her in the face and threw her to the side. Ajak leapt through the air and came down with a vicious elbow across his face and kicked out his left leg. He then grabbed Vilgax by the arm and threw him at Superman who then punched him into Wonder Woman who then punched him into Aquaman who smashed him with this trident.

Green Lantern blasted him with his ring's energy beam, knocking him into a wall which is when Hawkwoman bashed him in the gut. "GAH!"

Vilgax coughed up some air before blasting Hawkwoman with his laser eyes. She thankfully blocked it with her mace but was still knocked back until she slammed into the ground. He landed on the ground as Superman, Aquaman and Ajak charged but he blasted them with the Ruby Ray of Rouleau. They flew backward as Aquaman leapt into the air with his trident, but Vilgax shielded himself with the shield of Seagle and bashed him aside. Wonder Woman then wrapped her lasso around his body, but he grabbed it with his yellow gauntlet and released an electrical shock that zapped her. He then pulled the lasso and Wonder Woman to him and punched her into the ground.

"You insignificant worthless maggots! I am Vilgax, I have conquered planets, toppled kingdoms and wiped out civil—"

"OH, SHUT UP!" Ajak leapt forward and headbutted Vilgax right in the face before slipping around, picking him up by the waist and suplexed him through the ground to the floor below. He didn't let Vilgax get up and repeatedly punched him in the face, showcasing his Czarnian form's pure brute strength and ferocity before grabbing the gauntlet on his left arm and ripping it off. "Let's see how well you fight without your shield!"

"More than enough to tangle with you!" Vilgax blasted him with the Ruby Ray of Rouleau as the fighting continued.

In the command bridge, the minions were going about their jobs diligently coordinating the efforts to move the ship into orbit, power up the dark matter cannon to blow earth into pieces and control their drone work force. Their efforts went smoothly until an explosion blew open the door. Several batarangs were thrown in and they either exploded in a bright flash of light and loud noise or exploded into smoke. No one could see anything as a figure moved through the smoke and the sound of combat could be heard. Punches, kicks, scraps and groaning metal followed by a few small explosions. When the smoke dissipated Batman was seen standing in the middle of the command bridge holding Sentry's shield.

"Damn, you are as good as people say you are." Max remarked, walking in with his pistol at the ready but saw there was no need. He plugged in the Proto-box and Jarvis got to work. "Jarvis, how are we looking?"

"I've just input the command to recall the drone army to the ship and I've programmed in a destination to the ship's hyperdrive far from our current position. I would advise immediate retreat to the Javelin." Jarvis told them.

"Right, let's go." Batman said and they began heading back to the ship.

Back with the others, Ajak punched Vilgax in the face and then kicked him in the stomach before grabbing him by the arm and throwing him across the room where Superman then punched him into the ground. Vilgax got up as Aquaman charged so he readied his sword only for the Atlantean to slam his trident's head into the ground creating a shockwave that knocked him back into Hawkwoman who smashed him with her mace. Green Lantern created a giant hand construct to catch him and threw him into the ground. Vilgax bounced off the ground but got to his feet and fired his Ruby Ray only for a flash of green light to appear and Ultraman's heat vision intercepted it. The two beams struggled before the Ruby Ray began to gain dominance until Superman added on his heat vision and then Green Lantern with an energy beam from his ring. The three combined and blasted Vilgax sending him flying back. He regained his footing and charged with his sword when Wonder Woman smashed her bracers together making a powerful shockwave and Aquaman slammed his trident into the ground, making a secondary one and feeding it. The powerful shockwave knocked Vilgax back and Hawkwoman knocked his sword out of his hand with her mace before Superman and Ultraman flew forward and punched him together.

Vilgax flew back and smashed through several walls. His body was injured as the combined attacks of Earth's heroes were taking their toll. Ultraman tapped the Omnitrix and turned back to Sentry when they heard an alarm followed by a computer voice on the PA system.

"Prepare for hyperspace travel."

"Vilgax's ship is preparing to leave this galaxy. Head to the Javelin." Max radioed to Will.

"We need to get out of here." He told the others, so they ran as fast as they could. The drone army had finished reboarding Vilgax's ship and the ship's hyperdrive core was powering up. Max and Batman got back onto the Javelin with the former preparing for the ship to disconnect. They heard movement and saw Sentry rush into the jet with the others and they took their seats. "How much time we got?"

"Not long." Max retracted the boarding hatch and powered up the engines. "Hang on!"

Max pushed the accelerator up and the Javelin flew away from Vilgax's ship as it ascended out of Earth's atmosphere. The others watched as the ship hovered into space and the engines powered up. Vilgax ran into his command center to try and abort the launch, but the coordinates were set and what was worse was that the ship's systems were not responding. A parting gift from Jarvis and Batman was the complete crippling of ship's systems. It would make its hyperspace jump along the set coordinates, essentially taking Vilgax all the way back to where he was before on the other side of the universe and afterward the ship's energy core was programmed to self-destruct.

"NOOOOOO!"

Vilgax's scream was the last thing heard before his ship engaged its hyperspace drive and was gone.

Will and the others looked out the windows of the Javelin and couldn't see the ship anymore. "Is he gone?" Green Lantern asked.

"Jarvis?" Will asked him and a quick scan via their satellites confirmed it.

"Vilgax's ship is no longer in this solar system. If my programmed command still holds, he should be returning to his original position on the other side of the universe and afterward his ship shall self-destruct." Jarvis informed them.

"Sounds like its over to mee." Aquaman remarked and they all breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, not to say that fighting an evil alien warlord was fun, let's not make a habit of it."

"Fair enough." Superman said as Sentry deactivated his armor and sat down. "You ok, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. Thanks again. All of you." Will said to everyone. "I'd be dead on a dissection table right now and Vilgax would have the Omnitrix to take over the universe if it wasn't for you guys."

"Well, we wouldn't have even known what was going on if you didn't send for us. Those communication watches came in handy." Hawkwoman told him.

"Now I owe all of you one. Anything you guys need then all you need to do is ask." Will promised.

"Ease up there, kid. You've helped us so let's call it even." Green Lantern told him. "Besides, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about a kid owing me a favor."

"18, FYI. I turned 18 today." Will corrected him. "Hell of a way to celebrate it, that's for sure."

"Well, considering everything else you've experience it's actually par for the course." Superman pointed out. Will walked over to the cockpit and saw Batman get out of the pilot's seat.

"Thanks again, Batman. Really, thank you." Will said to him and Batman patted him on the shoulder before walking away. Guess that's about as emotional he'll get. Max activated the auto-pilot and shot up, quickly wrapping Will in a hug and vice versa. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"Of course. You're my son. I've got to look for you. That's my job." Max chuckled, kissing him on the side of the head and thanking god that Will was ok.

"Uh, dad, the auto-pilot still isn't 100% ready so get back on the controls." Will panicked and Max quickly got back in the seat and retook the controls. "How's Director Henshaw and the others?"

"Some injured, some casualties but it would have been a lot worse if it wasn't for you and Superman. Not to mention the DEO wouldn't have been able to handle Vilgax like you guys did." Max told him.

"Yeah. Vilgax was a monster, but his reputation was well earned." Will thought back to the fight. "I know Jarvis does good work and Batman was there to supervise everything, but I can't help but feel that Vilgax could come back."

"Feelings like that are an unfortunate part of the job." Max looked back at the group of heroes. "But you guys pulled through and there's strength in numbers, so you'll be ready next time."

"Next time seems to be all but inevitable at this point." Will remarked.

"I agree." Will jumped and saw Batman looking at him. "We defeated Vilgax, but he could survive and return to earth, even if it's an infinitesimal chance. And if not him then others who could come to earth looking for the Omnitrix."

"And there's only so much the DEO can do on its own." Max admitted. "Director Henshaw is amazing, and our work keeps the planet safe but today proved that we're not invincible or ready for everything. We've got some catching up and upgrading to do."

"In the meantime we might be able to handle that. A group of heroes can do more together then we could alone and it's not just us." Will said getting everyone's attention. "Believe it or not, before Vilgax showed up I've been dealing with a situation that I honestly have no idea how to stop."

"And you think if we work together, we could stop it?" Green Lantern asked.

"Better than us working alone and getting picked off one by one. I doubt you all know what's going on except for Batman." Will pointed out.

"What is going on?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Let's just say that a group of supervillains led by a mad super genius has some plans that make me worry and it led to the death of some golden age heroes. Whatever they've got planned has me and others worried. And it's not just them. Batman's right. There could be others out there that come to earth looking for the Omnitrix or a new threat arises like Ares that we can't fight alone. It only makes sense that we should keep in contact with each other, so we don't have to face whatever problems come up all alone." Will suggested.

"So, we'd be a bunch of super friends. Doesn't that sound corny." Aquaman remarked.

"I agree but with us it could work." Green Lantern admitted.

"I'm in." Hawkwoman said.

"So am I." Wonder Woman added.

"Sounds good to me." Superman agreed.

"Ugh, I guess." Aquaman grumbled but he could see the merits of the idea and was just being his usual self. Batman didn't say anything but gave the idea an approving nod.

"Looks like you guys know what you need to do. All you need now is a name. Definitely not super friends." Max told them.

Will stood there with a smirk on his face. He had a good idea on a name, and something told him it would definitely catch on.

End of Chapter 11

1). Stargirl's outfit from the show Stargirl.

2). Vilgax from Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien with weapons but has the brute force of original Ben 10 Vilgax.

3). Stargirl's Wildcat 1, Ted Grant.

4). Jay Garrick's the Flash from the Flash TV show portrayed by John Wesley Shipp.

5). The Dr. Fate from the Black Adam movie.

I hope you guys liked the chapter. Hope everyone is enjoying fall and for those in America hope you're having a happy and spooky October. I love this time of year. The weather gets cooler, horror movies come back into focus and new shows and video games. Gen V, Loki season 2 and Spider-man 2 in October. Awesome.

Sorry this one took extra time to get out, but I had to do some serious shifting with the story and then work got in the way of my writing but here it is. Courtney is now Stargirl and Will's had his first encounter with Vilgax. Vilgax will return because so long as the Omnitrix exists he will do whatever he can to get his hands on it and now will seek vengeance on those who would keep it from him. But Will won't be alone as the friends and allies he's made on his journey have come together to form a group of heroes like no other. This is only their beginning, and more is to come.

Next chapter, Sentry, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern form a group of heroes of which the world has never seen…well, seen recently and it's a work in progress. They've got some things to get settled first like the fact that one member of the group is still in High School. That and the case he's got going on deals with his girlfriend who is too gung-ho against the ISA who are now setting their sights on National City. Uh Oh. Until next time.

One change up with the story from Stargirl is that Courtney doesn't think Starman was her father. There's no disappearance when she was a kid that coincidently matches up with her father not showing up and with him recently dead there's no reason to believe he's her father so that clears up that. And also for those that picked it up, Courtney isn't going to be the only legacy hero as I've named dropped a few more who will show up so look forward to that. I hope you guys like what I'm doing with the Stargirl lore and with Jay Garrick, Ted Grant, and Kent Nelson being the sort of old guard who help the new generation deal with the ISA and give them some help.

One thing of note with Vilgax, I felt the one from the original series needed more power to deal with Will, so I went with the Ben 10 Alien Force version which had a greater array of weapons on top of his already incredible strength. Rewatching some of the fights they really make him stronger in Alien Force. In the original series he had those cybernetic enhancements which were ok but against Superman and Ultraman I thought that more was needed and his weapons in Alien Force were good again Ultimo who was essentially their version of Superman. He has incredibly powerful weapons with an already enhanced physiology making him stronger, faster, and more durable. And as time goes on he'll only get stronger. Hope you guys like the story and feel free to PM me with any questions or comments.

Update for September: Crimson Speedster will be posted on October 31st.

William Benjamin Detmer

Moniker: Sentry

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. Currently destroyed.

Face claims for extras:

Family:

Maxwell Tennyson Detmer: Stephen Lang

Maria Moira Detmer (Deceased): Susanna Thompson

Friends:

Stargirl/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:

S.T.R.I.P.E./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

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