Ben 10: Justice Incarnate

Unknown Location

Professor Ivo's Laboratory

August 3rd, 10:15 EDT

Professor Anthony Ivo sat hunched over a monitor in frustration as he stared at the last moments of AMAZO's feed. The screen flickered, replaying the battle from the android's perspective. His creation, his masterpiece—was defeated. Ivo gritted his teeth as the footage looped again. Things seemed to be going well at first. The Justice League was completely thrown off by the attack. His initial projections suggested that any long-term combat would have lasted at least 3 hours.

"How…?" he muttered to himself. "How did this happen?"

He fast-forwarded through the earlier parts of the footage, where AMAZO had been beating down the Justice League. The powers of the arrived superhumans were copied, just as Ivo had intended. It had all been going perfectly.

Yet somehow, everything had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. One moment, AMAZO chased Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary in an abandoned building. Flash and Superman managed to retreat with them. The next thing he saw was that the tracking methods were becoming ineffective one by one. Thermal imaging, audio tracking, and motion sensors were no longer viable.

Finding Batman turned out to be a ruse. AMAZO couldn't get a hit on Flash as the others attacked in tandem. It seemed that T.O. Morrow was getting revenge on him through Red Tornado. Dealing with him as an irritating support role was not what he expected. Also, since when could Superman fight like he did just then?! It's like he knew exactly how AMAZO was going to strike. The last few minutes of the video went in and out before ending with a brief flash of Superman and Flash.

Ivo's fingers gripped the edge of his desk. "Damn it!" He replayed the footage, running a hand through his disheveled hair. His mind raced, trying to piece together the battle. The League couldn't have been acting blindly. But who? Wait…

He looked through the footage one last time. At some point in the fight, Martian Manhunter left and never came back to fight. Was it related to how they won? Perhaps. That's something to look into.

He clenched his fists, seething as he imagined the heroes celebrating their victory. This wasn't over. He wouldn't let them have the final word. The League wouldn't be able to hide from him for long. And next time, they wouldn't be so lucky.

Star City

August 3rd, 10:25 EDT

Now that the battle was over, the heroes felt relief and exhaustion. The fight tore up the streets. Thankfully, Star City was insured for these types of incidents since it housed Green Arrow. The Justice League members were spread out, taking a much-needed breather.

Flash and Superman moved at superspeed, collecting dismembered pieces of the robot's body. Their task was made infinitely easier thanks to Brainstorm, who helped calculate the exact trajectories of where each piece had landed.

"I think that's all of 'em," Flash said, dropping the last few bits of AMAZO's arm into a growing pile. He glanced at Superman, who was hovering just above the wreckage. As they finished gathering the last of the pieces, the rest of the Justice League began to regroup. Batman stood with Green Arrow and Black Canary, observing the pile.

Captain Atom was still on the phone with his military liaison, updating them on the situation.

Just as the League members got back to their feet, Martian Manhunter descended toward the group. Along with him was… a large crab-like creature.

The Justice League stared momentarily, uncertain of what they were seeing. The creature was massive, with a hard, shell-like body. But it wasn't the alien's strange form that caught their attention. It was the familiar green hourglass symbol.

"Ark?" Flash blurted out. He pointed to the creature, glancing around at the others to confirm he wasn't imagining things. "That's... you, right?"

The crab-like creature hovered closer. "Yes. It is I. You may also refer to me as Brainstorm if you so wish."

The Justice League exchanged glances. While they knew Ark was reserved about what kind of aliens he could transform, this was the first one that wasn't bipedal.

Martian Manhunter gave a small nod to the team.

Green Arrow raised an eyebrow. "Brainstorm, huh? I guess you have the head size to match."

Brainstorm chuckled. "Indeed." The alien lifted his carapace to show the massive brain inside, much to the shock of the others. "Quite wrinkly, too."

Black Canary and Clark put a hand to their mouths. "Please don't show that without a warning first…"

"Heh, heh. Apologies."

Green Arrow shook his head. "Well, I'll say you've earned the title."

"That explains how you were able to communicate with all of us at once," remarked Flash.

Martian Manhunter hummed. "Not many species can handle multiple mental conversations, let alone at those speeds. Luckily, I only needed to filter out connections of senses and long-term memory."

Superman floated down from the sky, dusting himself off as he landed lightly beside Batman. "Today was... a lot." Superman offered a hand to Brainstorm. "Thanks for the assist, Ark. Couldn't have done it without your guidance."

Brainstorm regarded Superman for a moment before extending a claw. "You are strong, Superman, but some problems require a more delicate touch. I'm glad my assistance proved useful."

Batman stepped forward. "You seemed to anticipate everything. Every move. This form of yours… It's like a living supercomputer, no?"

Brainstorm shrugged. "That's one way of putting it. The synaptic connections are quite complex."

Batman's lips thinned. "That's… convenient."

"I suppose."

Batman crossed his arms. "Your input was… valuable."

Brainstorm nodded. "And your execution was flawless, as expected." There was a pause before he added, "Thank you for trusting me. I know such a proposition was difficult."

Batman gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

"That's the most you'll get out of him. Trust me. I've tried." Green Arrow grinned and waved a hand. "For a reserve member, it sure worked like a charm. Remind me to get you on speed dial the next time we're in a tight spot."

Black Canary smirked. "My throat is still killing me, but at least it's over."

"By the way, that finishing move we pulled off," Superman began, glancing at Flash. "What exactly happened there? It felt... different."

Flash rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think I know what happened, but I never considered doing it to just an arm."

Brainstorm nodded. "Ah, yes. You two performed a technique that increased your strike force exponentially by vibrating your limbs at sublight speeds."

Superman frowned, thinking back. "Sublight? So, relativistic effects?"

"Exactly," Brainstorm said with a nod. "At those speeds, your limb's relativistic mass increases, which increases the force of the punch. The faster you vibrate, the more your mass increases, thus multiplying the impact force. When vibrating at about 15% the speed of light, those punches back there were like nukes."

Eyes went wide, and Green Arrow whistled. That was one strong punch.

Flash's quirked a brow. "So, wait... if we vibrated at exactly light speed, we could theoretically achieve infinite mass, right?"

Brainstorm chuckled. "Theoretically, yes. But there's a catch. The laws of physics get... tricky at anything besides photons being the speed of light. If you reached that speed, you wouldn't just gain infinite mass. You'd create a singularity."

Superman raised an eyebrow. "A singularity? Like a black hole?"

"Precisely," Brainstorm said. "The moment you hit exactly light speed, the mass increase would cause space to warp. You'd rip open our dimension—literally, tear a hole in space. It's not something you'd want to happen."

Overhearing the conversation, the rest of the League began to gather around, expressions shifting from confusion to concern.

"You're saying moving at light speed could destroy the very fabric of space?"

Brainstorm nodded solemnly. "Yes, it could. Under normal conditions, the laws of physics make it nearly impossible for anything with mass to move at light speed. Granted, there are exceptions. But if you were to break that barrier without them... well, it's not a fun experience."

Flash blinked. "Wait, wait—you'veseenthis happen before?"

Brainstorm hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Kind of. It almost happened, but I stopped it. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, it's a scenario best avoided. And trust me—it's as bad as it sounds."

The League stood in stunned silence for a moment. Flash shook his head slowly, letting out a low whistle. "Let's put a pin on that for later."

Superman nodded. "We'll save it for emergencies."

The alien walked over to the pile of the robot's remains. "My strategy to ensure your survival and minimize damage to the city was successful. There was a 0.000000000001% percent chance of failure. As the rogue android could adapt to any one of us physically, the only way to prevail was to outthink it."

Superman folded his arms across his chest. "That four-hour estimate you gave is starting to sound very real.."

Flash grinned as he glanced at the strange alien. "Anyways, thanks again for coming, Ark... I mean, Brainstorm... you know what I mean."

Brainstorm chuckled. "It is no worry. We heroes help where we can." The crab alien reached down and picked up the robot's head. "Red Tornado, I don't suppose you know who may be responsible for this thing's creation?"

Red Tornado shook his head. "I have my suspicions. The design is much different than that of my own and Mister Twister. The only other one I could imagine having a grudge against the league is deceased.

"I see." Brainstorm used his electrokinesis to peel off the armored layers to see the inner workings.

Black Canary crossed her arms. "Think you can make sense of this junk pile?"

"We need to bring these parts to STAR Labs for analysis," Batman proposed. "They'll have the equipment and expertise to fully dissect its systems and determine who sent him."

As the League murmured in agreement, Brainstorm huffed. "I can provide a preliminary analysis myself to save us some time. There are some things that even STAR Labs may overlook, and I believe I am better equipped to detect any subtleties in the robot's design."

Superman looked down at the heap of metal. "There's no harm in a second opinion, right? I'd like to know why it came after us."

Batman considered for a moment, his gaze meeting Brainstorm. The alien intelligence had proven invaluable, and setting up a protected transit to the laboratories would take time. "Fine," Batman relented, "Proceed with caution."

Brainstorm nodded. Electromagnetic energy wrapped around the severed head. He began to interface with the machine. "Accessing…" Within moments, he was mentally analyzing the remaining programming. The data streamed directly into his mind. He sifted through complex algorithms and mountains of raw code. The name came to him first.

"AMAZO," Brainstorm said aloud.

Flash blinked. "AMAZO? That's what it's called? Weird name for a killer copycat robot."

Captain Atom glared at the remains. "For a weapon, one could say that it's amazing."

Brainstorm continued to dig deeper. "Yes. The android was designated 'AMAZO' by its creator. Initials: A.I… Ironic."

Batman seemed to have already guessed who was responsible.

Superman leaned in closer. "Anything else?"

Brainstorm straightened. "It had a single prime directive: to kill the Justice League."

Most of the members groaned. Could they go one week without some stranger trying to kill them for some reason or another?

Flash frowned. "Another one to add to the list…"

Superman's shoulders sagged. "So, this thing was designed solely to hunt us down?"

Brainstorm paused. "The android software contained no direct mention of its creator. Someone must have studied the League extensively, familiar enough to build a machine capable of copying your exact abilities."

Green Arrow grimaced. "That sounds bad. Like, really bad."

"Wait… There," Brainstorm said, his voice echoing in the minds of the League members. "There is a tracking transponder embedded within AMAZO's head."

The group fell silent.

Batman's expression darkened. "A transponder? Then whoever built AMAZO is likely tracking him."

Brainstorm studying it closer. "Indeed. This particular transponder is far more complex than one would think. I doubt you would have found it before taking it to STAR labs."

Superman frowned. "Any way we can trace the signal?"

"Unfortunately, no. It's only transmitting, not receiving." Brainstorm hummed. "What kind of time frame do we have to get this to STAR labs?"

"Ideally, we would split the pieces and ship to different locations later tonight," replied Batman.

Flash looked at Brainstorm with curiosity. "Why? What kind of plan?"

Brainstorm turned to face the group. "I suggest we use this transponder to our advantage. We'll allow it to keep transmitting. I have little doubt that the creator will attempt to retrieve his creation. From there, it'll be a trap. However, we'll need a different team to execute this plan."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "You mean our wards."

"Exactly," Brainstorm replied. "

The group exchanged glances, and while there was some hesitation, Batman sighed. "Let's hear it…"

Brainstorm chuckled. "Okay, here's what I had in mind…"

Later

Batman was on his communicator, making preparations.

Superman smiled. "Okay, we'll try to get everything else set for tonight. In any case, it looks like we've earned a break for a few hours."

Green Arrow laughed. "Don't jinx it, Clark. The last time you said that, we had a doomsday incident the very next day."

Everyone shared a light chuckle at that.

"Until next time." Brainstorm glanced over the gathered heroes. "If you require assistance, you know how to reach me."

Superman nodded, extending a hand once more. "We'll keep that in mind."

Mount Justice

August 3, 13:06 EDT

Kid Flash and Aqualad were playing virtual air hockey. Kid Flash got one right past Kaldur, into his goal. Kaldur looked stunned for a moment, then glared competitively at Kid Flash, who was eating a banana.

Recognized: Superboy; B-0-4.

From the Zeta Tube, Superboy walked uneasily into the room.

"Hi, Superboy," M'gann greeted.

Superboy went straight to the couch and faceplanted himself into the cushions.

Robin looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"How was Metropolis?" M'gann continued.

Superboy lifted his head from the pillow. "Not great… but not bad either." He hoped that Superman would keep his promise.

Black Canary cleared her throat behind them, catching their attention as she and Martian Manhunter stepped out of the shadows. "Ready for training, everyone?" she questioned.

M'gann was as peppy as ever. "Black Canary! Uncle J'onn!" She went up and hugged her uncle.

"M'gann, I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting," J'onn said, placing a hand on his niece's shoulder.

"A few bumps, but I'm learning," she assured.

Superboy sat up on the couch, resting his head on the back.

J'onn replied, "That's all I can ask."

Black Canary spotted the clone, seemingly hiding. "Care to join us?"

Superboy looked down with a sigh. He was waiting on training with Superman. Then again, he considered the hero's words from earlier. "Are you… familiar with how Superman fights?"

Black Canary hummed, getting an idea of what Superboy had in mind. "You wish to learn the same?"

"It'd be a starting point…"

"Well, in that case, I have some ideas," Canary called out. "Class is in session."

Canary walked to the center of the training ring, turning the tiles pure white with a blue barrier. "I consider it an honor to be your teacher," she prefaced, turning towards the larger group of teens as she pulled on her jacket slightly. "I'll throw a lot at you—everything I've learned from my own mentors," she continued as she pulled off her jacket, getting it just beyond the tear that was showing wrapping around her arm. She grunted through the pain but finished taking it off. "And my own bruises," she confessed, holding the wrapping.

"What happened?" M'gann asked worriedly.

"The job," Canary replied simply, throwing her jacket aside. Thoughts went back to how Brainstorm coordinated them. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict. Putting the battle on your terms." Even before the battle was over, he did everything to increase the chance of success. "Ideally, you should always be acting, never reacting," she told them before lightening her tone slightly. "I'll need a sparring partner."

"Right here. Yeah!" Kid Flash called out, raising his hand, food still in his mouth.

Aqualad frowned, and Robin had a sly smirk.

Wally met her in the middle, finishing the banana in one bite and swallowing before he continued. "After this…" he started, aiming his banana peel for the garbage. "Swish…" he commented as it made it in. "I'll show you my moves."

Black Canary smiled knowingly, her eyes narrowing. She threw a quick right jab, which he blocked, but found his feet being taken out from under him before he could even react. He hit the ground with a thud.

M'gann to look on worriedly, Aqualad leaned back in surprise, and Robin frowned.

The hologram read in big letters on the floor:Kid Flash - Status: Fail.

"Oh. Hurts so good," he managed to joke, even while in pain.

"Good block," Canary admitted. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?" she asked as she helped him back to his feet.

Robin was all too excited to answer this one. "Ooh, ooh. He hit on the teacher and got served?"

Kid Flash held the injured shoulder as he looked back, annoyed and horrified that Robin said that. "Dude!"

"He allowed me to dictate the terms of the fight," answered Black Canary.

Superboy looked down at his hands. "How do you maintain control if you can't go all out?"

Black Canary nodded, hearing a few words from the interaction with Superman earlier that morning. Her expression softened slightly. "Power can only take you so far in a fight. Raw strength is important, but control and focus can make all the difference."

Superboy furrowed his brow, still looking down at his hands, flexing them open and closed. "But holding back... it feels unnatural… Sometimes, it feels like everything is made of glass."

Black Canary took a step closer. "You need to understand your strengths and weaknesses and use them when necessary. It's about precision."

Robin chimed in, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Yeah, like if I threw every batarang I had at once, it wouldn't be effective. But one well-aimed batarang? Game over."

"Exactly," Canary affirmed, turning back to the group. "Control allows you to dictate the flow of battle. If you go all out from the start, you'll burn out quickly, or worse, you'll be easy to predict."

M'gann stepped forward hesitantly. "But what about someone like Superboy and Superman? Their strength is... well, their strength."

"If strength were all it takes to win a fight, then humanity would have evolved way differently than we are now." She turned to Superboy. "Were you ever taught the tale of David and Goliath?"

Superboy blinked. "No?"

Black Canary gave him a small smile. "Well, being powerful isn't the be-all end-all. And it doesn't mean being reckless. Watch." She turned toward Superboy and gestured for him to step forward. "Hit me."

Superboy hesitated. "You sure?" He didn't want a repeat of this morning.

"I've fought tougher than you," Canary teased with a smirk. "Go ahead."

Superboy squared his shoulders, his fists clenching. He threw a punch, slower than usual but still powerful. Canary, light on her feet, sidestepped the blow effortlessly, grabbing his wrist and flipping him to the ground in one fluid motion. He landed with a loud thud, but Canary didn't release him immediately.

"See?" she said, locking his arm in place, "I'm well aware that I'm not as physically strong as you or Superman. So, I don't even try to block. Instead, I use your strength to my advantage."

Canary released him, and he returned to his feet, dusting himself off. "Again?"

Superboy charged at her with another punch. She jumped up and used his shoulders to flip over him, landing closely behind him but still able to see him out of the corner of her eye. As he turned to hit her with a back fist, she dropped low, taking his feet out from under him.

Once again, the floor read Superboy Status: Fail.

From the sidelines, M'gann flinched back, Robin muffled his laughter, Aqualad looked worried, and Kid Flash frowned.

Black Canary got down to one knee to Superboy and offered him her hand. "Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

Superboy looked up at her. "I think… Is this what Superman does?"

She sighed. "Unfortunately, no. I'm trying to get it through his skull like you. You'll get it," she assured him. "It takes time. But you have the right mindset, and that's the first step."

Kid Flash, now standing with his arms crossed, grinned. "Yeah, and the second step is not getting flipped on your butt by Black Canary."

"Kid," Canary shot back, her smile widening, "I'd be happy to flip you again if you'd like another round."

The rest of the team chuckled, and even Superboy allowed himself a small smile.

"All right," Canary clapped her hands together, stepping back to address the entire group. "Let's run some drills. We'll work on countering attacks, controlling the fight, and using your environment to your advantage. Who's up first?"

The team exchanged glances on the turn for the lion's den.

Suddenly, the whole room beeped, and a holo screen opened up. "Batman to the Cave," the Dark Knight's voice called, and everyone rushed to join Superboy and Canary. As they gathered, Batman continued, "A new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying and duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents."

On a smaller screen, an image of the attacker turned into a video feed, showing Superman going for a massive punch, only for it to be caught by the attacker. The assailant then used Superman to take out Red Tornado and Flash before throwing the alien hero aside. It turned and used newly acquired laser vision to destroy two Batarangs.

"Arrow called in reinforcements," Batman continued as the video paused, "which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."

"Whoa," Kid Flash was the first to vocalize, while Kaldur looked worried, and Superboy clenched his jaw. "One guy with the powers of the entire League?"

"Had we kept calling for physical backup, potentially, yes," answered Batman.

It seemed unbelievable. Even Robin looked as worried as Kaldur, his mouth slightly open, while M'gann nervously watched.

Black Canary shook her head. "Again, Arrow and I apologize for not mentioning it earlier."

Batman sighed. "It's been noted in the report. Ultimately, it took eight Leaguers and one reserve member two hours to defeat and dismantle the android.

The last part caught Robin's attention. "An android?" Robin questioned. "Who made it, T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess, Robin, but Red Tornado doesn't think so."

"Upon physical inspection, the technology bears the signature of Professor Ivo," Martian Manhunter added.

"Ivo?" Aqualad asked, shocked. "But Ivo's dead."

Canary looked over her shoulder. "So we all thought—or hoped."

"Wait. You said one reserve member." Kid Flash's eyes widened. "Was Ark there too?"

The Dark Knight kept neutral. "Yes. Reserve Member Ark participated in the battle…"

"He's actually the reason why we were able to defeat it as fast as we did," chimed Black Canary. "I did not want to keep fighting that thing for an extra two hours."

"Ooh! What did he turn into?" beamed Robin. "Was it some giant that stomped the robot to pieces?"

Martian Manhunter chuckled. "He was a crab with a very large head."

The teens blinked in confusion as Batman pinched the bridge of his nose.

Kid Flash raised a hand. "Did he shoot psychic energy bolts or something?"

Black Canary and Martian Manhunter shook their heads in amusement. "Actually, Ark didn't participate in any of the fighting at all. Well, not directly? It's in part to what I was talking about before about strength."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Superboy.

Batman cleared his throat. "Not the time. Now, to make certain this threat is permanently neutralized," Batman said as another small screen showed a map. "We're sending two trucks carrying the android's parts to two separate STAR Labs facilities, one in Boston and the other in New York for immediate evaluation. Every precaution is being taken." The two paths diverged, beginning from a glowing red dot on the map. "We'll have four additional trucks to create confusion, in case Ivo or anyone else tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks."

"Yes!" Kid Flash said excitedly. "Road trip!"

Canary turned to Kid Flash with an annoyed look while Aqualad and M'gann gave him confused glances. Robin joined them, glaring from behind his mask.

Superboy frowned. "How long is… this mission going to take?" Superman said after 5 PM, but…

"I've been assured that your appointment is still on for today." Batman's expression softened a bit.

Superboy looked away, a bit surprised. "Oh… Um… Thanks." A smile formed. Superman hadn't forgotten.

Aqualad's transmitter went off. "Coordinates received. On our way," Aqualad confirmed, and everyone ran off.

#

AN: Special thanks to Seana, Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, OmegaDelta, Henry Stickman, fearmegu, Kitsune Robyn, SonicSonicsSonic, Tapion, Dragon lord, Shooter1344, Alexander SegreLaw, Red Rasher, I am lord dems, Ajax Roranson, trey hill, Asaf Montgomery, and Legion! 

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