Omarnosian10: Two days…
Wally: Is that a "The Ring" reference?
Conner: And what do you mean two days? It's been two months since you last updated this story.
Omarnosian10: Yes to Wally, no to Conner. I meant two days until Boonboomger's finale.
Megan: Isn't that Nitro Surge's source?
Omarnosian10: Yep, and the reason this is mentioned will be revealed in the chapter. ON WITH THE SHOW!
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Power Rangers. All rights go to Brandon Vietti, Greg Wiesman, and Saban. Before editing, portions of this chapter belong to JokerCyclone and The Incredible Muffin. I only own Josh, his OC upgrades, and most of his rogues. Ownerships of OC Power Ranger teams are in Profile.
Chapter 14: Homefront
(Gotham Academy, Morning)
Artemis had faced criminals, supervillains, monsters, and even a god, all without even flinching, but right now, she was more terrified than she had ever been. Unfortunately, she was unable to shoot the source of that fear with her bow, or even punch it.
Teachers tended to look down on students who attacked other students.
For the umpteenth time since putting it on, she pulled at the skirt of her uniform, an article of clothing she'd quickly come to loathe. It just felt so… girly, and with the tough-girl attitude she embodied, it made her want to punch someone just to make herself feel better.
In fact, she almost did punch someone: that annoying class rep, a girl with hair so blond it almost looked as gold as Josh's Gold Ranger suits. The only thing that stopped her from throwing the punch was a strong hand that clamped around her wrist.
"I wouldn't do it," warned a familiar voice quietly. Artemis whirled around to see quite the familiar face.
"Dick!?" hissed Artemis.
"Hey, I work in Gotham; what makes you think I wouldn't go to school here?" remarked Dick.
"Touché." admitted Artemis sheepishly.
"Come on, I'll show you around the school… and keep you from killing any of those annoying preppies." chuckled Dick. Artemis sighed in relief as she and Dick walked off, though she wasn't sure whether it was because she was going to school with another member of the Team, or that she wouldn't get in trouble for attacking someone on her first day of school. "Say, you want me to show you where the teachers hide the vending machine with the good snacks?"
(Gotham City, Evening)
After school, and with nothing else to do, Robin invited Artemis to patrol with him for a few hours before heading to the Cave, an invitation that the archer accepted. It was a relatively peaceful evening, which was rare for Gotham, but neither teen complained. Aside from a few easily stopped muggings, the two spent their time talking about school and the Team. As Artemis vaulted the gap between two buildings, a semi-familiar form caught her eye.
"Hey, isn't that Josh?"
Robin looked down and blinked behind his mask. Josh, carrying a shaking pet carrier with magic symbols carved into it, was in a suit neither of them had seen before. It was red with white gloves, boots, and shoulder covering, with gears between that and the red and around the neck. His helmet was red with a black star as a visor. From the stories Josh told them, they concluded it was Zeo Red.
"Yeah, it is. What's he doing in Gotham?" wondered Robin, the two watching their leader walk into an alley.
"And what's he carrying?" asked Artemis in worry.
"Why don't we find out?" grinned Robin, grappling towards him. Sighing, Artemis followed down a storm drain. The two faced their leader. "Hey, Red, what's up?"
"Well, well, if it ain't the Boy Blunder!" Popping in from the carrier's gate is a wooden puppet clad in a blue three-piece suit with a scar on its right cheek and short black 'hair' under a white fedora.
(A/N: Design is from first DCAU)
"Scarface?!" recognized Artemis. The Ventriloquist's puppet?! Here?!
"Hm? (looks at archer) Huh, looks like Robin Hood dumped Little John for a better model. Lemme outta here, and I'll show ya a good time." leered Scarface. Artemis shuddered in disgust. Her leader responded by taking out a white laser pistol and shooting the puppet in the gaps, getting yelps and screams of pain.
"Stay quiet, you little troublemaker!" ordered Zeo Red, shaking the carrier to get his point across. He then pressed one of the runes, the carrier's inside glowing briefly. Scowling, Scarface opened his mouth but no sound came out of his prison.
"Thanks." sighed Artemis in relief, blushing at the chivalrous action.
"Where's Wesker? (looks around) If Scarface's here, shouldn't the Ventriloquist be close?" asked Robin.
"No, I dropped him off at a mental health clinic for evaluation after exorcising him." shook Zeo Red.
"Exorcise? You mean…" dreaded Artemis, looking between her crush and the puppet.
"Wesker's 'Dissociative Identity Disorder' is nothing more than a psychic connection made with a tulpa embodied in a puppet," answered Zeo Red.
"Tulpa?" echoed Artemis.
"A Tibetan concept of something brought to life by spiritual or mental powers," answered Robin, remembering his sessions with Zatanna.
"Do either of you know how Scarface was created?" asked Zeo Red, the puppet scowling in the carrier.
"He was made in Blackgate by an inmate named Donnegan, right?" recalled Artemis.
"Correct, (nods) but what Donnegan didn't know at the time was that the wood he used to make Scarface came from the old gallows used to execute inmates before the abolition of the death penalty," explained Zeo Red.
"Geez…" winced Artemis.
"The spiritual imprints of the executed, along with Donnegan's mental imprint, resulted in the Scarface you see here." sighed Zeo Red, shaking the carrier.
"Great…" sighed Artemis. She is not looking forward to telling her mom about this, having always assumed Wesker is crazy. Yet, the ex-villainess always claimed she had suspicions about the dummy.
"So what are you gonna do about the dummy?" asked Robin curiously.
"F—Zatara called in a favor from an associate of his when I told him of my plans," answered Zeo Red. The slipup didn't go unnoticed, but the two decided not to push it.
"So where are you meeting the 'friend'?" asked Robin.
"Here." A blonde man with a white dress shirt, red tie, and a trench coat walks out from the shadows. "Name's Constantine, mates. Don't ya forget it,"
(A/N: Design is from DCAMU)
"Like we agreed on." nodded Zeo Red, handing the British man the carrier.
"Ol' Batsie isn't gonna make a fuss about me being in his city, is he?" asked Constantine, glancing at Robin. The Boy Wonder felt a bit irked.
"Zatara assured me that Batman won't interfere in any business you have as long as you are 'supervised'," noted Zeo Red.
"Huh… (raises eyebrow) Figured he'd see me off personally. (shrugs) Well, ain't looking that gift horse in the mouth." said Constantine dryly, taking the carrier. Muttering an incantation, a small orange portal formed beside him, which he put Scarface into. It then dispersed.
"So what're you gonna do with the guy?" asked Robin, having a sense of dread.
"Mate, you won't have to worry about ol' Scarface possessing anyone ever again when I'm through with him," smirked Constantine, taking out a cigar and lighter. Before he could smoke, a laser shot the cigar out of his hand and vaporized it.
"I'd appreciate it if you don't smoke, period," growled Zeo Red, Zeo Laser Pistol smoking.
"Bloody party pooper…" grumbled Constantine, turning away and conjuring a portal.
"That's it?" blinked Artemis, astonished at how straightforward the hand-off had been.
"Hate to disappoint you, lassie, but magic dealings aren't always as exciting as flicks claimed they were. (waves hands) Ciao." sighed Constantine, entering the portal before it dispersed.
"With that over… (turns to teammates) Any plans for the evening?" asked Zeo Red curiously. They looked at each other before shrugging, shelving recent events for later.
"We were just heading to the Cave; wanna come?" offered Robin.
"Sure." nodded Zeo-Red, demorphing. With that, the three went to the nearest Zeta-Tube, with Robin tapping his holo-computer to prepare to teleport.
"So… (looks at Josh) What made you decide to help Wesker with Scarface?" asked Artemis curiously, hoping to make small talk.
"Sometime after the Bialya mission, Robin, Batman, and I began discussing how to change their rogue gallery's routines. Wesker was one of the first to pop up and I did some digging on Scarface for a complete exorcism," explained Josh.
"Why didn't you just destroy the puppet?" frowned Artemis.
"Couldn't risk him jumping into another puppet or imprinting onto someone else and restarting the process." shook Josh. Artemis winced at the idea of hearing the dummy's voice day in and day out.
"Good point," conceded Artemis.
"Teleport's ready. It's odd, though; normally, someone sends the 'ready' signal, but this time, I had to wait for the automated response." announced Robin.
"Maybe everyone's busy?" offered Artemis.
"Maybe," shrugged Robin. The three of them were surrounded by white light…
(Mount Justice, Rhode Island)
Robin's eyes went wide as a torrent of flame headed towards them.
"Or maybe not!" Robin dives to the side, Artemis and Josh right behind him.
"What's going on!?" demanded Artemis, taking cover behind the teleporter controls.
The part of the Cave they were in was half-filled with smoke, and whoever was shooting fire at them was completely obscured, save for a blurry outline. In order to give themselves some breathing room, Robin threw some explosive birdarangs, while Artemis fired off several arrows. Josh attempted to summon a blaster of any kind… only for nothing to come to him.
'How is this possi—'
Robin winced from the heat as another stream of fire nearly hit him.
"Come on, we're sitting ducks out here! Head to the exit!" shouted Robin, jumping over a 'rope' of flames. With the two older heroes on his heels, Robin ran out of the room, heading for the exit. When they were close, however, a river's worth of water poured forth.
"So much for that plan," commented Josh before they were washed into the storage bay. They barely had time to stand up when a rain of fireballs headed toward them. The three heroes sprinted toward the nearest room, which happened to be the exercise room. They tried contacting their teammates and the League as they ran through, trying to distance themselves from their unknown attackers. Despite using multiple channels and attempting to get Miss Martian's attention by broadcasting their thoughts, they got no response. The door behind them exploded, knocking them off their feet but leaving them unharmed. It motivated them to move even faster, but not before Robin plugged a cable from a glove into a nearby computer.
"What are you doing!?" hissed Artemis.
"Downloading the Cave's schematics," answered Robin.
"Don't bother. I checked the schematics often enough to memorize the place's layout, " said Josh, tapping his temple.
"Nice work." smiled Artemis.
"Thanks… it's the only thing I'm good for at the moment," grumbled Josh, which the others heard.
"I'll change course and download the last few hours of security footage in case our attackers get the idea to take power out," commented Robin, zoning his teammates out.
"What are you talking about?" asked Artemis, looking at her leader in confusion. Sighing in frustration, Josh held up his hands, palms open and wrists bared.
"The communications aren't the only thing that's jammed. Whoever's in the Cave is also responsible for dulling my connection to the Morphin Grid; I can't bring out any Morphers or weapons. I'm basically as harmless as a fly." explained Josh, resisting the urge to scowl.
"Then here. (takes domino mask out of belt) Use one of my spares so the attackers won't see your face." offered Robin, watching the download bar progress. Nodding, Josh took the mask and put it on. Artemis blushed, finding her leader with the mask on… a tad more attractive with the mystery vibe it gave off.
"Thanks." A weak chime is heard before Robin disconnects his glove.
"It's done. Once we get somewhere more secure, we can check the footage. (looks at Josh) You know the nearest place we can hide?" asked Robin.
"Yeah. (nods and points in direction) The kitchen has a vent we can use to reach the Lab where we can arm ourselves more." answered Josh.
"That's a good idea. (glances at quiver) I'm gonna need a lot more efoam arrows when we come face-to-face with the hothead." agreed Artemis. Making sure to stay crouched behind cover, they headed to the kitchen, where the vent in question was waiting. They quickly climbed up, with Artemis going last by Josh's orders and pulling the grate back up and securing it.
"They'll know where we went if they see the grate on the floor. (looks at Artemis, then Robin) I need you to disable the motion- and heat-sensors so that they don't find us." ordered Josh.
"My kind of plan. Gimme a sec." grinned Robin, tampering with his glove. Multitasking, he followed Josh with Artemis behind him.
"So… any idea who's trying to kill us?" asked Artemis slowly.
"Not sure… (shakes head) There are plenty of species, alien and supernatural that possess pyro and/or hydrokinesis. Not sure if any of them also exist here. Can either of you remember if any villains possess those powers, naturally or artificially?" asked Josh.
"Hmm… For the firepower, the only suspects I have in mind are Firefly and Volcana, but Lynns would've been louder and in the air to view his 'masterpiece', and Selton's more of a thief than an arsonist… Just in case, I'll check the souvenir room later. (clears throat) And for the water, aside from Atlanteans… only one person comes to mind, and you two were part of a group that fought him." commented Robin. Josh and Artemis exchanged looks before a name came to mind.
"The Eel."
"Exactly. (nods, then pauses) Wait, we're here." announced Robin. Opening the grate below, he led the others into the lab. Thankfully, it's undamaged, hinting that the intruders never came.
"Will they know we're here?" asked Artemis warily, rushing to the space she made for making trick arrows.
"No, I finished disabling the sensors seconds before we got in. As far as anyone knows, we're still in the vents," assured Robin.
"Good. (looks around) Now that we have time, Robin, do you mind bringing out the security footage?" asked Josh.
"On it, boss." saluted Robin, activating his holo-computer. The holoscreen showed the remaining Team members at the hangar, gathered around Conner's bike, two members catching his and Artemis' attention. "What's up with Kaldur and Megan? They look like they've tussled with Dracula or something."
"I can explain it. (sighs, folding arms) Remember those creatures that appeared recently; Arsonyx and Freezadon? (Robin and Artemis nod) A few days ago, Kaldur called me and Megan about finding another in Pearl Harbor; one that's been draining the blood of its victims and taking their shape to commit random crimes to implicate them." started Josh.
"Sounds like some kinda Martian vampire." hissed Artemis.
"How did Kaldur find out about this thing?" asked Robin.
"One of the victims is someone Kaldur helped before who was blind from an accident; the creature which called itself Vytala doesn't take its victims' 'imperfections', such as disabilities, tattoos, and scars unless they're hereditary. Genetically, there's no way to distinguish it from its victims." scowled Josh.
"Sounds like someone Professor Pyg will love," growled Robin. Artemis nods… and blinks.
"Wait, if this thing can absorb blood, then can it—"
"Absorb powers? Yeah, but it depends on the amount of blood, and doesn't have the muscle memory to control them. When Vytala took some of his blood, it also took his weakness to lack of water; the creature survived on nothing but blood, you do the math." continued Josh.
"Hehe, I bet the thing stayed away from Aqualad." chuckled Robin.
"On the contrary… it was smarter than any of us anticipated. In our second-to-last fight, it went on about how it found a new place to feed and a way to 'hide anywhere'." shook Josh.
"Atlantis and Miss Martian's blood." realized Robin and Artemis.
"Exactly. (nods) What led to our last fight is that it staged an accident near Megan and when she 'rescued' 'him', it took hold of her and drained her. If it wasn't for Kaldur and I having the foresight to do the mental link, she would've been skin and bones by the time we arrived. (Robin and Artemis paled) It was also because of the mental link that Megan gained an idea to weaken Vytala." smirked Josh.
"How?" asked Artemis.
"She tricked it into using her telepathic powers. Given that it lacked control and it drained a significant amount of blood, its head overloaded with the hundreds, maybe thousands, of minds around it," answered Josh.
"Like with how Superman was with his superhearing before he controlled it." realized Robin.
"Right. (nods) Unfortunately, Megan and Kaldur were unable to harm the creature, similar to Arsonyx and Freezadon. I was able to destroy it in one of my Next Legend suits… but not before it had a chance to spasm and go through every disguise in its arsenal, which Megan recorded and gave to the local police, clearing Vytala's victims' names." finished Josh. Satisfied, Robin played the footage after he and Artemis took a moment to process the story.
"Torque wrench," stated Kid Flash. Superboy handed him the wrench.
"You know, I can do this just fine on my own. Besides, do you really know anything about bikes?" asked Superboy.
"When I was little, I used to help my dad work on this old Mustang. Picked up a few things," explained Kid Flash.
"I have been meaning to ask, have either of you had problems juggling school work with your responsibilities here?" asked Aqualad, looking between Miss Martian and Superboy, the former eating a homemade cookie.
"Daily cheerleading practice complicates things, especially with this… (gestures to gauge) but I'll manage. As much as we like the Bumblebees, our loyalty is always to this team first," answered Miss Martian.
"Wait, we?" echoed Kid Flash, raising an eyebrow.
"When nothing is going on in Drama Club, I keep fit with stuff like cheerleading; kinda like a part-time thing." smiled Jasmine, watching Superboy work.
"Lucky bastard with his cheerleader girlfriend…" grumbled Kid Flash, glaring at Superboy. The clone blushed but didn't deny it.
"…What?" frowned Josh dryly. Robin and Artemis shuddered, feeling killing intent coming off the elder brother in waves.
"D-Dude, you can murder Conner later. Remember what we're watching this for." reminded Robin. Josh took a few deep breaths, calming down.
"OK, so it looks like everyone's enjoying themselves, (sighs in relief) but it doesn't explain what happened to them," noted Artemis, wanting to change the subject… and maybe her undergarments later.
"Just keep watching—there! (holoscreen suddenly erupted into static) Wait, let me back it up." frowned Robin, doing so. A massive explosion ripped through the room right before the camera was cut out (or likely destroyed). Robin tapped his holo-keyboard, swapping cameras. This showed the Team rising to their feet, and whatever they saw seemed to shock them. Before they could react, water surged out of the pool and knocked out Superboy and the camera.
"I guess we can rule out Eel and any Atlanteans," scowled Josh.
"Why'd you say that?" blinked Artemis, worried.
"Look at their faces. (backs up camera) If it was either of those, Kaldur would either be the most or least surprised. But he's showing the same face as the others. Also, given that Volcana typically faces Superman on an occasional basis, Conner likely would've known what she looks like from stories and/or facing her. But he's exactly as surprised as everyone else." explained Robin.
"Meaning we're likely to be dealing with a completely unknown element." frowned Josh. The two couldn't tell if the pun was intentional or not. Prioritizing, Robin changed cameras. This one showed Aqualad, and Miss Martian charging at their attacker, only for a blast of flame to knock out the camera.
"Wait, if whoever's attacking brought fire and knew Kaldur and Megan would be here… Could it be Metallo?" considered Artemis.
"No, if that was the case, Jasmine would be the odd one out in faces." shook Robin.
"But you may be onto something. (folds arms) Maybe whoever's attacking is using Stalker tech." frowned Josh.
"If that's true, then why the water? No one in the League is pyrokinetic and/or weak to it. ****, wouldn't it help Aqualad since he could've turned that against them?" countered Robin. Scowling in agreement, Josh rubbed his temples.
"This is getting us nowhere… Switch cameras again," ordered Josh. Robin did so. This camera showed Kid Flash and Sphere getting ready to launch an attack before a massive wave of water knocked out the camera. The next camera showed Jasmine making several gestures with her hands, panicking before a burst of water struck her and the camera. Robin checked the other cameras for that room, but each was the same: static.
"All the cameras are dead." sighed Robin.
"So you're not the only one that can't morph." frowned Artemis, looking at her leader.
"After this mess is over, remind me to put an alarm system that tells me when the place is jammed," noted Josh.
"Sure." nodded Robin.
"How are you two so calm?! (boys jump) They took out all of our superpowered teammates, and one of us can't even use his weapons, much less his suits. What chance do we have…?" panicked Artemis, slumping against a wall. She's on the verge of hyperventilating.
"You think I'm not scared for everyone, especially my sister? (Artemis' eyes widen) Trust me, there's nothing more I wanna do than rush in there and hurt the ones responsible… but the rational side of me knows that doing that would be reckless, and doing everything I can to deny those urges. I can't control what happens to others, but I can control myself. And right now, our best bet is to gear up and make these intruders regret thinking they can get on our home turf without consequences." glared Josh. The resolve of the leader inspired Robin and Artemis, the latter calming down. Reaching behind her desk, she took out an extra bow and quiver.
"Figured you want something for yourself in case you can't get close." smiled Artemis, giving them to Josh. The leader equips them to his person.
"And for extra coverage. (approaches with metallic cylinder) The bō staff Batman had me train within my first year. Haven't used it that much recently, but given how much you're a 'jack-of-trades' with weapons…" smirked Robin. Josh took it, nodding.
"Much appreciated."
(Cave Library, minutes later)
"There should be a secret passage behind one of these bookcases," said Robin, coming out of the vent, shortly followed by Josh and Artemis.
"Seriously? Cliché much." commented the archer.
"You should see the Batcave," hissed Robin, before Josh grabbed both his and Artemis' shoulders and jerked his head backward, then tapped his ear. The three of them took cover just as a familiar, synthesized voice called out.
"Robin, Artemis, Ranger, are you all right?"
"It's Red Tornado!" declared Artemis, relieved. Josh and Robin's masked eyes widened when she ran out; memories of Mr. Twister came to mind. Adding that the voice excluded the 'Omni-' from Josh's codename…
"Artemis, wait!" The boys' protest fell on deaf ears when Artemis went behind the corner to greet the Leaguer…
'Uh-oh.' But it wasn't Red Tornado; it was an android, and its chassis was red, but it was more angular, lacked the blue cape, and had what looked like the head of a yellow trident pointed down on its chest. It reached out to grab Artemis, but Robin tackled her out of the way, while Josh slammed his borrowed, extended staff into the robot's head. The blow wouldn't have done much damage, if any, but while in the lab, the boys had done some modifications to the outdated weapon; with the flick of a switch, the ends were wreathed in electricity. Even so, the upgraded weapon only stunned the robot for a few seconds, but it was enough for the three heroes to get a head start.
"Well, you were half-right. It was Red, but it wasn't our Red." joked Robin while they ran. Just before they exited the library, another android appeared. This one had a more feminine appearance and had a yellow stripe going along the chest and thigh. It aimed its hands at the heroes, and two columns of fire roared out at them. The flames set off the sprinklers set up on the ceiling, but that only gave the first android ammunition for its water powers, which it directed at them. Hastily, the three vaulted on top of a bookcase.
"Robots… Out of all the potential species that came to mind, robots with elemental powers weren't one of them." scowled Josh, narrowly avoiding a high-pressure stream of water that almost decapitated him.
"What aliens were at the top of the list?" asked Artemis curiously, firing an arrow. The feminine android waved its hand and blocked it with an arc of fire. Artemis mentally cursed; she was hoping for the masculine one to block it with water so she could freeze it.
"Pyronites and Hydrosapiens," answered Josh. Before Artemis could ask for more details, Robin threw a smoke pellet between them and the androids, the smoke covering the latter.
"Go!" gestured Robin to the revealed secret tunnel. The three rushed inside, just before the bookcases slammed into the closing door. While the smoke obscured the androids' view of the tunnel's reveal, they won't be taking chances of them attempting to find it by force.
"So, did either of you know that Red Tornado had siblings?!" demanded Artemis while they ran.
"No, that's news to me," admitted Robin.
"The closest I can think of is Mister Twister, but that was a suit, not a complete android." shook Josh.
"So how did you beat this Twister guy last time?" asked Artemis frantically.
"We tricked him into thinking he was fighting Tornado and Leader here finished him off with some help from me and Kaldur," smirked Robin.
"That was when I could morph and the whole group was together. (collapses staff) Plus, we left the ID Masks in the lab, and even if we have one to take Megan's place in the strategy, we have no way of deceiving the androids completely unless we can either find Kid or restore my connection to the Grid." explained Josh. Artemis sighed. Robin winces.
"I, uh… might have an idea on how to do the latter. (gets attention) In the early days you've been here, Josh, Batman whipped up a contingency plan to go against you in case of going rogue or mind control." hissed Robin.
"Of course he did." rolled Artemis. Josh didn't feel angry; he would've done the same thing if he was in the Dark Knight's shoes.
"You think these androids got ahold of that plan?" noted Josh.
"No. (shakes head) The original draft is something he made when studying the energy you give; likely whoever made these androids did something similar to dull your connection with a similar method. If we can get to the lab, I can whip up something that can shield you from that and restore your connection." explained Robin.
"Like a jammer jammer?" blinked Artemis.
"…More like an anti-jammer, but yeah." nodded Robin.
"How long do you think that will take?" asked Josh. Before the Boy Wonder could answer, the Cave's speakers went off.
"Attention Robin, Artemis, Ranger. You have exactly ten minutes to surrender in the hangar. If you do not, the lives of your teammates will be extinguished." demanded one of the androids. The three stopped running.
"More time than that." winced Robin. Artemis looked between her bow and her teammates, then took a deep breath.
"Will it take less if Josh helps and I stall? (boys' eyes widen) Let's admit it guys; compared to you two, I'm the dumbest and won't be any help in making this thing. The best I can do is buy you two enough time to whip something up to turn the tides in our favor." admitted Artemis. Robin was too surprised to chuckle at the unintended pun.
"Are you absolutely sure you should do this?" asked Josh dreadfully. Artemis nods, fires of resolution in her eyes.
"I'm sure."
(Hangar)
Aqualad panted under the heat of the flames that constructed his cage, but compared to his cellmate, he was doing well. M'gann had passed out almost immediately, and though she didn't display any outward signs of illness, the Atlantean knew that her Martian physiology couldn't handle the heat, especially with her lower-than-average blood count at the moment.
None of the others were doing any better. Superboy and Kid Flash were bound to the ground with metal that had been warped to contain them, and Jasmine was held in a sphere of water, her head just barely sticking out. Aqualad was working on reaching out to the liquid with his weakening mind… when the female android flew into the hangar, clad in flames. Her eyes glowed red, causing the flame prison to grow in its intensity. Meanwhile, the male emerged from the water, raising his hand and causing the water to flood the hangar slowly.
"Oh man…" frowned Kid Flash nervously. As the water steadily rises, it raised its other hand, causing the water prison to begin to constrict.
"Nine minutes and forty-five seconds remain." It announced. As this happened, Artemis peered out the door of a secret passage, surveying the area and deciding which of her teammates to release first.
"****… (looks up) Those sprinklers can put out the cage… but waterboy might move it away…" mused Artemis. Using her foam arrows would draw the androids' attention before she could finish extinguishing the cage, too. That leaves Kid, Superboy, and her crush's sister. She could use a freeze arrow on the bubble, but Jasmine's not strong enough to break herself out of an ice prison either. Not to mention, not a single one of her arrows has the destructive potential to break those metal prisons.
'Wait… single?' An idea sparked in the archer's mind. Tapping her emblem, her suit swapped to Stealth Mode (which, thanks to some modifications, also includes infrared shielding). The archer then entered the shadows, listening.
"I'm gonna tear these tin cans apart," growled Superboy.
"If Josh was here and saw how they're treating Jazz, I'm pretty sure he'd say something about getting in line," noted Kid Flash. He and the clone then felt their metallic prison slowly, but surely heating up. Judging by the feminine android keeping eyes on the fire cage, they knew it wasn't responsible. Glancing around, only Kid Flash could see Artemis stabbing a few thermal arrows into their prison. At the sight of the archer he despises, the speedster scowls. "You…"
"What?" asked Superboy, trying to get a good view. The only person he knows that could get that kind of reaction from the speedster is… "Artemis?"
"We don't need your help. Red Arrow could get us out of here in the time it takes for you to blink." taunted Kid Flash. Artemis kept quiet for multiple reasons; one being the rebreather that would muffle her voice and another being that she had to time when to use her freeze arrow perfectly; doing so otherwise would draw the androids' attention. Taking her silence as shock, the speedster egged on. "It's no surprise that you can't beat a couple of Red Tornado knock-offs; heck, you should leave this stuff to the pros, fake Arrow. In fact, the Joker has a better shot at being a hero than you, **—"
"Artemis, look out!" Superboy's warning came too late when a fireball zoomed toward Artemis and exploded on impact. The archer was launched towards a hangar wall, burns covering most of her arms and her gloves scorched to cinders. At the sight of the pained archer, resentment, and hatred left Kid Flash's body, soon being replaced by shock… and guilt.
'What have I done…'
"A futile effort, archer." taunted the masculine android, conjuring tendrils of water that removed the thermal arrows and discarded them. "Were it not for the assistance of the speedster, your attempt to turn the confinements brittle would've succeeded."
"Way to go, Kid!" glared Superboy. The reality of his ill-thought actions setting in, Kid Flash could do nothing but gaze downward in shame. Hissing in pain after spitting the rebreather out, Artemis grabbed her bow, then reached into her quiver and felt around for an arrow.
"Any chance you two could give me your names before ending me or should I keep calling you Red Wetter and Red Sparky?" taunted Artemis before standing, disgustingly thankful that her sperm donor's training for her high pain tolerance.
"The use of our designations is of no benefit." responded the feminine android, preparing a fireball. Finding the right arrows, Artemis smirked.
"Benefit from this!" Artemis fired two trick arrows; one for each android. They blocked with their respective elements, only for the arrowheads to explode and splash them with clear liquids… which soon started eating away at them. "Hydrochloric acid arrows; normally reserved for guys in fancy armor, but robots work too!"
"Nice," smirked Superboy. With a wave of its hand, the masculine android washed the acid off with water, leaving behind eaten metal layers.
"Futile." commented the feminine android, swinging down a whip of fire. Artemis leaped to the side and dodged it. She prepped another arrow, only to feel something holding her down. Gazing downward, her eyes widened at the water tendrils holding her feet and slowly going up her lower body. Hasty, she fired the arrow at the masculine android, only for the feminine one to bring up a wall of flames that destroyed it. Reforming it into a fireball, it then fired it towards Artemis. The archer barely ducked to avoid being barbecued. She reached for an arrow… only to smell smoke. Her eyes widened. Realizing that the fireball had grazed her quiver, she scrambled to undo the strap. Artemis, with half her torso trapped in water, slung the quiver at the masculine android, the fire reaching the trick arrows and causing them to explode in the android's face. Sadly for the archer, the explosion didn't damage the android nor hinder its focus on the water around her. The masculine android even lifted her off the flooded ground.
"Attention Robin and Ranger. Your teammate Artemis has failed in her lonesome rescue attempt. If you believe that me and my sister are bluffing, then a demonstration is necessary to prove otherwise." threatened the masculine android. Quickly, the water surrounding Artemis now consumes her completely. The archer tried moving to grab her rebreather, but it felt as if the water was alive and keeping her from moving. Soon, the liquid began entering her lungs.
'Josh… I'm sorry… I lost…'
"Artemis didn't fail us, you fakers!" Out of nowhere, a red blur came in and dashed through Artemis' watery prison, carrying the archer out bridal-style and bursting the water. Coughing water out of her lungs, Artemis got a good look at her rescuer.
"J-Omni-Ranger?" Her leader is clad in a red suit with a white lower side, left sleeve, and glove. The sides of the legs and left arm are dark gray. The design on his torso resembles the upper left side of a speedometer. On his left wrist is a black brace with a white/red speedometer-like Morpher with a blue exhaust pipe design on the left and lower side, along with a checkered wheel under it and a silver pedal on the right side. His helmet is red, with a silver mouthplate and a black tire for a visor with the metal parts being red and having 5 spokes in a star pattern.
"In this new suit, you can call me Nitro Surge Red." answered the Red Ranger.
"Inconceivable!" commented the masculine android, shock present in his robotic voice.
"Our anti-Grid technology remains functional. How are you capable of Morphing?" questioned the female android.
"That would be because of me!" laughed Robin hauntingly. Everyone looked up to see the Boy Wonder crouched on the catwalk near the ceiling, smirking down at the androids.
"Artemis was only stalling you so Robin and I could restore my powers! (notices burns on arms) Are you…" trailed Nitro Surge Red dreadfully.
"Don't worry, I'm…" shook Artemis before hissing and rubbing her arms.
"…Robin, treat her burns. (sets Artemis down on corner) I'll handle these Red fakers." ordered Nitro Surge Red, standing and facing the androids.
"Got it, boss." nodded Robin, grappling down to the archer's side. By the tone of his leader's voice, the Boy Wonder got the hint that he wouldn't be holding back.
"It is unwise to confront us, Ranger. Even with the restoration of your abilities, we have defeated five of your teammates, one of which is your sibling." taunted the masculine android.
"That's the thing. (tightens fist) None of them are me. Nitro Extinguisher!" In a flash of red, a fire extinguisher-like blaster appeared in the Ranger's hands. He pumped it three times; one word coming out for each pump.
Leo! Rescue! Rise!
"Nitro Ranger! (pulls ring) Fire Up!" Nitro Surge Red aimed the Extinguisher upward and fired it. From the nozzle, energy duplicates of the tire on his helmet came out and began spinning around him. Then, a siren light formed around Nitro Surge Red, the wheels going clockwise around it. Two rushed to his shoulders, becoming firetruck-themed shoulder guards. Another extinguisher-like device formed on his back, with silver hoses coming over his shoulders. Next, his torso glowed before being covered in red firefighter-like armor. His helmet flashed before the top half turned silver and more armored, the bottom half stretched down akin to a firefighter helmet, and two fangs emerged under the lips of the mouthplate. Flames burst from beneath the armor, which consumed the suit before turning it shiny red with black sides.
Go High Speed! The Flame Fighter! Leo Rescue Red!
~Battle Song: Nitro Surge theme by MrThompson~
"Whoa…" The conscious team was awed at their leader's armor. Just by looking at it, they could tell it's loads stronger than most of the power-ups they've seen.
"Changing your appearance is a futile effort." scoffed the feminine android. Flicking her hand upward, she conjured a hurricane of flames that raced toward Nitro Surge Red.
"Nitro Douser!" Extinguishing foam shot out of the hoses on Nitro Surge Red's shoulders in the form of streams. It collided with the hurricane, swiftly putting it out. It didn't stop there; the streams struck the feminine android, launching her into a wall.
"You may be capable of countering my sister, but my hydrokinesis is another story." commented the masculine android, shooting a torrent of spiraling water. Nitro Surge Red only walked forward, undeterred. Once the water collided, it washed over the Red Ranger harmlessly.
"Nice try; many firefighters are always prepared for friendly fire." taunted Nitro Surge Red before pumping the Nitro Extinguisher and firing upward. A hail of foam bullets then fell around the hangar, not only damaging the masculine android but also putting out the fire cage. Relieved, Aqualad weakly commanded the nearby water to dowse him and Miss Martian, cooling them.
"Thank you, Omni-Ranger." sighed the SIC in relief.
"Why isn't the tin can controlling this stuff?" asked Superboy, shaking off foam.
"Best guess is it can only control pure water; not liquids in general nor in other forms." surmised Robin, applying burn ointment onto Artemis' arms. Getting out of the wall and to her brother's side, the feminine android shot bullets of fire. Nitro Surge Red rushed, dodging them all before propelling himself above the androids with the hoses' foam streams; a variation of a trick he learned from Ben. High in the air, he pumped the Nitro Extinguisher a bunch of times before aiming downward.
"Leo Fire Burst!" Instead of foam or water, a stream of ultra-high-pressure energy is fired from the Extinguisher and toward the androids. They created a dome of flames and water… only for the stream to pierce through and strike them. A red energy shockwave along with a cloud of steam came off the collision while Nitro Surge Red was propelled higher into the air, reaching the catwalk. The Red Ranger landed on it in a knee. Below, the androids are in scattered pieces, destroyed.
~End theme~
If that wasn't enough proof of their demise, Jasmine's water prison dispersed. The unmorphed Ranger fell onto her back, soaking wet. Nitro Surge Red jumped over the catwalk and landed by her side, powering down to his base suit. Suddenly, Jasmine sat up, coughing out water from her lungs. Groaning, she then eyed her brother.
"Never seen that Ranger before," commented Jasmine. "Much less that Battlizer."
"Battlizer?" echoed the natives. Nitro Surge Red ignored them, approaching Miss Martian and Aqualad, kneeling to the former.
"Aqualad, is she…?" asked Nitro Surge Red, worried that he arrived too late.
"I… I do not know…" sighed Aqualad. They have a right to worry; not only because of the flames, but because the Martian is still recovering from Vytala's attack. Suddenly, Miss Martian slowly stirred awake. Alert, Nitro Surge Red cradled her.
"M'gann?" asked the Red Ranger. The first thing Miss Martian saw was the helmet of her crush; whom she recognized by his voice.
"Hey, handsome…" smiled Miss Martian deliriously. Adding to this, she moved her head up, and kissed the helmet's mouthplate, mistaking them for actual lips. Watching this from her corner, Artemis dropped her jaw.
'Oh **** no!'
(Minutes later)
"…and so me and Josh stayed behind to restore his connection." finished Robin, everyone gathered around those still trapped in metal.
"Good thing we finished early, too. (gestures to mechanical wristwatch on right wrist, faceplate being dull gray) With the rush job, my powers were only restored temporarily; if I took any longer to destroy the androids, I would've been forcefully demorphed." added Josh.
"Yeah…" blushed Miss Martian, completely awake and connected to a Martian IV bag. She still can't believe what she's done to Josh while 'loopy' as some Earthlings called it. Artemis couldn't either, sending her glares every so often. It would've been more threatening if most of her upper body wasn't covered in burn gauze.
"Uh, that's a good story and all… but can you get us out of this? My legs are starting to go numb…" requested Kid Flash.
"Give me a moment." sighed Josh, aiming a hand at the metal prisons. "Latem Emoceb Etalocohc." They glowed brown before becoming…
"Is this (sniffs)… chocolate?" asked Superboy, breaking an arm free before grabbing a piece that almost hit the floor and consumed it. He hummed in delight before flexing his body loose from the prison.
"Chocolate? (vibrates an arm loose and eats a piece) Chocolate?! (smirks) CHOCOLATE!" screamed Kid Flash, becoming a tornado and consuming his prison.
"Gross, that was kinda touching the floor." cringed Artemis.
"Why'd you make it chocolate?" asked Miss Martian curiously.
"It was the first thing that came to mind." shrugged Josh.
"…You skipped meals again, didn't you?" asked Jasmine dryly, clad in a bathrobe. Once fully functional, she took to the showers; it was confirmed earlier that she was in seawater as opposed to the android's filtered water attacks.
"Again?!" gasped Miss Martian.
"Yeah, my brother tends to skip meals whenever he works on a project, whether it's for school or personal." nodded Jasmine. Slowly, Aqualad and Kid Flash (after finishing the prison and having chocolate all over him) turned their gazes to Robin. The Boy Wonder caught on.
"I am not like that!"
"Apologies, but from knowing Batman, I'd have to disagree with your denial, Robin." The members of the Team looked at Red Tornado, who was flying in, with mixed expressions. Some of them were relieved, while others were annoyed.
"Where the heck were you!? We almost got killed by your crazy family!" shouted Artemis, waving her bandaged arms.
"I was not aware that I had relations." tilted Red Tornado, looking at the pieces of the destroyed androids.
"You didn't answer her. (scowls) Where've you been this whole time?!" demanded Superboy. Sphere let out various beeps that sound like swearing.
"Monitor duty on the Watchtower. When it became clear that communications with the Cave were down, I alerted the League, then came to investigate. Unfortunately, the League was spread thin today, and whatever was jamming communications also prevented long-range teleports. It must have occurred shortly after Robin, Artemis, and Omni-Ranger arrived. I teleported to just outside the city and traveled here." replied Red Tornado, kneeling in front of the masculine android's cracked head. Grabbing one of the feminine android's hands, Robin frowned.
"What is it, Robin?" noticed Aqualad.
"The breakoff point's too clean; almost like a blade was used," answered Robin. Aqualad blinks.
"I may not have been entirely conscious when Omni-Ranger rescued us, but I am certainly positive he never used a bladed weapon of any sort," commented Aqualad.
"It's almost as if…" Robin turned to Red Tornado, who was reaching out to the masculine android's head. Just before they came in contact, a red spark connected them. All three androids' eyes glowed red with the pieces rocketing around in red cyclones before reassembling. Androids standing, Red Tornado's lower body was surrounded by a twister, while he pointed his hands at the Team. Cyclones enveloped both his arms, siphoning all the air in his direction. The Team gasped for air, and Josh dropped to his knees. The last thing he saw before his vision went black were Tornado's glowing red eyes…
(Hours later)
"…osh… Josh… JOSH!" With a gasp, Josh sat upright and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was still in the Cave, but instead of attacking androids, he was surrounded by allies, friends, and family. Green Arrow had a supportive arm around Artemis' shoulders with Zatara muttering a healing spell, while Robin and Aqualad were talking to Batman and Aquaman. Superman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter were hugging their protégés/family.
"You alright, kiddo?" In front of the Martinez siblings are the Zordroids; however, signs of particular battle damage are on each of them. Tyrex is also the one who asked while Leonel was the one who repeated his name.
"I'm fine. (shakes head and stands up) But what about you four?" asked Josh. Jasmine nods, standing as well.
"Well, it turns out your team wasn't the only ones attacked by a Red android," answered Accel, wiping soot off his chassis.
"The whole League?" widened Jasmine.
"No; just us Zordroids, little Jasmine." shook Leonel, shaking leaves off his head.
"A lightning one attacked Accel, an icy one assaulted Tyrex, and you could already tell one with nature powers went against Leonel," listed Titana.
"You didn't fight one?" asked Jasmine.
"No, I was with Zatara; whether I wasn't attacked because I wasn't alone or because there weren't any more androids is unclear." shook Titana.
"Speaking of… (looks around) Any idea where they are?" asked Josh.
"Not a clue. (shakes head) Heck, we didn't even know Tornado went rogue until you kids told us." answered Tyrex, stretching his limbs and letting snow fall off his body.
"He didn't go rogue willingly! He only went when he touched the water guy's head!" defended Jasmine. She may know Tornado the least out of her teammates, but even she knew the android wouldn't attack them out of the blue.
"This is all my fault! (punches palm) If I'd made sure those androids were destroyed properly, Red Tornado wouldn't have been corrupted." scowled Josh.
"You had no way of knowing the androids were falsifying their destruction. (approaches Josh) Also, from what Robin told me, even if they hadn't, it's likely any piece, no matter how small, would be enough to infect Tornado. In that scenario, he likely would've taken his fellow androids' parts for repairs." assured Batman. Josh scowled.
"Still…"
"Rest assured, Omni-Ranger…" Aquaman exchanged serious looks with his fellow Leaguers. "The Justice League will not rest until Red Tornado is safe and home."
Wally: You mean to tell me this story has almost twice the number of Red androids as canon?
Kaldur: Lightning, ice, and nature… all elements like the androids'.
Omarnosian10: They'll appear in my version of "Humanity".
Artemis: Are they gonna replace Volcano?
Omarnosian10: No, they won't.
Megan: What about this Vytala creature?
Omarnosian10: Another Psycho-Pawn I made that was battled off-screen.
Dick: And the thing with Scarface?
Omarnosian10: The start of my plans for "Arkham Redemption". It's not a story idea, just an operation name. Is that all?
Conner: For now.
Omarnosian10: Good. SMOKEBOMB!
