Chapter 67: Doomed

At a secret lab, the members of the Brotherhood of Evil were working on a massive machine. General Immortus was entering calculations into a computer while Arsenal was welding metal plates into place. Madame Rouge stretched up to the top of the machine, attaching some metal rings while Mallah installed several connecting cables and tightened some bolds. At the base of the device, the Brain held the energy battery inside a metal claw connected to the base, putting it into place. Once it was secure, the Brain rolled backward, marveling at the Quantum Generator as it powered up.

"At last. The great reward we have long worked for is complete."

"Everything is in readiness," General Immortus confirmed. "All it needs is final calibration… and testing."

At a deserted shipping yard elsewhere on the planet, a small black hole began opening up in the skies above. It slowly started growing bigger and bigger, pulling in several shipping containers as a result. As it grew, whole ships and chunks of the ground were getting sucked into the singularity. Even water was getting pulled into the singularity due to its power. After a while, the singularity subsided, leaving only the wrecked remains of the shipping yard behind, showing the true destructive power the Brotherhood of Evil had.

High in the skies, the Javelin and the Doom Patrol's ship soared at top speeds, their respective occupants hoping they could stop the Brotherhood in time.

"So, do we have any idea where we're going?" GL asked.

"I do," Mento confirmed over comms. "When I read the Brain's mind, I was able to discern the location of the Brotherhood's new base. It's on an island a few miles off the coast of a New England fishing town."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find," Cyborg commented.

"Either way, we should all be on guard when we arrive. Don't want to be caught off guard."

"Right. We'll rendezvous when we land," Batman replied before closing the channel.

"This Doom Patrol is formidable," Wonder Woman commended. "However, I cannot help but feel that their team lacks the same familiarity as ours."

"They definitely have a chip on their shoulder," Cyborg commented. "Especially that Mento guy."

"I have to agree," Superman chimed in. "he does seem a bit too… driven."

"We need to keep an eye on them," Batman decided. "Make sure Mento's fixation doesn't put either team at risk."

The two ships touched down on the island, both teams meeting up and setting up a map of the island to go over a plan.

"The base is here," Mento relayed, pointing to a section of the map. "On the far side of the island. The defenses are so fortified, that flying straight to it would be suicide."

"So we'll have to go on foot," Superman surmised.

"Exactly."

"In that case, we should avoid this path," Wonder Woman spoke, pointing to a path on the map. "It will leave us too exposed, and vulnerable to the Brotherhood."

"Then we head through here," Mento decided, pointing to another spot on the map. "It's a bit of a detour, but it will lead us to the Brotherhood's base."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Robot Man asked. "Let's get going."

The group nodded and started to head out.

The group made its way through the jungle, keeping a steady pace to track down the Brotherhood in time. Beast Boy fell toward the back, Cyborg taking notice and joining him.

"Hey, you doin' ok?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah…" Beast Boy replied. "Fine…"

"Look, don't let Mento get to ya. You saved our skins back there. Any one of us would've done the same thing."

"Thanks…" Beast Boy replied, perking up a little.

Wonder Woman noticed Beast Boy's demeanor, moving to Elastigirl to talk.

"He doesn't seem to be taking your leader's words well," she commented.

"I will admit, Mento is… direct," Elastigirl replied. "He means well, he… just lacks interpersonal skills. And we have been fighting against the Brotherhood for as long as the Doom Patrol has existed."

"I have seen the toll such fixations have done to people. It is not an easy burden to bear."

"I had hoped having Garfield around would lessen it, but… sometimes the fixation sinks in."

"That is the moment the people that care should step in the most. Do not let him lose sight of what he is truly fighting for."

Elastigirl smiled, nodding in response. Meanwhile, GL used his ring to form a machete to clear away some brush.

"Guess that toy sure comes in handy," Negative Man commented, following behind him. "You do birthdays too?"

"You gonna be this cheery the entire trip, Larry?" GL asked.

"Perhaps."

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you. I really am."

"Oh, you're sorry. I feel so much better."

GL just rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do then? Feel bad because you got a bit of bad luck?"

"Bad luck?" Negative Man let out, stopping in his tracks. "I lost everything because of that 'bad luck'. No career, no relations… I can't even show my face without killing anyone. I still try to do the right thing and help people, and all I get is gawked at."

"I get that, I do… but it can't be all bad."

"Oh really? Name one good thing I got out of all of this!"

GL formed a massive arrow with his ring, pointing toward the Doom Patrol as they pressed on. Negative Man paused for a moment, taking in what GL was telling him.

"They gotta mean something to you if you've stuck around this long," GL replied, flying off.

Negative Man pondered what GL had told him, admitting that he did have a point, though not out loud. Meanwhile, Robot Man lumbered on, tearing through stretches of the jungle as Superman flew up to him.

"How ya holding up?" Superman asked.

"I don't get tired. Or hungry. Or sore."

"I… can't imagine what that must be like."

"It's like… it's like…" he groaned. "I can't even try to describe it. The best I got is that I just… exist. Like I'm watching and doing but… I'm not feeling."

"Reminds me of someone I know. Except he resorted to violent means of dealing with that pain. You… you're handling it well all things considered."

"Believe me, I didn't at first. Felt like a prisoner in my own body. It was a nightmare."

"How'd you come to terms with it?" Superman wondered.

"Honestly, never really did. There are still days where I wanna tear this shell apart."

"And on the days you don't?"

Robot Man glanced back at the Doom Patrol. "Those are the days I remember that I'm not alone. I mean, all our lives are pretty crap, but at least we can rely on one another."

Superman smiled in response, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Just then, there was a loud rumbling coming from deep in the jungle, prompting the heroes to take a defensive stance.

"What are we looking at?" Batman asked.

Superman used his telescopic vision and super hearing to zero in on what was coming, seeing that it was a massive robot.

"A robot," he informed them. "And a really big one too."

"Well, bring it on!" Robot Man challenged.

Robot Man charged forward just as the robot tore into the clearing, locking optics onto Robot Man, the robot brought down a massive fist on top of him. He quickly caught it, causing the ground around him to the crater. Negative Man saw this and quickly released his ion spirit, which launched right at the robot. It punched at the robot, knocking it backward. The spirit tried attacking again, but the robot fired a laser from its one eye, knocking the spirit back. Superman quickly flew in and went for one of the legs, punching it out from under it. As the robot fell, Superman grabbed it, spinning it around before tossing it into the air. Seeing this, Elastigirl grew giant-sized, punching the robot as it came close and slamming it into the ground. The robot then raised its hands, allowing lasers to shoot from its fingers and cause her to stumble back.

The robot then got back to its feet, staring down at the heroes. It fired its lasers at the heroes, prompting GL to form a shield to block the laser blasts. Mento quickly unleashed a mental blast, causing the robot to skid backward into some trees. Beast Boy quickly took action, turning into a falcon, and flew toward the robot as the heroes continued fighting it off. As he got close to it, he morphed into an ant so he could crawl between the grooves of the metal to get inside. He then got to work, eating at the robot's wiring so it would short out.

Finally, the robot dropped to its knees, completely shorted out as Beast Boy flew out, returning to his original form.

"And that's how you bring down a bot!" Beast Boy declared.

Mento smiled in response, only to look up and see the head of the robot open up, revealing a bomb that was seconds away from going off. Reacting fast, Robot Man leaped onto the shoulder to grab hold of the bomb. He yanked it out of the robot's neck and tossed it into the air. Green Lantern quickly took hold of it and launched it high above the group, allowing it to explode out of reach.

"Guess they know we're here," Negative Man remarked.

"Mento…" Beast Boy spoke. "I'm sorry. I should've seen that bomb coming, I-"

"Let's keep moving," Mento replied in a cold tone.

Beast Boy just lowered his head as he followed after, the rest of the group quickly joining.

Inside the Brotherhood's secret lab, they observed the heroes' victory on a monitor screen, the Brain lamenting their success.

"It would seem we require more efficient means of dealing with our benevolent friends," he remarked. "General Immortus, perhaps you can devise something."

"It would be my pleasure," Immortus replied.

The group continued on, finding themselves in another part of the jungle with Wonder Woman at the front, using her sword to cut through the debris.

"So how much further?" GL asked.

"Once we make it to the next clearing," Mento relayed. "There we'll get to the base of the mountain and that's where we'll find the Brotherhood of Evil's base."

"Won't leave us with much cover," Negative Man lamented.

"I know, Larry, but we don't have much choice."

"Then we'd best press on," Wonder Woman declared. "Who knows how far along the Brotherhood is with their device."

They all nodded as they pressed on. Batman made his way over to Mento as he used his powers to move a fallen tree out of the way.

"Pretty hard on the kid, weren't you?" Batman asked.

"This again?"

"He was able to take down the robot when none of us could get close."

Mento paused. "Maybe… but that doesn't matter right now. The mission is all that matters, and we can't afford to be sloppy."

"That green skin might be throwing you off, but he's still human."

Mento just turned away, ignoring Batman as he pressed on.

From on top of a nearby rock structure, Immortus was observing the heroes making their way forward.

"Strike when your enemy is at his weakest, when he is mired with self-doubt, and victory is all but assured," he recounted. "Sun Tzu was always my greatest student…"

Back with the heroes, they continued making forward getting close to the clearing. Before they could break through, there was a loud rumbling sound that got their attention.

"What was that?" Cyborg wondered.

"Negative Man, check it out," Mento instructed.

"Right," Negative Man replied, releasing his ion spirit to fly forward.

It flew above the tree line, seeing the clearing was filled with tanks that were moving right toward them. Instantly, the spirit returned to Negative Man, prompting him to straighten up.

"We got tanks," he reported. "Lots and lots of tanks."

"Then let's give 'em something to shoot at," GL remarked, flying off.

He flew toward one tank and used his ring to create a boomerang that he threw at it. It sliced through the barrel before going on to cut through several others.

"Show off," Negative Man responded, unleashing his ion spirit again and letting it run rampant.

It flew through one tank after another, shorting out their weapons systems and causing them to malfunction. Wonder Woman flew toward one tank and landed on top of it before tearing the top open. She pulled out the men inside, tossing them aside before flying into the air and wrapping her lasso around the barrel. She swung it around before launching it at a nearby rock formation, causing it to explode.

Batman meanwhile fired a grappling line at a nearby tree and swung out toward one of the tanks. Opening up the top and throwing some smoke bombs inside. They were enough to smoke them out as they quickly climbed out of the tank. Batman quickly kicked the first one in the face, taking him out before throwing a bat bola at the second, causing him to fall off the tank. Batman then dropped into the tank, handling the controls and steering it into the path of other oncoming tanks. Once the path was set, Batman climbed out and fired another grappling line, swinging away as the tank crashed into several others. Robot Man meanwhile ran forward, shaking off the tank blasts he was dealt like they were nothing as he rammed right into one, smashing it. He then picked it up and lobbed it into the air, causing it to come crashing down onto the ground.

Superman darted forward and grabbed a tank, picking it up and flipping it upside down, shaking it so the soldiers inside would fall out. He then tossed it into the air, using his heat vision to ignite the fuel line so it would explode. Elastigirl grew to giant size so she could meet Superman at eye level. She then proceeded to march over to the tanks, kicking them over in rapid succession. While she was doing that, Beast Boy transformed into a rhino and rammed into a tank, toppling it over. Seeing this from atop his own toppled tank, Cyborg ran over and leaped on top of Beast Boy, blasting at the tanks in response.

"Mind if I hitch a ride?" Cyborg asked.

"Not at all," Beast Boy responded. "Let's roll!"

Beast Boy charged forward, blasting at every tank in sight. Mento meanwhile used his mental powers to send the vines into the wheels of the tanks, causing them to freeze up. Just then a tank dropped down next to him, prompting Superman to land.

"Is it just me, or is this all too easy?" he asked.

"No," Mento agreed. "It's not over yet."

From atop his rock formation, Immortus watched the battle play out, grinning maliciously.

"Commence phase two!"

Down on the ground, several secret hatches opened up, firing a barrage of missiles that sailed right at the heroes. Mento and Green Lantern put up shields to block the blasts, forcing everyone to huddle in close.

"Man," Cyborg let out as he leaped off Beast Boy, allowing him to return to human form. "These guys just won't quit."

Elastigirl shrunk down, looking around and seeing an opening leading to a canyon. "There! That's our way out!"

"Which is exactly what he wants," Mento realized.

"Not like we can stay here," GL remarked.

Mento nodded, proceeding to rush forward with the other heroes following close behind. As the group moved forward, their spring was halted by a loud beeping sound. They looked down to see several mines sticking out of the ground, sparking with electricity.

"Magnetic mines," Batman recognized.

"I hate these things," Negative Man commented.

"Larry hates something, that's new," GL jeered.

Just then, the energy from the mines shot out, forming an electric cage that kept them contained as several soldiers surrounded them on both sides of the canyon, with General Immortus standing over them.

"A valiant effort," Immortus admitted. "But in the end, a futile one. Open fire!"

The soldiers opened fire, prompting the heroes to do their best to dodge and evade the blasts, but Elastigirl got hit in the shoulder, knocking her to the girl.

"Elastigirl!" Beast Boy cried out.

"Hang on," Negative Man let out.

He released his ion spirit, allowing it to fly around the area and actually pull the mines out of the ground. This carried them into the air and dropped the energy shield.

"Now's our chance," Mento declared. "Let's move!"

Wonder Woman helped Elastigirl back to her feet and carried her out as the heroes moved out. As they neared the end of the canyon, Beast Boy looked back, seeing Negative Man knelt on the ground.

"Negative Man!" Beast Boy realized. "We can't just leave him!"

"We have to keep moving," Mento ordered. "I'm sorry Beast Boy, but there's no time!"

Mento kept moving, but Beast Boy paused, looking back at Negative Man's still form. After a moment, Beast Boy's face hardened, prompting him to run back down into the canyon. Just as the heroes made it out of the canyon, Mento realized that Beast Boy wasn't with them. He looked back, seeing the young hero rushing back into the fray.

"Beast Boy!" he called out.

"Cyborg, go after him!" Superman ordered.

"I'm on it!" Cyborg replied, rushing after him.

In the air, the ion spirit had finally gotten high enough to where it could disperse the mines, sending them in several different directions and causing them to explode. Once they were clear, it sailed back toward the ground, hoping to return to Negative Man before it was too late. Back with Negative Man, a group of soldiers were about to open fire on him. However, Beast Boy transformed into a wolf and quickly attacked one of them, knocking him to the ground. He then transformed into a kangaroo and kicked another soldier aside before changing into a donkey and kicking another in the gut. One of the soldiers managed to pick himself up, grabbing his gun and aiming it at Beast Boy. Before he could fire a shot, however, Cyborg kicked him in the head, knocking him back down as Beast Boy became human again.

"Got your back, pal," Cyborg reassured.

Beast Boy smiled, prompting the two to run over to Negative Man as the ion spirit returned, prompting him to snap awake.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked as they helped him up.

"Saving your bandaged butt," Cyborg remarked.

The three made their way to catch up with the others, still being fired upon by the soldiers. Fortunately, GL and Superman blasted at the soldiers' weapons, destroying them and buying cover for the three to catch up.

"That's everyone," Batman noted. "Elastigirl, cover our exit!"

She nodded, growing giant-sized and grabbing a nearby tree and lobbing it at the soldiers, prompting them to take cover as it crashed down. This provided enough cover for the heroes to make their escape.

After making it a fair distance away, the heroes took stock of their situation.

"Everyone alright?" Superman asked.

"It seems so," Diana replied, looking Elastigirl over. "I hope you weren't too gravely injured."

"My skin's pretty durable," Elastigirl replied while sitting on a log. "The impact knocked me back, but that's it."

"We should be lucky it wasn't worse."

Meanwhile, off to the side, Cyborg and Beast Boy were chatting with each other.

"Thanks for the backup back there," Beast Boy told him.

"Hey, I always keep a teammate covered," Cyborg reassured. "Besides, you were pretty kick butt out there yourself."

"Hey, when you got skills like mine, it's hard to be less than awesome," Beast Boy remarked, flexing his muscles.

"Beast Boy!" Mento called out, walking over to him.

Beast Boy sighed in response. "Oh great. What'd I do wrong this time?"

"What you did was disobey a direct order. Again!"

"Hey lay off, man," Cyborg insisted, walking up to him. "He saved Negative Man. Isn't that good enough?"

"Negative Man knows the risks. We all do. What matters is completing the mission at any cost. If that isn't good enough-"

"I went back to save my teammate, and you're saying I should have left him behind?!" Beast Boy cried out. "Do you even care that he could have died out there?! What the hell is wrong with you, Mento?!"

Mento and Cyborg were taken aback by his brazen attitude.

"Of course, I care," Mento resumed. "But bigger things are happening here than just us. When we became the Doom Patrol we knew it would be dangerous, but we did it anyway because it would make the world a safer place. The Quantum Generator is more than just a weapon, it's a promise! A promise that no one in the world would be safe from the wrath of the Brotherhood! That threat is more important than any one person's life."

"So what? We're just supposed to throw our lives away because of this thing?! That our lives don't matter?!"

"You're still young. You don't understand the weight of what we have to do. The sacrifices this job takes-"

"I understand plenty, Mento! You're the one who doesn't understand! We're people, not weapons! Our lives mean something! And if you can't get that through your puffed-up brain-" Beast Boy yanked his mask off, throwing it to the ground, "-then I'm done with you. I'll stay to complete the mission, but I'm not a member of Doom Patrol."

He stormed off to get away from Mento, who was floored by Beast Boy's outburst. Batman turned to Cyborg.

"Victor-"

"Don't even have to ask." He took off after Beast Boy.

"He's always been impulsive, but this…" Mento admitted.

"Maybe this should be a wake-up call for you," Superman commented. "He's a good kid. But he needs to be allowed to be one."

Mento paused, mulling over what had been said to him.

At a nearby stream, Beast Boy sat on the ground, looking down at his reflection. As he sat there, Cyborg came over and sat down next to him.

"Hey," he greeted. "You doing okay?"

"No… how can he say those things? How can he act like… like we're expendable?!"

Beast Boy slammed a fist into the water in frustration.

"I'm… I'm sure it's not like that. He's just… focused. Excessively so, no doubt. But he's not wrong about the job."

"I get that. But it… it's like he's obsessed with taking these guys down. Guess he always was."

"How'd you end up with these guys anyway?" Cyborg asked.

"It was a couple years ago. I already knew Elastigirl cause she and my mom used to work together. She was researching the wildlife in Africa and I got… hurt. Bit by some freaky monkey. Got sick. My mom had to use some serum on me to save my life."

"That's how you got all…" he gestured to Beast Boy. "that?"

"Yeah. Found out about the shape-shifting thing a little later. It was pretty good until…" Beast Boy closed his eyes, looking away in pain.

Cyborg noted his sorrow, recognizing it instantly. "She's gone… isn't he?"

Beast Boy wiped his eyes. "They say it was an accident. That she lost control of her jeep… fell off a cliff and into a waterfall. They say that she was probably swerving to avoid an animal… I know better."

"Dude… I'm sorry."

Beast Boy shook it off. "After that, Rita took me to Doom Manor where I joined the Patrol. I was able to connect with most everyone else, but Mento…"

Beast Boy just turned away, with Vic recognizing his demeanor all too well.

"Hey, I get that. Me and my dad… had disagreements of our own in the past. But we managed to work past them."

"How'd you pull that off?"

"Well, using the cyber armor he used to save my life to stop an alien robot certainly helped."

Beast Boy chuckled in response. "I can imagine," his face dropped again. "But Mento's always had this… rigidness about him. Like everything in his life exists to help him beat the Brotherhood."

"It was similar with my dad. Everything just revolved around his work. Didn't seem like he… cared for me at all. But that turned out to be big-time wrong. I'm sure it's the same for Mento."

"Yeah right…"

Beast Boy just turned away in frustration, Cyborg unsure of what to say next.

Back with the other heroes, Superman used his x-ray and telescopic vision to scout ahead at the Brotherhood's base. Mento did the same with his own mental powers.

"I'm picking up at least a dozen men on the outside perimeter," Mento reported. "All armed to the teeth and ready to kill."

"I can back that up," Superman replied, squinting his eyes. "As well as turrets on the mountainside and on the ground, as well as more than a few mines on the ground."

"These guys don't play around," GL remarked.

"We will have to proceed with caution," Wonder Woman spoke up. "I recommend dealing with the outer defenses first before moving on to the armed forces."

"We'll wait until Cyborg and Beast Boy return before making our next plan of attack," Mento decided.

"That might take a while," Superman commented, walking over to him. "You really laid it on hard back there."

"I was being firm. This job isn't one to be taken lightly."

"Neither is being a guardian to a young boy. Has it ever occurred to you that he might need to see you as a father figure more than a leader?"

Mento grimaced a bit. "It… it's not that I don't care. I just want him to understand the world he's stepping in to. In this world, not all of us are gonna walk away. It's not pretty and he needs to know what it's gonna take to get the job done."

"Which won't mean anything if it comes at the expense of who he is," Batman spoke up, stepping forward next to Superman.

Mento looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure how to respond. His need to, however, seemed to be removed when he saw Cyborg and Beast Boy returning to the group.

"Everything good?" Superman asked.

"For the most part," Cyborg admitted.

Mento turned to Beast Boy, seeing his neutral expression on his face.

"Garfield-"

"Let's just get this done," Beast Boy cut off, marching past him.

Mento watched as he walked on, following after with the other heroes following close behind.

Inside the base, the other Brotherhood members were watching from hidden cameras as the heroes came on approach.

"It would seem Immortus failed," Madame Rouge commented.

"It is of little consequence," The Brain commented. "Before long, Mento and his allies will come to finish our long drawn-out fight. And end it will… with the death of the Doom Patrol."